Fatbusting: Kirwan's log

Nepia

I note you get migraines Kirwan. I do as well, and sometimes I can have 'migraine coming on symptoms' when doing cardio (bike/rowing machine), have a quick break, but be able to carry on and do a weights workout. I'm wondering if you're experiencing the same thing?

Wairau

may I suggest a few things that could help. 
 
first, if you feel any strain in the neck/back, don't stretch it or try to twist it out, just leave it to recover naturally for a day or two. Stretching it will usually exacerbate it. 
 
Also, after every workout I do 5 minutes of stretching for the back-on a pull up bar which is high enough so on my tip toes I can put my hands around the bar. keeping straight lower back and legs (like ballet posture-bumb in), and stretching neck/head up and back, then just breathing deeply for 1-2 minutes. I also do some simple ab exercises - running-on the ab bar-do one pull up and then run 30 times, down and stretch out. 
 
Good luck.

Kirwan

Thanks for the advice guys. 
 
In the end I decided to give myself a week off, and I'm on track to return on Monday. I've ended up having a few days with flu like symptoms, and an afternoon in bed (lots of dizziness and mild headaches). So I think I just got sick or run down. 
 
Today has been great though, finally feel back to normal. So two more rest days them I'll see how I am after next week.

BartMan

So you need to get some more food into the furnace K - you ARE training like a mad man at the moment, I think you need to start fueling that. I reckon visit a nutritionist - take in your weekly workout schedule etc, and let him / her rip. Make sure you get a good one though, as there are some nutters out there!

Kirwan

The wife liked that suggestion, and she agrees with you so that's on the cards. 
 
Good workout today, with no major side effects. Needed a wee lay down when i got home, but not for headache and illness reasons. I was fucked. 
 
Warmup was back to stretches (by my request, I need them) and 800m run. Still gets a sweat up, 6, 7 different dynamic stretches finished with 10 Burpees. 
 
Strength was 3 x Squat Clean, added 10kg to my PB up to 70kg. 
 
WOD was interesting, three exercises; Pullups, Pressups and Kettlebells down in a sequence of increasing reps. So Pullups when 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc Pressups 2,4,6,8,10,12, etc and KBs, 3,6,9,12,15,18,21 (I think I screwed that up actually, I just did what he barked out). Had 12 minutes to get as far as you could, I finished three pullups into round 8. 
 
The KBs absolutely root you for everything else, and it just creeps up on you until you are struggling for everything. Great fun.

Kirwan

A bit of fun today, we got to set our xFit totals. They are calculated by your max rep of Back Squat, Press (strict no legs), and Deadlift, then you add them together for a total. You get three trys at each exercise and can only go up. 
 
I got PBs in all three, 110kg backsquat, 60kg Press (failed twice at 65kg, would have got 62.5kg if I wasn't so greedy) and 140kg Deadlift. Total = 310. I have some room in the deadlift so went for 150kg, but that didn't work out. I think I could get 142-145 up though. 
 
That took a while to get through, so we only had 5mins left at the end of the hour so he did 6kg wallballs for 5mins. Got up to 83, and my legs were unhappy.

JK

You are doing really well Kirwan. Some great gains over the past few months. 
 
How are the hands holding up on those deadlifts? My hands dont seem to like it at all once I'm above 130kg

Kirwan

[quote name='JK']You are doing really well Kirwan. Some great gains over the past few months. 
 
How are the hands holding up on those deadlifts? My hands dont seem to like it at all once I'm above 130kg[/QUOTE] 
 
I was more worried my head was going to explode <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> Felt a good rush to the head.... 
 
Hands have been OK, I'm guessing lots of the things I've been doing work on grip strength like the pullups and kettlebells? I'm not sure though.

JK

hmmm maybe your hands are tougher than my poxy accountants hand. Too much paper work, not enough manual labour! 
 
Pullups seem no prob for me but hands always feel and look a mess after a deadlift session where I will do up to lifts at 100kg plus.

Kirwan

[quote name='JK']hmmm maybe your hands are tougher than my poxy accountants hand. Too much paper work, not enough manual labour! 
 
Pullups seem no prob for me but hands always feel and look a mess after a deadlift session where I will do up to lifts at 100kg plus.[/QUOTE] 
 
Sorry, I misread that. I thought you were talking about grip strength. I've got some pretty good calluses going on, and yes deadlifts contribute to that. Two things have been helping, the first being all the kipping pullups which just murder my hands with all the friction, so have been getting tougher from that. And the second was the advice to keep your hands soft and use pumice to keep the calluses down. So they are smooth, but toughened up. 
 
And trust me, IT geek hands are only a small step away from lady hands <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

Kirwan

Good day today. Strength/Skills work on a Split Jerk, nothing heavy though. 
 
WOD was 3RFT of 15 Power Snatch (30kg), 15 Pushups, 15 Boxjumps, 15 Lunges with a 15kg weight held above your head. Completed that in 11.27min. 
 
The Snatch was too light, I should have done 35kg, and I lapped the other two.

Paekakboyz

Just another sign of how far you've progressed! would be funny to match your current self with day 1 rookie Kirwan, you'd deal to yourself lol. 
 
Is it tricky picking weight for the WOD's? I've seen a few posts when you've said you could have gone a bit heavier... I guess it is a tough thing to judge. That extra 5kg can certainly have a big impact when you are doing heaps of reps or lifting right at your limit.

Kirwan

Yeah, I need to get more involved in that side. The instructor picks it at the moment, and he set the same for a few of us. I'm going to start tracking the weights for the different exercises at home so I know what I can do. 
 
Pre-xFit Kirwan would still be doing the boxjumps now.

Kirwan

Tough, tough day at the office today. 
 
Strength word as hang power snatch, and some overhead squat work. Was just a warmup to the monstrous WOD; 
 
20mins cutoff; AMRAP of 3 pullups, 5 at 30kg Squat Snatch, 7 x 6kg Wall balls to the 10ft target, 200m run, rinse and repeat. I just finished my seventh round before the cutoff. I was leading at around 14mins, then the run started to get harder and harder (and my ankle started flaring up....). Only finished a little behind the other two though, so kept at it. 
 
Completely exhausted at the end of that.

BartMan

so what's happening with the challenge thing?

Kirwan

[quote name='BartMan']so what's happening with the challenge thing?[/QUOTE] 
 
You mean this one? [URL]http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/showthread.php/15568-Fight-Gone-Bad-CrossFit-Charity-Event-17-9-2011?p=310088#post310088[/URL]

Kirwan

And this is why I don't pick my weights for WODs. Stupidly figured I could go Rx for "Air Force One", forgetting completely that my 1RM for Over Head Squat is only 50kg, and Rx is 42.5kg. 
 
Air Force One 
20 x Thrusters 
20 x Sumo Deadlift Highpull 
20 x Press Press 
20 x Overhead Squat 
20 x Front Squat 
 
And every minute you have to finish your rep and do four burpees. Whole WOD has a 20minute cutoff. 
 
Needless to say I didn't finish, and had to drop the weights for the OH Squat to 35kg, and got out maybe two of the Front Squats before I ran out of time. The secret killer in this one is the damn burpees, you end up doing 80 of the fuckers, and just when you are trying to rest/recover so you can finish the set you have to do another 4. So you get more and more tired, it was utterly brutal. 
 
Happy that I got through Rx on the first three exercises, but was a dumbarse to put it that high in the first place. Instructor teaching me a lesson there... 
 
Strength work went better, PB on Front Squat for three reps at 92.5kg. Sore, sore arms and shoulders now.

Kirwan

Still feeling the effects of yesterday, very sore! 
 
Did 5 x 5 Snatch, which hurt even on the progressions with light weight. 
 
Then did a WOD with a 17min cutoff AMRAP of 5 pullups, 10 OH Squats, 15 x 9kg Wall Balls to the ten foot target. I got to the wallballs in my sixth round.

JK

I like the variety in what you are doing Kiriwan. Always seems to be something a bit different and lots of mixing things up. Must keep the body (and mind) guessing!

Kirwan

[quote name='JK']I like the variety in what you are doing Kiriwan. Always seems to be something a bit different and lots of mixing things up. Must keep the body (and mind) guessing![/QUOTE] 
 
Yep, it's the main reason I've stuck at it so long (5months on Thursday). I get bored really easily, and can't stick to a routine and am rubbish at planning them too. 
 
All I have to do here is turn up, look at the board and get yelled at <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

The Silver Fern

Fatbusting: Kirwan's log