Filthy.Filthy.Filthy.Met.Con.

Filthy Fifty:

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

33:59 as rx'd

Great workout and extremely happy when it was over.  The burpees at the end sucked as did the du's.  I'm still working on my DU's so they were sloppy, but the good news is I ended the set of 50 with 11 consecutive DU's.  Personal record?  Not sure but I'll take it as one. 

The Mill:  I love the gym, and everything about it.  Specifically, my gym.  It's not just for crossfit, P90x, Insanity, or westside barbells.  It's a solid a mixture of everything.  The only thing that doesn't happen is a steady diet of Richard Simmons. 

Which on all accounts we could use.  It was simple and fun always sweatin' the oldies.  Who doesn't like to watch Richard Simmons bounce around with people of all ages?  I know I just browsed through a handful of videos and enjoyed them all.  The mix of workouts being completed are amazing.  Everyone does something different.  My good friend is doing the 5-3-1 program courtesy of Jim Wendler, and I Crossfit.  There's this one guy who only lifts biceps. Period.  Not even a lot.  But he's still in pretty good shape.  You know that guy.  One set, walk around, think about another set, walk around, and then approach the curl bar only to realize that he's now thirsty.  They all work.  The Wendler program has added strength to who I refer to as Big Back.  A house in the people sense of the word.  The bicep program is, well just that, the bicep program.  Crossfit is perfect for me.  I don't have to plan my workouts, although I do.  I think about them all day in between things like, how to raise a baby and will my lunch go bad sitting in my bag all day.  So I have a plan for the workout, and if it's a quick MetCon then I'll succumb and hit some bi's and tri's.  The main site WOD is followed by lifts of particular body parts.  I once again blend in nice to the crowd at the gym when Crossfit is over.  My point is they all work.  Not one better than the other.  Try new things and become a better person for it.  What will help you accomplish your daily goals outside of the gym?  What will help you carry an arm load of groceries, car seat, couches, mow the lawn, or anything for that matter?  Richard Simmons had the right idea.  Movement.  Functional Movement.  These programs today are Sweatin' with the Oldies on protein shakes, workout boosters, post workout drinks, and everything else that we take to help us perform better.  Thanks Richard for the arm shaking and heel tapping movements that have led to today's evolution of various functional movement workouts.

Handstand's and the DMV....

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

7 Handstand push-ups, modified
12 L-Pull-ups

AMRAP - 9

Improvement - each day. Period.

My handstand push-ups were modified by climbing the wall.  One major problem I see with my method is sometimes I do not push all of my weight up.  I think my feet and legs just stay in one spot which sounds almost impossible, but I can only tell you how I feel while I am doing this lift.  I do not have a mirror to see if everything is working.  All I know is that they really suck.  And by really sucking I really mean that my body hurts.  So whether the form was good or not I will leave up to further debate.

The Mill:  People just wait in line while the computers are trying to turn back on.  Cranky, impatient, rambunctious, yet somewhat calm.  You know that point of no return during finals week?  You have been studying religiously in the library where it is quiet and stale at the beginning of the week.  As the week rolls on people becomes restless, and the studying has subsided to loud conversations about how pissed off you are that finals had to come this week.

Well that was the feeling at the DMV yesterday afternoon.  The computers crashed, the line grew, and the girl with the Bob Marley shirt and poor language skills was sure to express her disapproval.  She consistently spoke from her gut, not holding anything back, to let everyone know she had passed her exam and now "these" people are holding her up from grabbing her permit and heading out into the car with her case worker.  At the ripe old age of 17, she proudly finished 50% for the day on her written exam.  "It's easier to remember the answers if you take it back-to-back". That's the reason the DMV gave the curious customers.  As a fellow driver and concerned citizen I think she should be forced to study again.  She obviously does not know the answers.  She missed 7 the first time and 5 the second.  Fresh in your mind huh?  After realizing how rude she was, I found myself kind of happy that she failed the first time.  Is that wrong?  I mean she was ridiculously rude, loud, and colorful.  By colorful I mean the Jamaican flag printed on her shirt.

She was upset that "these" people kept her waiting.  She was in line for 4 hours.  Which is a lie, but that's what she claimed to all of her friends she called while we waited.  Another woman, in the same boat, had to cancel two other appointments she had that day to wait for her permit.  She was married, now divorced, two children, and was really excited about passing her test.  She was grateful for the wait because she did not want to go to the divorce meeting.  Which is completely understandable in some cases.

A day at the DMV.  I waited 2+ hours to get my license, and decided to watch everything that was going on around me.  People are amazing, and the reasons people go to the boring DMV are amazing.  Probation, case workers, suspension, permits, probation and permits again.  They kind of did it all.

Entertaining to say the least.

Recommit - Rededicate - Refocus

Power Clean
5x3 @185 and one set at @205
Some back work

Monday's WOD fell through.  I walked in the gym and it was crowded and I just wasn't feeling the back and forth of a 15 minute workout.  So I took to Ol' Faithful and power cleaned a little before moving into some back lifts.  Once I got bored with the back assistance work I high tailed it out of there and went to the field.  Now, I don't have much at the field just some tires (on the small end) to hold down the tarp.  I think I made it work just fine.  I cleaned the tires, threw behind my head, pushed pressed the tires, jumped on the tires, threw them some more, ran a few hills, and carried them a little while.  So today, I want to focus on the main site WOD and my diet.  I eat a ton of cookies.  I'm talking like a whole row of Chps Ahoy!

And boy oh boy are they delicious.  So now I have to concentrate more on what I eat for a late night snack.  I do pretty good all day all things considering.  I'm not going to even try Paleo for the lone fact that I also like a good waffle in the morning.  Maybe this is something that comes with more discipline or maybe it's something that I just don't feel like changing.  Anyways, the WOD from Monday was good.  Just slinging some rubber down at the field got a good sweat and then got the hell out of there.  I'm still in the process of trying to locate some bigger tires so I can do more workouts at the field. 

Watch Out!

For time:
Run 800 meters
Clean and Jerk, 30 reps @135lbs
Run 800 meters

14:30

A few things came into play with this WOD.  Firstly, the gym closes at 5pm on Fridays and I don't get out of work until 4:30.  Secondly, there is only enough room in the gym for one bar to be used for clean and jerks so I worked with a partner.  This actually helped me I think.  I typically like going at it alone, but this was a little added giddy up to the clean and jerks.  I arrived at the gym at 4:33 and since I changed in my office I was able to begin warming up.  It was a joke of a warm up since neither of us knew how long this would take.  I rushed through a "warm up" to begin running.  I despise running, and only recently do I feel this way.  It used to be a strong attribute of mine, but somewhere along the way it began to fade.  I think it was all the beer and shit that I ate/eat.  I love me an ice cold beer.  Anyways, the workout began with a boom.  I mean literally a boom.  Our feet pounded the treadmills.  So neither of us our runners anymore.  The clean and jerks are where having a partner worked out.  We did it in sets of 5.  If I were to do it by myself, I may have worked in sets of 3 with a shorter break.  The second leg of the running was even more miserable considering the cleans and jerks.  Being a miserable workout means that it was a kick ass WOD.  I enjoyed the 14 minutes of non-stop moving.  Its that being alive pain that really takes it to the next level. 

Happy Father's Day

Let's ask the Lord to help us play with confidence in our abilities and respect for ourselves and each other in sportsmanship.

-My dad would say this before every game we played.

Fancy Nancy!

The Hammer:  Another crowded weight room and another fun WOD to piss everyone off.  This was a good one.  All sets were unbroken, but I did pause a little longer on some reps. 

"Nancy"
5 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

13:34....pr by 2:23

The Mill:  Not much to say here just thinking about what the weekend will bring. 

Couldn't Cut It!

The Hammer:  Well I cut the workout in half due to time constraints and the fact that I almost threw up just by reading the WOD.  After doing the half ass version I'm pretty steamed because now I know that there would have been enough time.  See I have been craving chicken wings for a while now and I decided that last night was finally my time to dive in and eat some.  And it was worth it. 

WOD
3 Rounds For Time:
500 Meter Row
25 Burpees 
25 Box Jumps
400 Meter Run


24:42 and disappointed.....Next time

The Mill:  The gym was packed yesterday which makes it tough to use a lot of equipment at once.  This was bumping shoulders crowded like a packed movie house for the opening of Harry Potter.  But I managed and received a lot of dirty looks from the people who were just standing around waiting to do their next set of curls.  Nothing wrong with that, but why give me the crook eye?  Well today is going to be much of the same. 

F@#$ FRAN!!!!

The Hammer:  Since yesterday was packed I decided to do Fran on my lunch break since I knew it would be quick.  I was the only one in the gym so it was get in and get out.  I warmed up today with a little 5 minute jog with some movements afterward to get the blood flowing.  Then I jumped right into Fran and demolished the first set of thrusters, unbroken, perfect form, and then the pull ups crushed me.  All sets broken and shitty.  Then the set of 15 thrusters were moving along great until I smoked myself in the nose with the barbell.  This was not a love tap by any means.  My big Italian nose was sticking out over everything.  I'm surprised this is the first time.  

WOD
 
FRAN
21-15-9
95 lb. Thrusters
Pull Ups


4:52 missed PR by 12 seconds





The Mill:  Not too much happening here.  Just living the dream. 

Squat This!

The Hammer:  Nothing beats a good squat day.  Well maybe a good deadlift or power clean but they're all pretty close on my list.  Squats were today's lift of choice, courtesy of the main site.  Do I go below parallel?  Do I use proper form?  I honestly have no idea.  I get to parallel, but never below.  And I never do a half squat.  I saw somebody doing that yesterday and loaded on the weight; lifted it off the rack and slightly bent his knees.  It serves a purpose and everyone has different workout goals, but for me that shit is crazy.  I went into an extremely crowded weight room so I squatted and got the hell out of there.  Outside of the lone squat rack that I stretched in (so no one would take it) there wasn't much room to move around.  



WOD
Back Squat 3-3-3-3-3 reps


275, 285,300, 315, 325


The Mill:  My wife and I bought our first recliner over the weekend and I must say I have never slept better.  This thing is simply amazing.  Our old couch, which was my brother's couch for the previous 5 years, had run it's course.  It was as uncomfortable as a cold toilet seat in December.  This recliner is simply amazing.

What the problem is?????/

The Hammer:  All I know is that the push press set me back.  I was rolling with the deads and squats, but as soon as I hit the push press I could only muster out 5 unbroken.  Then that slowly dwindled to 3 unbroken in the second set.  In the 3rd I blew through it maybe it was because there was only 9 reps compared to 21.  Or I didn't want to get caught in the gym that closed for the night so I hurried and got the hell out of there.  Whatever the reason the last set went better than the first.  This WOD was a sweat dripping mess and a crazy workout.

Friday June 10, 2011
Warm up:
Double unders....as many as possible...getting better at them

For time:
225 pound Deadlift, 21 reps
50 Squats
135 pound Push press, 21 reps
225 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
50 Squats
135 pound Push press, 15 reps
225 pound Deadlift, 9 reps
50 Squats
135 pound Push press, 9 reps


The Mill: The weekend was not what I had in mind, but I'll make up for it this week.  It was busy that's for sure.  One thing that got to me was the constant talk about LBJ and the Heat on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to have a rental car which carries Sirius Radio and it was nonstop LBJ talk for 3 hours.  Yep that's right I listened for 3 straight hours.  I kept hoping for something about baseball or even the Stanley Cup just for a change of pace.  But the guys never stopped talking about the Heat and their collective collapse in the 4th quarter. 

 

Happy Friday

"Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted"
- David Bly

Lunch Sucka!!!

The Hammer:  My nephew who's now 4 and half years old used to say sucka like crazy.  He would come running down the stairs or through the kitchen, slide and yell in a 4 year old boys voice "SUCKA"......Imagine what I did the first time I heard it.  I obviously said it right back to him.


First of all, I don't want you to think that I did 2 workouts in one day.  That's just crazy.  I did this one on my lunch break.  So I had to pick one that didn't use a lot of subs like the main site wod.  I looked around and went directly to Crossfit Pittsburgh's site in celebration of the Pirates .500 record.  Today was more of "what do I feel like doing" rather than "what is the surprise".  And to be honest I felt like squatting.  It's my best lift, I still suck at it, but it's my best and most enjoyable.

WOD Thursday, June 9, 2011

Part 1:
Back Squat 80% of 1RM @ 285
2-2-2-2-2-2
Rest 3 minutes between sets
Part 2:
3 Rounds As Fast As Possible
10 Burpees
.28, .27, .25
90 sec rest
Part  3:
Back Squat
3 reps OTM for 10 minutes at 65% 1RM @ 235


The Mill:  Enjoy it while it lasts, maybe it will, hopefully it will, it almost has to.....

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	wc	dc	po
St. Louis	37	26	.587	-	N	N	N
Milwaukee	35	27	.565	1.5	N	N	N
Cincinnati	32	31	.508	5.0	N	N	N
Pittsburgh	30	30	.500	5.5	N	N	N
Chi Cubs	24	36	.400	11.5	N	N	N
Houston	24	38	.387	12.5

Branded!

The Hammer:  Bumper plates would be a nice addition to any gym.  Steel plates with a softly padded floor in a small gym do not add up.  If I drop the weights I'm branded with the scarlet letter.

Everybody looks at you like you have three heads and are just so confused as to why/how someone would drop the weight on the ground.  I've suggested the bumper plates to the director, but the answer always falls back on the budget.  I get it so please don't judge if I drop the weight.  It's also a little scary to have 200 lbs directly over your head with wobbly arms.  So I draw the line there and only prepare for dropping weight when no one else is in the gym.  Usually early morning it's just me and one other person, and they don't seem to mind.



Push Jerk 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 reps

135, 145, 165, 170,170,175,180,185,190,195

The Mill:  The Buccos are .500 and climbing.  The Stanley Cup is almost over, and LeBron won't shut up.  Oh I almost forgot, Tiger withdrew from the Open.  

Open It Up

Hammer:  Well this WOD sucked, but it was fun.  I had to bounce around from squat racks to smith machines to straight bars all to do the pull ups.  That part was kind of interesting because I had to use many different grips like wide, close, under, over and whatever else to try and wrap my paws around the bar.  For the record I suck at double unders.

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 DB swings, 50lbs
100 Single-unders
95 pound Overhead squat, 100 reps

26:33

The Mill:  I won't touch on the draft until it is officially over.  But How 'bout them Battling Buccos???? I think there's 2 or 3 potential all stars on that team (another Coach Lou Brown reference).  More to follow that's for sure.  The year of the Pirates.

Anticipation.......

WOD at 4:30 today. 

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 DB swings, 50lbs
100 Single-unders
95 pound Overhead squat, 100 reps

Updates to come tomorrow morning.  I just finished Jack3d and will cycle off of it so we'll see how I respond to this WOD this afternoon. 

 

I may be getting to know Pukie a little better by the end of the day......

Control...appreciate....and everything else

The Hammer:  Snatch Balance....can't quite master this lift

Snatch balance 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
95, 105, 135, 140, 145, 155, 165

I felt a little off this morning. I couldn't quite get the right technique with my warm ups @95lbs

20 lbs less than my previous max and I'm not too happy

The Mill:  Control what you can which is only yourself and your own actions.  If you take care of you then you will be able to help others when needed.  Do not lose site of what is important and things always work out over time.  Something I have not been very good at is appreciating my family and friends.  I don't take them for granted, but I don't say "thank you" enough or appreciate the small things.  I'm not in need of lifestyle change just simply change my outlook.  Life is good, but selfishly I need everyone to be on the same page. 

Sorry for the sappiness of this entry.  I'll try to keep it to a minimum. 

Clean.................Snatch.. It's about time

The wod's were pretty tough physically and mentally the last 2 days.  The cleans are always fun despite me looking like an ass on the failed attempt.  Then almost falling over on the successful 225.  But, what the hell, I finished the lift.  The split snatch were little tough since I did them the previous day only because I haven't done that lift in a while.  It's like when you enjoy eating hamburgers and you haven't had one for a while then you eat a juicy burger every day for the next week.  That's what the snatch felt like only it wasn't juicy.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Power clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

185, 205, 210, 215, 220, 225(f), 225

Post Wod:
6 rounds
5db one arm snatch (each arm) 50lbs
5 dips

4:07

Thursday, June 2, 2011

"Moon"

Seven rounds for time of:
40 pound dumbbell Hang split snatch, 10 reps Right arm
3 pull ups, 3 squats
40 pound dumbbell Hang split snatch, 10 reps Left arm
3 pull ups, 3 squats
Alternate feet in the split snatch sets.

Subbed pull ups and squats for rope climb....

Back assistance work post wod