Crossfit Endurance WOD review 7/20/2010

Today I did the Crossfit Endurance WOD as prescribed.

One Minute Ladder:

Warmup

All Out Efforts.

1min on, 1 min off, 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on, 40 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on 20 sec off, 1 min on, 10 sec off, then go back up the ladder until you finish with 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on.

Cooldown

Timing this workout can be difficult, especially in the later intervals when the mind gets a little fuzzy. I programmed the workout into my Garmin Forerunner, and it worked beautifully. It even features a 5-second countdown timer as each interval is about to end.

The recommended warm-up is an 800m easy jog followed by a few short sprints to prepare the legs for hard running.

This workout definitely got harder as the rest periods got shorter. But I was surprised to find that my distance covered on the run intervals was consistently 0.18 miles. My average run pace was around 5:30/mile. I think I was being conservative, but I won’t know until I try it next time.

The total workout was 2.35 miles, just over 16 minutes. 1.8 miles of hard running.

Give it a shot sometime, and let me know what you think.

Run hard out there...

Today: Sprints

It was just a few of the boys today, so we ran to River's Edge and did some sprints on the soccer field. Total running 5 miles. Sprinting all out? Probably about a mile.

Before the workout I was having the Monday morning "blahs," and almost opted for a slice of pizza instead of a run. But it is amazing how much better I felt after that workout. Instead of the pizza I had some garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

What a great way to start what's going to be a great week.

If you are not sprinting in your workouts, you should try it. Google "benefits of sprinting" to see why. But ease into it if you are new to sprinting.

Run hard out there...

Crossfit Games

Want to see some elite athletes? Watch the Crossfit Games live. Good stuff.

Constantly Varied

One of the reasons Crossfit workouts work is that they are "constantly varied." Keep the body guessing. What's next? You want me to do what?!?

Variety in exercises, sets, reps, weight, rounds, etc. is the key to developing every component of physical fitness.

It works for runners too. Run slow miles every day? Great if you want to be a slow runner.

Keep the body guessing.

So I asked my friends Jay and Amanda at Brickhouse Crossfit today, "At what point will constantly varied not equate to constantly sore?"

They did not really have a good answer. Variety is the spice of life.

You know that "good sore" feeling? I'm feeling it right now. And loving it.

Run hard out there...

Circle Work

This is always a fun workout when you are with a group.

Circle Work

Form a circle. Every 30 seconds take turns calling out a favorite exercise. Repeat this for 20 minutes.

We did burpees, crunches, squats, jumping jacks, pushups, high knee raises, mountain climbers, plank, more burpees, and so on.

Constantly varied, almost random. Very easy to time with the Gymboss.





Run hard out there...

Crossfit Endurance

I'm heading down to Charlotte, NC this weekend to take a Crossfit Endurance Certification course. I've posted about Crossfit Endurance before, and I believe it works. Now I am going to dive deeper.

I'll post details next week.

Run hard out there...

Sweaty Clothes

Okay, Summer is here. Not officially yet, but lunchtime workouts in the 90s confirms it in my book. The result for me and plenty of others I know: Several pounds of wet clothes.

Today my shorts were so wet (from sweat!) I decided just to wear them in the shower, rinse them out and maybe get another day out of them. But alas, they ended up in the grocery bag at the bottom of my messenger bag with the wrung out shirt and very damp socks. A heavy reminder of yet another great workout (today was a 5-mile tempo run).

I visited one of my co-workers today in her office and the first thing I noticed was her clear plastic bag of wet clothes in the floor. She quickly moved it out of the way, perhaps embarrassed, I don't know. They certainly did not bother me. But it got me thinking... there has got to be a better way.

So I did a quick search, and I found a lovely solution. The Sweat Bag.

Most of the designs are a little feminine for my taste, but I think they might make the perfect gift for the woman in your life who has to deal with 5 pounds of sweaty clothes on a daily basis. Come on guys, encourage the sweat!

For now, I'll probably stick with the plastic grocery bag. Turn it inside out each day and it will last for weeks.

What do you do with your post-workout sweaty clothes?

Run hard out there...