Trying to beat the clock

So while front squats aren't my favorite weight lifting movement I actually have an easier time with it than I used to.

My wrists are still inflexible so it hurts when I have to bend them backwards but the weight feels better on my legs than it does during back squat.

Still a bitch though. Today for strength I did 8 reps of 185. Good enough right?

Then for the real workout we did as many rounds as we could for 10 minutes that included a 200 meter run, 20 situps and 20 walking lunges.

Not bad. I actually looked at that and didn't wince today.

So we all line up for the first 200. Heidi the long legged sprints forward while the rest of us follow. I'm last.

We hit the situps and I start ripping them as fast as I can. I think I might actually have some abs under my flab if I could lose some weight because my abs don't get tired as quickly as they used to. Damn those martinis. And porter beers. And Jack and Cokes. Oh well.

I get done first then hit the walking lunges. I finish those and I'm off and jogging. Jun finishes and catches up with me. In fact for the rest of the workout Jun and I are about neck and neck.

He finally slows down a bit during the fourth round of situps though and I race past him. Then the lunges and I'm out the door once again, this time sprinting a little faster because I see the 10 minutes we have is almost gone.

I hit the halfway mark and turn around and I hear everyone yelling, "30 seconds Rod!!!!" Ah crap.

I try to turn on the afterburners, although in my case it's more like trying to start an old weed eater. Either the motor catches and you start workin or you don't.

To my surprise the engine turns over. A little bit. But by then everyone is yelling, "10 SECONDS ROD!!!" Wait, what the hell happened to the 20 second warning? Crap.

I pump a little faster and worry that I'm not going to be able to stop and crash into the crowd. I figure if they're standing there they know the hazards and I push. The countdown gets down to the "3, 2, 1 . . ." and I step in front of the gym where I started. People cheer and get the hell out of my way as I stumble past. One of the new guys catches me and helps me stop.

"Ho brah you one animal," he says. I try to say thanks but you need air to talk and I have none in my lungs.

I lie down and try to breathe again. Meanwhlie I'm thinking, "Four rounds and one run. I can live with that."

On another note, I've also been thinking about a serious draft for the RFM radio script. Tell me what you think:

Male Voice: AT RAW FITNESS MAUI WE KNOW THERE'S MORE TO WORKING OUT THAN JUST LOOKING GOOD.

Male Voice: YOU HAVE TO TRAIN FOR STRENGTH
Female Voice: ENDURANCE
Male Voice: SPEED
FV: AGILITY
MV: COORDINATION
FV: POWER

(Anyway you list all 10 reasons why you train and say it fast, so that the words run over each other.)

Male Voice: IF YOUR GYM ISN'T HELPING YOU TO ACHIEVE AT LEAST ONE OF THESE GOALS THEN YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, WHY ARE YOU THERE?

FV: COME CHECK OUT RAW FITNESS MAUI, WHERE YOUR FITNESS IS OUR PASSION. THAT'S RAW FITNESS MAUI LOCATED ON EHA STREET BEHIND SACK N SAVE. OR CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT http://www.rawfitnessmaui.com/

Something like that. Gotta iron it out but I think it'll work. What do you think?

Rod

The Filthy 50 and RFM radio

So, here's a couple of updates.

I think I can handle front squats now.

We were doing them the other day and of course my wrists hurt like a mutha. But then Bumper showed me how I needed to shove that bar so close to my neck that I was almost choking and damn, if that wasn't like 100 times better.

I ended up doing 205 lbs for one rep. Considering my back squat is about 265 lbs for my one rep max I think that's pretty good.

Oh, but then today I regretted going heavy on the front squats. For today was the Filthy 50.

Not sure I can remember it all but it went something like this: 50 box jumps, 50 jumping pullups, 50 lungs, 50 knees to elbows, 50 of this 50 of that and on and on.

The end result was several times during the workout I laid down and wanted to stop moving. But then the clock kept ticking and you get up and keep trying.

Oh man. I'm beat. I need 2 days of rest I think. Maybe I'll go back to the gym on Saturday instead of Friday.

But before I go I leave you with my latest radio script for the RFM ad that will be played on Wild 105.5 FM.

The station manager is a friend (and employee of mine at the County) and is giving Bumper and Kristi some radio commercials in exchange for a membership. I wrote a mockup of what I think the first commercial should be, here it is starring Kristi and Kehau, aka Tehau:

KRISTI: "Hi I'm Kristi and I'd like to invite you to a free workout at Maui's premiere Crossfit gym, Raw Fitness Maui!"

KRISTI: "We just moved into our new location in the Wailuku industrial area and have more room than ever before for new members, so come on down!"

KRISTI: "Our trainers include myself, Robert Bumper Kikuchi and Tehau, Maui's strongest woman! Say hi Tehau!"

TEHAU: "CHEEEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

KRISTI: "That's right, come down and sign up today and Tehau will push your car into the parking lot for free, no sweat!"

KRISTI: "That's Raw Fitness Maui, right next to Sack and Save and a shitload of Korean Bars. See you there! Aurite." 

I know, I'm a genius. Thankyewverymuch.

Rod

New gym, hard workout, more pain

We finally had a workout at the new gym which is located next to Sack and Save, a $hitload of Korean bars and an adult video store. All of us especially noticed the adult video store because it's the landmark of where we have to turn around during our 400 meter run.

Some other highlights: besides being bigger and having a shower, our new gym also has some cool breezes blowing on a regular basis. Not sure why it's so much cooler than the Mill Street location but it is.

Inside the gym though, it's the same. All business. And some personal horror.

Today we start off with shoulder presses. Today I threw on 185. Yeah. I cranked out one then I was done. Like nothing left at all for a second one. I think I overdid it. My upper back feels kinda stiff and my neck hurts when I look down.

But I keep eyeing out Bumper's record of 195 for shoulder presses and I see the gold medal. Of course when I told him that today he had that glint in his eye that said "I'll just lift 200." Yup. It's that kind of gym.

Afterwards I looked at the board and saw the following: 3 rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats and a 400 meter run. Hmmm, not too bad.

But then Bumper explained it. It's three rounds of three rounds. So nine rounds total.

Sigh.

So we began. There wasn't enough room for everyone to do pullups at once so I did the workout in reverse. Squats first, pushups then pullups. Everybody cranked out the first round pretty quick then ran. Coming back from the first 400 I remember thinking, "this sucks."

By the end of the second 400 I thought, "I hate this new gym."

By the end of the third 400 I had no thoughts. My mind was wiped clean with exhaustion.

Geez, is it only Monday? I wonder what day 2 a tthe new gym will be like.

I actually do not want to know, but I'll be there. Mostly so I can feel good about drinking on the weekend.

And if the first workout is any indication, I will feel very good about drinking a lot this weekend.

Peace.

Rod

I have to work late but I just wanted to say goodbye to the old gym on Mill Street. And see the whole RFM crew down at the new gym near Sack and Save. Aurite.

Paleo meal of the week: humble pie

Sooooo, Friday was a humbling experience in many ways.

First off, Bumper says the radiologist thinks my xrays are normal, which means I'm back to square one with my back.

Secondly, I don't do well in a workout that I should have excelled in. Hell, I don't even finish the whole thing.

Third, I lose in a footrace to Kehau, seen above. Mostly because I am slow and still fat but also because she is faster. A little anyway.

Once again, let's start from the beginning. Well, from the workout part anyway. I'm like whatever about the xrays already.

So yesterday's workout was deadlifts and handstand pushups. I rock at those.

Except it was sets of 21-15-9 reps. Of 225 pounds for deadlifts.

Hmmmm . . . could be a problem.

Not to mention we did deadlifts for strength. I kinda wasted myself too going a little heavier than I should have.

Anyway, I grind out the first 21 reps and it's hard. Then I get upsidedown for the handstands and my shoulders and back are already tired.

This is a new sensation for me. Ask anyone at RFM. I pump out those handstand PU's like there's no tomorrow.

Except for yesterday. Brah. My shoulders were cabbage and my back was sore from the deadlifts.

So I try to go back to do the 15 reps for deadlifts and I just can't. I end up skipping those and just doing the remaining sets of HSPU's just so I can respect myself in the morning.

Sigh. HSPU's were my redemption workout. When all else fails I still could be proud of those.

What do I have now?

(Please pause for a moment for a pity party).

Okay, that's done with. Moving on.

I should mention before this that before the WOD Kehau and I had a little race.

Yeaaaaaaahhhh, I kinda threw down the challenge and she said let's do it.

Faaaackkkk....

So we went across the street to the Hongwanji parking lot and did the whole thing. On your mark, get set, go.

I was running close to her but she was ahead of me the whole time. In the end I pulled back but it wasn't like I was going to overtake her. I just didn't want my ass in the street and getting hit by a car.

Good one Kehau. Guess I wrote a check my legs couldn't cash.

Some of you may ask why I decided to challenge one of the coaches, who have been training for much longer and are all in much better shape than I. (They are the coaches after all.)

Well, I can't help it. I'm the guy that talks for effect. I like going all in with nothing in my hand, just to see the other guy flinch.

One of my horoscopes once said, "You think you can get away with anything, even if there's no chance in hell."

Yes, that's me. But you know, it's a good match for Crossfit. Finally I have a chance to put a little action behind my words.

Texas hold'em anyone?

Later,

Rod

Answers

So this week has been interesting. Some tough workouts accompanied by an interesting revalation.

There IS something wrong with my back.

First thing's first though, I've learned the maestro of mayhem for the workouts this week was none other  than our very own Kehau, or Tehau as her tribe on the island of Samonga calls her.

Lots oh pain this week. Angry pain. The kind  that makes you say, "Who the hell came up with that workout?"

Thanks Tehau. Let's look at the list for the week shall we?

Monday: Back squat supersetted with good mornings. I lift with the two young guys Pat and Rory and they force me to go heavy. Bastards. Then comes the fun part: four rounds of 200 meter sprints, 3 squat cleans, 5 push presses and AMRAP sit-ups. My joy knows no bounds.
Tuesday: Turkish get-ups. I'm not explaining this one except to say 20 of them is too much. They don't even do these in Turkey anymore. Then Helen, which is 3 rounds of a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebells and 12 pullups. The kb swings killed my back AGAIN and so I stopped during the second round.
Wednesday: Started off w/ some bench and supine rows (which I like actually) then TWELVE freaking rounds of 6 "dynamic" pushups (which prove Tehau is Samongan because you have to slap your chest on your way up), 6 V ups and 6 jumping squats. All of this has to be done in a minute. The sooner you finish the sooner you rest.

Can I point out how evil this is? If you fall behind you're screwed because you will never get to rest. She even used all 6's so this is the 6-6-6 workout. Go to church woman.

Finally today we have 21-15-9 reps of deadlifts and handstand pushups. I may actually enjoy this one, we'll see.

Oh yes, now that news about my back.

I went to the physical therapist on Thursday, you all know which one. Anyway I got some xrays and I've got one of my lumbar vertebraes sticking out past the others ever so slightly. It might be the reason my back gets stiff during certain workouts. Or maybe not. But I'm leaning towards yeah, that's the sucker that hurts me.

Answers are good. Just like how I know who to blame for this week's hell.

I'll fix you both soon, yes, very soon.

Happy Good Friday gang, see you at the gym.

Rod

The pain is coming

I can see it.

Like when you see the tide pull back too far out and you know there's a huge wave coming.

Yup. I'm gonna be hurting tomorrow.

We did squats today, sorta heavy. Then another one of Bumper's mad doctor workouts.

Run 200 meters then come back and squat clean three times, then do five push presses then AMRAP of sit ups, all within 2:30.

Afterwards I looked at Kats and said, "I think I've got a headache from this workout."

I've felt tired, I've felt sore and I've felt regret after certain Crossfit workouts, but this is the first time I've felt ill.

Then again I figure it's like those guys at the gym that squat till they puke. Today was like that except puking was not the final goal.

Oh man I'm feeling my quads twitch as I write this. Geez.

Think I'm gonna lie down now.