Just to get it out of the way- I got another room!
As you could read the last time I was online, I had the bad fortune of getting the worst room in the entire hotel when we were in Frankfurt, but after a short conversation about the unfortunate sounds I could hear in my room, the fact that it was warm as hell and there was no A/C, and having the window was impossible because it would just make the noise even more attrusive, and I would get all the smoke from the people who stood in front of the hotel smoking, right into my room, the receptionist was kind enough to give me another room, that had A/C- faced away from the street, and was bigger.... Needless to say I slept like a child:-)
We spent the next day and a half in Frankfurt walking around town like the tourists we were, enjoying that we had the days off, and that the wheather was beautiful! We also spend some time getting more accuinted with Pat's alternative zone which included bratwurst, hamburgers, diet coke etc. it has to be the bvest thing that has ever happened to me that he introduved and shared his views on diets with me- I lost a couple of kilos while we were on tour, and got some pretty good workouts in as well, so the diet might be working after all! Sure looks like it is working for Pat!
Speaking of Pat- we got him the ugliest belt I have ever seen, but since he does have a thing for belt buckles, I think he just may find a place to use it- it was a dollar sign, in gold that rotates on a silverry background in true hip hop bling style. I only wish I had a picture of his face when he saw it:-)
After Frankfurt we went to Ramstein Airforce base for the cert! The cert was supposed to be on base, but since it had been virtually impossible to get the civilian participants onto the base, the entire thing had been moved to a place Called Colluseum just of base- a huge effort had been put into this cert by Jason and Brian who were the ones who had put the whole thing together, and I am truly grateful for their effort, the cert was fantastic! More on that in a second!
We got onto base and, after Jason had shown us where we would be staying we went to a place called Chilli's to get some more education on the Pat Sherwood diet (loved it) and some actual food! While we were eating Jason came by and asked if we wanted to get a workout in before the cert at their on base box? Of course we all jumped at the chance to see their box and get to workout.
The box was part of a bigger gym, but they had gotten it really nice with plexiglass on the walls for the hand stands, and lifting stations that they had built themselves.
While Pat and Lisa went for the WoD called Ramstein, Klaus decided to do squats and I went for the heay deads in sets of 3.. I got to 355lbs and was pretty happy with my effort when Pat walked up after doing the Wod with Lisa and decides to do a set of 10 at 355 lbs... The man is a freak! I called it a day:-)
The cert was an absolute blast- people were super enthusiastic, and very willing to take in teh information, and standards on the movements, besides being good movers from the beginning! It is always fantastic to see people who move well from the begining, still try to rafine their movements and always striving for a deeper understanding- if the people in Ramstein are in any way an indication of where CrossFit in Europe is going- then we should all feel comfortable knowing that we are on the right path!
Thank you for a great cert!
After that we all went back to frankfurt to stay at a hotel near the airport the last night before we all flew out on monday morning.
At our last dinner together Klaus once again displayed his ability to make us all laugh until we were in tears- the man does not even try to be funny, he just hits a nerve that has everyone laughing. He did a couple of times during the week, and at this dinner the thing that knocked us all out was when he went to work on Lisa and Pat's pronounciation of the word Bamberg- Nicole Caroll would have been proud, cause he would not relent:-) Good on you brother- I look forward to more certs with Klaus!
Now I am back in Stockholm working and working out! Todays WoD was "Eva".. and once again I was reminded why I hate to work out at a globo gym!
After my third round and my fourth running and the kettlebell swings, I came back into the gym, only to find that some rocket scientist had taken the pull up bar, and had no intention of returning it, or letting me get inbetweento do my pull ups!
I decided to go get my rings and do the rest of the WoD with ring Rows (feet on a box) instead of pull ups, and then just time that- let me just share the fact that it did not get easier!
Part one- 3 full rounds, the run and the kettlebell swings 28:44 min
part two- the remainder with ring rows instead of pull ups 10:13 min
What really pisses me off is that I felt pretty good when I was broken off by the bicep curling moron! Of course it was hard, but I really felt like I had it in the bag... well well we prepare for the unknown and the unknowable:-)
For now this will have to do! Until next time..
Much love
Mads
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Bamberg!
It has been a couple of days since I had the chance to get online, so I will try to sum up tha last couple of days, but realize that there is a good chance I will forget something..
I arrived in Frankfurt, and met up with Klaus who had just flown in from Copenhagen. We got our luggage and made our way through the airport, to met up with Pat and Lisa who had flown in from overseas a little earlier. we had breakfast a a very charming little cafe in the airport- I dont know how they manage to these places to all look alike? The we went to search for the rental car agent, after a while we found it and got the car, so a little later we were on the road for Bamberg, approximately 3h drive from Frankfurt.
After a short stop where Pat shared his infinate wisdom when it comes to eating somewhat zonelike meals at McDonalds we got back on the road. However somewhere right after we had gotten out of the McDonalds we made a wrong turn, and ended up getting the scenic route through some super beautiful little bavarian town, which al loked like they had been torn out of a sight seeing magazine:-) Not a bad de-tour at all!
The next day was spent just walking through town, looking at the fantastic old houses, and funny architecture- Bamberg really is a town worth visiting, if nothing for nothing else, then for the houses and fairy tail like feeling you get wen you walk through town!
We also spent a fail amount of time walking through town searching for a store that would sell us a power adapter for Pat's computer and his phone- it is hard to believe that a town that bases, I would estimate, 40% of its business on the american soldiers in that town, would not carry an adapter- but it was a hike before we finally got to a Mac store that sold the adapter for the computer, but not for the phone... hmmm ere is a business idea for the innovative soul, adapters in Bamberg!
After that we went to a ribbon cutting veremony and the CrossFit gym on base where the cert was going to be the next day- a super cool experience to be able to take part in the official opening of the gym, just a day before the cert.
The next two days after that was the cert, and nothing to tell about that really except how much I enjoy the opportunity to be able to do this! It is a learning experience to be able to see people like Pat and Lisa do their lectures, and I feel like I learn as much from these certs as I hope the participants do? I am super grateful to be able to do this!
The coolest thing happened today after the cert though- Ben and Justin, who were pretty much the prime forces, behind getting this cert to Bamberg, were getting a promotion to captains, and not only did we get to take part in the ceremony, we also got to put their "rail road tracks" on their barrets and uniforms during the ceremony. A huge honor, and I am grateful to have gotten the chance to do this!
After that we were all awarded a certificate and got the company coin- another experience that I am grateful to take with me from this week..
Al in all a great cert, and a huge thank you to everyone and especially Ben and Justin who have taken super good care of us!
Now we are in Frankfurt, and we hve just checked into our hotel, where we will be for two days of R&R before we are of to Ramstein for the cert this weekend.
For some strange reason everyone except me has gotten really good rooms- I got one on the first flor facing the most heavily trafficated street in Frankfurt- hopefully I will be able to change rooms tomorrow..
I hope to be able to get back to you all soon- untill then
Much love
Mads
I arrived in Frankfurt, and met up with Klaus who had just flown in from Copenhagen. We got our luggage and made our way through the airport, to met up with Pat and Lisa who had flown in from overseas a little earlier. we had breakfast a a very charming little cafe in the airport- I dont know how they manage to these places to all look alike? The we went to search for the rental car agent, after a while we found it and got the car, so a little later we were on the road for Bamberg, approximately 3h drive from Frankfurt.
After a short stop where Pat shared his infinate wisdom when it comes to eating somewhat zonelike meals at McDonalds we got back on the road. However somewhere right after we had gotten out of the McDonalds we made a wrong turn, and ended up getting the scenic route through some super beautiful little bavarian town, which al loked like they had been torn out of a sight seeing magazine:-) Not a bad de-tour at all!
The next day was spent just walking through town, looking at the fantastic old houses, and funny architecture- Bamberg really is a town worth visiting, if nothing for nothing else, then for the houses and fairy tail like feeling you get wen you walk through town!
We also spent a fail amount of time walking through town searching for a store that would sell us a power adapter for Pat's computer and his phone- it is hard to believe that a town that bases, I would estimate, 40% of its business on the american soldiers in that town, would not carry an adapter- but it was a hike before we finally got to a Mac store that sold the adapter for the computer, but not for the phone... hmmm ere is a business idea for the innovative soul, adapters in Bamberg!
After that we went to a ribbon cutting veremony and the CrossFit gym on base where the cert was going to be the next day- a super cool experience to be able to take part in the official opening of the gym, just a day before the cert.
The next two days after that was the cert, and nothing to tell about that really except how much I enjoy the opportunity to be able to do this! It is a learning experience to be able to see people like Pat and Lisa do their lectures, and I feel like I learn as much from these certs as I hope the participants do? I am super grateful to be able to do this!
The coolest thing happened today after the cert though- Ben and Justin, who were pretty much the prime forces, behind getting this cert to Bamberg, were getting a promotion to captains, and not only did we get to take part in the ceremony, we also got to put their "rail road tracks" on their barrets and uniforms during the ceremony. A huge honor, and I am grateful to have gotten the chance to do this!
After that we were all awarded a certificate and got the company coin- another experience that I am grateful to take with me from this week..
Al in all a great cert, and a huge thank you to everyone and especially Ben and Justin who have taken super good care of us!
Now we are in Frankfurt, and we hve just checked into our hotel, where we will be for two days of R&R before we are of to Ramstein for the cert this weekend.
For some strange reason everyone except me has gotten really good rooms- I got one on the first flor facing the most heavily trafficated street in Frankfurt- hopefully I will be able to change rooms tomorrow..
I hope to be able to get back to you all soon- untill then
Much love
Mads
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Germany and ugly Grace!
I hope you all had a fantastic "Midsommar", in the rain, and got to enjoy some of the fine swedish traditions that come along with this ancient rite of passage into the shorter days and incoming darkness!
Due to the celebration of this day, I have been of the grid a couple of days, and I have to admit that I will be of the grid for a couple of days to come! I will be going to Germany to work as a trainer on a couple of certs. I will definately try to get online and share some of what is going on in Germany, but I cant promise that I'll have access to a computer every day- but my promise is that I will blogg as soon as I get a chance!
Since I have been nowhere near the Zone the last coulpe of days, I thought that I'd give Grace a shot today, and put it down to experience when it all went to hell!
Well, it was probably the ugliest Grace performance in the history of CrossFit, maybe even in the history of ligting things of the ground- but once I was done Jenny informed me that I had done it in 03:50 min which is a new PR for me! Imagine my surprise!
There is no way that I can contribute this to the carbohydrate loading I have done over the last couple of days- but it did open my eyes to the fact that I may actually get below 03:30 within a foreseable future, since this was nowhere near the way I know I can actually perform a Grace..
So there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it it not the oncomming train:-)
I know I promised to get into the Abmat discussion now, but I will have to save that until later, since I have to go pack and get ready for a VERY early flight tomorrow!
Until next time
Much love
Mads
Due to the celebration of this day, I have been of the grid a couple of days, and I have to admit that I will be of the grid for a couple of days to come! I will be going to Germany to work as a trainer on a couple of certs. I will definately try to get online and share some of what is going on in Germany, but I cant promise that I'll have access to a computer every day- but my promise is that I will blogg as soon as I get a chance!
Since I have been nowhere near the Zone the last coulpe of days, I thought that I'd give Grace a shot today, and put it down to experience when it all went to hell!
Well, it was probably the ugliest Grace performance in the history of CrossFit, maybe even in the history of ligting things of the ground- but once I was done Jenny informed me that I had done it in 03:50 min which is a new PR for me! Imagine my surprise!
There is no way that I can contribute this to the carbohydrate loading I have done over the last couple of days- but it did open my eyes to the fact that I may actually get below 03:30 within a foreseable future, since this was nowhere near the way I know I can actually perform a Grace..
So there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it it not the oncomming train:-)
I know I promised to get into the Abmat discussion now, but I will have to save that until later, since I have to go pack and get ready for a VERY early flight tomorrow!
Until next time
Much love
Mads
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The final frontier....
I am not a trekkie, nor have I gone barking mad and begun searching for extraterestrial life- I simply stole the heading from a text message I got from Martin Altemark, of CrossFit Uppsala, yesterday- after I had shared my result for the 5K run with him.
The final frontier is exactly what running is! The 5K took me a staggering 23:36 min- and if images of Forrest Gump running in his braces in the early parts of the movie are passing by your inner eye, then you are about right on what my 5K looks like!
I am still in the process of getting the POSE running to work for me, and on the shorter distances, it has done miracles, but for distances such as the 5K I am back to grinding every step- going heel to toe, with every possible fault you could think of... In the future I promise to give more attention to getting the form right. I have even been thinking about going to Santa Cruz and doing some more POSE running with Shari Keener- she is a fantastic running coach, and worked miracles on my short distance POSE in no time. If you are ever in her neck of the woods, make sure to look her up!
Well- after admitting to my short comings on the run, it is time to pick up the issue I brought up in yesterdays blogg- Who is more impressive?
I completely agree with virtually everyone who left a comment on the subject- the sub 4 fran from the athlete who follows the main site WoD's is a far more impressive achievement than the sub 2 fran from the guy who has been training specifically for the occation!
I am not saying that the sub 2 fran is not impressive in the sense that the guy is putting out a fantastic amount of work in a very short period of time- I am just saying that if you are training for the unknown and the unknowable, preparing for a single WoD is counter productive, and a complete opposite of everything we preach and prepare for!
What baffeles me is that I find myself arguing this very point at least a couple of times a month, with both avid crossfitters, and athletes with little or no exposure at all to CrossFit- still we all agree right of the bat:-) You have no clue how happy that makes me!
The question I would like to raise today is one that was brought up on a very well written blogg immidiately after the certification in Copenhagen- and it is a very legit question! Should we in CrossFit use the abmat or not? Should we try to isolate the abs in our sit ups by doing frog-style-sit ups?
Why should we and why should we not? After the question was raised I have been checking up with a bunch of the people I would like to consider authorities on CrossFit- and I have gotten a couple of good answers, but now I would like to hear what you think?
Until tomorrow, much love
Mads
The final frontier is exactly what running is! The 5K took me a staggering 23:36 min- and if images of Forrest Gump running in his braces in the early parts of the movie are passing by your inner eye, then you are about right on what my 5K looks like!
I am still in the process of getting the POSE running to work for me, and on the shorter distances, it has done miracles, but for distances such as the 5K I am back to grinding every step- going heel to toe, with every possible fault you could think of... In the future I promise to give more attention to getting the form right. I have even been thinking about going to Santa Cruz and doing some more POSE running with Shari Keener- she is a fantastic running coach, and worked miracles on my short distance POSE in no time. If you are ever in her neck of the woods, make sure to look her up!
Well- after admitting to my short comings on the run, it is time to pick up the issue I brought up in yesterdays blogg- Who is more impressive?
I completely agree with virtually everyone who left a comment on the subject- the sub 4 fran from the athlete who follows the main site WoD's is a far more impressive achievement than the sub 2 fran from the guy who has been training specifically for the occation!
I am not saying that the sub 2 fran is not impressive in the sense that the guy is putting out a fantastic amount of work in a very short period of time- I am just saying that if you are training for the unknown and the unknowable, preparing for a single WoD is counter productive, and a complete opposite of everything we preach and prepare for!
What baffeles me is that I find myself arguing this very point at least a couple of times a month, with both avid crossfitters, and athletes with little or no exposure at all to CrossFit- still we all agree right of the bat:-) You have no clue how happy that makes me!
The question I would like to raise today is one that was brought up on a very well written blogg immidiately after the certification in Copenhagen- and it is a very legit question! Should we in CrossFit use the abmat or not? Should we try to isolate the abs in our sit ups by doing frog-style-sit ups?
Why should we and why should we not? After the question was raised I have been checking up with a bunch of the people I would like to consider authorities on CrossFit- and I have gotten a couple of good answers, but now I would like to hear what you think?
Until tomorrow, much love
Mads
Monday, June 15, 2009
Who is more impressive?
Dear friends!
I have to start out by admitting that it was not a very good weekend if you look at training as the standard for judging whether a weekend was a success or not. I got to spend a ton of time with my family and never got of to the gym (not entirely unpleased with spending time with the family), so during the weekend I only did one WoD:
Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-upsWalking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups
time 11:06
I actually thought that I would have been able to do this WoD a lot faster, but the lunges just take forever! Immidiately after I stopped the watch I was disappointed and began wondering what I could have gone faster- then I realied that on that day there was nothing I could have done to go faster- so I just have to admit that I gave it all I had to give on that day, and I'll have to come back with a vengance:-)
Yesterday I did Nasty Girls (I am still a day behind the main site).. The day started by Martin Altemark sending me a text saying how fast he had been, and he had been hauling ass! Martin has solid muscle ups that dont leave a lot to be desired, so right out of the gate I knew that he would be hard to match- but I was determined to give him a run for his money!
I came in at 10:03- and there was no more fight in me after that! I was a minute and some change behind Martin! (who had done the WoD with the Bear and Jocke- who had both torn it apart and actually come in ahead of Martin??)
I am fully aware that my muscle ups would not have been counted as legit in competition, or by any trainer, since I never lock out in the bottom of the muscle up, and there are no excuses for this- they are not legit!
However my excuse is that I have dislocated my shoulder on several occations, and that exact move has a tendency to trigger some severe soreness in the shoulder, and some strange sounds, so I just avoid it all together!
Todays topic for discussion is simple, but still has been known to flare tempers! Who is more impressive? The crossfitter who does Fran sub 2 min after months of training specifically for the event, or the crossfitter who does Fran sub 4 min with no specific training, but just hits the WoD's as they come up on the main site?
For once I'll not get ahead of myself and let you know where I stand- but just ask you to share your thoughts on the subject!
Until next time
Much love
Mads
I have to start out by admitting that it was not a very good weekend if you look at training as the standard for judging whether a weekend was a success or not. I got to spend a ton of time with my family and never got of to the gym (not entirely unpleased with spending time with the family), so during the weekend I only did one WoD:
Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-upsWalking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups
time 11:06
I actually thought that I would have been able to do this WoD a lot faster, but the lunges just take forever! Immidiately after I stopped the watch I was disappointed and began wondering what I could have gone faster- then I realied that on that day there was nothing I could have done to go faster- so I just have to admit that I gave it all I had to give on that day, and I'll have to come back with a vengance:-)
Yesterday I did Nasty Girls (I am still a day behind the main site).. The day started by Martin Altemark sending me a text saying how fast he had been, and he had been hauling ass! Martin has solid muscle ups that dont leave a lot to be desired, so right out of the gate I knew that he would be hard to match- but I was determined to give him a run for his money!
I came in at 10:03- and there was no more fight in me after that! I was a minute and some change behind Martin! (who had done the WoD with the Bear and Jocke- who had both torn it apart and actually come in ahead of Martin??)
I am fully aware that my muscle ups would not have been counted as legit in competition, or by any trainer, since I never lock out in the bottom of the muscle up, and there are no excuses for this- they are not legit!
However my excuse is that I have dislocated my shoulder on several occations, and that exact move has a tendency to trigger some severe soreness in the shoulder, and some strange sounds, so I just avoid it all together!
Todays topic for discussion is simple, but still has been known to flare tempers! Who is more impressive? The crossfitter who does Fran sub 2 min after months of training specifically for the event, or the crossfitter who does Fran sub 4 min with no specific training, but just hits the WoD's as they come up on the main site?
For once I'll not get ahead of myself and let you know where I stand- but just ask you to share your thoughts on the subject!
Until next time
Much love
Mads
Friday, June 12, 2009
Without further ado...
....Lately have been having a tendency to let my knees roll in when I initiated my acent on my squats! So when it was time to do the squats yesterday I thought I'd use the WoD to work on some technique.
I worked my way up to 135kg pretty fast and then proceeded to do 10 lifts at 135kg, monitoring how my knees moved, and I am happy to say that the last 4 lifts looked really good!
It is funny how easy it is to get caught up in improving PR's that you forget to focus on getting the technique right, and eventually it all comes around and bites you in the ass, when your lack of technique is then what is keeping you from improving on your PR!
When we were in Denmark at Butchers Lab, for the level 1 cert I did a WoD consisting of:
OHS 50kg
HSPU
9/1- 8/2- 7/3- 6/4 you et the picture of opposing latters!
Martin Altemark who was at the cert along with Björn "Bear" Uddenfelt pointed out to me that I had a tendency to let my knees roll inwards on the OHS- so I began looking for it when we I got home, and sure enough. It may very well be that the fatique in the upper back and shoulders from the HSPU's were taking their toll on me in the OHS, and I felt like I had to "catch" the lift all the time- but I definately had a tendency to roll inwards- so this was a great chance to work on brushing out that weakness- and hopefully that will help improve my squats in the future.. Thanks for the help guys!
Btw- these guys are super strict on technique, and great natural movers, so if you are ever in Uppsala make sure to stop by CrossFit Uppsala and have Martin take a look at your form, or if you are in the Gävle area hit Björn up for a few pointers. It is always nice to have a new set of eyes look at what you are doing, as long as these eyes are actually capable og distinguining between good and bad movement!
For now- much love
Mads
I worked my way up to 135kg pretty fast and then proceeded to do 10 lifts at 135kg, monitoring how my knees moved, and I am happy to say that the last 4 lifts looked really good!
It is funny how easy it is to get caught up in improving PR's that you forget to focus on getting the technique right, and eventually it all comes around and bites you in the ass, when your lack of technique is then what is keeping you from improving on your PR!
When we were in Denmark at Butchers Lab, for the level 1 cert I did a WoD consisting of:
OHS 50kg
HSPU
9/1- 8/2- 7/3- 6/4 you et the picture of opposing latters!
Martin Altemark who was at the cert along with Björn "Bear" Uddenfelt pointed out to me that I had a tendency to let my knees roll inwards on the OHS- so I began looking for it when we I got home, and sure enough. It may very well be that the fatique in the upper back and shoulders from the HSPU's were taking their toll on me in the OHS, and I felt like I had to "catch" the lift all the time- but I definately had a tendency to roll inwards- so this was a great chance to work on brushing out that weakness- and hopefully that will help improve my squats in the future.. Thanks for the help guys!
Btw- these guys are super strict on technique, and great natural movers, so if you are ever in Uppsala make sure to stop by CrossFit Uppsala and have Martin take a look at your form, or if you are in the Gävle area hit Björn up for a few pointers. It is always nice to have a new set of eyes look at what you are doing, as long as these eyes are actually capable og distinguining between good and bad movement!
For now- much love
Mads
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Cindy...
I think I had about a thousand different reasons, not to do Cindy, stacking up during the day! They ranged from the muscle soreness I was still feeling from the ring dips, to wondering if I had really gotten over my sinus infection yet, to wondering if it would not be better if I did some brushing up on the meditation/levitation/mind expantion/turbo yoga that I have never done before- well, maybe it was time to give it a shot? The list is longer and I could keep going, but I'll spare you!
My mind has a tendency to play games with me every time one of these WoD's come up, that were just not created for me, and fall far outside my comfort zone.. So I did what I always do when my mind starts getting a life of its own, and begins messing with my workouts- The Jedi mind trick!
Basically what that is- is a way of making sure that the mind understands that there is no alternative to getting of its ass and helping out, getting the job done:-)
So I did "Cindy", well aware that it would be a humiliating experience, and the result would be a kick in the gut- So imagine my surprise when the bell went and I saw that I had gotten 20 rounds, and 5 pull ups!
I am not sure what happened, but that is what it came out to. I was super tired and really happy with the result afterwards, and felt that I left it all outthere on that WoD.. So all in all a good 20 min in the gym, and it just goes to show that you should never trust my mind:-)
Jedi mind tricks to you all
Much love
My mind has a tendency to play games with me every time one of these WoD's come up, that were just not created for me, and fall far outside my comfort zone.. So I did what I always do when my mind starts getting a life of its own, and begins messing with my workouts- The Jedi mind trick!
Basically what that is- is a way of making sure that the mind understands that there is no alternative to getting of its ass and helping out, getting the job done:-)
So I did "Cindy", well aware that it would be a humiliating experience, and the result would be a kick in the gut- So imagine my surprise when the bell went and I saw that I had gotten 20 rounds, and 5 pull ups!
I am not sure what happened, but that is what it came out to. I was super tired and really happy with the result afterwards, and felt that I left it all outthere on that WoD.. So all in all a good 20 min in the gym, and it just goes to show that you should never trust my mind:-)
Jedi mind tricks to you all
Much love
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Substitutions and some rest!
Back on my feet and back in the routines of everyday life, it is time to once again share some experiences from the last couple of days with you.
Sometimes things don't really go the way you plan them, and every once in a while the factors that throw off your training are so far beynd your control that you just have to buckle in and start making substitutions.. That is what happened to me the day before yesterday when the plan was to do back squats and ring dips- but once I got into the gym, some trainer had gotten into a barbell medley, that occupied more or less all the barbells in the gym, with no apparent opening for me to work out in the horizon!
What to do now?
So I decided that I had to throw in the towel, and come up with another WoD- so I came up with the following:
5 100cm box jumps
5 Ring Dips
5 Push Ups
10 rounds for time: 11:30 min
This was a lot harder than I had thought it would be! The box jumps took their toll, and ring dips are always a struggle- so I was actually pretty happy with the time! I may be able to get to 11 min, but as it was I don't think I could have gone any faster. The thing about the box jumps is that you have to leap from a complete stand still for the reps to count, and you dont want to land on that edge:-) So, for now it was an ok time I guess, but I will get back to this WoD later, and kick some ass!
Yesterday was my rest day, so I just took it easy, and spent some time getting into a discussion about how legit a push up that did'nt go from completely extended arms to sternum to the ground, was! I should have known bettter, but when someone says that they do CrossFit and then proceedes to do something that looks more like a spastic contraction of the pecs and triceps and counting every spasm as a rep (out loud) - I just feel that I have to raise the question?
The person in question continued to claim that the chest had hit the ground on every single rep, even if anyone with average sight could tell that the chest was nowhere near the ground! ww never got to any kind of common ground on the matter!
This brings the question up on a bigger stage- what is it with people who can't be honest with themselves in their workouts? Do they lie to themselves on other subjects as well? Here are couple of instances where I imagine the same beghavior they so blatently expose in the CrossFit regimen would cause some problems:
-"Honey we are home"- the guy says and parks the car 5k away from home!
-" I am the new World Champion on the 100m sprint"- the guy says and stops runing after 80m?
-" Alright nurses, my work here is done, patch the man up". The doctor says and leaves the patient with his intestants still hanging out!
-" Your car is ready to drive"- the mechanic says and hands over the key to the car with no brakes!
You should be laughing by now, but they are examples of the exact same behavior, of only doing half the job, but not realizing it, or wanting to admit it... Have you encountered this? Please share..
Well, today is Cindy, and I have no clue how it will go, so I guess the only thing to do is to hit it hard and see how far that will take me, wish me luck!
Until next time
Much love
Sometimes things don't really go the way you plan them, and every once in a while the factors that throw off your training are so far beynd your control that you just have to buckle in and start making substitutions.. That is what happened to me the day before yesterday when the plan was to do back squats and ring dips- but once I got into the gym, some trainer had gotten into a barbell medley, that occupied more or less all the barbells in the gym, with no apparent opening for me to work out in the horizon!
What to do now?
So I decided that I had to throw in the towel, and come up with another WoD- so I came up with the following:
5 100cm box jumps
5 Ring Dips
5 Push Ups
10 rounds for time: 11:30 min
This was a lot harder than I had thought it would be! The box jumps took their toll, and ring dips are always a struggle- so I was actually pretty happy with the time! I may be able to get to 11 min, but as it was I don't think I could have gone any faster. The thing about the box jumps is that you have to leap from a complete stand still for the reps to count, and you dont want to land on that edge:-) So, for now it was an ok time I guess, but I will get back to this WoD later, and kick some ass!
Yesterday was my rest day, so I just took it easy, and spent some time getting into a discussion about how legit a push up that did'nt go from completely extended arms to sternum to the ground, was! I should have known bettter, but when someone says that they do CrossFit and then proceedes to do something that looks more like a spastic contraction of the pecs and triceps and counting every spasm as a rep (out loud) - I just feel that I have to raise the question?
The person in question continued to claim that the chest had hit the ground on every single rep, even if anyone with average sight could tell that the chest was nowhere near the ground! ww never got to any kind of common ground on the matter!
This brings the question up on a bigger stage- what is it with people who can't be honest with themselves in their workouts? Do they lie to themselves on other subjects as well? Here are couple of instances where I imagine the same beghavior they so blatently expose in the CrossFit regimen would cause some problems:
-"Honey we are home"- the guy says and parks the car 5k away from home!
-" I am the new World Champion on the 100m sprint"- the guy says and stops runing after 80m?
-" Alright nurses, my work here is done, patch the man up". The doctor says and leaves the patient with his intestants still hanging out!
-" Your car is ready to drive"- the mechanic says and hands over the key to the car with no brakes!
You should be laughing by now, but they are examples of the exact same behavior, of only doing half the job, but not realizing it, or wanting to admit it... Have you encountered this? Please share..
Well, today is Cindy, and I have no clue how it will go, so I guess the only thing to do is to hit it hard and see how far that will take me, wish me luck!
Until next time
Much love
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wonderful Copenhagen!
It was a fantastic weekend in Copenhagen, at the level 1 certification!
The certification in Copenhagen was an absolute blast! Some fantastic athletes and great movers attended the cert, and made it possible to get a lot of movements done, and not just to get them done- they looked great. It is an absolute pleassure to see that many people showing up at a cert, well prepared, and with at really good sense of the movements- I am super impressed, and hope that I get to do many more certs with as motivated participants as this!
That was not the only great thing about this weekend- I also got to spend some time with Martin Altemark and the proverbial Bear- whom I have only ever had contact with via our bloggs. It was really great to finally meet, and get a chance to just sit down and talk, and spend some time sharing experiences!
I just hope the future will bring more chances for us to hang out, and do some WoD's together- even if I am aware that this may very well mean that I will have to eat a huge bit of the humble pie- these guys are very capable crossfitters:-)
Another thing that made the weekend a homerun, was that I got to be a trainer with Pat Sherwood, Chuck Carswell and Jenni Orr! These people are not just some of the nicest people in the world to hang out with, but also pure bread professionals when it comes to CrossFit, and I feel like I learned as much from this weekend as I hope the participants did.
They have so much experience from teaching/ coaching/ training etc. and they share it so freely! It has been a pleassure to hang out this weekend, and I hope the immidiate future holds more chances for us to hang out:-)
This was just a short comment on the weekend, I'll try to get back with more details later!
Much love
Mads
The certification in Copenhagen was an absolute blast! Some fantastic athletes and great movers attended the cert, and made it possible to get a lot of movements done, and not just to get them done- they looked great. It is an absolute pleassure to see that many people showing up at a cert, well prepared, and with at really good sense of the movements- I am super impressed, and hope that I get to do many more certs with as motivated participants as this!
That was not the only great thing about this weekend- I also got to spend some time with Martin Altemark and the proverbial Bear- whom I have only ever had contact with via our bloggs. It was really great to finally meet, and get a chance to just sit down and talk, and spend some time sharing experiences!
I just hope the future will bring more chances for us to hang out, and do some WoD's together- even if I am aware that this may very well mean that I will have to eat a huge bit of the humble pie- these guys are very capable crossfitters:-)
Another thing that made the weekend a homerun, was that I got to be a trainer with Pat Sherwood, Chuck Carswell and Jenni Orr! These people are not just some of the nicest people in the world to hang out with, but also pure bread professionals when it comes to CrossFit, and I feel like I learned as much from this weekend as I hope the participants did.
They have so much experience from teaching/ coaching/ training etc. and they share it so freely! It has been a pleassure to hang out this weekend, and I hope the immidiate future holds more chances for us to hang out:-)
This was just a short comment on the weekend, I'll try to get back with more details later!
Much love
Mads
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Overhead Squat!
Yesterday was actually a rest day, but since I have been on my ass a couple of days with what I thought was a cold, but later turned out to be a sinus infection(!) I decided to go ahead and do overhead squats yesterday anyway!
My goal was to work my way up to 5 reps at 90kg. I have done 90kg before and felt like it was an achievable goal considering the circumstances- but the funniest thing happened!
As always my wrist hurt a little from the beginning, but no more than it always does, and no shooting pain into my forearm- which was good! So I worked my way up to 80kg, and got the 5 reps without any problems, and here is where the fun starts!
I go to 85kg and do 3 reps, when I suddenly see a woman parking a yoga mat on the floor approximately 50cm in from of me- my immidiate response is a "excuse me" (I still have 85kg hovering above my head) when she answers " don't worry, I'll be done in a second"! I got slightly pissed off and decided to do the last 2 reps, and not give a damn! I finish the set and put the weight down.. A minute later I was still slightly irritated, and she was still on the ground showing her respect to some arcadian sun God, so I decided to lower the weight to 40kg and do 2 more sets of 20 reps!
The funny part is that at first I got pissed at the apparent lack of gym ethics, but after my temper had calmed down, I could'nt help laughing at the fact that we obviously saw two completely different problems in her choise of place for worship, and both were completely oblivious thhe others situation. She was concerned that I would get the space in front of me back as soon as she was done, which she deemed to be in the immidiate future- and I on my side was worried about the 85kg elevated above my head, that gravity would eventually aid in its trip back to the floor!
It just goes to show that there are more than one way to look at these things! Which would you have been more worried about? Spatial awareness or the gravitational issues of dead weight returning to the ground?
Well- it's time to get to work, and after that I'm of to Copenhagen for the level 1 cert:-)
Much love
Mads
My goal was to work my way up to 5 reps at 90kg. I have done 90kg before and felt like it was an achievable goal considering the circumstances- but the funniest thing happened!
As always my wrist hurt a little from the beginning, but no more than it always does, and no shooting pain into my forearm- which was good! So I worked my way up to 80kg, and got the 5 reps without any problems, and here is where the fun starts!
I go to 85kg and do 3 reps, when I suddenly see a woman parking a yoga mat on the floor approximately 50cm in from of me- my immidiate response is a "excuse me" (I still have 85kg hovering above my head) when she answers " don't worry, I'll be done in a second"! I got slightly pissed off and decided to do the last 2 reps, and not give a damn! I finish the set and put the weight down.. A minute later I was still slightly irritated, and she was still on the ground showing her respect to some arcadian sun God, so I decided to lower the weight to 40kg and do 2 more sets of 20 reps!
The funny part is that at first I got pissed at the apparent lack of gym ethics, but after my temper had calmed down, I could'nt help laughing at the fact that we obviously saw two completely different problems in her choise of place for worship, and both were completely oblivious thhe others situation. She was concerned that I would get the space in front of me back as soon as she was done, which she deemed to be in the immidiate future- and I on my side was worried about the 85kg elevated above my head, that gravity would eventually aid in its trip back to the floor!
It just goes to show that there are more than one way to look at these things! Which would you have been more worried about? Spatial awareness or the gravitational issues of dead weight returning to the ground?
Well- it's time to get to work, and after that I'm of to Copenhagen for the level 1 cert:-)
Much love
Mads
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
What to do?
I told you that I was going to do the smart thing and take it easy and come up with an easy workout, so that I could ease into the workouts, and not get sick again! I also said that I have a tendency to go to hard, even when I know I should'nt! You all heard me say it, or read it on thins very blogg??
Well- yesterday it was finally time to get to work, and do the first workout in a couple of days. So I posted the question on facebook: " Which WoD should I chooose to get started with after coming of a cold?". I got some rather entertaining answers that included everything from Cindy to a 10K run (for those of you that don't know this- I run like forrest Gump while he was still in his braces!)
I was personally leaning towards doing a shorter WoD- something like 21-15-9 SDHP ring dips? Or maybe a 3 rounds of 20 pull ups, 20 KB swings, 20 C&J...
So I finally decided to do a modified version of the WoD that was on the main site:
for time:
800m run
30 l-pull ups
800m run
30 strict pull ups
800m run
30 kipping pull ups
time 22:10
I honestly felt like my lungs were going to leave my body during the runs, and it was like breathnig through a coffee filter- but I got it done! I am happy that I got it done at the same time as I am waithing to see how my body reacts today...
The cert in Copenhagen is getting closer, and so is the soccer match between Sweden and Denmark....
Well- yesterday it was finally time to get to work, and do the first workout in a couple of days. So I posted the question on facebook: " Which WoD should I chooose to get started with after coming of a cold?". I got some rather entertaining answers that included everything from Cindy to a 10K run (for those of you that don't know this- I run like forrest Gump while he was still in his braces!)
I was personally leaning towards doing a shorter WoD- something like 21-15-9 SDHP ring dips? Or maybe a 3 rounds of 20 pull ups, 20 KB swings, 20 C&J...
So I finally decided to do a modified version of the WoD that was on the main site:
for time:
800m run
30 l-pull ups
800m run
30 strict pull ups
800m run
30 kipping pull ups
time 22:10
I honestly felt like my lungs were going to leave my body during the runs, and it was like breathnig through a coffee filter- but I got it done! I am happy that I got it done at the same time as I am waithing to see how my body reacts today...
The cert in Copenhagen is getting closer, and so is the soccer match between Sweden and Denmark....
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Feeling better...
I decided to stay home from work today also, just to make sure that I was actually better, and not risk going to work, only to come down with another flu/cold. And I have to admit that I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday, and I can't wait to get to work tomorrow! I am also looking forward to getting to work out again..! It is beyond cruel and unusual punishment not to be able to work out, when it is such a major part in my life!
I know from past experience that I have a tendency to start out way to fast and way too hard, only to get ill again, so with that in mind I'll be taking it easy a coulpe of days and just get back into the groove of things:-) I cant wait!
Since I was at home I spent some time on the internet looking at some Scandinavian CrossFit websites and bloggs, and I am happy to say that things look bright for the Scandinavian CrossFit community- There are some seriously gifted crossfitters out there doing fantastic jobs with both their websites, and their personal performance!
I'll make it a mission for this summer to try to visit the places closest to Stockholm, and start planning for some longer trips as well.. I really want to learn from and hang out at these places and these people- I think an exchange like that would be mutually benificial..
If anyone wants to come along let me know, and we will make a road trip out of it!
Looking forward to tomorrow:-)
Much love
Mads
I know from past experience that I have a tendency to start out way to fast and way too hard, only to get ill again, so with that in mind I'll be taking it easy a coulpe of days and just get back into the groove of things:-) I cant wait!
Since I was at home I spent some time on the internet looking at some Scandinavian CrossFit websites and bloggs, and I am happy to say that things look bright for the Scandinavian CrossFit community- There are some seriously gifted crossfitters out there doing fantastic jobs with both their websites, and their personal performance!
I'll make it a mission for this summer to try to visit the places closest to Stockholm, and start planning for some longer trips as well.. I really want to learn from and hang out at these places and these people- I think an exchange like that would be mutually benificial..
If anyone wants to come along let me know, and we will make a road trip out of it!
Looking forward to tomorrow:-)
Much love
Mads
Monday, June 1, 2009
Good news vs. bad news!
let me just begin by saying that it has been a fantastic weekend in Stockholm, and I just can't get enough of this city when the weather is a fantastic as it has been over the weekend, it makes the 6 months of cold, wet darkness worth every second!
As you have already figured out I have both good and bad news to share with you today- so I will begin with the bad news!
It has now been 3 days without training! First came the weekend with various commitments that made working out virtually impossible. Then I wake up this morning and feel my throught is sore and swollen- so no working out today either- It's a hard knock life!
This brings me right into the good news- its almost time for the Level 1 cert in Copenhagen! This saturday and sunday I will be in Copenhagen working the level 1 cert- and I just can't wait. I love these certs. The inspiration you take with you from these things is magic. As if that was'nt enough to look forward to, there is always the extra benifit of meeting a bunch of fantastic crossfitters who share the same passion for meaningful training that you do! Could it be any better?
Well, I'm back to licking my wounds and hopefully I'll be back on my horse again tomorrow:-) Until then!
Much love
Mads
As you have already figured out I have both good and bad news to share with you today- so I will begin with the bad news!
It has now been 3 days without training! First came the weekend with various commitments that made working out virtually impossible. Then I wake up this morning and feel my throught is sore and swollen- so no working out today either- It's a hard knock life!
This brings me right into the good news- its almost time for the Level 1 cert in Copenhagen! This saturday and sunday I will be in Copenhagen working the level 1 cert- and I just can't wait. I love these certs. The inspiration you take with you from these things is magic. As if that was'nt enough to look forward to, there is always the extra benifit of meeting a bunch of fantastic crossfitters who share the same passion for meaningful training that you do! Could it be any better?
Well, I'm back to licking my wounds and hopefully I'll be back on my horse again tomorrow:-) Until then!
Much love
Mads
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