Checking in on the Challenge

As we start another week and almost 3 months into 2010, my log book shows 1470 pull ups completed......540 left to go!

A quick reminder on the intent of the challenge; see how long it would take to do 2010 reps during the course of normal programming. Experimentation and pull up variety has ruled the way to date and heading toward the final third, the plan is to program work outs with higher volume requirements......a sprint to the finish sort of speak.

It's almost April and the first quarter of this new year has already played out. For so many, each year begins with new goals and personal challenges (fitness goals, professional aspirations, personal achievements). So where do YOU stand? Are you still squarely on target to the original plan or have you been pushed off the mark a bit. Unfortunately, after starting out strong, too many people, including me, experience minor set backs, struggle to get back on track and eventually just give up. This is fully understandable, but also not impossible to overcome.

I was pulled to the side by a colleague at a business function last week. He wanted to share that his decision to compete in an Olympic distance Triathlon later this year (which I strongly encouraged) is now on target and his progress so far is exceeding expectations. In mid February, this same guy was cursing me, while struggling to get into a training rhythm; on the verge of giving up at that point. Gladly, he didn't quit and he is now over the hump and on his way.

Like most things that are really worth it, discipline is vital and positive reinforcement either from within or from an external source is often what it takes. Reach deep within at this point (after all it is ONLY April) and start again if you don't find yourself where you had hoped to be. Let others know what you are trying to accomplish and invite them to help you stay honest. Modify the original goal if necessary if it was too ambitious and make sure that whatever you set out to accomplish is realistic, measurable and has a time line attached to it. Finding someone to tackle a challenge together (especially a fitness goal) is a proven and widely written about strategy for securing success. Do whatever it takes to get back in the game.

My simple pull up challenge was more of an experiment than a major goal. Large scale fitness challenges that top my list this year include two off road extreme adventure races, an Olympic Distance Triathlon and the big goal to finish a Half Ironman this fall. For a variety of reasons, I have been pushed off my mark on a couple of occasions and have been struggling to stay with it. It happens to everyone, I suppose.

Trying to re-focus, I ran in the first off road adventure race this morning (through 5 stream crossings, loads of mud and over a forest of downed trees) have just enlisted a training partner for the Triathlon and am close to convincing others to tackle the Half Iron with me in the fall. Also, I just posted my plans on this public web site; more pressure to follow through. Now, with only 540 reps to go on the Pull Up Challenge (and a plan to kip my way through them)........I am fighting my way back.

So you too, should dig deep, engage others and get back on track! It's ONLY April (almost) after all.

A Day of Soccer.........and More!

Spring has arrived in the DC area with 70 degrees and awesome weather today. It was just in time for Scrimmage Fest; an entire day on the soccer fields with the kids. They are getting their first touches on the ball for the season and fortunately, the day was perfect to be outside.

As luck would have it, my buddy Ed and I had duty together today. His introduction to CrossFit was about a year ago now and like so many of us, he's hooked. As much as we enjoy watching the boys, at about mid-day we were both getting the itch to get some work done. Ed travels allot (by car) and keeps a small arsenal of equipment in the trunk. So, in between matches, we schemed up a short WOD (with pull ups of course), and when the time was right, we snuck away to enjoy the outdoors and to give it a try.

5 Rounds for Time:
* 10 Thick Bar (Goal Post) Pull ups
* 10 Russian Power Swings (50lb Kettle bell)
* 15 Push ups
* 20 Goblet Squats (20lb Kettle bell)
* Bear Crawl (100 feet)

Pull ups were really fun. The goal post had some swing to it, which made it interesting and the super thick bar was an awesome test for the grip. The Russian Power Swings were new for me; kettlebell swing to about chest high and then with force, thrust it back down between your legs. Bear Crawl is always fun, but after the third round(coupled with the squats), they were starting to take their toll.

Overall, a challenging but quick work out. I finished at 12:07 and Ed at just over 15 minutes, before our quick dash to the side lines for the next game.

Today yielded a couple of reminders for me.First, it doesn't take much to get some work in and wherever there is a bar or "something" to hang on, pull ups are fair game. Second, the "Pursuit of the Perfect Pull up" will always be an individual quest. In my friend Ed's case, he set a target this year to conquer the "muscle up". After weeks of working on chest to bar pull ups, his first attempt above the bar was met with success and then some. His perfect pull up at the time was the chest to bar variety that helped in marking the muscle up off his list by February. Lastly, we all find ourselves juggling multiple priorities, and finding balance is and will always be the key to keeping it all together.

So, today was a Day of Soccer..............and more; never mind those soccer mom glares as Ed and I hauled our Kettle bells across the field.

Grid Work.........Unconventional Training?

Unconventional is a label that many have used to describe CrossFit style training. The focus on body weight resistance and the use of other simple equipment (think tractor tires, kettlebells, ropes, slosh pipes, sand bags and the like) defines this non traditional approach. As we know, the methods employed focus on functional fitness and strength, resulting in high intensity and more efficient training when compared to conventional methods. We even found some research out there suggesting that this type of training might be effective not only in improving physical performance, but also in enhancing a person's mood and mental health... strong AND happy......BONUS!

Steelfit introduced the Strength Grid a few months back at the new CrossFit Balance in Washington DC. It's been a blast watching them incorporate the GRID into some of their regular workouts and skill work. A recent blog post comment made by a determined athlete said, "shoulders are toast and hands torn up, but I want another another shot at the Grid"......so cool!

If Body weight and Grip Strength training fall into the unconventional category, then the Strength Grid has found its rightful place. In fact, find some industrial steel I-Beams or other steel structures out there (bridges, construction sites, building frames, stairwells, etc) and you too might just have yourself an "unconventional" playground. Put it to the test, and the benefits will amaze.

Hanging, swinging, pulling and twisting are among the many options. Grabbing and holding on to the flange of a steel I-Beam is not natural and can be pretty difficult. The varying surfaces, grip holds and angles within reach will force movement and awaken sleeping muscles. While an attempt "around" the entire Strength Grid is a common obstacle course challenge, there are endless other exercises that can be incorporated. One thing is for sure, relying on your body weight for resistance, you are forced to use use multiple muscle groups for just about every exercise. Due to the different surfaces that you are forced to grasp and the hanging that is a prerequisite (if your not hanging, you are on the ground), grip strength gets an ultimate work out.



Exercise Ideas:

+ Strict Pull ups (both hands grip same side of flange of I-Beam) See pic
+ Commando Pull ups (pulling up to alternating sides of I-Beam)
+ Spider Crawls (crawl along I-beam hanging underneath with both hands and feet grasping beam)
+ Toes to Bars (hand on either side of I-Beam)- try raising legs to alternating sides for extra work
+ Hanging Knee Raises & Knees to Elbows
+ Ladder Swings (think Tarzan)
+ Alternating Ladder rung pull ups (While crossing ladder, pull up at each rung before progressing)
+ Inverted sit ups (hanging upside down by legs from ladder rungs)
+ Hand Walk "sprints" (sprint along the underside of an I-Beam span)
+ Hang for your life (hang until failure from I Beam holding bottom of flange)

So, whether its a Strength Grid designed expressly for the purpose of training or similar structures in a real life setting you scout out, GRID work is WORK indeed. Unconventional I suppose; variety and creativity still rule the day!

Pull ups Across the Pond

Or Not?

An attempt this week at the first of hopefully many coordinated "pull up" focused workouts with Blair Morrison from Anywherefit who is studying across the pond in Paris. A mishap with his access to the gym has us waiting until Monday to see Blair's numbers.....so all results will wait to be posted.

The Workout

For time. After each set, record time from row and record number of pull up reps. Add the total time from all rowing and subtract 2 seconds for each pull up completed.

Row 1000 meters
Max Pull ups
Rest 2 minutes
Row 750 meters
Max Pull ups
Rest 2 minutes
Row 500 meters
Max Pull ups
Rest 2 minutes
Row 250 meters
Max Pull ups

Eric, Graham (from Balance Gym) and I did our best, but needless to say, there was much more pulling on the row machine then on the pull up bars. After the row, our arms were torched and just couldn't get much work done at all on the bars. It wasn't supposed to be easy though and some lessons were learned on this one for sure.

Blair's up now.....safe to say that there will be more pulling on the other side of the pond....just hoping he doesn't make us all look to bad!

Geometry Class

A workout this week was inspired by a dinner conversation with my son about his math class in school. He's studying Geometry and it didn't take long for the material from class to come quickly back to me.....

Acute angles, Obtuse Angles, Right Angles, Straight Angles, Circles, Triangles, etc.

Of course, I just couldn't resist and had to work in some pull ups that challenged more then my memory of Geometry, but would pay tribute to it by replicating some of the shapes and angles. Here is what I came up with:

6-8 reps each exercise x 2 sets

* Side to Side (Pull straight up, them move to one side, to center, to other side, to center and then down)
* Diagonals (Pull up on an angle to one side, then down and repeat on other side)
* Circles (Self explanatory)
* L-Sit Pull Ups (A right angle that challenges the core)
* Triangles (Side to Side on bottom while fully extended, then up to a point and back down other side to form a triangle)

These were not easy, with a mixture of one sided and single arm strength and balance requirements; humbling actually. This was really a test in "Freestyle" pull ups that I mentioned a few weeks back. I definitely need practice to feel more comfortable doing these and to get them right. We captured some crude video footage of a few of the variations in advance of a fading battery; evidence of my poor form.




Next up.....anyone want to tackle the parallelogram?

Really looking forward to a coordinated workout this week with Blair Morrison from AnywhereFit. He's in Paris studying and our first installment of "Pull ups Across the Pond" will take place this Monday; updates in my post next week!!

Jump, Pull and Madonna??

Ok, this post could bring on an abrupt end to my blogging career.

A couple of disclaimers: First, I don't watch much TV. Second, I don't care for pop music and third, I left the typical gym treadmill cardio sessions behind years ago.

So with all that said, the heavy snow and the ridiculous handling of the removal in our area, kept me inside this week way more than I would have liked. Couple that with a bum shoulder and I found myself (in disguise of course) in my local Globo Gym and on a treadmill to make things even worse. Nonetheless, my body was craving a long, sweaty, cardio session, so I went for it and hoped no one would find out.

A consistent theme that I often cite, is the creativity and imagination that is so critical in our pursuit for the perfect pull up. An interesting derivative of this theme is “reinvention”. High school for me was in the mid 80’s and it was then that an unknown at the time (Madonna) came on to the music scene. Twenty Five years later, and endless new “looks”, she is still a relevant and a wildly successful pop star. While not my taste in music, I admire her staying power and more than anything, the creative approach taken to continue to reinvent herself.

Ok, so I am on the treadmill, Plasma TV’s overhead and all, and Madonna (with yet another new look) graces the screen. The song is “JUMP” and I had some immediate observations. First, she is in unbelievable shape. The muscle tone in her arms (and elsewhere) could not be missed. Second, the recurring scene could have easily been lifted from our local CrossFit box. Yes, she is jumping, pulling and doing muscle-ups and other gymnastic moves but all of this is on a steel bar system that made me proud. So while all of this equipment is cool, this issue of reinvention is what kept me thinking all week.

Reinvention, as defined by Webster is "to remake or redo completely or to bring into use again". In fact, I have read some articles that gives credit to CrossFit for its contribution to reinventing personal fitness. While this may or may not be true, it's really up to each of us to look within. The simple saying we have all heard many times holds true; "if we always do what we always have done, we'll always get the same results that we've always had". As it relates to our personal quest for fitness, this notion of reinvention sits at the very core. The commitment we have all made spurs the creativity, variety and imagination that results in continual reinvention each time we hit the gym. I love this idea of "bringing into use again"; it was just this past week that we spoke of engaging muscles that were previously unaffected as if they were sitting dormant.

Here are five really simple ideas to embrace this idea of continual reinvention: 1) Bust through your comfort zone 2) Surround yourself with like minded people 3) Set goals and take steps daily to achieve them 4) Keep learning always 5) Stay relevant.

It was over three years ago that I abandoned my prior view of staying fit. That's when I was introduced to CrossFit and the idea of high intensity training. A few adventure races, road races, a marathon and a Triathlon later, REINVENTION certainly seems like an appropriate label. It's the less obvious and daily steps we take that define true reinvention however.

For me, I promise to nurse my shoulder to health, stay off the treadmill and leave Madonna for others to enjoy!

752 and Counting!

A challenge update...

It was just about a month ago when I set a personal pull up challenge to kick off 2010. It was a simple one that would prove to be a lot of fun & full of experimentation more than anything else. The premise was simple; see how long (with normal workout scheduling) it would take to complete 2010 pull ups.

This was never about volume or we would have knocked them out in short order kipping away. No, this was about seeking variety, challenge and exploring/finding the true benefits of the pull up. It hasn't let me down.

As I type, my lats and forearms are tender from this week alone; weighted pull ups, super strict dead hang pull ups and towel pull ups all made it into my programming. The past several weeks have forced me out of the comfortable "kipping" mode where knocking down high volume was the order and the result has been a test of my strength and a true measure of my progress made over time.

The overall experience also reinforces the idea that you can't judge kipping versus other pull up varieties as either better or worse. The point remains that every variation brings with it something else. Sobering for me was what appeared at the beginning of the challenge to be a set back in my ability to do strict dead hangs. Had I gotten weaker? It had just been too long since I had focussed there. In the subsequent weeks, the commitment to other variations engaging new muscles (and relying less on the momentum gained from the hips and the swing when kipping) quickly woke me up both physically and mentally; I can now produce more consecutive strict pull ups and can really see how far I have come since last summer...real progress at last.

When hitting the gym this week, I will use two adjacent hanging ropes and rings for pull ups requiring good balance and core strength. Then on to the thick bar, where I plan to mess around a while. While used occasionally, I am gonna experiment with 2", 2 1/2" bars and others with a variety of hand positions to see where that takes us.

So we continue....rings, ropes and thick bars.... the count is still on!