Tuesday, September 30, 2008




So I thought I might add my two cents on fat loss, since soon enough the Coast Guard is supposed to enforce this stuff. A lot of people think that losing weight = low fat foods + hours on a dreadmill/elliptical/newest fad in cardio machines weekly will be the most beneficial solution.

Well, I already babbled about Crossfit and I will go into detail more later about the benefits of circuit training over cardio. And I'm not trying to give the impression that you should do anything other that Crossfit. But you work out for maybe an hour each day and the other 23 are spent in a state of lower caloric demand. So let’s talk about diet.

If you were to ask a lot of older successful bodybuilders or athletes that don’t have the natural metabolism of a turbine engine, they would tell you that diet is about 70% of the equation. (I might even say that once your body fat gets really low it might be closer to 75 or 80%.) But if you aren’t after those six-pack abs, and just want to maintain and/or reduce your weight this is for you.

Most people don’t realize that science has created a monster in the food industry. Our foods are sweeter, larger, and more satisfying than ever. The food industry knows what we want, crave, and even smell. It's an addiction, and we didn't evolve to eat much of what's out there.

There is a huge hype out there about fats. Eat low fat. Fats make you fat. Fat free is life-giving, healthy, good stuff that you will surely live forever on. Garbage. What do we eat instead of fats? Those low fat weight watcher/special “K”/newest fad diet bars you heard about on T.V. or some other carbohydrate-laden bread or pasta. This spikes our blood sugar levels up for a few hours but then we crash. If you are like me, you are looking at the snack machine for some other sugary substance to get back to “full” soon enough.

How about a salad? Want to suffer through the day? Eat a salad with a vinaigrette or fat free ranch and see how “satisfied” you are an hour after the meal. Usually we reward ourselves for eating that salad two hours later, since we starved enough, with a nice treat effectively cancelling out the little good we did.

Fats, when eaten reasonably, make us full and help keep us from those binges. I make it a point to eat 30% of my daily caloric intake in fats. It definitely takes a lot less will power when I feel satiated.

What people don’t get is that Coke or Dew you had at lunch or those fat-free crackers you ate with your fat-free tuna sandwich gets processed by the body and stored as F-A-T. (I won’t get at the details here, but at the end of this rant I will make sure to post some links to back all this up.)

Same goes for protein-a lesson I had to learn recently is that if you have too much of those protein musclebuilding shakes it gets eventually stored as fat as well. I was always told by bodybuilders and the supplement industry that the more protein taken in, the more muscle you get. Protein, fat, and carbs all = energy. Energy that can be burned can also be stored.

The folks over at dietitian.com have a pretty clear cut Healthy Body Calculator that lets you see a good place to start. You don’t have to fill out all of the information and you still get a good idea of how much of everything you need to eat. I don’t agree with the level of carb intake they prescribe for athletes, but most adults want more to be trim and healthy.

Crossfit has a fairly cut-and-dry article more geared toward the athlete. But if they are too extreme for you, try out “The Abs Diet” from Men’s Health at first. (Warning-this looks like one of those “Fad” diets but is not.) I recommend it to starters, and you still get to have your cheat meals of things like pizza, bacon (actually good for you in small doses), and bread-just not the white bread that turns into sugar. (Yes, Coasties, we still get to drink beer.) It also has you break up your meals into 5-6 smaller ones throughout the day. Most people that I have started on this particular diet feel fuller than their usual diet. I would follow the diet, don’t buy into most of the supplements. Exception: Whey protein, if not consumed in massive quantities, is good for the athlete. Just my opinion. Oh, and buy the book or get it from the library. Don't sign up for the online thing, unless you have lots of money to throw around.

Finally, if you really want to read up on a good article about how the “low fat” diet is making us sick, check out Doc Enig’s article here.

Some additional reading that peaked my interest:

What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/18/science-and-carbs-a.html

What would be the very first step and would even shed a few pounds in the first week or so? Quit drinking soda or switch to diet soda. While you are making that adjustment and cursing my name for taking your a.m. “dew” away, you can read up on some of these links. Chiefs and BM's shouldn't have any trouble, everyone knows all they drink is coffee. ; )

There is a lot of information out there, and since I'm obsessive compulsive about diet and exercise, I won't bore you with the details. But, if you are serious about losing weight, and meeting those new BMI standards I keep hearing about, you need to do some research. Once you realize the garbage that you are putting in your body, you might be surprised.


Tweet
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

150-160-170-170-170

170-170-170-170-170

170-170-170-170(fail)*-170(fail)*

*Completed but broken

New P.R. I didn't have the luxury of a cage to do these in, so the verdict is still out regarding my max. I used a short bar, non-standard, and the bar was cleaned from the floor during each set. That weakens me for strength, but is better in the bigger picture. One more noc.

Tweet

Monday, September 29, 2008

Four rounds for time of:

Run 400 meters
50 Squats

16:18

CFWU x 3 less Squats

Evidently I did not know as much about diet as I thought that I did. Although I have gotten my body fat down to less than 5%, I was eating too much protein which was turning into fat. Who would have thought that protein would turn into fat after being metabolized by the liver? I see a noticeable difference in the mirror, and if I can get someone's permission, I will post a photo in the following weeks to point out the difference.

Tweet

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

5 rounds of:

Row 1000m
30 Dips

34:22

It annoys me when a marathon runner makes snotty little comments that a 5k is nothing. As if a comparison can be made. In one you can jog/walk half the time and still get a good time. The other you actually run. Not to mention that a marathon runner can barely lift a bar up to their chest.

Ignorance is blissful.

Tweet
"Nicole"

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

Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups

12-8-8-8-8-8-8*

*I actually made it thru round 6 at 20 min, then just kept on pushing it thru 7 for 21 min. Good workout, definitely one I will introduce to my newer Crossfit friends.

Tweeet

Thursday, September 25, 2008

"Isabel"
For time:

Snatch 135 pounds, 30 reps

Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.

I used 120 lbs due to a non-standard bar and I am always leary about blowing out the back with this many snatches. What a drag to crawl outta the rack today!

CFWU x 2 less pull-ups

7:58

Tweet

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Active Rest Day

35 min jump rope

Did alot better this time. I was able to run and jump at the same time, which means I am semi-coordinated.

Tweet

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood (approx. had to use a 30lb)
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows (did 15 of these then went to L-sits cause there is no good place here in the academy gym)
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
150 Single unders

36:27

New P.R. !

500m row for warm up

Tweet

Monday, September 22, 2008

5 rounds of:

Row 1000m
50 Push-ups

39:00

Previous time: 42:06

I really thought that I took longer this time. Exact same workout. Time before that was 42:18. Getting stronger. I love it! Get some.

Tweet
"Grace"

135 pound Clean and Jerk, 30 reps

Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.

CFWU less pull-ups and dips plus 250 rope jumps

8:47 mmm...good!

10 min jump rope

Rejuvenated

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Run 5k

Stretching and squats for a warm up.

It was more like 5 and a half kilometers, but still a decent run out at Hefner:

25 min give or take a few seconds cause I had to use my phone as a stop watch. Good Sunday workout.

Tweet

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Active Rest day

I roller bladed around Lake Hefner for 9.1 miles. It was nice and relaxing except there was a triathlon going on. No problem right? Just stay outta the way of the people doing it. After all, from the pics, everyone can see there was plenty of room. Well, it wasn't a big deal until some fella came up to me when I was at about the 8 mile mark of my trek, looking forward to that nice drink at the end and said, "Sir, I'm gonna hafta ask you to get off the trail cause I got athletes on there." Well, I told him I was almost all the way around the lake and since no one had bothered to tell me earlier, WTF? I asked him if he wanted me to go back the way I came and he said yes. Huh? I seriously thought about taking off and seeing if he could catch me on my blades. After all, I didn't get those rest stations the runners or bikers got. Well, I was nice and he let me go. I really don't think he could have done much to stop me anyway. So here are the pics:






After a wipeout.


The other side of the lake.





Friday, September 19, 2008

"Michael"
Three rounds for time of:

Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups

CFWU less back ext. and sit-ups plus stretching

25:37

Previous time with unanchored sit-ups and a different back ext position:

27:51

I was concerned this one was not going to be very good due to the different back extensions, but it did the job.

Almost Friday

Tweet

Thursday, September 18, 2008

"The Chief"
Max rounds in 3 minutes of:

135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Full CFWU x 3

1:2+3 cleans
2:2+3 cleans+6 Push-ups+2 Squats
3:3
4:3
5:2+3 cleans

Sucked.

Tweet

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

"Fran" modified:

Three rounds, 21-15-9 reps, of:

135lb Thruster
Pull-ups

21:27

CFWU less Pull-ups and squats x 3

I guess I forgot that Fran is 95 lbs. I kept thinkin, "man I really am weak." Then at the 3rd round I realized my err. Oh well, good stuff and great way to start the evening. So I wanted to jump rope, but I was convulsing after Fran. I had to get some socks anyway cause I forgot those for my rollerblades, dammit.

I should take a pic of my cherry-red, souped up, chick-magnet, hot rod chevy cavalier. Yeah, baby! I suppose I should be happy I have a cahh.

People keep asking me about what I do for fitness. Since I'm obsessive-compulsive about it, I tell them. The good thing is, I can point them to my blog which has the article I wrote on how to get into it.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Its been 3 days and we don't have power yet at my home due to the Ike aftermath. No WOD today or yesterday cause I have been cleaning up the house and fixing stuff and today I am sitting in the airport getting ready to head out west. I suppose that's good, my body could use the time to heal. If I can maintain the diet, I don't think that it will matter much.

Tweet

Saturday, September 13, 2008

"6505"*

Three rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
30 1.5 pood (55lb) Kettlebell or dumbell swings
250 single-under rope jumps
21 pull-ups

*This is not an official Crossfit workout, not endorsed at all by Crossfit, just something that I feel like is due to some fallen shipmates.

Abbreviated CFWU x 2

30:31

I was going for sub 30 min. Maybe next time. The aircrew of 6505 didn't get those split-second rests I took. But I do feel that I honored the fallen. What a great community Crossfit is.

Tweet

Friday, September 12, 2008

CGblog.org

Crossfit: Forging Elite Fitness


I worked out in the gym before. I even put on a few pounds of muscle. I got the "Men's Health Maximum Muscle Plan" and followed it religiously. Heck, I even tried a ton of supplements from HMB to protein bars, creatine, energy caps, nitric oxide, thermogenic compounds, and a ton of other magic pills and powders that I can't even remember. Back then, I weighed 218 pounds. Could bench about 185 pounds, leg press around 300. I even would do squats on a smith machine to "train the whole lower body". I can't tell you how many hours I spent wailing on my triceps and squeezing out biceps curls to get that "pump" everyone likes to stare at in the mirror at the gym. If I ate enough thermos one week, you could almost see the top of my abs! I thought I was fit.

One night while searching the forums at bodybuilding.com or some other "fitness" site I read about Crossfit. So I googled it, and found Crossfit.com. There were videos of people doing super-human feats. I watched a video of "Fran", one of their workouts. It's 3 rounds of 21, 15, then 9 reps of the two exercises: Thrusters and Pull-ups. What's a thruster? In this case, it involves a 95 pound bar held standing upright at shoulder level then squatting down and "thrusting" the bar overhead to lock out the elbows. Repeat 20 more times, then go directly to pull-ups. Don't stop there, you have two rounds left. "Fran" is timed, and honestly, I had to stop and catch my breath so much I think my first time was over 30 minutes. Or try "Murph", a workout named in the honor of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy who paid the ultimate price in Afghanistan: Run one mile, 100 Pull-ups, 200 Push-ups, 300 Squats (no bar, just body weight), and a final one mile run. A 20 lb weight vest or body armor is encouraged to be worn through all of this.

I was skeptical at first, started doing Crossfit on my rest days from my Men's Health workouts. Some workouts took me over an hour to finish. I had to start with assisted pull-ups. Push-ups? I could do about ten and then had to rest. Squats with no weight? Sure, I thought those wouldn't make me sore. I was wrong.

There's really a lot more to Crossfit than push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. It's an entire body fitness plan. Every workout is different. Somedays you are in a gym doing cleans or snatches, bench press, deadlifts and more. Somedays you are running a 5 or 10k. Even better days combine sprints with a kettlebell or dumbbell and pull-ups. Whatever the workout is, it's different everyday and it's all functional fitness-no more sweating on some machine that isolates one movement. Oh, and it's brutal.

You can do it just about anywhere. The website, Crossfit.com, has tons of information on how to do every exercise, and what to do if you don't have the equipment or can't do the exercise. It's adaptable. Best thing? It's all free. The founder, Greg Glassman aka "Coach" is in to sharing his information. They have videos of each exercise, as well as vids of some of the most popular workouts. The Crossfit community is more like a family that encourages newcomers and always willing to point a newbie in the right direction to get started.

Crossfit gyms are growing, and are in most major cities across the U.S. You can find one near you by going to the same site, and clicking on "Affiliate Blog". Select your state and check them out. Most of them offer at least one free class as an introduction. If you are like me, and live in an area where there is no affiliate, follow these steps:

1. Research the site. The best thing to do is go to the Navigation pane and then to "Start here"

2. Start with the "Crossfit Warm-up" in the FAQ section

3. Practice the exercises at first, try to master the form before getting into the "Rx'd" weight. Watch the videos until you have a clear understanding.

4. It's always good to consult with a doctor first, especially if you have a serious health condition.

Let me emphasize safety here. Crossfit is tough, and you have to be especially careful! I have a bad back, and the wrong form or too heavy a weight has gotten me where I had to sit out for a few days. Don't let that discourage you from trying it out. I'm in better shape than post-boot camp. My core-back and abs-are stronger than ever. Just use common sense.

People from all walks of life do it, from kids to people 50+(I might add that some of those 50 year olds leave me in the dirt). I only do Crossfit now. No more traditional gyms workouts. They aren't necessary. I'm an amatuer. I'm not a certified trainer, just someone that loves what it does to my body and the "high" I get when I complete a workout. It might last only 20 minutes, but more muscle is trained than any traditional workout.

I was asked to put in my two cents from the owner of this blog in part due to the new fitness regs that the Coast Guard is going to implement. It's an honor to share information about Crossfit with the Coast Guard. I'm not a great writer, nor some elite athlete. I'm just an "average joe" that loves Crossfit. I'm sure that I left out some detail, and I will try to correct with later posts. Please feel free to contact me with questions, and I will either get you the info or point you in the right direction.

A little bit about myself, since this is my first post. I served primarily at A/S Detroit on Dolphins. I also served as crewman and boarding team at Sta Destin. I was medically retired with a damaged lower back that prevented me from flying. While I'm not 100%, and still have to deal with this injury, there are a lot worse off people that still do Crossfit much better than me. I feel like this IS the resource anyone can use to get fit or even rehab an injury. I miss my shipmates, and keep my Coast Guard family in my thoughts. You are the real heroes. Semper Paratus.

I'm a workout behind, and Crossfit honors the fallen of our military men and women. Yesterday was the anniversary of Sept 11th. Coach posted to choose a "hero" workout like "Murph" or some other on the site that sacrificed everything. Tomorrow, I will honor the aircrew of CG Helo 6505 with this modified workout from the official Crossfit site:

"6505"*

Three rounds for time:

Run 400 meters
30 1.5 pood (55lb) Kettlebell or dumbell swings
250 single-under rope jumps
21 pull-ups

*This is not an official Crossfit workout, not endorsed at all by Crossfit, just something that I feel like is due to some fallen shipmates.

I would like to thank the Glassman's for making Crossfit available to the public. All credit is due to them and them only.

Tweet
Five rounds for max reps of:

Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat

Body wt: 200lbs

I'm ashamed to post this. I'm still blaming this on Linda. Not sure if I have a rib broken in my back or if it's a muscle. Seems like the muscle would have healed by now. Maybe I need to talk to a nurse...

1: 5-6-6
2: 7-8-8
3: 6-7-5
4: 7-7-7
5: 5-6-6

At least my hands didn't bleed. That much.

Tweet

Thursday, September 11, 2008

No workout this a.m. Not sure what the evening WOD will be. A moment of silence about the decks today at EVV seems in order. Rest in peace. Oh and that goes one more time for the aircrew of rescue 6505. There are many, many better men and women who gave more than I ever will.

Tweet

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Run 3 K

CFWU x one and a half-got distracted in the gym talkin bout Xfit.

13:57

Nice after Linda and Fight gone bad.

Tweet

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

"Fight Gone Bad!"
Three rounds of:

Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
45 lb SDHP sub for rowing

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Round 1: 92
Round 2: 70
Round 3: 71

FGB after Linda??? Why not. I ran things a little bit different, set up in the gymnasium and made some poor excuse for an attempt to get a better score. I'm blaming my bleeding, blistered hands and the day after Linda. But that's the idea, right? Varied, random, intense, functional movements. Good stuff.

Tweet


Peter-I haven't forgotten about you yet, and am working on the article for CGblog.org

Monday, September 08, 2008

"Linda"
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:
Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight

Set up three bars and storm through for time.

Good thing I got up early this morning...

50:55

My weights were:

DL: 300
BP: 200
CL: 150

Sucked. I need to take a pic of my shredded right hand. There is a reason this is called the "Three bars of Death" The deadlifts were what killed me.

Tweet

Friday, September 05, 2008

Jump rope 30 min. Still uncoordinated. Sucked. Kinda puts me in a bad mood actually. I wish I had more time to practice this.

Tweet

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Ring Dips
Pull-ups

The goal here is to train to get better, and to obtain that first muscle-up that I can't get. Whichever movement gets to 100 first, the other is performed and held in position for the difference between the two in seconds.

So, I made in to 103 pull-ups first, and did 75 ring dips. So I held the peak position of a ring dip for 28 seconds. Not so easy after 75 of them! Good beating, good practice. Give me a year and I will be much better. Tomorrow is a rest day, so I think some jump rope training is in order. Gotta practice my skills.

Tweet
Thursday 080904

Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3 reps

225-275-315-325-335(got 1 off then failed on 2)-315 x 3 for a make-up

CFWU x 3

I am focusing on form during the CFWU since that needs to get better and I am also doing 15 reps of everything. Time to quit slacking ass. Summer is over. And there is one person I need to keep impressed. So I think I am going to take it up a notch, increase caloric load by 500 to 1000 calories to make up for the shit I am going to burn, and try to bulk up over the next month to 200lbs. I was 197 this morning, so the extra 3 will be a great addition. I think that I can still keep my body fat below 5% while I do this.

A note on today's WOD: My back was tweaked from Tuesday's workout. The deadlift is a sure fire way to help realign the lower back muscle and give it that stretch it needs. If I had known about this stuff in the Coast Guard, I still might be getting paid to pull hovers instead of watching them on videos.

Tweet

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Back Squat 3-3-3-3-3 reps

CFWU x 2

225-245-245(fail)-225-225 and 225 again to make up for the failure. Weak back. Some trainer got too close to my squat rack-actually sat almost under the bar while I was doing the 2nd set of 245. That one deserves a Darwin award, and I feel like it contributed to my failure.

Tweet

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

I decided to double up on WOD's since I missed a double on Monday and one of these was a benchmark.

CFWU x 3 less Pull-ups and Dips

Weighted Pull-ups

1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Body weight: 195

45-70-80-90-100-100-100

New PR, nothing beats pulling over half your weight, except maybe pulling more than half!

Push Jerk

3-3-3-3-3 reps

135-175-185-195(failed on 3rd-see below)-195

I was going for over 200. I love this movement. My back, permanently tweaked from my time in the Coast Guard, is a bit unstable at these high weights. So I managed to get 195 lbs up twice the first time and lock it out. The 3rd time, however, I locked out my arms, but then my back gave up stabilization. Then my abs gave up, then I knew I was in trouble with my effing bodyweight over my head. Good thing I put those crossbars in to catch the bar for just this situation. Wanna know what it sounds like when a bar comes down from overhead to get caught about 6 inches above your navel? It's effin loud! Well, like a good Crossfitter, I escaped, and while the bar continued to bounce up and down on the crossbars at 200+ decibels, every staff member in the gym came running my way to pull my ass out from under the bar. Oh, and I woke everyone in the gym up. They needed the wake up anyway. Those cardio machines and ellipticals put me to sleep just watchin them. And what the hell did I do? Kicked off my shoes, laughed at myself and the looks on everyone-I mean every single person in the gym-and threw that 195 up 3 more times to lock it out. This time I told it I was its Daddy. I did take the precaution of popping a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory when I got home. No need to wake up tomorrow and not be able to get some more Kool-aid. Mmm good!

Tweet

Monday, September 01, 2008

Four rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
Rest 2 minutes

1: 1:37
2: 1:42
3: 1:37
4: 1:41

CFWU x 3

Ran approx .8 miles to the track to do this and then back. I'm not sure if I am going to get in another WOD today. Might just hit it hard later this week and do some chores this evening.

Tweet