With the efficency of a New Soviet Man in the Utopian light of the Workers Paradise I’ve finally posted the pictures from Mark Rippetoe’s trip to Seattle (and more importantly CrossfitEastside) for a Barbell certification from early this summer. After the cert. was over and all the Ripp-isms (not to be confused with Rippism) had been dispensed to paying customers we got down to some serious business. We went to Brouwer’s. Brouwer’s is a great cafe down in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle that specializes in Belgian and local micro brews. You can find fantastic stuff there. On our field trip I took some pictures, most significantly of Rip and Stef with Rip’s hero, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, whose statue promanatly overlooks Fremont (Let your freak flag fly! It’s more a nod to revolution in general mostly, Fremont residents are lefty but like driving their Volvos).
Gallery images are here.
The weather down here in SD is a little cooler today and there’s a little haze on the coast so it seemed like a good day to just take it easy. I’ve been haning out around the rental reading and walking down to the beach. I also was able to fit in a nap. Needed the rest day too. Some how I managed to wasteapate my quads. Back at it tomorrow. 
Stone brewery on a wonderful sunny day.
Spent the afternoon today in Escondido at the Stone Brewery. Drank many beers, a bunch from Stone, and a bunch of other local stuff. I think the best find was Stones Cali Belgique IPA. Hoppy, Belgian yeast, very yummy. I wish I could remember all we had but it was a beautiful day in their garden and the sun was shining and, well, I was over taken by events. After the session I went nuts in the gift shop and bought tee shirts and even a bike jersey.
While I’ve been in Cali it’s been a little catch as catch can for workouts but I’ve been able to get two in (within 24 hours of each other). On Friday the 24th I got over to crossfit socal for a workout.
Three rounds of:
25 double squat wallball shots - this was a really weird movement in which you squat immediatly after throwing the ball, bottom out, and be back up to catch the ball which you then squat and throw agian. (repeat until desired results)
15 100Kg deadlift
My time was 11:06 - I was late to the workout (turns out there is no more 6:30 workout) so I tagged on at the end of the 5:30. There were a few times in the 6 minute range, then a big gap, then it started up again in the 11’s. Not sure what everybody was deadlifting but I’m guessing the time differences yet again a delta between the unbroken and the broken.
Second workout was solo the next morning. I was feeling that I needed to catch up and move some blood. After I got the cobwebs out of my head I ran down to the lifeguard shack below La Jolla village and back to the rental, took about 20 plus minutes and felt good I figure it was about 5K. Then I did 100 pushups, 50 situps, and 50 squats. (the last two in the original plan were for 100 but I bonked - it just hurt to much)
This solo stuff is good but really can’t compare to gym time. I love vacation but I do miss Eastside.
Schindler beach house
While I’m in La Jolla I’ve been staying in one of the units of Schindlers Pueblo Ribera development. Pretty cool example of California modern design. Lots of wood and concrete. I took some pictures of the digs and posted them here: Schindler beach house
I’m listening to the crashing of the surf on the beach here in La Jolla. Something about that really feels like vacation. I’m off work for a week for some R & R - though I’m having some trouble unplugging the email - in the San Diego area. The plan is to read, get tan, maybe catch some waves, check out some of the local crossfit gyms, drink more beer than I can zone, and generally try and get some sanity back. Been a nutty couple of weeks, late with a project, got reorg’ed, planning for this trip, distracted by the election, and watching the market with the same sick fascination that you watch reality TV. Bleh, as we say in Windows land, time for a reboot.
Mike and Carrie were out of town last week and Friday (9-12) night was the first class back. And I for one can feel their return in my traps as surely as gravity. It’d been kind of a mellow week for me. With the 3 on 1 off I’m trying I’d managed to miss one of the big workout nights. (missed Karen) I mentioned to Mike that It’d been kind of light for me and with the casualness of a dynamite fisherman he dropped a workout on me that, to keep the metaphor going, had me stunned, belly up, and gasping.
5 rounds of:
- 15 70Kg hang power cleans
- 15 box jumps (52″ box)
Time came in at ~ 17:30 (I was too hypoxic to remember and it didn’t get written down)
Today (Sunday) it feels like my shoulders are up around my ears.
Welcome back guys, we’ve missed you.
Costa Rica, second week of January, two weeks of surfing and sun. As a little Seattle winter relief I’m signed up with some friends for two weeks of surf safari in Costa Rica. I’ve been talking about this for years and I’m finally off my duff. I’m booking flights and checking out pictures. Really excited about getting the board out again and using some of my vacation time.
So yesterday was my first day of rest on the 3 on, 1 off cadence and man it felt good. This morning I was starting to feel better - except for maybe the 15 minutes of torture on Neno’s table as he cracked open the fascia surrounding my IT bands - and I’m ready for tonight. Monday, my day three was a 1 rep max shoulder press so some work but pretty limited in terms of beating me up - though I managed a 74 Kg PR - so I think the next three days should be good.
I’ve been doing crossfit for 2 years, working out at Crossfit Eastside. Did the ramp. Started scaled for the named workouts. Then as I started getting my legs under me I started getting my name on the board. Progess seemed straight forward. Week over week a little faster, a little stronger, a little better at ignoring the voices saying “put it down”, “slow down”, “is this what rhabdo feels like?”, or “why the hell am I here!” Cadence was easy, 5 days a week, show up and throw down. On the weekend, rest. It fit. I had time to do some fun stuff on the weekend and it fit really easy with my work schedule. But just in the last couple months - once I felt I’d gotten all the way back from the shoulder surgery - I just felt totally beat up, week after week, on Fridays. Beat up like I need to nap away Saturday before I feel semi at all right. And If I look at my book my weights and times really arn’t moving like I’d want. Sure, a few larger scale moves, mostly on short time domain stuff where a lot of the game is mental. But over all I feel kind of stuck. So time for a change. Main site does 3 on 1 off. I’ve never done that way. So I figure it’s worth a shot. The new cadence started up Saturday. (1O rounds with the champ) Then continued today with Michael with the final day on Monday. Rest day is Tuesday.
Workout was 3 Rounds of
- 800 M Run
- 50 Back extensions
- 50 Situps
Time was 22:18 (missed my PR by 12 seconds, and had to go solo which kind of sucks)
My best guess is that I should be able to see a change in results in 6 weeks. I’m hoping that I get better recovery and start accumulating some new gains. Maybe later I can switch back (3 on 1 off is going to be kind of a pain schedule wise) but well see how I feel. Oh and hopefully I wont be so flatlined on the weekends during ski season.
