Monday, August 31, 2009

Out of the woods?

I was talking to a friend of mine who had just gotten a cold, the other day. He shared a bit of wisdom with me, that I have decided to share with you!
He's argument was that women may go through pregnancy and giving birth, and that may all be really hard/painful/ taxing etc. but then again they have never felt the pain men go through when they get a cold!
I am not sure that I want to take the equation quite that far, but I do know that the regular cold is a lot harder on men than on women- we get a lot sicker- and therefore need more care!

As I am sure you have already figured out I have been down with a cold for a coulpe of days, and am steadily finding my way back. I have decided not to rush it, knowing that this kind oof foolishness more often than not results in another week in bed!
That is why I have not been blogging- who wants to hear the continuing story of cough and a sore throught?

So now I am back in the saddle and celebrated with doing a 3 rep 95kg OHS! After that my ego went on a rampage and led me to believe that I was once again invincible- so I did 40 pull ups! After that I went crazy and began havin g thoughts of greatness and that I ws going too kill the power snatch 400m run WoD..
That is where reality caught up with me a a 22 min WoD flanked by a complete loss of bodily functions was the end result- hence the caption- not out of the woods! I still have a ways to go!

CrossFit Challenge!

Have you signed up yet for the challenge in Halmstad? If not the get of you ass and get going! It looks like the good folks of CrossFit Ramstein are sending up some fierce competitors, and a verry enthustastic crowd- they are the hallmark of good spirits!
So lets give them a run for their money and sign up for a very funny competition!

I am also sure that we will all meet this weekend at the Swedish Championships in Solna- if you are not competing you had better be there to support the athletes!

Until tomorrow


Much love

Friday, August 21, 2009

Get some help!

I bet you are all sitting at home now wondering what kind of crazy rant is about to follow that heading? Who has managged to piss of the crazy dane, and what is he going to do about it?
The truth however, is a bit more subtle than that today.

What I am getting at with the heading is that, every once in a while we all need some help if we wnat to evolve as athletes, or as trainers!
I often meet people who work as trainers, but they don't have a trainer themselves. They don't have anyone who looks at their workouts and gives them feedback. They don't have a collegue look at them while they are working with their clients- and then afterwards share the debrief their effort with them! This is really a shame, because it really does make a difference- not only do you become a better athlete when your work ethic and your technique is constantly evaluated/scrutinized, you also become a better trainer when the same tools are applied to your teaching skills!
A bunch of years ago I worked as a trainer at Sturebadet, and all the trainers there were really good at keeping each other in check, and letting one another know if something was not up to par, or if there was any room for improvement! The fact that we did this made us all (most of us) better trainers, and our clients benefitted heavily from this- as did we!
Since I stopped working there noone has really done any evaluation of me as a trainer on a day to day basis, and I never realized how much I missed it until I began working the certs!
On the certs we get continous feedback from the other head trainers, and we get a debrief after the certs from the flowmaster- and I just absolutely love it! It is the only way I can ever evole beyond my own limitations, and to get imput from these people really is a blessing..

So my challenge to you is to sit down and come up with a at least person, whom you would like to have evaluate you, as a trainer/athlete. Then set up an appointment with that person to do just that- make sure it actually happens! Doing so on a regular basis will work miracles for your game!

Needless to say I have also worked out- so yesterday I did:

5 Shoulderpress
10 Push press
15 Push jerk
weight 42,5 kg- 5 rounds for time- 18:43

All I have to say about this one is- that is sucked exactly the way Pat Sherwood said it would!

That is is for now, so until tomorrow

Much love

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Blogging for time...

... I stole the heading from the Bear- it is without a doubt one of the funniest things I have heard in a while- blogging about your feats for time! Is it an AMRAP- task priority- deal, or how would it work best? What do you think?

I have just gotten back from the level 1 certification at Chievres air base in belgium. Once again it was an absolute blast, and I think it is safe to say that I had as much fun as the participants at the cert.
It all began really well, after karl and I had met up with Courtney at the airport in Brussels. we went and got the rented car, and made our way towards Chievres- or at least so we thought! The sat nav gave up as soon as we left the parking garage, and left us guessing which way we were supposed to go- that basically meant that for a while we were just driving around in circles with no clue where we were going. Courtney then made a call to the base and asked what way we should go- and they told us to take the E19, so we did, and now we were on our way- the only problem was that we were going the wrong way- so after a while when the sat nav kicked in again and we realized that we were going the opposite way from what we were supposed to- what a fantastic start:-) Im just happy karl was the one driving!

The cert was a absolute blast- just as it was supposed to be- there were som super fun characters there, whom I really hope to get to see soon again. Just to mention a few, there were the ZT mma fighters from Brighton- the Ramstein crew who are always in the best possible mood- the crew from the base, who were super enthusiastic and great hosts to us all- the death defying danes (you guys are heroes!)- the dutch athletes who kicked ass- the local talent from Belgium who took no prisoners during the WoD's.. The list is a lot longer and I would like to thank everyone for making this such a fun cert!
Next cert will be in Lurgan Northern Ireland- are you coming? I can't wait!

Now that I am back it is time to get on with the training in order to catch up with my dear wife and the Uppsala Mob. So today I decided to do a WoD that I had come up with on my own:

Boxjumps 100cm
Pull Ups
1-10-1 for time- 19:35

This was a lot harder than I thought- the box jumps had me breathing harder than I would have liked to- just gotta get back into the groove again!

That was it for now so until tomorrow

Much love

Friday, August 14, 2009

Real fast...

.... is what i have to be today!

I am actually on my way out the door to go to the cert in Belgium, but I promised Martin that I would blogg a little today, so here I am speed-blogging!

Yesterday I had to work like mad, and combined with the complete deprivation of sllep that I had experienced the night before, I had to skip working out, so I'll just share the result for the WoD I did the day before that:

5 box jumps 100cm
10 l-sit ring pull ups
400m run
3 rounds for time: 12:46

I was a horrible littel thing to do, but it felt really good- even tholugh I got stuck on the L- pull ups!

Make ke some space in your calenders for the competition in Halmstad 30/10-1/11.. It will be an absolute blast.
I'll share some more infor with you later, for now view this:

http://www.eleikosport.se/education/Course.asp?PageNumber=3&CourseCategory_Id=14&Course_Id=64

gotta go catch a plane..

much love

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Functional movement.....

These days everything is functional! If you walk into a gym that has pilates classes, it is functional. If you meet a trainer who has specialized in Olympic lifts, he is functional. You meet someone who works out on balance boards and swiss balls, they are pacticing functional movements- and the list goes on!

So what is functional movements? well, we say that it is movements that are inbedded in our DNA. It is movements you find in everyday life (ie universal motor recruitment patterns) They are compound but irreducible, meaning that they can not be broken down into smaller parts, practiced, and then put back together with an increased functional capability as a result! and the difinition goes on..
I just googled the definition of functional movement and got a staggering 558 000 results! I guess you could say that there are some opinions outthere on the subject!

I am not going to bore you to death with another defination of functional movement, but my question is if the people who do the pilates classes are trained to be functional? Are the people who do the olympic lifts functional? Are the people on the swiss balls functional?
Those of you who know me have probably already figured out where I stand on this, but let me make it even more obvious with these questions:
Is someone who can snatch 120kg, but not run 5k to save his life functional? Is someone who can squat on a swiss ball, but not pull himself above the pull up bar once to get of the ground, functional? Is the guy who dominates the core class at the gym, but can not keep a stabil midline to support 1/2 his body weight in a squat, functional?
I guess you could say that it is pretty obvious where I stand, but I have been known to be wrong! So what do you think? Do we need another defination?

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but since I'll be going away over the weekend, I have had to make some modifications, so today I did 2 WoD's, here is one:

OHS:
5x40kg
5x50kg
5x60kg
5x70kg
5x80kg
3x90 kg

I should have gone for 5 reps on the last one, but for some odd reason I let it go after 3??? However the good news is that my wrist felt good for the first time in ages- supremely happy about that!

That is it for today, more on the other WoD tomorrow!

Much love


Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Globo gym stupidity....

For those of you who have not notived, CrossFit has gotten pretty popular worldwide lately- a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the genius' at the Globo gyms in Sweden! So what have they decided to do with this revelation?

One could have hoped that they would have sent some people to the certifications, where they would have gotten valuable information on the exercises, but also on what Crossfit is all about. This information could then have been brought back home, and presented to the numbers crunchers and the decision making genius' at the Globo gym HQ. They could then have applied for an affiliation, and opened a small box somewhere and begun offering CrossFit the the hungry masses looking for a place to do CrossFit, the masses who have spawned the intrest in CrossFit and told all their friends and family about this new way of working out and this new way of looking at and avaluating training!

However- the world is not logic, and common sense is often sacrificed at the Globo gyms all over the world, even in beautiful Stockholm! So what have they done?
They have decided that the best thing to do is to look at the website, and then come up with their own interpretations! They have decided that it is better to do something that looks like CrossFit, piggy back on the name, and hope for the best!
This is about as stupid as seeing someone with a drivers license. Asking them for an explanation to how the whole driving thing works, and then deciding that they dont want to go through the whole process of aquiring a license! So they make a drawing themselves and call it a divers license, and then make their way into traffic. As if this is not stupid enough- they decide that money can be made from selling drivers licenses, so they start offering driving lessons to others who are interested in driving!
The example is absurd- but it is exactly what is happening when Planet Fitness begin offering X-fit, och World Class offer X-fit express or how about www.lifeportalen.se who have begun offering lifecross? There are more I just dont have the stomach to keep on going- I am already fighting to keep my delicious paleo meal down!
None of these places are affiliated, and most of the people who lead the classes in these places have never been to a certification, and the ones who have, must have been sleeping through every bit that explaned what it is we do!
Stockholm has turned into the wild west, at the same time as the Globo gym asylom opened their door to the public again!

So my advice to you is to stay clear of any place and any person who say they are doing CrossFit and offering CrossFit classes, unless they can tell you when they did their certification, and when they became affiliated- mainly because these people are by defination frauds, and I would never want to let a fraud be responsible for my fitness! I would'nt even let that person wash my car!

If you have encountered more examples of gyms, trainers etc, please share them here- I have a feeling that there are plenty!

WoD:

Yesterday I did a horrible little thing, that sounded cool form the beginning, but was a lot harder than I thought it would be:

Pull ups
Push ups
1 t0 10 to 1 for time: 09:46

Gotta go for now, but I'll be bac tomorrow!

Much love

Mads

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Wow that sucked!

I guess I could be a little more careful with my captions, but I expect parents with young and impressionable kids to monitor what their kids read about on the internet, so they don't get caught up in all this CrossFit jazz!

Let's not pretend it did'nt happen and admit that I did workout yesterday, and got my ass handed to me big time by the Crossfit Bear- who is, as it turns out a pathological liar! Noone cruises around the entire summer doing boathouse WoD's and then comes back and manhandles Martin and I the way the Bear did yesterday! I'm cool with being beaten, as long as it is by someone who has fought to do so:-)
Bear you are a monster, and I am super stoked that you were that fast! I am actually thinking about doing a couple of years of boathouse WoD's to catch up with you:-)

The WoD was:
Powercleans 82,5kg
Ring Dips
12-9-6-3 for time
My time 08:26 ( No! I am not going to let you know what the man beast got! 08:02)

I had some kind of plan to do 3 reps, breathe 3 deep breaths, and then go on, and continue like that all the way to the finish line- that went out the window pretty fast! I usually work out with chalk, but did'nt have any yesterday, so I kept loosing the grip on the bar and actually managed to drop a couple! I need to do more WoD's without chalk and get a stronger grip is the lesson learned from that!
I did kip on the ring dips, and if I remember correctly the Uppsala mob did'nt!!! I would love to do them strickt, but hey! I just want to get the job done, and move some mass fast, said the lazy dane!

Michal the polish predator came along yesterday as well and with a 60kg bar finished the WoD in 08:46.... this is his 3rd real CrossFit workout ever- if he desides to stick with it, he will be kicking ass and taking numbers real soon!

Well today is a rest day, that I am spending with my son, while my beautiful wife is enjoying the sun with some friends.. So the junior don and I are on our way to go get some icecream!

Until tomorrow my dear friends

Much love

Friday, August 7, 2009

Enhance your calm!

This is a kick ass quote from a movie that is otherwise best enjoyed the day after some heavy drinking (I'd imagine) or some other sort of recreational activity that has rendered your brain useless... Maybe I could add puberty to the list? What do you think?

The "enhance your clam!" line- is given to Wesley Snipes, by a police officer of the future, right after he has thrown a guy through a window! My application is far less dramatic, but as opposed to the request made to Wesley Snipes- this one actually worked:-) I did'nt trhow anyone through a window! And the workout went smoother!

Yesterday it was time to do a WoD that could easily have been concived by doctor Evil, Blofeld or why not go big right away and say that it was the master plan of the man himself, Martin Altemark (with some help from the Bear)- while they had your favorite dane in mind:

500m row
21 Burpees
400m run

3 rounds for time!
Time 17:12

I'm actually ok with the row! Burpees however leave me sleepless for weeks, and I just absolutely hate them, primarily because I don't do them very well! That takes us to running which is another one of the avtivities that I hate because I do it so poorly. I think recordings of me runing have actually been used to torture people into admitting stuff they had never done- that is how ugly it is:-)
So needless to say the WoD yesterday was not fun:-) The good part is that the Polish Terminator Michal, came along and raced me to the finishline- had he not ben there I would have gone a lot slower!

What does all this have to do with enchancing ones calm? Well- I tried to take it easier at first (thats right -enhancing my calm) and then progressively going faster through the WoD- ie pacing myself, and it actually worked out really well. It will never be a fun WoD for me, but pacing myself made it bearable...

So today it's time to convince Michal to come along and a nasty little CrossFit Uppsala combo- more on how that goes tomorrow:-)

Much love

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Sometimes you do- sometimes you dont..

get it the way you wanted it!

Yesterday the plan was to either hook up with the Crossfit monarch from Uppsala, graciously visiting with the mortals in Stockholm- or to do the chipper from the 2009 CrossFit games! It all depended on how the day would turn out? would I have the time to work out in the afternoon or would I have to work out during the day?

As it turned out I could have done both, if I had not buried myself with the chipper!
In the morning it looked like I would have to pass on the workout with Load, Jling and Martin- so I called another friend and asked if he would like to come along for a workout- being the true Polish terminator that Michal is he took the challenge, and we made our way to Crossfit Haga!
I dont know what on earth made me think that the Chipper would be something right up my alley- but that was the initial thought, and I felt really amped for the workout! I dont know what Michal felt, but he looked very relaxed, which kind of freaked me out!

My result for the games 2009 chipper: 29:52!

Let me just share a few observations with you. The first cleans took their toll! The thrusters were a menace, and took forever to finish! I hate burpees altoghther! What a beast!
I should be able to shave a little time of this one, but it hurt like hell, and I felt really worked after I had done it....... So needles to say I'll do it again, and I look forward to it:-)
Michal battled it out and really great, chasing we all the way through it!

Later that day I found out that some of my clients actually have lives to attend to beside the CrossFit training that we do- so I got the rest of the day of..
I went home, spent some time with Jenny and Rasmus before we all went over to Västberga IP and met up with Load, Jling and Martin!
They were playing around in the rings doing stuff that would cost my battered shoulder several years of rehab- if I ever decided to try to do that!
They are all in super shape, so I tried to talk them into hanging out, eating candy, chips and about a dusin other things that would give me another day to play "catch up with the monsters"-but they declined gracefully and asked if I could recommend a WoD??
I just so happened to have an idea for a classic: 150 push ups, everytime you leave the push up position you pay with a 400m run- this is all done for time!
They batteled it out and really did perform very well- I forget the times, but I was really impressed with their efforts.
It was a pleassure to see Martin again and even if he will never admit I think he may be a force to be reconned with at the competition next month!
I was also a pleassure to meet Load and Jling in person, after having heard so much about them. They are super athletes and very enjoyable to hang out with! I hope to get to spend a lot more time with them in the future.. Even if that means that I will have to come up with a whole new batch of excuses as to why I got my ass kicked in every WoD we do together!

So much for now- today is a horrible little row-burpee- run combo! hmmmm

Much love

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Flashdance?

While my better half is watching flashdance, I have decided to get back into the blogg sphere that I have had a tendency to dip in and out of. The ambition however is to become as good at keeping up the reports of battles fought and progress made, as the blogg masters of CrossFit Uppsala, David, Jon etc.
Even if I know that I still have a lot of ground to cover before I get there, I will make an honest attempt!

Today was a rest day and I had planned to reherse the progressions and lectures for the upcoming cert in Belguim, but I decided to actually take the day off. So instead of staying at work going through the papers, I decided to go home!

This bring me to the topic, or rather the question I wanted to ask you today. What do you do on your rest days? Do you rest? Do you spend the day making up a WoD that you have missed? Do you spend the day improving your skill set in moves that you feel you need to improve? Do you just go home spend time with your family, and then do everything you can to avoid having to watch a chick flick like Flashdance?
Please share how you spend your rest days, and why you have chosen to disperse of your rest days the way you have!

Well- tomorrow I was supposed to do fight gone bad, but instead I will either be working out with Martin Altemark, who is making a celebrity visit among us motals in el Stockolmo- or I will do the chipper that was the last workout of the Games this year! I am hoping to workout with Martin, but we will see how that plan works out:-) More on that tomorrow!

Looking forward to hearing how you spend your rest days!

Much love