FITBOMB

Memorial Day Murph

2012-05-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Along with scores of CrossFitters everywhere, the crew at CrossFit Palo Alto did Murph today.

For time:

1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
1 mile run

The workout must start and end with a one-mile run, but the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats can be broken up and done in whichever order you choose.

The usual strategy is to do 20 rounds of Cindy -- 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats -- but I decided to take another approach today. I inserted some squats between the pull-ups and push-ups to give my arms a breather, and also told myself I'd pop up and do more squats once my push-ups began to fail (rather than waste time struggling to eke out singles).

Did it work? Sort of. It felt good to keep moving, and it helped stave off the frustration that comes with trying (and failing) to string together a few push-ups. On the other hand, all the transitions between movements were a huge time-suck.

Result: 41:20 as RXed. Or was it 42:10? Either way, my time was several minutes slower than my last go at Memorial Day Murph, which is disappointing.

Still, this workout is one of my all-time favorites -- especially given that it's one that everyone at the gym can experience together.

(Note: I may be singing an entirely different tune when I wake up tomorrow and find myself unable to move.)

Note to Mothers

2012-05-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

[Source]

You're Never Too Old to Deadlift Over 400 Pounds

2012-05-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Joe Stockinger -- age 82 -- is my hero.

Friday's Workout

2012-05-25T22:21:00.001-07:00

Today's workout was a reprise of the one we did back on January 4:

5 rounds for time (or AMRAP in 20 minutes):
15 deadlifts (135lbs / 95lbs)
12 hang power cleans (135lbs / 95lbs)
9 front squats (135lbs / 95lbs)
6 jerks (135lbs / 95lbs)

Once again, I decided to go with 95 pounds. It felt a little light at first, and I blazed through the first couple of rounds. Frankly, I probably could have gone a bit heavier -- but by the time I got to the third set of front squats, the barbell felt plenty heavy.

Result: 16:37. Progress!

Barbells make me feel manly -- even when I'm lifting the women's RXed weight.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-05-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Crap. Totally forgot to log yesterday's workout. I'm getting forgetful in my old age.

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts (3-3-1-1-1)

"Get angry," Tim said as I failed to get the bar up past my knees on my final set. I was attempting a double-bodyweight deadlift, which would match my previous PR (set waaaay back in February of 2011), and I'd gassed out after barely getting the plates off the ground.

I put on my best Hulk scowl, got set, grabbed the barbell, and pulled the hell out of it. My legs shook as I struggled to clear my knees, and as I finally stood upright with the bar, my head started to swim. I dropped the bar and plopped my butt on the floor. But I was smiling. No new PR, but close!

Metcon:

For time:

240-meter farmer's walk with a pair of 53-pound kettlebells
45 wall ball shots (20-pound ball, 10-foot-high target)
240-meter farmer's walk with a pair of 53-pound kettlebells
45 burpees

I'm glad I was able to complete the first 240-meter course without once putting down the kettlebells, but I had less success with the rest of the WOD. Wall balls are not my forte, and I ended up repeatedly stopping for rest breaks during the second farmer's walk. Plus, the burpees completely kicked my ass, despite doing my best to stick to Carl Paoli's burpee pointers.

Result: 12:17 as RXed.

Still: It's good to be back.

Most Hotel Guests Prefer The Elliptical Trainer

2012-05-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Being forced out of our house and into a hotel for a couple of months means that Michelle can't lift weights in our garage before heading to her graveyard shift at the hospital. But you know what they say: When life gives you lemons, do some farmer's walks with a heavy kettlebell up and down the stairs.

You Know You're Too Flexible When You Can Kick Yourself In The Face

2012-05-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure when the Sports Concussion Institute warned of head injuries in cheerleading, this wasn't what they had in mind.

The Benefits of Massage

2012-05-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

I’ve had my share of massages. Not of the John Travolta variety, mind you -- but when I’m feeling particularly wrecked, I’ll drop into my friendly neighborhood sports therapy center and spend an hour getting worked over by Lois, my regular masseuse. Lois is old enough to be my grandmother (and often dispenses grandmotherly advice in the middle of my session, like “remember, don’t text while driving!” and “don’t hunch your shoulders!”), but the woman has hands of steel. She could probably snap my spine in two with her bear-claw-hands.

I don’t go to relax. Despite the soothing spa music that's piped into the rooms, I find it difficult to chill out when Lois is vigorously digging her elbows between my muscle tissues or driving her knuckles into my IT bands. The first time I got a massage from her, I puffed out my chest and told her she should apply as much pressure as possible. She did just that. And now, I feel weird about admitting to her that she's regularly testing the limits of my pain tolerance (which is admittedly pretty low).

Still, while part of me is biting my lip in pain, the other part of me actually enjoys the experience. Plus, I’ve always felt like I recover from my workouts faster after getting a painfully good massage from Lois.

But does massage really bolster recovery? We know that intense exercise causes micro-tears in muscle fibers that trigger an auto-immune reaction (a.k.a. inflammation). Does massage help bring that inflammation down?

Some studies have suggested that there is “little support for the use of massage to aid muscle recovery or performance after intense exercise.” In fact, one study noted that massage actually impairs blood flow and therefore impedes lactic acid removal from muscles after intense exercise -- the opposite of what most assumed to be true. This was measured by examining blood samples taken from athletes who participated in the study.

More recently, however, a group of Canadian researchers took a slightly more in-depth look at what happens to athletes’ muscles when massaged post-exercise.

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers...

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

Yeesh. And ouch.

But in comparing the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs, the researchers found that massage “reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair.”

“The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

Lesson: When you’ve been beat down by intense exercise, don’t reach for the ibuprofen. Go book a massage instead.

Too expensive? Invest in a foam roller and some lacrosse balls instead. (Another side benefit to doing deep-tissue mobility work in the privacy of your own home rather than getting a professional massage: There’s no need to worry about accidentally releasing an errant fart.)

[Source]

CrossFit Games - NorCal Regionals

2012-05-20T23:06:00.001-07:00

The boys and I drove down to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds this morning for the third and final day of the CrossFit Games NorCal Regionals.

We arrived as the women were finishing the snatch ladder / double-under event.

The teams went next, and just like last year, we watched Danny Nichols of TJ's Gym lift an insane amount of weight. This time, it was a 295-pound snatch(!).

The individual men were next.

In the end, it came down to Neal Maddox and Jason Khalipa, with Maddox finishing first (with a 275-pound snatch) and Khalipa second (at 265).

Inspired by what he saw...

...Big-O decided to whip up his own WOD, running up and down and around the bleachers until he was red as a beet and drenched with sweat.

Lil-O didn't bother.

But after roasting in the hot sun for a spell, both of the boys demanded an icy treat. After downing bowls of (decidedly non-Paleo) ice cream in the shade...

We got back to the action.

The final team competition was insane:

20 muscle-ups while partner holds 225 pounds
60 wall balls (20 lb. ball to 10') while partner holds chin over bar
100' partner carry with 100 lb. dumbbell
40 box jumps, alternating on 24" box
100' partner carry with 100 lb. dumbbell
2 muscle-ups
20 muscle-ups while partner holds 135 pounds
60 wall balls (14 lb. ball to 10') while partner holds chin over bar
100' partner carry with 70 lb. dumbbell
40 box jumps, alternating on 20" box
100' partner carry with 70 lb. dumbbell
2 muscle-ups

I was exhausted just watching the athletes compete.

Diablo CrossFit gutted out the victory in front of a sea of screaming supporters.

And with that, we had to depart. I wish I could've stayed to watch the individuals' final event, but the boys were turning into pumpkins, and I needed a nap. (Not that I actually got one, but still.)

Are These the Next Reebok CrossFit Nanos?

2012-05-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tim's eagle eyes spotted what looks to be a pair of prototype Reebok CrossFit Nano shoes on an athlete at Reebok CrossFit One.

It's hard to tell from this one snapshot, but the toe, tongue, and heel look different from those of the current model.

Can't wait to see this up close. But in the meantime, I need to go shopping for a new pair of shoes. My Game of Death shoes are thrashed.

[Source]

As Seen on TV

2012-05-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle and the boys were on the local news tonight, which prompted Owen to ask if he's now a considered a "movie star."

Uh, no. Not quite.

Michelle's interview with Dr. Kim Mulvihill was shot when we were down in Texas for the Paleo FX conference back in March. Then, last month, more footage was shot at our house (before it got flooded).

I'm super-proud of my better half and her blog -- but more than anything else, this video makes me wistful for a functioning kitchen and a home that isn't wrecked.

(By the way, this video's just the latest segment on the "caveman diet" that San Francisco's CBS affiliate has produced. Check out the other videos here, and stay tuned for two more segments this week about the Paleo lifestyle.)

Ow Ow Ow

2012-05-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ow ow ow ow ow:

5 rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
Row 500 meters

Ow.

Result: 22:57

Ow ow ow.

It felt just like the last time I did this workout. In other words:

Ow ow ow ow ow.

WOD Toys

2012-05-14T22:43:00.002-07:00

My kids are a little too big for these toys, but I'm sure there are plenty of tykes out there who'd get a kick out of having their own toddler-sized set of CrossFit gear.

Heck, I think I might get a set anyway. I bet I'd set a new Fran PR with that barbell.

[Source: WOD Toys]

The Jerk Store Called

2012-05-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

I'm all kinds of miserable living in this hotel. The bed is lumpy, the kitchen's the size of a shoebox, and I'm allergic to the industrial perfumes that permeate everything in the place. We've been staying here for almost a month, and we'll be here for at least another month yet.

One of the only times I feel normal? When the alarm goes off at 4:20 a.m. and I throw my stuff into a gym bag and head out to CrossFit Palo Alto.

Strength Skill:

Jerks (3-3-3-1-1)

I love starting the day with my lifting shoes on. My final rep wasn't pretty, but I managed to successfully lock out with 155 pounds overhead -- a new (non-split-jerk) PR.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes of:

20 kettlebell swings (10 with each arm - 24kg / 16kg)
10 toes-to-bar
20 air squats

I shot out of the gate on this one, blazing through the swings and squats, and did my best to stay in the lead -- but ultimately, my less-than-efficient toes-to-bar technique slowed me down. By the fourth round, my grip strength was gone, and the Terminator shot past me. The guy is relentless, which is why I love the challenge of chasing after him.

Result: 5 rounds + 43 reps as RXed.

Charley Horse 4, PR 0

2012-05-11T22:52:00.001-07:00

We had another packed house in the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto today, where we were treated to a variety of gymnastics movements (we practiced tumbling, handstands, ring L-sits, skin-the-cats, etc.) before Tim scrawled on the whiteboard:

Loooooove 2K row

To paraphrase Tina Turner: "What's LOVE got to do with it?"

After all, I both fear and loathe the erg. There are few workouts I hate as much as this one. Rowing 2000 meters invariably leaves me feeling totally wrecked -- and today was no different. Plus, my track record seems to indicate that I'm getting worse and worse at this towing stuff.

My previous 2K row times? 7:45 (July 2010), 8:04 (October 2010), and 8:07 (July 2011). Suffice it to say, I'm not exactly blazing fast on an erg. In fact, I seem to be getting slower rather than faster -- despite throwing myself fully into the rowing each time.

So it came as a but of a surprise when, for the first three-quarters of today's workout, I was actually feeling decent. The first 500 meters flew by without incident, and the second 500 was bearable. The third 500 was a kick in the pants, but I still had some fuel in the tank. "Just keep that split under 2 minutes," I heard Tim yell from behind me.

But as I entered the home stretch, my feet painfully seized up in cramps. Both arches were on fire. And immediately thereafter, I developed charley horses in both thighs, too. Ah, muscle spasms. Racked with spasming body parts, I forgot all about proper erg technique. My pulls slowed, and my head bobbed back and forth. It was ugly, folks. REALLY ugly.

As soon as I was done, I collapsed on the floor, whipped off my shoes, and tried to stretch and massage out my lactic-acid engorged appendages. I must have stayed on the floor for a good 5 minutes before staggering to my feet.

On the plus side:

I learned that it takes me approximately 260 strokes to row 2K.

I got my second-best 2K row time today. I rowed 7:54 today -- 9 seconds off my P.R., but 13 seconds better than my P.W. (Personal Worst).

I didn't get sick afterwards. (Knock on wood!)

This probably means we won't have to row 2K again for at least a little while.

I have no idea if what I just wrote makes any sense. Pretty sure I passed out a few times while typing this post tonight. Must...sleep...now...

Punch, Punch, Kick!

2012-05-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

Want to be as jacked as Mr. Benefitness?

Then you better have a sofa cushion. And make sure it's "nice and firm and against something" before you start lightly tapping it with your toe.

This Exists

2012-05-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

[Source]

Full-Strength Five Tribe

2012-05-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hauling our butts out of bed and into the gym for a 5 a.m. workout isn't the easiest task in the world to accomplish. Given work schedules, family obligations, travel, and the temptation to hit snooze and catch a few extra Zs, it's rare that the entire Five Tribe is in attendance at CrossFit Palo Alto before the crack of dawn.

But we did it again today. A full house of 15 sleepy CrossFitters showed up to get some strength on. It was my first 5 a.m. workout in a week, and it felt great to be back with all of my fellow nutjobs.

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts (3-3-3-1-1)

A number of folks hit PRs this morning, but I wasn't one of them. My hammies are still fried from Monday's scorcher of a workout, and I struggled to pull 255 pounds off the ground. Ack.

On the plus side, I got to partner up with Jay, whose consistently sunny presence in the wee hours of the morning never ceases to amaze. (In contrast, I'm usually a sullen zombie for the first half of class.)

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

20 mountain climbers
10 ring rows
5 dumbbell squat cleans

The mountain climbers felt great. Throughout the 10-minute workout, I was able to crank out the mountain climbers quickly and smoothly. The ring rows were tougher: The first few rounds flew by, but I hit a wall about halfway through the WOD, and ended up having to take a mid-set break or two.

But it was the dumbbell squat cleaning that floored me. Even though I'd scaled down the weight (I ended up using a pair of 35-pound dumbbells instead of the RXed 45 pounders), and despite the fact that we were only required to complete 5 reps per round, the squat cleans murdered my legs. A few rounds into the workout, my hamstrings, glutes, and quads were already on fire. And we still had another 7 minutes to go.

Result: 6 rounds + 20 reps.

I'm secretly happy that time ran out just as I was supposed to start another set of squat cleans.

Balancing Act

2012-05-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

It’s now been almost three weeks since a plumbing disaster forced us to hole up in a hotel -- and we’re still weeks away from being able to move back home. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world, either. We’re coping pretty well, all things considering. But there is one thing that annoys me to no end: We no longer have room for our designated babysitters (read: parents) to spend the night, which means I’m now unable to regularly attend the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto.

Major bummer.

Still, there is one silver lining: I get to sleep in.

I missed Friday’s workout, and this morning’s, too. Five days without exercise makes me a dull boy. I was antsy to get back into the gym, so I scrambled to wrap things up at work today so I could squeeze in an evening workout. Tim promised that today’s WOD was “gooooood” (with six -- count ‘em: SIX -- o’s), so I raced down to the gym in time for the 5 p.m. class.

And here’s what we were treated to:

For time:

30 sandbag floor-to-shoulders
400-meter run with sandbag
30 wall ball shots (20lbs / 14lbs, 10-foot target)
400-meter run with medicine ball (20lbs / 14lbs)
30 plate ground-to-overheads (45lbs / 35lbs)
400-meter run with plate (45lbs / 35lbs)
30 overhead kettlebell swings (70lbs / 53lbs)
400-meter run with kettlebell (70lbs / 53lbs)

As Trish instructed us about each of the movements and standards, the only thing going through my mind was: “Really? Six o’s?”

The sandbags were fine, though I can’t say I ran with lightning speed with the floppy weight draped across my right shoulder.

The wall balls were, well, wall balls. They’re not my favorite, but I survived them. But I’d never run with a medicine ball before, and had a difficult time trying to find a halfway-decent way to hold the sucker. I tried carrying the ball in front of me -- but it was too cumbersome and draining. I tried carrying on my shoulder -- but again, I found it too awkward.

Finally, I stuck the damned thing on top of my head, kept it steady with my hands overhead, and ran. I’m not saying it was easy -- my arms lost feeling after a while -- but it was less uncomfortable and imbalanced than the other methods I tried. The ball is soft(ish) and weighs only 20 pounds. Besides, people all over the world carry stuff on their heads, right?

I was actually feeling pretty decent as I grabbed a bumper plate and started my ground-to-overheads. The first 10 felt pretty good and strong. But after that, the 45-pound weight began feeling increasingly heavy. And running with the thing was not fun. I tried to stick the plate on my head, but it felt like it was going to crush my skull, so I opted for the good ol’ cradle carry.

Up until the kettlebells, I’d gone RXed, but I knew that hoisting a 70-pound kettlebell over my head wasn’t in the cards for me today. Even with a 53-pound kettlebell, I found myself pausing a few times between swings to catch my breath. With my grip strength shot, I wasn’t relishing the thought of lugging that thing with me on that last 400-meter jaunt. I farmer-carried it as best I could, and made it out of the parking lot before Kerry shouted out that it was easier to shoulder it. With the kettlebell pressed against my ear, I finished the course and collapsed just inside the gym’s open rolling door.

“Uh, you may not want to be sitting there when the next person comes in and drops their kettlebell,” Trish advised.

Result: 22:38.

(And yes, I’ll admit it: It deserved six o’s.)

The Churro Conversation

2012-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

An exchange with my seven-year-old son this evening as we entered a Mexican restaurant:

"Dad, can I have a churro?"

"Come on, kiddo -- it's nothing but sugar and flour and vegetable oil."

"So?"

"It's not good for you."

"But it tastes good."

"Yes, but it'll make your stomach hurt and you'll go bonkers from the sugar tonight."

[Long pause]

"Well, I can live with that."

Epilogue: He didn't get the churro.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-05-02T21:24:00.001-07:00

A fantastic one today.

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts (5-5-3-3-3)

I wrote about the history of the "Health Lift" yesterday, and lo and behold, deadlifts were on today's menu. I must be psychic.

Although I still harbor a bit of skittishness stemming from my back issues, I really enjoy deadlifts. I love the straightforwardness of the movement: Load your hammies, tighten your midsection, grab a heavy barbell, and stand up with it.

After a couple of sets, I took of my shoes and did the rest barefoot. I find that as I add more weight to my lifts, my knees tend to cave inward instead of bracing outward, and going shoeless helped remind me to push off my heels and avoid shifting my weight towards my instep. It worked, and I managed to keep my knees from buckling in.

It's weird to reflect on how much joy I derive from little things like that.

Metcon:

10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
10 Games-standard push-ups
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 Games-standard push-ups
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
8 Games-standard push-ups
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
7 Games-standard push-ups
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 Games-standard push-ups
5 chest-to-bar pull-ups
5 Games-standard push-ups
4 chest-to-bar pull-ups
4 Games-standard push-ups
3 chest-to-bar pull-ups
3 Games-standard push-ups
2 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 Games-standard push-ups
1 chest-to-bar pull-ups
1 Games-standard push-ups

Stupidly, at the beginning, I thought this workout was going to be too easy. After all, I love fast bodyweight workouts. I ended up cranking through the first two rounds of chest-to-bar pull-ups uninterrupted, and gutting out all the push-ups without taking any mid-set breaks.

Still, there's a world of difference between pull-ups and chest-to-bar pull-ups, and between push-ups and Games-standard push-ups. The delta may be a matter of just a few inches, but those few inches are murder. Sweet, sweet murder.

Result: 5:51 as RXed.

The Health Lift

2012-05-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

[Note: I originally published this post on the recently-hacked and now-defunct Five Tribe blog. That site's kaput, but I managed to salvage a few of my favorite posts, including this one.]

In 1850, George Barker Windship was a sixteen-year-old freshman at Harvard University. He was five feet tall and 100 pounds. But by the time he graduated, having logged endless hours in the college gymnasium, Windship was known as the strongest man at Harvard.

Soon thereafter, he came across a weightlifting machine on a Rochester, New York street, surrounded by curious passersby. Newly strong, Windship tested the machine, and ended up lifting 420 pounds using a technique now known as a partial deadlift or hand-and-thigh lift. Inspired, he returned to Boston and created his own lifting device by “sinking a hogshead in the ground and placing inside it a barrel, filled with rocks and sand, to which he attached a rope and handle. Then, standing on a platform he constructed above the barrel, he mimicked the partial movements of the lifting machine he had tried in Rochester.” Practicing with this machine and other devices and harnesses he created, Windship reportedly maxed out with a lift of 2,600(!) pounds.

By 1861, Windship had graduated from Harvard Medical School and had made a name for himself as the “American Samson,” a health reformer known across the country for bucking the then-prevailing wisdom about proper nutrition and fitness. While most experts pushed vegetarian diets and exercises with — at most — light weights and moderate resistance, Windship had a very different take on things.

The body should be made as strong as possible, he contended, with no weak points. It should be balanced and symmetrical with the muscles full and round and strong… [H]eavy weights and short workouts were the secret to health and longevity. Training should be systematic, he argued with the intensity of the exercise gradually increasing over time. He maintained that workout sessions should never last more than an hour and that proper rest must be obtained before the next day’s training.

Windship’s health lectures, feats of strength, and impressive physique garnered plenty of attention, disciples, and copycats who developed their own lifting machines to mimic Windship’s machine-based partial deadlift exercise, which came to be known as the “Health Lift.” For example, one New York-based company sold a contraption called “Mann’s Reactionary Lifter” similar to Windship’s device — a “cast iron lifting machine” that could be “adjusted from twenty to twelve hundred pounds”:

Two handles attached to the weighted lever arm so that by standing on the machine’s base, with a handle in each hand and the knees slightly bent, the lifter would simply straighten the legs to move the weighted arm a few inches. Prominently displayed in the advertising for this machine was a fashionably dressed young woman complete with bustle and corset. “Side-lifting” machines, such as Mann’s, were partly designed with women in mind. The idea was that the two side handles made it unnecessary for women to change their clothes for a workout.

The “Health Lift” was deemed the only physical exercise a man or woman needed — or wanted. After all, it was simple, straightforward, and offered fast results: “Pile heavy objects onto a machine, and then lift it. Workout completed, fitness and health improved — instantly.” In cities across the United States, gyms and fitness studios outfitted with similar “Health Lift” machines opened their doors, attracting white collar workers hoping to squeeze a quick workout into their lunch hour.

But while others took the exercise and ran with it, Windship himself didn’t appear very interested in capitalizing on the business opportunities presented by the “Health Lift” craze. He focused his attention elsewhere, patenting and selling the first-ever plate-loading free weight in America. (In other words, it was the great-great-grandfather of not only Olympic barbells, but also those fancy adjustable-weight dumbbells hawked on late night infomercials.

Windship also invented the first all-in-one full-body weight machine — something he called the “Apparatus for Physical Culture,” which “contained a lifting platform, cables for chest work, a rowing machine and a chinning bar.” (Eat your heart out, Soloflex.)

Sadly, Windship didn’t live long enough to see much success from these ventures. He died of a massive stroke at the age of 42.

The Health Lift faded from public view in the years after Windship’s death. With the sudden passing of the most prominent voice of modern weightlifting (and at such a young age), it’s not surprising that people began questioning the health benefits of resistance training. Nonetheless, competitive athletes and influential health reformers continued to employ Windship’s lifting protocols. Robert J. Roberts, the YMCA’s first physical education director, was a Windship disciple, and incorporated heavy lifting into the Y’s physical training program. Even the controversial (and bowel movement-obsessed) physician John Harvey Kellogg (of corn flakes and “Road to Wellville” fame) was a big proponent of the Health Lift.

Eventually, the Health Lift evolved into what we know as a deadlift — arguably the best all-around lift for full-body strength and muscle development. Over the past century and a half, barbell deadlifts gradually surpassed the machine-based Health Lifts in popularity and efficacy. Today, the Health Lift still has its place: With a higher starting position, partial deadlifts (which are now typically done with racks and bars rather than wooden machines) don’t put as much strain on the lower back and therefore enable the lifting of much heavier weights. But as Mark Rippetoe writes in “Starting Strength,” deadlifts incorporate lower back strength — something that’s vital to sports conditioning:

The ability to maintain a rigid lumbar spine under a load is critical for both power transfer and safety. The deadlift builds back strength better than any other exercise, bar none. And back strength built with the deadlift is useful: while the bar is the most ergonomically friendly tool for lifting heavy weights, a 400 lb. barbell makes an awkward 85 lb. box more manageable.

The takeaway: By incorporating lower back strength, deadlifts are an improvement on Windship’s “Health Lift” — the original lift for optimal functional fitness. Plus, deadlifts are fun and more badass-sounding than “Health Lifts.”

So do ‘em.

[Sources: The H.J. Lutcher Stark Center, Iron Game History]

Cardi-Oh-No

2012-04-30T23:27:00.001-07:00

After five rousing sets of jerks this morning, I was feeling pretty good for someone who hasn't slept more than half a wink per night in a week. (I hate hotel beds. Also: I thought developing an app was tough, but that was a piece of cake compared to actually managing a product launch. Remind me to never, ever do this again. Ever.)

But then came the metcon:

3 rounds:

In 4 minutes, row 400 meters and then max double-unders.
Rest 1 minute.

Total score = the number of double-unders completed after three rounds.

That's right: ROWING. And DOUBLE-UNDERS. For a split second, I contemplated jumping into my car and speeding off.

On the plus side: During the first round, I managed a stretch of 51 consecutive double-unders. I'd like to think I could've kept going, but when I got over 50, I was so excited that I got myself tangled up in my rope. I'm nothing if not smooth.

When this one was over, I spent a good few minutes flat on my back. I think I hate cardio more than I hate hotel beds.

Result: 242 double-unders as RXed. Not super-shabby, though Mark beat me by a few reps. And by "a few," I mean over a hundred.

Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Has a Workout Video

2012-04-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

And it is awesome.

[Source: Punknews.org]

Friday's Workout

2012-04-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

Back to the 5 a.m. class!

Strength Skill:

Turkish Get-Ups (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

My left shoulder wasn't feeling it today; for the first time in a while, I had trouble keeping my arm locked out even while using a fairly light weight (16 kg). I think I need to drag my kettlebells to our hotel room (yes, we're still living in a hotel while our floors at home are getting ripped out) and practice, practice, practice. All of the rest of my garage gym equipment is buried underneath mountains of furniture and boxes at the moment, but my kettlebells are still accessible.

What my home gym looked like:

What my home gym now looks like:

Plus, a number of great fitness minds agree: Turkish Get-Ups (and other kettlebell movements) are among the best exercises you can do.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
20 kettlebell snatches (10 with each arm, 24kg / 16kg)
20 Abmat sit-ups

The sit-ups weren't a problem for me, but I felt like I was running in super-slow-motion today. And the kettlebell snatches were rough -- especially when I was using my left arm.

I know I say this a lot, but I need to get stronger.

Result: 11:29 as RXed.

"It's Just a Soft Drink."

2012-04-27T23:11:00.001-07:00

Correlation ain't the same as causation, but I can't really blame folks for thinking that drinking two gallons of Coke each day had a little something to do with 30-year-old Natasha Marie Harris's heart attack death.

Harris' partner, Chris Hodgkinson, testified at the inquest that Harris drank between 8 and 10 liters -- 2.1 and 2.6 gallons -- of regular Coke every day, according to the Associated Press.

"The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed," Hodgkinson said. "She was addicted to Coke."

Harris reportedly had some other unhealthy habits. Hodgkinson said she ate little and smoked about 30 cigarettes a day. In the months before her death, she experienced blood pressure problems and lacked energy, he said.

A pathologist testified that Harris's death was caused in part by severe hypokalemia -- a lack of potassium in the blood.

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told HealthPop that drinking too much soda can cause hypokalemia because of several factors, one of which is called "fructose induced osmotic diarrhea." Too much fructose and sugar may lead to diarrhea and during diarrhea the body loses potassium.

What's more, Glatter said, sugar stimulates insulin release which also drives potassium into the body's cells, causing potassium levels in the bloodstream to fall. Then there's the caffeine, which is known as a "beta-agonist," that also drives potassium into cells and away from the blood.

"So you're getting a double whammy from caffeine as well as the sugar," Glatter told HealthPop. "You're drinking three to nine liters a day of this stuff, you're going to have significant issues."

"I never thought about it," Hodgskinson told the Herald of soda making Harris ill. "It's just a soft-drink, just like drinking water.

Not quite. Pro tip: You know what's just like drinking water? DRINKING WATER.

[Source]

Wednesday's Workout: Relief

2012-04-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

I missed class again this morning.

As readers of Nom Nom Paleo know, we hit a bunch of rough patches this week, and the upshot was that I wasn't able to indulge in my usual early-morning workouts with my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs. Monday's workout was Cindy plus double-unders (a 20 minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats, and 20 double-unders), and I've been kicking myself for missing it. I really didn't want to miss another sweatfest at the gym.

So today, after finishing up a series of meetings at work, I sped down the freeway from San Francisco to Palo Alto in time for the 5 p.m. class. While I was on the road, I got a call from Michelle and the kids, who gleefully filled me in on some big news:

The Nom Nom Paleo iPad app got approved this afternoon by Apple! (Look for it in the App Store this Friday.)

I'm not used to working out in the early evening, but I was still on a high when I arrived at CrossFit Palo Alto, and knew I was going to enjoyed thrashing around in the gym.

Strength Skill:

Weighted Pull-Ups (5-3-3-1-1, with sets of 10 varying types of push-ups between sets)

On my last rep, with a kettlebell chained to my waist, I struggled to clear my chin over the bar -- but I was determined not to crane my neck. Trish, who teaches the 5 p.m. class (and does a fantastic job of putting us through the paces), had told us to keep our heads level and eyes ahead. "It doesn't count if you're facing the ceiling." Under this rule, I'm pretty sure most of the weighted pull-ups I've done in the past don't count.

Metcon:

"Christine" -- 3 rounds of:

500-meter row
12 bodyweight deadlifts
21 plyo box jumps (20")

This was a fun one -- the deadlifts felt fast and smooth, and the rowing didn't get awful until the final round. It's amazing how a few days away from the gym made me antsy enough to get a kick out of a metabolic beat-down. And although I missed exercising alongside my 5 a.m. buddies, once the clock started, it didn't matter who was in the room. My only goal was to kill this workout.

But although I didn't suck, I didn't exactly murder Christine, either.

Result: 11:58 as RXed -- a few seconds slower than the last time I did Christine. No PR today, but I still have a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I don't know whether it's because I finally got my butt back into the gym or because the app we've long slaved over is finally ready for release, but I suspect it's a little of both.

Friday's Workout

2012-04-20T23:42:00.001-07:00

A lot can happen in two days.

Between Wednesday's workout and today's:

We finished the Nom Nom Paleo iPad app after months of intensive work, and submitted it to Apple for review;
I sat in a plane on the tarmac for an hour and a terminal for two hours before being told that my flight to Southern California (for work) was grounded.
I was booked on another flight, only to be told at midnight that it, too, was canceled.
I drove home and collapsed -- only to be jolted awake a few hours later by my wife, who had awakened to a the sounds of water gushing out from below our kitchen sink. Three-quarters of our house was covered by a half-inch of water.
We bailed water like crazy.
An emergency crew came over and started tearing out our hardwood floors and baseboards.
We packed up our stuff and moved into a hotel. The insurance company has us booked here for a month.
Oh, and Big-O had a Little League game.

I'm a little tired.

But I was looking forward to getting back in the gym so I could work off some of the stress I'd accumulated.

Strength Skill:

Turkish Get-Ups (1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3)

This morning, I didn't feel super-stable in my shoulders, and found my arm wobbling a bit. Perhaps my shoulders are still fried from Monday's and Wednesday's workouts, but then again, maybe I just need to get stronger.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 8 minutes:

21 chest-high kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
15 push-ups
9 toes-to-bar

The swings and push-ups weren't too awful, but my toes-to-bar were slow as mud. I need to figure out a better way to generate momentum at the finish of each rep; right now, I end up in a dead hang position, which forces me to initiate a big wind-up before continuing onto the next rep.

Result: 5 rounds + 1 rep as RXed.

I tried but ultimately failed to catch the Terminator, who ended up with 8 more reps than me. Such is the way of things, I guess. It's a comforting reminder that even when life throws you for a loop, some things never change.

On tap for tomorrow: The Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition Seminar at CrossFit Palo Alto! And another Little League game.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-04-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

The badger crawls from Monday did a number on my shoulders. I was surprised at how a quick little workout completely wrecked me, and hoped that today's workout wouldn't require much use of my arms. A Tabata squat workout, perhaps? Or box jumps and sit-ups?

No such luck.

3 rounds of:

400 meter run
21 jerks (95# / 65#)
500 meter row
12 handstand push-ups

As you know, rowing and running aren't my favorite activities in the world, but at least I got through 'em without stopping. The jerks and HSPUs? Not so much -- especially with fried shoulders.

Result: 23:32 as RXed.

I wonder if the Turkish get-ups on Friday are going to exacerbate or alleviate my shoulder misery.

Crunch Time

2012-04-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't about crunchy milk chocolate candy bars.

Years ago, when I was still working at a law firm, one of my clients was a company that developed video games. They introduced me to the concept of "crunch time" -- a concentrated period of endless work and sleepless nights immediately prior to the launch of a new product. Workers essentially sleep at the office for days on end, subsisting on stale junk food and cleaning themselves with baby wipes. Yum.

I'm sort of in that mode right now. My days are crammed with meetings and the responsibilities of my "real" job -- i.e., the one that pays -- while my nights are spent pounding away at the final phase of the Nom Nom Paleo app. Whoever said that the last 10 percent of a project takes 90 percent of the effort wasn't kidding. Every time we think we're done and we can finally get a decent night's sleep, we discover another pending issue or task. Even after the app itself is ready to go (and we're so, so close now -- just hours away from giving it the final sign-off), we have a crapload of work to do to get ready for the launch. I've spent every spare minute of the past three days working on a demo video of the app, for example. (You'll see it soon, I'm sure.) And we still need to finalize the web page for the app, and get our marketing materials in order.

I am pooped.

I missed the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto last Friday because we were up late dialoguing with our development team. But today, I was determined to get into the gym. And I'm glad I did, because it was a good one.

Strength Skill:

Cleans (3-3-3-1-1)

I still need practice, but my cleans are feeling stronger. I'm cleaning more than my bodyweight now, and think I have more in me. And I like the sensation of sticking an explosive, solid clean. If I can free up some time at home (ha!), maybe I can sneak in more sets in the garage during the week.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 badger crawl laps

Chest-to-bar pull-ups are self-explanatory. As for the badger crawl laps, we basically got down on our hands and feet and scurried across the length of the gym and back for each lap. I like badger crawls -- in small doses. But after a few laps, they're murder on the shoulders and wrists.

I blazed through the first round, cranking out a set of unbroken pull-ups and racing around the gym on all fours. But by the third round, I had hit a wall with my chest-to-bar pull-ups, and couldn't string more than three or four together at a time. By the fifth round, I had to wind up with a huge kip in order to touch my chest to the bar.

Result: 6 rounds + 3 reps as RXed. It was ugly, but it was awesome.

And now: Back to work.

Wednesday's Workout

2012-04-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

Strength Skill:

Weighted Pull-ups (5-3-3-1-1, with 10 push-ups between sets)

I think I've pinpointed the reason why a dull ache still plagues my upper arms. It ain't 'cause of the gazillion push-presses from last week. It's from those damned diamond push-ups I did in-between sets of pull-ups last Wednesday.

This morning, my bad case of DOMS was finally subsiding, so despite my chronic lack of sleep, I happily drove to the gym for our morning beatdown. I enjoy doing weighted pull-ups, and was looking forward to doing more.

But just like last week, we did 10 push-ups between each set of pull-ups. Tim allowed us to pick the types of pull-up variations we wanted to do, so I did some decline push-ups, some medicine ball push-ups, some spiderman push-ups, some parallette push-ups, and some more of those nasty diamond push-ups. They didn't feel bad in the moment -- but a few hours later, I could feel the creeping ache in my triceps. And reaching way, waaaay back in the recesses of my brain, I pulled out a vague memory of how I used to do diamond push-ups as part of my P90X regimen, and how my arms always felt wrecked afterwards.

I've come full circle.

Metcon:

21 box jumps (24")
21 kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls (32kg / 24kg)
21 kettlebell swing - catch - squats (32kg / 24kg)
15 box jumps (24")
15 kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls (32kg / 24kg)
15 kettlebell swing - catch - squats (32kg / 24kg)
9 box jumps (24")
9 kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls (32kg / 24kg)
9 kettlebell swing - catch - squats (32kg / 24kg)

What's a swing-catch-squat, you ask? Good question. It involves swinging a kettlebell up, releasing the handle and catching the kettlebell upside-down, performing a goblet squat, and then pushing the iron ball away from you and catching it by the handle to start another swing. It's both easier and harder than it looks.

On the one hand, this movement isn't altogether unfamiliar. It feels a bit like a barbell clean.

On the other hand: Holy crap. I'm not very physically coordinated to begin with, but ask me to perform anything technically demanding at 5 a.m. and you're in for some entertainment.

For today's workout, I used a 24-inch box for my jumps, but I scaled down the kettlebell weights. I used a 24kg KB for the sumo deadlift high pulls, and a 20kg KB for the swing-catch-squats. (You know who else used a 20kg kettlebell? XFitMama. She's a beast.)

It wasn't exactly a cakewalk -- I had a helluva time trying to catch the damned kettlebell -- but I got through the workout okay. Frankly, I'm just happy I didn't cave in my face with a big-ass metal ball.

Result: 8:34 as RXed.

Monday's Workout

2012-04-10T20:42:00.002-07:00

D’oh! I forgot to post yesterday. Memory loss: It’s a side effect of adrenal fatigue and lack of sleep. To the best of my recollection, here’s what we did yesterday at the gym.

Strength Skill:

Cleans (5-3-3-1-1)

My shoulders and arms are still reeling from Friday’s 101 push-presses. The silver lining? This helped keep me from relying on my arms while doing cleans. I will say, though, that in my present state of soreness, getting my elbows up in the rack position didn’t feel especially awesome.

Metcon:

21 dumbbell burpee snatches – right arm (45# / 30#)
21 ring dips
21 dumbbell burpee snatches – left arm (45# / 30#)
21 ring dips

I went with 35 pounds instead of the RXed 45, fearing that the dumbbell burpee snatches would annihilate me. They didn’t look fun when Tim demonstrated the movement: We were to drop down while holding a dumbbell in one hand, perform a push-up while holding onto the dumbbell, jump up into a squat position, and then snatch the dumbbell from the floor to an overhead position with a locked out arm. (They look sort of like this, but with a push-up at the bottom.)

Yuck.

But when the workout began, I found that the burpee snatches weren’t so bad after all. I was able to find a decent (though not particularly quick) rhythm, and got through the first 21 without stopping.

The problem was the ring dips. I hit a wall very early on in the workout: After my first 8 or 10 ring dips, my arms were fried. I spent the rest of the workout struggling to string together more than a couple of ring dips at a time.

Again: Yuck.

Result: I can’t remember. It’s only been 36 hours since I did this workout, and can’t recall my time. Sad. I desperately need more sleep.

Friday's Workout

2012-04-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

It's immensely stupid of me to hit the gym on just four hours of sleep, but I did it anyway.

Strength Skill:

Turkish Get-Ups (1. 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 - each side)

I did fine. I stuck with light weights (12 and 16 kilograms), and focused on ensuring good positioning of my free hand. And even the 12 kilogram kettlebell was enough to get my shoulders nice and engaged -- just in time for:

101 push-presses for time (95# / 65#), with a 5-burpee penalty every time the barbell is set down on the floor.

I'll admit it: For the first half of the WOD, I certainly tried to "game" system by resting the bar across the back of my neck and shoulders when I was too tired to continue. And for a while, it worked -- I got through the first 50 push-presses without having to do any burpees.

But as the workout wore on, the heavier the barbell got (even though I was only using 80 pounds and not the RXed 95). After Rep Number 50, I reluctantly lowered the barbell to the ground and did my requisite burpees....slowly. I broke the remaining push-presses into sets of 10, and resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do another four or five rounds of burpee before hitting the magic number of 101 push-press reps.

Result: 12:13.

Yeesh. I literally fell asleep while writing this post. Must. Go. To. Sleep.

Guess Who's Coming to Town?

2012-04-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

Yup -- these two.

You might know Melissa and Dallas Hartwig as Whole9 -- the dynamic duo behind the Whole30 month-long dietary re-set that's helped thousands of people kickstart their journey back to health.

As longtime readers may recall, M (a.k.a. Nom Nom Paleo) and I -- along with a number of others from CrossFit Palo Alto, including XFitMama and Trish -- attended a Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition seminar at Mad Dawg Fitness a little over a year ago, where we absorbed an incredible amount of information about how to eat for optimal health. (If you need a refresher, check out M's post from Nom Nom Paleo here.)

Before attending the seminar, we'd already been eating Paleo for a while, and I figured I wouldn't learn anything new. WRONG. The day-long seminar is a fantastic introduction to good nutrition for absolute beginners, but even those of us who've implemented a clean, anti-inflammatory diet can stand to learn a lot. I sure did.

Since we first met Melissa and Dallas, we've become friends, sharing laughs and meals in different cities (and ingesting all sorts of non-Paleo foods, from breaded brains to ice cream -- blasphemy!). In the process, we've had the pleasure of chatting with them about topics ranging from nutrition and fitness to how to make Blue Steel faces and deadlift 800 pounds. The Hartwigs aren't just Good Food Superheroes -- they know how to have a good time, too.

It goes without saying, then, that we're excited that they're coming to CrossFit Palo Alto on Saturday, April 21, for their first San Francisco Bay Area seminar in quite a while. You can learn more about the Foundations of Nutrition seminar over on the CrossFit Palo Alto website. M and I will be there, along with the oft-mentioned Tim Dymmel, the man behind CFPA. If you're lucky, you might even spot the elusive Lazy Caveman. It'll be a mini-Paleo-palooza.

As Darth Vader said in The Empire Strikes Back, we would be honored if you would join us. You'll have a great time, and learn a ton, too. (Okay -- Darth Vader didn't say that last part.)

Tickets to the Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition Seminar at CrossFit Palo Alto are available here, and if you register by Sunday, you get fifteen bucks knocked off the price. Plus, you'll get to hang out in the box where M and I have decorated the floors with copious amounts of sweat.

Well? What are you waiting for?

Wednesday's Workout

2012-04-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 3:30 a.m. this morning, and couldn't get back to sleep. After another half-hour of tossing and turning, I got up, made myself some coffee, turned on the laptop, and started emailing our app development team in Bangalore. And in just a few minutes, I was hopped up on caffeine. By the time I got to CrossFit Palo Alto, I was wide awake.

Strength Skill:

Weighted Strict Pull-Ups (5-5-3-3-3, with 10 pushups after each set)

Even with just a 20 pound dumbbell jammed into my crotch, I struggled to get my chin over the bar this morning -- kind of pathetic given that my PR is almost three times that weight. I'm going to blame it on the lack of sleep, but the real culprit is my lack of practice. I used to do pull-ups whenever I walked into our garage, but I haven't even glanced at the pull-up bar lately.

I need more hours in the day.

Metcon:

J.Ho: This picture's for you.

AMRAP in 6 minutes of:

16 medicine ball snatches (20# / 14#)
16 medicine ball V-ups

Rest 1 minute, then:

AMRAP in 6 minutes of:

16 wall balls
16 medicine ball twists

It didn't look so bad on the whiteboard. I'd never done med ball snatches before, but they looked doable. So did the twists -- despite the fact that they reminded me of this unholy business:

The first 6-minute AMRAP was tiring, but I felt good. The V-ups slowed me down, but I quickly got the hang of the snatches.

The second 6-minute AMRAP? Horrible -- mostly because wall balls continue to magically suck the energy out of my body. Still, I was able to make up some time on the twists, which came fast and smooth (for the most part).

Result: 7 rounds plus 17 reps as RXed.

Wow. I just spent 30 minutes writing this post. My brain is shutting down. Time to sleep!

Monday's Workout

2012-04-02T22:47:00.002-07:00

A good one today.

Strength Skill:

Cleans (5-5-3-3-3)

I started with full squat cleans, but it turns out I wasn't extending my hips all the way, so Tim had me practice power cleans.

When I switched over, I could immediately feel the difference. I'd been starting the third pull before completing the second, and not generating as much power as I could and should have.

By the end of my fifth set, though, I felt pretty good. This was a good start to the cycle.

Metcon:

For time:

50 double-unders
24 flag push-ups
50 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
24 flag push-ups
50 double-unders

The first 50 double-unders were fine -- not exactly lightning-quick, but not horribly slow, either -- but the flag push-ups took a lot out of me. By the time I got to the kettlebell swings, I was winded. After the first 25 swings, I had to stop for a breath, and ended up taking a couple more breaks, too. My arms were jelly by the end of the second set of flag push-ups.

I didn't think I'd be able to string together any double-unders at the end of the workout. My shoulders were on fire, and after a few clumsy reps, I tripped on my rope. A few reps later, I stumbled again. This looked like it was going to take forever.

But then I strung together 22 in a row -- and then another 19. I have no idea how I had enough juice to fuel those double-unders. Maybe it was just dumb luck that I didn't get tangled in the rope. But just like that, I was done.

Result: 6:57 as RXed.

Johanna Quaas is All Kinds of Awesome

2012-04-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Look up "awesome" in the dictionary, and you'll probably find a picture of 86-year-old gymnast Johanna Quaas. Last month, she performed a nifty routine on the parallel bars before an audience at the 2012 Cottbus World Cup in Germany.

So what's your excuse for not being able to do an elbow lever? (Here's mine: I'm weak, lazy, and unskilled.)

Friday's Workout

2012-03-30T22:05:00.003-07:00

Another PR day!

Strength Skill:

Push-Presses (5-3-3-1-1)

For a while now, I've felt like I've plateaued in strength, but this week has seen a couple of unexpected breakthroughs. On Wednesday, I nabbed a new Zercher squat PR, and today, I eked out a push-press PR when I managed to lock out with the equivalent of my bodyweight hoisted above my head.

It's not like this came out of nowhere -- we have, after all, been working on these movements for the past month at CrossFit Palo Alto. Nonetheless, I was caught a bit off guard because my sleep has been HORRIBLE. Between work, kids, travel, battling colds, and frantically piecing together the content for the Nom Nom Paleo app, neither M nor I have enjoyed much shut-eye these days. It's ironic that we're constantly telling people they need to prioritize sleep, but we never sleep ourselves.

Sadly, April looks to be even crazier -- but I plan on spending the entire month of May in bed, unconscious.

Metcon:

"11,250"

Based on the CrossFit Love deadlift challenge from 2010, this workout involves deadlifting 11,250 pounds for time. It doesn't really matter how you hit the magic number. You can do 50 reps at 225, or 61 reps at 185. Heck, you could probably even do 250 reps at 45 pounds, though that would be an entirely different sort of workout.

As you may recall, I'm now a little leery of high-rep, heavy deadlift metcons, so I decided to go with 185 pounds rather than the heavier weight. I'm glad I did; the barbell was plenty heavy once I sped through the first two dozen reps. Once I racked up 30 reps, I hit a wall, and had to pause after every two or three reps.

Result: 6:14 as RXed. Not exactly speedy. Tim pointed out that Austin Malleolo did this workout in less than one minute, which didn't exactly make me feel better about my performance:

(Austin is insanely strong, but I have to say that after watching his deadlift form, my back wants to weep.)

Okay -- back to the grind...

Wednesday's Workout

2012-03-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

Alright -- let's break the good news first:

I got a new Zercher squat PR today (225 pounds)! (It's about time -- my previous PR was set way back in December of 2010.) It made me puff up my chest for a few minutes -- that is, until...

The bad news: Today's Tabata-style metcon. It knocked me on my ass.

Tabata grasshoppers (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
Tabata shuttle runs (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
Tabata dumbbell snatches (40# / 25#) (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
Tabata ring rows

Take the lowest number of reps in any single 20-second round at each station. Add 'em up, and that's your score.

The first round of grasshoppers wasn't too bad -- I cranked out 30 of them in 20 seconds, and felt pretty good about myself. And then the second round came, and I managed only 23. The next round: 22. It was a struggle to stay above 20 -- and by the time my three minutes of grasshoppers was up, I was panting like a dog.

The shuttle runs and dumbbell snatches were interminable.

Finally, we came to the ring rows. By the time we started our second set of rows, Jake and I were loudly grunting and groaning in pain. My arms were on fire, and I never managed more than 10 per set.

Ugh.

Result: 47 as RXed.

Monday's Workout

2012-03-26T23:14:00.002-07:00

5 a.m. sandbags!

4 rounds for time:

12 pull-ups
400-meter run
16 sandbag ground-to-shoulders (8 per side)
24 lateral sandbag jumps
240-meter sandbag carry

When we started the workout, the board said "3 rounds," but as Moesch ran past me in the third round, he called out, "Did you see what Tim wrote on the board?"

"No," I wheezed. "What?"

"Extra round," was the reply. Tim had added a fourth round while I wasn't looking. Well, I guess we're supposed to be prepared for the "unknown and unknowable," right?

Turns out the "unknown and unknowable" is just another way of saying "exhaustion and a good, swift kick in the crotch."

Result: 24:46 as RXed. One of these days, I'll learn how to properly carry a sandbag while running.

Deja Vu All Over Again

2012-03-25T22:25:00.002-07:00

I love that the final workout of this year's CrossFit Games Open was identical to that of the final workout of last year's open:

A 7-minute ladder of:

3 thrusters (100 lbs / 65 lbs)
3 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 thrusters (100 lbs / 65 lbs)
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 thrusters (100 lbs / 65 lbs)
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
12 thrusters (100 lbs / 65 lbs)
12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
15 thrusters (100 lbs / 65 lbs)
15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
...and so on until time runs out. You get the idea.

When I did this Backwards Super-Fran last April, I eked out just 60 reps, and didn't expect to do much better this year. In fact, I didn't expect to do this workout at all.

The CrossFit Palo Alto community's been doing the Open workouts together every Saturday at 1 p.m., but Big-O's Little League season opener was scheduled for the same time. And although I've ~~thoroughly~~ somewhat enjoyed getting my butt handed to me by the Open WODs, I have my priorities straight. (Usually.)

So yesterday, after packing down a big bacon, spinach, and mushroom scramble and a couple of cups of coffee, I packed the kids in the car, and got ready to watch a bunch of first- and second-graders slide around a muddy field for a couple of hours. (It had been raining, but according to the city's Little League rainout hotline, the games would go on as scheduled.)

But of course, the game was canceled by the coaches upon our arrival. I don't think anyone wanted to spend an afternoon in the rain.

So I turned the car around and drove to the gym to watch people do 12.5. But when I got there, I knew there was no way I could resist joining the fun, even though I was dressed in a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. Thankfully, I keep a pair of Oly shoes at the gym and a do-rag in the car. I rolled up the cuffs of my pants, took off my button-down, pulled on my lifting shoes, and threw my lucky sweat rag on my head.

I was ready to go.

Result: 64 reps. In other words, I'm still terrible at this. I took too many breaks, I'm still way too weak, and I completely lost my chest-to-bar pull-ups by the end. But with minimal warm-up, a churning stomach full of food, and a pair of dry-clean-only pants on, I managed to beat my score from last year by a few reps. Progress!

(Honestly, I'm just happy I didn't vomit all over the barbell.)

Wednesday's Workout

2012-03-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

Is it possible that we've never done Elizabeth in class before? I combed through my blog archives, but can't find any mention of having previously done this workout. It's probably for the best, though, 'cause this crap was intense.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we did Zercher Squats. I tried my damnedest to hit a new PR today, but fell just short when I realized I couldn't get up out of my squat during my final rep. The Zerchers had felt fine up to about 200 pounds, but once I got past that point, I struggled mightily, and ultimately had to dump the bar. Next time...!

Then, as I mentioned above, we tackled Elizabeth as our metcon workout today:

21 cleans (135# / 95#)
21 ring dips
15 cleans (135# / 95#)
15 ring dips
9 cleans (135# / 95#)
9 ring dips

Before the workout began, I practiced cleaning 135 pounds. It was totally doable, but I had to be honest with myself: There was no way I had enough gas in my tank today to speedily rip out 45 reps. I opted instead for a 115 barbell.

When the clock started, I quickly cranked out a dozen or so cleans before stopping, but once I did, I had trouble regaining my momentum. The ring dips were even worse; I never did more than 8 in a row today -- and more often than not, I was struggling through one or two at a time.

Still, I couldn't have asked for a better workout to slap my sleep-deprived face and tell me to get to work.

Result: 9:36

Is Bird Crap Paleo?

2012-03-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gents -- I give to you Bird Crap Seasoning:

Yum?

[Source]

Monday's Workout

2012-03-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

The boys were up all night crapping their pants. M knew I was still recovering from a cold, so she looked after our sick kids, generously allowing me to sleep through the worst of the ass-explosions so I'd be (relatively) well-rested for the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto. I know I don't say it often enough, but my wife is all kinds of awesome.

Strength Skill:

Single-Leg Deadlifts (5-3-3-1-1)

I'm tightening my gut and keeping my hips down low. I'm pushing off my heel, and I'm keeping my head in line with my body. But I still suck at one-legged deadlifts -- especially when I do 'em while balancing on my left leg. I'd make a horrible evil one-legged space pirate.

Metcon:

2 rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
20 ground-to-overheads (75# / 55#)
15 box jumps
10 toes-to-bar

This was reminiscent of this year's Open WOD 12.3 -- you know, the one that murdered me. Thankfully, today's version was a lot more sane, but it was still a kick in the pants.

I'd like to say I held back because I'm not feeling 100 percent, but the truth of the matter is that I simply got my butt handed to me. The ground-to-overheads weren't a problem (I did a mix of snatches and clean & jerks), but the box jumps knocked the wind out of me today.

Result: 10:12 as RXed.

Allow Me To Bore You With My Vacation Photos

2012-03-18T21:52:00.001-07:00

Last year's trip to the Ancestral Health Symposium in L.A. was super-educational, but I enjoyed PaleoFX less for the content and more for the opportunity to connect with old and new friends. I was primarily in Austin to support M as she prepared for her panels and cooking demonstration, so my focus wasn't on figuring out whether Jack Kruse is a visionary or a loon, or whether safe starches are in fact safe. Yes, I learned a bunch of new stuff (more on that later), but for the most part, I treated this as my Paleo vacation. And although I had a bit of a nasty cold throughout my time in Austin, the warm weather, meaty eats, and insanely great company made it a trip to remember.

Rather than trying to describe the experience in words, here are a crapload of snapshots (by me and Bobby Gill) that summarize our latest Paleo nerd-a-thon:

Wandering around the University of Texas at Austin

The Salt Lick in Driftwood

M & Melicious

A big pile o' meat!

A few of our housemates at Paleo Blogger Nerd Central: Diane Sanfilippo, George Bryant, Bobby Gill, Hayley Mason and Bill Staley, M (Not pictured: Liz Wolfe, Spence Wartman, Diana Rodgers, Stacy Toth, Laura Schoenfeld)

Nom Nom Sox

Post-WOD photo at CrossFit Austin

More after the jump...

Bobby shoots

Dave Humphreys, M, Mel, and Julie Mayfield, distracted by...

Marble genitalia.

The VIP Bus (a.k.a. The Cherry Bomb)

Some chose alternate transportation (George, Bill, Diana Rodgers, Stacy Toth, M, Bobby)

Chris Kresser, Jules, and Amy Kubal check out the Nom Nom Paleo app.

Late night Wal-Mart run.

Mel's cooking demo

Tonja and M

Robb Wolf cooks curry

In the speaker's lounge

Stacy, Marissa Pelligrino, Chris, and M before their panel

Mommies

Strengthiness

Michelle Norris, Jules, M, and Diane

Liz Wolfe and Hayley Mason: Perfectly complementary.

[D] & {m}. I hope they use this shot for the cover of their new book.

You will not believe how much of this fudge cream was consumed. Speakers got free jars of the stuff, but we bought some anyway. You know...for the kids.

Book signing

M has nothing to sign, but she stole Jules' seat anyway.

Before M's cooking demo

Success!

FUFF

Hayley & Bill

Flanked by George and Stacy

Diana, Liz, Diane

The food blogger panel

Paparazzi

Melicious!

Royalty

When The Sisson speaks, you listen.

Andy Deas holds court.

Don't think I'm the only one who shoots food.

Charles Mayfield outlining a very important business strategy.

Laura Schoenfeld and Liz

Brunch at 24 Diner

With Diana, whose farm we're going to crash in a few months.

Diane and M, taking a load off.

Is Whole Foods finally starting to get with the program?

Laura's new caveman shirt.

Bobby makes a friend.

Cavemen definitely ate ice cream.

Naptime.

Wednesday's Workout: CrossFit Austin

2012-03-15T00:02:00.002-07:00

Sorry I've been M.I.A. -- we're down in Austin for the inaugural PaleoFX conference (a.k.a., the Gathering of the Paleos), and our schedules have been jam-packed.

M and I are staying in a house filled with Paleo people, including Bill and Hayley (Primal Palate), Diane (Balanced Bites), Stacy (Paleo Parents), Liz and Spence (CaveGirlEats), Diana (Radiance Nutrition), Bobby (UltraGrassFed), and Laura (Ancestralize Me). And of course, you can't have large gatherings of Paleo folk without a visit to a CrossFit box.

Clad in Nom Nom Paleo socks, about most of our house's residents -- plus George of Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations -- visited CrossFit Austin today. The box is just five minutes from our house, so even though we got a late start to the day, we managed to hustle over there for the noon class.

I've been under the weather for a couple of days, so I wasn't feeling super-awesome as we pulled up to the gym. But I was hoping a good workout would knock the cold right out of me.

After a directed warm-up (very similar to what we do at CrossFit Palo Alto, down to the lunges and punter-kicks), we got down to business.

Skills Practice:

Kipping Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups (3 sets of 10, with 45 seconds of rest in-between)
Ring Push-ups (3 sets of 10, with 45 seconds of rest in-between)
Lateral Step-ups (3 sets of 5 per leg, with 45 seconds of rest in-between)

These were fun. I enjoy the rhythmic motion of kipping pull-ups, and chest-to-bar pull-ups were a nice change of pace. The lateral step-ups and push-ups were a pleasant way to knock some rust off, too.

But then came the metcon workout.

Metcon:

2-3 Person Team Workout - 20 Minute AMRAP of:

500-meter row
200-meter farmer's walk (55lb / 35lb in each hand)
Sumo Complex: 10 sumo deadlifts and 10 sumo back squats (135lb / 95lb)

In this workout, each person starts at a different station, and you can move onto the next station only after your teammate has finished that movement. I was on a team with George and Spence -- two incredibly strong guys -- so my only goal today was to avoid slowing them down...too much.

I started with the sumo complex, and had Spence on standby in case I couldn't hoist the 135-pound barbell over my head and onto my back. But I managed to get through all the squats, deadlifts, and the rowing without too much trouble.

The farmer's carry, on the other hand, was rough. We carried 55 pounds in each hand, and it felt like our wrists were going to explode. Here's Diane, expressing how all of us felt:

I managed to get two-thirds of the way through my third round. Spence and George got through three rounds each, so we ended with a score of 8 -- almost 9! -- full rounds as RXed.

We were pretty wiped by the end of the hour, but still had enough energy to pose for photos.

And one of us (*cough*Diane*cough*) had enough left in the tank to climb a rope using just her arms.

[Note: The crappy photos above are mine; the good ones are by Bobby Gill]

CrossFit Games Open WOD 12.3: Bring the Pain

2012-03-10T23:26:00.003-08:00

All I can say is: Ouch. This workout -- an AMRAP of 15 box jumps, 12 push-presses, and 9 toes-to-bar -- was indeed a punch in the face. And gut. And crotch. Simultaneously.

My box jumps and toes to bar weren't too bad, but my push-presses stunk up the place. I resorted to split-jerking most of my reps because I'm evidently still too puny to push-press dozens of reps at 115 pounds. Even so, I lifted at a glacial pace and no-repped a half-dozen times. In the end, I managed to only get through 4 full rounds and 10 additional box jumps.

As I said before: Gah.

But look at all the fun we all had at CrossFit Palo Alto!

Friday's Workout

2012-03-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Gah -- 115-pound push-presses are on the menu for the Open WOD 12.3 at CrossFit Palo Alto tomorrow, along with a crapload of box jumps and toes-to-bar. That's a purdy heavy weight for me. I have a feeling that those eighteen minutes are going to be a punch in the face.

Good thing we had a chance to practice today.

Strength Skill:

Push-Presses (5-5-3-3-3)

I paired up with the Terminator, who has a bum shoulder, and therefore at less than full cyborg strength. We did the presses from a rack, and finished with 115 pounds on our final set. Tomorrow, we have to do 'em from the floor. Twelve at a time. Between box jumps and toes-to-bar. For eighteen minutes straight.

Again: Gah. Guess who's going to be doing some jerks tomorrow?

Metcon:

At least we had a nice barn-burner of a metcon today.

2 rounds for time:

40 double-unders
30 kettlebell transfers (24kg / 16kg)
20 Abmat sit-ups
10 ring rows

I tripped up a few times with the jump rope, but otherwise, this one blazed by.

Result: 5:04 as RXed.

Why Didn't I Think of This?

2012-03-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Ultimate Tak Ball is kind of like indoor soccer, but with stun guns.

My only question: Do the players wear diapers under their uniforms? 'Cause if I were tased repeatedly while running around with a gigantic soccer ball, I'm pretty sure I'd eventually lose control of my bodily functions.

[Source]

Wednesday's Workout

2012-03-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

So...tired...

I gotta make this quick. I'm about to pass out.

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats (5-5-3-3-3)

I paired up with the Terminator. His first set was 225 pounds. Mine was 135.

My last set (at 195 pounds) ended with a missed rep, but otherwise, the Zerchers felt pretty good.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

12 power snatches (95# / 65#)
10 knees-to-elbows
8-calorie row

Yup -- snatches again. Given the high-rep nature of this WOD, I went with 75 pounds, but even with the light weight, my form was all kinds of terrible.

Weirdly enough, I found myself looking forward to the rowing during this workout. And I hate rowing.

Result: 4 rounds.

On the plus side, I got to do this WOD with the entire 15-member Five Tribe of CrossFit Palo Alto. Amazingly, it's the first one we've all done together at the same time.

We almost look awake!