The Oracle of Apollo Snippets from the life of Apollo Lee

CrossFit Day 98

Today’s workout was very similar to one I did after I’d discovered CrossFit, but before I started actually doing it. Today, it was a little more work, but I doubt that I’ll be sore nearly as long as I was in August.

Four rounds for time:

1. 400 m run (actually, about 430 m)
2. 50 squats

After I redlined the first lap (and sprinted that 430 meters in under 90 seconds), I knew this workout was going to hand my ass to me. I went after the squats in that first round with abandon and had to rest for 20 seconds after I smacked the Lap button before I could start running again. I pulled it back a little bit, aiming for 2 minute laps and squat rounds about 3 minutes long. My original idea about getting through this workout in 17 minutes was probably a little unrealistic. I’m just happy I finished in less than 20 minutes after taking the heart rate above 215 bpm for the first time in a long time. Let’s not blow a head gasket, Apollo.

My HRM: 19:48, 1:52 zone (hard); HR: 174 avg, 217 max; 303 cal
Stopwatch: 19:44.30

CrossFit Day 97

Today’s workout called for 7 rounds of 3 reps each of the hang squat clean. I’m working with dumbbells, as usual. I knew that this workout would take me about 5 minutes, so I changed it up a little bit.

Three rounds for time:

1. 7 hang squat cleans (70# – 2×35# DB)
2. 14 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (35# Kettlebell)
3. 21 Kettlebell Swings (35# Kettlebell)

This workout got my heart pumping hard and left me trying to chase my breath a lot. I attacked as hard as I could, but still needed about a minute’s rest between rounds. I tried to time the rest periods to exactly 60 seconds.

I need to do a lot more upper body work. I’m formulating some supplemental plans to get extra sore really soon.

My HRM: 11:48, 1:38 zone (hard); HR: 169 avg, 183 max; 173 cal
Stopwatch: 11:46.64

CrossFit Day 96

Today’s workout was a barbell workout — ten rounds for max load of single rep max on the front squat. I don’t have a barbell setup, so I’m doing the CrossFit Warmup and 7 rounds of 10 front squats with a pair of 35 pound dumbbells.

It didn’t take me very long to get through the squats. Each round averaged just faster than 90 seconds. I was done in ten minutes. I misread the workout on the CrossFit website, though. I should have done 100 reps, instead of only 70. Ah, well, I’ll keep my eyes peeled better next time.

My HRM: 10:10, 3:12 zone (hard); HR: 157 avg, 172 max; 130 cal
Stopwatch: 10:05.74

CrossFit Day 95

Today’s workout was a new one to me, a “girl” workout named Annie. Annie was nice to me. Annie consisted of the following:

For time:

1. 100 rope jumps + 50 sit ups
2. 80 rope jumps + 40 sit ups
3. 60 rope jumps + 30 sit ups
4. 40 rope jumps + 20 sit ups
5. 20 rope jumps + 10 sit ups

Doesn’t that look like fun? Yeah, let’s do this thing. I had to subdivide the sit ups into 25s and then 15s and then 10s as I got more and more tired. Like the guy in the video said, the rope jumps were the easy part (except he was doing double unders and I only did singles).

Thankfully, it stopped raining this evening so I could get this thing done. I’m really sick of all this rain.

My HRM: 13:17, 4:12 zone (hard); HR: 145 avg, 199 max; 145 cal
Stopwatch: 13:15.06

CrossFit Day 94

Today’s workout was another 5 km run. I still procrastinated long enough that I didn’t get on the track until after dark. It was not as warm as it was last weekend, so I bundled up and went for it anyway.

I started out with a solid kick, but it slipped away from me. I really concentrated on finishing faster than last time and that meant pushing my pace a little more aggressively in the final 6 laps. Sadly, I didn’t have enough left on lap 13 to set a personal best on this distance. For the first time since I started these workouts, I missed the mark I set last time. The previous five attempts were all personal bests. This one ended slow by about five seconds. Spring is coming, so there will be more runs without the jacket, sweats, beanie, and gloves.

Total time: 26:49.60 for 13 laps (5327 m)
Fast Lap: 01:52.59 (2)
Slow Lap: 02:14.10 (11)
Average Lap: 02:03.81

My HRM: 27:21, 5:54 zone (hard); HR: 175 avg, 192 max; 423 cal

Previously:

1. Feb 09, 2008: 26:44
2. Jan 16, 2008: 27:00
3. Dec 28, 2007: 28:02
4. Dec 20, 2007: 28:23
5. Nov 29, 2007: 28:45
6. Sep 26, 2007: 32:06

CrossFit Day 93

Today’s workout was the second new hero workout in a row. “Randy” is in tribute to Randy Simmons, an LAPD SWAT team member, who died this month in the line of duty. His workout is simple, but pretty tough: 75 reps of power snatches, for time.

After watching the video several times to figure out the movement, I went downstairs to attempt this workout with 50 pounds of weight (a pair of 25 pound dumbbells). Power snatches are highly technical moves and if your form isn’t 100% correct, you fail. The 25 pounders were too heavy for me to pull off this movement consistently. The 20 pounders were still too much. Sadly, I had to scale back to my pair of rubber 15 pound dumbbells. I subdivided this workout into five rounds of 15 power snatches.

Had I known this workout was going to take less than 15 minutes, I’d have opened with a CrossFit warmup. I should get in the habit of doing that every time.

My results (HRM): 12:48, 3:25 zone (hard); HR: 163 avg, 180 max; 174 cal

Stopwatch: 12:43.70

CrossFit Day 92

Today’s workout was a new hero workout called “Nate”, named for CPO Nate Hardy, US Navy, who died this month in combat in Iraq. His new workout is: Max rounds in 20 minutes of 2 muscle ups, 4 handstand pushups, 8 72# kettlebell swings. I don’t have muscle ups or a 72# Kettlebell. My version of this workout today is the following:

Eights for Nate:

Max rounds in 20 minutes of:

1. 8 pullups
2. 8 chair dips
3. 8 handstand pushups (knees on table)
4. 8 kettlebell swings (53# kettlebell)

Unfortunately, one of my housemates was cooking something and forgot about it, so I stopped the timer at 17 minutes to go tell her. I came back down, restarted the timer and went after the last three minutes. The last round was the fastest as I raced the clock. I decided to finish round 8, even after the timer went off. By beautiful coincidence, I finished the last swing at 20:08 on the clock.

My results: 8 rounds in 20:08.

My HRM: 21:27, 11:52 zone (hard); HR : 158 avg, 185 max; 227 cal

(Yeah, stop forgetting to hit the stop button on the heart rate monitor, smart guy.)

CrossFit Day 91

Today’s workout was another barbell workout: 7 rounds of single deadlift reps, for max loads. Since I don’t have a barbell or the training, I’m substituting ten tapering rounds of deadlifts (10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps) using a pair of 35 pound dumbbells. Since I expected this to take about 3 minutes, I added a round of the CrossFit Warmup.

My version of the crossfit warmup today is three rounds for time:

1. 60 second Sampson stretch
2. 15 Overhead Squats with a 7 foot broomstick
3. 15 standing back extensions (25# DB)
4. 15 situps
5. 15 pushups
6. 15 chair dips

On my warmup, I tried to work it as hard as I could and keep the stopping to pant to a minimum. I was able to knock out four minute rounds. Not bad. A good thumping warmup, at any rate.

As predicted, the deadlifts went really fast. 55 total deadlifts at 70 pounds aren’t really that difficult, so I got through them pretty quickly.

Warmup: 12:46, 10:28 zone (basic), HR: 138 avg, 165 max, 130 cal
Deadlifts: 3:25, 1:17 zone (hard), HR: 158 avg, 167 max, 42 cal

CrossFit Day 90

Today’s workout was my beloved 5 km run. Fortunately, it was warm this afternoon and I ran it without wearing my sweats, windjacket, and gloves. It was probably about 60° by the time I took the track just before sunset.

Honestly, I expected to finish my run a little faster than I did, but I waited too long after I ate. My time was, however, good enough for another personal best. I tried to hold steady at 2 minute laps, which would have me finishing in 26 minutes, but my pace eroded after the first mile.

• Total time: 26:44.86 for 13 laps (5395 m)
• Fast Lap: 01:55.95 (1)
• Slow Lap: 02:10.14 (10)
• Average Lap: 02:03.45

My HRM: 27:03, 4:52 zone (hard); HR: 183 avg, 197 max; 442 cal

Previously:

1. Jan 16, 2008: 27:00
2. Dec 28, 2007: 28:02
3. Dec 20, 2007: 28:23
4. Nov 29, 2007: 28:45
5. Sep 26, 2007: 32:06

CrossFit Day 89

Today’s workout was a brand new one (to me, anyway) that I’m calling the “Dirty Dozen.” I thought I’d be able to do this, scaled back slightly, in half an hour. This was an evil amount of work that had me staggering at the end of it. Let’s get to work.

For time:

1. 25 walking lunges
2. 20 pullups
3. 50 tuck jumps
4. 40 rope jumps (single unders)
5. 25 chair dips, weighted (2×15# DB in backpack)
6. 20 Knees to Elbows (on floor)
7. 20 Kettlebell swings (53# KB)
8. 30 situps
9. 20 hang squat cleans (2×35# DB)
10. 25 good mornings (25# DB)
11. 30 Thrusters (2×20# DB)
12. 30 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (35# KB)

I did all this stuff either in the house or on the concrete pad outside my workout room. The pullups took a while because I pulled my bar onto my head twice. The hang squat cleans were as strict as I could make them and it still took me over seven minutes. It took me two minutes to catch my breath enough to go on after that round. The thrusters took longer than I expected, too, because I was getting tired and sloppy. This was an insane workout that I really need to do more often. But, that protein shake at the end was sweet enough to feel like a prize after all this.

Time (Elapsed) – exercise

• 01:22.27 (01:22.27) – walking lunges
• 04:28.62 (05:50.89) – pullups
• 02:32.79 (08:23.68) – tuck jumps
• 01:08.00 (09:31.68) – single unders
• 02:00.26 (11:31.94) – chair dips
• 02:36.14 (14:08.08) – knees to elbows
• 02:52.28 (17:00.36) – kettlebell swings
• 01:44.60 (18:44.96) – situps
• 07:14.22 (25:59.18) – hang squat cleans
• 02:00.43 (27:59.61) – gasping breath
• 01:24.85 (29:24.46) – good mornings
• 04:41.68 (34:06.14) – thrusters
• 02:24.46 (36:30.60) – sumo deadlift high pulls

Total time: 36:30.60
Fast: 01:08.00 (single unders); Slow: 07:14.22 (hang squat cleans); Avg: 02:45.85

I think next time I’m going to try to do the whole thing, without a rest period and without taking 7 minutes to do 30 hang squat cleans at an unmanly 70 pounds. Let’s try for half an hour even next time.

My results: 36:29, 13:14 zone (hard); HR: 162 avg, 189 max; 489 cal