Posts from — August 2009

PCF WOD: 3-3-3-3-3-3

Overhead Squats

175-205-225-235-240-240

10×3 Weighted Back Extensions

My main man doing his thing.

POSE much?

“The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer must at once be, ‘It is no use’. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain andgoes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.”

–George Leigh Mallory, 1922

This is what happens when the zone, a crossfitter, and "Color Me Mine" collide.

PCF WOD:

4 Rounds for time:
20 Dumbbell Power Snatch, 10 each arm, 45/30 lbs
10 Slapping Push-ups

4:06

Did this with Aviv and Mark during the day. Nice to have someone to pace off of. Everything was unbroken except for the last set of slapping pushups.

Knowledge: If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment -Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Excelsior. Photo: Ryan P.

5x5x5 Low Bar Back Squat

295,305, 315

I’m happy with this considering last time I dback squatted was in April at Crossfit Newport Beach. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t like the feel of Olympic lifting shoes when I low bar back squat. I’m a Chuck Taylors guy- I really like the flat heel.

5x5x5

135,145,155

Don’t think I hit my 5 rep max on this. I’m pretty good at going overhead, so this isn’t really a priority lift for me right now.

Links:

Seth Godin: Do you know enough? Short and clear.

Marcus Aurelius: Meditations. My favorite book on stoicism is available for free online.

You know you've made the switch when you start getting cards like this for your birthday.

Score: 17 Rounds

4 Stations, no rest:

AMRAP in 5 Minutes of:

3 Strict HSPUs

Row 150

AMRAP in 5 Minutes of:
7 Ring Dips
30 Double Unders

AMRAP 5 Minutes of:
3 Deadlift, 225/155 lbs
20 Box Jumps, 24/20 in

AMRAP in 5 Minutes of:
7 Strict Pull-ups
Run 1 Lap

The workout felt decent considering it was 20 minutes long which isn’t exactly my strength.

The Perils of Being an Experienced Crossfitter

On the last station (dead hang pullups and run 1 lap) I was reminded of the perils of being a more experienced Crossfitter. I came in from my 3rd run with about 50 seconds left in the workout. I knew that since only half rounds counted, and there was no way I was going to do 7 pullups and a lap in 50 seconds, I could slow way down and comfortably finish my 7 pullups in 50 seconds. This is exactly what I did.

My workout partner Jeremy made a much better choice. Jeremy, who in addition to being a great guy is an excellent crossfitter, came in from his last run at the same time I did. However, instead of gaming the WOD like I did, he got right on the pull-up bar and flew out the door. He probably only made it halfway through his last lap, so it didn’t show up in his score.

The whiteboard didn’t show any difference between Jeremy and I, but I knew how much harder he pushed. If I’m going to continue to improve, and keep up with beasts like Jeremy, I’m going to have to stop trying to game my score and just start working harder.

Links:

100 must read books for a man’s library

Is there anything better than this video? Derek Redmond’s Olympic finish.