My Gnolava

12wk W12D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 95lbs-0.5mi.bike - 95lbs-0.5mi.bike-95lbs Total time - 5:30 Bike - 1:26/1:27 Went for a swim first. Did some foam roller work on my legs and arms. Nice and relaxed before I did the WO. I could add a lot more weight on deadlifts. Once I get the CF WODs going (scaled!) I'll do a test on my max loads ( Mr. Mirek did - so will I).

WOD 5k Yep - I went with this one. I subbed a swim - 1k. Total time 23:05. Felt good. Still have to get my swimming legs back. I probably lost form near the end. All-in-all a good way to start the day!

12wk W11D5 SQ27-400m-SQ27-400m-SQ27 90lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 90lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 85lbs Bike - 1:36/1:39 Total time: 14:32 Squats were rough at 90 lbs. Note the weight drop on the last set. I am doing these without a squat rack. The clean is fun. No really - fun! I'll try to swim again tomorrow. I'll take the weekend off. Then do the last of the 12 weeks starting on Monday. Almost there!!!

12wk W11D4 400m x 6 I swam. I don't know how many intervals I did. I wanted to just get in the pool. I started with some warm up drills a la Total Immersion . After my warm up, I did 50m intervals. I took 30s rest in between each 50. The laps took an average of 1min each. I lost count of my laps, but it was more than 10 and less than 20. I swam few extra laps after the intervals. The water was too warm! I couldn't imagine swimming any long distance. It would most likely make me sick. The shameful part of the whole experience is what I was the most proud of. Before I went into the pool area, I was in the changing room. There was a 60 - something retired gentleman getting dressed to leave. When I removed my shirt, he said "Let me guess: triathlete? right?" Well, needless to say, I took it as a compliment. After I got home - I took a good look in the mirror. I have changed since May. I am not focused on my appearance as my main motivator. I really am staying active to b...

12wk W11D3 12PP-400m-12PP-400m-12PP 70lbs - .5mi.bike -70lbs - 5mi.bike - 70lbs Bike - (1:10/1:09) Total time - 5:50

12wk W11D2 400m x 6 50stroke.row-0.5mi.bike-50stroke.row-0.5mi.bike-50stroke.row-0.5mi.bike 1:52-1:20-1:49-1:20-1:48-1:11 I used minimal rest time. Total time - 13:15 Went to the Chiro and got some more Graston Technique done. He worked on the area around my neuroma in my foot.

12wk W11D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 90lbs-0.5mi.bike - 90lbs-0.5mi.bike-90lbs Total time 5:30 (bike 1:12/1:16) Feelin' good! Did a few extra DL - just because. Foam roller after. Grades are posted. I'll sleep.

12wk W10D5 SQ27-400m-SQ27-400m-SQ27 85lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 85lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 85lbs Bike - 1:27/1:36 I'm gonna feel this. I went ahead and moved up on the weight for the squats even tho' this was also a rep increase. I felt so good after toasting my hips/legs last week, I thought I'd try it again! I really love the way I feel when I have completed the squat workout. It does so much for my problem areas - tight hip flexors. Two more weeks before I'm an official "buttercup!"

12wk W10D4 400m x 5 I did this this way - 1:30 for each round and counted distance/strokes. Bike -Row -Bike -Row-Bike 0.5mi - 40strokes - 0.52mi - 51strokes - .57mi I can push harder than I did - interesting info anyway.

12wk W10D3 12PP-400m-12PP-400m-12PP 70lbs - 50.stroke.row -70lbs - 50.stroke.row- 70lbs Total time 5:15.

12wk W10D2 400m x 5 50.stroke.row-0.5mi.bike-50.stroke.row-0.5mi.bike-50.stroke.row 1:56 - 1:25 - 1:40 - 1:25 - 1:29 Tried to kip my pullups on my door gym during the warmup - this must look hilarious. I must video it. I'm 6'4, I reach the bar easily from on-my-knees, I'm almost as wide as the door. Final result is I can see that kipping is something I'll be able to do and spare my elbows. I've got to build an outdoor pullup bar!

12wk W10D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 85lbs-0.5mi.bike - 85lbs-0.5mi.bike-85lbs Total time 5:50 (bike 1:25/1:31) Warmup included rower. Cooldown was on the rower. I'm taking a break from pullups - elbows.

12wk W9D5 24sq-400m-24sq-400m-24sq 80lbs - 0.5mi bike - 80lbs - 0.5mi bike - 80lbs Did I say I love squats? YES! I really focused on getting a good deep stretch. The leg problems seem to be better. My whole body feels great after squats.

12wk W9D4 400m x 5 All 0.5mi on bike. 1:16 - 1:12 - 1:11 - 1:08 - 1:08 Pushed hard on these - kept the rest time at a minimum. Went for better times each round - and succeeded! Feel kinda pumped. I like the work - but dingdangit I want to run! Bittersweet. I guess I'll be happy to get at the squats tomorrow.

12wk W9D3 12PP-400m-12PP-400m-12PP 70lbs - 0.5mi.bike -70lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 70lbs Total time - 7:01

12wk W9D2 400m x 5 50stroke.row - 50stroke.row - 50stroke.row - 50stroke.row - 50stroke.row 1:50 - 1:48 - 1:52 - 1:38 - 1:47 (kept the rest time down to 1 minute) Total time - 7:55.

12wk W9D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 80lbs-0.5mi.bike - 80lbs-0.5mi.bike-80lbs Total time 5:33 (bike 1:39/1:38) Calf feels a bit tight but the roller is definitely working. I find that there is a lot of tightness in the hip and thigh on the affected leg. When I roll on the tender spots it brings relief to the calf.

I couldn't do W9D5 - calf still too tight. I'll redo W9 starting on Wednesday. I have been using the foam roller - ouch! (and aahhhh!) I have found that the leg with the calf issue has a lot of tight areas. My quads and IT band on that side are very tender. I hope this works. I will give up running until I am sure. The routine I follow is here .

Well - I tried again. Same result. I ran one 400m lap in 1:35, rested 2:00, ran about 1/3 of the next lap and stopped with a cramping calf! I honestly felt like I might have been o.k. without the rest... Bought a foam roller. I did some work on that tonight. I'll figure this out - but I invite suggestions.

12wk W9D3 12PP-400m-12PP-400m-12PP 70lbs - 0.5mi.bike -70lbs - 0.5mi.bike - 70lbs A little easier this time with the same weight as last time. I think I'll increase the weight next week. I'll have to buy more soon! I intend to try running tomorrow - stay tuned.

12wk W9D2 400m x 5 o.5mi.bike - 50stroke.row - o.5mi.bike - 50stroke.row - o.5mi.bike 1:34 - 1:55 - 1:30 - 1:46 - 1:15 Total time - 11:46.

12wk W9D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 80lbs-50strokes row - 80lbs-50strokes row-80lbs Total time - 6:41 (rows 1:42/1:38) Pushed day 1 back since Tuesdays are busy around here. So, I now will do Wednesday - Sunday and rest Monday and Tuesday. Three weeks to go! Elbows hurting. Pullups were done with pronated grip (as opposed to palms facing each other). This seems to be less stressful on my elbows. This may be due to the size of the bar compared to my width... I am really feeling good about starting the WOD sequence.

12wk W8D5 24sq-400m-24sq-400m-24sq 70lbs - 0.5mi bike - 70lbs - 0.5mi bike - 70lbs Great wo. Shaking legs - no loss of form. (I think!) Total time 9:20 (bike 1:59/1:55) Time for a shower.

12wk W8D4 400m x 4 Subbed 50 strokes on rower. 1:56 - 1:36 -1:38 - 1:35 Its amazing how much coordination this takes. My first round was just getting the groove.

12wk W8D3 12PP-400m-12PP-400m-12PP 70lbs - 50strokes row -70lbs - 50strokes row - 70lbs Man - those last reps were rough. I guess my DL and SQ should pass my presses. The rows were 1:50/1:45 Didn't time the total.

Happy Thanksgiving!

12wk W8D2 (skipped yesterday) 400m x 4 Went to the track to test running. Made the first 400m in 1:48. During the rest for the next round, I felt the twinge in my calf again. Decided to go for it anyway. Made it about 3/4 of the way. Started to cramp up. Against everything in my heart, I stopped. Damn! I used to love to run. I have tasted it and want it again! It was raining and I was happy before the pain started. URGH!

12wk W8D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 70lbs-row50-70lbs-bike 0.5mi.-70lbs Row took 1:40 Bike took 1:36 Total time for workout: 5:26 Did yoga at work for 1 hour. Broke a good sweat. Came home and did the W8 workout. Feel good. Go back to the chiro today for more Graston Technique ! I hope it helps even more.

12wk W7D5 21SQ-400m-21SQ-400m-21SQ 65lbs-1:42-65lbs-1:53-65lbs Since I had to do squats, I chose the bike for 0.5miles. Right now, my calf feels better! Need the weekend break. Tomorrow I turn 43!

12wk W7D4 400m x 4 Did 50 strokes per round. 2:00 1:48 1:42 1:32 Did the first 2min as a test and made the 50 stroke benchmark. I then set out to beat the time. I felt that my form was good - probably because I wasn't 100 percent focused on it. I just let it happen. Did the CFWU and will be ready to up the rounds (I've been doing one round and feel ready to do 1.5.)

12wk W7D3 12Pushpress-400m-12Pushpress-400m-12Pushpress 65lbs-row2min-65lbs-row2min-65lbs Pushpresses were difficult. In the CFWU I did the pullups with much less (hardly any) elbow pain.

12wk W7D2 400m x 3 Did 2min each round on the rower. Feels good - but I need to set some benchmarks.

12wk W7D1 12DL-400m-12DL-400m-12DL 65lbs-2min-65lbs-2min-65lbs After I got loosened up, I did some CFWU. I did a few pullups with much less pain in my elbow. I think the Graston treatment helped. I felt no pain in pushups. I really hope this stuff works. The 400s were on the rower. I enjoyed the rowing. I will have to do a bit of analysis to find what's a good pace. I will have to practice. Lucky me, my wife can help! I didn't up the weight - I wanted to go easy on the calf muscle. Total time 5:51.

We bought a Tunturi R710 Rower! I am anxious to try it out as another alternative to running.

I have had my first visit to the Chiropractor. No adjustments. He used the Graston Technique . I feel somewhat relieved. I'll do the workout for today later on. Watch for the post.

12wk W6D5 21Squats - 400m - 21Squats - 400m - 21Squats 65lbs - 0.5mi - 65lbs - 0.5mi - 65lbs Still on bike. I still like the squats. My form suffered near the end of each round. I had to pause a lot in the last round. Tight calf makes my heel want to come up. Still dealing with calf issues. Didn't do Thursday's workout. Going to a Chiropractor on Monday. I suspect a nerve on the top of my foot is making me walk with my leg unbalanced. I taught a class for 3 hours straight and didn't adjust my laces. When I was walking down the hall back to my office, my calf started cramping.

CFWU 12wk W6D3 (skipped D2 again!) 12 Pushpress - 400m - 12 Pushpress - 400m - 12 Pushpress Used stationary bike. 65lbs-0.5mi-65lbs-0.5mi-65lbs Total time 7:36 (bike splits 1:42/2:00) Excuse - NAH.

12wk W6D1 12DL-400-12DL-400-12DL 65lbs. - 0.5mi - 65lbs - 0.5mi - 65lbs. Used bike again. Legs are sapped. Time to do flexibility. Total time: 5:36 (Bike split 1:31/1:40)

CFWU 12wk - W5D5 21 squats - 400m - 21 squats 60lbs - 0.5mi on stationary - 60 lbs Whew! I did some yardwork (digging, planting, tree trimming...) and tried to talk myself out of it - 3 2 1 go... Squats were killer this time. Hard to keep form. The last set included some pauses to that end. Total time 4:55 (1:42 on bike).

CFWU 12wk W5D4 400m x 3 1:33 - 1:34 - 1:33 Did this on the bike - calves! Set it for 0.5 miles on the highest resistance. Did some hip-flex after. Calves are feeling better. Gonna do GTG for pushups next week.

Happy Halloween! CFWU 12wk W5D3 12 Push-press - run - 12 Push-press 60lbs - 0.5m on stationary bike - 60lbs Total time: 3:39 (1:33 on the bike) Ok - I skipped the run yesterday. I am having more cramps in my calves and hams. Time to be careful and work on flexibility. Until I feel like I'm ready, I'll be using the bike again. Next time I run - I'll go to the track. Nice sweat!

12wk - W5D1 DL-Run-DL 60lbs-400m-60lbs Total time 4:40 (run took 1:40) My calf didn't cramp as quickly - or as severely.

12wk W4D5 CFWU 18Squats - 400m - 18Squats 55lbs - down and back - 55lbs I love squats. I feel myself controlling the weight going down and pushing through the floor up. I can tell I lose form near the end. I take this to mean I know what I'm doing. The run was very difficult. My calf was still stiff from Wednesday. I tried to think of how it was best worked around - I wore my old mowing shoes. These are actually better than my "good" shoes. Time for an investment. I walked the last few paces. The only thing I noticed was that it started to cramp again as soon as I was on a slight incline. I'll try to squeeze a trip to the track to compare. Total time 5:01 (run took 1:50)

12wk W4D4 400m x 2 Did this on the stationary bike because: 1. My calf still hurts (waaaa!) 2. I was in a hurry. 3. Since I have an idea of the time for the run, I wanted to see how far I needed to go. 1/2 mile with the resistance set as high as it would go 1:34 - rest - 1:29.

Wussed out yesterday! Blame whatever. I wanted to wuss out tonight. Had better reasons to wuss out this time - so I went for it anyway. The workout you want to skip is the one you should really do. (3 2 1 go - right!?) CFWU - the floor stuff felt good. 12wk w4d3 push press - 400m - push press 12 - down the block and back - 12 55lbs. Total time 4:44 The run was in cold rain - I liked it. I liked it until my calf cramped up. Still made good time - so not too bad.

12wk W4D1 DL - RUN - DL 12 - 400m - 12 Used 55lbs again since this is my redo week. Total time 4:07 (run took 2:23 of that).

I ran. 400m - 1:35 and change. Feels good. I ran on the nearby high school track. I guess this is as safe a place as any. I think my body can handle it. A tad bit winded but my legs have plenty of energy left. Went over to a piece of equipment to do a pullup. First time I've tried one on a bar that allowed me to start on my feet (instead of knees) - much more comfy. Kipping is a must try. I'll do the runs as runs from now on - when it's at all possible. Still intend to week 4 again tomorrow.

Well, my "weird stomach thing" progressed to a flu-type thing. At any rate, too under the weather to warrant a workout. So, I will redo week 4 starting tomorrow (fingers crossed). Gotta buy new pants as my old ones are falling off!

Took yesterday off - some weird stomach thing. CFWU - one round. 12wk - 12 push press - 400m - 12 push press. 55lbs. Again, the added weight seemed to help form. Maybe I'm just improving - I can't be sure. I just feel like it's more comfortable. The 400m was on the bike. My elbow felt fine! I iced it after for good measure. I'll trade yesterday's 400m x 2 to Saturday - and I'll try running! Stay tuned.

CFWU - lite. Just wanted to test the elbow. It still hurt - but not as bad. It also settled down more quickly. 12wk - W4D1 12 DL - 400m - 12 DL Used 55lbs. As I add weight, it seems the form gets better. I think it balances the movement some. I subbed the stationary bike for the 400m run. I have to get the guts up to try a real 400m.

12wk - W3D5 Squat 21-18-15 50lbs No official CFWU this time. My elbow is in "rehab." I spent a moment or two every day this week practicing getting deep in the squat position. I felt a ton better this time.

12wk - W3D4 Jump rope 2m + 2m CFWU - lite

12wk - W3D3 Push Press - 15-12-9 50lbs. Really focused on form. Made sure to use knees and push from heels. Not too bad. CFWU - lite

12wk - W3D2 Jump rope 2m + 2m CFWU (feeling more doable). Well, I iced my elbow before I did the workout. The pullups were on my kids' swingset. I think the larger bar fits my grip better. Whether it was the ice or the bar (or both), I can't be sure. The pullups felt better. Looking at building sites, reading crossfit stuff, reading starting strength, watching the videos, reading the affiliate blogs...

CFWU CF 12wk - W3D1 Deadlifts 15-12-9 increased the weight as rx'd to 50lbs. Form felt very good. Still sore from last week's squats. Paleo or not: pirogies and kielbasa? Did paleo man walk the Ural Mountains picking pirogies from shrubs? I couldn't resist this meal!

12wk - W2D4 Jump rope 1m30s and Bike 1m30s CFWU - Lite (no squats added some hip flex moves) 12wk - W2D5 Squats 18-15-12 45lbs OUCH! This will be my nemesis for a while. Sweat!

12wk-beginner W2D2 Jump rope 1min 30s and bike 1min 30s CFWU - Lite 12wk beginner W2D3 - push press 18-15-12 with 45lbs (18 was difficult!) Took a 2min 30s rest between each round. Form was good - difficult at the end. Really felt this in my delts and traps. Jump rope gets a plus from me.

Nice workout! Using the active rest week to lighten the work. CFWU - Lite 1 round - subbed 10 bodyrows and 10 pushups for pullups/dips ______ CF-12wk - W2D1 Deadlifts - 15-12-9 Added the recommended 5 lbs for approx. 45lbs Finding the right form. Reading Starting Strength and watching the vids on crossfit. I have difficulty keeping the bar close to my legs! OUCH! I won't be able to do the oly bar without adding some plates to get the bar high enough for proper deadlifts.

I finally got a good night's sleep last night. The little aches and pains seem to have waned - probably a direct relationship. I am really looking forward to tomorrow's workout. I like the attitude in this approach compared to simplefit. I think the 12-wk marker is nice. I am taking one thing from simplefit, I will do an active rest week this week. I will continue to do the lifts and 400m as prescribed in the 12-wk program, but I will reduce my pullup/dip efforts in the CFWU to bodyrows and pushups. I also will keep the CFWU rounds to 1 until rest week is up. Still waiting for local hits on this site. I kinda don't mind the wait. I am constantly planning. When I get a little further along in the process, I'll start trying to sell it around town. I'm sure I can dig up some people to join me.

3min sprint on bike. (CF 12wk - W1D4) 15, 12, 9 Squats approx. 40lbs (CF 12wk - W1D5) CFWU 1 round. Lost focus on pullups - mostly arms/not enough back! WHHOOPP!

5mins hard on the stationary bike - ala the 400m run for Tuesday (W1D2 of CF beg. WO). 15, 12, 9 Push-press with approx. 40lbs 1 round of CFWU. Was careful on the form with the push-press. Threw in some pushups afterward.

Well - I'm a little sore. I definitely feel the deadlifts. Did not do the 400m today. Will make an early AM workout tomorrow - likely on bike. Do the lifts in the afternoon.

WOD CFWU (see link) 3 Rounds (10 - 15 reps) Samson Stretch 15-30 seconds Overhead Squat with broomstick Sit-up Back-extension Pull-up (3 full - 7 bodyrows) Dip (on bench) ___ CF 12wk W1D1 Deadlift 15,12,9 Warm up: Well the warm up kicked my tail - as expected. I did only 3 pullups per round and switched to bodyrows to finish with 3 rx'd, 7 bodyrows. Stuck to 10 reps on every move. Dips were done on a bench. Back extensions were supermans. 12wk program: Deadlift with 40lbs (don't know the weight of my cheapo bar + 2 10lb plates). Stuck to form - but need a lot of practice. I fling my 30+ lb each kids around without thought. I need to watch the methods with the light weight since I can do 40lbs very poorly. Nice sweat!

If you happen to be nearby and want to connect for workouts, go to my google group and send me a request to join the group.

No - not the evil weight scale! Scaled workouts are recommended by most crossfit users. I find myself reading the scaled workouts on the brandx site and see that most of them have a version which is not too difficult for me to jump in and get done. So, for now, brandx it is - well not yet really. I also found an article on crossfit which will be my re-launch pad. I will go through the 12-week program prescribed. Since I don't want to lose the work I have done with simplefit, I'll add pullups/pushups/squats. I need to mix up the moves and practice those I am not ready to do. I am very concerned about proper form for the weight lifting movements. With my copy of "Starting Strength" in hand I will learn the Olympic bar work. At the end of the 12-week beginner program, I will start with the brandx scaled workouts. I am not so proud that doing the techniques with a pvc is fine!

Hello! I am Brad Thompson. I live in Northwest Alabama. My purpose for blogging is mostly limited to keeping a record of my progress into the world of Crossfit . Around three years ago, I ran across the crossfit site. I was considering the idea of writing a program which gave me a random workout from a list of workouts. I decided that, before I reinvented the wheel, I might better see if one already existed. I found crossfit. I was excited at first - followed by huge intimidation (read a few of the workouts - 50 pullups?!?!). I turned and ran. Then I came back - and ran again. I couldn't quit watching the site. They are an amazing group of people with an amazing program. Somewhere along the way (in Spring - 2007), I found the Simplefit site. In April of 2007 I started the program there. My logs are posted in the forum there as volleyball_man (read them) . I now can do pullups! Thanks to simplefit (Kevin McKay). Simplefit helped me rev my engine! I am now at a point where what was ...