Weekend Fun!

I had a good weekend with some tough workouts and finished it with a nice Sunday lunch with my family on Mother's Day.

One of the workouts I did was:

"Isabel" + 30 Box Jumps 24"

This was very similar to the previous weekend where I started with a sprint and then finished with box jumps.  Once again, just like last week, my legs were smoked and I had nothing at all for box jumps.  I can't decide if I'm really bad at box jumps or if I just need to pace more, because they feel really easy during warm up.  I was going into this one trying to pace it a little better, but once I saw I could get a PR on "Isabel" and possibly break 2 min I went for it.  And I paid once again on box jumps, oh well.  I will take a PR on "Isabel" of 1:57 when my previous best was 2:18.

I will post a video of my other workouts from the last few days early this week.

PR's

I had some tester wods the last couple of days to see where I'm at with my training.

The first one was:

1 RM Back Squats

1 RM Hang Power Clean

1 RM Close Grip Bench Press

(video below)

then the next day I did:

2km row for time

My time was 6:40.2. My previous best was a 6:50 so I'm very happy with this and I felt great throughout.

Tomorrow I have one more tester, it's a 15 min amrap.

Max Day from joeywarren on Vimeo.

"Christine"

Yesterday morning I did "Christine." I was kind of nervous because I have been focusing on some strength while only hitting a Crossfit-style metcon (metabolic conditioning) once a week or so. This makes me think I have to push extra hard when I do a metcon, plus I'm not quite as confident as when I do them all the time.

So I was planning on sleeping in and doing it in the afternoon, but my friend wanted to do it with me early AM, so I took the opportunity to get a push. I was happy with my performance as I seem to be maintaining my conditioning or even seeing improvement. I felt fast during it and everything felt good. By good I mean how I felt throughout; this is a huge gauge of how I determine where my fitness is currently at. Felt like I had a couple more rounds in me at that pace, so maybe next time push harder on the rower.

Fight Gone Bad

There are times when I hate Crossfit.  Sometimes I feel beat up, stressed for my workout, and it becomes a job making me tired all the time not permitting any kind of social life.  But every once in a while I'm reminded why I love it.  It's like golf, the most frustrating game ever, but it just takes one great shot to keep you coming back.  Today I had one of those great shots.  I was very nervous going into FGB.  I took a few days off the prior weekend due to a small injury and I did not feel like I was prepared.  I thought there was no way I could even come close to my previous best score and started making excuses for myself to not go hard in the workout.  I finally got over my fear somewhat and made a lofty goal for myself of 435.  I went into the workout trying to stick to that pace.  I came out with a score of 440.  That wasn't all that surprised me, I didn't even feel that bad, I think I had more in me.  I felt great!  The previous times I did this I was rolling on the ground for ten min afterward.  I needed this workout to boost my confidence.  I was struggling the past week with an injury, lack of energy, eating poorly through the holidays and all this made me lack motivation and most of all confidence.  This workout was a confidence booster.

  I always say there is a moral to every workout.  Here is the lesson I take from this; there are going to be times when things get tough.  It is inevitable that things will not always go your way, but it is how well you can claw and scratch to get back.  I feel confidence and motivation go hand in hand.  Both were down for me this past week.  I really did not want to do this workout for a million excuses I could have made up.  I told myself to just do it.  I didn't want to give myself a big goal to shoot for because I thought it would be too painful.  But I told myself just stick with the plan and see how long I can hold on, don't let fear hold me back.  I didn't just give up or make excuses of why I couldn't go hard.   It got my confidence up and now Im motivated to keep on going.  It kind of got me out of my slump.  I talked with OPT afterward and he said "learn from this, it has just begun!" Here we go...

I feel you can apply this to any aspect of life.  Don't let fear hold you back, just try it and you may just surprise yourself.  This will increase your confidence and in turn motivation.  Coincidentally on OPT's blog he just put a quote that applies perfectly.

• No one thought it was possible to run a mile in 4 minutes; Bannister does it, then 4 people do it in 1 year, now high school kids do it regularily; how much are we limiting ourselves based upon what we know?
  The athlete I want does not know why they are doing what they are doing; they are just doing!
  

Even more coincidental is on the crossfit mainsite for today, they also have a quote on motivation that applies.  You think that motivation is a big part in achieving your goals?

• "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."
  - Zig Ziglar
  

Here's the FGB video!

Fight Gone Bad from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Games Prep WOD from 2007

The workout today was from the first Crossfit Games competition in 2007. It consisted of:

1000m row
then 5 rounds of:
25 pullups
7 push jerks 135lb

the winning time in 2007 was 13:07

OPT WOD 6/12/10: 2007 Games Row, Pullups, push jerk from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Paced myself to beat 13 min, beter than expected.
t=11:35

"Isabel"

As perfection is never attainable, it is the journey toward perfection that makes one great!

-Progress not perfection: Even those who survive the impossible are still only human. 'That final stage in the process of being lost can prove to be either a beginning or an end. Some give up and die. Others stop denying and begin surviving. You don't have to be an elite performer. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to get on with it and do the next right thing.' - Laurence Gonzales "Deep Survival"

Here is a crossfit benchmark, "Isabel", a workout that I have never done before.  The workout is:

135lb snatch x 30 reps for time

My strategy was to start out fast and do as many consecutive reps as possible and then just truck along as needed.  My goal was to get sub 3 min and I far surpassed that.  Now I have a better understanding of where I want to be on this workout.  

As I previously saw failure, from my previous post, and had to learn my limits and reset my goals with a new path in mind of how to achieve that to prevent me from failing miserably, here I reset my goals from a success. If I dont, I will not grow and progress, and I'll remain stagnant.  So I'm learning that goals must always be redirected when you better understand where you want to go.  But you must have a goal in mind or you will have no direction, and ultimately no motivation.

Another new goal; sub 2 min "Isabel".  Is it achievable?  Hell YEAH, and I will do it!

135# snatch x 30 for time from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

"broken"

Every once in a while you find yourself broken down.  While this is discouraging it is a good time to reflect and grow.  It humbles you and brings you back down to earth.  We all can relate to this, if it is in every day life, work, family, or friends.  We have to know our limits so we can protect ourselves from injury and we know where we need work in order to progress.  Everything you do takes progression and you must take the first step with a goal in mind and a path determined of how to achieve that.  Most greatness happens when the journey is enjoyable, not just the outcome.  Sometimes during a workout when Im in extreme pain, I try to smile because I know its supposed to be fun!  

Today I did a workout called "unbroken".  It broke me down.  Here is a video of me getting my ass handed to me.  I had to cut the video short because I had to take too much rest before completing the workout.  Even though pushing the limits is great to improve your fitness, and what I try to get all my clients to do, sometimes I need to know my limits or I will fail miserably.  Its one of the hardest things to do in crossfit, figuring out how to pace yourself.  When do you push through the pain, and when do you breath?  Today I failed.  It was on 20th rep of the last set, I just couldnt do another one.  I was at 5:20 at that time, I waited 1 min tried again and failed at 18 reps.  I rested a while again and finally completed 20 unbroken pullups.  This was 9 min later for a total time of 14:25.  I was 1 rep away from 5:20, and failed because I didnt know my limits and 9 min later I finished my last set. Enjoy watching me get "broken".

The workout was:

20 unbroken pullups

500m row

20 unbroken pullups

500m row

20 unbroken pullups

"unbroken" from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

New PRs!

So I knew a bunch more PRs were coming.  I recently PRed in the squat clean and the clean & jerk.   I also was only 10lb off my best bench press ever dating back to college when I was about 10lb heavier playing football and lot more of a power lifter then.  Last night I felt my best ever during a Fran and improved by 56 seconds from the last time I did it.  Here is my first time attempting chest bar Fran.  I feel like I even look a lot more out of shape and pale.  Below is the video of my PR in Fran.  Such a huge improvement!!!

Joey "PosterBoy" Warren Fran from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.

Working hard!

Not much activity on here lately, been very busy getting our new Crossfit gym opened which will finally be happening tomorrow.  With that I have been writing most of my thoughts on our gym's main page website crossfitcadence.com, so check that out.  I have still been working our very hard, maybe too hard with how busy I am with everything else (may be taking a toll on my personal relationships, sorry Tay, you are very supportive of me and everything I do).  I am probably working the hardest I have ever worked in my life.  We will see how it pays off in my next competition on November 14 & 15.  Stay tuned and lets see where it goes.

Here is a clip of one of the greatest efforts I ever put forth during a workout.

Fight Gone Bad - 422 from Joseph Warren on Vimeo.