Posted on by Iron Rogue

Updates for the End of the Week

Wednesday: I wanted to add a little to my workout, which was planned to be a spin on the stationary bike (since the weather was lousy).  I came across this workout in my Twitter feed from Shannon of Badass Fitness.  They say good swimming comes from the core, so doing this circuit before the bike seemed like a good substitute for a swim-bike brick (without getting wet… unless you count sweat).


Thursday: I started shoring up my race calendar for the year, especially the triathlons (I’ll have to do a Race Calendar post and page soon).  I signed up for the Bracebridge Triathlon (a redemption race from last year) and the Muskoka 5i50 (again).

I also went to SquareOne Crossfit for the WOD.  It was Snatch focused (I promised myself I wouldn’t laugh…) and that worried me a little.  I was eager to learn, but I knew it was highly technical and I had no experience.  I probably even under-estimated it, as it involved every part of the body in complex, compound movements.  I practiced with just a PVC pipe, then a bar, then a bar with 10 pound plates (for a total of a mere 35 pounds) just to get the form down.  I found I’d either do a good ‘jump’ where you rise from the first squatted position to get the bar flying up high, but not get good positioning under the bar for the latter squat, or the reverse – I’d drop nice and low, but before really fully popping my hips out.





So I don’t have much to show for the one-rep max, but for the AMRAP part I got 6 complete rounds of 10 body-weight squats and 5 burpees in 4 minutes
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The WOD
That one guy always forgets to count…

That session was a lot like my first, where I wasn’t completely demolished by the end, because working on skill meant taking a lighter weight. I’m glad, because the snatches frankly terrified me. Lower back, shoulders, knees are all ripe for injury on that move from what I could tell… plus there’s always the chance you’ll pull the bar into your face or drop it on your own head. If I’m smart (I’m not) I’ll work on practising the moves for my muscle memory.

Friday: As of this morning, I have lost 4.8 lbs in my DietBet which puts me about 59% of the way there 8 days in. Basically, I’m counting calories. I’m an engineer, and I believe in the laws of thermodynamics. When calories burned > calories ingested, weight comes off, and every other kind of weight loss trick is merely gaming that system. It also helps me to know just how much I can get away with during the day. I don’t have a cheat day or cheat food really because this is a temporary measure (the whole explanation is here). So booze and sweets are off the menu (some of Shark Boy’s ice cream may have fallen into my mouth on Sunday) and I try to keep portions under control with small healthy snacks (cottage cheese, fruits, veggies) between meals.