The Lighter Side of Sean

Facebook & Twitter

2009-07-06T08:30:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't already know this, most of my recent online activity has been on Facebook and Twitter. I haven't been posting to my blog here that often. If you want to know what I've been up to, check me out there.

Sean on Facebook
Sean on Twitter

Postponed to 2010

2009-07-01T20:44:00.001-05:00

I haven’t made any progress on reading these this year. I’m going to push the goal to 2010 so I’m not fighting with an unusual reading volume already from reading 100 books this year.

See more progress on: read 4 books from the St. John's College reading list this year.

June, 2009 11 Books

2009-07-01T20:41:00.001-05:00

1. The Face of Chaos, Anthology
2. The Aliens Among Us, James White
3. Ambulance Ship, James White
4. Sector General, James White
5. Star Healer, James White
6. Code Blue – Emergency, James White
7. Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys #1), Franklin W. Dixon
8. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
9. Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris
10. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
11. The House on the Cliff (Hardy Boys #2), Franklin W. Dixon

I made up for the short month in May with a very long month in June.

I know I read many of the Hardy Boys books when I was 10 or so but I can’t say I’m a real fan now.

James White’s Sector General stories and novels are awesome and I’m enjoying re-reading them after 15+ years.

I started the Charlaine Harris vampire books when I decided to watch HBO’s True Blood. So far, the books are better than the show.

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

May, 2009 - 5 Books

2009-06-02T15:37:00.001-05:00

1. Shadows of Sanctuary, Anthology
2. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
3. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
4. Storm Season, Anthology
5. The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman

I spent a significant portion of this month reading a couple of computer books for work. I haven’t finished any of them yet but they put me behind this month and I have some ground to make up.

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

April, 2009

2009-05-01T09:28:00.001-05:00

1. A Spell for Chameleon, Piers Anthony
2. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
3. The Way of Shadows, Brent Weeks
4. Shadow’s Edge, Brent Weeks
5. Beyond the Shadows, Brent Weeks
6. The Burning Wheel Fantasy Roleplaying System, Luke Crane and Dan Abram
7. The Burning Wheel Character Burner, Luke Crane and Dan Abram
8. The Stone Rose (Doctor Who), Jac Rayner
9. Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, Anthology

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

Gwen B. Giles (Catalpa) Park.

2009-04-28T22:56:00.003-05:00

Completely by accident, Michele and I discovered a park we had never noticed before. We got diverted away from our planned route by a marathon of all things and there, driving through a neighborhood we almost never visit, on a road we never drive, was a vision of everything Sean in a park. I vowed on the spot to visit this park. I kept my vow.

I'm on call this week. I was on the phone with customers until 11:30 PM. At 12:30 AM, I finally got to sleep. At 2:30 AM, I woke to the phone ringing, again. I took multiple calls through the morning and at 6:30 AM, I headed to work, since I knew I wouldn't get any decent sleep. On the way, driving alone for the first time in a really long time, I decided to stop by the park. I took lots of pictures. I also scraped my shins, bruised my right heel and got impressive grass and mud stains on my pants. It was great.

I don't have the ability to get my pictures off my phone right now but I did order a data cable for my phone so soon, I promise. These pictures should be worth the wait.

I'll try to catalog a few of the features that have me drooling over this park. A large wooden play structure, probably 30 feet long or more, with lots of room for climbing, ducking, etc. Numerous formations of short, wide, wooden posts stuck in the ground, some in lines, others in patterns, and still others in clusters. A couple rails at 3 inches above the ground, for balancing on. Dual monkey bars. 3 foot diameter concrete pipes for crawling through and climbing over. A play stage coach and a play viking ship and still another regular jungle gym feature. Large metal post swings, suitable for climbing on. Two sets of great stairs, one with huge parkour potential. Several small cannon emplacements. And throughout it all, large 2 foot to 4 foot boulders bordering everything, just perfect for climbing and running and jumping on. And I guarantee I've left some things out. This place just begs to be played at.

And speaking of, I managed to persuade 3 people from my office to go back at lunch today. It is frustrating that I can't do the monkey bars but I had a blast climbing all over everything, running through the boulders and just making a fool of myself. I could spent months there just playing for exercise.

AFK - Away from Blog

2009-04-27T09:11:00.002-05:00

It has been ages since I last posted here. I've been riding the slow train down the slippery slope of laziness and gluttony. Who knows what I weigh today. I can't do a single pull up anymore. I haven't tried a frog stand in ages. I can usually do a single ring dip though and I've been swinging the pendulum slowly back towards activity. In fact, I just did 6 flights down, 20 flights up, 14 flights down of stairs. It is nice to work in a tall building.

On the leisure front, I committed to trying to read 100 books this year. I also committed to trying to read 4 classics this year. So far, it looks like I'm on pace for the 100 book year but I'm woefully behind on the classics. I've been tracking my progress on All Consuming and 43 Things. I find it takes a conscious effort to keep reading and that it forces me to read at times when I might have watched television or played games on the computer or a console. If I can keep my pace, it will be a rewarding year but I don't know if I will do it again.

On the work front, I'm on call at Voxitas again this week. I hope I can get some sleep. The last time I was on call, just as secondary, it hurt my sleep schedule enough to affect my ability to focus and think and may have caused me to get sick last week. Also, TradeHarbor is coming along. There is still hope that they will make it and I might recoup some of my lost income from last year.

A little while ago, we went on a road trip to Colorado to visit one of Michele's friends. I got to play on top of Pike's Peak. Michele didn't take the altitude very well but I loved it. I also found a new cheese, instantly my new favorite, and promptly lost the label so I don't know what it was.

I recently started Netflix again and I'm using their extensive Doctor Who library to do a thorough survey of Doctor Who from the earliest Doctor. There is a lot of material that has been lost but I'm excited to see what I can. So far, the first Doctor doesn't impress me tremendously but I'm enjoying 1960's television production values, especially as I watch the special features on the various disks.

Hopefully it won't be so long before I post here again. If your reading, drop me a line. I'd love to know if anyone gets this.

March, 2009 - 7 Books

2009-04-01T06:18:00.001-05:00

1. Intergalactic Medicine Show, Orson Scott Card Anthology
2. Ducks: Guide to the Durulz, Bryan Steele
3. GURPS Magic, Steve Jackson
4. Mage-Guard of Hamor, L. E. Modesitt Jr.
5. Callahan’s Con, Spider Robinson
6. Maxnome Foe, John Ringo
7. The Jennifer Morgue, Charles Stross

(I finished 25 books in the first quarter (10, 8, 7) so I am on pace for 100 books this year. I seem to be slowing down though. And so far, my goal of 4 classics this year is way, way off.

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

February, 2009 - 8 Books

2009-04-01T06:11:00.001-05:00

1. Thieves’ World, Anthology
2. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
3. Ender’s Shadow, Orson Scott Card
4. Shadow of the Hegemon, Orson Scott Card
5. Shadow Puppets, Orson Scott Card
6. Shadow of the Giant, Orson Scott Card
7. Ender in Exile, Orson Scott Card
8. First Meetings, Orson Scott Card

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

January, 2009 - 10 Books

2009-02-18T13:19:00.001-06:00

Natural Ordermage, L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Codespell, Kelly McCullough
The Return of Count Electric, William Browning Spencer
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron
The Hope: A Novel, James Lovegrove
Dragonhaven, Robin McKinley
The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd, Frank Beddor
Middle-Earth Quest: A Spy in Isengard
Middle-Earth Quest: Treason at Helm’s Deep

See more progress on: read 100 books this year

Weakness Rising

2009-01-14T22:14:00.002-06:00

Today's workout

Mix of really poor straight arm frog stands
2 x 30 second chair support
2 x 30 second bent knee hang
2 x 10 second chair L sit
30 minutes Wii free step
6 minutes Wii boxing
1 minute (ugly) bent knee frog stand

I was horrible on the frog stands. With nearly straight arms (I never did get them locked out properly), I could barely hold myself off the ground. Guilt, after sitting down to write this, made me throw in the bent knee frog stand and even that was pretty ugly with me barely able to keep weight off my feet and with several touchdowns.

I've been weighing in with the Wii every morning for a couple weeks. For some reason, I lost 2+ lbs both Monday and Tuesday. I don't know if the conditions that caused the weight loss also caused the loss in strength but I feel so weak today it is like I'm a different person. Even exercises that should seem easy seem very hard.

Let's Pretend We're Gymnasts

2009-01-12T11:00:00.002-06:00

CrossFit St. Charles (CFSTC) is a fairly new CrossFit affiliate with space inside the Generation Gymnastics facility. This affords some unique advantages. CrossFitters, as a rule, seem to adore gymnastics. Emphasis on amazing feats of functional strength achieved through body weight exercises, extreme body control and joyful expression of the human body at its peak capability combine to inspire us to greatness. Kim Wilkes (of CFSTC) recognizes this and has fostered a positive relationship with the gym resulting in an all day gymnastics seminar a couple months ago and a 3 hour open gym yesterday.

Yesterday's session was wonderfully attended by friends of CFSTC, local do it yourself CrossFitters (Brett, myself and others) and a swarm from CrossFit Valley Park (CFVP). Allie (sp?) from Generation Gymnastics ran us through our paces, everything from tumbling runs, to rings, to parallel bars, to vaults into the pit. She seemed to take delight in torturing us and showing us our weakness and for that I thank her.

It doesn't matter what level you are at. It doesn't matter where you start. A day at the gymnastics gym is fun, exciting, and one of the best workouts you can get. With luck, Generation Gymnastics will start an adult gymnastics class soon and I'll get to do this to myself every week.

Weak All Over Again

2009-01-09T06:07:00.004-06:00

Today's Workout
5 x 7 second straight arm frog stand on 1 minute interval
6 x 5 second ring support on 30 second interval
4 x 7 second straight arm frog stand on 30 second interval
6 x 5 second ring support on 30 second interval
1 x 30 second bent knee hang
30 seconds rest
1 x 22 second bent knee hang
20 seconds rest
1 x 10 second bent knee hang

My wrist flexibility isn't what it needs to be for straight arm frog stands. Also, my ab strength and shoulder girdle strength is low. I really want to get my leg to arm contact point above my elbows but every time I moved it up that high, I couldn't keep my arms straight. Today's stands had my thighs contacting my forearms about 2/3s of the way to the elbow from the wrist. You have to lean a lot further forward when you straighten your arms and apparently my wrists are not happy going past 90 degrees. The extra stretch was uncomfortable and contributed to the shortness of reps.

I broke up the long sets of similar exercises but decreased my rest times for everything today. 30 second intervals really help boost your heart rate while you are performing these exercises, adding to the training effects. Yesterday's bent knee hangs (2 x 30 seconds) were performed with 1 minute 30 seconds rest between sets. Today, I tried to reduce that to 30 seconds rest with detrimental effect on the 2nd set. I almost quit with just the 52 seconds because my forearms were so pumped but I couldn't let it go and threw in the worst 10 seconds of the workout by demanding the last set from myself. For 10 seconds, it was just 1 mm of slip after another. I was afraid I'd be hanging from my fingertips before it was over but I made it.

I didn't do any WiiFit last night. It is like having a live in trainer who can't talk to you unless you talk to her first. If you just ignore her, she can't scold you. At around 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM yesterday, I crashed hard. The next couple hours were very hard as I could barely keep my eyes open. I assume the crash was due to making poor nutritional choices as lunch where I consumed 2 chicken legs and a large chicken gizzards from Lee's Chicken. Regardless, I only managed to eat about 4 bites of dinner before I retired to bed where I must have passed out by 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM.

2009-01-09T06:07:00.001-06:00

If it is worth doing, it is worth doing now.

2009-01-08T06:02:00.001-06:00

I don’t know when, or if, I will actually get to attend St. John’s College. It is still my dream but it seems so far off right now. Still, I keep railing against New Year’s resolutions because if something is worth doing, it is worth doing now and not waiting for the new year to start. Applying the same logic to myself, I’ve decided to start reading from the St. John’s College reading list. This year, I want to read at least the Illiad, the Odyssey, Agamemnon, and Libation Bearers.

See more progress on: read 4 books from the St. John's College reading list this year.

The Journey of 1000 Miles...

2009-01-08T05:55:00.001-06:00

...begins with just one frog stand, or something like that.

The straight arm frog stand is the 2nd stage of my progression to a front planche. Even though I can now do 60 second bent arm frog stands, I can’t do a full second of the ball planche or tuck planche which is supposed to be next. CrossFit Portland suggests the straight arm frog stand can be a helper exercise in between the bent arm frog stand and the tuck planche for people with this problem so here I go.

See more progress on: do a 60 second straight arm frog stand

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2009-01-08T05:38:00.002-06:00

This morning's workout:

1 x 60 second frog stand - completely clean
2 x 30 second bent knee hang - rough
12 x 5 second ring support

For the last 5-6 supports, I switched to a 30 second interval. This really kicked up the cardiovascular effect of the exercises but by the last set started to impede muscle recovery enough to interfere with my performance of each rep. I dropped back down from 6-7 second sets to focus on better position for each rep, shoulders shrugged and tall. Halfway through, my form started to deteriorate again but I would say 9 of 12 were of much higher quality than all but 1 or 2 reps before.

Maybe I will do some more WiiFit tonight.

Funny story, I get some pretty strange looks at the office when I talk about the things I do for exercise. Yesterday morning, my boss comes in and asks me for a link to the exercises I've been doing. Then he turns his head to show me the red welt on the side of his head. I guess his spotter was sick yesterday morning and he managed to drop a 150 lbs barbell on his head trying to do some bench presses. Suddenly, body weight exercises don't seem so crazy.

Wii Fit vs. Gymnastics Strength

2009-01-05T20:44:00.002-06:00

On New Year's Eve, a friend introduced me to the Wii Fit. The next day, my wife and I called about 30 stores before we found one 45 minutes away in Granite City, IL. They got a shipment in the morning and by the time we were there to get one around 11:30 AM, over half were gone. The man at the store made sure to point out, they hadn't even been busy all day. I think if Nintendo ever makes enough hardware to meet demand (for anything), the oceans will pool at the tops of the mountains, leaving the sea bed bare and dry.

I've been doing the Wii Fit daily since New Year's for 30-60 minutes a day. Most of the strength exercises seem pretty good and the Yoga is nice. Having balance feedback during Yoga poses is especially cool. The cardio (hula hoops, boxing, step aerobics and running in place) is bearable though not very exciting. The balance games are fun and a good way to work on your balance control. Overall, the Wii Fit seems to be a fun way to introduce a little more activity into your life. The balance feedback alone was worth the purchase price in my opinion. I just wish there was a free balance mode where I could do what I want and see how well balanced I am and/or work on my balance.

I don't see the Wii Fit replacing my gymnastics strength exercises. For one, most of the Wii Fit strength focuses on the lower body where the gymnastics exercises focus on upper body strength. Speaking of strength....

Today's workout
30 minutes Wii Fit cardio
1 x 60 second frog stand
9 x 7 second ring support
2 x 20 second bent knee hang
2 x 10 second bent knee hang

Considering how little I wanted to do anything today, I'll take 30 minutes of sweat and increased heart rate along with a record frog stand, my first for 60 seconds. My feet did barely touch the ground twice briefly but I controlled myself with my hands and didn't put any weight on my feet so I think this counts. I'll try to keep doing 60 second frog stands this week with a goal of a perfectly clean one by Friday and then I will start working on a straight arm frog stand. Even with the 60 second stand under my belt, I still can't muster a second of front tuck planche and I hear the straight arm stand can help when that is the case.

Oh, not to be left out, on Saturday, I went horse back riding with my wife and friends for two and a half hours. This is the kind of thing that is why I want to get in shape in the first place. It is nice to have the energy to do fun things and not have to worry about being wiped out by the end.

Pseudo Huevos Rancheros

2009-01-01T08:59:00.003-06:00

It isn't often that I feel compelled to blog about food but this morning I outdid myself with breakfast. I brought half a can of mild Rotel and half a can of El Pato to a simmer with a little fresh pepper, a pinch of salt and a slight hit of soy sauce. When those were simmering nicely, I added 3 eggs, not scrambled, to the mix to poach and grated some fresh manchego cheese over the top. I left them simmering in the sauce until they looked nicely poached then removed the eggs to a couple pieces of toast and continued to simmer the sauce until it reduced slightly. Finally, I poured the reduced sauce over everything. I enjoyed my spicy egg concoction with a glass of skim milk.

Starting with a lot of high flavor content ingredients (El Pato, Rotel, soy sauce, manchego cheese) made this simple and quick to prepare meal a stellar hit in my book. I can't remember the last time my stomach was this happy with something I prepared myself.

Gymnastics Strength Progressions

2008-12-29T19:11:00.004-06:00

Today's workout

1 minute each of frog stand, ring support, bent knee hang. Complete in as short a period and as few sets as possible.

My frog stand today was weak. I completed 1 x 30 second stand that was very clean. 2-4 minutes later (I failed to keep track.) I completed another 30 second stand that was horrible. Me feet touched the ground 3-4 times. I should come up with a time penalty of some kind when this happens. Still, the first 30 second stand was the best 30 seconds I've done so far. I had good strong control on my hands and never touched the ground after getting in position.

After my first attempt at ring supports a few days ago (30 seconds in 10, 10, 7, 3 and I couldn't even hold myself in the position after that.), I decided to try for a shorter length hang but consistent time. I managed 10 sets of 6 seconds on a 1 minute start interval. Sets 5 through 10 were progressively worse with each set. Set 10 felt like I was slowly melting through the support and dropping out the bottom just as time ran out.

I did OK on my bent knee hangs. These are a really early step in a progression to a tuck front lever but I have a long, long way to go. My grip is weak. My abs are pretty weak. My entire shoulder girdle is beyond weak. For now, just holding 275 lbs off the ground with my knees raised as high to my abs as I can get them is plenty of work. I completed 3 sets of 20 seconds on a 1 minute start interval. I just started doing these on my new rings and this time I had the rings just high enough that in a hang, my feet and behind were not touching the ground. This provided great feedback as I fatigued in set 2 helping me increase my pull as I started touching the ground. Knowing the feedback was there in set 3 kept me strong through a rough 20 seconds. my forearms are still so pumped that typing is difficult 30 minutes later.

So, call it 60 second frog stand in 4 minutes, 60 second support in 10 minutes, 60 second bent knee hang in 3 minutes. I'll be trying to work this 3 minute workout (in 20 minutes) in 4 days a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I'm going to try to fit in some running and CrossFit workouts throughout the week as well.

Here's to strength, balance, resolve, self awareness and determination. I hope this holiday season finds you happy and on the path to enlightenment.

Concrete Goals

2008-12-29T19:10:00.001-06:00

I have a tendency to add vague goals with no way to measure completion. Instead of having a goal of “learn gymnastics” on 43 Things, I’ve opted for specific skills based goals. I’m currently working on 3 gymnastics strength exercises that should help me progress into more difficult skills down the road – frog stand, bent knee hang, and ring support.

See more progress on: learn gymnastics

Gymnastics Seminar for CrossFitters

2008-12-23T09:33:00.001-06:00

CrossFit St. Charles organized a gymnastics seminar. (Video here: that is me hanging from the rope before the video starts.) It was a day of great fun and very hard work, especially for a big guy like me. At the end of the day, I was so tired I could barely stand.

See more progress on: learn gymnastics

Replacing Push-ups

2008-12-19T09:12:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately, by the end of the second week, the 100 Push-Up challenge left me miserable and hurting all the time. Fortunately, I haven't given up on getting fit, just on the challenge.

I've been doing some miscellaneous CrossFit workouts, scaled to the buttercup versions. I've done a few 1 mile runs. I did a one day gymnastics class. (video here) And for the last couple weeks, I've been working on front planche and front lever progressions.

The progressions are awesome. I call them my 2 minute workout that takes more than 2 minutes to complete. I'm currently up to 2 sets of 30 second plus frog stands and 4 sets of 15 second starting tuck levers. I barely break the plane of vertical with my hips right now but it is a start. My progress (from 6 second frog stands and 3 second front tuck/hangs) has been awesome. My current goals are a 60 second frog stand and 5 second tuck/hangs where I raise my hips at least 6 inches.

If anyone knows gymnastics flexibility progressions, please drop me a line. I haven't found anything good on starting gymnastics as an adult or on the skills for early (1 - 4) gymnastics levels.

Starting Over (again and again and again...)

2008-11-21T05:22:00.002-06:00

After months of inactivity, save the occasional bike ride at work, I'm trying again. I'm back up around my peak weight of 280 lbs. My diet has gone down the drains. It is frustrating to have achieved so much for it to all go away. But I'm starting over. I swear I am.

This week, I did the buttercup versions of the CrossFit WODs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday courtesy of BrandX and their scaled workouts. I'm trying hard to pace myself so I didn't time the workouts. Keep in mind, the buttercup versions look almost nothing like their bigger sisters. Helen is one of the signature CrossFit, push for sub-5 minute times, workouts and Nicole is a killer 20 minute max rounds completed with max rep sets of pull-ups. Two very different workouts but the buttercup versions look similar.

Monday
Helen (buttercup)
3 rounds
Run 200 meters
8 lb swings (1 gallon tea jug)
6 body rows

Wednesday
Nicole (buttercup)
3 rounds
Run 200 meters
12 body rows

Friday
Run 5k (buttercup)
I'm running 1 mile later today.

And to top things off, I'm going to a 7 hour gymnastics class on Sunday, courtesy of CrossFit St. Charles.

one hundred push ups

2008-09-24T22:26:00.003-05:00

I've picked a short term fitness goal. I'm going to try the one hundred push ups challenge. A 6 week program to get you from where you are to 100 consecutive push ups. It sounds like fun.

I took the initial test and managed 16 push ups. This wasn't a max effort as I left a few in the tank but it was enough to figure out where to start in the course.

I thank the new site of CrossFit St. Charles for introducing me to the challenge. It sounds like a good way to ease back into my workouts.

On the Bike Again

2008-09-24T21:56:00.003-05:00

Back in June, I started working for a new company. Voxitas is primarily a business voice over IP company and I'm doing general software and web development. A couple guys at Voxitas have bicycles at the office and try to go riding as much as 3 times a week. Voxitas is in downtown Saint Louis so they ride down to the riverfront and take a bike trail there.

I finally brought my bike in so I could join them and schedule craziness ensued. I've had my bike there for probably 5 or 6 weeks and yesterday was only the second ride since I brought my bike in.

One of the guys who rides is an avid cyclist. He rides with a group on the weekends and is in much better shape on a bicycle than anyone else. All distance estimates in this post are based on his experience.

There were 3 of us for my first ride. I believe we rode about 12 miles in just over an hour. The trail is smooth and there is little elevation change. On the way back, with about 3/4 of a mile to go, we do have to climb a small hill that seems like a major challenge to me right now. This ride seemed pretty easy though I was working just about the whole time. The hill left me completely wiped out at the end and I was glad to get off my bike. 12 miles is what I was riding to work a couple years ago so I was pretty pleased to see we kept the same pace I had then even if it is a lot easier route than I rode back then.

My second ride was yesterday. There were only me and the experienced cyclist. We rode about 18 miles with me setting the pace the whole way. Those of you who know me know that I suck at pacing. 18 miles is half again as far as I've ridden at any one time in close to 15 years. I think we finished the 18 miles in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. With 80% of the ride complete, I remembered my Alexander technique training and tried to ride with less stress and tension - too little, too late. When we finished, my whole body was singing with exhaustion. Arms, legs, neck, back, feet, hands, everything was burning. Major blood vessels in my neck were radiating pain like they were fit to burst. My forehead was throbbing. Now, a day later, I can barely wait to do it again.

It is nice to finally be back on my bicycle. When I stopped two years ago, I had nearly passed out on my bike and I was headed in the wrong direction fast. So much has happened since then. I've taken a class in fencing. Studied capoeira for a month. Worked out with a personal trainer for about 6 months. Run a couple official road races. Discovered CrossFit.

Of everything, my trainer and CrossFit have had the most long term effect. My trainer helped me go from nothing to a functional fitness foundation. I probably couldn't have gotten there without her help.

And CrossFit changed everything. My whole understand of what it means to push and to work hard has changed. Mental barriers where I would just stop before, I now see aren't even mileposts to what I'm capable of. CrossFit is what I've missed most in the last nine months and what I'm most looking forward to doing again. I'm saving for my first pair of gymnastic rings and I'm fighting to overcome habitual lethargy.

It is great to be back on my bike. 45 lbs down, 30 lbs up. This is just the start of things to come but I'm optimistic, and until I hit the hill again, I'm happy.

Push-ups, No Letting Me Down Easy

2008-07-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

I got a fair bit of exercise Saturday in the pool. Lots of handstands and spinning in circles, etc. Monday, after I'd thought I was in bed for good, I got up to work out. I wanted something easy, no equipment, but challenging. I settled on 100 push-ups. It took me between 45 and 60 minutes, I think. I started with sets of 10, resting between sets until I felt like I could do another 10. This took me to 80. Did a set of 5. Rested for a short while, less than a minute, then did another set of 5. I finished with a 4,3,2,1 with really short (5-10 seconds, sometimes less) rests in between.

Now, at the end of 100 push-ups, even though it took ages, I still felt it. Not a little either. Confused muscles wanted to know who signed them up for this outfit. They wanted their money back. Today, they decided to go on strike, and while they were at it, they burned down all the facilities.

I knew push-ups used a lot of muscles but I didn't count on just how often those muscles are used in everyday movement. Today, everything hurt. Laughing hurt. Pushing doors open hurt. Pulling doors open hurt. Accepting a 15 lb UPS from someone surprised me it hurt so much. My arms hurt on both sides. I expected the triceps to hurt but the biceps?! Stabilizing abs, deltoids, pectorals, but quadricepts?! And lots of little muscles around my spine.

100 push-ups in 1 hour. Not much of a goal but the workout is worth it.

Workout 2008-07-16

2008-07-16T07:34:00.002-05:00

Another workout with Orie.

A couple of minutes of jump rope with the odd double under.

Joint mobility, including lunges with elbow to instep.

A set of 10-12 air squats.

A set of 12 overhead squats with dowel.

Tuck hold for 60 seconds on parallelettes. It took me 4 or 5 sets to get to 60 seconds.

30 second plank on the rings (feet supported), one set.

Overhead lunges across the room and back with dowel.

30 second plank on the rings (feet supported), one set.

Overhead lunges across the room and part way back. When my hamstring started cramping, we switched activity.

7 sets of 5 x push press at 45, 55, 65, 85, 105, 110, 115 lbs.

Orie Inspired Cuisine

2008-07-13T08:56:00.003-05:00

Someone I respect is slowly, indirectly persuading me to cook again, particularly, vegetables and fish.

I'm not good at following recipes. Flavors in my head scream for attention and I'm more like the child of a mad scientist with his first chemistry set. Sure, every once in a while I make a winner, but mostly I get ugly, smelly puffs of smoke and lots of frustration. I'm reluctant to cook for others because my lack of consistency terrifies me. Today, I'm home alone.

I tried to go to breakfast at a local Mexican place but they were closed. I decided to hit the grocery store instead of going someplace else. (Thank you, little Orie shaped angel on my shoulder.) The near recipe below is the result.

1/4 head green cabbage
1 smallish radicchio
1 small stalk rhubarb
1 medium white onion
4 large brussels sprouts

Slice everything into thin strips. Toss with olive oil. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder (Paula Dean's house seasoning) to taste.

Add everything to high sided pre-heated med-high skillet. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally until everything has softened and turned sweet. Add a dash of lime and serve.

What worked: The rhubarb was a surprising success. It adds a hint of flavor that I'll be craving all day. The brussels sprouts gave a slight meatiness. The overall flavor of the dish is great.

What I'd change: I'd like to replace the radicchio with red cabbage. The bitterness of the radicchio didn't mellow as much as I'd hoped and it brings down every 5th or 6th bite. I'd either use a sweeter onion or less onion. There is just a tiny bit too much onion taste. More rhubarb. I wish I'd added 2 large stalks. And, less seasoning. As happens so often in my cooking, I over-seasoned the whole thing. Mostly with pepper today. The heat is good but sometimes it gets in the way.

Would I make something like it again? Yes, absolutely. I might even consider offering it to someone else.

CrossFit Again

2008-07-02T09:23:00.002-05:00

To kick off my effort to reverse the recent weight gain trend, I did a personal training session with Orie. I think I first met Orie at a weekend workout at the Kirkwood track. He is an amazing guy with a deep well of knowledge about CrossFit, nutrition and human performance. I was quite excited when I heard he'd started taking on training clients after attending his certification.

We started out with some join mobility, a good thing for my troublesome shoulder. I need to write down a lot of the movements we did. I'd never done many of them.

I did a couple 500m rows on one of the Concept2 rowers CrossFit Des Peres has these days. This was my first row and it is a great workout. I think I did my first 500m in 1:58. I was supposed to do the second a little faster. Apparently 1:48 is a lot faster but that is what I did.

Next was deadlifts. I think I started with 115 lbs. We focused a lot on my form with the lighter weight and did several sets. I'm not sure how many reps I was doing but I believe I did sets at 115 lbs, 165 lbs, 185 lbs, 205 lbs, and 225 lbs. The last set seemed to be 5 reps. This was really light for me but was great for just getting back into things. Orie was careful with me and we both want to avoid the total self-destruction that can come from jumping in full bore with both feet.

Next, I did some pull-ups with a power band. I think I got 5 or 6 the first set with my grip facing forward. I adjusted a bit to the power band and switched grip for the second set, pulling off 8 reps. Switched grip again and the last set was 5 + several failed reps. I just couldn't get back up to the bar.

For a finish, I tried a 'weightless fran'. 21-15-9 thrusters with a dowel and standing mock pull-ups with a dowel. I really felt the squats at the beginning but by the end, the thrusters were the break. Those mock pull-ups burned and the lactic acid kept building up.

While I was resting afterward, pukie decided to pay a visit. I made it to the trash can but I didn't get it open and ended up cleaning up my mess. It was an unfortunate finish to a great workout. I guess my body isn't used to all the lactic acid. It seems to be the low output endurance events that get to me. I think Orie was bummed too. I broke his no pukie promise. He wouldn't have made it if he knew me better.

Memories Meme

2008-06-12T07:50:00.001-05:00

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want -- good or bad. When you're finished (standard free-will addendum: IF YOU WANT), post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

I stole this idea from my sister who stole it from someone else, in true meme fashion.

Rain or Shine

2008-04-24T13:47:00.002-05:00

Last night, when I wasn't really tired and didn't want to go to bed, I went to work instead. That is right. I basically worked from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. I did get a lot done though. When you are on, you are on.

I came home at 7:00 AM (barely made it) and crashed until about 11:00. When I couldn't sleep, I rode my bike around the loop of death again. It gets easier every time. This time I really pushed. I could have done the loop again but with the little sleep and the rain soaking me, I figured I'd just make myself sick so I stopped.

I can't find my bike computer so I still don't know how long it is taking me to do the loop.

2nd Times the Charm?

2008-04-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

I rode the loop of death again. This time, it wasn't nearly as bad. It is amazing how fast the body can start to adapt. I still haven't timed myself. I wasn't fast but I did push in most of the places where I coasted the day before.

Return of the LoD

2008-04-21T17:39:00.002-05:00

The Loop of Death is back. A lot has happened in the last year and a half. Almost 18 months ago, I nearly passed out while riding my bike and after the flat on the way to work later that same week, I never got back on my bike. I took a fencing class. Started working out with a personal trainer. Studied Capoeria. Avoided elbow surgery. Took several spin classes. Started CrossFit. Ran in the Frostbite Series. Stopped working out with my trainer. Endured extreme fiscal challenges at work. Stopped eating healthy. Mostly stopped exercising. And now, finally, got back on my bike.

Today, I rode the Loop of Death. This was the 2.2 mile route starting and ending at my driveway that I rode to start building a base for riding my bike almost 2 years ago. Back then, at almost 290 lbs, with no exercise at all under my belt, the loop of death almost did me in. Today, at 260 lbs, with a much better baseline fitness, at least in strength, I discovered that, once again, this silly, almost laughably short and easy route was nearly more than I could handle. I'm still trying to decide what happened. To be sure, part of me, knowing from CrossFit that I can push harder, insisted that I ride harder than I had before. I attacked the (minuscule) hill at Ashby, dropping gear after gear as I slowed and finally adding 2-3 gears and standing up to push to the top, lungs burning, breath rasping, head spinning and legs melting in place like a wax candle left on the dashboard of your black on black car, mid-summer in the Australian Outback.

I do (or have done) CrossFit, some small part of my brain screams in outrage. This can't be that hard?! Well, I'm here to tell you, it can, it was. An hour later, I can still barely type. My hands are shaking. My throat is burned raw and the memory of the death breath (You know when you reach deeper into your lungs than you have in years and the air is fetid, still and lifeless.) haunts me. Today, I had to pick, CrossFit, or bike (newly tuned up at REI). I chose the new (renewed) toy and for that, I paid.

I read recently that 80% of physical capacity / performance depends on the last 4 weeks. My last 4 weeks set me up for a bad time. Imagine how great I could be when the next 4 weeks IS the last 4 weeks. What have you done today?

Falling Down the Ladder

2008-04-10T17:43:00.002-05:00

WOD - Pull-up Ladder
Start a continuously running clock.
Each minute do n pull-ps
where n starts at 1
and increases by 1 each minute.

   1 - 90% strict, 10% kip
   2 - 40% straight, 60 % kip
   3 - first was 90% kip 10% fail,
     - rest were jumping
4-15 - all jumping

I finished all 15 jumping pull-ups of 15
in about 40 seconds but I couldn't stand
back up to start round 16.

My arms feel like jello. With good
jumping pull-ups, the jump got me off
the ground but I could feel the finish
in my arms. Towards the end, I started
to lose that good finish and some were
just up as long as the jump lasted and
try to slow the descent at least a little.

I know I won't feel my arms tomorrow.
I've needed more pull-ups as I can feel
that I am backsliding fiercely.

I'm still shaking, 10 minutes later.

Four by 800?!

2008-04-06T08:02:00.002-05:00

Recently there was a CrossFit workout that was four rounds of 800m each. Run each 800m for time and record the times of each round. You can rest as much as you need between rounds.

I think that once around my block is a little over 800m but here goes.

4 x 800m

2:34
3:29
3:19
2:58

The first round I set out way too fast but I was determined to put all I had in it. I was way past panic breathing at 3/4 of the way but I kept pushing. I crumpled at the end. It was rough.

The second round I tried to apply POSE running but while I get the principle, I don't seem to get the technique and I was getting more tired with less speed. Obviously, I'm not doing it right.

The third round, I just wanted to push a little faster but with a more even pace all the way around. I was OK until I hit the downhill at about half way (Did I mention I have 30-50' of climb in the first half and then that down for the second half?) when I started sucking wind hard and my legs started crying. I dropped my pace a little but not much and pressed on.

For the last round, I tried to stretch my legs without letting myself sprint too hard. I set a ground eating pace for the first half, even keeping my cadence high and a nice stride through the steepest of the uphill. At halfway I knew this was it and didn't slow at all. I did keep myself from the balls to the wall blast my legs kept asking for. At the final 50-75m straight (just barely uphill) to the driveway, I set it on burn, faster than I had been running but probably not as hard as I'd run from a bear. I was stoked to see I'd finished the last lap in under 3 minutes, and that I'd finished both the 3rd and 4th laps faster than the lap before them. I was also excited to see my PR time in the first lap, even if it did leave me blasted for the rest of the laps.

I think I rested 15-20 minutes between most of the laps. I wasn't timing my rests.

Now, my legs feel hot but good. Maybe we can walk around Creve Couer Lake later today. And who knows, a trip to the SkyZone trampoline gym would be really cool.

Setting Limits (Dropping Out)

2008-04-05T20:45:00.002-05:00

I wanted to see how long it would take me to do 100 push ups. Sad to say, I stopped at 40 in 3:30. I started at 10 x 30 seconds. Did 20 that way in the first minute. Rested an extra 15 seconds. Went to sets of 5. 5 in 15, rest, 5 in 15, how many have I done? I think that was 30, 5 in 30. 3:15, oh god I have to do at least 5 more before 3:30. 5 more. Almost dropped myself on my nose on the second to last one. Just... one... more.... That's enough.

I just can't decide how to tell the difference between wisely stopping before goals that are too ambitious and wussing out. I think I'm erring more towards the latter these days but I have so many problems with pushing too hard that I'll take cautious for a while.

In the mean time, I really need to get my shoulder looked at. I feel like someone stabbed me with a knife and the pain never really goes away. And when I work out, it just gets worse.

Walking on Barfuss

2008-04-05T17:15:00.002-05:00

I've been reading about Barfuss trails recently. Since I haven't been able to find one, I decide to roll my own. On the way out of the zoo, I took my shoes off. I walked across cool wet grass, sidewalk, bumpy bicycle crosswalks, concrete, the back of the snake in the turtle park and across the sharp gravel in the turtle park. For a 10 minute self rolled barfuss walk, this was ok. My feet did feel a little invigorated. I think the back of the snake was my favorite; it had more balance too it but the back was rough enough concrete to make it invigorating. The gravel path was painful but not unpleasantly so.

It turns out there is one of these at Bastyr University in Seattle. I can't wait to get back there now.

It's a Zoo

2008-04-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

Michele and I went to the St. Louis Zoo today. It was a madhouse. With a balmy almost 70 degrees (F), everyone and their monkey's uncle was out.

As usual, we parked across the bridge in the Turtle Park. If you are willing to walk just a bit, you can get free parking almost every time. With the free admission to the Zoo, this makes for a very inexpensive trip, just avoid the gift shops.

An extra perk for the day, the top guy who usually performs at the Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens was set up in the Turtle Park. We spent a few minutes talking to him on the way in and on the way out. Most of his tops he mad himself. Of three 'performance' tops (ones he uses for tricks), he made one of layered disks of fiberglass, one of origami paper and one of wood. All three had pet flee collars around the outside for the rubberized protection of the edges. He also said he has one at home that was machined out of aluminum and that if you spin it on a smooth level surface, most of the time it will stop standing up instead of falling over. I'd love to see that sometime. I wish I could send him plans for a hand lathe or something.

All That and a Hat?

2008-04-04T13:09:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went in to get my driver's license renewed. In the vision test, they asked me to read the letters. I saw two clear boxes of letters so I read them. "Keep going," the woman prompted. "Oh, you mean those blurs are supposed to be letters? OK..." I could see fine out of my left eye but my vision was not good out of my right. I hadn't noticed before.

Since then, I've been walking around closing one eye all the time. Sure enough, my vision is constantly blurry out of my right eye. I've even noticed that I can usually see better if I close my right eye. Apparently the blurry input from one eye degrades the overall quality of the brains ability to interpret what it sees.

After a bit of confusion about vision plans and benefits, etc, I finally made an appointment to see a doctor. Sure enough, I have astigmatism in both eyes. Where before I had 20x17 vision in both eyes, I now have 20x20 in my left and 20x50 in my right. And oh, by the way, the driving vision test is 20x40 but your really only have to pass in one eye.

I spend a while doing 1 or 2, 2. 3 or 4, 3, ad naseum and finally the doc leaves the room for a minute and holds up some kind of simulated glasses. "You don't need to wear them but they might help if you are going to be doing concentrated vision..." "Listen. I remember what it was like to have crystal clear vision. I don't like walking around feeling the world blur out. All I have to do is wear these glasses on my head and I can see again?! You're going to have to fight me to get them off, not convince me to put them on."

So, I'm soon to have glasses. The really sad part is that I've always liked the way I look with a decent pair of glasses on. As far as accessories go, good glasses are right up there with a nice hat. I'm excited to be able to see again but I'm also excited to wear a nice pair of stylish glasses. It's almost like I win twice.

And hats, if you ever see a leather fedora like Brad Pitt wears in Snatch, I want one. Please tell me where I can get it.

More Push Ups?

2008-04-03T12:00:00.002-05:00

I did alternating sets of 10 self assisted hand stand push ups and 10 balance push ups with feet on a swiss ball again. 10 hspu, 30 min, 10 bpu 30 min, repeat.

I think I did 3 sets of each total. On my grease the groove plan for push ups, this still seems to be fun but after people show up at the office, I tend to stop.

On another note, I can do a normal hspu down to 8-9 inches from the ground now, but 4-5 inches is still too low. I'm making progress though.

Missing Maintenance

2008-03-31T17:02:00.002-05:00

Several days ago, I did a few sets of push ups at work. Some with my feet supported on the swiss ball I use for a chair and some foot assisted handstand push ups.

Saturday, I went to the class at CrossFit Des Peres. I stuck with really light weights and cut most of my reps to about half of what they asked for. It was a really bad day. Just the warm up was enough to exhaust me. Ring supports were really tough. There is extreme tightness and pain in my right chest & shoulder. Strong determination was enough to hold me in place for 5 seconds at a time or so but discretion won out and I only did it a couple times. When it came to the WOD (1-10 ladder of push up, thruster, 20" box jump), I got to the 3rd round before I got so light headed that I stopped. Eating an apple helped enough that I didn't have to call my wife to come get me.

Simple Together

2008-03-17T20:15:00.002-05:00

Michele and I did SimpleFit together today. She did level 1 day 1 and I did level 2 day 1.

Michele

Level 1, Day 1

1 pull up
2 push ups
3 squats

Go for max rounds in 20 minutes.

Completed 21 rounds.

Sean

Level 2, Day 1

1 pull up
3 push ups
4 squats

Max rounds in 20 minutes.

Completed 23 rounds.
I may have actually done 24.

It was nice to workout together.

Early on, the pull ups were the limit for me. 3-4 reps of pull ups may have had a little bit of a jump to them. I tried to concentrate on going from a full stop at the bottom but as I fatigued, my attention to detail deteriorated. The last few rounds, push ups were getting really tough. After the last round, my legs were burning too.

All in all, this was a great workout for my current condition.

Double Dating Diane

2008-03-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

Diane (as rx'd)
21-15-9
205 lb deadlifts
Handstand push ups

I had the flu about a week ago. The day I went back to work, I tried to do Diane with the deadlift prescribed weight and pike push ups instead of the handstand push ups.

Bad diet. Recovering from illness. Poor sleep. Too long with too little exercise. The reasons are legion but this was my worst workout in a really long time. I started with 3x7 deadlift. After each set of 7, my head was throbbing. I finished the push ups and started on 3x5 deadlift. After the first set of 5, I caved. I felt like I might cause a stroke. It didn't seem that hard to do the lift by it felt like all the blood in my body was rushing into my head. I really feared for my health so I called it quits for the day.

Surprisingly, or not considering my overall deterioration, I was quite sore for the next several days, especially between the shoulderblades. I took another several days off from working out.

Friday, I finally overcame something in my head and started eating a little healthier again. A couple salads on Friday. Better choices in restaurants. More fruit, less bread. I'm ready to start combating my current stress with physical work again. I just hope it lasts. It is time to weigh myself again.

Yesterday, I tried Diane again. This time I subbed handstand push ups with my knees on the bed. This sub was way too easy as I could do all the push ups in single sets. I really want to try pushing up from a headstand, or maybe I can do negatives. I just don't know.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to finish as fast as possible. I was determined to push through to the end but not too concerned about time. My unofficial time was about 15 minutes. I finished and I'm pretty happy to have done so. Towards the end of the deadlifts, I really had to concentrate on my form to avoid rounding the small of my back. No surprise then that I feel sore in my lower back today.

Judged

2008-03-05T06:06:00.002-06:00

Today's was SimpleFit's day 3, judgment. If completed in less that 5 minutes, you are supposed to move on to the next week.

SimpleFit
Week 1 Day 1
1 round for time
10 x pull ups
21 x push ups
21 x squats

4:18

My pull ups were sets of 1 and 2. Several probably fell short of full chin over bar.

I finished push ups in 3 or 4 sets depending on how you count sets. 10, 5, 3, rest 5 seconds in plank, 3. The couple breaks were probably 5 seconds each.

I completed the squats in 1 long set.

I guess 4:18 means I should move on to the next week. Since the only part I'm dreading is the increase in pull ups, I guess this fine. I need the work there anyway.

Two Out of Three

2008-03-03T20:07:00.002-06:00

I continued with my exploration of SimpleFit today.

SimpleFit Week 1 Day 2
5 rounds for time of
2 x pull up
6 x push up
10 x squat

rest 3 minutes between rounds
don't count rest in your time

1 - 0:30
2 - 0:27
3 - 0:26
4 - 0:25
5 - 0:25

Total 2:13

Timer management was a pain in this one. I used a kitchen timer for the 3 minute rest intervals and a heart rate monitor watch for the rounds. I may have completed the last round in 24 seconds but I may have been a few seconds over the prescribe 3 minute rests to due to switching between timers.

I couldn't move any faster in the squats. I might be able to eek out a little bit from the push ups. The pull ups were a little slow but the transitions between moves probably cost me the most. The push up to squat transition started looking like a burpee in the last round.

I never felt winded on this one. It felt pretty good and my muscles are pleasantly warm from the effort.

I'm not looking forward to day 3. 10 pull ups is well past my max. The push ups and squats should be fairly easy with only 21 each.

Met Master

2008-03-01T20:49:00.002-06:00

I suppose I mastered the Met though I have to admit I feel more like the Met mastered me.

42 stories of stairs, one way. I started out way too fast, going 2 steps at a time. That lasted for the first 10 stories. I stopped, drank a bit of water then set out again after about 30 seconds. At 20, things were a little worse. I had to sit for about 30 seconds before I could even hold the water to drink it. At 31, I had to lay on the floor for a couple minutes. By that point the pain in my legs and sides was ramping up and the rough burning in my lungs was just an after thought. I kept thinking they needed trash cans every 3 floors, just in case. Finally, I started up the last 11 floors at a steady, even, nearly slow pace. With about 4 floors to go, I started hearing someone at the top calling my name. With 2 or 3 floors remaining, Elizabeth found me to help me move it along. I finished the last 2 floors 2 steps at a time again and in serious pain.

I was the first to start of the CrossFit Des Peres people. CrossFit St. Louis was right behind us. I was the last of both teams to finish. It took me 18:30 to climb 42 stories. Not an impressive time, but I made it. I passed at least one person on the stairs who didn't seem like she would. She was lying on the landing on the 30th floor, only 1 floor from the water station. She had a friend with her. I hope she was OK.

At the top, I could barely stand. I tried sitting in a chair for a minute but it wasn't helping much. I went over and sat in the window at the top of the Met. The view was nice. Apparently, I looked bad enough that one of the volunteers brought me a large glass of water and was concerned. My legs and side were cramping, with my legs feeling really bad. After a bit I walked around because sitting wasn't helping them.

I don't know about other people but for a while after a really hard workout, I don't feel very social. Sometimes I wish I could just hide in a corner.

To leave the party, I had to go down two flights of stairs to get to the elevator. My legs were weak and hard to control. A couple of times I almost stumbled.

Now, half a day later, my lungs and throat are still burning and the rest of my body is in shock. I just hope I don't have nightmares about the Energizer bunny - whose drumming felt like a hammer to my head at the start of the stairs.

Barely There

2008-02-28T22:00:00.002-06:00

For the first time in nearly 2 weeks, I worked out. I'm trying the SimpleFit workouts. I didn't start all that well.

SimpleFit Week 1 Day 1
as prescribed
complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of
1 x pull up
2 x push ups
3 x squats

I finished 13 rounds in just under 10 minutes and then quit. By round 3 or 4, I 'm not sure my pull ups were all the way to the top. By round 6 or so, I was basically doing jumping pull ups with a controlled negative. Somewhere in the middle I did a set of 3 push ups instead of 2 and I adjusted the next round to only do 1.

My motivation for this workout was very low and my diet continues to be a real problem. I haven't been sleeping well for a couple of months.

Coach Coached the Coaches

2008-02-16T11:31:00.002-06:00

I went to the CrossFit Des Peres class this morning. Dan and Brandon went to a CrossFit certification last weekend and it seems like they got a lot out of it.

There were 8 of us in the class today. We started with some pseudo Simon Says. Really it was just Brandon telling us what to do. First, run back and forth from wall to wall, then push ups then run then squats then run then burpees then run the jump squats then run.

Next, we did some skills. Lots of slow air squats and push ups for form. Brandon's focus on technique was awesome. Next we did overhead presses and 1 leg squats. The sqauts were not quite a pistol but were a great progression to a pistol move. I'll be doing more of these. Then we mixed push-presses into our overhead presses. Finally, we finished the skills out with work on deadlift form and then kettlebell swings all the way over the head. I appreciated Brandon's openness to the more traditional CrossFit swings. It sounds like he will be having us do both the CrossFit all the way over the head version and the Russian up to the shoulder version.

Finally, we did the WOD. Brandon wrote up 2 WODs and I picked the easier version. I just can't do 60 pull ups in a workout yet.

WOD
3 rounds for time
15 x body row
20 x wall ball (8 lbs)
15 x push press (35 lbs)
~400m run

16:47 (I think.)

My legs are destroyed. Standing up from a chair is rough right now. I'm sure this workout did me a lot of good.

Next week, I'm hoping to start doing SimpleFit 3 days a week for a little more structure then throw in 1-3 CrossFit WODs. I need to up my time spent training but I need to cut back a little on the full CrossFit WODs. I've been getting way too many injuries from pushing my body too hard.

Reach for the Floor

2008-02-16T11:25:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I did lots of push ups. I've been trying to work my way up to handstand push ups so I tried a lot of variations of push ups. I did traditional push ups on the floor. I did push ups in a pike position which seemed like a great intro to the handstand push up. I'll probably do a lot more of these in the future. I did handstand push ups with my legs supported in front of my body on a cabinet. I tried to do handstand push ups with my legs supported on the same cabinet but behind me and I wasn't strong enough. I might be able to do the negatives on those. I also tried handstand push ups with my legs supported against the wall but bent over in front of me. That position didn't seem to help at all. The last kind of push ups I did yesterday were with my feet supported on a swiss ball. I was really surprised by those. My legs were so unstable that it really magnified the effort to tighten my core during the push up. I'm going to do a lot more of these too. Nothing like extreme mid-line stabilization to improve the quality of an exercise. And this wasn't a trick of balance. My core had to work big time to keep my legs from rolling off to one side or the other. These were probably the most intense push ups I've ever done.

Jumping (for Joy)

2008-02-14T17:09:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, while warming up for Randy, I completed an unbroken set of 100 single unders. Today, I completed 102. I'm working towards 200.

Honoring our Heroes - Randy

2008-02-13T17:15:00.003-06:00

Randy (as rx'd)
75 x 75 lb power snatch for time

Randy (as performed)
75 x 80 lb sandbag power snatch

27:36

I had to choose between using the bar at 65 lbs or building part of my sandbag system. I actually aimed for 75 lbs in my sandbag but missed by 5 lbs. Such is the misery of life. Oh, pukie visited twice.

My weight and eating have been horrible recently. I'm up to 255 lbs. I'm also sleeping very poorly and usually less than 5 hours a night.

splits (completed 5 reps each time)
 1:09,  2:25,  4:08,  6:01,  7:48, 
 9:50, 12:26, 13:34, 15:43, 17:41,
20:49, 22:04, 24:12, 26:20, 27:36

Injuries, Recovery and Jumping on Horses

2008-02-10T15:02:00.000-06:00

My legs were unusually fatigued the day after my singlet workout of 100 box jumps last week. I tweaked my left hamstring while getting up out of a chair the next morning. I walked funny for a few days and couldn't run for a couple more. I did no workouts while I let my leg recover. Today, I got back on that horse.

Sean's WOD
500 single unders (simple jump rope)
25 box jumps (24" box)

11:13

splits
 1:50 150 SU (150)
 2:59  50 SU (200)
 3:53  50 SU (250)
 4:36  50 SU (300)
 5:24  50 SU (350)
 6:15  50 SU (400)
 7:01  50 SU (450)
 8:00  50 SU (500)
 9:27  10 BJ (10)
10:20  10 BJ (20)
11:13   5 BJ (25)

I've yet to complete more than 71 single unders in a row without missing. During the 500, I would usually rest just long enough to record the time and figure out how many I had to go. Towards the end of the single unders I needed to jump higher and higher just to complete revolutions without missing. In the last set of 50, I probably missed 10+ times.

I rested from 8:00 to 9:00 before starting the box jumps then dug in. The 4" increase in heigh from before seems huge. Since this is an explosive motion, giving no extra time to get the same energy, I think it probably takes a lot more power than the 20" jumps. I really wanted to finish the box jumps in 2 sets but after 10 I wasn't sure I could make it to the top of the box and didn't want to hurt myself again on my first workout. I started each set of box jumps on the 1 minute increments. Eventually, I hope to do more than 5-10 of these at a time and to cut my rests down a lot more.

Easing Back In

2008-02-05T19:24:00.000-06:00

I've had a severe sinus infection since Wednesday of last week. It is a poor excuse but it was enough to let me avoid working out for most of a week. Today, I thought I'd ease back into my workouts.

WOD (workout of the day)
100 box jumps 20" for time

7:59

If this was my idea of easing back into it, I need my head examined. These were full jumps, hips at least as high as they would be standing on the box. I admit sometimes my peak height wasn't until I jumped back off but I always fully extended my hips at the top. Pukie watched from the wings but never had the courage to hit me full on. I did stop to get a bucket at one point. It was a close thing.

Cumulative Split times:
20 0:49
10 1:29
10 2:24
10 3:18
10 4:29
10 5:19
10 6:17
15 7:35
5  7:59

My turnover rate actually improved towards the end. I started most sets on the even minute marks, especially the last 4 sets of 10 and the set of 15. The set of five, I started at about 7:45 or so, just determined to beat 8:00.

Balance of Work

2008-02-01T21:52:00.000-06:00

I've been having a hard time keeping to a consistent schedule recently. I'll do great for a bit then something, injury, illness, laziness, will keep me from working out for several days to a week. This, on top of my relaxed eating habits recently, has reduced the progress I'm making, particularly with my weight. Still, I am making progress. My recent results with Grace certainly show that.

Right now, I' fighting a bad sinus infection that has shut me down for three days and promises to make my weekend less productive than I'd like. At least I know the nutrition seminar tomorrow will be good. I hope I feel up to the workout afterwards.

I have a few short term goals right now:

each of these should be completed in one set

5 kipping pull-ups

3 strict pull-ups

1 L pull-up

5 minutes supported handstand

30 seconds unsupported handstand w/movement

10 seconds static unsupported handstand

30 push-ups

200 single-unders

It is interesting that all my current goals are gymnastic / calisthenics / bodyweight exercises. Strength exercises seem so much more achievable but then why focus on my strengths?

A State of Grace

2008-01-29T19:40:00.000-06:00

Grace
30 reps for time of 135 lb clean and jerk

10:17

That's right. I just finished Grace as prescribed in 10 minutes and 17 seconds. (Probably a little faster but I timed myself so I lost time from the watch to the bar and from the bar to the watch again.)

A prescribed olympic lift workout and I finished it. I can't say how ecstatic I am. Who cares if it was 15 degrees outside with a torturous wind? I finished Grace!

Double Dating (Michele Meets Cindy)

2008-01-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

For the first time ever, my wife joined me for a CrossFit workout. We met Cindy and for her first time, Michele did great.

Cindy
In 20 minutes, complete as many rounds as possible of
5 pull-ups (we both subbed jumping pull ups)
10 push-ups (Michele did most from her knees)
15 squats

I finished 9 rounds plush the 10th set of jumping pull ups. Michele finished 9 rounds, the pull-ups and the push-ups.

Worst Run Yet

2008-01-26T21:24:00.000-06:00

I ran the 4 mile race in the Frostbite Series. This run was horrible. Between the squats and sprints on Thursday and the sandbag lifts Friday, my legs were spent almost before I started. I was walking and in severe pain by 1.5 miles and running again about a mile later. The short course overlapped with the half marathon course and the constant stream of half marathoners passing me at double my pace was disheartening. My usual end of race burst was trimmed from several hundred yards to barely 100 feet, if that. All of this was enough to make me never want to race again.

Oh, my official time was 50:09. Considering I'd been hoping for something closer to 40 minutes, this was a very disappointing run.

Snatching Defeat

2008-01-25T21:19:00.000-06:00

My birthday workout was 7 rounds of 1 rep max snatch. After warming up, I jumped about 40 lbs for my first 1 RM. This led to nearly injuring my left shoulder as I completely failed to get under the bar.

1RM attempts:
135 lbs (failed)
115 lbs
125 lbs
115 lbs
115 lbs
135 lbs
135 lbs

I need to do a lot more work at lighter weights. All attempts were much closer to muscle snatches than I like.

After the workout, I played around with Dan's new sandbag. At 175 lbs, I was quite pleased to get it to my shoulder 3 or 4 times. Of course Dan nearly overhead pressed it, barely missing lockout.

Nancy Stole My Dinner

2008-01-24T21:30:00.000-06:00

Nancy

For time
5 rounds
400 meter run
15 x overhead squats 95 lbs

I used 65 lbs for my OHS and finished in 24:32.

This workout sounds simple but was hellishly brutal. My first 400m was pretty quick for me. The first overhead squats were pretty easy but left me gassed. The next 3 rounds are a blur. After squatting, I barely maintained a fast walking pace on the laps. Every time I tried to speed up my heart rate went through the roof and I quickly ran into panic breathing. Even at a fast walk my breathing was barely under control.

Orie helped me set the pace on my last lap. It wasn't anything near my first lap's pace but it was definitely faster than the middle laps. I kept the pace up despite pukie's constant threat to visit. As I bent to grab the bar for my last squats pukie got the best of me and I left most of my dinner at the side of the track. Snatch the bar over my head, 5 reps and I dropped the bar on the 6th at the bottom. Another brief rest, snatch and 10 more reps. Finally, I was done.

The cold was a factor. Hours later, my lungs are still burning from gasping in the freezing air. As I lay there on the ground wondering who had lit my back on fire, the sweat froze solid in my hair. There is nothing quite like working out in adverse weather to build character. I think the temperature was hovering around 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tabata x Four

2008-01-19T11:12:00.000-06:00

Today's WOD from class was 4 continuous rounds of tabata with no extra break.

So 32 rounds, each round is 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest. 8 rounds each of 4 exercises. I used normal tabata scoring for each exercise because tracking every round was too hard. Normal tabata scoring is minimum number of reps completed in a round for the exercise. That means if you complete 7 rounds of 1000 reps and 1 round of 2 reps, your score is 2.

As performed
8 x Tabata Wall Ball (8 lbs)
8 x Tabata Push-Ups
8 x Tabata Squats
8 x Tabata Sit-Ups

I scored 10 on the wall balls, 5 on the push ups, 8 on the squats (I started going for 10 but by round 5 or 6 I couldn't complete 10 any more.), and 8 on the sit-ups.

This was my first exposure to tabatas and I really enjoyed it. It seems to teach your body to maximize recovery in a minimum amount of time and also gives you a lot of chances to dig deep psychologically.

Spring Shower

2008-01-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

Bret, Orie, Dan and I met to do the painstorm tonight. Fortunately, reason overcame ego and I did the Spring Shower version instead of the full blown pain storm. Props to everyone else who did the whole thing with times ranging from under 48 minutes to under 58 minutes.

Spring Shower
for time:
21-15-9
50 lb KB thrusters (25 lb KB in each hand)
push-ups
25 lb KB swings
jumping pull-ups
sit-ups

Finish each round with 100 single-unders (jump rope)

I finished in 24:04.

Heavy Dreams

2008-01-17T20:53:00.000-06:00

I'm incredibly blessed by my loving wife. I just opened the first of my birthday presents (my birthday is January 25, a week from tomorrow) and I got the gift I most wanted this time around. I am now the proud owner of a Pendlay CrossFit olympic barbell and 2 x 45lb, 2 x 25lb, and 2 x 10lb bumper plates. All together, that is a maximum of 205 lbs for my dead-lifting, squatting, overhead pressing, cleaning, jerking and snatching pleasure. I can now do many CrossFit workouts at home. I can't say how excited I am. I'd probably be lifting all night but I have a killer workout scheduled for tomorrow.

Humiliation

2008-01-17T15:24:00.000-06:00

Last night, I went to the evening class at CrossFit Des Peres. After warming up, we did some heavy work with barbells and kettlebells. I especially enjoyed the bottoms up presses.

For the WOD (workout of the day), we did the Bodyweight 400.

5 rounds for time of
10 push-ups
20 squats
10 sit-ups
20 split lunges
20 jumping jacks

Unfortunately, I only finished 3 rounds. I'm still kicking myself for not slowing down and gutting it out. I've got to overcome my quitters attitude. Maybe tomorrow's painstorm will give me a chance to redeem myself. I'm not sure who to blame but tomorrow we will be doing a painstorm which combines the exercises from "Fran", "Diane", "Helen", and "Elizabeth". I can feel the fear building.

Elizabeth Goes on a Diet

2008-01-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth as prescribed:

complete for time:
21-15-9
135# cleans
ring dips

Elizabeth as I scaled it:

15-12-9
95# cleans
bar dips (leg assisted)

5:26

I did a much better job of scaling Elizabeth than I did Diane on Sunday. I pushed a lot closer to my limits. Unfortunately, my cleans were really atrocious. Iron Maven would probably slap me silly if she'd seen them.

Doing CrossFit at a YMCA, and worse one I don't know, is hard. There really wasn't anyplace to do cleans. At least there were few enough people in the free weight room that moving between the bench I did my cleans at and the dip station was easy and I didn't get in anyone's way.

Diane (Lite)

2008-01-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to do more of the prescribed CrossFit workouts. I know I have to scale them but I hope to work up to the full blown workouts. Today, I attempted Friday's prescribed workout Diane.

As prescribed, Diane is 3 rounds of 225 lbs deadlifts (DL) and hand stand push ups (HSPU), 21 reps the first round, 15 reps the seconds round and 9 reps the third round. I can't do HSPU so I subbed in modified HSPU with my knees supported in front of my body at hip height. I only used 135 lbs for the deadlifts and I only did 15-12-9.

Diane (lite)
15-12-9
135# DL
HSPU modified

4:03 (4 minutes, 3 seconds)

I learned that I need to use more weight, a harder version of the HSPU and I might need to switch to the full reps. As performed today, I challenged my mental ability to push myself but completely failed to push my body to its limits. At least I have a baseline for my next attempt.

Mental Weakness

2008-01-13T12:41:00.000-06:00

Last week after the CrossFit Total, I had severe pain in right shoulder, neck and chest. I scheduled a massage for Wednesday and took the week off. I ate worse than I have since I started working out back in April and I sat on my butt through Sunday. I even missed my Frostbite Series 5K that I was supposed to run on Saturday.

I am not letting myself off the hook for last week. I could have done lower body exercises during the week and by Saturday the pain was completely gone in my shoulder and I had my full range of motion back. I feel pretty lame for missing my run. There is no excuse.

CrossFit Total - Lifted 3.24 x Body Weight

2008-01-06T15:00:00.001-06:00

Today, weighing 245 lbs and standing 6’0” tall, I achieved a CrossFit Total of 795 lbs. This included a deadlift of 375 lbs, an overhead press of 145 lbs, and a back squat of 275 lbs. As a baseline for my first attempt at this, I am ecstatic with this weight.

I did have some problems. For several weeks, I’ve had something causing pain in my right neck and shoulder and radiating down my back into my right hip. The overhead press made this much worse, causing similar pain under my collarbone. The pain in my shoulder was great enough to force me to switch from a low bar position in the back squat to a high bar position and I really felt I lost some top end weight from this. With the longer moment arm, I had a much harder time stabilizing my core a high weights. The lack of stability caused me to fail to go deep enough on my attempt at 285 lbs.

All things considered, I’m very happy. I exceeded my goal of 3 x my bodyweight by 60 lbs. The group of people attempting this workout today was awesome. Megan did an amazing job. Seeing her deadlift twice her bodyweight was impressive. Kim did great and pushed herself to some great records. Elizabeth came late but still did a great job. Dan looked like the silverback he is, lifting close to 5x his bodyweight. And it was nice to meet the other Dan. Orie scores the sportsman of the day award for his efforts, lifting 790 lbs the day after 2 days of food poisoning.

See more progress on: lift 3 times my bodyweight in the CrossFit Total

CrossFit Total

2008-01-06T14:48:00.001-06:00

The CrossFit Total is a CrossFit benchmark workout intended to give insight into and to train total strength. It is the sum of your single rep max weight for three exercises, the deadlift, the overhead press, and the back squat.

CrossFit Standards and instructions for completing the CrossFit Total CrossFit Total Rankings

See more progress on: lift 3 times my bodyweight in the CrossFit Total

Frostbite 2M

2007-12-29T10:28:00.001-06:00

I completed the 2 mile race in the Frostbite series today. My unofficial time is 20:03. That is just shy of 6 mph and I’m pretty pleased because it was only 3 or 4 months ago that I couldn’t run 2 minute intervals at 5.5 mph.

I’m still trying to learn POSE running. My foot placement is still in front of my body but I’m wasting a lot less energy on bouncing my 250lb body up into the air and then reabsorbing the shock of it coming back down.

I ran with Harry again for most of the race. (Harry is the aforementioned ‘metronome’ from my 3K race. He and his wife were both running. Again, his pace and his words of encouragement during the race were key in finishing as fast as I did.

The next race in the series is the 5K. When I complete that race, I will mark this goal complete. Only 2 weeks to go before my first official 5K race.

See more progress on: run a 5k

On Track

2007-12-18T03:31:00.001-06:00

So far, I’m meeting this goal. I’ve been working out T-W-T, S-S except for this last Sunday when I was sick as a dog. My workouts have been everything from climbing the stairs at Creve Couer park to CrossFit classes, from running the Frostbite 3K to lifting with my trainer. As long as I can keep it going over the holiday weekend, completing this goal should be simple.

See more progress on: work out at least 4 days a week for December

Completed!

2007-12-15T12:12:00.001-06:00

I’ve just realized that as I’ve posted something new and fulfilling for each month, I’ve actually completed this goal. It was worth doing and I think I’ll try to keep it up. You should do at least one new and fulfilling thing each month, if not each week.

See more progress on: enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December

Frostbite 3K

2007-12-15T12:04:00.001-06:00

Nerves before the race. I nearly lost my breakfast approximately a quarter mile in. Michele kept up cheerful banter before the race and I just sat there mildly sick to my stomach.

Standing in the mob before the start, I pick my mark; I will beat him. No matter what happens, I will finish before he does. Of course, as the race started, he disappeared behind me never to be seen again.

There is a strange thinning effect at the beginning of a big race. Everyone starts out together in a semi-shuffle with barely enough room to take a step. Then, gradually, as people begin finding their pace, the crowd pares down. After several minutes, you are surrounded by those who are likely to be nearby the whole race as well as though who will soon find adrenaline has dropped them in the pot and running a pace they can’t sustain. For most of the race, the flow of people around you will be from the front, falling back. It seems not too many people realize they should be running faster, not slower and start actively passing people.

At the end of the race, there is a corollary effect as the strong finishers start picking up the pace for that final run in. Those hearty souls who have the heart to dig deep and leave it all on the track begin to creep forward until the time for the final effort, a mighty burst with, surely, some impact on their speed. I wonder, do the spectators see the change in speed or is it just in our hearts and our heads that we are sprinting like the wind?

Michele had hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup waiting in thermoses in the car. Of course, I was home before the thought of something in my stomach wasn’t repulsive. Gasping for air, just past the finish line, I managed to keep my breakfast down for the second time.

I’m glad I did this run. The longest run in the series will be 4 miles. I think the 5K is the 3rd run so it is a month away right now. Running in the slush and falling snow, searing my lungs with gaseous fire, tempering myself to make a stronger, more resilient me.

See more progress on: run a 5k

First Official Run - Frostbite 3K

2007-12-15T11:05:00.001-06:00

I just completed my first running event. The first run of the 2007-08 Frostbite Series by the St. Louis Track Club. The weather was perfect for my inaugural Frostbite run. 31 degrees F, 2 inches of snow accumulated on the ground with more falling throughout the run. Running through slush was a new experience.

I owe sincere thanks to the gentleman who ran more than half the race to my right. I shall call him metronome until I discover his name. He set a perfect pace and offered encouraging words several times throughout the run, especially when I realized I’d just set a PR on the mile, halfway through a nearly 2 mile race.

Results (probably not available until after December 17, 2007) Until the official results are available, my wife’s unofficial report on my time is 19:01.

See more progress on: enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December

Registered for the Series

2007-12-08T03:16:00.001-06:00

I registered for the Frostbite Series this week. Nothing like cutting it close. The reduced fee postmark deadline is today. One week from the first run of the series. 3K on Saturday, Dec 15. CrossFit has really upped my tolerances for faster paces but I still have no idea how to pace myself on the road. We will see how fast I can pull this one off. I think my trainer is running the short version of this series as well. I guess I can eat her dust for a couple minutes.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Innaugural Class

2007-12-07T14:06:00.001-06:00

I attended my first CrossFit Des Peres class on Wednesday. In honor of this, they named the WOD after me.

The following is the workout as I completed it. Weights were scaled and I subbed jumping pull ups for regular pull ups.

Sean
Complete for time:
25 KB swings (30 lbs)
25 jumping pull ups
25 forward squats (30 lbs KB)
25 lemon squeezers
15 KB swings (30 lbs)
15 jumping pull ups
15 forward squats (30 lbs KB)
15 lemon squeezers
5 KB swings (30 lbs)
5 jumping pull ups
5 forward squats (30 lbs KB)
(this is where I lost the contents of my stomach)
5 lemon squeezers
25 burpees

I finished in 19:28.

See more progress on: start working out with CrossFit Des Peres

Hunger and Cravings

2007-12-03T18:15:00.001-06:00

For 6 months, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to what I eat. I’ve also been working my body, sometimes much, much harder than I have in the past. Sometimes, watching what I eat is really hard. Sometimes, I completely lose it. Today was a perfect example of this.

I started the day all right. For breakfast, I had 16oz whole milk, 3oz fat free turkey breast, a slice of whole grain bread and just a little mayo. Added up, this was a 5 block meal on the zone diet. I ate at about 5:00 AM. At 9:00 AM, I had 3 oz turkey, 1/2 an avocado and 2 small granny smith apples. At 11:45 AM, I had 4-5 oz turkey, the other half of the avocado, several walnut halves and another 2 apples. I got home at about 2:30 PM.

When I got home, I was ravenous. I felt like I hadn’t eaten for days. Suddenly, I cracked and started devouring everything. 2 slices toast with copious butter and jelly. 4 oz turkey. 7-8 chocolate covered, peanut butter filled pretzel bites. 20 minutes later, I was still starving. I ate 7-8 peanut butter pretzel sandwiches and drank another 16 oz whole milk. Finally, 20 minutes later, I wasn’t hungry.

Now, it is 6:00 PM and I have a craving for food. This is different than when I got home though. This is a mental desire to be eating and has nothing to do with the stomach churning hole than demanded to be filled. I don’t understand either urge but I would call the earlier one hunger and this one a craving. I seem to be mostly successful fighting cravings but I collapse against hunger. For example, while I eat everything that was handy earlier, I’m not eating anything now.

I don’t understand how to fight hunger or even if I should. Should I refrain from eating and only eat to my specified schedule, no matter how hungry I feel? Is ravenous hunger an indication that I’m not giving myself enough fuel to support the muscle building that is happening. (This is possible as I’ve just finished 4 days of incredibly tough workouts.) Is there something I can eat to fill the void without destroying what I’m working so hard to achieve? What do you do when you are fighting hunger or cravings?

See more progress on: Get under 220 pounds and stay there.

Mini-Goal

2007-12-02T13:51:00.001-06:00

I have to register for the frostbite series. I need to get it out this week. I’ll post something if I get it done. Every day I procrastinate is another missed chance.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Accomplished

2007-12-02T11:35:00.001-06:00

I think I’ve met this goal. Today, I met with Dan and Orie at CrossFit Des Peres .

I worked on dead lifts, back squats and overhead presses. Dan also taught me the turkish get up and SOTS presses. At 95 lbs, I did a set of 3 overhead press and a set of 6 back squats.

Finally, we did a WOD. With continually running clock and rounds of 3 minutes do the following: 30 sledge hammer tire slams, 20 KB jerks (10 each arm) and 2xround pull ups (2 first round, 4 second round, etc). I subbed 20lb dumbell jerks and ring body rows. Also, after we failed a round, we had to do the incline trainer at 5mph 30 incline.

I completed 4 rounds. After lifting the sledge the second time in the 5th round, I just quit. I think I rested for about 15 seconds then hit the incline trainer for 30 seconds. The last 10 seconds were beyond rough.

I believe Dan completed 5 rounds and 20 seconds on the trainer. Orie was a monster with 6 rounds.

To finish a perfect workout, I bought a 10 session package. I’m hooked on CrossFit. 2 weeks and I have seen marked changes in my upper body. My chest is bulking up. My shoulders and biceps are larger and more defined. My abs are starting to peek through my spare tire. The impact has been remarkable and my weight has started going down again. This morning I hit a new low of 243.5 lbs.

See more progress on: start working out with CrossFit Des Peres

CrossFit Zone BBQ

2007-12-01T19:05:00.001-06:00

Orie invited a bunch of St. Louis Crossfitters over to his house for a CrossFit Zone BBQ.

We started out with a workout on the high school track, literally across the street from his front door. 6 stations setup on half the track. Kettlebell swings. Medicine ball cleans. Box jumps. Sandbag presses. Slam balls. Push ups. 2 rounds of 30 reps each. And to make things worse, between stations we alternated bear crawls and lunges. We did get a 200m recovery jog from the push up station to the kettlebell station. This was an epic exhaust fest. Between my last 2 stations, just walking was a challenge. I’d given up on the transition exercises early in the 2nd round. And by the time I got the push up station both times, I could barely do push ups from my knees in sets of 5. The abuse to my arms was brutal. You can’t get a better workout than this at my fitness level.

After the workout, we headed across the street to Orie’s house. Orie is an amazing cook. He has collected together some great old recipes that happen to be very zone friendly. We had grilled salmon, tilapia and pork tenderloins (absolutely perfect) along with a thai cabbage slaw, a wonderful indian curried mock mashed potatoes (cauliflower), which I will be adding as a staple of my diet because it was so good, and grilled chicories (endive & radiccio).

The workout was intense. The food was superb. The company was friendly, healthy and happy. Really, I don’t think you can have a better BBQ than this.

See more progress on: start working out with CrossFit Des Peres

Another Training 5K

2007-11-30T17:14:00.001-06:00

I just set a new personal record, 5k in 35:48. This was on the road near my house. I’m surprised I managed to set a PR when I had to walk for 6-8 minutes around mile 2. I ran this today because it was yesterday’s workout of the day (WOD) for CrossFit .

See more progress on: run a 5k

Great Trainer

2007-11-27T20:22:00.001-06:00

I have to say my personal trainer is awesome. I asked her to look at CrossFit and she embraced it wholeheartedly. Today’s workout, 4 rounds of 20 overhead squats, then 35 seconds of max reps jumping pull ups. This was so intense. The overhead squats were with 12, 15, then 18 lbs for the last 2 sets.

I also discussed my concerns with moving too fast trying to learn the clean. It is a scary, highly technical skill and I want to make sure I have great fundamentals before I start adding a lot of weight.

I’ve been working with my trainer since April. She has literally changed my life. I’m healthier now than I was a decade ago and I have the foundation for a lifetime of fitness.

If you live in the St. Louis area and you are considering changing your life, let me know and I will put you in contact with my trainer. I really can’t stress enough how much she has helped me.

See more progress on: stay with my personal trainer for at least 4 months

Tour the Facility, or Do You Hate Your Arms?

2007-11-27T15:27:00.001-06:00

I met with Dan, Brandon and Orie at CrossFit Des Peres today. They have a lot of open space above Core Fitness. 6 sets of adjustable rings, 2 lifting platforms, a huge tire, just to name a few things I noticed right off, not to mention the giant kettlebells. We did various warm ups. They checked my form on some basic movements, air squat, front squat, thrusters. I tried a ring pull up, some ring push ups and a couple ring dips with legs on the ground.

We finished with a sick WOD (workout of the day). 21-15-9-3 reps of (my scaled versions) 20 lbs dumbell thrusters, jumping ring pull ups, dumbell push ups. (I’m still wary of doing normal push ups on the ground since my nerve problems in my left arm.) I figured out pretty quickly I could break this down into 3 mini sets, so 7-7-7, 5-5-5, 3-3-3, 1-1-1. This made a huge difference for the last set because it was just like 1 more set of 3 from the 9s with a little rest. I had a total of 5 push ups that I didn’t count because I couldn’t finish the rep. To be that close to, or at failure so often in such a short time was a new experience. Anyway, I finished in 16:22. I read somewhere that the first time you do something is always a personal record so I guess that was 16:22 PR.

Before I left, I jumped on the incline trainer. 20-25 seconds or so of 4 mph at a 50 incline. That thing is just sick. I totally want to do more. Of course it made my legs match my arms for the spaghetti lactic acid burn. Stretching felt so good as toxins flushed into my system from pumped muscles.

I’m going to love CrossFit. This is like the first month or so when I started working out, only, as far as I can tell, the feeling should just keep going. I can’t wait for the next sick workout.

See more progress on: start working out with CrossFit Des Peres

Sunday Workout - Shirley, It's Cold Outside

2007-11-25T19:05:00.001-06:00

I met Dan, Orie and Elizabeth today at the Kirkwood High School track. It turns out Orie lives across the street. We set up 4 stations around the track. Do a station, sprint to the next station, go around twice. Elizabeth suggested 36 reps as the magic number because it was 36 degrees outside. I think she needs to see a shrink.

We each started at different stations. I started at the one arm dumbell snatches (KB for most but I did 25 lb dumbells because I was unfamiliar with the motion.). 18 with each arm, then sprint to the 24” box for box jumps. 9 box jumps and my bursting heart forced me to lower the power requirement by doing step ups instead. From that point on, the sprint was more like a recovery walk and I just hoped to be able to breath by the time I got to the next station. 36 ball slams with the 20 lb medicine ball. Umm, no problem? Sort of…. An actual semi-run to the 4th station, sand bag. I don’t know how heavy the duffel bag of sand was but carrying it 100 yards and back was a great challenge. I kept going for all 8 stations. After my last sandbag carry, I gave everything that was left for a final 100 yd sprint then spent 5 minutes gasping for air hoping not to revisit breakfast. All told, one of my best workouts ever. After only 9 hours I’m already feeling muscle rebuilding.

I’m meeting Dan at CrossFit Des Peres on Tuesday to see the facility. If their workouts all get this much out of me, the returns are going to be awesome.

See more progress on: start working out with CrossFit Des Peres

CrossFit

2007-11-20T07:01:00.001-06:00

I asked my personal trainer if we could incorporate CrossFit into my program. Last night, she listened. We spent 5 – 10 minutes with her trying to teach me the clean (olympic lift). Then, I did 20 kettlebell swings (I don’t know the weight.), 20 dumbell thrusters, 20 burpees (without the push up), another 20 KB swings, partner stretches and then I did 50 prone knees to elbows for homework. This may have been my best workout since I started working out in April. My quads are destroyed. Every time I stand up, walk, or climb stairs, I just start laughing from the wonderful pain.

CrossFit was new for me. CrossFit was fulfilling. I’m looking forward to more CrossFit.

See more progress on: enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December

Parkour and Open Gym

2007-11-08T05:49:00.001-06:00

Last night, I went to an open gym session at a local gymnastics gym. Team TRICKset gets together there to practice parkour, tumbling and to generally have a good time. I started to learn monkey jumps, kongs and cashes. I also learned to do a passable palm spin. This was probably the coolest thing I learned last night. When I see it executed in videos, it looks great and it turns out that it is mostly a mental move. It isn’t that hard to execute as long as you commit to it but a moment’s hesitation and it is all over but the fall.

See more progress on: enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December

Five Long Miles

2007-10-26T18:51:00.001-05:00

Warm up, walked .5 miles on the treadmill.
Quick stretch.
5 miles in 63:57.
Cool down, walked .5+ miles.
Longer stretch.

Several observations occur to me. First, my brand new running shoes are laced too tight and now my feet ache. Second, I had the same minor problems with the first two miles, but miles three and four were pretty good. Mile five was bad. And by bad, I mean really bad. It got a lot harder after four miles. At four and a half miles, it got really hard. The last quarter mile was serious death march. I was down to 4.3 miles per hour by then and almost half stumbling a lot. Every tenth of a mile was pure struggle. Back around mile three I was enjoying conquering those mental demons, imagining myself as some kind of dragon slayer or something. Well every single one of those demons and dragons was waiting for me in that last quarter mile. And finally, one last observation, I’m a lot more flexible after five miles of running. I hope I can avoid every muscle in my body cinching up like leather straps drying on wood.

If I can run five miles, the frostbite series should be fairly easy. I don’t know how soon I’m likely to try anything longer than five miles though. Right now, I can’t imagine how marathoners do it, much less those super endurance runners doing 100+ mile races.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Why I recommend "Knights of Dark Renown"

2007-10-24T20:56:00.001-05:00

Knights of Dark Renown

by David Gemmell

More than any other writer, David Gemmell excels at showing how heroes are created when real people are forced into extraordinary circumstances. He shows that the flaws which make us human can be overcome and he regularly demonstrates how people are harder on themselves than anyone else would ever be.

In Knights of Dark Renown, David has nearly outdone himself. Almost every character displays growth and unexpected depth. If you value the heroic human condition, do yourself a favor and check this out.

See more about Knights of Dark Renown

Spain and Italy

2007-10-18T19:25:00.001-05:00

I lived in Italy when I was 2 years old. I have memories from it but they seem almost surreal. I remember our dog Prince jumping out the second story apartment window. I remember eating most of a bottle of Flinstones’ vitamins. I barely remember the earthquake of ‘74 and living in a tent immediately after it. I have an image of the canals of Venice and another of a large wine bottle I got into. I don’t know how many of my memories are real and how many were fabricated in my mind to match events or stories I heard my parents tell.

I lived in Spain for 3 years in the early ‘90s. I was in the US Navy and stationed at Rota in Andalucia, across the bay from Cadiz. What little Spanish I know is marred by the lisping Andalucian accent (making it Cadeeth, not Cadeeze).

See more progress on: live in a foreign country

Training Going Great

2007-10-18T19:08:00.001-05:00

I set another personal distance record today. After lifting weights with my trainer for 30 minutes, I ran 4 miles in 49:15. I may not set any world records but there is no way I won’t finish the runs on the Frostbite series. The 5K is in the bag.

I feel so good when I finish a run. The first 1.5 miles today were really hard. It seemed like I was checking the clock every minute. My mind was wearing down and my willpower struggled to fight back. I refused to quit. Nothing could make me stop. After each glance at the clock I told myself I’m not stopping now. Finally, in the second half of the second mile, I started to ease into my stride. Things smoothed out and the minutes just rolled by. It is incredible to realize I just don’t have to stop.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Running or Cheating?

2007-10-16T06:29:00.001-05:00

I was invited to “enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December.” Since I wasn’t invited until October was half over, I’m going to count running 5K for the first time ever, even though it was in the gym on a treadmill. Is it cheating if I count my first organized race (Frostbite Series 3K, Dec 15) for December?

See more progress on: enjoy Fall 2007 by having one new and fulfilling experience in October, November, and December

First 5K

2007-10-15T21:45:00.001-05:00

I ran 5K on a treadmill in 37:57. It wasn’t a glorious time but I did finish without once slowing to a walk. Imagine that, I can actually run a 5K. Now, if I can just learn how to set a pace, I might be OK when I run those Frostbite races.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Frostbite Series

2007-10-12T17:54:00.001-05:00

The St. Louis Track Club hosts the Frostbite Series over the winter. I am going to participate in the short distances of this 5 race series. Dec 15, 3 kilometer. Dec 29, 2 mile. Jan 12, 5 kilometer. Jan 26, 4 mile. Feb 9, 3 mile. I’ve never done anything like this and I will be happy to finish, forget placing.

If you live in or near St. Louis, why don’t you join me for a bit of winter fun in Forest Park?

See more progress on: run a 5k

Without Limits

2007-10-12T17:50:00.001-05:00

I just finished a run. If you’ve been with me, you might know that my furthest run before today was ~2.1 miles. Knowing that, and knowing it was probably less than 2 weeks ago that I did it, you might find my accomplishments today a little surprising.

I just finished running 3 miles on the treadmill and finished it in 35:18. I think I’m still in shock. Looking back at it, the key seems to have been not setting any limits. Before I started, I decided I’d go 3 miles even if it took me 45 minutes. I made myself not watch the time and not watch my heart rate. I just ran. I did start adding .1 mph at each tenth of a mile. At the 2 mile mark, I was running at 6 mph. I dropped down to 3.5 mph for a couple minutes when I hit the 2 mile mental barrier but shortly I asked myself why I wasn’t pushing and before you know it I was back up to 5 mph, then 5.5, then 6. For the last minute, I finished at 7 mph. The whole time I focused on having fun and trying to make my stride smooth, with less bounce. Still, 3 miles at an average pace above 5 mph. If it sinks in, I might pass out.

Now, I need to stretch. In 6 months, I seem to have regained most if not all of my youthful flexibility and I might be surpassing it in some areas. I deserve a good rest tonight and I need it because spin class is tomorrow morning at 9:15 AM.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Amateur Cook

2007-10-11T04:03:00.001-05:00

I can cook edible food most days although it rarely turns out like I want it too. I still can’t make the ideas in my head appear on a plate. Maybe I won’t ever be able to do that but I really want to. Perhaps some time at a cooking school is in my future. Who knows.

See more progress on: Learn to cook

Play Volleyball?!

2007-10-11T04:00:00.001-05:00

I need to replace this goal with something a bit more concrete. I’ve been playing volleyball for years. Maybe something like play volleyball this year, or play on a team.

See more progress on: play volleyball

Stalled Writing - St. John's College Admissions Essays

2007-10-11T03:57:00.001-05:00

I can’t even remember the last time I worked on these. I don’t have a sense of urgency here as we probably can’t afford for me to go to school next year but I still want to get these done. I don’t think there is anything more important for me to be working on but somehow writing my soul on paper for a review board doesn’t sound exciting.

See more progress on: complete my St. John's essays: reflect, synthesize, write

Capoeira Blues

2007-10-11T03:54:00.001-05:00

At one point I was going to capoeira a couple times a week and loving it. Unfortunately, capoeira, physical therapy and a personal trainer combined to be too much for me and I stopped going to capoeira. Well, I’m not doing my physical therapy now so I need to go back. Thanks to Akaijoy for reminding me.

See more progress on: Go back to Capoeira

From Metal to Meat

2007-10-04T09:26:00.001-05:00

Last year, I wanted to ride my bike to work, a 12 mile ride one way. I created a route near my house to start training on and dubbed it the Loop of Death. When I started, I could barely finish it on my bike in 15 minutes. I was in really sad shape. Eventually, I conquered the Loop of Death on my bike and moved on to riding to work. That went great for a while but after 2 major incidents in a week, my bike ended up disassembled on the porch, sad and forgotten.

A little under 6 months ago, I started working out with a trainer. I’ve been lifting weights with her a few times a week and doing cardiovascular exercise 3-6 days a week. One thing I have not had any success with is running. At 290 lbs, running hurt. It hurt on the road. It hurt on a treadmill. I wanted to run but I couldn’t seem to hack it.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been running on the treadmill for about 12 minutes during my cardio work. I’ve improved a bit but not nearly as much as I wanted. Right now, I run 4.3 mph for 12 minutes and I’m OK.

Enter yesterday. I didn’t do any cardio Monday or Tuesday and my trainer told me to do SOMETHING on Wednesday, even if it was really light. Well, I was meeting friends for dinner so I couldn’t get to the gym. I decided to run/walk the old loop of death after dinner. I figured I’d run until I got really tired then walk the rest and that should be about 30-35 minutes.

I set of running and the next thing I knew, I was running back up the driveway in just 26m42s. I ran 2.2 miles without stopping and without thinking I would die. I could have sprinted at the end or run a while more. I’m still in shock.

Maybe I will be able to run a 5K soon. Maybe I’ll even be able to work on improving my time, instead of just trying to finish.

See more progress on: run a 5k

Guilt (and the things we do to avoid it)

2007-09-25T06:36:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here reading the blogs of friends and realizing it has been a long while since I've posted anything. I haven't been doing much with 43 Things for a while and most of my posts actually come from there. Anyway, I'm feeling guilty for 'spying' on friends (both acutal and in progress) and I thought I'd say a little bit here, just in case someone is listening.

I'm about 3 weeks from 6 months of working out. My weight has stalled at a net loss of about 35 lbs. Still, it looks like I've lost about 5 inches off my waistline and I can't even describe how much fmore fit I am. Running is still a huge challenge for me. I really want to improve there so I can run with friends but right now it is hard. I still push myself really hard when I exercise and it usually takes my training telling me to take days off before I realize I'm not getting enough rest days. And I still can't understand why some days I feel like I'm barely working with a heart rate of 180+ and other days I feel like I'm at death's door by 150.

Neil interviewed me for a class the other day. I must have talked his ear off for at least two hours. I'll have to work on my counter interview technique in the future. It is an easy trap to get into but I hate one sided conversations, especially when I'm the only side. Despite how much I enjoy telling stories about my life, and it is a colorful life, I much prefer a more even back and forth in a conversation.

I've been reading a lot. This year, I'm trying to record everything I read on All Consuming. I wish All Consuming had a plugin for Facebook. Since I read so much, it would be nice to let friends know what I am reading. Actually, if you read my blog from the actual site, the books I am currently reading are listed but it isn't as useful as it seems. I frequently forget to record a book until I am done with it. Also, the books that I read a little at a time show up for a long time when the books that I read straight through show up for a few days at most.

Well, I do tend to go on so I'm going to cut this little info blurb short. I hope I've given you a brief insight into what is happening in my life. And if you are reading, there is a strong chance I'm interested in what is happening in yours so why don't you post a comment with a link to your blog?