Annie Challenge

Annie

11:41

Pull-ups, biceps, WOD

Today's Recess:

Weighted Pull-ups 5-5-5-5-5 (15-20-25-25-25)
DB bicep curls 5-5-5-5-5 (50-45-45-45-45)

WOD:
10 Sumo high pulls 65 lbs
50 double-unders
10 push press 65 lbs

x3 rounds
5:57

Thrusters and 400 meters

10-10-10-10 Thrusters (65-85-105-115)

4x400 meters
1:34-1:23-1:24-1:16

Cleans and BWS sit-ups

Today's Recess:

3-3-3-3-3 Cleans (135-155-165-175-185 [failed number 3]) New max clean.

BWS sit-ups (37-23-17)

Body Weight Series

Today is the initiation of my Body Weight Series. BWS is 3 sets of max reps with approximately 2 minute rest between sets. The score is max reps. The purpose is to increase body weight strength and endurance.

Today's Recess:

BWS of Bench press and Ring dips

Chicken legs

Is it a good thing if your wife and mother are jealous of your legs? I didn't think so. For the month of May, I am focusing on leg strength. I will be doing leg strength movements every day with the ultimate goal of increasing my 3RM back squat by 30 lbs above my last recorded entry of 225 lbs and ridding myself of my chicken legs that apparently are very feminine, even with all the hair. I want speed skater legs or bobsled legs by the end of May. Let's make it happen.

Today's Recess:
3-3-3-3-3 Front Squat
10-10-10 Back Squat

Followed by:
5 ring dips
5 deadlifts 225 lbs
5 DB split-leg snatch 35 lbs (each leg)

7575

Today's Recess:

3-3-3-3-3-3-3 Bench Press

Followed by:
75 reps 75 lb snatches

for time.

Triple-Dog Dare

Today's Recess:

5-5-5-5-5 DB squat cleans

Followed by:

Triple-Dog Dare
10! Pull-ups, 205 deadlifts, sit-ups

for time

Chelsea

Today's Recess:

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 Thrusters

Followed by:

5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

1 round each minute for 30 minutes

Karen and Nancy

Today's Recess:

4-4-4-4 Back squats

Followed by:

150 wall ball shots (12 lb ball; 20 lb is prescribed)

Then, eat a piece of birthday cake. Rest as long as you like.

2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 Sumo deadlift high pulls

Followed by:

400 meter run
15 reps of 95 lb OHS

x 5 rounds

CF Open Week 4

Today's Recess:

5-5-5-5-5
Deadlifts

Followed by:

CF Games Open Week 4
60 Bar-facing burpees
30 OHS 115 lbs
10 muscle-ups

Nicole

Today's Recess:

5-5-5-5-5 Lunges (each leg)

Followed by:

Max BW bench press
Max pull-ups

x 5 rounds

Annie

Today's recess:

5-5-5-5-5 Heaving Snatch Balance

Followed by:

50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit ups

for time.

Nicole

Today's Recess:

5-5-5-5-5 Back Squats

Followed by:

AMRAP in 20 minutes of
400 meter run
max rep pull-ups

Elizabeth

Today's Recess:

Press 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 with 60 second rests between sets

Followed by:

21-15-9
135 lb cleans
ring dips

for time

Helen

Today's Recess:

Week 3 CF Games Open WOD:

AMRAP 165 lb clean and jerks in 5 minutes

Followed by:

400 meter run
21 kettlebell swings (50 lb DB)
12 pull-ups

3 rounds for time.

Grace

Today's Recess:

A few heavy front squats followed by...

30 clean and jerks (135 lbs) for time.

Cindy

Today's Recess:

5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

AMRAP in 20 minutes

Angie

Today's Recess:

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

for time.

All I really want is girls...

April 1st: Today is the first day of our Girl-Named WODS. The challenge--to complete all 20 CF Girl WODS in 30 days. What better way to start than with a couplet of thrusters and pull-ups.

Today's Recess: FRAN

21-15-9
Thrusters
Pull-ups

10x100

Today's Recess:

10x100 meter sprints

Skill Practice: 5x10 (5 reps each leg) jumping lunges

The time has come...

Our 4-Week Challenge is over...and now it's time to complete our final test and see our improvements.

Tomorrow's Recess:

20 OHS
20 push-ups
50 double-unders
5 rounds for time

Let's tear this thing apart!

4x4

Run 400 meters x 4 with 1 minute rest between sets

Skill practice: Heaving Press Balance

A little Tabata...

Tomorrow's Recess:

Tabata Squats

Rest 2 minutes

Tabata Push-ups

Rest 2 minutes

Tabata Jump Squats (Sumo wide stance)

Add lowest score for the three Tabatas for a total score.

Over your head...

Tomorrow's Recess:

5x5 OHS

10!

It's not abnormal to see WODs that have you doing reps 10, 9, 8, 7...etc. I like the way Nicci Violetti anotates this. She uses 10!, which actually means 10x9x8x7...I believe...too lazy to look it up right now. The point is, it makes it easier to write and now you know 10! means 10, 9, 8, etc...

Tomorrow's Recess:

10! Knees to elbows, push-ups, and one-legged squats (each leg)--hold on to something if you need to.

amRAPPER Monday

Sorry I forgot to post today's Recess last night. Let's do a little amRAPPER Monday:

Photo Source

50 single-leg jump ropes (each leg)
5 push-ups
5 push-press
5 jump squats (with barbell)
5 push-ups

AMRAP in 20 minutes


Tomorrow's Recess:

5 Dumbbell deadlifts
5 Dumbbell hang cleans
5 Dumbbell push presses
5 Dumbbell squats

Increase the load each round. Rest as necessary between rounds.

Make all your wildest dreams come true...

Dreams come true on Saturdays. My dream is to run a sub 5:50 mile tomorrow. Let's see if the fitness fairy has enough gylcogen dust to make me fly...

Photo Source

Tomorrow's Recess:

Run 1 mile
Skill Practice: hand-stand push-ups

Thrusted

Photo Source

Tomorrow's Recess:

9-15-21
DB Thrusters
Pull-ups

Post time to comments

Post-Challenge Games

Photo Source

We are tentatively planning the "Post-'P-Diddy' Challenge Games" for Saturday, February 26th. We will be celebrating our completion of 4 weeks of training with...more training. Plus we will give the award for the most improved time on our baseline WOD (20 OHS, 20 push-ups, and 50 double-unders x 5 rounds), which you can mark your calendars for the final test on Friday, the 25th.

Time and place TBD.

Please let me know if this date works for you and who will all be participating. We can also do a kids games as well.

No Recess tomorrow: Rest Day

Clean it up!

Tomorrow's Recess:

5x5 Squat Clean (from ground. If you don't have enough weight to go heavy, go as heavy as you can and focus on technique, speed, and explosiveness. This is what I will be doing with my 75ers or possibly 50lb DBs)

5x5 bicep curls (5 each arm; any method you choose)

Use barbell or DBs

Post loads to comments

Two-8-XI

Tomorrow's Recess:

20 OHS
400 Meter Run
20 Sumo deadlift high pulls
4 rounds for time

I'll be using my trusty 75 pounder.

Treasure Chest and Triceps

Tomorrow's Recess:

Lay down on bench or exercise ball and do the following circuit. Use dumbbells:

5 Tricep extensions (headbangers): Starting position--raise both DBs above your chest like a press and simply bend elbows until DBs are on either side of your temples then back up.

10 DB flies without resting from the tricep extensions

15 chest presses (bench press) without resting from DB flies

Rest 1 minute

Repeat 5 times

Start with a weight that you know is manageable (but still challenging) and go up from there. When you find a challenging weight where you are barely making it through the circuit, stay there until your last set, then go up in weight and burn out. On the last set you will need to rest, but still make sure you complete all reps. Your weight will probably look something like this: A, B, B, B, C or 10, 15, 15, 15, 20lbs

O-----O
O\/__
____/\


O--\- O-/--O
-------T-------
----- -/\-------
---- -/ \------

Saturday is a special day...

Okay folks, my intention of Saturdays is to be primarily a skill practice day. With that in mind, I suggest you choose one or two goals that you would like to work on and improve your performance in those areas. That's the main reason that I do mile runs every Saturday; I really want to improve my mile time. If you choose to do the Saturday milers and skill practice I program, that's great, otherwise choose one or two goals that you would like to work on for the next 1-6 months. Let the community know on the comments with updates each Saturday, so we can see what you are doing and give you some support.

My Recess tomorrow:

Run 1-mile
Skill practice: clean and jerk

Snow day?

So, nobody prefers a tight butt...since that's the case, you'll really love tomorrow's Recess. Just be thankful I didn't make us run in the snow.

Tomorrow's Recess:

Mini-WOD #1
10 jumping lunges (each leg=20 total) w/barbell on back. Focus on height when you jump and switch legs.
20 burpees

1 minute rest

Mini-WOD #2
10 jumping lunges (each leg=20 total) w/barbell on back
20 hang cleans

1 minute rest

Mini-WOD #3
10 jumping lunges (each leg=20 total) w/barbell on back
20 shoulder presses

Post time for each Mini-WOD.

Rest Day

Take a break...except for you Vandal. You already had yours.

Day of the Dead (Feels like it after yesterday's leg immobilizer)

Yesterday, we went to the National Funeral Museum. It's been something we have been planning for several years and finally decided to go for it. Why, you might ask, would you want to go to a funeral museum? I don't really have a good answer other than we are weird and like to have interesting experiences.

We were totally NOT disappointed, the $10/person was well worth it. One of the most interesting museums I've been to. It's kind of mind-boggling to see some of the things we do to mourn and funeralize (when this becomes a real word, I'll gladly take credit) for people who pass away.

Anyway, glad to be alive and healthy. Hopefully, I won't be funeralized for for a long time.

Tomorrow's Recess:

"Cindy-ish"

AMRAP in 20 minutes
5 pull-ups
8 push-ups
12 squats

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow...

Tomorrow's Recess:



That's right, "Annie"!

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

How did breakfast go this morning? Was it a success?

Book suggestion: "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. Debunks the false science behind the calories in-calories-out theory. Not all calories are created equal and get this--people don't get fat because they eat too much, they eat too much because they get fat. Could that be possible? I'll probably be discussing this topic in the near future, however, I highly recommend reading the book.

Monday Funday

Tomorrow's Recess:

10 lunges (each leg) with barbell on back
8 back squats
6 OHS
4 Front squats
2 Muscle snatches--this is a snatch from the waist. If you're not familiar with the muscle snatch, substitute 2 strict shoulder presses.

AMRAP in 20 minutes.

I will be using 75 lbs.

Time's up...

Imagine the Jeopardy countdown music (do..do do.do...do...do...do...dum dum). Hopefully you had some time to look up hyperplasia and learn how our muscles increase in size. In simple terms, hyperplasia is when the muscle fiber splits into multiple fibers. According Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, hyperplasia has been observed in animals, but has yet to be proved in humans. So, we will call hyperplasia a theory until proven (however, in E of S and C, it goes on to state that if hyperplasia does occur, it is extremely rare and only accounts for 10% of muscle growth...to me 10% is a huge number and you would think in order to throw a number like that out there, you would know whether or not hyperplasia actually takes place in our muscles...gotta love it).

Part B of our hyperplasia quiz is a little tricky because it really depends on whether you believe hyperplasia occurs or not. If you are a hyperplasia fan, then the answer would be both increase in muscle fiber size AND increase in number of muscle fibers. I don't want to get that technical, so for all intents and purposes the answer is A) size of muscle fiber increases.

Hope you all are prepared for some protein-packed breakfasts next week. Check our our turkey sausage recipe if you would like.

Photo Source

Real Results

I am going to make a bold statement (not that bold really); are you ready?...The most important part of a physical fitness program, BY FAR, is good nutrition. No matter how good the athlete's programming and dedication is, their results will be extremely limited by poor nutrition. Don't get me wrong, an athlete will see results by hitting it hard day after day with good workouts. However, the physical (visual) results and performance will skyrocket if a strong nutritional base is established. I have noticed significant results in my body and my performance since dialing in my nutrition (if it weren't for poor joints and genes, I would be ready for the CF games this Summer!).

I'm not going to get too detailed on diet in this post, but if you would like to learn more about results-oriented and sustainable nutrition, visit Vibrant Sexy Strong and Whole9.

Okay, with that being said, we are going to make this 4-Week Challenge a little more interesting come Monday. Starting Monday (through the rest of the challenge), follow this regimen for breakfast each morning to give you an edge in your performance and see even greater results at the the end of our 4 weeks (I'm going to try and keep it simple as possible):

1. Eat a lot of high density animal protein (without added sugars, preservatives, etc. if possible)
2. Eat a nutrient-dense vegetables (without added sugars, butter, etc.)
3. Eat some fruit (fresh without any added sugars, preservatives, etc.)
4. Eat a lot of healthy fats (avocados, coconut products, olives, nuts [no peanuts], seeds).

Foods to avoid: Grains and legumes of any sort, dairy, sugar, processed foods

Here's a sample breakfast:
1-3 turkey burgers/sausage (we make these ourselves--cheap and tasty plus you can make enough to last the whole week, so you don't have to make them every morning)
1-4 eggs
1/2 avocado
1 pear or banana

Take advantage of tomorrow and Sunday to prepare your breakfasts for the week. Also, remember to take before and after pics if you haven't already.

Tomorrow's Recess:

Run 1-mile
Skill Practice: OHS

Post time to comments.

Hyperplasia

Quiz.



Part A: What is Hyperplasia and do you believe it is fact or theory?

Part B: Do our muscles get bigger and stronger from
A) Increased muscle fiber size
B) Increased number of muscle fibers
C) Both increased muscle fiber size and increased number of muscle fibers

Winner deserves a cookie.

Tomorrow's Recess:

1 minute double-unders
30 second rest
1 minute box jumps (I will be jumping up 3 stairs; height will be about 22")
30 second rest
6 rounds

Post your total reps (3 single rope jumps count as one double-under rep)

4-Week Challenge

Today's Recess was a new re-beginning. I say that because I'm ready to work and motivated to improve my performance as an athlete, a coach, and a future CrossFit affiliate owner. I also say that because it's been a while since I have had a workout wind me like today's.

I wanted to start the first Recess Time with something difficult, but not discouraging and something that would be long(+/- 20:00 minute range) but not Murph long. I chose two huge weaknesses of mine (OHS and Push-ups) and one strength (DU's). Out of these three movements, I'm assuming you are able to choose at least one weakness and one strength (or at least one movement that you enjoy more than the others).

The purpose of today's recess was to introduce a 4-Week Challenge to improve our OHS, Push-ups, and DU's. During this 4-Week Challenge, Recess time will include workouts that focus on improving squat/core strength(specifically OH Squats), upper body endurance (push-ups), and conditioning and coordination (DU's). At the end of our 4-Week Challenge we will re-visit today's Recess to gauge our performance, the victor is the athlete who cuts off the most time...and to the victor goes the spoils (spoils to be determined, but it will be fit for a true gladiator).

Do you accept the challenge?

I'm looking forward to 2/23/11 (and every day in between); are you?

Tomorrow's Recess:

21-15-9
Thrusters (Front squat/push press hybrid)
Barbell rows
Run 200 meters between each set (example: 21 thrusters, 21 BB rows, Run 200 meters, so you will run a total of 600 meters).

Recess Time

When my grade-school classmates were asked what their favorite subject was, they always surprised me with their answer..."Math" said some, others said Science was their favorite, and others liked Social Studies. Uhhhh, duhhh..."anybody ever heard of Recess time", I would say to myself. I looked forward to Recess more than Christmas. Recess time was liberation from the "establishment", it was a bold demonstration of what our bodies were meant to do, and it was vital to my existence. When I got home from school and went out to play, my Mom would tell me to come home and do my homework. I told her I was doing my homework--Recess homework...and I meant it...I had to get ready for tomorrow's Recess time.

I still love Recess and I'm here to say--Recess isn't just for elementary school kids anymore. Recess doesn't have to end when we grow up and my mission is to bring back Recess...a time to escape the "establishment", a time to run, jump, throw, and lift heavy things--a time to do what our bodies were meant to do.

Tomorrow's Recess time:

20 OH Squats
20 push-ups
50 double-unders
5 rounds for time