Dawn and Night at the Equator

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

It is very hot and humid this week in Singapore. The early dawn hours before work are just perfect though while watching the surreal sunrise over the ocean and leaving more medicine ball marks on the gym wall… We had a great dinner on the Singapore Bay finished with a very spectacular light show in the background.

Strength
Wendler Deadlift 5/3/1
280/325/385
My Benchmark WOD “Wailea”
100 rope jumps
90 ring rows
80 pushups
70 situps
60 pullups
50 knees to elbows
40 wall balls 20lbs
30 dips
20 cleans 95lbs
10 presses 95 lbs
5 burpees
1 handstand pushup
[TIME: 21:00]
Endurance
Tabata Double Unders [122]

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At an Almost CrossFit Gym

Posted on June 13, 2012 by

Very busy travel day ended in Singapore where I found an outstanding gym at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Being on the 55th floor helps and it has almost all the equipment for a CrossFit box. We are missing the pull-up bars and the kettle bells but the olympic barbells, several rowers and a medball section with 20-foot ceilings easily make up for that.

Strength
Wendler Squat 5/3/1 [225+]
Conditioning
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of
– hang power cleans – 95lbs
– wall balls 20lbs
– double unders
– weighted situps 45lbs
[TIME: 15:50]
Endurance
Tabata rowing 8x20sec [785m]

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Fasting WOD in Hong Kong

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

I’m in my favorite city in the world today, Hong Kong. Nothing beats the energy and the landscape in this great city of lush islands and skyscrapers. My 16-hour stopover this time wouldn’t allow me to drop in on CrossFit Asphodel, sorry Ashley and Alix!

One of the perks of a long distance business trip for me is to let go of the normal feeding schedule and switch to a cleansing intermittent fasting (IF) LeanGains style: 16 hours fast with 8 hours of feeding every day.  IF as a lifestyle is all about finding the right 16 hours to fast between business dinners and demanding morning workouts. Of course it gets more complicated with time zone hopping travel because even an established schedule becomes constantly varied…

My travel IF routine typically starts after dinner around 8pm and ends with lunch at noon. On business trips I work out very early so WODs don’t conflict with customer meetings and team dinners. That puts the workout at 5 or 6am in a fasted state. After the workout there are still 5-6 hours before the first meal… On the upside, the MetCons, lifts in a fasted state always work better for me so it makes the whole process quite rewarding…

Strength
Wendler Benchpress 5/3/1
Conditioning
For time:
– 15 Front Squats 115 lbs
– 20 strict pullups
– 15 Push Presses 115 lbs
– 30 Back extensions
– 15 Back Squat 115 lbs
– 40 pushups
[TIME: 7:55]
Endurance
– Tabata Run
– Tabata Double Unders

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China Commuters

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

Monday morning in Beijing always has the same scene in the gym. All the Americans who arrived on the weekend “commuter” traffic have jet-lag and show up in the hotel gym at 5am or some even earlier. So dropping weights at 5:30 no longer bothers anyone around me… I had a great set of meetings that culminated in a 12-course traditional chinese dinner in a fantastic restaurant. We could barely finish by the self-imposed 8pm cutoff for my intermittent fasting (more about this later).

Strength
– Wendler Strict press 5-3-1 [115+]
Conditioning
5 rounds of:
– 10 thrusters 65 lbs
– 10 strict pullups
– 10 situps
– 10 pushups
– 10 kettlebell swings 55 lbs
[TIME: 14:49]
Endurance
Tabata jump ropes
8×20 sec with 10 sec rest
minimum reps per round: 42

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Beijing WOD on 4 hours of sleep

Posted on June 10, 2012 by

Arriving in Beijing can be the most magical experience on a clear day like today. The air is crisp, the sky dark blue. Incredible. It makes this 48-hour business trip all the more worthwhile. I could’t sleep well on the plane so one way to help the jet lag was to double down on the workout… Our corporate hotel, the JW Beijing has a great gym, pool and a yoga room, the latter which became my WOD box for the afternoon. Found enough weights for Wendler but no olympic bar only a crooked E-Z curling bar… We make do… Needless to say, along with the local faithful I am still waiting for the opening of the first CF gym in China. Please somebody… Anybody. Reebok?

Strength
Wendler Clean 5-3-1 [155lbs+]
Endurance
3 rounds of Tabata runs
8×20 sec work, 10 sec rest
1st round 12% incline, 2nd round 6%, 3rd round 2%
immediately then:
Conditioning
3 rounds
– 10 burpees
– 20 double unders
– 30 pushups
– 40 situps
[TIME: 13:17]

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