Been pounding away and making some great gains, learning lots and having a great time. This trip keeps surprising me on how great it keeps getting and as odd as this may sound, right now is the best part so far. I’ve had lots of amazing experiences but living here in Sydney and getting to train with, learn, hang out and just bullshit fitness with Andrew and recently Selena has been great. Perhaps that says a lot about me, what I want out of life and what I like i.e. fitness. A couple things that I’ve learned that have been on my mind:
Keep it heavy and compound – You can achieve a lot following this simple rule. Each WOD usually ends with some kind of heavy lifting and I’m feeling a difference in pretty much every aspect from general strength, size to recovery. The WOD doesn’t seem to hit me as hard and I can recovery from it a lot faster.
Intensity – The “I Factor” as I’ve begun to refer to it. As far as I’m concerned this is the base of the pyramid for fitness with diet, rest and all that scientific bullshit coming in a distant second to the “I Factor”. Training with Andrew has introduced me to this factor and I can’t help but look back think that I’ve been wasting my time not having a training partner but that was then and this is now plus I never had access to any other maniacs that did Crossfit before.
Another great benefit of a training partner is safety, spotting and assistance. Having someone there to help you out with even two fingers on the bar gives such a piece of mind and lets you go a bit further and deeper than you would normally go if you were by yourself. Plus I see now how getting a bit of assistance on a lift can help with gains, that little extra tap or push that gets you to lock out on that last rep is only going help out in the gain department not hinder it.

08/15/06
BW 69.5kg/153lbs
Philip & Cook Aquatic Center, Sydney NSW
500m row – 2:04.7@24
2000m row – 8:39.8@20
As many rounds in 20 minutes of:
21 SDHP, 30kg
12 L Pull-ups
Total Rounds 6 + 21 SDHP & 10 L Pull-ups
Was suppose to be 35kg on the SDHP but we didn’t have enough plates to go around.
Bench Press 40x5/60x5/60x5/65x3 assisted1/65x5A1
Military Press 40x5/40x5/45x5LA/45x5A2/40x5

08/14/06
Philip & Cook Aquatic Center, Sydney NSW
Row 500m 2:03.7@25
1 min. rest
Row 1000m 4:12.8@20
OHS 7x3
30-3/35-3/40-3/35-3/50-3/50-3/55-3/60-1
50kg felt tough at first but then I adjusted my grip and bit and after that I hit 55 no problem. I really wanted 60 but could only get 1 and that was while shaking like a heroin addict. Did this WOD by myself due to work, I’m sure I could have hit 60x3 if Andy was there to spot and yell at me.

08/13/06
Regis Tower Gym, Sydney NSW
Joint mobility work/stretch
16min. for laps = 22 or 24 laps, lost count

08/12/06
Suffer In Sydney, Randwick Park, Sydney NSW
3 Rounds of:
50kg front squat, 10 reps
Tire Drags
Sandbag carry
Max pull-ups
Didn’t get a time in this one and I had a long rest after the first rounds, the last two were consecutive though, going 20-17-15 on the pull-ups. The front squats were followed by a kick ass tire drag, which makes me want my own harness, for about 50m I think and the sandbag carry was about 100m or so.

08/11/06
Regis Tower Gym, Sydney NSW
15 minutes for laps – 21 total
Philip & Cook Aquatic Center, Sydney NSW
5 rounds for time of:
Row 500m
20kg thrusters, 30 reps
Time 20:32

08/10/06
Philip & Cook Aquatic Center, Sydney NSW
Row 500m, 1 minute rest, 5 intervals
2:09.2@22/2:04.8@20/2:03.5@21/1:59.8@22/1:56.3@24
10 x 1 Weighted Pull-ups
30/30/32.5/35/35/37.5/37.5/40/40/42.5
OHS 5x5
30/35/35/40/45
Solid with 45kg OHS
Regis Tower Gym, Sydney NSW
20 minutes for laps – 27 total

08/09/06
Regis Tower Gym, Sydney NSW
Swim 250m/17 laps for time
Time 11 min