Brob's #13 - Lesson Learned

I have been CrossFitting for a little over four and a half years. I have been teaching, coaching, and programming CrossFit workouts for a little over a year and a half. I am confident in each of the aforementioned skills; however, I made a mistake.

Like all CrossFit workouts, this week's challenge was supposed to solicit a particular response. My idea behind this workout was for it to last at least 20 minutes. Oh, how wrong was I. What was the culprit? The muscle-ups, of course. I was able to complete the first two rounds with unbroken muscle-ups. However, once I got to the third round, I had to start breaking them up. This, of course, made it extremely difficult to complete a full round in one minute or less. I am not disappointed that I screwed up with the programming of this challenge--I will learn from my mistake. Hey Rob...I appreciate you and your crew taking this one on; I won't let you down the next time it is my turn to program the WOD.

Here is a short video of me getting through it...my score: 5 rounds + 2 muscle-ups

Brob's #13

Seriously, this was a short WOD for me. Brian got me on this one. This weeks challenge was to complete every minute on the minute:
15 double unders, 10 Air Squats and 5 muscle ups.

Whoaaa! No Problem!

I had realized that I haven't done any mu's in a long time. But that really didn't worry me. Each WOD can always be modified. No exceptions here either. No one likes to show their weaknesses. However, I believe the more open and real you are towards problems, obstacles or any type of difficulties in life, the less of a problem it is really going to be. It's just something I have to keep up on.

How would my strength program effect me here? I'd say maybe a little bit. After reducing my metcons for the past 4 weeks, I have probably gotten a little heavier. Making the MU a little more difficult. (Hey, it's Christmas season as well.) As already mentioned, I think it's just something I have to keep up on!

I modified the wod after failing to get 5 mu's in the first minute.
It looked like this:
15 du's, 10 air squats, at least 1 mu each round for 5 rounds. After that, I did 6mu's to finish up the day.

My thought's: It was a great challenge. Simple, sweet and to the point. Either I have to warm my shoulders up more and work on my technique and/or lose weight. ;-P
Two other's did this yesterday with success:
Reid rx'd. 4rds
Bou. rx'd. 3rds

Brob's #12

It was early. The sky was slate gray, it was raining, and it was cold. There was seemingly not enough time in the day to get everything done. It was a perfect opportunity to just say "screw it" in regard to the workout. Three things stopped me from doing that: 1) my wife, 2) my half marathon training, and (of course!) 3) Brob's Challenge. Besides, where in "constantly varied" does it have the caveat of..."depending on the weather, your mood, and the current environment...?"

So, Kari and I donned the appropriate "crappy weather running apparel" and set out to put our four miles in. It wasn't as bad as I thought--it never is though, is it? I've been trying to gauge when to "kick it in" for each of my runs. This time, I decided to turn it on about the one mile mark...it felt good. My goal was to complete the four miles in 32 minutes or less (with the hope of a sub-30 minute time). We crossed the finish line with the following times:

Me: 29:42
Kari: 29:57

We were glad that we decided to get off our butts and complete this challenge...it would have gone against principle if we didn't. Besides, who knows when we'll have to be quick on our feet...



Brob's #12

After our last week's challenge, I asked Brian what should we come up with next. After mentioning that he and his wife Kari are training for a half marathon, he suggested running 4 miles. (6.5km) Looking at what we have done so far, I instantly thought it would be a good idea. Although it's just "running", I was sure that the elements would make this an interesting workout.

It was a good day to get a run in. Some more snow had fallen last night and today. Being that running can also be somewhat like meditation, I decided to run at dusk. It's peaceful at this time of day during the winter. There aren't too many people out and about at this time of day or year. Plus, it makes me more relaxed and I can focus better.

My attitude towards todays challenge was to find some hills, paths that haven't been used in a while and lot's of snow. As a warm up I did the following: got dressed, drank a cup of water, gave the wife a kiss and put my shoes on.

I felt that we have trained for the unkown and unknowable. So let's test it. I thought about the fight or flee thing and thought about how would I be running if there was a Sibirian Tiger chasing me.

So I hit the door and just started running, I concentrated on moving quickly and jumped over snow mounds that have been created from people shoveling snow this week. Once I got to the woods it was just hitting a path with lots of snow. I made sure I got some hills in on this run.

One thing that I realized through today's challenge,

I do not need to run all the time to be fit. I am fit enough to be able to run when ever I need or want to.

My run was actually 7km; Time: 32min.

Hope Brian and Kari had a good time with this one!

Brob's #11

As Brian wrote down below, this was one tough cookie. The weather over here didn't make it any easier. We have had some snow and ice to make this interesting. Especially for our neighbors. "What kind of crazy people are running around here in shorts and t-shirts?" I was asked if I had any common sense. I must say, I didn't have time to answer that one.

Brian really came up with a wod that scared me. My overhead squats have been my nemesis from day one. They are actually one of the reasons I was sold on CrossFit. Simply because they showed my weaknesses. Mixed up with the other exercises they made me have even more respect for them and what they can do for you.

I did this on Sunday. Because of the weather conditions, I wanted to make sure Bou and Christian didn't get hurt while going through this tunnel of pain on Saturday.

Bou did it in 19:54 as well.
Christian time with modified ohs @70kg: 20:12 (He is tough)

My time 20:53.

Thanks Brian!

Hey, what should we do next?

Brob's #11

The Challenge:

Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
9 Burpees
7 Deadlifts, 185lbs (85kg)
5 Cleans (power or squat), 185lbs (85kg)
3 Overhead squats, 185lbs (85kg)

This was one, tough workout. It was my turn to program the challenge this week, and I wanted to put together a workout that tested our ability to move moderate to heavy weight while out of breath. I believe that I met that goal. After the 400 meter run and burpees, the 185lbs started to feel like 350lbs! The conditions were not ideal, but surprisingly enough, that really did not effect me too much. As you'll see in the video below, one of the most challenging parts of the workout was the overhead squats. Normally, 185lbs is pretty manageable for me. However, with the addition of the running, burpees, and the other tasks, the overhead squats quickly became a struggle.

My time: 19:54

Brob's #10

Let me be honest: I was skeptical about this WOD at first. I thought that the body weight back squats would slow me down considerably, and take away from the "stimulus" that I perceived this WOD was supposed to provide. I was wrong.

Rob put together a nasty little 15 minute AMRAP that proved to be challenging, yet not cumbersome, which at first,  I thought it may have been. Halfway through the WOD, the 10lb kettlebell unharnessed itself from the weight vest I was wearing and toppled to the floor. Instead of trying to re-fasten it to the vest and waste precious time, I decided to add one more pull-up (six instead of five) to the sequence. I enjoyed the "extra weight challenge" that this workout provided and was satisfied with my result.

My score: 6 rounds + 5 ring pull-ups + 10 wall-ball sit-ups + 1 back squat

Hey Rob...beware brother--you gave me a GREAT idea for next week's challenge. I will give you a hint: it involves accomplishing a lot of "moderate to heavy weight" work while out of breath. More to come on that! In the meantime, check out the short video of Kari and I taking on this week's challenge:

Brob's #10

Wow, what could I say to this. We have been doing strength work lately. So when I threw this one out there, I didn't realize how much fun we were going to have...

Our Challenge:

15 min amrap of:

5 ring pull ups w/24kg
10 wallball sit-ups
15 BW back squats

We are using Ricky Frausto Jr.'s Programm "15". You can reach him through
Strength Development Inc. So after having done squats and bench work Friday, as already mentioned this was to say the least, FUN!

My hamstrings and glutes were already sore. So I was kind of happy that we don't have mirrors in the box. Or else I would have to look at the fool who thought this up. ;-P

Seriously, this wod was great. It was challenging, but we got to see through these simple movements what our deficits are. To find the answer, you have to know what the question would be:

Can I pull, throw, lift and carry heavy stuff long distances fast?
Well my personal answer is, I am working on it!

-Ring pull ups with extra weight show if we can pull our body weight up whenever we need to.

-Wallball sit ups show how fast we can move and react. They also show how fast you can get off the ground.

-BW back squats show if you can lift and carry your kids, buddies or anyone else or anything you need from up off the ground.

Anything in life can happen. Any- and everyone should be able to do these tasks. Mothers, fathers, senior citizens, construction workers, nurses, firemen, soldiers and policeman must be able to pull, lift or carry their own weight. Even kid's carrying their books to school.

I hope my thoughts are clear enough for you. Today it's hard sitting and typing in this chair I am using! :-)

My score: 5 rds + 5 ring pull ups and 10 wallball sit-ups.

Brian and Kari, I hope you guys had fun with this!

"Back to the 'Burg" #9

The last couple of challenges had me thinking about what we could come up with next.
Well Brian never ceases to amaze me.

The #9 was right on the money. The weights were light enough to keep pushing. The reps were perfect for seeing how well we could do just that. The snow here made the sprints interesting. (I personally enjoyed the sprints the most because of the rest ;-D) Anyways, it just boiled down to how much you can take the "Suck".

We really felt tired after this one!
Thanks to CrossFit Blacksburg and Brian again for this one!

Our times: (we did this on saturday)
bou.13:52
reid.14:34
rob (slow pokie). 15:20

The Butterfly pull ups are coming along strong!

Good Job Brian!!!

"Back to the 'Burg"

Kari, my Mom, and I were fortunate enough to have worked out twice at CrossFit Blacksburg over the Thanksgiving holiday. Several weeks ago, I used their WOD for one our challenge workouts. I love Amy and Neil's programming so much that I decided to use one of their WODs again (thanks you two!).

Here it is:

15-12-9 reps* for time of:
Pull-ups
Hang power snatch, 95lbs (40kg)
Wall-ball shots, 20lbs (10kg)
Ring push-ups
Push press, 95lbs (40kg)

*Start first round with a 400m run, start second round with a 300m run, and start third round with a 200m run.

My time: 12:34

Brian's Mom killin' the kettlebell

This workout went really well for me--it played to a lot of my strengths, bar only two: running and wall-ball shots. I always feel (know) that I can push myself harder on the running portion of a WOD. However, for a WOD like this, I always fear that if I push myself too hard, I won't have much left in the tank to crank out the reps fast enough.

Hope you had "fun" with this one Rob!

"Radical Assumptions" Challenge #8

Radical assumptions is right. One would assume that after more than four years of following CrossFit methodology, one would understand that just reading what the WOD is and actually doing the WOD are two completely different animals.

Take a quick look at Rob's post below and check out the challenge. The first AMRAP went fairly well for me; however, after looking at Rob's score, I should have known better (way to kill it Rob!). Five rounds, even...okay. Now, the second AMRAP totally messed with my head. I did not even complete two rounds. It was my first experience incorporating heaving snatch balances into a WOD--to be honest, I have never really even gone heavier than the 20kg bar with the heaving snatch balance. It was just one nasty, nasty AMRAP...it challenged me not only mentally, but physically as well.

My scores:
1st AMRAP: 5 rounds
2nd AMRAP: 1 round + 3 overhead squats
Double-unders: 61 seconds

Check out the short video below of me during the first AMRAP. My video camera's battery died on me about halfway through, so (and I'm okay with this) I was unable to video tape the second AMRAP.

#8 Radical Assumptions

Today's challenge was interesting to say the least. I thought that it being our 8th one, it would be cool to play around with the number 8.

Isn't it the number of reps we used to do in our routines while following M&F or other magazines? Whatever may be said, it was indeed a hard one again. I almost hated myself for this one. Almost;-P!

The first amrap really got us warmed up. The second part proved to be a real punishment if it wasn't clear about what we were trying to do.

The Heaving Snatches Balances demanded to be done properly. After all the cleans, push presses, power snatches and overhead squats this was not an easy task. No spitting out reps here!

The double unders proved to be the one thing that really left my hip flexers with nothing left to bank on.

Thank's to Bou(Stefan), Reid and Jean for doing this one with me.

Our scores:
Jean.rx'd 3rds+8 clns/ 1rd +8 pwr snatch and 6ohs. DUs:1:33min
Reid.rx'd 3rds+7 clns/1rd . DUs: 38 seconds
Bou. rx'd 6rds/2rds + 6 pwr snatches. DUs: 48seconds.
rob. rx'd 5rds + 4clns/ 2 rounds. DUs:48seconds.

Brian have fun with this one!

#8
8 min AMRAP of:
Power Cleans x 8
Push Press x 8
Back Squats x 8
3min Rest
8min AMRAP of:
Power Snatches x 8
OHS x 8
Heaving Snatch Balance x 8
Followed without rest by:

64 double unders for time

The Carlsberg, Challenge #7

I can only agree with Brian. Man was it hard. It was really nothing short of evil.

Our Goal:

30-25-20-15-10-5

KB Snatches per each arm.

push ups

ghd sit ups

burpees

Man was that wicked!

I did the kb snatch reps consecutively for each arm before continuing to the next one. i.e - 30 left , 30 right etc. Unfortunately I had a 1.5 pood KB and a ghd..... Man was this hard!

My time was 43:54min.

One thought that I had at the beginning of this challenge was:

Although my contacts have been brief with a lot of special people, they still have an impact on my life and way of thinking. Regardless of age, creed, religion or race it it is vital to look towards anyone that can teach you something.

Thanks to Brian and the Cf Ramstein crew!

"The Carlsberg" - Challenge #7

Challenge #7 was a special WOD. It was Emily's going-away WOD; it was called "The Carlsberg" and it was programmed by Lauren. Let me tell you...this was an evil, evil workout. And check this out: I couldn't even do it as Rx'd because of equipment limitations; however, it STILL kicked my butt! It was definitely a proper "Brob's Challenge" kind of a workout.

The kettlebell snatches quickly became a "grind" type of exercise--there were so many of them to do that it seemed like it would never end. And, of course, the burpees were...well, burpees! I thought my hands were going to survive the wreckage...but, the palm of my left hand ripped on the last round. Nothing too significant, but the post-WOD shower was no picnic (soap in an open wound hurts!).

Check out the video below to see some highlights of the "fun" that I had:

"A Time Crunch" - Challenge #6

Brian's new playground

The programming for this challenge was inspired by my buddy, Karl Steadman of CrossFit 3D, who had devised a diabolical plan for a few CrossFit Ramstein athletes about a year and a half ago. It involved running a short distance, followed by a particular exercise. The idea behind it was to pump out as many repetitions as possible after the short run; however, the catch was this: the athlete had a time limit to complete the reps. It was physically as well as psychologically challenging. But here is how the WOD was scored: only the repetitions counted towards your final score. So, each athlete had to give a strong effort on the run so they would be able to get back quickly and start cracking off reps. However, if they pushed themselves too hard, then they wouldn't have much left in the tank to complete that many reps! Hmm...tough stuff.

Challenge #6 consisted of two rounds of two couplets, with one minute rest between couplets. After the two rounds were complete, a three minute rest was awarded, then two more rounds of two different couplets, with one minute rest between couplets. The exercises that counted toward the total score were: 30kg thrusters, pull-ups, push-ups, and 35kg sumo deadlift high-pulls.

My total score: 243

Rob's thoughts:

This wod was a burner! Talking about being in a time crunch!

How one apply's himself to this one is not an easy task. If you are a good sprinter, do you have the strength to get a lot of reps in? What if you're not a good sprinter? Will you be able to get enough multiple reps in with just having enough strength?

There was just one train of thought when my training buddy Bou and I started off, Brian is going to be fast and strong. So what do you do? We ran and gave everything we had.

The suck fest was open.

Two rounds of:
Three minutes to complete the following, with ONE minute rest between couplets:

Run 400 meters
Max reps thrusters, 30kg

Run 400 meters
Max reps pull-ups

After the two rounds are complete, rest THREE minutes, then:

Two rounds of:
Three minutes to complete the following, with ONE minute rest between couplets:
Run 400 meters
Max reps push-ups

Run 400 meters
Max reps SDHP, 35kg

Your score will be the total number of reps of the thrusters, pull-ups, push-ups and SDHPs.

After the second 400m run and the first round of pull ups we knew the 1min rest was not going to be long.

The thrusters and the pull ups by themselves were draining enough, but managable.

Were things really started to burn was while doing the push ups and sdlhp. The push ups drained everything that was left in upper body strength. The sdhp, thats were it got interesting! 35kg is a light enough weight. But after push ups and the 400m runs, your body is demanding perfection while doing this one. If not, the wrists and shoulders will pay for sloppy form.

Thanks for putting this one out there Brian!

my score:

My score thrusters 23/21; Pull ups:24/22; push ups: 43/40; sdhp:23/21 = 217

Btw, don't do this after doing OHS and Dls the night before. ;-P

"Jambalaya" - Challenge #5

It is always great to have a workout partner--especially when that partner is helping you stack weights on and off the bar. Kari, my wife, just happened to be that partner today; I would have been one frustrated dude if it wasn't for her.

The first task of this workout was a 200 meter farmer's carry with 20kg in each hand. Because my kettlebells have not arrived yet, I used two 45lb bumper plates. These were extremely unmanageable. The first 200 meters wasn't so bad; however, once the second 200 meters came up, the slick new bumpers proved to be very difficult to hold on to--more so because of my sweaty hands! So, for the second go-a-round, I chose to just carry one 45lb plate...I rested it behind my neck and on my back. Sorry Rob...I tried to keep the WOD as Rx'd as I could! As mentioned above, there was a lot of putting on and taking off of bumper plates. But again, I had the assistance of my lovely wife, so it wasn't that bad.

The weight on the barbell lifts was definitely challenging--I wanted to do unbroken sets but it just wasn't in the cards for today. Overall, I felt pretty good about my performance; however, I really would have liked to crack off the reps faster! On a separate note...I could not believe how hot and humid it was...and it is almost November here! I am dreading the summers...

My time: 11:44

Check out the short video below--unfortunately my video camera's battery died on me shortly into the workout.

Rob's Story.

I can only agree with Brian. There is nothing better then having a partner to help push you or assist you with your training.

I was fortunate to have Reid and Lisa train with me on this one!
Our weather over here in Ansbach is chilly. It was 2° Celcius in the Box. However, we didn't have to deal with humidity. (I still like warm weather though)

This Challenge was a good, short test of mental and physical capacity. Helping us prepare for the UNkown and UNknowable.

Love the name Brian!

200m farmer carry, 20kg each hand (we used a 20kg and a 24kg kb)
12 x bw back squats
20 sit-ups
7 x squat cleans at 155#
7 x sumo deadlift high pulls, 155#
20 sit-ups
7 x thrusters, 155#
200m farmer carry, 20kg each hand
12 bw back squats
20 sit-ups
7 x jerks, 155#

Our times were:
reid.14:43
lisa.17:06
bou. 12:48 - did it by himself later.
rob. 12:49
Thanks Brian for keeping this challenge alive!

"Empty Tank" - Challenge #4

It was my turn to put together a WOD for this week's challenge. I wanted to incorporate body weight movements with barbell movements, with a pull/push combination. Here is what I came up with:

Max reps deadlift in 90 secs, 90kg
Rest one minute
Max reps push-ups in 90 secs,
Rest one minute
Max reps pull-ups in 90 secs,
Rest one minute
Max reps push press in 90 secs, 45kg
Rest one minute
Max reps hang power snatch in 90 secs, 35kg
Rest one minute
Max reps burpees in 90 secs

Add total reps for score.

The reason this particular blog is titled "Empty Tank" is because that is exactly how I felt during this WOD--like I was running on an empty tank. I attribute this to poor nutrition and lack of rest. Now, when I say poor nutrition I do NOT mean that I have been jamming Big Macs and Whoppers down my gullet three meals a day! I simply mean that I have not been eating what I want, when I want. Bottom line: I am out of my normal routine right now; however, that is to be expected because Kari and I are in middle a PCS move! But, we finally moved into our house this past Tuesday and are starting to get settled in.

Here is how the WOD went down for me: deadlifts: 33, push-ups: 63; pull-ups: 32, push presses: 20, hang power snatches: 16, burpees: 21. Total score: 185

Hopefully, once I get back on track, my WOD performances will start to get better!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob's experience:
Score 191pts
42 deadlifts, 60 push ups, 24 pull ups, 22 push presses, hp snatches 17, burpees 26.

This was a very fun WOD. I felt better and a little more rejuvenated compared to last time. It must be mentioned that when I have night shift, it takes a lot of effort to get my mind and body prepared. (night shifts S*CK !) I'll leave it at that... That said, having the last few days off and sleeping till whenever helped me out. When I only have to concentrate on a wod and eating properly life is easier. ;-D

What also helps is having a few motivated people around. It makes things go a little bit faster. Sometimes that can be positive, if you are not a clock whore.

A big thank's goes out to my wife for letting me screw off the past few days. It is at times really damned hard keeping up with a crazy always changing shift system.

Btw, if you have a weird shift system at work or work only nights, it is really important to eat right and train properly. I already made my point about sleep. If you screw off on all fronts you are f#*ked!

Today's Work:

Empty Tank from Rob Powell on Vimeo.

"The Screwdriver" - Challenge #3

Well it is that time of week again.

After much deliberating, I wanted to come up with something that would level me out. I have been way too relaxed about my eating and drinking habits lately. With drinking, I mean beer and cocktails. I don't drink everyday. But recently, There has been too many occasions on the weekends. Now after doing the wod, I have driven that point home. It is time to start eating clean and sticking with water.

Afterthoughts: My time 28:37. What a butt kicker! I felt a whole lot like crap today. My strength was shot. The burpee/hspu drained me out! Speed was gone and last night's screwdrivers just wanted to come up while doing the sit ups. However, as said the point was made. I also noticed during the video that some of the hspu, squats and push ups were a little below par. We will be working on that. It is to be said everyone gave what they could.

The funny side of it, everyone in the vid were out last night. So I wasn't alone suffering.

So without further ado:

Have fun Brian!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian's experience:

It was Rob's turn to program this week's WOD. Because I have limited access to equipment right now, I kindly asked him to program something that did not require much: a body weight workout. That might have been a bad idea!

"The Screwdriver" proved to be a very difficult workout. The burpee and handstand push-up combination was just plain nasty. That part of the workout was a total shoulder smoker. My arms felt like rubber each time I finished a round of handstand push-ups--and, of course, the subsequent burpees felt 10 times as worse as they should have (like burpees are ever pleasant, right?).

I thought that I would be able to smoke through the squats and push-ups; however, because this part of the workout had to be performed immediately after the burpees and handstand push-ups, it went A LOT slower than I would have liked.

The double-unders went surprisingly well, but the sit-ups were slow-going. Needless to say, Rob put together a very challenging workout. Good thing Kari and I were able to do it in a tennis court--the gym was closed (booo), but that was okay because the Shaw gym is actually a quite depressing environment. We (Kari and I) cannot wait to get our garage gym up and running!

My time: 22:36; Kari's time: 25:47. Check out the video below of us tackling "The Screwdriver"...

Back in the States - Challenge #2

So, Rob and I have arrived at the first challenge from across the miles. The trip back went uncharacteristically smooth for me; even Riddic couldn't believe how seamless it went. That was, until, we got on the Capital Beltway For any of you that have been on the Beltway at rush hour, you will know what I mean. Long story short: it took us three hours to travel approximately 50 miles!

On Saturday morning, my Mom, Kari, and I headed over to CrossFit Blacksburg. It was awesome to see how Amy and Neil (the owners) have progressed over the last two years. I remember when I was at my parents' house last...it was around the same time that Amy was transitioning out of her garage and into a bigger box. She had four clients. Now, her and Neil are in their third location, and are knocking down more walls to expand even further. Oh, and did I mention that they now have upwards of 100 clients--and they accomplished all of this just shy of two years!

Now, onto the WOD (that Amy so graciously programmed):

With a partner*, complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
10 Hang snatches, 115lbs (50kg)**
30 Pull-ups
Run 400 meters***

*Partners must switch off and on for snatches and pull-ups
**Athlete may power snatch; however, must ride down to full squat
***Next round cannot start next until both athletes return from run

My partner, Jesse, happened to be one of the CrossFit Blacksburg trainers: he was Beast-status. We ended up completing four rounds + approximately 200 meters.

Rob's experience:

I believe in Keeping Promises.

I knew from the get-go that we would be challenged just because of the time differences. Yesterday's kettlebell seminar that was held here at CrossFit Ansbach showed me a few things. First of all, I am sore! Lower back, glutes and hams are fried. But as stated, I am obligated to keep this going. If you guys ever make it to Austria check these guys out:
Dominik Feischl and Oliver Klettner speak very good english and are very good and patient instructors.

So on with the story. I did this Challenge with a new training partner, David Koch. This kid is going to be a power house in a few months. He learns fast and is strong. However, as should always be when learning new movements, SAFETYcomes first. David used 40Kg for the Hang Snatch.

So after warming up forever and a day, we took off and finished with 3 rounds. We had 15sec to finish the 400m. So we just stopped the watch and ran the 400m as part of a cool down.
I might add that we had our CF Ansbach 1 year anniversary party last night and it showed in our score today! ;-P

Thanks for the Challenge Bro!

Going Back to Nature

In preparation for what's coming up next, I thought I would post this video from Henry Rollins. Hopefully NO ONE will be offended by the language used. The key here is to listen to the message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j9DhBSn8tE&feature=related

The First Challenge

The Jameson & Rowing Warm-Up

Although I am still in Germany, Rob and I thought that we would kick off the challenge with a special WOD: "The B-Hole". This workout was in honor of our good friend, Jon Wong, who will be departing Germany the same day as me.

"The B-Hole" goes as follows:

Wearing a 20lb vest, complete the following as quickly as possible:

Five rounds of "Cindy"

One round of "Helen"

Last round of "Fran"

-All pull-ups, chest-to-bar

-All push-ups, "true push-ups"

-Thrusters @ 135lbs

I finished the workout as Rx'd in 10:00 flat! During the workout, Lauren was screaming at me to go faster...she wanted me to get sub-10 minutes. Here is the bottom line: I could have gone faster, but the "suck it up factor" wasn't quite all there for me today. My last set of pull-ups were broken up into three sets of three--boooo! I should have just hung on and went for it! It is funny, the mind. Pre-WOD you can always talk yourself up...tell yourself to just go, go go! However, mid-WOD is a completely different story!

Here is a short video of Jon and I gettin' it done:

Rob's experience:

After getting back from Ramstein Friday night, all I wanted to do was Jon's going away wod. Actually, I have been thinking about it since Copenhagen. It's amazing what people can put together while having a few beers.

Bou (Stefan Dallheimer) and I did this Saturday afternoon. So here is what I have to say:

It's a quick little a§§ kicker. I for some reason thought it would be easier. As usual things turned out differently then thought. Thank goodness Bou was there to push me. Pull ups went well considering we used a 10kg vest. Thrusters were completed as singles till the last two. I wasn't too much into the suck so I thought I could pace it.

Bou finished with a good 10:51min, then he yelled at me till I finished with 13:01min. So I for the most part, am happy that we finished under 15:00min. I believe we will be trying this again soon. 10:00min or better is the goal!

My thoughts: eating clean and little alcohol should improve my score. Burpees and pull ups immediatly let me know when I have been eating wrong!

The Idea

No better way to start a blog about training...

We had just finished an excellent meal at Big Emma's, and we were outside talking and bidding our farewells. I leave Germany in less than one week. My good buddy, Robert Powell, from CrossFit Ansbach, made the trip to say good-bye to one of our very own: Jon Wong. With CrossFitters, 98.56% of the conversations are about, well, CrossFit, or anything related to training, diet, etc. This conversation was no different--and the idea was born.

Robert and I will take turns programming a weekly workout. Both of us will complete the workout, post our results, progress, and whatever else we feel like contributing to cyberspace. We both felt that it would be an excellent way to stay in touch, provide motivation for each others' training, and stay proficient at programming WODs. Well, to be honest, I will be the one that needs to stay proficient at programming...Robert has a box to run, so he gets plenty of practice! So, if you feel like following our progress and offering any tips, comments, questions, or encouraging words, please feel free to do so!