Day 100

Lost 19lbs in 100 days. My goal was 25 and 50 burpees for every 1lb under.

300 burpees performed in 42:51.

Heavy Grace

1 rep max clean & jerk = 165# (failed to clean 185#)

Heavy Grace
155# clean & jerk 30x
Time = 13:15
1 min burpees = 6 (knees are busted up still)
jumping pull ups to failure = 14
500m row = 2:10

Baseline x5

The workout tonight was Baseline, five times. My previous best was 5:42. Tonight I got:

5:07
4:40
4:31 (knees push ups & jumping pull ups)

Barbells for boobs

"Grace"
135lb clean & jerk
30 reps

Time= 4:37

Stronger than before

Warm
Invinsible Fran (1:51 + 16 burpees in 1min)
21,15,9
Air squat/Push up “Games”

Strong
Front squat 5,5,5,5,5 + after each set row 45x seconds for distance
(135/17, 135/15, 135/16, 135/15, 135/17)

WOD
7x Handstand Push Ups (7:30)
7x Ring Dips
7x rounds

Furious Fundraiser

Warm:
1min max burpees - 16
100 crunches
25 scissor kicks
25 (forgot name) side to side kicks

Workout:
10x clean & jerk @ 135 - 135
10x chest to bar pull ups - kipping jump
5x rounds

I'm really happy thy I used the full 135 on the clean & jerks. If this was a timed wod, it would have been much harder like it was during the competition. My jumping pull ups are also getting a lot easier.

“Jonny Boi”

Warm
double under progression 1,2,3…

Mobility
squat hold/handstand hold 5x min

“Jonny Boi”
50 Sit ups
21 Strict Pull Ups
21 Push Press 95#/65# (95)
400m Run
15 Strict Pull Ups
15 Push Press 115#/85# (105)
8oom Run
9 Strict Pull Ups
9 Push Press 135#/105# (115)
1 Mile Run
50 Sit Ups

Time = 39:22

This one was tough. Aren't they all? I broke the first 2 sets of push presses up in 7's & 5's however the last one I did all 9 unbroken. No rests & didn't slow to a walk on any runs.

Accountability

Burgener Snatch Warm up
1-3 down and up
4-6 down and up + elbows high and outside
7-9 muscle snatch
10-12 2″ 4″ 6″ drop
13-15 SNATCH

Snatch
1,1,1,1,1 (45x10, 65, 75, 95, 115, 135)

WOD (170x65#)
Tabata sumo deadlift high pull/push press/overhead squat/power snatch

Never give up

Warm
Lunge 50x steps 10x finger tip push ups
Lunge 40x steps 20x finget tip push ups
30/30  20/40  10/50

Strong
Press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, (75, 75, 95, 95, 95)

WOD
2K Row + 1200x Run + 3x min max effort pull up
Score = Time – Reps (18:16, 97 pull ups, 2k row 8:38)

I didn't get to 10/50 on the warm up. I wasn't as tired on the row as I usually am from that distance however I was pretty slow on the run because it was hurting my back. It was a little sore from the workout yesterday.

5k Challenge

Run 200m with a 45# plate
Jump over 2 tractor tires into gym
Run through alternating tires 30ft
Crawl under 18" string 10ft
Run 200ft
10 squats
Run backwards 250ft
Lunges 150ft
Run 1 mile
3x rounds

Time= 61:18

F YEAH!!! I did it! This was crazy hard. I especially wanted to quit on that last mile but 3 others were running it again right there next to me. I sprinted the last 100m all out and felt great. I'm really hoping to shave 10% off my time in 30 days and finish in 55:00 or less

Rear naked choke

Warm
800x run
Ring rows/Handstand walk

Strong
Deadlift
3,3,3,3,3 (135, 225, 275, 295, 295)

WOD
7x Power cleans #165/110 (135, singles, 10:18)
14x Double unders
7x Rounds

Great workout tonight. I felt good on the deadlifts and cleaned more weight than I usually do.

Weight lifted for the month so far: 93,050#
Miles ran in workouts: 9.45
Various types of squats: 1,720
Various types of pushes & presses: 915
Pull ups: 600

GI Jane

Burgener Warm-up 1-12 (45# bar)
1-3 Down & Up
4-6 Down & Up & Elbows high & Outside
7-9 Hang Clean
10-12 Front Squat (stay down 30x sec)
3x rounds

Front Squat
2×10, 1×8, 1×6, 1×4, 1×3 (95, 95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 1x195)

“G.I. Jane”
100x Burpee Pull ups (50 = 10:01, full burpees)

I'm really happy about the weight I used on the front squat. I got my new PR at 195# and I could have done a little more. I'm also happy with the 1/2 GI Jane because I did full burpees instead of the modified ones that I have been doing since the start.

"You don't know squat"

Warm
800m run
Partner Stretch

Skill
Front/Overhead/Back Squat

WOD
Squat ladder… (65#)
1x Squat the 1st minute… 2x Squats the 2nd…3x the 3rd
Minutes 1-9 overhead 10-19 front 20-??? are back squat

This was a weird WOD. By round 8 or 9 it became pretty hard. I made it to round 20, although I was using terrible front squat form to just try and keep going. I switched to air squats for the last 4 rounds and it was cutoff at 25mins.

"Stand by me"

Warm
400x Run 25x push ups/sit ups/overhead squats/pass throughs

Strong
Overhead squat
3,3,3,3,3 (95#)

WOD
Sump Deadlift High Pull #75/55 (65#)
Press/Jerk
21,18,15,12,9,6,3

Ok, so my back was waaay sore from The Seven workout yesterday. Unfortunately, I only did 2 rounds of the main WOD tonight.

"The Seven"

7 Handstand push-ups
7 Thrusters @ 135/95 (75#)
7 Knees to elbows
7 Deadlift @ 245/175 (3 rounds of 245, 4 rounds of 165)
7 Burpees
7 KBS @ 2 Pood/1.5 (50#)
7 Pull-ups
7x Rounds

Time = 41:38

This one was hard. The third round of deadlifts tore up my hand which is why I dropped the weight down so much. I'm happy that I used a heavier kettle bell than normal though.

“Burpees & Snatches” = “Batches”

Warm
Burgener Snatch Progression
Pvc/barbell/loaded

Strong
Snatch Balance
3,3,3,3,3

“Batches”
Power Snatch 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
Burpee 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Unfortunately, I don't remember what weight I was using for this one. I think my time was somewhere around 14min for the actual WOD.

Baby got back

Warm
800x Run
1x Sit Up/1x Double Under
2x Sit up/2x Double Under
3… all the way to 10 (5mins)

Strong
Back Squat 3,3,3,3,3 (225#)

“Cindy” (normally 20 mins)
>15 AMRAP
5x Pull ups/10x Push ups/15x Squats
(14 full rounds)

Great workout today. I really love amraps because they are a nice mix of strength and metcon.

Fran

21, 15, 9
Thruster, pull up

95# Thruster
Smaller green banded pull up

11:46

This one was tough. Those thrusters were a killer. I think I only did 15 unbroken. Despite my time, I'm happy with my performance. I used rx weight and had never used that small of a band on the pull ups.

Raise the bar

1000x Row
30x Clean & Jerks *135/95 (75#)
800x Run
30x Overhead Squats *135/95 (75#)
*You must use the same weight for both lifts

Ok, so this one was harder than it looked at first. I really need to work on my overhead squats. They hurt my wrists because of the pressure put on them. I could have gone heavier on the split jerks. I had to switch to back squats after only 10 overhead squats.

9/11 Hero Workout

20 min AMRAP
9 burpees
11 pull ups (jumping)
21 kettle bell swings (35#)
(7 swings short of 7 rounds)

Great day at Crissfit Scottsdale! The airmen & women from Luke Airforce Base really came out and showed what they're made of. The workout was very hard, especially the kettle bell swings. I had to break them into sets of 7 towards the end. My back was also a little sore from the deadlifts on Thursday.

How fit are you? Part 3

1rm deadlift followed by max rep HSPU
3x rounds

315/11 (hspu with feet on ground)
335/12
2x Fail @ 355/10

335 is my new PR deadlift. I had to use false grip in order to do the 315+. I should have tried 345 instead of going to 355. I'll get it next time. This one also tore my hands up pretty good. My lower back is also pretty sore right now.

How fit are you? Part 1

Test 1: bench press 1 rep max followed by max set pull ups.

145/20
165/20
180/25
Pull ups done with purple band
1:48.0 500m row

"Murph"

1 mile run
100 pull ups (jumping)
200 push ups (knees)
300 squats (air)
1 mile run

8AM = 56:29
5PM = 53:59

"Miss Fisher"

Warm
5> jump rope (finally got 2x double unders in a row)

Skill
Front squat/Push press/Thruster

“Miss Fisher”
10x Front squat/10x Push press/10x Thrusters/2x Chest to bar pull ups/2x Box jumps/2x burpees
8x Front squat/8x Push press/8x Thrusters/4x Chest to bar pull ups/4x Box jumps/4x burpees
6x Front squat/6x Push press/6x Thrusters/6x Chest to bar pull ups/6x Box jumps/6x burpees
4x Front squat/4x Push press/4x Thrusters/8x Chest to bar pull ups/8x Box jumps/8x burpees
2x Front squat/2x Push press/2x Thrusters/10x Chest to bar pull ups/10x Box jumps/10x burpees

65# time: 24:58

"Turkish Tuesday"

Warm: Foam roller + 5 min squat hold

Strength: chin up 5,5,5,5,5 (grey band)

WOD
21, 15, 9 Turkish get up #45/35 barbell (alternating arms, first 10 with 15#, rest with weighted PVC)

Time: 24:23

"Nate"

Warm: HSPU

Skill: Muscle up

WOD: "Nate"
20min AMRAP
2x muscle up (3 half/half)
4x HSPU (bench)
8x kettle bell swing 75/55 (45#)

Total: 9 full rounds in 20:10

Filthy Fifty

Warm: 800m run

4min jump rope
Tabata plank hold

WOD: "Filthy Fifty"
50 box jumps (24")
50 jumping pull ups
50 kettle bell swings 35/25 (30#)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to bows
50 push press 45/35 (45#)
50 back extensions
50 wall ball 20/14 (10#)
50 burpees
50 double unders (150 singles)

34:40

Diane

Warm:
2k row (8:58)

Skill:
Deadlift/HSPU

"Diane"
21/15/9
Deadlift/HSPU (6:37, 135#, hspu from bench)

Crossfit Games – Event 6b

Warm-up: Burgener Clean Warm-up & Burgener Snatch Warm-up

Skill: Clean & Jerk, Snatch

WOD: Crossfit Games – Event 6b. 3 rounds for time (10min cutoff in class)
30 Toes to Bar
21 Ground to OH (95/65#)

1min max rep Toes to bar

1min max rep Ground to OH (95/65#)

The toes to bar were the hardest part of this workout. I only completed 1 round and 25 TTB's within the 10 mins. The TTB's were the hardest because my forearms need to be a lot stronger to hold up my current body weight while I'm swinging like that. Also, in order to get my toes up to the bar, I had to swing forward and jump a little. I could only do about 10 TTB's before just raising my legs as high and as quickly as I could before touching the ground again. On the other side, I felt really good about putting 95# above my head from the ground. I have enough strength to just lift it straight up and over. I didn't need to clean it and then push press it.

"Damn Yankee"

Warm-up: “Official CrossFit Warm-Up”
3x rounds of 15x reps of
Dips/Sit-ups/Push-ups/Back-extension/OH Squat/Samson Stretch

Skill
Double unders

WOD
27x Burpee
31x Double Unders
80x Thrusters #45/35
31x Double Unders
27x Burpee

I felt good at the start of thsi workout. The A/C was working again and my performance improved greatly from what I was able to do on Monday. For this workout I substituted 93 single jump ropes for double-unders and I did 50 thrusters using 35# and then 30 air squats.

Bit of a break, but I'm back!

I've been injured for a little while and taking it easy, but I just can't sit still anymore. F it, my body will eventually get back to normal.

400m run

"Official CrossFit Warm-Up"
3x rounds of 15 reps of
Dip
Sit up
Pull up
back-extension "horse"
overhead squat with PVC
Samson Stretch (once each side)

Skill
"Jumping"
High Jump
Long Jump
Jump Rope Jump (single, double)
4x corners

WOD
20x Front Squats
40x Toes 2 Bar
60x Sumo Dead lift High Pulls (Kettle Bell)

Unfortunately, the A/C was out in the gym tonight and it greatly affected me. I heat up very easily and after the warm-up, found it hard to cool down. I didn't want to risk having a seizure or getting heat stroke, so I took the actual WOD a little easy, although I'm pretty sure I can't do the toes 2 bar right now.

The Unknown

“If your workout doesn’t scare you, it’s not hard enough”
“If it scares you into staying home, your not hard enough”
-Coach

WOD
7 Burpee pullups
7 Shoulder presses (75#)
7 rounds (12:25)

Wallballs

Skill
Handstands

Strength
800x Meter Run (6:17)

WOD
“Karen”
150x Wallballs
For Time (12:30, 14#)

Wow, ok, so I still suck at running. I had to stop a few times to walk. This was my first time doing Karen. I'm happy with the time and know that it will only get better.

"Ring My Kettle Bell"

Warm
>5 min Jump Rope every minute on the minute complete 10x Push Ups
Farmers Walk 400x meters drop the KB and run home (45# KBs)

Skill
Turkish Get Up

WOD
3x Turkish Get Ups x each side (7.5#)
21x KB Swings (30#)
15x Goblet Squats (30#)
3x Rounds

The Farmers Walk was honestly one of the hardest things I've done in CrossFit. My arms and shoulders were burning bad before I was even halfway there. However, watching the others doing it was motivating and I completed all 400m without dropping the KBs. After that, I felt gassed the entire workout and had a hard time catching my breath. I really need to pay more attention to my breathing when working out. While this was more of a strength workout, my metcon is what was holding me back from truely working with higher weights.

Paleo Challenge

So Saturday started a 6-week Paleo Challenge. The challenge is to only eat Paleo approved foods (meat, non-starchy veggies, low sugar fruits, seeds, nuts, no legumes, no sugar, no dairy, no processed foods). I've done this before, but only for about 2 weeks. In those 2 weeks I went from extremely tired to boundless energy. I'm hoping the transition is easy this time. So far I've been very lethargic, however I might be turning the corner. As of this morning, I can't sit still.

As part of the Challenge, we took beginning weights and measurements. I'll have to post them at the end, the only one I remember is a weight of 257. I'm hoping to break into the 230's during these 6 weeks. We also did a workout that we will compare our performance to 6 weeks later.

Cindy
5 pullups
10 pushups (1 round on toes)
15 squats

In all, I did 13 rounds in the 20 minute period.

"Dude... I can't feel my legs"

Warm up: Tabata squats, tabata push ups

Skill: Box jump

WOD: 35sec rotation of
Box Jumps (18")
Wall Ball (20#)
Row
Burpee

The class was huge last night and we changed the workout a little from the one that was originally scheduled. This was another great workout, I'm pretty sore today. However, I felt like puking after every round of wall balls and rows. My diet has sucked the past couple days and it felt like my lunch was about to come back up. I felt good on the box jumps. If not concerned about time, I can probably go higher. This was my first time doing the wall balls and they were honestly harder than I thought they would be. You really have to focus to be able to toss that 20# ball that high. Oh, and don't be lazy when the ball is falling back down and let it hit you in the face...that's not a pleasant feeling.

Strength Overhead

Warm up: 400m run

Baseline: 500m row, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, 10 pull ups (5:42, blue band)

Skill: Overhead Squat 10-5-5-3-3-1-1 (55-55-55-65-65-75-75)

WOD: AMRAP in 5 min (ran out of time, did not do)
5 Burpees
10 situps

Well, my foot has been messed up for 2 weeks now after my 13 mile, 3,500 ft elevation gain hike to Tom's Thumb. Despite sitting out all last week, I felt like workingout tonight because I just can't sit still anymore. I was really happy with my effort today. I CRUSHED my old Baseline time by 1:33. My first time when I started was 7:15.

However, I still felt completely drained after doing the Baseline just like I did the first time. My effort the rest of the workout suffered because I tried so hard on the Baseline. I felt pretty dizzy for a good 30 minutes or so and my strength on the overhead squat suffered, as did my form.

Measurments - 3 months

Day 1: 12/7/2009
Neck: 17"
Shoulders: 50.5"
Chest: 47"
R. Bicep: 12.5"
Waist: 51"
R. Thigh: 23"
R. Calf: 17"
Wrist: 6"
Total: 224"

3 month: 3/15/2010
Neck: 16.5" (-0.5")
Shoulders: 47" (-3.5")
Chest: 44.5" (-2.5")
R. Bicep: 12" (-0.5")
Waist: 49" (-2")
R. Thigh: 21.5" (-1.5")
R. Calf: 16" (-1")
Wrist: 5.75" (-0.25")
Total: 212.25" (-11.75")

Ok, so I rock....or so people keep telling me. ;-) I'm really glad I decided to remeasure tonight. The scale is only half the battle. So many people give up on weightloss after only a few weeks because they don't see the scale moving. What they fail to realize is that after long periods of being inactive, you will probably gain a little weight once returning, especially when doing something like CrossFit. While I've only lost around 11 lbs, I've lost a ton of inches and have noticed a GIGANTIC increase in my physical performance. That increase in performance is definitely addictive.

For the past week, I've actually CRAVED physical activity. I go nuts sitting in my office all day long, looking forward to getting out and doing something to get my heart beating and actually feel alive. For example, in the last 5 days, I've gone on two 16 mile bike rides, hiked Camelback Mountain, played football, played basketball, and today was my CrossFit workout. I'm perfectly happy with my weightloss thus far, it's a journey, not a race. My mindset is shifting. Instead of seeing how much I can get the scale to move, I want to see how hard I can push myself to perform. I want to run faster, further, bike harder, explore new mountains (I'll have to retry my epic journey around Mc Dowell peak again soon, when I did that last October I almost passed out several times).

The point is this: Weightloss is now a byproduct of the way I am now living. Instead of focusing on weight and basing my happiness on a number, I'm now having fun being active, now that I CAN be active. Doing the physical activities that I love every day will affect my weight and keep bringing it down over time.

"Snatch & Go"

Warm Up: Farmer’s Walk 100 meters (55#)
Lunge 100 meters
Sprint 100 meters
Farmer’s Walk 100 meters (55#)

2 Rounds

Skill: Snatch

WOD: 10 Snatches 95#/65# (75#)
Row Sprint 1 minute for distance (255/238/225/225/250 = 1,193m)
5 Rounds

Great workout! The warm up tonight was actually harder than the workout. Since I'm still carrying around 250+ lbs, lunges and squats become very challenging when done in high numbers. I had to stop several times during the lunges and "cheat" a little by walking a few steps. This was my first time actually doing a "power snatch" (lifting the bar from the ground each rep) and it honestly felt great. My form was nowhere near perfect, but I felt good using the 75 lbs. I could have done more, but my form would have continued to degrade which would have increased the chance for injury.

"Boys will be boys"

Warm up
10 min jump rope
Singles
Side to side (could not do)
Front to back (could not do)
High knees (could not do)
Left foot
Right foot
Single
Crossover (could not do)
Double (could not do)
Single as many as you can in 1 min (63)

Skill
Deadlift

W.O.D - as many rounds as possible in 20mins
5 Pull ups
10 Box jumps (18")
15 Deadlifts (95 lbs)

Great workout! I was gasping for air during it and felt dead after it. The 10 minutes of jump rope was actually a good workout too. For the workout, I did jumping pull ups, 18" box jumps, and 95 lbs deadlifts. I've noticed a huge improvement in my jumping pull ups over the past few months. They're definitely getting easier. The box jumps were also better than before, however I need to make sure to stand up straight once on the box. This was the first time I've done deadlifts at CrossFit Scottsdale and they also went well. 95 lbs seemed pretty easy at first, but when you're doing it as part of an intense workout, it's definitely no easy task.

Last night was also the first workout I've done in the new Vibram Five Finger shoes I got. I actually think they helped my workout. I felt lighter on my feet and I wasn't resting back on my heels as much when lifting. I also think they helped me jump higher mostly because I was afraid to stub my toe when doing the box jump, lol. I'm looking forward to working out some more in them. I definitely felt lighter on my feet if anything.

Turn Your Life Upside Down

Warm Up:
Stripper Pose
Good Mornings
Lunge to Elbow
Down Dog to Inch Worm

Skill:
Handstand Push Ups/Handstand Hold/Handstand Walks (Just Get Upside Down)

WOD:
Tabata Hollow Rocks
Tabata Squats/Bottoms
Tabata Handstand Hold

"Tabata" means 8 rounds of 20 sec of work then 10 sec of rest for a total time of 4 mins.

Hollow Rocks are where you like on your back, hold legs off the ground bent at a 90 degree angle, raise arms over-head and flex EVERY muscle in your body.

This workout killed me, especially the downward dog to inch worm and the hollow rocks. My head felt so dizzy and messed up that I didn't even attempt the handstand holds or walks. I think the reason I've felt weaker the past two weeks is due to the big change in my diet to paleo. I've heard this is normal and I'm looking forward to getting on the other side of the hump and increasing performance and energy.

Too much of a reward!

Ok, so last week was a total failure for weightloss. Because of my huge success the prior week, I decided to reward myself with an entire box of cookies from Costco. That's a mistake I won't make again! The scale said I GAINED 5 lbs back! I will definitely be picking smaller rewards from now on. That said, as of today, I have lost those 5 lbs and am back to 258.4 lbs.

Chelsea

Last nights workout was a real killer. It was longer than most of the workouts, being 30 minutes long. It is also one that will be a great benchmark because it's easy to repeat and requires minimal equipment.

Warm up: Light jogging, one-legged balance practice, stretching

WOD: Every minute on the minute perform 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats. If you fall behind the minute count, keep repeating as many rounds as possible. After 30 minutes, complete the last round that you are in the middle of.

I was able to do 6 rounds on the minute until I fell behind and then completed 17 rounds in 30 minutes. That equates to 85 pull ups, 170 push ups, and 255 squats. While I didn't feel as out of breath as some other workouts, this one sapped my strength. My push ups were done in pretty bad form.

The Scale Moves!

Finally! For the first time in about 2 years, the scaled has gone down! It shows a loss of 7.6 lbs for the week. That's CRAZY! What did I do differently? First, I made it a point to get up early and have breakfast. I ate healthier for some of my lunches. I definitely ate better dinners. I started supplementing fish oil pills. I decided to go off my Epilepsy medication.

Going off my medication was a big decision for me. I've been on it for over 2 years. I just got to the point where it became a quality of life decision. I can either continue to take the medication, hope for reduced seizure frequency, and deal with the side effects. Or, I can try to live healthier and accept a certain amount of seizure frequency while having no side effects. Weightloss or gain is not a common side effect of the medication, however after researching online, I was able to find out numerous examples of people either gaining weight or unable to lose weight while on it. I'm not sure if this has been a part of my inability to lose the last few years, but it definitely raises suspicion if after I go off of it, I lose this amount of weight combined with the changes listed above.

Despite the great amount of weightloss, I feel I can do even better. I still had a few bad meals last week. I still had a lot more soda than I should have. Looking towards this week, I will try to clean up my lunches even further, try to drink less soda, and get more sleep.

Weight: 258.0 lbs

What is progress?

One of my first workouts in Crossfit was a timed event. The goal was 100 burpees as fast as possible with a cutoff of 15 minutes. Two months ago I was only able to manage 50 in that amount of time. Last night was the first time I had tried the same workout again and what was the result? 100 burpees in 12 minutes! Yeah!!!

While my weight might have only gone down by 3lbs in 2 months, my fitness has increased tremendously. I'm really looking forward to the future and once I nail my diet down, there's no telling how far I can go.

Warm up
100 double unders/500 singles for time (500 in 9:46)

Skill
Snatch

WOD
100 burpees for time (100 in 12:00)

"When the Saints come marching in"

Warm up
High knees
But kickers
Standing broad jumps
Karaoke

WOD
5x power cleans #135/95
7x push ups
100m dash
As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 min

Scaling: I was doing 95# Power Cleans and around 130m dash. I did 8 rounds.

This was a tough workout. For me, the running was the hardest. My large stomach makes my back hurt when running and it's impossible to catch your breath during this workout. My back is sore this morning, but that's mostly because I haven't done any heavy lifting involving the back in a few weeks. It feels like normal muscle soreness, not an injury.

"Erin" AKA "Harkey"

This blog will also serve as a record of my workouts. I have been doing CrossFit for 2 months now and have seen a tremendous improvement in my abilities. I will keep track of all activities, time, weight, and how I feel after them so that I can see just how much I continue to improve.

The workout last night consisted of:

Warm up: 5mins jumping rope

50x double unders = 200 singles (or max of 3mins)
50x sit ups
800 meter run = 1000 meter row
3x rounds

For this workout, I was doing the single jump ropes because I'm unable to do double unders. The first round I was able to do all 200 within the 3min cutoff and for both of the other rounds I did around 150. Instead of running the full 800m, I ran 600m each time. This workout had a max cutoff time of 30mins and in that time I did 2 full rounds plus the third round I made it through the jump roping and 30 sit ups, which means I did not do the final 600m run.

This was a tough workout but I'm glad I did it. I was still sore from the workout on Monday, but I'm glad I came to this so that I could really try to push myself. I jumpped rope on Monday for the first time in probably 20 years and I could see a huge improvement in just 2 days. Today, my feet are the most sore. I found out that they actually contain muscles and those are heavily used in jumping, lol.

The Revolution

Viva la Revolution!!! Yes, I'm starting a revolution. However, this will be no ordinary war. While most wars are fought on the battlefield, this one will be fought in my brain. Neurons will be firing neurotransmitters at others, taking aim at the long ruling tyrant. The time has come for the people to rise up. They are taking a stand and fighting to overthrow the king neuron, the one who has it's grip so tight around the others that they follow every order out of fear. Well you know what? It's time a new fear came to replace it. One that I put into power!

It's interesting to think about weightloss as a war with oneself, but I really think it is. It all starts with a choice. Will I choose to have that soda or a glass of water? Will I choose a combo meal with fries or just the burger? Will I choose to exercise or sit on my ass in front of the TV? Weightloss is also a battle that is very much fought internally because of your choices, yet its success or failure is judged by external criteria. What is one's waist size? OMG, look at that double chin! This society places so much worth on one's physical appearance that it's often hard not to get cought up in participating yourself, tying your selfesteem to your own opinion of how you look. I'm very much a victim of this way of thinking.

I'm starting this blog as a way of self expression and introspection. By writing my thoughts down I can both gain advice from others fighting their own wars as well as keep track of the battles I've won or lost and develope better strategy for my next assault. Not only do I want to lose weight for the obvious health and psychological benefits, I want to lose weight to increase my opportunites to partake in any activity that I choose. Do I want to go climb a mountain today? Sure, let's go do it! How about a trip to hike the Grand Canyon? Yeah, dude, that'll be sweet!

I want to be able to push myself and accomplish great feats that the average person is not able to. I want to be an inspiration to others. I want to look back at my life and say wow, you really didn't settle for ordinary. I want to have NO regrets.

Hear that? The war has begun!!