Tuesday 1.1: Rest day, thoughts about 2012-2013

Tuesday. Rest day. Thought about 2012-2013.

I suppose it's time to chill out today and prepare myself to the upcoming week's workouts. In the mean while I'll take you back half a year when I did my first crossfit workouts and what's happened since. I'll reveal the development of my strength level as well as Toni's rapid increase of power level.

Don & Tony the Pony

My older brother, Sami, has crossfitted for three years and after a long persuasion he talked me over to try crossfit. I've played floorball as a goal keeper for the last ten years and the last three seasons in the highest national level, in the Finnish national league. My metabolic conditioning has thus always been rather good but I haven't done proper strength training in my life. Sami decided he's not gonna let me go easy on the first workouts because he wanted to shock me in order to get me really interested in crossfitting with him in the future. Well, he did the right call :)

First workout of mine in April was a metcon for time:

• 30 pull-ups
• 30 dips
• 100 push presses, 20kg

Result was that my right shoulder became inflamed. It took about two weeks to recover from this one. The second workout was a nightmare, maybe the most classical of them all:

• One of the Benchmark Girls - Fran - for time
• 21-15-9
• Thrusters, 42.5kg
• Pull-ups

Gee, thanks Sami! Haha, this was a rough one, I timed it at 5.49 if I remember correct. The third workout wasn't any easier

• 1.600m run
• 50 burpees
• 150 single unders
• 800m run
• 35 burpees
• 100 single unders
• 400m run
• 20 burpees
• 50 single unders

Huh, total of 2.800m run, 105 burpees and 300 single unders. I remember the burpees nearly killed me. Those were the first burpees ever for me and I had to do 100+ of them. Those jump ropes were supposed to be done as doubles but hey, c'mon, I'd never even heard of them so naturally I went them in singles. That's the proper way to introduce crossfit to someone's life!!! Well, maybe not straight from the educational books but for me, it worked and I thank my bro for pushing me hard from the very beginning. I understood immediately this sport is not about just talking but it's a tough mental game in every workout. And you always have to break some walls during a workout, they are not piece of cakes, ever... It's been awesome to see I can do any workout, no matter how tough it looks on the paper.

My first workouts took place in April 2012. For the first 2-3 months I only did metcons, not strength exercises at all. I took a timeout in my programming in June-July, thought about my strengths and weaknesses, and made a critical change in the way I train. I increased the amount of workouts dramatically and took strength element in to play vigorously. It had positive effects but also side effect. Even though my sports background is strong, my heart didn't follow and I had some rhythmical problems for 2 weeks. After a recovery period I took it light and little by little I got back, and from then on I've learned to listen to my body better. I was too credulous in the beginning and I didn't believe anything bad could occur by training too much. I remember someone saying "crossfit can kill you". Now I understand the upgrade in the amount of training should have happened in smaller steps because my body wasn't familiar with all the strength movements and so much metabolic pressure to my heart.

With all that said, I've learned a lot of my own body and how much it can take hit and pressure. I've successfully familiarized my body to train approximately 10 times a week. And per one training session, I can take a strength training and a metcon in addition, maybe skills training as well. So in total, there's quite an amount of training taking place in my life. My first strength workouts this year took place in July, 5 months ago. The starting point in July and the current maxes are as follows:

• Bench press, 60kg -> 87.5kg
• Clean, 60kg -> 80kg
• Deadlift, 130kg -> 170kg
• Front squat, 90kg -> 120kg
• Push press, 60kg -> 80kg
• Squat, 100kg -> 135kg

My shoulder press was around 40-50kg, now it's 65kg. I didn't clean & jerk at all at those times but now I'll go for 80kg. Bench press has taken place only in the last 2-3 months, nowadays I'm able to push 87.5kg. My pull-ups were around 8-10 reps, now I'll do 25 in a row. My starting bodyweight was 75-76kg, I've intentionally gained some kilos and now the scale says I'm at 80kg. This is due to eating way more than before, thanks to my own personal nutritionist at home :)

After doing strength training for 5 months, I am extremely satisfied to the results I've gained. I have increased the maxes of pretty much all strength movements with 20-30kg from where I began and can now lift my own bodyweight in all forms, deadlift is over double my bw. My shoulder strength has increased a lot and squats have also gone high. In addition my metabolic condition has increased well and I'm not gassed that quickly. Maybe my 2k rowing says it well, time 7.01. Also mobility has become way better,  in the beginning it was out of question to do deep squats and overhead squats almost at all. I'm very happy I'm doing crossfit nowadays, no doubt about it!

However, the upcoming year brings me some challenges and targets I want to reach:

• Muscle-ups
• Handstand walk
• Handstand push-ups
• Snatch
• Mobility
• Powerlifting technique and through that, increasing weights
• Muscle durability with heavier weights

As you can see, I want to master some skills related movements so that you can throw me any workout and I will do it with style. At the end of this year, I don't want to scale any workouts but do them Rx'd. Snatch is the olympic lift I need to pay more attention to this year than 2012. My mobility will automatically become better as heavy barbells will be lifted often and gymnastics moves are in play constantly. I have proved myself I can lift some heavy objects, now I must pay even more attention to the technique to increase the weights on the barbells.

Toni's development. Huh, with sports background that can't be described as professional or semi-professional, I would say this guy has done something tremendous. The weights he's been able to lift are awesome. At the same time he's bodyweight has dropped 11kg and he doesn't have to stop and breath all the time. He topped his 2k rowing with over 40 seconds (7.56 -> 7.15). I'll leave the door open for him to describe his own development. To the end, I want to thank you Toni, for training with me this much. It would be so much harder to put the alarm clock wake me up at 6.00 if it wasn't for you  driving with me to the Box and give your everything, each day, over and over again, and hear you shouting 3-2-1 go!

• Back squat 80 kg -> 120 kg
• Bench press 80 kg -> 95 kg
• Clean 70 kg -> 85 kg
• Clean & Jerk 65 kg -> 82.5 kg
• Deadlift 110kg -> 160kg
• Front squat 80 kg -> 95 kg
• Push press 60 kg -> 82.5 kg

2012 was also the year I met my baby :)