Injured Endurance

[maverick]

Wow, I am unexpectedly sore today. I've never done burpees with any kind of volume before. My chest is sore, which I kind of expected, but my back wrapping all the way around to my serratus (muscle that covers the ribs under your chest) is really sore too. I'll have to be aware of burpee-volume when I get back to the fight club... skill training sore sucks.

[maverick]

3/10/2008

Morning (10 sets each):
- 24kg One hand KB swings, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (each hand)
- Sit outs, 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2

Took 8:24. Non stop, alternating between exercises at the completion of each set. I really only rested 2 or 3 times for a very brief period during the whole thing.

110 one hand swings and sit outs to start the day. Quite a wakeup call for me; I hate working out in the morning. I think these brief, intense bouts, though, are just the thing to make morning exercise tolerable to me.

Afternoon:
- 30-40 minute walk, leisurely pace

Just to get the blood flowing, I hate sitting in a chair all day. It also makes my neck/back worse.

Evening:
- 5 minute rounds on heavy bag, 1 minute rest between rounds, 4 round total (focused on bobbing and weaving to set up hooks, as well as jabs to set up high kicks)
- 30 seconds rest
- 5 minutes of low/high kick combos, focusing on technique, not conditioning here, so the pace was slower.
- 5 minutes rest
- About a mile in 7:14
- Rested til completely re-energized
- 5 singles, each arm, 24kg overhead squat

Very intense. I was going to go for 5 rounds of 5 minutes, but my power output started to dwindle a few minutes into round 4. At this point in learning technique, it doesn't do me a lot of good to be drilling bad striking due to excessive fatigue. Still gotta figure out the distance for the run. Its probably shorter than a mile, but it includes a STEEP hill climb that takes about 1:30 of that short time.

[maverick]

OK, anybody stopping in, I'm taking suggestions for workouts. I'm looking for morning ones, ~10 minutes, and later in the day ones which can be longer. No heavy weights, but I will use my 24kg KB for dynamic movements like C&J, swings, low-rep snatches (til I get my form right), and similar movements. I'll also use a 12lb medecine ball for things like twists and such. I'm hoping getting the workouts from someone else will help motivate me to churn through them. And cross-fitters, no overhead squats! I would like to learn the movement one day, but right now I don't have it down with the necessary flexibility and it doesn't fall into my priorities right now to learn it. maybe once I order the lighter KBs.

"Intense" is the keyword here. I'm moving towards frequent, brief, intense workouts throughout the week, often multiple times a day. Sports specific would be another one, as I would like to be working in bag work, shoots, sprawls (burpees are a wicked substitute), sitouts, band slams (need to get bands for these), etc... with my longer sessions. In fact, those should predominantly make up my longer sessions.

Please, have at it. I will be quick with feedback, and likely, results

[pseudonym]

Have you tried the kettlebell challenge?

Max snatches in 10 mins (alternate hands as necessary).

I believe people speak in hushed tones about Russian Special forces requiring min. 200 to 'pass' (I know CrossFit Seattle's level 2 or maybe 3 tests require 200 or better).

Othewise here are some that pop into my head (low weight, short intense workouts)

most anything from www.crossfit.com but specifically

'Helen'
3 Rounds for Time
400m run
21 KB Swings
12 Pullups

'Fran'
21-15-9
Thrusters, Pullups

'Jackie'
For Time
1000m Row (great sub would be 100 KG Sumo Deadlift High Pulls)
50 Thrusters
30 Pullups

Any mix of running/KB Swings/Box Jumps (Squats) is also a guaranteed leg and lung frier.

That's my input for now, what are the limitations on your movement from your injury? mostly just heavy weight work that hurts? (are thrusters doable for you?).

have at it bro!!!

[tim_mcf]

How about this one? Try to do it without setting the bell down.

5 reps each arm for every round; for time:
-clean
-clean / swing
-clean / swing / snatch
-clean / swing / snatch / squat
-clean / swing / snatch / squat / press
-clean / swing / snatch / squat
-clean / swing / snatch
-clean / swing
-clean

[maverick]

Nice suggestions fellas. Unfortunately pseudonym, most corssfit workouts won't work for me. More than once pullups have triggered the pain in my back/neck that causes me to be on my back for 2 days. heavy high pulls would also likely be a problem. Thrusters I may be able to handle, I could give them a light test. As far as equipment, just for the time being, I'd like to stick to bodyweight, my 24kg KB, and my 12lb medecine if possible.

tim, can you explain the one you mentioned a little better? Does what you listed constitute on rep? Is the squat an overhead squat? How many rounds are typical?

[maverick]

3/11/2008

Morning:
- 50 windmills w/ 20lb DB, each side. 10 reps at a time on each side.

Got an easy start this morning. Just wanted to loosen up and not overdo it right off the bat.

Evening:
- 6 minutes shadowboxing
- 1 minute rest
- 6 minutes shadowboxing
- 1 minute rest
- 5 minutes w/ a 150lb sandbag on my chest, me on my back.
- 1 minute rest
- 5 minutes of ground and pound on a heavy bag
- 5 minutes rest
- My favorite mile in 7:08

For the 150lb sandbag round, I spent the time in constant motion; switching my hips side to side, bridging to lift the bag, rotating on my back, muscling the bag from side to side, anything to keep the weight shifting.

For the ground and pound, I laid the heavy bag flat on the ground and throw punches, elbows, and knees in flurries from the various dominant positions. I also often explosively switched positions: side mount, full mount, knee on belly, north-south.

[maverick]

Well, I found out my run is actually 1.02 miles, not a bad estimate by myself. Found out using this cool website: http://www.mapmyrun.com. It uses some google maps api to let you track your runs.

[Bob44]

Maverick, great idea! We think up workouts and you do them for us.

One that I did a few times last summer was from one of Linda's posts. Uphill burpees and bear crawls back down. The uphill burpees uses more of a long jump than a vertical jump. I did my hill in sections as follows starting at the bottom of the hill.

Uphill Burpees for a number or just to a point on the hill.
Then bear crawl back to where this set of burpees started.
Then sprint back to where the last burpee was done.

Repeat this sequence until done with the hill or start over again if the hill is not long enough. My hill worked out to be 4 sets of 25 burpees.

This was my first medicine ball workout. When I came back in the house my wife asked if I was ok. The woodchoopers are like a slam, but you keep hold of the ball, then jump with the ball overhead.

Repeat 8 times
10 Medicine Ball Woodchoppers
15 Medicine Ball Slams
10 Burpees

This isn't a workout but it was a great conditioner to fit into a circuit. Running in place and lift your knees high as fast as you can and at the same time with 5lb dumbbells in each hand, press the left hand when the right leg comes up and press the right hand when the left leg comes up. These were done for a minute, but figure out what is a good time for you.

If you are looking for running I think tabata sprints, uphill sprints and basketball suicides are some of the best.

Have fun.

[maverick]

I like the burpee/bear crawl on the hill idea bob, thats pretty sick. I gotta wait for the weather to break here so that I'm not trying to exercise on ice. Shouldn't be to much longer. I have just the hill for the evil experiment.

[tim_mcf]

tim, can you explain the one you mentioned a little better? Does what you listed constitute on rep? Is the squat an overhead squat? How many rounds are typical?

5 reps each arm for every round; for time:
-clean
-clean / swing
-clean / swing / snatch
-clean / swing / snatch / squat
-clean / swing / snatch / squat / press
-clean / swing / snatch / squat
-clean / swing / snatch
-clean / swing
-clean

O.K., so first you do 5 rh cleans, then 5 lh cleans.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 rh snatch, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings, 5 lh snatch.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 rh snatch, rack the bell to your right shoulder and do 5 squats, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings, 5 lh snatch, rack the bell to your left shoulder and do 5 squats.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 rh snatch, rack the bell to your right shoulder and do 5 squats, 5 rh overhead press, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings, 5 lh snatch, rack the bell to your left shoulder and do 5 squats, 5 lh overhead press.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 rh snatch, rack the bell to your right shoulder and do 5 squats, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings, 5 lh snatch, rack the bell to your left shoulder and do 5 squats.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 rh snatch, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings, 5 lh snatch.

Then do 5 rh cleans, 5 rh swings, 5 lh cleans, 5 lh swings.

Then do 5 rh cleans, then 5 lh cleans.

And you're done. One time through the ladder; if you are able to go again, you're a far far FAR better man than I am.

[maverick]

Thanks for the explanation tim. That will likely be what I do for my next morning cardio sessions.

[minime]

tim that sounds horrible! good luck with that one maverick!

[maverick]

3/12/2008 (Active Recovery)

Afternoon:
- 25-30 minutes of various activities, low intensity. I did singles (each side) of the clean/swing/snatch/squat/press exercise tim suggested, light shadowboxing and footwork, bodyweight squats, burpees, pushups, etc... Basically tried to keep moving without making it all "intense." I worked up a sweat and tried not to get my breathing and heart rate past low-moderate fatigue, closer to the low end.
- 15-20 minutes of static stretching

Also, this is my first day without vicadin in a week and a half (thank god) and I'm getting my first therapeutic massage tonight at the fight club. Hopefully this lady be a little more proactive than the doctors who have nothing better to offer than suggested rest and pain pills.

[maverick]

3/13/2008

Morning:
- I was going to do tim's challenge, I actually got to the clean/swing/snatch/squat portion, but the skin on my hands felt like it was going to shear off; very painful. I had to stop there. Took my about 3:10 to complete up to that point of the ladder.
- 30 seconds rest
- (10 pushups, 10 BW squats) x 10 in 4:40
- 15 seconds rest
- 1 minute of twists, feet elevated, with 12lb medecine ball

I was looking forward to trying tim's suggestion since last night so I was disappointed when my hands started to sting so bad. I would have tried to power through it, but the pain was actually forcing me to readjust my grip, so I would completely lose rhythm. I'll get to this one soon enough, though.

Evening:
- 4 rounds of 5 minutes of shadowboxing, 1 minute rest between rounds
- 5 minutes rest
- 1 mile hell run in 6:47 (20 sec PR)

And my therapeutic massage last night has yielded some great results. It was pretty intense stuff, not a typical massage. Well, it starts like a typical, relaxing massage and then turns into an interactive pain session where she finds specifc spots in my back and neck, applies about 16 tons of pointed pressure, I take deep breaths til the "intensity" (aka, pain) starts to subside, then we move on to the next spot. She warned me that I may feel sore today, and I do in one particular spot, really sore. The fantastic thing is that the pain I went in for is completely gone today! This is way beyong my expectations and I am beyond happy about it.

I really thought these therapeutic massages were kinda BS, but it only took one session to make me a believer. I highly suggest it to anyone considering it for chronic muscle pain.