Meal Log.

I woke this morning feeling good about the day ahead of me.  I knew it would be a challenge but I felt comfortable about being able to push through it.  The schedule broke down as follows, 1:30 PM Crossfit Session, 5:00 PM Ali Personal Training, 6:00 PM Cardio Session, 7:00 PM Core Class with Ali. 

My workout sessions are turning into a part time job, it’s Wednesday and I’ve worked out 8 times already.  That probably amounts to about 10 hours of time; I’m beginning to question whether my determination has become a full blown obsession.  I have two sessions tomorrow, and three sessions on Friday.  I think I need to find a strength and conditioning coach somewhere, someone who deals with athletes, who can prescribe a plan that involves cycling my workout periods, perhaps working intensely for two weeks, and then one week of moderate recovery.

The 1:30 PM session as at Potomac Crossfit, there is no video from the session because I forgot my camera.  I wish I had because the motions we worked on today were all power moves which would have looked great on video. 

Liz started the workout with a quick warm-up.  The warm-up involved 7 body weight squats, 10 sit-ups, and 5 back rows on the gymnastics rings.  She put 7 minutes on the Crossfit clock and I went at it to complete as many cycles as I could, I was able to get in 6 circuits. 

The bulk of the session was spent with Liz teaching me the front squat, the overhead squat, the overhead press, and the push press.  Doing a front squat is an interesting experience.  I found that I don’t have the flexibility in my shoulders to put the weight bar in the proper position on my shoulders.  In order to balance the bar you have to literally bend your arms backwards to where the back of your hand would touch your shoulders.  I can barely get the top of my fingers to touch my shoulder blade.  This prompted Liz to teach me a series of stretches, each one of them was excruciating.  I think I laughed through the stretching because the only other reaction I could have mustered in that moment would have been crying.  All in all she taught me 5 stretches to give my shoulders the range of motion necessary to do the front squat correctly. 

An overhead squat is a tough maneuver, it is exactly as it sounds, you are doing a squat with your arms holding weight above your head.  It’s an awkward position, which requires good balance, and the need to muster a great deal of power on the upward motion. 

The overhead press is a bit easier, but technically the Crossfit method is something that will require a bit of coordination.  In order to maintain proper form you have to move your body in a way which will keep the bar straight above your head.  As a result on the extended press you almost have to pop your head through your arms, and then move your head out of the way lowering the bar.  The natural tendency is for you to move the bar in front of your head, but this could cause injury if the weight is heavy, because it the weight will pull your shoulders forward. 

A Crossfit Push Press incorporates a half-squat into an overhead press.  It is another powerful move, as you press upward you feel like a caveman. 

By the time we reached the actual workout, Liz had me do the Overhead Squat, and the Push-Press for 3 sets, 21 reps, 15 reps, and 9 reps.  The emphasis being on proper form and time, I finished the WoD in 4:23.

After Crossfit I went home to recovery before my early evening workouts.  I used a short walk with Benny as my active recovery period.  During the walk I felt great, as many squats as I had done, I didn’t feel sore or weak.

At 4:30 PM I went to the gym to warm up before my session with Ali.  For the first time I used the rowing machine as my warm-up.  I set the machine to a resistance level of 6, and tried to get to 2500m as quickly as I could.  It took 11:43 to finish 2500m.  Rowing is a great full body exercise, by the start of my Personal Training session I had started to break a good sweat.

We didn’t do any boxing today, and spent the session working on my legs.  Ali continued my warm-up with a bit of jogging around the aerobics room.  I felt nimble on my feet, when my feet would touch the ground the intensity of my feet touching is significantly lighter.   

My workout involved quick transitions, during the hour we probably did 20 different exercises.  Similar to many of the workouts with Ali I have a tough time recalling the arrangement of the session.  I have video below from four of the exercises.

When we finished the session I went to the locker room to change, refill on water and come back out to do some cardio.  By the time I reached the Arc trainer it was 6:10 PM, at 7:00 PM I had to get to my Core Class, so an entire hour of cardio wasn’t possible.  I decided I would do a more traditional version of Mountain.  I did a 2 minute warm-up, with 12 three minute increases in intensity, and only 1 sprint at the end. 

When I got on the Arc Trainer I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue, because my legs felt like lead.  It was a long 40 minute session.  Most of the time spent on the machine felt like a grind, I found it difficult to get through the last 3 increases.   Cardio Log here.

7:00 PM, Core Class with Ali.  This core class is exactly what I needed and expected.  Just like last week the class is quick paced, and there is little time spent waiting between exercises.  Towards the middle of the class I realized how tired I was because when we started doing planks, I couldn’t hold the position if I lowered my hips to the right position, whenever I tried my body would just give out. 

When my day was finished, I was exhausted, and extremely hungry. 

My one epiphany of the day was around lunch time.  Before I had lunch I was out of it, and needed a nap.  I had a good meal of fresh green veggies, and broiled fish.  When I was done eating I felt re-energized.  It was like someone had turned on a light switch.  I guess when you feed your body good food, it responds positively.  I don’t recall a meal in the last 5 years were I felt good after eating, at the end of a meal I would always feel bloated, and then it would require at least 2 hours for me to feel normal.

It’s late and I need to get to bed, sorry for the weak post today, but my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders.