The WOD I was going to do, but did not was to run 10 x 100 meters but my legs felt gimpy so I did something else.

Instead, I did this:

Run 400 meters, 50 push-ups/Run 400 meters,50 sit-ups/Run 400 meters, 50 pull-ups/Run 400 meters, 50 dips/Run 400 meters, 50 box jumps/Run 400 meters, 50 squats.

I finished this beast in 27:45.

Hmm, maybe I should have done the sprints!

If you like amazing stats and technology, you’ll love this…

Previous workouts that are named are named mostly after women and that makes it fun, but not any easier. The few named after men, sadly are named for members of our armed forces that have died in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two that come to mind are "Michael" and "Daniel". While it is great to get a new WOD, it is very sad when done as a tribute to the fallen, yet each time their WOD comes up, we have an opportunity to again salute these men all who wear the uniform for their service, sacrifice, and sometimes their lives.

SSG Joshua Hagar, United States Army, was killed Thursday February 22
in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to
Josh’s friends and family. Fair Winds, Josh.

"Josh"

For time:
95 pound Overhead squat, 21 reps
42 Pull-ups
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps
30 Pull-ups
95 pound Overhead squat, 9 reps
18 Pull-ups

Photo and bio are from the Crossfit HQ main page.

I scaled this workout, went down 20# and did 75# overhead squats but added more reps.
27/19/11. The pull-ups were once again, assisted and were alternated in 42/30/18 with a time of 14:45.

Tough workout to do on a busy gym night and having total focus on the OHS was tricky with people sauntering past me, in my field of vision. Halfway through the first squats reps, some guy wanted to chat! I used a squat box and got my ass down to it so I knew I was going deep enough. The first two rounds were broken but the last one was not. Assisted pull-ups were all broken up but I concentrated on coming down slow. This is a fine tribute to Josh, in my opinion. I gave it my best.

Cindy is one of the benchmark WODs. This has a 20 minute time limit for the maximun number of rounds each of which consist of  5 pull-ups,(assisted), 10 push-ups and 15 squats. Pretty basic bodyweight stuff, but a smoker nevertheless. My heart rate stayed 90% of max and I knocked out 21 rounds + 5 push-ups.

Today I did back to back WODs with the first being the Handstand Pushup (HSPU) and Pullups. The way that was done was 30 HSPU, 20 Pull-ups, 20 HSPU, 20 Pull-ups, 10 HSPU 30 Pull-ups. It was scaled and I did the HSPU with the use of the Smith machine horizontal bar and for pull-ups, they were assisted, with the emphasis on the negatives. The total time on that was 11:55.

After a brief rest, I did the next day’s posted workout of Overhead Squats. One little thing out of proper position, and down it all comes which is what happened on the 7th lift.

Here are the numbers: 45/65/75/85/95/105/115 (f)/110 pr/45×5/45×5.

One the lift that missed, I let the curve out of my lower back and that is all it took for the lift to fail just before getting out of the squat. I love this lift because of its difficulty and it’s effect on the core. I should do more. I think the key is really stay lighter but with good form.

As I headed off for the gym it was a dark sky and late afternoon was turning into the dark of the evening. As I pulled into the parking lot, the lights were off in the gym and the adjacent businesses. For some reason, the power outage only affected that block. When I walked in, I expected the emergency lights would be on but they were not operational. The owner, Nico was not very happy about that. While most people decided to leave, some of us decided to workout in the dark and surprisingly, Nico was fine with it. (I’m sure his insurance company would have a different "opinion"). There were a few flashlights and we used cell phones to see what we were doing until some of the guys pulled their trucks up to the back of the gym, (where I was ) and turned on their headlights.

It was oddly quiet with only the echo of metal clanging and occasional conversation, but I liked it and decided to press on and do the WOD which was 7×1 deadlift singles.

I started with warm-up lifts of 155×5, 155×5. The seven singles were:
205/295/295/335/360 pr/300/300.

By the time I finished, there were only 3 people still working out and some of the gym staff, so I decided to continue with some shoulder presses because a. I like ‘em and b. I could see what I was doing. BTW, I think the bodybuilders all decided to leave because well, what good is a workout if you can’t see yourself in the mirror. Just sayin’.

Shoulder presses went like this: 95×3/115×3/135/155/175/145×3/135×3.

As Brent would say, "Good Times!" Nice change of pace and a different kind of workout. I was really planning on a rest day because I was still gassed from yesterday’s ass kicking. For sure, tomorrow.

The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., reports that Peg Morton, a 73-year-old “peace activist,” has just left prison “after serving a three-month sentence in federal prison for civil disobedience.” Actually, her offense was “trespassing during a protest outside Fort Benning, Ga., last November.” She was sentenced to six months, but the judge let her out early “in deference to her age and health problems, which include a bad back.”

The photo caption accompanying the story says that Morton’s experience behind bars “has persuaded her to advocate for prison reform.” But her account of her prison days doesn’t exactly sound brutal:

Morton said she never feared for her personal safety but often felt intimidated by guards who were verbally abusive or would threaten extra work if she committed a minor infraction, real or perceived. . . .

Morton was initially assigned to clean the bathroom area for 49 women inmates, but then was assigned to landscape duty–a level of physical labor she felt unable to do. After considerable pleading and haggling, she was allowed to return to bathroom duty, she said.

For her troubles, she got all of $5.25–not an hour, or even a day. That was her monthly pay.

Of course, that’s $15.75 over the course of her incarceration–and if the judge hadn’t gone easy on her, she’d have pocketed a cool $31.50. Not bad for someone who was supposed to be paying her debt to society.
—
What Would Visitors Do Without Studies?
“Visitors’ Impression of NYC Confirmed: Most Cab Drivers Are Foreign-Born, Study Says”–headline, Associated Press, July 7

Say What?
“Man Found Guilty of Injuring Woman During Castration”–headline, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 7

They Should Have Ordered It Medium Well
“Two Jailed for Eating Rare Tiger”–headline, Reuters, July 8

This Just In
“U.S. Soldiers Still on Job in Baghdad”–headline, New York Times, July 8

What Would We Do Without Authorities?
“Authorities: Stolen Explosives a Danger in Wrong Hands”–headline, San Jose Mercury News, July 7

(from OpinionJournal)

The WOD I did today was one of the "girl" benchmark workouts and this is what it looks like:

Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

What I did was something other than Barbara; maybe her sister. I neglected taking the rest breaks and just stormed right through. Of course, that was unintentional as I would not miss out on a good rest break if I could help it! In essence, what I did was another type of workout. Barbara as written is an interval workout designed for a rest set close to or equal to the work set. That would be a work/rest ratio of 1:1.

So, my times broken down by rounds were:

4:07/4:50/4:54/5:45/5:28 for a combined time of 25:04. (Still, I would have enjoyed the rest breaks!)

While I didn’t do this as rx’ed, I still was gassed when it was all over.

What a difference 24 hours can make along with two workouts that are completely different. (That’s Crossfit for you)! As I have said in a previous post and it bears repeating that is that my running days are not only a distant memory, but seem like another lifetime ago. The WOD was running, for time, (of course), 3×800 meters with a 2 minute rest between the first and the second sets and after the second.

My first 800 meter run on the Corona del Mar HS track was done in 3:24. Not bad. Well during the rest, I got a lower back spasm which is why I quit running years ago in the first place. After 400 meters into the second set I was set to bail on this one, but stuck with it and hung on for a miserable 4:02. The last lap, was worse with a 4:11.

With fresh legs, my times would be better as would everyone else who did the CFT the day before but the back spasm wasn’t expected. I’ll get another shot at this, but I hope not anytime too soon!

This becoming one of my favorite Crossfit workouts. It can be done at a "leisurely" pace although there is nothing remotely leisurely about the workout itself. Far from it, especially today for me. Once I saw Steve’s numbers, I knew they were out of reach. Then I talked to Brent and he broke 800 for the first time. I expressed some doubt whether I was ready to lift an additional 40# from my previous CFT as I remembered how tough that was. Brent told me that I just might be surprised and he was right. I knew I could PR my shoulder press as I recently lifted 155# in a set of 5 reps and that was just 5# lighter than my previous 1RM. So there was a "gimme". The deadlift and especially the back squat was a concern. so how did I handle it? I got anxious and nervous prior to going to the gym. How ridiculous! I had an energy drink and that just made me nauseous. Great! Anxious and ready to puke! I warmed up slowly hoping this would pass and it did not. So, i just started lifting and before long, both inconveniences passed.

First, the Deadlift: 225/275/305/325/355/365f/360 w/straps; doesn’t count/360f/. Done! New PR at 355#. Off to a good start.

Next, the Back Squat: 155/185/245/265/275/285/300f/. Cool! Three consecutive PR’s. All lifts below parallel though not ass to ankles. We’re having some fun now going into my best lift!

Shoulder Press: 115/135/155/175/185/. Val showed up in time to watch the very last lift at 185. It had drama! The lift went up slow but steady and I maintained "legal" form throughout but I did check myself getting ready to push press it up.

I finished with a CFT of 825, which bests my previous 760 lbs by 8.5%. Thanks Steve and Brent for the inspiration and push and to Val for showing up at my last PR. That was fun!

Now, I think a nap is in order followed by a lot of food, or vice versa!