Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Locals

Warm-up:
40 OH squats (PVC)
Shoulder dislocates, etc

Workout:
2x
20/10 pull-ups
20 12# carpetbag twists
20 second plank-hold
20 stair jumps (10”)
20 second chair sits

*sigh* My adoring crowd was awaiting me as I wandered out to do another workout.  My new workout friend wanted to workout with me again.  As a result, once again, there was no point in timing this.  It was kind of fun to have someone to workout with, but it was a really slow workout, so I don’t know if it qualified as a CrossFit workout.  At least I did something, though!

Pull-ups in the palapa were more difficult than usual, because the log I was using to hang from is much larger than a bar.  As a result, I felt it more in my hands and forearms – just gripping the thing was tough!  I started to slide off on the second set, and since I didn’t want to land awkwardly (uneven earth under me, not a nice, level gym floor), I decided to cut the second set short.

That brings up another problem I hadn’t considered – I don’t really want to do things on the ground here.  There are THINGS that live in the ground – things that sting, venomous things with no shoulders, things that pack a wallop of a bite – lots of things that get annoyed if someone lands on them (well, really, who could blame them?  I’d get cranky, too, if someone stepped on MY Head unexpectedly.  Or even expectedly, I guess).  Having discovered a hill of sugar ants – the hard way – I was determined not to make the acquaintance of any other such creatures… especially since I got off (relatively) easy this time.  So, no push-ups, no sit-ups, etc.  Much more challenging to create a workout!

I have also come to the conclusion that I detest mosquitoes.  I mean, I LOATHE the things, with a passion heretofore reserved for Capri pants (sorry, Mom!), Hummer drivers in Brentwood (sorry, Arnold!), and Velveeta cheese (sorry, Kraft!).

When I move here permanently, I intend to wage war on them.  At present, my plan begins with creating a line of designer clothing that incorporates the ubiquitous house geckos.  Clothing geckos.  I don’t have the details worked out yet and the house gecko union hasn’t agreed, but there are simply minor concerns.  Workout clothes will be easy, since the little dudes seem to stick easily to any available surface. so movement shouldn’t shake them loose.

For formal occasions, of course, I could use basilisks instead, since they have an elegant look to them.  I really think I’m on to something here.

Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Roadside Hawk

Warm-up:
3x
10 push-ups
15 dips
20 lunges

Workout:
50 deadlifts (45# rock)
40 front squats (log)
30 ring rows
20 OH lunges (log)
10 shoulder presses (log)

There was absolutely no point in timing this, because my outdoor workout with rocks and logs was the highlight of the day for many Belizeans.  I attracted quite the audience who were most impressed as I picked up the 45# rock.  (Also to the consternation of the adult males, who thought it was “too heavy”.  It wasn’t.) The rings that I threw over a log in the palapa were of great interest to the children, who had to try them.  I also had to retrieve the log periodically, as people wanted to try squats (“That’s harder than it looks!”).  One of the local ladies wanted to work out with me, and how could I say no?  Move over, Dale Carnegie – I Crossfit!  Watch for it on the NY Times Bestseller list:
Crossfit – How to Win Friends and Influence People!

The picture is of my “gym” - the palapa on the left is where I’m hanging my rings this week…

Thursday, June 19, 2008
The House Gecko

Warm-up
3x
10 plank-ups
15 arch rocks
20 step-ups

Workout:
30 OH squats
25 push-ups
25 sit-ups
20 OH squats
25 push-ups
25 sit-ups
10 OH squats
25 push-ups
25 sit-ups

Time:  11:05

Ugh.  I’m still going inland and am near the border with Guatemala.  It is HOT and HUMID.  As a delicate desert flower (*ahem* I CAN hear you laughing from here!), I’m really not accustomed to the humidity.  As a result, I decided to do a workout that I could attempt in my room, so that at least I had a fan going.  *whew*

Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Baby Coati

Warm-up
3x
20 jumping jacks
20 squats

Workout:
50 pull-ups (purple band)

Time: 6:38

Fleeing the mosquitoes and sand flies, I headed inland.  I ended up in the capital city of Belmopan, figuring it would be easy to find a place to rent.  The place even has a small swing-set in the yard – perfect for pull-ups!  Right down the road from the Belize Police Academy (which was having its graduation ceremony) and around from the US Embassy, I figured that doing pull-ups in the front yard was either extremely safe, or likely to get me captured and put into some holding cell, never to be heard from again.  An adventure, in either case! 

The bar was too low, so my feet were hitting the ground, which turned my pull-ups form into a strange, inelegant dead-hang kip. Awkward, but still hard, and the heat and humidity here made it that much tougher.  My times are slow, mostly because the different climate is really sapping my energy quickly.  I hope to see some improvement as I get acclimated, since getting a dehumidifier and an air conditioner for an entire country would be challenging, and probably cost-prohibitive.  (It would also likely upset the coatis, and having just seen a mom with four babies trundling about, they’re just too darned cute to upset…)

Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Iguana

Warm-up
3x
10 plank-ups/push-ups
14 lateral bridges
20 OH squats (stick)

Workout:
3x

20 carpetbag v-twists (15#)
20 push-ups
20 sit-ups
20 pistols
20 dips

Time:  15:40

I weighed a few items before I left, so that I know approximately how much weight I put in the carpetbag.  (e.g., this binder weighs about 3#).  I’m rounding all of my weight approximations down, so I know I’m doing AT LEAST that amount.

I started with plank-ups, but neglected to take into consideration the mosquito bites on my forearms and elbows; after the first round I switched to push-ups, which unfortunately left me doing about 80 push-ups total for the Iguana.  Ugh.  I have a new respect for the instructors who come up with these workouts!  (hastily) Which doesn’t mean that I still think dark thoughts about all of you when I’m doing them!  I just RESPECT you when I’m thinking nasty things, that’s all.  (insert your own joke here)

It’s completely different trying to be my own CrossFit instructor/trainer/student.  I enjoy the mental aspect of it (what can I use around here? How can I approximate weight?), but the actual workout is tougher, since there’s no competition.  I think as I progress, I’ll be able to have more baselines for my workouts, which will in turn force me to compete with myself.  If anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them!  Encouragement is always appreciated…

Alternatively, I can always try to capture Andy, haul him down here and force him to train me.  Well, I guess I would need to take his family, as well.  And he would probably want to take some other instructors with him, as well as some equipment.  I think I’ll be over the weight limit for my luggage at that point.  Hmmm….  This seems a bit… unwise, on a number of levels.  Perhaps this plan needs a bit more work.  *smiling*

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Magnificent Frigatebird

Warm-up:
3x
10 push-ups
15 bunny hops
20 walking lunges

Workout:
50 deadlifts
40 front squats
30 pull-ups/ring rows
20 step-ups
10 OH squats

Time:  14:52

The Magnificent Frigatebirds were soaring overhead all while I was doing this.  Of course, The Frigate also seems an apt name because about halfway through I started muttering “Frigate this”, or something similar to that, anyway.

Extremely fun workout!  I found a waterlogged log (is that redundant?) on the beach and hauled it back to my hut.  (Does that ½ mile count as a Farmer’s Walk?  It was *tough*!) It was a little over 6 feet long, and about 4” in diameter.  It weighed probably somewhere between 40-45 pounds.  So, deadlifts!  And front squats!  And OH squats!  (Okay, that probably wasn’t so smart, because it’s not so perfectly weighted as a barbell, which causes occasional slow-motion toppling gently into the sand, much to the amusement of the aforementioned frigatebirds – not to mention yet another screamed repetition of “FRIGATE!!!”) In addition, just trying to clean the sucker was TOUGH – the grip on that is not as conducive to grasping.

I strapped the rings to a conveniently located mangrove and was able to use that for rows.  It was a good way to set my feet for each round, since I could clearly see where I was in the sand.  (Of course, it also made for some slightly flatter ring rows than I might normally have done, since my feet kept sliding forward.)

All in all, I have to say that The Frigate was much fun.  It’s fun to figure out how to use things lying around!

Monday, June 09, 2008
The Great-Tailed Grackle

Warm-up:
3x
10 push-ups
10 good mornings
10 sit-ups

Workout:
21-15-9
Thrusters (20# dumbbells)
Chair sits (seconds)
Push press (20# dumbbells)
OH lunges (15# dumbbells)

About 15 minutes

So, I decided to name all of my workouts after the creature that I see that day (I really look forward to the Ocelot and the Jaguar!).  The grackles were everywhere, and have quite an amusing call, so I named this one in their honor.

I’m staying at a hotel for a night, so that I can spend all of tomorrow driving down to Hopkins – which I understand was flooded out by the storm last week, which may make the drive challenging.

But no more challenging than The Grackle!  The hotel actually had a small weight room, so I figured I’d use them while I can.  Unfortunately, they lacked air conditioning… or ventilation of any kind.  Bikram Crossfit!  I decided to make it a quick warm-up (I was warm enough!) and not to worry about time, since working out in 90+ degree heat PLUS an equivalent scale of humidity made for a sufficiently difficult workout just moving.

I lost about 5 pounds of fluids, probably equal amounts of sweat and blood from the nasty mosquitoes.  I remember now why I didn’t care for Belize City.  I’d forgotten about the mosquitoes the size of my head… sadly, they obviously remember me fondly.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Warm-up
3x

Workout:
1RM Shoulder Press
5-3-2-2-1-1-1
#45,55,60,65,70(m),70,72.5,75(m)

2 Rounds
10 Ring Rows
10 Pushpress #55
10 Burpees
10 Knees to Elbows

Rats.  Only got to 72.5, which was very disappointing.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Warmup:

1000m row
3x
10 pull-ups (purple band)
15 good mornings
20 sit-ups

Workout:
4x:
7x
5 jump shrugs (32#) + 2 front squats (32#)

20 step-ups (20” box)
15 pushups

Time:  19:09

My last workout at PF for a while!  Fortunately, Becca made it a good one… she suggested between 15-35 pounds for me, so I went with 32.  I was totally up for trying the jump shrugs, but there was no way I was going to try to jump rope yet (my calf is still not quite ready).  She suggested box step-ups instead of the jump rope.  While I’m in Belize, I *will* try to jump rope, but it’s going to be a scary thing.  Amazing how such a simple item as a jump rope can cause such fear in an adult (or at least someone who closely resembles one).  I finished first, which was pleasant.
Now, how to bottle that combination of everything that makes PF into something that I can do on my own?

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Warmup:
3x
10 push-ups
15 arch rocks
20 hollow thumps

Workout:
5x
10 burpees
15 wall squats
20 situps

Time:  33:01

My first CrossFit workout on my own!  It was quite fun, as I evidently surprised the people on the treadmills in the workout room.  Hotel treadmill walkers are not accustomed to people in the fitness room *sweating*, much less muttering nasty things under their breath.  The sad part was that I had no one to blame for this workout – it was my own idea, based upon the small area that I had.  *sigh*

Note to self:  Must find way to blame future workouts on SOMEONE, otherwise who will I swear about?  Hmmmm…

Sunday, June 1, 2008
I have absolutely no recollection of this one.  I know I wrote it down.  That’s the problem with hotel-living; things end up on small pieces of paper, or accidentally put in a box, or on-line somewhere, or in my day planner, or....  *sigh* I’m sure I’ll find it at some point.

Saturday, May 31, 2008
Warmup:
1500m row

3x
10 wall squats
10 pull-ups (black/green)
10 sit-ups
15 arch rocks

And then some horrific workout that I can’t even remember because I was so incredibly exhausted from packing and moving and the aerobic activity of trying to get the movers to actually MOVE and mentally restraining myself from causing them bodily harm so that when I took a break and tried to workout I couldn’t even do overhead squats without falling on my butt which was even more frustrating and it was all the stupid MOVERS’ fault because they were probably back at the house flinging my breakables in the air while I was trying to focus on the workout which was hard because the image of these guys kept coming into my head because they were SUPPOSED to be finished on Friday, but they’re only halfway done, which means they’ll be moving tomorrow too, which is bad because I had planned to finish up the house repairs tomorrow and now I can’t, but I’m supposed to be doing the WORKOUT and paying attention to that instead of picturing myself dancing happily on their broken and bleeding bodies.

*sigh*

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Workout:
5 rounds 15#/20# dumbbells

Walking lunges/chest press
28/20
20/20
20/20
20/20
25/21

Total:  101/113

I’m going to guess that my weights were a little too low, since I was doing too many reps at the end.  (I was fighting for each one, mind you, but still got the total.) The problem with doing more reps is that there just isn’t the same amount of rest time, since I had to keep up with everyone else so that we could rotate through the equipment properly.  ARGH!  However, unreasonable though it may be, I’m trying always to recuperate quickly enough to finish as strongly as I started.  Kind of the “Tabata mentality”.

As for finishing strong, who knew that my last days in LA would be so tough!  Sheesh, I haven’t even had time to post my workouts, although I am writing them down, so that someday (soon!), I’ll be able to update the rest of them.  The movers will be at the house tomorrow (a day early – yikes!) to pack everything up.  This is so weird… after all of these years of working my fanny off (alas, not literally – that’s what CF is for!), it’s really strange to get up in the morning and not have “work stuff” to do. 

Wow.  This post was mostly a waste of electronic trees.  Move along, folks, nothing to see here… Hopefully my next post will be more interesting/entertaining/enlightening… or, at least, grammatically correct.  Right now, I’ll settle for the latter, since my brain is clearly still out doing some last-minute partying in LA without me.  (*sigh* This is what happens when you get old – no one wants to bother with your body anymore; they just want what is in the brain.  It’s a tragedy, really… I miss the good ol’ “no, really!  I’m shallow and superficial and I really only want you for your body” days…)

Yikes.  Not sure where in the recesses of my mind THAT came from.  Of all the things I’ve lost, I think I miss my brain the most.  I hope to find it again during retirement.  I hope it’s not rusty…

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Warmup:
1000m row

3x
10 push-ups (toes, knees, fingertips/knees, due to a non-functioning wrist)
15 arch rocks
15 hollow rocks
20 walking lunges

Workout
Tabata’ing:

Rows (calories) 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4 = 4
Pull-ups 8-6-6-6-4-4-4-4-=4
Kettlebell swings (yellow) 8-8-8-7-7-7-7-7=7
Thrusters (12# dumbbells) 8-7-7-7-7-7-7-7=7
Anchored sit-ups 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9=9

Total:  31

Okay, you know you’re getting old when you injure yourself *sleeping*.  Really.  I now have to wrap my ankle, my wrist and my neck at night to make sure I don’t get into weird positions that cause them to hurt more in the morning.  Any more injuries and I’ll just figure out how the ancient Egyptians wrapped their mummies and sleep that way.  *crossly* If people didn’t get so upset about my sleeping upside down hanging from the rafters, the way we USED to, it wouldn’t be a problem.  Ah, the good ol’ days… before that silly Bram guy got us all in trouble.

So, Tabata’ing today!  Much fun!  I was pretty pleased with my consistency, except for the pull-ups.  I planned to do 6, but the first set seemed so easy.  Yeah.  That little fallacy didn’t last.  I should have stuck with 6…. If nothing else, it would have made the drop to 4 so much less painful.

I’m amusing myself by conjugating “tabata”, because CLEARLY it needs to be used as a verb.  I tabata, you tabata, he/she tabatas…

Then I got to come home and haul out 50+ pound potted plants, carry a set of patio furniture out and various other weight-lifting activities.  Nothing like a little extra workout after a Tabata!  (Hmmmm…now THERE it’s a noun.  What would the plural be?  Tabatas?  Tabatae, if it’s Latin?  Tabati, if it’s Romance-language-based?  Ah, yet another fun thing to ruminate on in my soon-to-be copious spare time… How can people ask what I’ll be doing to fill up my time in my retirement?  I’ll be BUSY on such important topics as this! Tabata conjugation, mummy wrapping – the list is truly endless!)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Warm-up
500m row row (legs)
400m row (back)
300m row (arms)
500m row (everything)

3x
5 dips (purple band on knees)
10 Ab-mat crunches
15 Ab-mat supermans

Workout
4x
2 shoulder presses
10 v-sit medicine ball twists (14#)
15 OH squats
30 second chair sit on parallettes

Short version:  I sucked.
Longer version:  I totally, completely and emphatically sucked.

However, it’s actually all part of my sneaky strategy.  I intend to run myself into the ground in these next two weeks by not sleeping or eating, by changing my schedule randomly and other horrid things.  In this fashion, I will have deteriorated to such an extent by the time I leave that my baseline will be measured with a calendar.  That means that I am *guaranteed* phenomenal improvement in the first month, since I have pretty much nowhere to go but up!  I’ll come back for my baseline in significantly better shape, simply because I’ll be able to FUNCTION.  Oh, heck, for a stretch goal, I might even be able to - get this - count to TEN!  By myself!

*proudly* Yep, I’ve got this thing all figured out.  These next two weeks will be GREAT!  I’ll see just how bad I can get.  Isn’t it nice to have goals?