I know why I seldom drink. I never liked the hangover. I have a hangover of a different type today…a football hangover. After watching a slo-mo train wreck for over three hours, interrupted only by a constant barrage of inane commercials, I am lamenting the demise of yet another playoff run by sloppy and poor play by the Green Bay Packers capped by a Brett Favre interception in overtime, in a near repeat of the now infamous “Fourth and twenty six” play and a Favre pick.
The Pack was a solid pick to advance to the Super Bowl, but the G-men from the Meadowlands had other ideas and played like they wanted it more and were thusly rewarded. If it sounds like I blame Brett, well not really. It was a team effort of errors.I’ll shake this off pretty fast though, but today, I get through the “hangover”.
So, my “Hangover WOD” started off by sets of
rope jumping, 100/100/116/158/120 and then 3 rounds of the Crossfit warm-up and the Burgener warm-up.
The main event was some practice with the snatch using a stick, an empty bar, and light weight at 60% of my last reported 1RM. 45/55/65/65/65.
The session went well and should be enough to shake off the remnants of my disappointment. Next begins the annual vigil of the Packer faithful waiting to find out if Brett Favre returns for another season. (I say Yes).
Technorati Tags:Green Bay Packers, Snatch, New York Giants, Super Bowl
January 21st, 2008
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MarkFu |
Sports, Training Log |
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This was a big game for the Packers. Win and advance to the NFC Championship game. And advance they did. They routed the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 in the snowy environs of Lambeau Field.
Nothing like seeing a game in Lambeau and tailgating in the parking lot before the game. I am envious of those that were at the game.
January 12th, 2008
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MarkFu |
Sports |
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The start of a new year means the NFL season is winding down and this weekend, sixteen teams play to advance in the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers are one of four teams that have a first round bye and will play the Seattle Seahawks in legendary Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
I didn’t have a bye so I went to the gym and tried something new and something old I haven’t done in a long time…the bench press.
I did a few sets of the Burgener Warm-up and did a Dan John routine.
4 sets, 8 reps each of Power Snatch, Overhead Squat, Back Squat, Good Mornings, Rows and Deadlifts.
45/55/65/75.
It has been a long time since I have done bench presses and the last time I did, I re-injured my left shoulder. In doing 7 x 3, I would go no higher than my bodyweight for fairly obvious reasons.
135/155/175/185/205/185/185.
The Dan John routine was a smoker and I liked it for that reason. For the bench press, caution and moderation was a good call.
January 6th, 2008
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MarkFu |
Sports, Training Log |
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Now that I am finished with the shopping part of Christmas, I can settle in to watch a great game between the Packers and the hated Chicago Bears. Wrong! The Bears punched the Packers repeatedly in the face and beat them badly. The Packers are locked in as the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs with one regular season game remaining.
I definitely had some frustration to vent and channeled it into a good cardio workout outside my front door.
For starters,
Ran 800 meters
Push-ups: 30/30/40/35
Sit-ups: 35/35/35/
Overhead Squats: 25/15/15
That warmed me up for the frustration-releasing part…
Kettlebell Swings, 20 kg. 21-15-9 and alternated each of the three sets with a 400 meter run.
After a brief rest,
Kettlebell Snatches, 20 kg, 20/20/20/20, 10 each arm. I started each set with 3 high pulls to lock in good form.
Ah, I feel much better now!
December 23rd, 2007
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MarkFu |
Training Log |
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MarkFu is a big National Football League fan and has been a Green Bay Packer fan since he was a little Fu. I enjoy American football more than any other professional sport and I have no problem with the money that professional athletes earn during their careers, especially football players for the abuse their bodies take during, on average, a career that lasts less than 4 seasons with many players earning less than the $900,000 average NFL salary.
The dirty little secret in the NFL is how many of the great players and not so great players are forgotten once they leave the game due to retirement and career-ending injuries.
There is a grass-roots movement catching on, formed by Green Packer great, Jerry Kramer and backed by a number of big names in sports in and out of football, like Mike Ditka, Bob Costas, Charles Barkley and John McEnroe. HBO Sports has done a number of feature stories highlighting the plight of these former players. The organization is called “Gridiron Greats” and is raising awareness and money for those former players in dire need of help, post-football.
Every season, fans will ask each other, “Hey, I wonder what happened to so and so…Man, that guy was a good player!” The life after a pro football career for many is a living hell, but it is good to see an organization stepping up to do what the National Football League Players Association should be taking the lead on.
December 13th, 2007
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MarkFu |
Current Affairs, Sports |
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Readers to this blog may know by now that MarkFu is an avid Green Bay Packer fan and I am just as astonished as the rest of Packer Nation at the Green and Gold’s 10-1 start. The NFC Clash of the Titans for supremacy in the conference was held in Dallas, Texas where the Cowboys were host to the Pack. I, along with countless other fans were on high anticipation and anxiety alert for this game and that grew the moment Packer icon Brett Favre went down with an elbow injury and a separated left shoulder and had to leave the game early. It ended up being a good and exciting game to watch, but in the end, the Cowboys won 37-27.
I had planned on taking the night off from training to enjoy the game, but my nervous energy got the best of me and I started swinging kettlebells in the living room while watching the game. I intended only to do that to dissipate some of that energy, but it turned into a full-blown and productive training session.
I started swinging light kettlebells and before long, went heavy.
Kettlebell Presses: I did sets of 10, each arm and started by doing 16 kg one arm presses, 10 each arm for two total sets. Following that, I changed up to the 24 kg and did 5 sets of 10 each arm. Each set of 10 was preceded by a clean.
Snatches: I needed to get in some reps especially since I was having problems getting a nice landing on my arm at the top of my snatch with my left arm. It seems the problem was in “taming the arc”. Most of my reps improved my technique and prevented me from bruising my forearms.
I stayed light, first doing a set of 10 each arm with the 8 kg. bell.Following that, I did 7 sets of 16 kg snatches, 10 each arm and stopped when my technique began to fade.
I followed the kettlebell work with 2 x 35 push-ups. By the time I was done, there was no longer any anxiety and I could, for the most part, sit back and enjoy the game, regardless of the outcome.
November 29th, 2007
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MarkFu |
Kettlebells, Sports, Training Log |
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