Hamstrings are Overrated...

Yesterday's WOD totally kicked my butt...literally. Hamstrings and Glutes are fried from 70 #205 Deadlifts...so today was a painful, foamroll filled off day. Other than that, I'm feeling good. The hot weather is tiring me the heck out a little, but I will take this any day over the winter months!

Tuesday:
Strength WOD:
Power Clean 2-2-2-2-2
185-195-170-185-195-205-215x1-225x1F
(I was all over the place on this. Setup sucked on the 1st 2 sets so I dropped down to fix it. Next few sets went well. Attempted a few singles...#215 wasn't bad at all, and #225 was an epic failure once again.)

Conditioning WOD:
7 Rounds:
5 Deadlift @ BW (#205)
5 Pullups
5 Deadlift @ BW (#205)
5 Pullups
10:57
(Felt good, but this smoked me!)

Wednesday: Off Day

Getting Stronger, Crazy Weekend and an Ass Kicking

Haven't updated since Thursday and lots has happened. Friday I hit a big milestone in my book, Saturday I partied my ass off in Indy, Sunday I recovered and today I got my butt kicked by our Conditioning WOD!

Friday:
Strength WOD:
Deadlift 5-3-1+ @ 75%-85%-95%
315 x 5
360 x 3
400 x 3...BIG 3 Rep PR!

Conditioning WOD:
AMRAP in 15 Mins
20 Unbroken Wall Ball #20
8 Unbroken Chinups
6 Rounds + 20 Wall Balls, 3 Chinups

Saturday & Sunday: Off

Monday:
Strength WOD:
Back Squat 5-5-5
265-275-285

Conditioning WOD:
AMRAP in 20 Mins
400m Run
Max Reps Pushups
35-25-25-25-25 = 135 Pushups

Eating has been well except for the Pizza binge I had Saturday Night after a night of drinking and a delicious Waffle House breakfast in Indy on Sunday morning.

I feel like my running has been a little off lately, so I feel like I will be practicing some POSE running drills and doing a CrossFit Endurance WOD or 2 this week to fix this. Something in my form is out of whack and I need to get it right!

PR Thursday: Take that Grace!

Awesome morning WOD today...first time I did Grace in 1 1/2 years and I cut it in half! Felt great the whole time. Tara claims I strict pressed about half of the reps...but it still got locked out overhead and I'll take it!

Conditioning WOD:
"Grace"
30 - #135 Clean & Jerks for Time
2:44
(PR by 2:39!)

Supplemental Work:
3 Rounds:
5 GHD Hip Extensions
5 GHD Back Extensions
10 GHD Situps
10 Lunges
10 Glute Bridges
(Felt like I needed to work on glute & core activation, so I tossed some extra work in later in the afternoon.)

Wednesday: I've been a slacker...but I have a reason!

Finishing up "Murph"

It's been a few days since I updated the blog, so I'll racap my week so far. I apologize for being lazy, but I've had a lot on my plate lately. Some people know, and others do not, but I am in the final stages of hopefully getting hired as a West Chicago Police Officer. It's something I've wanted to do since childhood and I really hope I get the job. It will be a definite lifestyle change, but I am looking forward to it. I will still be training, coaching and kicking my own ass, so don't worry there. CrossFit has given me so much and the peak physical condition to be a police officer is just one more thing I can take from it. If I get this job it will be a way for me to reach more people and positively influence their lives both in fitness and beyond.

Saturday: Murph for Miller...this event was amazing and we raised over $1700 for the Special Opperations Warrior Foundation!

Conditioning WOD:
"Murph" w/ #20 Weighted Vest
Run 1 Mile
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Squats
Run 1 Mile
49:55
(Added almost 16 mins to my best Murph without a vest...pullups and breathing were the toughest part. Accomplished 2 goals: Under 1 Hour, and No Walking on Runs!)

Amazing Day!

Sunday & Monday: Off Days

Tuesday:
Strength WOD:
Max Reps Dead Hang Pullups x 4 w/ 3 Mins Rest
14-10-7-7

Conditioning WOD:
3 Rounds:
-800m Run
-5 x 1 Power Snatch + 3 Overhead Squats #95
-15 Pullups
19:50
(Still wasted from Murph)

Wednesday: Off Day
Today I was mentally fried from a 6 hour psychological exam and a 2 1/2 hour drive back from the city...Grace in the AM!

Thursday: No more Performance Menu for this guy...

Well considering I may have some pending engagements coming up it looks like I will be unable to compete in the Windy City CrossFit Oly Meet in July...so I've decided to get back to my normal workout routine. My plan for strength work will be 5 days covering deadlifts, squats, press/jerks, clean & jerk and snatches. I will hit some form of these at least once a week and keep working on conditioning with the rest of the CFTC crew while maybe throwing in some CrossFit Endurance WODs here and there.

Strength WOD:
OH Press 3-3-3+ 70%-80%-90%
125-140-155
(155 is a 3 rep PR as far as I can find!)

Conditioning WOD:
AMRAP 4 Minutes:
-5 Box Jumps 24"
-3 Handstand Pushups
-2 Minutes Rest, then… 8 Rounds + 1 Box Jump
AMRAP 3 Minutes:
-3 Power Snatch #115
-10 Squats
-2 Minutes Rest, then… 5 Rounds
AMRAP 2 Minutes:
-20 Yard Shuttle Runs (each length = 1 Rep)... 20 reps
33+ Rounds

Overall I felt good today and it was good getting back in class, but I feel like I am going to need to do a little more in terms of either strength or endurance work throughout the week to keep me happy. We'll see...

Wednesday: BDays = Rest Days

Well after going out for Tiff's BDay the night before, Wednesday was a little bit of an off day for me. I still felt pretty solid by the afternoon so I did the CrossFit Endurance Rowing WOD for the day.

CrossFit Endurance WOD:
4-2-1 Rowing Intervals
4min on, 3min off
2min on, 30sec off
1min on, 3min off
2min on, 30 sec off
4min on. Done!
3717 Total Meters

Tuesday

Felt Solid, but was really tight in the hips...still had some good lifts. Went out for Tiffany's BDay at night so was a little bit tired for Wednesday!

Strength WOD:
Muscle Snatch Max for the Day
155-165-175F-170-175F

Power Snatch 80%(of full snatch) x 1 x 4
155-155-155-155

Power Clean & Jerk 74%(of full clean) x 1 x 4
185-185-185-185

Overhead Squat 85%(of Snatch) x 1, 70% x 2 x 2
160-135-135

Conditioning WOD:
5 Rounds
200m Row
10 Pushups
12 Back Extensions
20 AbMat Situps
10:04
(Good Burner!)

Monday: I love lifting heavy stuff!

I'm a nerd, but I still love to see my pic on the CFTC Website!

Today I got back on the Performance Menu train and it felt great. Last week I had a lot going on and didn't get a lot of Oly lifting in, but still managed to have some great WODs. This week it's back to heavy lifting and short conditioning WODs.

Strength WOD:
Snatch 75% x 1 x 3
145-145-145

Snatch Pull 95% x 3 x 3
180-180-180

Snatch Deadlift 105% x 3 x 3
200-200-200

Front Squat 78% x 3 x 5...follow each set with 3 Box Jumps
235-235-235-235-235 All Box Jumps at 32.5"

Supplemental Work:
GHD Situps: 55

Dead Hang Pullups: 3 x 10 w/ Red Band

No Conditioning WOD

Weekend Recap

Well first of all I must apologize for being a slacker and not updating the blog for a few days...SORRY! Life's been busy the past few days, but I finally have a few minutes to chill and get stuff updated. I am also no longer going to post food logs...the past 5 weeks have been a pretty solid look into my daily eating habits. I'm not perfect, but I am consistent. I stay Paleo 80% of the time, 10% of the time I at least stay gluten free and the other 10% is for the fun stuff...but everyone needs a little bit of fun. I will keep this as my training log as well as my way of sharing my life as a CrossFit athlete and coach.

Thursday: Off Day

Friday: @ CrossFit Chicago
Strength WOD:
Jerk 3-3-3-3-3
135-175-185-195-205

Conditioning WOD:
10 Power Snatch #145
20 C2B Pullups
30 Box Jumps 24"
40 Wall Balls #20
30 Box Jumps 24"
20 C2B Pullups
10 Power Snatch #145
12:49

Saturday:
Team WOD:
In teams of 2, complete the following:
800m run or 1000m row
Box Jumps (24″/18″)
DB Snatch (#35/25)
800m run or 1000m row
Floor to Overhead (#95/65)
Med Ball Situps (#10/6)
800m run or 1000m row
Mountain Climbers
Knees 2 Elbows
-One team member will run while the other is completing as many reps as possible of the movements listed.
-Alternate sets of 10 of each movement while your partner is running to accumulate reps.
Steph G & I: 14.6 Reps Per Minute

Sunday: Off Day

Overall I'm feelin good and had a great weekend. I went out Saturday night, but didn't go overboard. Today was a good day to grill and be with family. I should be primed and ready to go for this upcoming week...big things to come!

Wednesday: A PR and a Fun Fran

Fun Fran? Yea, I said it! I went in to do Fran today and for the 1st time ever didn't put any pressure on myself to PR. Getting stronger has made #95 Thrusters feel pretty easy and pullups weren't too bad, but will get better once I start throwing more into my supplemental work. Slowed down a little, but I still put up a decent time. I'll shoot for a new PR the next time I do this wonderful little workout! Strength wise...it keeps getting better. I set a #40 PR on my 5 rep Deadlift, with a lot of yelling! Paleo living and CrossFit have me still improving regularly 2 1/2 years after I found them...anyone still doubt this stuff works? I know I'm having fun waking up every day and knowing that on that day I am in the best shape of my life!

Conditioning WOD: 11AM
"Fran"
21-15-9
#95 Thrusters
Pull-Ups
4:22
(Slow by 0:45, but honestly I was at about 80% intensity....and not dead at the end)

Strength WOD: 7PM
Deadlift 5-5-5 (65-75-85%)
275
315
355 (#40 PR!)
(Felt heavy but GOOD!)

Food Log...

Breakfast:
3 Scrambled Eggs w/ Orange Bell Pepper, Onion, Jalapeno, Garlic
3 Pieces of Bacon
Big Spoonful of Sun Butter
3/4 Cup of Strawberries

Lunch:
2 Turkey Burgers
1/2 Avocado
2 Cups of Broccoli
10-15 Almonds
2 Clementines

Snack:
2 oz Deli Turkey
2 oz Turkey Pepperoni
10-15 Almonds
Lara Bar
Apple

Dinner:
Chipotle Burrito Bol w/ Fajita Veggies, Steak & Chicken, Mild & Hot Salsa, Guac, Lettuce
Spoonful of Almond Butter
Paleo Treat

Tuesday: A Shiny Diamond in a Pile of Crap

Well after 3 days of no Oly lifting and 2 days off completely my body was not ready for Max Day...it's purely my fault and I need to focus if I really want to do this Oly meet in July. I got 1 PR that I've been shooting for a long time, so at least it wasn't all bad.

Strength WOD:
Max Effort Snatch
165
(-#30. Failed at #175 4 times and called it a day. Issues with my turnover.)

Max Effort Clean & Jerk
250
(#5 PR! Felt Solid, especially the Jerk. Just missed #255 and have more left.)

Max Effort Front Squat
275
(-#25. Another disappointing lift. Just had no strength left at this point.)

Supplemental Work:
3 Rounds
10 Good Mornings #45-#65-#65
15 Hanging Leg Raises

Conditioning WOD:
3 Rounds
50m Uphill Sandbag Run #40-#60-#80 (each round was heavier)
5 Burpees
10 KB Swings #10
10 Box Jumps 18"
5 Tire Flips #269
50m Downhill Run
7:40
(Mean little burner...sandbag runs got worse and slower as they got heavier)

Food Log...

Breakfast:
2 Scrambled Eggs w/ Orange Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Jalapeno
3 Pieces of Bacon
Big Scoop of Sun Butter
2 Clementines
1/2 Cup of Strawberries

Post-WOD Snack:
1/3 Cup of Strawberries
Lara Bar

Lunch:
Spinach Salad w/ Turkey, Prosciutto, Turkey Pepperoni, Salami, Pepperoncini, Homemade Vinaigrette
15 Macadamia Nuts
Apple

Dinner:
2 Turkey Burgers
1/2 Avocado
Fresh Salsa
1 1/2 Cups of Broccoli
Spinach Salad w/ Homemade Vinaigrette

Snack:
Apple
Spoonful of Sun Butter

Monday: Forced Rest Day due to Poor Weekend Decisions

Monday was a bad day because Sunday was a bad day. Poor weekend nutritional decisions made the start to my week suck too. I had an awful headache, and I never get headaches. I have to realize that I'm not a college kid anymore and because I'm normally so clean in my eating, I've become less tolerant to bullshit. I'm not going to say that I won't have a few more bad weekends over the summer, but I need to be way smarter about how far overboard I go and how I recover. I also need to remember that I typically train just to train, but since I am getting ready for something meaningful for the 1st time since I started CrossFit, it might be a good idea to stay low key until after my Oly meet is over.

No WOD...

Food Log...

Breakfast: @ Butterfield's Pancake House in Wheaton
3 Egg Omelet w/ Avocado & Bacon
Side of Fruit

Lunch: @ Panera
Thai Chicken Salad w/ Chicken, Cashews, Edamame, Roasted Red Peppers, Chili Tai Dressing (No Wonton Strips)
Apple

Dinner:
2 Turkey Italian Sausages
1 Hamburger w/ 1/4 Avocado & Fresh Salsa
Sauteed Bell Peppers

Snack:
1/2 Paleo Treat
Small Piece of 88% Cocoa
1/2 Cup of Strawberries

Overall a good eating day, especially since 2 meals were out due to me not being home all morning/afternoon. I finally started to get rid of my food hangover by dinner time, but I was still feeling sluggish.

Sunday: Hungover = Poor Eating to Kill the Pain

Well a bad night Saturday led to nothing good on Sunday. I ate like utter crap in an attempt to kill my hangover and I basically mad myself even worse. I have to get out of my college tricks and realize that the quickest route to recovery is back to Paleo ASAP. Lesson learned...

Food Log...

Breakfast #1:
4 Slices of Pizza...leftovers I was too hammered to eat the night before

Breakfast #2:
2 Scrambled Eggs
2 Turkey Sausages
Spoonful of Sun Butter
2 Clementines
1 Banana

Snack:
All sorts of UnPaleo Badness...chips, crackers, cheese, dips
3 Miller Lites...Hair of the Dog

Lunch:
More UnPaleo Badness...Fried Chicken, Pasta, Jello Dessert, Italian Beef Sandwich

More Dessert:
Piece of Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Ice Cream
Canoli

Even More Dessert:
4 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everything after breakfast was at a 60th BDay Party...no excuse, but I had a hard time saying no when it was there and I needed something in my stomach to make me feel better. Problem is...I managed to make myself feel even more like junk. I'm going to chalk Sunday up to Adult Onset Mental Retardation...DOH!!!

Saturday: No Oly Lifting...just Death by Metcon

Saturday was a solid day and a great team WOD. By great I mean awful...but I still loved it. Eating was good for the 1st half of the day, then my 1 1/2 day destruction occurred...more on that later.

No Strength WOD

TEAM Conditioning WOD:
Med Ball 5K
1 Team member running while the rest are doing "Baselines"
Curt/Christina H/Eric G/Jim: avg 400m run 2:47 avg baseline 2:26: total 5:13 - 15 Total Baselines.

Food Log...

Breakfast:
2 Scrambled Eggs
1 Piece of Turkey Sausage
2 Pieces of Bacon
20 Almonds
3/4 Cup of Strawberries

Lunch:
Chicken Breast
Lara Bar
15 Macadamia Nuts
2 Clementines
Paleo Treat

Dinner: @ Firehouse Subs in Wheaton
Turkey & Ham Sub on White Bread w/ Provolone, Lettuce, Onion, Mayo
Jalapeno Chips
Cherry Limeade

Drinks:
Vodka, Water, Lime...quantity unknown, but waaaaay too many.

Moral of the story,: Don't get hammered on Saturday, because it will leave you still feeling shitty on Tuesday.