The WOD today was for the Hang Power Cleans 7×3 and here are those stats: 135/135/155pr/155/145/145/145/145. I hit my sweet sport with best form at 145. At 155, I could get one out of the three.

Afterwards, I headed over to Met-Rx to do some extra-curricular lifting and did 5×5 Back Squats that went like this: 135/155/185/200/150. I felt strong and on the work set I could feel the lift get powered by the glutes and hammies.

I am pleased with both efforts. My form has improved with the Hang Power Cleans but I have a long way to go.

Tomorrow is a rest day.

2007 is right around the corner with all of it’s potential and possibilities. This past year had some milestones and successes I am happy about but this past year as the previous years back to 2000, the constant to my highlight reel has been the love of my life, Valerie. this year has been no different except that it does get better each year, even with the occasional bumps in the road. May she continue to bless my life and I hers in 2007.

Here are some other things notable in my ‘06:
•Discovered the Warrior Diet through Ori Hofmekler and lost over 30# and 3″ from my waist. I also cleared up a health issue at the same time.
•I got started in a new and different fitness routine that wasn’t even a routine, Crossfit, and got in what may be as good an overall condition as I have ever been in.
•Tied in with with Crossfit, I trained with Steve and Denise Serrano at Crossfit Marina and have benefitted mightily from their training and friendship. Also, Stephane Rochet and Mark Rippetoe have been very helpful as have dozens of other Crossfit people, some of whom I either met briefly or not at all in person but derived valuable help from. Then there is Brent Oakeson, who is the best training partner you can have. He inspires and pushes me with his strength and enthusiasm.
•My business partner and friend, Skip Hathaway, has been a great friend and teacher to me and I think I value his sage wisdom almost as much as he does!
•I lost a couple of long-time accounts in 2006 and my goal is to get at least one of them back in 2007.
•My friendships and relationships have been richly rewarding at best and others were still “smooth sailing”, but by the end of this year there has been a bit of drama from a few fronts. I hope none carry over into 2007.
•My “old” friends like Sean, Ciri, Terri, Alicia, George, John, to name but a few have been around his year but I miss Glenn & Gary. Where are you guys? Some “surprise” appearances have come from, Jim & Julie, Bill, Rene, Nancy, Stephanie and Lucia. I have developed some good business relationships and friends for whom I am thankful. But it is my family that I am most thankful for.

I wish all of you and those unintentionally omitted, a peace-filled prosperous New Year.

I am eager for 2007 to commence. Time to “Get some”!

Steve told me at the start this was “Jackie” repeated three times instead of just doing it once, so this was one you just had to pace yourself. It was 3 rounds of 1000 meters rowing, 50 x 45# Thrusters and 60 jumping pull-ups or 30 kipping pull-ups. Unlike the picture, we were outdoors, dark and about 40 degrees. The barbell and pull-up bars were ccccold. I went into this with little energy and left with less, 42:01 later. 

Love the lifting days and today was a quick one doing 5 sets of shoulder presses with 3 reps each. After doing the standard warm-up and then warming up for the lift with an empty bar, my stats were 65/85/105/125/135, all with 3 reps each. Done by 7:00 am and very light traffic coming home. I wish it could be light every morning like that.

Did not get to Marina today and instead let the falling rain put me back into slumber. Sometime later, I thought I would do the Tabata Squats with 20 seconds on and 30 seconds rest for 8 rounds. I started with a 10 minute warm-up run (ok, a jog) and did most of the standard Crossfit Warm-up, plugged in the iPod, launched the SpeedBagForum timer and let ‘er rip.

Got off to a slow start with a 20, so the goal was to go no lower than that and I didn’t. Subsequent rounds were all 22 except for round 3 which was a 23. I got down real low and touched my med ball each time and got full extension on almost all. Total score was 175. Heart rate ranged from 150-168 bpm. Fast workout!

After a 2 day rest break which included Christmas, allergies, sneezing jags, headaches, benadryl, football, drama, good food and Val and the dogs enjoying their presents, it was time to do some exercise, so I selected the 5K run which was posted for Christmas Eve, I believe. In any event, I did some blocks in the neighborhood and finished in a leisurely time of 27:29. I had no problems with the groin or the right knee, but the lower back tightened up. It is so hard to believe I used to LOVE running. It seems like another lifetime ago.

I walked down the stairs this morning feeling a bit decrepit and tired. A sore knee here, a groin strain there with a complaining hip flexor chiming in, I wondered if I had enough in me to do today’s chipper, especially since we just did Fight Gone Bad this week. So my plan was simple: Good form, be methodical and concentrate on one task at a time. I succeeded on those counts as my time was nothing to get excited about and I did not aggravate anything or come up with some new complaining body part. the chipper was strenuous, but not brutal. Here is what we did:

400 meter run
20 walking lunges
30 wall balls, 20#
40 slam balls
800 meter run
40 jumping pull-ups
20 box jumps
20 overhead squats, 45#
400 meter run
30 burpees
20 back extensions
40 push presses

My time was 26:24 and my average HR was 160 and maxed out at 174 bpm, which was just over 98% of my maximum heart rate. I spent 76% of the workout at zone 5 (redline). Nice metcon session.

I was joined by Brent, Denise and Kari, with Steve having done it himself earlier and presiding over our festivities.

Afterwards, it was nice to sit and chat under a clear and sunny sky on a pleasantly cool day, two days out from Christmas.

We woke up to a rainy morning, but that wasn’t enough to deter us from driving out to Huntington Beach to train. Unfortunately, in Val’s case she got stuck on the 405 between Beach and the Goldenwest exit due to an accident on the rain-soaked freeway. Once she got off at the exit, she had to turn around and go home because she exceeded her time window for her workout.

Brent and I were both a bit sluggish but we did 21-15-9 Cleans and ring dips. I subbed out regular dips and went light at 65# for the cleans to work on form a bit. I consider this a light workout, sort of an active rest. I noticed though I have a slight groin strain now on the left side, probably from yesterday’s squats. Then, while doing the warm-up run, I tweaked my right knee. All this, the rain, the previous wods are told me to take it easy, so I did. Gotta train smart!

I thought we were a day away from this one, but I was happy to have it today. The back squats are one of my favorite lifts and I enjoy the pace. It was another cold morning so I did most of my lifts with a hooded swatshirt on. James was the subsitute trainer today as steve was “on assignment”. James added in some buddha squats to help warm up the posterior chain. Good lifting day. Here are the stats:

155/185/205/205/225

I focused on driving up from the hole at James’ suggestion and I felt the power.

Almost did not make it over to the House of Pain today, but I rallied and showed up just in time to do one of the famous benchmark WODs called Fight Gone Bad. Here is a description from the Crossfit HQ page of fun that followed:

Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Add your points. Here are my stats:

Wall Ball 16-18-19
Deadlift High Pull 26-19-17
Box Jump 26-25-23
Push Press 28-20-19
Row 12-11-11
Total: 290 (pr)

I am trying to improve my muscular endurance. For this one, I need more reps from the Push Press and the High Pull Sumo Deadlift. The box jumps were the best. I also need to get back on the 20# wall ball.

Other scores had Brent somehwere at an impressive 353 or so. Paresh, James and Ryne in Okinawa had 437, 418 and 357 respectively; all awesome scores.