the monkey club

2012-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Warm-up:
decline situps, pushups

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 1x155 then 3x5x175)

7x2 shoulder press (45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105[dna])
3-3-2-1 weighted chin-up (10, 25, 35, 45)

Squats felt pretty solid. Dropped the initial rack position a bit, which made getting the bar started easier and more on-balance. Shoulder press still weak but will keep working at it. Managed to find a belt and chain at Coles - great for weighted pulls/chins.

2012-01-27T09:46:00.001-05:00

Warm-up:
court jogs
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 1x155 then 3x5x165)
3x5 bench press (5x45, 3x65, 1x95 then 3x5x115)

Slowly realizing that I've lost a lot of strength since I last lifted regularly (last summer) - jury's still out on whether it's due to the long layoff or just getting older. Squats felt heavy but mostly in the lower back, which is feeling tweaky after a busy week of climbing/lifting. Hopefully weekend rest and a little foam rolling will help. Bench went up fine but the last rep or two of the last set were close to limit.

Fourish

2012-01-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

BKB with Jess and G, ran into Jill C there too. Warmed up V1-V2-V3 then worked a bunch of mostly vertical V4 and V5s in the front of the gym. G was pulling much stronger than me tonight, though I did put in a lot of work on the problems - need to work on proper body tension and balance, those were the moves giving me trouble tonight.

Just a reminder for the old folks

2012-01-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

John Gill still hitting the front lever at 70+ years (via the Denver Post) And BITD

Dead simple

2012-01-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

1x5 deadlift (5x135, 3x165, 1x185, 1x225 then 1x5x235)
4x5 shoulder press (45, 55, 65, 75)

Short and sweet session today. Should take a rest day soon, starting to feel fatigued from the past week of lifting/climbing. Lower back felt tight all morning, but 235 went up fine if heavy. Still need to concentrate on DL form, think I'm hitting all my cues but really have to focus to do it.

Siege mentality

2012-01-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

TRC with Jess and G on a Tuesday night - put some real work in tonight. Jess TRed a bunch of climbs, up in the 5.9-5.10 range. G and I led 5.9/5.10/5.11, with the 11 (overhanging face, up below and along an arete, then up another overhanging face) feeling really tough - we eventually finished it after taking turns to move the rope up.

It was no small consolation that Ms. Psssst - who was cruising 12s - found it pretty tough going as well.

Andale andale

2012-01-24T09:04:00.003-05:00

Warm-up:
10 min run @10:00

running intervals (60-90 s work-rest, no incline)
2x7:30 min/mile
2x7:03 min/mile
2x6:40 min/mile

Keeping up the habit of morning workouts with some treadmill intervals. HR in the 170s, down to the 140s ~2 min after the last interval. Got a good sweat going today.

2012-01-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Warm-up:
court jogs
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 bench press (5x45, 3x65, 1x85 then 3x5x95)

Burgener warm-up, then:
5x3 power clean (45, 2x95, 105, 115)

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x45, 3x95, 2x115, 1x135 then 3x5x155)

Still slowly reacclimating to working out regularly again. Light weight on the bench felt okay for the shoulder, but worked to get it up - go up to 115 max next time. Oly work while waiting for the squat racks to open up. Pulls were fine but probably went up too fast on the weight, can/should work on technique a little more.

No shoulder problems squatting today, kept a narrower grip which helped. Will stick with low-bar and see how it goes. 155 felt heavy but legs were solid, mostly weak in the lower back. Go to 165 next time.

Food for thought

2012-01-20T17:04:00.001-05:00

New workouts to try (have at em!):

CF Football WOD 012012
Complete 5 rounds:
1 Minute of Max Reps with Two Arm KB Push Press - 1.5 pood
1 Minute of GHD Back Extension Isometric Hold

CF Football WOD 011912
Complete 5 rounds:
2 Squats @ 133% of body weight
Sprint 30 yards
*Rest 60-120 seconds

CF Football WOD 011312
Complete 2 Power Cleans and 5 Chin Ups on the minute for 15 minutes.
*Use 75%-80% of 3 RM for this workout

CF Football "Kalsu"
Complete 5 burpees and perform max rep 135 lbs thrusters on the minute.
The goal is to complete 100 total thrusters.
*At the beginning of every minute perform 5 burpees, for the rest of the minute perform as many thrusters as you can during that minute. At the beginning of the next minute perform 5 burpees and then max rep thrusters and so on until you reach 100 total thrusters.
Post the total number of minutes it took to reach 100 thrusters.

CF Sunnyvale WOD 010611
3 Rounds
9 Cleans (w/ a squat)93#/135#
12 Push ups

Complete 7 rounds for time of:
7 overhead squats (you pick the weight)
7 burpees

2012-01-20T09:19:00.004-05:00

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

1x5 deadlift (5x135, 3x185, 2x205 then 1x5x225)

1x15 shoulder press (45)
1x10 shoulder press (55)
5 toes-to-bar
15 decline situps

Rough getting up and going in this morning, sore from climbing and starting to lift again this week. Pretty tight in the posterior chain, from hammies up to the mid-back, but felt better as I warmed up (set at work weight was the most comfortable). Need to work my strength back up.

2012-01-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

I swear it gets more crowded every single time we go to BKB. Last night, it was literally 2-3 people deep at almost every wall in the gym.

G and I spent most of the night on V4-V5 (V0, V1, V2, V3, V4, 2xV5, V4 then various problems V3-5). Actually felt pretty good tonight, didn't really get pumped - correlates with me starting conditioning again, but that was only this week and I think G and Ryan felt that way too. Maybe it was so crowded we were just taking longer between climbs.

Should be noted that none of us could figure out one of the V2 problems, though certainly not for lack of trying.

2012-01-19T09:15:00.001-05:00

Warm-up:
10:00 jog (10:00 pace)

Running intervals (30-60 s work-rest, treadmill, no incline)
3x7:30 min/mile
2x6:40 min/mile
1x6:00 min/mile

Just some light running work on the treadmill, would actually prefer to be outside but wanted to make it quick. Intervals on the treadmill are tricky, especially if there's no automatic interval function. HR up around 170 at the end.

2012-01-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

Warm-up:
court jogs
dynamic squat stretching

6x3 bench press (45, 55, 65, 76, 85, 95)
low-bar back squat (5x45, 3x95, 3x115, then 3x3x135)

15 standing plate twist (45)
15 decline sit-ups
15 good mornings (45)

Finally, renewed my gym membership - time to see how weak I've become. Kept it super light today, bench actually didn't tweak the shoulder at all, but all sorts of shoulder pain in the squat. Might switch to high-bar for a while to take the stress off.

I'll stir fry you in my wok

2012-01-17T22:57:00.000-05:00

Jess, G, and I went back to TRC, first time since before the holidays. Might just be my weakness, but I feel like the grades there are consistently getting harder.

Worked on 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11(TR). The 8 was a nice mellow warmup; the 9 felt all out of sorts, off-balance clipping stances and burly starting moves. The 10 went up to the big roof, with the crux move right after a difficult clip over the top with your right foot hooked out right - the next left hand was *way* out left with your body and left leg hanging below in space. Worked that move a time or two, ended up just throwing for the hold; G pulled his feet way up high where he could static over, but not sure I could do it that way.

Fun 11 to finish up, gigantic moves up an overhanging arete and face with a small lip. Too tired to nail the crux move 2/3 the way up (over lip, big R hand throw to sloping ledge, foot out left on a small chip), but G styled it - next time, will work on hitting the right spot on the hold.

G brought out the old school tunes in his climbing mix.

2012-01-16T03:53:00.000-05:00

All my winter gear is in storage in NY, and I needed some boots (alas, not for ice, but just for some snowshoeing, etc). So this weekend I went shopping at a chain of stores (Au Vieux Campeur) in Paris that everyone seems to go to for gear. It's a funny setup with a series of storefronts of different specialities (running, hiking, camping, climbing, etc.) distributed over a few square blocks. The climbing store was just down the street from the hiking store, so I decided to stop by and buy a chalk bag and have a look around. Got the chalk bag, but made the mistake of heading down into the basement where the ice gear was. I drooled a bit and just before leaving noticed rows upon rows of boots along one wall. Spotted the boots below on a shelf and just out of curiosity checked the price. 60 euro. I stood there dumbfounded, trying to figure out where the missing 1 or 2 went, until a guy walked up to me and said, 'No, you're not dreaming.' Holy crap! The French know how to have a sale! Even if they are an older model, I don't think I could have scored something like this in the States (we also managed to get Carine a pair of all-leather Scarpas for 40 euro???). So now I will be the biggest poseur on the mountain, snowshoeing in some ridiculous boots. But at least I'll be prepared if I ever make it out to the ice again...

More usefully though, why buy another pair of Kaylands? Their last (at least for the stiff boots) fits my feet (low volume, slightly wide forefoot, with a very narrow heel) very well. I went up a half-size from my older pair, which were slightly too snug with thick socks on. The M11+ dropped the shark-proof mesh in favor of suede and some other kind of synthetic. Also added a cammed eyelet at the top of the forefoot, which is pretty handy for differential tension lacing.

2012-01-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

Early morning session at BKB with Maggie and Ryan. Worked a lot of V0 and V1s while M was practicing technique, though I did find the occasional V5 to flail on. M is improving quickly, will try some easy toprope soon. Bouldering is not the ideal way to get started with smooth efficient technique...

I'm realizing that when I don't focus on the most efficient way to do each move - especially on easier problems - I often brute-force a move or two each time. Trying to think each move through is helping.

New year, new problems

2012-01-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Back to BKB with G and Ryan, with a lot of new problems up. Started in the steep room, both on the overhanging wall and the opposite wall with small roofs, but eventually moved to the vertical problems out front.

G and I went V1-V2-V3-V4, working multiple problems at V4 (4-5?), some more successfully than others. Felt much more rested after a little time off.

2012-01-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

Food for a wintry day in NYC. Sausage and fennel ragu from the folks over at the kitchn. Trying to keep a new year's resolution to cook more - this takes a little while but most of the time is simmering, and you end up with a meaty blend of sausage, tomato, and fennel (I threw in diced eggplant too). East as you like - we had it over whole grain pasta.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 small to medium white onions
6 cloves garlic
2 small fennel bulbs
Two 32-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with their juices
One 15-ounce can tomato puree
1 long sprig rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked pasta, to serve
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Preparation:

1. Heat a Dutch oven or wide, extra-deep sauté pan over medium heat and drizzle the pan with a tiny bit of olive oil. Spread the oil around as the pan heats up. When the pan is hot, crumble in the raw sausage. Brown the sausage over medium to medium-high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring and scraping frequently.
2. While the sausage is cooking, peel and finely dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Remove the stalks and fronds from the fennel and reserve the fronds for garnish later. Dice the fennel bulbs into a similar size and shape as the diced onion
3. When the sausage is browned and partially cooked in small crumbles, add the diced onion, garlic, and fennel. Stir thoroughly so the vegetables are coated with the sausage fat. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook the vegetables with the sausage for at least 15 minutes, or until they are beginning to be tender.
4. When the vegetables are beginning to be tender, add the two cans of diced tomatoes and the tomato puree. Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the rosemary sprig, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Lower the heat to a bare simmer, and cover the pot loosely with a lid. Cook for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. After an hour, take off the lid and taste the sauce. It should have cooked down into a jammy, thick sauce with still-juicy bits of fennel and small chunks of sausage.

While we're at it, check out this neat trick for peeling a whole head of garlic lickety-split:

2011-12-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

Out with the old, in with the new: took Maggie in early on Sat morning to get her bouldering for the first time. She did well (dancer's sense of balance, I think) - we worked several V0s, but I think the most beneficial was a bunch of traversing to work on body positioning, balance, foothold selection, and grip.

M's new resolution is a good one: to try something that you fear. She gets a tirara for taking the plunge!

For us, I think it means we should go do more ice...

Friday at work

2011-12-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

Quiet day in the lab, thought I'd keep my writing stoked with some pullups. Note the "it's Friday afternoon and I want to go home" effect at 3 pm.

Another night in gowanus

2011-12-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Midweek BKB session by my lonesome, though I did run into Brett and Jill there. Just wanted to get a little moving in to burn off some holiday sausage.

4xV0
3xV1
2xV2
1xV3
1xV4
1xV5(f)

Pyramid up, no time for the step back down but a good warm-up focusing on footwork. V3-4 on the steeper wall, felt pretty good to hit it before my arms were completely burnt.

Worked a few V5s with some progress but no send. One was a problem that g and I worked before (and he sent). Starts with two hands on a good hold, right foot out. R hand up and out to a crimp and L hand to a neighboring vertical sloping pinch, then R hand throw far up and out to a jug, move feet up left and L foot pull to reach up and out for a small crimp while locking off right. Pinch felt much better though it may have been better body position; kept missing the throw for the L hand, think I need to do it more statically. Kept missing the final move on another problem too, but I think that one just needs more dynamic commitment.

Gonna take M there this weekend for a (re)intro to climbing...

Merry christmas and happy new year

2011-12-26T16:16:00.002-05:00

Happy holidays everyone, hope you're enjoying a relaxing and family-filled vacation. Looking forward to more climbing in the new year and catching up with those spread around the world, whether it's in Vegas or Rio, Utah or Europe, rock or ice...

Holiday hanging

2011-12-21T10:53:00.000-05:00

Hit up TRC with G and Ryan for another burn on lead, and a TR exposure for Ryan. My main takeaway is that we really need to get on more longer routes (TR or lead) to build up endurance again - especially before getting back on ice.

G and I went 5.9. 5.10b/c, 5.11(fail), 5.9. The 9 was long and pumpy, up the wall in the front that overhangs through the second half - good jugs but still pretty burned by the end. We revisited the sequency 10 in the front: G totally styled it to the top, but I sequenced the start poorly and proceeded to hang my way up. The 11 was out of our league tonight, we hung on the first few draws but didn't bother with the rest. The last 9 had a crux right off the ground, getting your feet high past a small overhang (big thanks to G for the save when I blew the second clip).

Overall, tough night for me; was a little tired from Sunday, but fatigue is no excuse for poor technique, which was the root of the problem. Need to work on a better technical focus even when the muscles are pumped. Ryan looked good on his routes (6, 7, 9) and dealt well with the height. His technique is a work in progress but I can see the fatigue/technique interaction playing out in his movements more and more. Not sure if his genitals have yet recovered from the skimpy gym harness...

Twenty in the bank

2011-12-19T09:03:00.002-05:00

When I rowed in college, my coach always said that effort in practice was like putting money in the bank and that you would realize it when it came time to withdraw (ie. raceday). With that in mind, I spent a sleepy and cold Sunday morning at BKB with Ryan making training deposits, working technique and endurance on easier problems.

5xV0
5xV1
5xV2
5xV3 (f3-5)

Focused on technique and static climbing, downclimbed up to V2. Pretty minimal rest time between problems, I was pretty burnt by the V3s and worked the last few problems without sending. Ryan's looking stronger and his technique is coming along, much more efficient on the easy moves.

Workin' it Wednesday

2011-12-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

G and I went to BKB to try and maintain some of the momentum from leading on Sunday. Worked a cyclic ratchet V1-V2-V3, V2-V3-V4, V3-V4-V5, V4-V5-V6. Tough by the end of the last cycle, and I only worked a few moves of the last few problems but G was looking strong. Noticing a lot of strong boulderers at BKB now, amongst the hordes that are there regularly, including some women who are kicking butt.

A noticeable weakness for me is my pinch strength, which I'm going to target in training (hangboard and pinch-specific problems, maybe grip training when I get back in the gym).