Preperation

In preparation for my break from CrossFit WODs and movement into a Starting Strength routine I have been slowly chipping away at Mark Rippetoe's book. It is hard to read when I have so many other books to get through but I have been making good progress. I have finished the section on squatting and I am very impressed with the detail, explanations and jokes provided. He does an excellent job of describing the lift in great detail which includes anatomy and all the common faults with corrections. I really enjoyed one part regarding spotting, "Any lifter that bails out of a missed rep and leaves the spotters holding the bar should be beaten with a hammer." He has a no BS approach to teaching people how to lift effectively and safely. I know his program has proven results and will aid me in reaching my long term fitness goals.

Today is day 29 of my 30 day HSPU challenge. I will finish just in time so that it will not take away from my press this week. What challenge is next guys?

I have done 500 burbees in the last 7 days for "sins" in my Sugar sin Burpee challenge. I am going to tighten that up a bit because they are starting to get to me. Super Bowl tonight so I might end up making it an even 700 in 7 days. But then thats enough....

So I'm an Idiot, Prepare to Laugh

(Kinda fits with my go big or go home mentality, if I'm going to be stupid I am going to give it a good run)

This morning at 7am I went to the new Recreational center on campus. It is a beautiful facility, very large...(it would make an amazing crossfit gym). I decided to do a SS workout...warming up in the back squat things felt pretty heavy, really fast. I dropped weight for the work set and it was still really heavy. I kept thinking, "I know I haven't back squated in a while but I shouldn't be this weak!" I scaled the weight down, finished up, and moved onto press. Press was the same thing, what I was lifting for 5 last week, no problem, I couldn't even put up once. I just couldn't believe how weak I was this morning. It wasn't until the deadlift that I figured things out....the plates were a mixture of lbs and kg....I was thinking 10 and 5 kg plates were 10 and 5lbs. Obviously my mind was somewhere else because I didn't clue in until I started deadlifting. I mean it's one thing to mess it up on one set...but to go through a two exercises and not figure it out is something else. Here is a chart of what I thought I was lifting and what I think I was actually lifting.

Back Squat		Press
What I thought	Actual	What I thought	Actual
175lbs x 2	223lbs	65lb x 3	90lb
185 x 3	245	75 x 2	111
155 x 5	180	65 x 5	90
165 x 5	201	75 x 5	111
		75 x 3	111

Finally, I deadlifted 297 x 5 after an enlightening warmup....

This lift day was a waste of time because I was obviously half asleep and worried about how weak I was instead of focusing on the lifts and looking or thinking about the plates. Wed. will prove to be more productive now that I have figured things out and my hair isn't blond anymore.

On a positive note, I felt out my back squat and know what I am capable of lifting next time. Also, I pressed 111 for 5 which is a PR by 1lb.

After the lift, I tried to work some frustrations out on the erg, I only had time for a few 500 m sprints...my PR is 1:31.8. I would like to crush that within a month. This morning I rowed a 1:34.4 and 1:40.3. They have 2 really new models of the C2 and two older ones, which are still great. Who want's to do a Crossfit Endurance WOD in the morning with me?