Long Distance Run- 15K

I went into this workout feeling pretty confident. So, I'm thinking, I've been working out consistently for a month now and since running is my strongest point this'll be a breeze. Well, I was wrong. After 5K I started feeling the fatigue and doubting that I would complete the run. I thought maybe I had started too fast. I slowed down a bit and continued the struggle. After every lap (about 900m) I'd tell myself ,"one more lap Neto...dig deep". That's how bad it got. The music didn't help much either. I was using Cindy's ipod and when I most need a boost I got a xmas song. I was too afraid to take the ipod out of my pocket to change the song fearing I'd drop it in my dizzy state and ruin my rythm/pace. After about an hour of running I new I was coming close to the mark. There was no way I was going to stop now. I trotted along to the finish at 1hour 10min. Can't wait for the next one!

Running, Back & Abs

Today we're going to do a little running and core building. I love how Crossfit mixes it up. My goal in this workout is to average a 3min 800m run.

Three rounds:

800m run (averaged 3:10)
50 back extensions
50 sit-ups

Week-5

We had a pretty active Sunday as well so I decided to take Monday off . Today called for more heavy lifting. I'm feeling more coordinated and stronger but not enough to go too heavy. I'm not used to lifting very heavy so I want to keep it at a level where I'm still challenging myself and avoiding injury at the same time.

Deadlifts: 5-5-5-5-5 (145lbs-165-170-175-180)

Weekend in Montezuma, Costa Rica

This was an awesome active weekend. Cindy and I started Saturday off with a morning WOD and followed it up with a hike. Had I known the hike was going to be long and difficult I probably would've skipped the morning workout. Anyway, here's what we did for the day.


Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:

-95 pound Overhead squats (40 lbs) - Cindy probably used 10 lbs
-Burpees

-Hike: 3 hours of climbing and descending

There wasn't a gym in Montezuma so we ended up using rocks. Still did the trick!

This is Steve and I on the hike. I didn't want to carry the towel so I wrapped it like a sarong.

Strength Check.

This workout tests where you're at with how much you can lift. I started my first set at 130lbs then added 20lbs to the next but could only lift it two times. I did the 3rd set at 140 and the final two sets at 145.


Push jerk 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Guess what? More pull-ups!

I can feel my strength increasing. I'm able to do more pull-ups at one time. I'm still having to break them up but not as much as when I first started. The weights are gradually going up as well. I did the following workout in 15 minutes. Check out the video of this guy who did it in 2. AMAZING!

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:

95 pound Thruster (I used 75lbs)
Pull-ups

Rowing today

This WOD called for a timed 2k row but the little old gym I go to doesn't have a rowing machine so I had to go with a simulated workout. This took me 26 minutes using 45lbs. You'll notice in the video the guy does 3 squats without pulling the bar up- those I assume are warm-ups. Here's the workout:

200 Sumo Dead Lift High Pull (45lbs)

You have to try and do it continuously to get the same benefit as rowing. I had to stop and rest but tried limiting my rest time from 10-30 secs. You'll leave the gym with a drenched shirt- TRUST ME!

Week-4 and a Great Start to the Week

This was supposed to be a timed workout but I forgot my watch so I can guess that it took me 45-50 minutes. I'll post the original WOD with my adjustments in parenthesis.

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood (I used a 25lb dumbell. 1 pood is 36lbs)
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows (hanging from a bar, I could only raise knees halfway up)
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball (didn't have a ball so I simulated the movement with a dumbell)
50 Burpees
50 Double unders (this is jump rope going twice under feet but didn't have rope so I ran)

More pull-ups!

We went to a party Thursday night so I had to take Friday off. Today's WOD called for more pull-ups. It seems to be a consistent Crossfit excercise. This time, however, they were weighted pull-ups. As I hung from the bar with my knees bent (calves facing upward), Cindy placed bricks on my calves to weigh me down. On every set we would more weight until I couldn't pull myself up anymore. So, you do a total of 7 sets with only 1 rep per set but it gets very heavy. Here's the workout:


Weighted pull-ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Acrobats!

This work out was actually kind of fun but tough. I wasn't able to do L pull-ups so I did regular. For the handstand push-ups I used a slide's ladder to support my feet and my body was at a slight angle. This took about 25 minutes- I had to rest in between the higher rep pullups.

For time:
15 Handstand push-ups
1 L Pull-up
13 Handstand push-ups
3 L Pull-ups
11 Handstand push-ups
5 L Pull-ups
9 Handstand push-ups
7 L Pull-ups
7 Handstand push-ups
9 L Pull-ups
5 Handstand push-ups
11 L Pull-ups
3 Handstand push-ups
13 L Pull-ups
1 Handstand push-up
15 L Pull-ups

More adjusting

In this workout I had to substitute bar dips for ring dips and lowered the push-press weight from 115lbs to 80lbs.

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

15 Push-ups
12 bar dips
80 lb Push-press, 9 reps

Week 3- Still sore but pushing along

I did this WOD in 21 min 30 sec.


Four rounds for time of:

Run 400 meters
50 Squats

Hiking the Turrialba Volcano.

This morning we planned a hike up the Turrialba Volcano about an hour from San Jose. We parked the car half way up the mountain and hiked for an hour to the top. Awesome experience and good workout at the same time. Here's a picture of my wife Cindy and I at the entrance and a view from the top.

A Little Improvising

This work out had my abs sore for days. My new gym was closed today so I walked around the park and found a round concrete picnic table with curved benches that I was able to use for this workout. I also had to substitute tricep bench dips for the muscle-ups (which I can't do anyway).

Complete as many rounds in 30 minutes as you can of:

Walking Lunge, 12 steps (each leg)
15 Glute-Ham Sit-ups
15 Hip Extensions
5 Muscle-ups

Good Ol' Fashioned Run

Today's workout was a bit out of the ordinary.................a 10k run! I didn't have a way to measure the distance so I used my average mile pace to approximate. I probably ended up running a bit short of a 10k but at hard pace none the less.

Grueling

I didn't think I would finish this one but I dug deep and completed the entire workout.

Five rounds for time of:

95 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
95 pound Hang power clean, 12 reps
95 pound Front Squat, 9 reps
95 pound Push Jerk, 6 reps

Pure Strength!

This WOD required all the strength I could find from within.

For time:

100 Pull-ups ---- 50 (actual)
100 Push-ups ---- 100
100 Sit-ups ------ 100
100 Squats ------- 50

Week 2- Interesting workout

This was actually a fun WOD. I did the entire thing but of course, with lighter weight.

5 rounds for time of:
115 pound Deadlifts, 5 reps
10 Burpees (see video)

Day 3- Easy Day

I was pretty beat from the previous two days that I had to adjust the workout of the day (WOD) to very light. The actual WOD called for three phases done 4 hours apart between each phase. There was no way my body was going to take it so I did the easiest one- a timed 1.5K run (in 3:30). It felt good to go easy this day.

Gym Discovery

My second crossfit required weights and luckily, the day before I happened to run into an old gym at the park. The weights and equipment were rusty and beat-up but good enough for what I needed to accomplish. And for $10 (5,000 colones) a month, I think I'll be going there from now on. So here's the work-out:


Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1
Push Press 3-3-3-3-3
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5

First Costa Rica workout- Week 1

My very first day in San Jose I ran to La Sabana park from La Uruca- approximately 2 km away. This workout required only a pull-up bar so I walked around the park and found an old swing set w/out the swings. It was kind of high so I rolled a concrete block underneath the bar. It's still there so if you ever want to use it feel free. The workout went as follows, however I don't think I did it correctly.

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.
Use as many sets each minute as needed. (http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/003801.html)

Considering my level of fitness at this point, I think I did ok with 7 minutes and a total of 28 pull-ups.