Mommy, my legs hurt.
Since the creation of my sandbags, my workouts have had a whole new dimension added to them; the dimension of more pain. I don't know how I workout without them in the past but they're a staple now. I've got to say that I think the only downfall and drawback of my version Crossfit is that it might be a little bit too overboard and demanding, then again maybe not and I'll continue to do the crazy WOD's that I've been making. All that said, I'm rather pleased with the effor that I've been giving on all these WOD's and at times things have gotten pretty hairy and I could just about see thru time.

"Don't think I could ever tire of this"
















05/30/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic/Gymnastic
For time:
Sandbag mile run, 1/2 bodyweight
50 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
150 Squats
Sandbag mile run, 1/2 bodyweight
Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a sandbag mile run with 1/2 your bodyweight.
Time 36:48
Comments:
Ouch. Seriously, why do I do these things to myself? Well I originally was going to make this a "Rutman's Murph", doing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and the miles being Rutman miles. I thought a sandbag with half your bodyweight was a Rutman mile but know I see it's actually your full bodyweight; double ouch. The first mile went pretty good finishing it in 13:30 and from there I started up on the pulls, pushes and squats in a Cindy 5/10/15 format. On round 3 the shirt came off. On round 5 the glasses came off. I got to about round 8 and I realized that I was going to probably end up killing myself at this rate. At round 10 I realized that I was ground beef and that I still had a sandbag mile to go so I ended the insanity there, picked up the sandbag, barely, and started to run/hobble the last mile. The first 800m was alright and the second absolute murder. I was giving it all I had but had to stop 3 times and have a bit of a stagger before getting back into full sprint. I came closest to pukie doing this WOD then I have in a while.

05/29/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Gymnastic
For Time:
50 Tire Flips
25 Burpees
40 Tire Flips
20 Burpees
30 Tire Flips
15 Burpees
20 Tire Flips
10 Burpees
10 Tire Flips
5 Burpees
Time 16:20
Comments:
Good WOD and good great effort. Burpees done with push-ups and clap. My hamstrings and legs in general were killing me on this one, I imagine running 10 km the day before had something to do with that. Near the end my jumps on the burpees were pretty sad.

05/28/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Metabolic
Run 10km for time
Time 52:03
Comments:
Ran 5km according to my pedometer and then turned around, lone behold when I got back to my starting point it said 5km, that's a first. I'd really like to get under 50 minutes on the 10km.

05/26/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic/Gymnastic
As many rounds in 20 minutes of:
100m Sandbag Run, 34kg sandbag
15 Front Squats, 34kg sandbag
21 Box Jumps
Total Rounds 6
Comments:
Interesting WOD and a solid effort on my part. The runs were more like 150m but felt more like 1km. The box jumps after the front squats were pretty interesting and I had to give my legs a second to rest as I couldn't hit the top of the log I was jumping onto. I think front squats and knees to elbow would be a deadly combo, I'll have to remember to try that...

05/25/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Metabolic/Gymnastic
10 Rounds for time of:
Run 100m
10 Ring Dips
10 Pull-ups
Time 23:46
Comments:
The ring dips just killed my time on this one. All 10 rounds of pull-ups were unbroken and even the first round of dips were too but after that it was all 4's and 3's. I should have probably made this one with 5 ring dips per round in order to give it a more metabolic impact. I see now though that this is basically an old WOD but I did it with 100m runs, which I wonder if they were worth while...

05/24/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting
For Time:
300 Tire Flips
Time 22:45
Comments:
Ouch. I really wasn't quite to sure what to expect out of this WOD. I thought it might be a little weak and pointless but soon found out otherwise. I haven't hit my body like this in a while and I definitely used some muscles that I haven't in a while. Even after the workout I was feeling like I got hit by a truck so I'm a bit fearful as to how tomorrow morning will progress.

Well things have been progressing along quite nicely here on the Island. I'm having some great WODs and my diet has been pretty dam good. I've recently made a couple of sandbags out of old feedbags; one weights in at 31kg/68lbs and the other 34kg/75lbs, which is half my bodyweight. They're both shaped a little different from each other; the 31kg is square which is great for thrusters and overhead stuff, while the 34kg is more rectangular with a fair bit of extra room in it so the sand can shift around making it good for shouldering for weighted runs. Making these bags have made my WODs that much more intense, interesting and hard-hitting and I honestly think that if I was back home, I'd be doing much more sandbag style WODs like the ones I've been doing over the regular WOD on Crossfit.com. I've been really tinkering with my randomiser lately and have fine tuned it quite nicely to make some pretty good ones. On top of that I've been actually working on L-sits and handstands after my WOD, I've been neglecting them both for the longest time. When I left home on this trip I figured that I would be working on them all the time and have a freestanding handstand down no problem and be able to pull off a 90 sec. L-hold. I can hardly hold a L-hold right now so I'm starting up on the basics and working on tuck-holds and leg raises; you got to learn to walk before you learn to sprint.
Other than that I've been wracking my brain lately about Crossfit and how it pertains to me. My mind is all over the map with a thousand different theories and principles that I question and wonder what I should do about, but I'll post that later as I'm still trying to get all my thoughts out in something tangible to read.

"My babies"



















05/22/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic/Gymnastic
"Helen"
3 Rounds for time of:
Run 400m
21 swings
12 pull-ups
Time 12:30
Comments:
Used my 17.5kg/39lbs rock for the swings and all sets unbroken. I did this one last time in 8:33 with the same rock but the distances I last time were not 400m as I had originally thought but more around 200m. that said I think the 400m runs were what slowed me down. I'd really like to try this WOD and every WOD with running on a true oval. My "track" is not that level and has some sharp corners that slow me down.

05/21/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic
For time:
200m Sandbag Run
25 Pick-ups
200m Sandbag Run
20 Pick-ups
200m Sandbag Run
15 Pick-ups
200m Sandbag Run
10 Pick-ups
200m Sandbag Run
5 Pick-ups
Time 21:46
Comments:
Used a 34kg sandbag for the runs and a 31kg bag for the pick-ups which were from the ground to overhead. A pretty good WOD with a solid effort. I was hurting pretty good from yesterday's WOD and this one I'm sure isn't going to make me feel much better in the morning. I'm really enjoying (if that's a good word for it) these weighted runs, they make WODs that much more intense and painful and this WOD was not an exception. These sandbags that I made were some of the best things I've done in a long time. There's a part on my "track" that's slightly uphill and I tell you with that sandbag on my back it that slight incline feels like Everest. To top it off, right where it levels off is the duck/goose pen and there's this noisy goose that honks like a crazy bastard every time I get there, so basically just as I come up to the pen I'm barely hobbling along and there waiting for me is this goose that runs along side of me in the pen, honking away until I get past it. I kind of think of it as a coach yelling and running along side their athlete, trying to motivate them.

"Coach"















05/20/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Gymnastic
For 15 minutes do 20 seconds of work for each exercise for total reps of:
Sit-ups
Push-ups
Squats
Total Reps 553
Comments:
This was a nice little fun WOD based off one from a while back but with pull-ups instead of push-ups. How it works is, you do 20 seconds of sit-ups, 20 seconds of push-ups, 20 seconds of squats and then start over again with the sit-ups. Do it for 15 minutes counting total reps.

05/19/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic/Gymnastic
21-15-9 for time of:
100m Sandbag Run
Hang Squat Cleans
Burpee-pull-ups
Time 13:13
Comments:
Used a 23kg rock for the Hang Squat Cleans and a 34kg sandbag for the runs. Speaking of runs, I was suppose to do this one the day before but had some stomach problems and after doing the first 100m, made a 20m dash to the toilet where...well we'll just leave it at that. Anyways, because I missed the WOD yesterday I was going to juice this one up to 5 rounds with 25 reps per but after hitting 21 reps on the cleans I realized dong that would just be insane. I stayed on course and did it as I originally planned and I'm glad I did as I'm sure I'd still be doing it if I had made the changes. I was getting pretty close to pukie and afterwards I was thinking about giving the WOD a name but decided against it. Regardless it was a good WOD and I recommend it. I'm finding that hang squat cleans and pull-ups to be a deadly combo, they just destroy your arms and shoulders. I'll also note that I did this WOD a little earlier than usual and found it much easier to get into, push myself harder and then afterwards work on some L-sits and handstands so the moral of the story is: workout earlier.

05/17/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Gymnastic
21-18-15-12-9-6 and 3 rep rounds for time of:
Shoulder-bags
Pull-ups
Time 15:35
Comments:
I made myself another sandbag today, this one weighting in at 34kg/75lbs, which is half my bodyweight and change. It's a lot more pillow shaped so it should be better for runs and it held up quite nicely for today's WOD. Shoulder-bags are basically picking up the sandbag and shouldering it, I couldn't think of a better name so sue me. The shoulder-bags and pull-ups were a nice combo that fried my arms and made the pull-ups that much tougher.

05/16/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Metabolic
For time:
Run 100m
Sandbag Run 100m
Run 200m
Sandbag Run 200m
Run 400m
Sandbag Run 400m
Run 800m
Sandbag Run 800m
Time 28:48
Comments:
Made myself a nice sandbag that's weighting in at about 31kg/68lbs. It's a little too square and that made it really awkward and tough to shoulder and grip. I think I'll make another bag but more rectangular so it's easier to shoulder and keep the square one for thrusters and things like that. All in all a very painful WOD though and instead of drinking my bottle of water afterwards, I poured it on my head, good fun. After this WOD I'm realizing that instead of doing so much running as I have been doing while on the road, which I think is one of the main reasons I've lost a little weight, I should be doing more of the runs weighted. I think if I halve the run distances when doing weighted runs that that extra bit of weightlifting will be more beneficial than just running.

"The Gym"

Well things have been going good here on Kangaroo Island, been going hard and keeping my diet pretty clean, I can already see a bit of a difference body composition wise, now I've just got to keep it up. I've been experimenting and using different objects around the farm that I can find; an old tractor tire, a big log that I attached a couple of handles onto and a backpack full of rocks. I was hoping to be able to do thrusters and C&Js with the log, as it weights only around 35kg/77lbs but I find it very awkward and cumbersome because it's so thick. That said I dug up a couple old post on the Crossfit message board about using odd objects and such, saying that when using a sandbag you'd use 65-70% of the barbell weight. I'm assuming the same could be said for rocks, tires and logs to a degree. I'm sure there's a Crossfit Journal that gets into using sandbags and such and might even be in the medicine ball C&J issue or another one...have to look into that.
Odd objects Vs weights & bars
Sandbag C&J

05/14/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Benchmark
"Fran"
21-15-9 for time of:
Thrusters
Pull-ups
Time 4:30
Comments:
Used a 23kg/50lbs rock for the thrusters, I was going to use a 36kg/80lbs rock for them but found it was just too heavy and awkward. The reps were broken down as:
Thrusters 21, 10/5, 9
Pull-ups 19/2, 8/5/2, 7/2

05/13/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic/Gymnastic
21-15-9 for time:
Run 400m
Deadlifts
Ring Dips
Time 13:35
Comments:
Made something that I could deadlift other than rocks and stumps. I found two old handles for a cabinet and screwed them onto a log that weighted in at 35 kg. Wasn't the heaviest thing in the world to DL but it's better then nothing.

05/12/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Gymnastic/Metabolic
For time:
90 Squats
30 Pull-ups
75 Squats
25 Pull-ups
60 Squats
20 Pull-ups
45 Squats
15 Pull-ups
Time 22:22
Comments:
This is an old WOD from July 16, 2004 that I dug up, it was good stuff, looks like I was about in the middle of the pack.

05/10/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of:
Weighted Pull-ups 14kg
Weighted Jumpstretch Push-ups 14kg
Weighted Squats 48.5kg
Time 25:05
Comments:
This is what I'd consider an ME day for myself. I used a backpack full of rocks that weighted in at 14kg for the pull-ups and then threw my jumpstretch band around me for the pull-ups. As for the squats I kept the bag on plus I used a huge log that weighted in at 34.5kg so in total the weight came to around 48.5kg. This was an interesting one that turned into quite the grind. I need to do more WOD's like this with heavy objects and weighted bodyweight exercises if I can't do things like snatches and C&Js.

05/09/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Gymnastic/Weightlifting/Metabolic
For time:
35 Lungs
35 Tire Flips
Run 800m
35 Knees to Elbow
35 Tosses
Run 400m
35 Pull-ups
35 Burpee Squat Clean Thrusters
Run 200m
Time 27:12
Comments:
Used a big stump for the tosses and a 15kg rock for the Burpee Squat Clean Thrusters. A nice little chipper that I put together with some junk that was kicking around the farm. The BSCT just about killed me, I was going to use my 23kg rock for them but after 2 reps I realized that it would have been a slow gruelling 35 reps so I switched over to the lighter rock for more POWER.

"My new toy"

Well I'm back on Kangaroo Island now, house sitting for my friend Kate. I'm stocked up with some good paleo food, have a good amount of "equipment" and a lot of extra time so there's really no excuses. I have been alright diet wise the last week but that's after crashing and burning and eating pizza and then proceeding to lose all self control and munch out on anything and everything that got in my way, namely anything that was a bread or grain and cheese. I've been nibbling here and there on some cheese and part of me tells me it's not good for you, namely the extremist side, and another part that tells me it's alright, namely the side that is bombarded with ads and such saying that dairy and cheese is good for you. I'm lactose intolerant but they do something different to the cheese down here that allows me to digest it. I weighted in at 67.5kg today, which is around 148.5lbs, yeah I'm a lightweight. I can definitely see that I've lost muscle and that my bf% has gone up a bit. I know understand better how you're body loses and gains muscle though; albeit that I have been exercising and working out, most of the weights that I have been using have been rather light due to me having to use rocks and other odd objects, because the weights are lighter my body doesn't need or use that muscle and in turn loses it. At least that's what I can gather.

05/08/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Weightlifting/Metabolic
3 rounds for time of:
Run 800m
21 Thrusters
21 Good mornings
Time 22:05
Comments:
Used a 23kg rock for the thrusters and a 18kg log for the GMs. A pretty good WOD that had me staggering pretty good, especially after the thrusters, got to find a heavier log though.

05/07/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
Modulate: Gymnastics
Minute on the minute of:
Burpees
Total Rounds 13 complete rounds + 11
Comments:
A pretty good WOD and I found my legs were burning like mad. I feel pretty beaten up and sore after that extended time off and then getting back into the swing of things with some taxing WOD's.

05/05/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
3 Rounds for time of:
25 Tire flips
15 Box Jumps
15 Tire flips
25 Box Jumps
Time 13:40
Comments:
After reading "Training in Austere Locations" article in March 2006's issue of the Crossfit journal, I got inspired and found a new piece of equipment; a huge ass tire.

05/04/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
As many rounds in 20 minutes of:
Run 100m
9 pull-ups
12 Squat Cleans
Total Rounds 8 + 100m, 9 pull-ups & 9 squat cleans
Comments:
A solid WOD and a solid effort. I should have been able to get those last 3 squat cleans but I wussed out from the burn in my legs and arms. Pull-ups and squat cleans are a deadly combo.

05/03/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 for time of:
Ring Dips
Swings
Jumpstretch overhead squats
Time 20:45
Comments:
17.5kg rock for the swings. Missed yesterday's WOD due to running around and seeing Kate off to South Africa. I'm out here by myself now with really no excuses to work out, do some skill work and eat healthy. Had pizza yesterday and then munched out hardcore on breads and grains. I've been keeping my food log up to date and the last couple day's have been pretty good compared to the amount of food that I have been surrounded with.

05/01/06
Kate's Farm, Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, SA
For Time:
Run 400m
21Thursters
30 pull-ups
Run 800m
30 pull-ups
21Thursters
Run 400m
Time 16:25
Comments:
Used a 23kg rock for the thrusters. It's good to be back at Kate's and have access to some good "equipment", rocks, good pull-up bar, logs, tire, stumps... I've missed a couple day's due to travelling from Melbourne to Adelaide to Kangaroo Island and then things were pretty crazy the second that I arrived for the next couple days.

04/26/06
Eastwind Rare Breeds Farm, Macclesfield, Victoria
21-15-9
Run 400m
Pick-ups
Time 10:20
Comments:
I used a big stump for the pick-ups that weighted about 40lbs. This one was almost a waste of time but felt like I needed to do something as I knew it would be