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02/11/2012 Paleo Challenge Finale, Final Challenge Weigh In, and Future Plans

02/11/2012 Paleo Challenge Finale, Final Challenge Weigh In, and Future Plans

Paleo Challenge Winners

Guess who is not in this picture?

Saturday morning I woke up feeling less than perfect.  I took a Dayquil, an occicilium, drank two cups of coffee, took some endurolytes, and ate some starchy carbs.  I took my dog for a walk to loosen up my legs, but I was stiff and sore from the day before.

After dropping off Benny at Doggy Daycare (I know, it’s insanity), I had an early lunch, and picked up Catelyn who I sometimes give a ride to on the weekends.  She’s been doing CrossFit just short of a year now, and is turning into the “Elite-Elite” athlete that everyone aspires to be, she’s quiet but handles her workouts with subtle intensity, where as I am the typical ogre who will start grunting, I seriously hate that shit but I can’t help it, when shit gets heavy it just comes out.

When we got to Patriot the 12 o’clock Saturday class was in the middle of their Metcon, so there wasn’t much room to stretch, or warm-up.  While rolling out on the foam roller I realized that I had forgotten one of the most valuable tools I have when I feel like shit.  I forgot my dose of Core Zap,which is a thermogenic pill (aka fat burner), which has a nice serving of caffeine and some herbal stuff in it, so I bolted out of the box and drove to Arlington Nutrition Corner about a mile and half away to buy some more.  Who knows how effective this product really is in giving me an extra boost, but it gives me a level of confidence when I am less than 100%. 

When the Paleo Challenge WoDs started I was stilling wearing my sweatshirt, and sweatpants, and a beanie.  I couldn’t get warm.  Even with the Zap, and the increased water intake I just could not get warm.

I started the first WoD without my sweatpants, but with my sweatshirt and beanie still on, which rarely ever happens, because my body normally runs at a hotter temperature.  The first WoD was an AMRAP of 4 minutes, 1 minute of pull ups, 1 minute of push ups, 1 minute of sit ups, 1 minute of air squats.  The air squats I thought would be a problem, but it turns out the sit-ups and the ring rows (sub for pull ups) were my Achilles heal. 

All the weeks leading up to the challenge I would practice parts of this WoD if one of the motions was included in the programmed Workout of the Day, so if we had a 10 minute AMRAP that had push-ups, sit-ups, or air-squats as part of the workout I would watch the clock and count to see how many reps I could do in a minute, or if it was say 25 reps I would see how fast I could do them. 

Based on some unscientific calculations, I figured I had worked myself up to being able to finish 35-40 push ups, 40 sit-ups, and 60 air squats.  I knew that the percentage change would play a big role in the competition, and realized that the AMRAP’s gave the biggest opportunity to make that change, especially on the WoD 1.

In the end I just didn’t have enough in the tank.  I made improvements in each category but not to the degree I was expecting. 

Day 1 WoD 1 Numbers           vs.        Day 36 WoD 1 Numbers

Ring Rows 26   (20.8)                          Ring Rows 31   (24.8)              

Push Ups 27                                         Push Ups 35

Sit Ups 28                                            Sit Ups 30

Squats 43                                             Squats 53

Total Score      118.8                           Total Score      142.8

                                    % change of 20

After the first WoD I felt like shit!!!!!  A complete pile of heaping elephant dung, I changed into dry clothes; I put on my sweatpants, sweatshirt, and new beanie.  I also ate a primal pak which has beef jerky, nuts and dried fruit.  I drank two Vitococo waters, and kept moving around.  My body temperature was falling down again. 

There was about an hour plus of discussion about the challenge, which I didn’t spend much time listening to because, I just wanted to keep moving around so I didn’t get cold.  When it appeared that it was almost done I popped four Core Zaps, and pounded a Vitococo water…sugar and caffeine cures everything. 

During the second WoD we had 22 minutes to establish a 1 rep maximum for a power clean.  I hadn’t done much with power cleans, except one night of barbell club, so I wasn’t expecting much, to be perfectly honest I figured I would be in good shape if I just did my previous weight of 175 lbs. 

Each time I went down to the bar and did a power clean, I would put the bar down, and get lightheaded.  The heavier the weight got, the longer the dizziness spells were, when I did 175 lbs I felt a huge sense of relief.  So with nothing to lose I went for 185 lbs.  I attempted it 3 times, with no success, then Ryan said to me don’t spend an hour at the bottom, just grab it and go to build some momentum, I did and power cleaned 185 lbs.  It was ugly, but it was scored.  Any attempts at heavier weights was just futile, my body wasn’t going to have it.

My workout partner John Anderson, who owns the finest tobacco shop in DC, W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist with two locations, DC and Bethesda, visit them on the web at http://www.wcurtisdraper.com/ I can’t help it he paid me to write that, added 25 lbs to his power clean. 

Day 1 WoD 2 Numbers           vs.        Day 36 WoD 2 Numbers

1 rpm Power Clean 175 lbs                  1 rpm Power Clean 185 lbs

                                    % change of 5

Following the second WoD we broke our gear down for WoD 3.  I again pounded a Vitacoco water, and a full bottle of water.  My goal for this WoD was to get more than 6 rounds.  My previous attempt I got 5 + 9 reps. 

I let John go first so I could recover a little more, and in hindsight I think I should have gone first because the adrenaline was pumping to the point where in a short 6 minute AMRAP it would have boosted me through the first couple of minutes.  I felt that jolt go away halfway through John’s workout. 

The workout was as prescribed 5 burpees, 10 kettlebell swings with a 53 lbs kb, and 15 push presses with a 45 lbs bar.  I used a 55 lbs dumbbell because that’s what I got stuck with the first time.  The dumbbell sucks because it’s much harder to drive it upwards with your hips because only one hand has a true grip on the bell.

When I started I blew through the first three rounds finishing each one under a minute, in fact the first round I think I finished right around 40 seconds.  In fact I think in the first round I jumped from my burpee right into the position to grab the kettlebell.  Rounds 4 and 5 I started to slow down, and it was enough that I didn’t have enough time to finish round 6.  I ended up completing 5 full rounds, and did 20 reps, I was 10 push presses away from the 6^th round.  I could have picked up the 8 more seconds I needed easily by not resting and picking up the barbell faster each round.

I might do the challenge again just to see if I can get 6 rounds of work on this one workout.

Day 1 WoD 2 Numbers           vs.                    Day 36 WoD 2 Numbers

6 Minute AMRAP                                            6 Minute AMRAP

5 Burpees                                                         5 Burpees

10 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs (55 lbs)                  10 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs (55 lbs)

15 Push Presses 45 lbs                         15 Push Presses 45 lbs

5 rounds + 9                                                     5 rounds + 20

Total Score 159                                               Total Score 170

                                    % change of 7

So here are the final numbers:

 

Beginning Weight 274 lbs                                  Ending Weight 257

                                    % change of 6, 17 lbs weight loss.

WoD Day 1 Performance Total: 437.8  WoD Day 36 Performance Total 497.8  

                                    % change of 13.7

 How would I rate the overall experience, and outcome? 

It’s hard to say.  The final workout I don’t think was indicative of what I could have done if 100% healthy.  To some degree perhaps it was the best thing for me, because in the end I realize the whole point of the challenge is to get people to buy in, and I have somewhat bought in, but I don’t think “strict” Paleo is for me.

Can a brother get a little soy?

We are talking about long term sustainability when it comes to fitness and nutrition, so eating as strict as I did is just not going to happen for the next 40 years of my life (almost no starch, no nuts, no fruit).  Having said that I also think that the way the diet is explained, and portrayed by PCF as being idiot proof is one that should be clarified, I think if you aren’t struggling with weight it’s easy to follow the plan.  Eat when your hungry, and don’t eat when your not.

If you have battled your weight your entire life this is not as easy as putting on your pants.  You just don’t trust yourself with food, how insane is that; you don’t trust yourself with one of the key functions of survival.

I struggled quite a bit, and had to ask Shady if I should eat at certain times because I was obsessing over the caloric intake, and I wasn’t hungry.  Other times I felt like I ate too much, but was still hungry and would debate whether or not to eat.

In the end I had a nutritional consultation with Amy Kublar who is one of Robb Wolf’s nutritional consultants.  She read my food log, and said that I was eating too much protein.  Apparently your body can only digest so much protein at any given time, and then the excess becomes waste. 

She sent me the following:

Protein isn’t particularly dangerous, but an over-consumption of protein may be associated with:

1.                               Weight gain. Excess calories from excess protein may be stored as body fat.

2.                               Intestinal irritation. Too much protein has been linked to constipation, diarrhea and/or excessive gas.

3.                               Dehydration. Experts advise drinking a half gallon of water per 100 grams of protein.

4.                               Seizures. Seizures have been linked to excess protein intake – but only if insufficient amounts of water are consumed.

5.                               Increase in liver enzymes.

6.                               Nutritional deficiencies. Just focusing on protein intake causes some high-protein dieters to overlook other nutrients. Ensure that your diet is balanced and nutritious.

She also gave me a simple template with the Paleo Diet for weight loss.  This is the template on their website.  My plan is similar but with a few tweaks based on activity level.

 Sample Meal Plan

Sample Meal Plan: Weight Loss

Breakfast:

Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. ¼ cup blueberries. Espresso.

Lunch:

Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic. Green tea with lemon.

Snack:

Grilled shrimp & veggies with a hand full of macadameias.

Dinner:

Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil. Desert: shaved almonds over 1/4 cup mixed berries.

In the end my discussion with Amy made me feel a little better about how to make this a lifestyle choice.  I’ve bought into the science on how to control your insulin, but I also think that the process of gaining and losing weight is something no one has figured out to a precise science if that were the case there would be one way of doing it for everyone. 

There are too many systems that are involved within your body that cause changes to your cells, what I do think is necessary is controlling your insulin, watching your caloric intake to make sure it’s not excessive, and also so it doesn’t fall so low that you are starving, and making sure that you are active to promote a better state of well being.  The good nutrition I believe goes hand in hand with activity level; there is a symbiotic relationship between the two.  The human body was clearly designed to do work, and build muscle if it wasn’t I think the more you stressed your muscles the more they would like bruises or tumors. 

I am going to utilize the suggested changes that Amy made, and continue to do CrossFit, but it won’t be the only thing I do.  If I only focus on CrossFit then all I’m doing is getting better at CrossFit, I think it’s a tool for an end goal.

I will most likely buy some sessions, or pay for a membership at LA Boxing, or the MMA school in Arlington because I like that shit  I will probably cancel my membership at Washington Sports Club because I don’t use it, and I fucking hate cardio machines.  I may also buy a Concept 2 rower for my house. 

There are just some of those days where I feel the need to burn the shit out of my body through an extended period of work.  When the weather gets warmer I will probably start doing some trail running, and hiking.  I bought a weighted vest that I plan to use when I walk my dog, because my calf muscles are looking thin, and that’s not good for going uphill.

All in all my experience was a 6-7 on a 10 scale.  I think its better that my performance ended up in the middle of the pack, because it’s motivating me to work harder, get smarter, but also to look at the bigger picture and not just within the walls of CrossFit. 

A quick note on my weekend Shotgun rider, she won the competition.  She actually smoked the shit out of everyone.  The way the scoring is set up, it favors someone who can stay in the top tier for both workouts.  She finished 4^th in the initial WoD for the women, and then was able to follow that up with a 10^th place finish in the % change.  The third category which was the photos was subjective, and all done by Brian.  She was able to finish in the top tier here as well, she did what was really hard, stay in the top 10 for all three categories, which is why she won by a wide margin.  Nice Job Catelyn. 

02/01/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 26, Biggest Loser...

My Thoughts on the Biggest Loser

I watched the recent episode of the Biggest Loser, the one where Bob Harper brought his obsession of CrossFit into one of the shows workouts by having the contestants do “Fran”.  The first thing I thought about was how I felt at those bigger sizes trying to do things like jumping pull-ups, and squats.  At one point of one of the younger guys fights for air, which is a feeling that I will never forget, because the more you try and open your mouth and open your throat for air the more it feels like it’s closing. 

This happens not just because of poor fitness, but because your body weight actually compresses your internal organs.  When you are carrying an extra 200 lbs your fat presses down on your lungs, and it is a laboring process to just breathe, which is why sleep apnea is so prominent in obese people (when I had a sleep study done before I was told that I stopped breathing 50-60 times an hour).  You add to that decreased lung function taxing cardiovascular work, and it’s like breathing with a plastic bag on your head. 

Second I was getting annoyed by the contestants.  Listening to these people bitch, and moan, made me want to fly out to California and say to them this fucking shitty attitude you are displaying is how you ended up as obese fucks in the first place, I know from experience.  The guy who just won a spot back on the ranch has the best attitude, and he’s a guy who will stay lean once he gets there, everyone else I assure will be on a road back to obesity. 

I know a large percentage of the people who were contestants will regain the weight; in fact more than one winner has had to do something drastic to lose the weight a second time. 

Having just posted about my body weight issues yesterday, I had a bit of my neurotic insanity thrown back into my face.  I’ve lived in a similar environment to what the contestants go through on the show, and had been taught the same concepts of nutrition. 

What really started to irritate me was the attitude the contestants had with each other which was a direct result of viewing  weight loss through the lens of balancing a mathematical equation of caloric input versus caloric output, if that were true the following would have not happened(read previous post here) to me. 

I also found it ironic that the two new people added to the show this week lost the smallest amount of weight because their diets had changed at the ranch to include more “Healthy Carbs” like oatmeal, when it appeared that at home they had stayed away from carbs.

 I just thought to myself if they were eating a low carb diet, and then started taking in more refined carbs, of course weight loss would be inhibited because their insulin would be going “What the fuck just happened?” 

I can’t remember if I read this on Marks Daily Apple, or another similar blog, but the writer posed a simple question to people to name an essential carb, meaning that he/she wanted you to name a single carbohydrate that you had to eat to survive.  The answer is none.

What smacked me in the face, and made me realize how my neurotic Asian behavior is probably causing me to stress while I sleep, was the connection made between effort and weight.  The contestants were saying things such as, “well this person should have worked harder, because they only lost a small amount of weight”, and that they were being lazy. 

Ian tried to explain to me months ago, that my output and weight loss aren’t necessarily connected, that I shouldn’t judge my efforts based on feedback from output mechanisms like how much I sweat, or how tired I feel, or how long I workout.

He told me that my best changes every day.

He tried to get me to think about results oriented measurable goals like weight moved, or movements mastered, things which are tangible and quantifiable, because I have to judge performance based on something which can be measured. 

You know there was one other guy who was saying something similar, but it sounded more like caveman grunting so I needed an interpreter.

On the one hand I am going to focus more on my performance in the gym, like being able to do strict pull-ups, or to do at least half of the Metcons as prescribed.  These are realistic performance oriented goals.

 At the same time my obsession with my weight will probably not change but it won’t be the primary focus.  I am 10 lbs away from 250 lbs, and I’m 16 lbs away from having lost 200 lbs…I was 443 lbs at my heaviest.  This is a real goal that I want to hit.  From the 240’s down I don’t think I would care if it took an entire year to get there, but the shorter term goal is something that will make me nutty.

Thanks to the MoMos on the Biggest Loser I’m less likely to bang my head into a wall when I work hard and see no results on the scale.  I call them Momos because not all that long ago I considered putting in an application.

When you feel helpless, you are…when you realize you have control over your life there is nothing that will prevent you from achieving your goals.

WoD

Today’s WoD involved establishing a one rep maximum for your jerk, and then a metcon of Ring-Dips, Box Jumps, and weighted lunges. 

During the jerks, I partnered with Loren, who previously had only gotten to 185 lbs, the most I had done was the previous week doing 185 lbs, so we paired up pretty well, and in the end he was able to jerk is body weight at 205 lbs.

 After 2 failed attempts on the third one I was able to Jerk 215 lbs.  When I got 215 lbs up, I felt like I could get 225 lbs, but ran out of time.  I am so close to jerking two red plates…damn you 225 lbs.

Here is video from my 3 attempts at 215 lbs. 

 

 

 

Here is video of Loren at 205 lbs.

 

The metcon was a 21-15-9, doing the above mentioned motions, so the first round we did 21 reps, the second 15, and finished with 9 reps per exercise.  The prescribed work was to do ring dips, box jumps at 30”, and lunges with a 45 lbs plate, remember what I wrote yesterday about doing 2/3 rx, not this one.  I had to use a green band to assist on the dips, and had to use a 24” box.  I was able to do the lunges as prescribed.

I finished the WoD in 7:18, and look forward to the day I can do the dips, and the 30” box.  Ricky gave me a good bit of advice today.  He told me to pause at the top, and not on the bottom.  I am going to have to work on getting down, and up, instead of up and down. 

Here is the ugliness.

  

I also started doing Recon Ron today.  Recon Ron is a training program from the Marine Corp designed to help improve someone’s ability to do pull-ups, or push-ups.  It’s a 38 week program done over 5-6 days.  If it’s good enough for the jarheads, it’s good enough for me.

It’s done with 6 sets and varying number of reps, it simply adds volume over time, but I think it’s a nice simple way to improve at something without a huge time commitment.  So I started week 1.

Week 1 day 1, I did two sets of 6, two sets of 5, one set of 4, and one set of 3.  I used the black and purple band.  I’m hoping as time goes on I can reduce the bands as well; I also did the same sets above for push-ups.  I would like to get stronger at push-ups so during something like Murph I can do all of the push-ups strict.

Recon ron chart here…

Brian Wilson’s previous blog post on Recon Ron & Volume Training here..

Barbell Club

I went to my first addition of Barbell Club aka Ryan Powell’s kingdom.  Barbell club is the equivalent to an “open gym” time that some other CrossFit gyms have, it’s an opportunity to work on Olympic and Power Lifts.  It’s not a class, and intended for instruction but King Powell is there to help direct, or provide feedback on your lifts.  I went with the intention of working on my 1 rep max power clean, only to find out that the mechanics of my cleans in general suck.

Right before barbell club I went to see Doctor Moses and NOVA Pain and Rehab.  I went to see him because I keep having a reoccurring tightness and soreness in my hips and groin.  Doctor M told me that I have serious mobility issues in my hips, and that if I don’t work on improving my mobility I will be limited in my ability to lift heavy and will most likely injury myself.  I don’t know the technical diagnosis of what is wrong with my hip, but I can’t rotate my hip outward.

The test is simple.  From a seated position with your legs hanging over the edge of a table or bed, you are supposed to be able to rotate your leg the same distance in, as you can out.  So if you take your foot and try and turn it up to your face, you should be able to take it out towards your ear as well.

It was thus no surprise that, at Barbell Club, most of the things that Ryan had me work on were related to hip mobility issues.  As my hips have gotten tighter I’ve been moving my feet closer together, and limiting the range of motion for my squat.  I’ve compensated by rolling my entire chest forward.  You couple this with lack of shoulder mobility and I have a recipe for failure.  It’s no wonder during the Metocn last week with thrusters that I was in such bad shape. 

Barbell Club proved to be a huge boost in enhancing my positioning, and technique for front squats, and cleans.  I have a couple of reference points now that I didn’t have last week. 

 Needless to say, I’m reserved to the fact that I have to take a step back and go a bit lighter on cleans, and front squats until these new body positions feel natural.

Meals

You can check my meals here…

01/31/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 25

01/31/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 25

Feelings On Paleo Challenge

After three weeks and some days I have mixed feelings about the Paleo Diet.  I have been strict, as strict as I think is possible.  My eating has been clean, I’ve gotten good sleep, and I’ve done everything I can to keep my stress levels low. 

In terms of my performance in the gym, I am clearly getting stronger, and I am getting better at Olympic Lifts.  During the longer Metcons I am able to maintain a nice energy level throughout the work, but I don’t have the reserve gas tank that I do during the home stretch, there’s normally a small window of time where I use my sheer desire to succeed to push harder than I did in the opening minutes, but it just hasn’t been there…  When we do shorter Metcons I’m not able to maintain the intensity for more than a couple of minutes.  In a 4-5 minute workout in the pass I had far more juice than I do now. 

I think there is a combination of things going on here, because I am doing heavier weights, I know I am reaching the verge of muscle failure faster, but I also feel a part of it is a result of my low starch intake.  When we did Murph I did consume some starch the night before, and morning before.  This proved to help me get through a 40+ minute workout, and a little bit to finish my second mile in a close time to my first mile.

In general overall performance is up, but how I feel during metcons is down, so to some degree I feel like my strength is growing yet the endurance is dropping.

The area for me which is making me a little unhappy is clearly the weight.  For those people who are trying to be encouraging I appreciate your concerns, I really do, to take the time to post to my blog and say something means a great deal; be assured the weight frustrates me but not to the point of doing something drastic.

And I post to the blog how I feel during any given time, I don’t want to filter anything because this evolution is a process which is a tough one.

When you spend a good portion of your life obese, you want nothing more than to not be obese, so when you put the effort forward, and do what is recommended and nothing happens towards a goal it’s frustrating.

Irrational as it maybe, I have to be comfortable in my skin, and in my own head.  I just want to know what causes the body to actually shed weight, and what causes it to retain body weight.  My body composition is changing, yet I don’t want to be a 250 lbs guy who is ripped, that’s just not what I want in my life.

If this is the new norm, fine, when reflecting on the overall month, losing 10+ pounds is not bad.  Staying at this rate for the course of a year I would lose 120 lbs, so I got that going for me…

WoD

Today’s WoD was a single 15 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible), 5 power cleans at 145 lbs, 10 toes to bar, and 15 wall balls with a 20 lb wall ball and a 10’ target.  When I read the workout the night before and the metcon involves moves that I have to scale I get frustrated, but then have to think about which movements I can do as prescribed.  The nice thing occurring over the last month is that more times than not I’m able to do at least 2/3 of a metcon as prescribed, so I got that going for me.

After warming up, and doing a few power cleans at 135 lbs, I felt like this would be a good weight.  That’s when Coach Jay and Loren goaded me into adding the 10 lbs to the prescribed weight of 145 lbs.  My response was something along the lines of kissing my ass, as I added the weights.

When the clock started I felt like the right decision had been made in terms of the weight for the power cleans.  I made progress in the toes to bar as I was able to bring my knees further up just below my chest.  I wore my lifting shoes, and found that the wall balls were easier to do, and that I was able to pop up the bar up.  When wearing my Pure Ugly’s I could feel my feet moving every time I would go into the squat with the medicine ball, but with my New Nikes my feet were planted perfectly, thus allowing me to drive the ball harder, and making it feel lighter.

I finished 7 rounds plus 5 reps in the fifteen minutes.  I figure once I am actually doing toes to bar that I would have probably finished 5 rounds, but I could be completely pulling that out of my ass.

Paleo Meals

My paleo meals for day 25.

01/31/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 24

01/30/2011 Paleo Challenge Day 24

The scale

I spent a little time today at REI buying jackets in an XL size.  They are a smidgen on the small size, but I fit in them standing up.  In any case I feel the emotional need to start clearing out the XXL clothes which are too big now, and replace with XL cuts which actually fit me.  

XXL jackets and shirts fit loose, and at times are too big, in fact I have a pair of Levis that when I wear I look like an old guy trying to look cool with his baggy jeans.  I don't want clothes that are too loose because I think loose fitting clothes gives you the ability to gain weight without much in the matter of negative feedback.  When your clothes start to get tight you say oh fuck I’m getting fat let me watch what I eat.  If you have enough room to gain significant amounts of weight, it just makes the uncomfortable change seem a part of normal life.

I wore nothing but sweatpants when I started to gain weight...that fucking wont' happen again.

With that being said the ever-fluctuating weight is frustrating.  It’s baffling.  When I weighed myself yesterday I weighed 264 lbs, when I weighed myself this morning I weighed 261 lbs.  I don’t know what to say, other than fuck, and I can’t figure it out.

I won’t spend too much time stressing about it, but it just reinforces the fact that weightloss I hard, and every time you figure something out your body dynamics change and then makes life difficult.  It’s either a product of bad genes, or the innate adaptability of the human body.

After the Paleo Challenge I’m toying with the idea of 1 meal a week, as a cheat meal to shock the body.  I don’t know if this is lunacy or a good idea, but I may try it if things don’t change the next week and half.

WoD

Started my morning off at the first WoD with the combined Patriot and Potomac groups.    At the 5:30 am session there were 40+ people, yet with all things considered Dan and Kevin did a good job.  I don't think as a coach you can prepare yourself for double the number of athletes in a particular class, fortunately the type of people who gravitate towards CrossFit are motivated, and smart, which makes this type of transition easier on the staff and owners of a gym.

We worked on Front Squats for the powerlifting portion of the WoD, and then a short 7 minute metcon which when you read seems innocuous, but turns out to be poison.  I ended up partnering with Matt R., and Eugene for the squats.

Matt was on his “deloading” week of Wendler (more information on Wendler here) so he did a few sets of back squats in-between our warm-up.  The program was designed by Jim Wendler a power lifter and is called the 5/3/1, which is done over 4 weeks with lifts 3-4 times a week on a series of core lifts, back squats, bench press, deadlift, and standing press.  The idea being that during the cycles of training you do weights which are a varying % of your 1 rep max, ultimately the program is designed to increase your strength in these core lifts. 

Eugene and I worked at similar weights and ended up doing 4 sets of 2 at 175lbs and 3 sets of 2 at 185 lbs.  There is video below from the third set of 175 lbs and my last set of 185 lbs.  I’m just happy I can hold 185 lbs in the racked position.

  

 

The deceptive metcon was programmed for 7 minutes, and two movements.  A reasonable amount of weight, and a motion that I’m comfortable with, a great number of people either have shoulder issues, or are uncomfortable in the overhead squat position, it doesn’t bother me, but I haven’t done enough of them to really know how much weight I can handle.  I have no problem squat snatching 115 lbs, so I figured 115 lbs for the overhead squats would be more than doable; the prescribed 135 lbs just seemed a hair out of reach.

The Overhead squats were followed by 10 bar facing burpees, which I think was supposed to mean we were facing the bar and jumped over the barbell, but with the number of people in the class we did bastards, which means you jump laterally when coming up.

I was able to do 4 rounds plus 1 rep but I will admit a good deal of my bastards looked like skips.  Here is video.

 

Meals

Paleo Meals Day 24

 

 

01/26-01/27/2012 Paleo Challenge Days 20 & 21, Oly Shoes are Fucking Awesome

01/26 & 01/27 Paleo Challenge Days 20 & 21

Oly Shoes, I wish someone would have told me about them…

 My new Nike Romaleos 2 showed up the evening of day 19, and I got to use them on day 20 of the Paleo Challenge.  There was a bit of an adjustment period because there is a strikingly different feel with these shoes, versus the running shoes I have been using for all of my Olympic lifts.

First they are heavier, I know that there are some other brands which are lighter, but I like the weight, and the stiffness of these shoes.  My feet literally feel planted to the ground.  I am going to have to work on foot work, and perhaps exaggerate my foot action because I don’t feel them moving much.  I could be completely full of shit but that’s what my initial gut instinct tells me. 

Second I’ve conditioned myself to make small adjustments with my feet because of the nature of running shoes, and the padding in them, I found it tough during warm ups to try and find the correct balance which subsequently is a non rotating foot, it’s kind of counterintuitive to what you would think, but there will be some time just getting used to quiet ankles.

Finally the new found stability in these shoes makes me realize that I can handle more weight in many of the Olympic Lifts, once I get used to these shoes I know for a fact I’ll be handle larger loads because I will have a stronger base to work from. 

So far the Oly Shoes are fucking great, and I wish someone would have told me how great they were a couple of months ago, so I wouldn’t have been wasting my time developing poor habits.

You know I really wish that Rjp.com aka as Shady would have given me some sound advice.

Just look at the difference in my ability to snatch 135 lbs, the first video is from the previous week in my Pure Ugly’s and the second with my new Nike Romaleos 2s.

Watch my feet in the video how they rock back and forth.  When I do jerks, they oscillate from side to side, clearly here in a snatch they move from front to back, in the manner that running shoes were designed.

  

 

 

WoDs

The last two days have been interesting in terms of the WoDs.  On day 20, my metcon performance was week, as I had a huge void in strength.  I just didn’t have any juice in the tank towards the end of the AMRAPs.  Further while doing the snatches I felt my hands were weaker than usual, an almost slight tinge in them, that I wouldn’t quite call a numbness. 

WoD on day 20 was a four minute AMRAP, of 5 thrusters at 115 lbs, and 5 burpees.  When I read this WoD the night before I figured I would get about 6 rounds.  It turns out that 115 lbs for a thruster is much harder than I anticipated.  I was able to do 4 rounds + 3 reps, as prescribed.  So on the one hand I finally got an Rx WoD in, but my performance was less then great, you will see in the video I gassed out after the second round, and the bar felt like it weighed twice as much.

 

WoD on day 21 was a 10 minute AMRAP with 30 double unders or in my case 60 running men, and 15 power snatches at 75 lbs.  I was able to complete 6 rounds plus 19 reps.  Please don’t mind the man boobs bouncing, if you concentrate on them fully you will become hypnotized, and try to eat enough to grow your own pair.

 

 Paleo Meals Day 20 & 21

Paleo Meals Day 20

Paleo Meals Day 21

 

01/24/2012 Paleo Challnege Day 18

01/24/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 18

In going into my third week, I am finally seeing the scale move again.  My mind is so set on breaking the 250 lbs barrier.  I have been tempted almost everyday to go to Washington Sports Club, or the gym in my building to do some Cardio.

I don’t know how much of it is a direct result of Pavlovian Conditioning, and how much of it is this idea that I can work myself thin, but I can’t help feel that I need to sweat.  I actually miss the feeling of being soaked in a shirt with sweat, because I’ve given everything that I can in a workout.

It’s how I felt after the 2 round version of the filthy fifty today.  In an attempt to breakdown the emotional weight of 500 reps of work Aaron and Erika decided we would do the Filthy Fifty in two rounds of 25 instead of 50 rounds of each straight through. 

In any case after I finished I was soaked, and it felt good, I'm sure it's some strange fat guy conditioning.

A combination of this deep desire to reach 250 lbs, and a desire to push my cardiovascular endurance is making it tough to just stick to my 5 week plan.  I’m sure to some degree this compulsive behavior was either part, or a result of my previous food life. 

In reading Gary Taubes’ “Why We Get Fat” a second time, I find myself trying to shift my paradigm in a way that looks as obesity as a symptom of some biological functions and not the cause of a physics equation.  It’s hard to truly accept after 30 years of programming that I’m fat because I ate too much, and was lazy.

The more I think about it, a big portion of my youth was spent working for my parents, summers were I worked 50 hours a week on my feet all day long, in an environment that wasn’t a factory but clearly blue collar, yet with all of those calories expended I couldn’t lose weight.

I also look at how I lost weight the first time in high school, starvation, and steady state cardiovascular exercise.  The funny thing is in retrospect the meals I would eat were very low in carbs, and high in protein and fat.  When you eat next to nothing, I’m sure your body has no sugar left to burn, and some innate drive is created that seeks and craves foods which not only give it what it needs but satiates hunger.

If anyone reading this sees an almost mind numbing pattern, to be obese is to be broken, and obsessively focused on food, physical comfort directly related to mobility, and depressive unhappy thoughts.  Anyone who is morbidly obese who appears to be happy is full of shit, and the more gregarious they appear to be the more inwardly unhappy they are…

I think I know what I want to do with the next phase of my life…

WoD

Today’s WoD involved doing the Filthy Fifty broken into 2 rounds of 25.  So the work was as follows:

• 2 Rounds
• 25 Box Jumps 24” Box
• 25 Jumping Pull Ups
• 25 kb swings 35 lbs kb
• 25 walking lunges
• 25 knees to elbows
• 25 push press 45 lbs
• 25 back extensions or 95 lbs straight leg deadlift
• 25 wall balls 20 lbs 10’ target
• 25 burpees
• 25 double unders

I found that after the first round I was gassed.  Trying to do the box jumps took a great deal of concentration, especially since this is the first WoD I’ve used the 24” box.  I had to scale the knees to elbows to knees to gut, and did 50 running mans instead of double unders. 

Burpees during this WoD sucked ass.  My wrists hurt so I couldn’t get down fast enough, and then my legs decided it was move like an old man day.

In the end I finished 2.5 minutes faster than when I did it in December with a higher box.  Going to the 24” box changed the difficulty for sure.  I think it would have taken me longer to the same WoD with 50 box jumps at 24”, only because my mind would not have been able to handle it.

25:26.

 

Meals

Read my Day 18 Meals here.

01/23/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 17

01/22/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 17

Gratuitous Bacon Shot

Rethinking My Work

I wrote here not all that long ago about how unfulfilled I am with my life, largely because I find my work to be about comfort, and not about a greater purpose.  In the last couple of weeks a few opportunities have presented themselves to me, and I am trying to figure out what is the right step.  One involves staying in the present industry growing the operations to the point of having to hire an Operations Manager, or moving in a whole different direction freeing up my time to do other projects.

I’m at a crossroads, one that I have been wanting for a long time, but find myself now stuck in, a place of indecision almost waiting for the chips to fall into place.  There are times when the best move is no move at all; I’m just not sure if this is one of those…

Too bad through the lenses of hindsight, one always has perfect vision.  I just want to wake up in the morning, not dreading my place in the world, I would also like to be involved in a business that employees people on a different level, so I can lead them, as opposed to dragging them kicking and screaming.

I don’t know what the right decision is, but I do know they will have to be made soon…

Fuck You Newspaper Man

Last week I wrote about not tipping my newspaper guy, and I posted a picture of how he is placing my newspaper just beyond my door, but now it’s clear he reads my blog and wants me to die.

See Below:

A plea to Baby Jesus

 

Dear Baby Jesus,

Please will you make it SNOW.  I promise if you make it snow this winter I will no longer defame “Tim Tebow”, or demean the Christmas Carolers by slamming the door in their faces, or pretend to pray when stuck in a family gathering, or act like Michael Jackson and throw water balloons at homeless people, or wish that Sarah Palin get hit by a bus, if you just make it SNOW, I will be less like me, and more like Tim Tebow.

In the name of Baby Jesus I plea.

Amen.

WoD

Another great day for my business today, rain, fucking rain in January, I’m trying to not get stressed but I have to admit the standby noose in my closet is looking awful tempting these days. 

I started the morning off with a WoD at Patriot CrossFit.  The mornings work involved doing front squats, and then doing Grace (one of the named WoDs).  I was able to increase my front squat today, and finished my final set at 175 lbs.  This is a big step forward for me because I have been stuck at the 135-155 lbs range for weeks because of my poor posture and technique.  I was able to all of my work at 155 lbs, then 165 lbs for the 4^th set and finishing at 175 lbs.  I am so close to 185 lbs I can taste it.

 

 

When I started CrossFit I created these benchmarks I had to reach which were all related to the color and combination of bumper plates.  Initially it was just trying to get the red 45 lbs plates on for most motions, now I am working on getting the red and yellow plates together so that I am able to at least 185 lbs for most of the lifts.

After the front squats, we did Grace.  Grace is simply 30 reps of clean and jerks for time.  It’s one of the benchmark workouts for CrossFit.  We were given 7 minutes of time, and I thought it would take me the entire 7 minutes.  The prescribed weight is 135 lbs, and I was confident that I could do it, but my own fear caused me to change the 45 lbs plates to 25 lbs plates, and two 10 lbs per side.  This would effect my time because I wasted time adjusting the setup during grace because the collar I put on was weak. 

I was able to finish in 5:12, which was far better than I expected.  I’m sure I could have finished under 5 minutes had I gone into with a better mindset, and not futzed around with the bar.  Watch this 5 minute of uncoordinated work below:

The one thing I learned from Grace, was the true motion of a push jerk.  When you reach reps 20 and above there is no way around getting the bar overhead other than dip, drive, and then get underneath it. 

  

Meals

You can read my meals here…

 

01/23/2012 Paleo Challenge Days 15 & 16, Monday Morning Weight In

 

Official Monday Morning Weigh In

265 lbs

 

Saturday

Satruday day 15 of the Paleo Challenge was  a rest day, and apparently it was a good thing, the WoD was a 10 round hero WoD with all the fun stuff like Handstand Push-ups, pull-ups, and double unders, all things I suck at, and deadlifts which I am ok with, there was a part of me that wanted to go to do it because all of the above are areas I know I need to work on, but in an effort to stay true to Shady’s challenge to stay Paleo  and Crossfit’s 3 on 1 off methodology I took the day off.

This month has been tough on my business; this time of year we are printing money, money that we use to sustain operations throughout the entire year.  Unfortunately in 2012 the weather is not cooperating and it feels more like September weather than January.  I’ve been attempting to not stress about the financial situation but when you look at your checking account both business and personal, and all you see are things that make you sad, it's hard not to want to kill.

I’ve found myself trying to just stay busy, focusing on future projects, seraching of better staff and looking to improve how I handle my physical goals for the year, I really want to find a trainer or someone that I can hit mitts with a couple of times a month.  As much as I enjoy Crossfit, I miss longer duration work, or effort.  I have no idea how the body responds to various stimuli; yet the endorphin release that occurs after prolonged exertion is different than what I’m getting now. 

It’s hard to describe but I’m sure it’s akin to runners high, I remember the first time I felt this while climbing my first 14’er as a teenager, and I told myself this is a feeling I want to experience the rest of my life.  Perhaps not having this for so many years is the reason that I fell deeper and deeper into a fat abyss. 

When I was working with Ali a few months back, I would get this feeling when he would crush me with boxing at the end of a workout.  As much as I like finding my dark place, I like reaching this physical climax because that's what it feels like...climax.

I also think hitting the shit out of some gloves would help release some tension, thus reducing the cortisol in my body and helping my fat ass trim down faster. 

Sunday

When I WoD on Sunday’s I normally go to the even classes because of work, but I woke up to more shitty weather so it was an easy decision to go to the 9 AM session at Patriot.  Low and behold who do I see but none other than Ryan Powell, I heard he was a coach, but to see him in the flesh was an incredulous moment, kind of like being shown the location of Jimmy Hoffa’s body (which I will nethier confirm nor deny).

It turns out that this relatively angry guy is a descent coach.   I got there early and he was able to explain to me how to use the damper on the C2 Rower.  In setting the damper you have to treat it like gears on a bicycle, while at the same time taking into account ones height.  Ryan suggested that I should keep it set at 5-6 for longer rows, and 10 for shorter ones.  Much of how the machine functions is based on your ability to keep the flywheel moving, so the idea of efficiency is about using your energy to keep it moving, I think if I imagine myself actually on a boat the idea is to keep the boat gliding across the water as opposed to pull, glide, slow down, then pull, glide a little, slow down. 

The day’s work involved doing snatch balances.  We were instructed to do 5 sets of 3.  I was able to 4 sets of 3 at 145 lbs, and 1 set of 3 at 155 lbs.  This is video of my last snatch balance.

 

After the Snatch Balances we had to do Helen, but there was a choice of doing a 400 meter row, 400 meter run, or 120 double unders.  I decided I would run because it’s the true to form version of Helen, and because I suck at running, so every time we have a chance to run I should do it. 

Helen involves 3 rounds for time of a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings with a 53 lbs kettlebell and 12 pull-ups.  I was able to finish in 11:55.  My pull-ups need lots of work, as does my running. 

It is hard as shit to run after doing kettlebell swings, especially during the third round, as I turned the corner for the final 50-60 meters I was trying to dig deep to spring it home, and the more I pushed the more my legs felt like they were going in slow motion. 

 Meals Day 15 and 16 

I only kept partial logs on Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday I got a case of indigestion that wouldn’t go away, in fact I had it when I went to bed.  I woke up 3 times that night to just get up and walk around.  I don’t know if it was the breakfast, or the chili I made, but something had me backed up. 

Sunday I had a snack before the WoD, then a descent size brunch afterwards, and then I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day.  For dinner I had my Power Supply meal, without anything extra, and even the Power Supply portion felt large.  Normally the dinners they pack seem like a snack.  I trust myself so little with food, I texted Ryan to ask him if I should intentionally eat to make sure I have enough in terms of calories, he told me not to force the issue so I didn’t.

Weight

So my weight has fluctuated in the last week from 266 lbs down to 262 lbs, then this morning 265 lbs.  I know the primary point of this challenge is not weight loss, but I would like to see the numbers move more, when I started I said I would be happy with 10 lbs loss, now my expectations have increased and I would like to get down to the 250’s.  I’m eating strict, and have not cheated once. 

We shall see how things go during week 3.

 

01/20/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 14

01/20/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 14

Dinner with Sherri

I met Sherri at the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu, aka Fat Camp.  She was one of the members of the notorious now infamous VAN 5.  She’s a liberal who lives in Greenville, SC so don’t share that shit with anyone because I’m sure that means she’ll get strung up with a rope, and don’t worry hillbillies don’t use the internet.

She does a bit of traveling for work, and was in Baltimore, MD which is about 60 miles away from where I live, she made the drive down to see me, which is was very nice.  I showed up late, walking into my lobby at 3:45 pm, to find myself being starred at by a woman.  Yes this is always a nice thing when a strange woman gives you the eye of recognition, but it turns out I knew this person, it was none other than Sherri.  Sherri Underwood from the lost hike on Zuma Ridge, Sherri Underwood better known as week 2 trail runner, and Sherri Underwood’s alter ego Fucking Cussing Sailor During a Workout with Sam.

She’s hardcore, and pushes herself hard always to the point of exhaustion.  In this we are kindred spirits, I don’t know if she’s motivated by a self-loathing that borders on insanity, or just naturally is driven. 

We had a nice evening first getting coffee at the most obscene, pretentious place in Clarendon, Le Pain Quotidien.  I don’t know why I hate this place, maybe it represents some repressed feelings I have about the French, Business, or American Society, or the fact that I had lunch there one time with my girlfriend, not knowing what the fuck was going on and ended up with a hungry stomach, and a $60.00 check.

It is an ok place to sit and talk with someone.

We talked for a while, then walked over to Potomac Crossfit to try and catch the end of a WoD, but I got the time wrong and when we were standing outside to stare, people were starring back at me because it was the start of the next class.  Kind of weird actually, I’m sure as Brian waved to me, he was thinking what the fuck is that guy doing?

For dinner we went to DC and a nice time at Fogo de Chao.  Yeah, Paleo!  I love this place, and it was much easier staying away form the Polenta, and Cheesy bread than I anticipated.  The meat is so fucking good!  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Good!

I found out that they only use salt, pepper, and some seasoning for their beef, so it is good to go.  The only thing that has any cheese is the parmesan crusted pork. 

After dinner we went back to my place, Sherri met my girlfriend, and we talked a bit more before she left around 9 pm.  It was really nice to see her, and see how much progress she has made. 

Sherri you look fantastic, keep up the good work, and oh by the way did you hear about this Crossfit?

Nutritional Consult with Aaron

This past week I met with Aaron for a nutritional consultation.  There were a few neurotic questions I had to ask him, mainly related to how much I should consume, when and what to consume, and proportionally what my macronutrient intake should be, the last question Ian answered for me previously but I’m an Asian always checking my answers so confirmation from another trusted party reaffirms my belief.

I was concerned that I was eating too much protein, over the last week I had reached almost 300 grams of protein a couple of day, consequently those were days my weight was in flux.  Now the two issues maybe related or have nothing to with each other, but it’s hard not to draw some conclusions.

The consensus seems to be about 1 gram per pound is a safe number to work at, Aaron did mention that perhaps shooting for a 1 gram per pound of lean muscle was the better approach. I think I should shoot for 200-220 grams a day. 

I also was concerned that my caloric intake was getting too high, on more than one occasion I was getting above 2500 calories.  I hope to one day never give a shit about that number but today, in an effort to figure out how much to eat, I should shoot for a number closer to 2000.  Aaron suggests keeping a window between 1900-2300 calories a day.  He also stressed to me that I shouldn’t freak out if I go under or over, as long as my hunger is in check. 

In the past two weeks I have in the even forced myself to eat more to achieve my 2000 number, and then have not eaten despite having hunger because of the number.  It’s insanity but I don’t trust myself with food. 

In order to reduce my protein intake slightly, I am going to have to eat more fats to make up for the caloric deficit, which is easy considering 1 gram of protein has 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat has 9 calories. 

I also asked some questions about pre and post workout, he basically told me that if I feel it necessary I should, and that if I eat within 30 minutes after my workout anyway I shouldn’t force myself to eat more between post WoD and a meal.

WoD

This morning we worked on Bench Press, and a Metcon which was three rounds of work 40 reps, 30 reps, and 20 reps.

I was happy today because I reached a couple of personal records.  First this was the first time I did 3 sets of 5 at 185 lbs, second at the end I had 205 on the bar, and pressed it twice which tells me that the next time we do this for lower reps I should go up in weight.  205 was a first. 

The Metcon was a joyous combination of push presses, lunges with the bar, and sit-ups.  I have to tell you my ass cheeks still hurt this morning.  The prescribed weight was 95 lbs, which I thought about doing, but I did 5 reps as a warm-up, and I think I could have gotten through most of it, but in attempting to do a lunge with 95 lbs I got stuck at the bottom of one.  I had to figure a way to dump the bar without killing myself, I ultimately tipped it in one direction then jumped out. 

Here is video from this ugliness.  Two things to look for in the video Brian working the 95 lbs bar, which tells me I made the right decision, and Chesley hanging out after she finished an hour before everyone.

 

I finished in 14 minutes, I am happy to say that I told Chesley how I feel about her...in trying to keep up with her sometimes, I find I don’t like her, she finished early…starting putting stuff away, and I’m sure she could have gotten a manicure and pedicure in-between the time she finished and I finished.

 Here is video from the previous days WoDs.

 

01/18/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 12

01/18/2012 Paleo Challenge Day 12

Rediscovering Taste

So apparently most of my adult life I’ve been using food to deliver sugary sauces into my mouth, drink coffee to taste dairy and more sugary flavors, and consume vegetables only for the sake of consuming sugary salad dressings. 

I’m finding that there are flavors beside sweet, and intensely salty, in-between their is a spectrum where apparently a whole array of flavors exist. 

I used to get coffee wherever it was convenient, so going to Dunkin Donuts to get an ice coffee was no big deal.  The photo below is my reaction to drinking Dunkin Donuts ice coffee black.

 
It tastes like shit, in fact the only thing it tastes like is a Korean Herbal medicine called “Han-Yak”, which is essential some amalgamation of roots, dirt, deer horns, and other random shit only found in a witches brew.  Clearly Dunkin Donuts makes their coffee for the purpose of delivering Sugar.

I’m also finding that meat tastes differently, I can actually differentiate between chicken, pork, and lamb.  Now that it’s not drowned in a particular sauce to muddle the flavors, and also because I’m choosing to buy higher quality meats those that are pasture raised, after reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma I made a vow to only buy Organic or pasture raised meats, but got lazy towards the end of last year, but I am now recommitted to eating the good stuff.

If you have the time and are interested hear one of his talks here…

 

I highly recommend reading his book.

In the end the challenge has been great because I am rediscovering the taste of food, I just hope afterwards I don’t go back to my old ways of drowning my food in sauce. 

Tipping and the Fucking Newspaper Man

I’ve never seen or ever met my Washignton Post Delivery man, but I did get a nice card from him right before Christmas.  It was a generic card that said “Merry Christmas” signed "Muhammad", with a self addressed envelope inside, and no stamp.

The message by itself with printed name of Muhammad as the signer was funny enough, but then I went into this internal dialogue was I impressed by this or miffed by it.  On the one hand I think way to go guy, "get your tips", on the other hand I’m thinking fuck you ass, what have you done so extraordinary that I should give you a tip?

I didn’t give it much thought afterwards, and I left the card on my countertop until after New Year’s at which point I threw it away.  As a result starting a week ago this guy has started to passively aggressively show me his displeasure in my non-tipping.  He keeps placing the newspaper just beyond the front door, so I have to get fully dressed to grab the newspaper.  See the photo below:

 

So rule of thumb, apparently you’re supposed to tip the newspaper guy.  Fuck me another person to tip.

WoD

This morning during the WoD I felt pretty fucking awesome.  My energy level was high, I felt strong and powerful, it’s a sensation I haven’t had in years, perhaps never truly experience because this time it wasn’t fueled by sugar and caffeine.  I had a natural source of raw power.

 It felt good, I was lighter on my feet, and was ready to push the weight with my jerks.  The work was to do 5 sets of 2. 

I was able to do all the work above my previous weights, 165 lbs twice, 175 lbs twice, and 185 lbs on the last set which is a personal record for me.  Here is video from the first 175 lbs jerks, and the final set at 185 lbs.

 

 

The Metcon today was something different; all the movements were things that we don’t normally do, so it was a nice change.  A 10 minute AMRAP of 10 ground to overheads with a 45 lbs plate, 1 farmers carry of 100’ holding a 53 lbs kettle bell in one hand, and holding a 45 lbs plate in the other using a pinch, and then jumping over a 24” box.  I couldn’t get past the mental block of jumping over the box so I stack a bunch of plates to just over 20”. 

I didn’t record this Metcon because it was chaotic; I ended up doing 5 rounds plus 10.5 reps. 

Meals

You can read about my meals here…