All day flight to Hong Kong

Posted on February 6, 2012 by

On my 20-hour plane ride to Hong Kong today. I guess it is fair to call it a rest day. But I was thinking I could totally do pullups and toes-to-bars hanging off the edge of the overhead compartments. I’m just sayin…

Posted in Travel | Comments Off on All day flight to Hong Kong

Traveling until the Open

Posted on February 5, 2012 by

I will be traveling non-stop to Asia and Hawaii until the Open so I will spend most of today’s flight thinking through programming and mobility (!). I will have some great CF boxes along the way (CF Asphodel and CF Singapore) and some limited gym facilities at 2 of my hotels. As a coach pointed out, you can always do pushups, handstands, sit-ups, thrusters in the hotel room… I’m sure I can do better than that… My 17-day challenge now is to find the right equipment for every WOD on this trip until the 3-2-1-GO starts for me at my Open WOD1 host, CF UpCountry Maui…

Posted in Travel | Comments Off on Traveling until the Open

Programming the Unpredictable

Posted on February 4, 2012 by

I started packing for my Asia trip tomorrow. It made me think about my programming (or lack thereof) as I’m dropping into various gyms on my travels. Programming in the same gym by experienced coaches ensures progression, variety and balance. When you’re on the road dropping into different boxes, programming becomes more haphazard and travelers either scale overworked muscles or augment with movements missing. I had my fair share of back-to-back clean days, 3 days in different clubs doing leg work or busting shoulders. I will have to keep my CF Open master list ready and make sure each of these get practiced regularly whether on the WOD or not.

Warmup
Handstand pushups, Double Unders and Muscle Ups

Strength stream
– 10 power cleans 135 lbs
– 10 snatch balance 75 lbs
– 10 deadlifts 225 lbs

Metcon stream
As many reps as possible in 15 minutes:
– 10 burpees
– 25 squats
– 25 pushups
– 10 pullups
– 10 ring dips
– 25 situps
SCORE: 385  (3 rounds + 10,25,25,10)

Posted in Travel, WOD | Comments Off on Programming the Unpredictable

Toronto Winter – Sort of

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

My short visit at Crossfit Toronto was great. The area has a lot of historic brick warehouses that were turned into shops and in this case a great box. It is one of the largest (by pre-Reebok standards) CF gyms I’ve seen and probably more barbell plates than anywhere. The programming has a great format running both conditioning and weightlifting streams every day. The schedule is tight and programmed down to every minute of the class.

It was added bonus that Toronto has an unusually mild winter so I didn’t have to fight myself through some subzero winter storm…

Strength stream
– Backsquat – 5@ 65%, 5 @ 75% and 5% 85%    (135, 185, 215 lbs)
– Good mornings – 5×5 reps @ 45% backsquat 1RM  (125 lbs)
– Weighted lunges –  5x10m (65 lbs)

Metcon stream
10 Tabata intervals each of:
– Wall Balls 20 lbs – 44
– GHD Situps – 69

Posted in Travel, WOD | Comments Off on Toronto Winter – Sort of

Gearing up for the travel season

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

I’m traveling to Toronto on my rest day and getting ready for next week’s China trip with night conference calls and lessons on corporate gift exchange protocols in Beijing… I will do my best.

Posted in Travel | Comments Off on Gearing up for the travel season