With the transition to a more heavy lifting exercise schedule and less conditioning than I am used to, I feel bigger. So I was a little worried this afternoon when trying on shorts. But relieved when I was able to put on a 36. My quads are bigger but waist still the same. That’s a great feeling.

Off season?

For those of you who are strictly CrossFit, do you have an off season?

This came up a while back in a discussion about being burned out and it really hit home.  At CrossFit, we are almost programmed to come in year round and go 110%.  Most sports have an off season but for us normal folks who won’t make it to Regionals/Games, it is a year long activity.

I guess my question is, do you cycle it on and off, take breaks, go 110% all year long, or what?

Weekly Training Log: 130506 - 130512

MONDAY - 130506
Rest, recover, stretch, and mobilize.  Try not to feel old.

TUESDAY - 130507
2-Position Clean (floor, mid-thigh)
2 sets @ 75% | 175#
2 sets @ 80% | 185#

WEDNESDAY - 130508
Woke up and it all hurt.  All of it.  Rest day.

THURSDAY - 130509
Clean & Jerk
2 @ 75% | 175#
1 @ 80% | 185#
1 @ 85% | 200#
1 @ 85% | 200#
1 @ 80% | 185#

Snatch Push Press
5x5 @ 75% | 135#

Bottom squat position static sit
95# for 2 mins

3-position snatch (power, hang, below knee w/pause)
5 sets @ 95#
4 sets @ 115#

FRIDAY - 130510
EMOTM for 5 minutes
2 hang power cleans + 1 power clean
2 rounds @ 165#
3 rounds @ 185#

Conditioning: EMOTM for 20 minutes.  Odd minutes 5 hang squat cleans, even minutes 5 burpee pull-ups.  If you cannot make it through a round, rest 1 minute.  RX was 135# and I went with 155# which wore me out.  Just wasn’t feeling it today.  Form felt like crap and I was on my toes too much.  Dropped the weight to 135# and finished the WOD.  I think I had 3 rounds which I had to rest the minute.  Great WOD for me though as I need the squat clean work as well as the burpee pull-ups.

SATURDAY - 130511
3-position snatch  from the low blocks (power, hang, full)
7 sets @ 95#
7 sets @ 115#

Bench press
5x135
5x185
3x225
5x185

5 minute partner snatch duel.

Push jerk
2x185# EMOTM for 8 minutes

SUNDAY - 130512
2 miles on the airdyne to warmup (6 minutes).

Front squats - EMOTM for 8 minutes
3x185 for 4 minutes
3x205 for 4 minutes

Rest 2 minutes then work up to a heavy power clean single in 7 minutes.  Worked up to 225.

Conditioning: 12 min AMRAP
90 ft prowler push (450lbs)
5 power cleans @ 185#
15 GHDs

Got 6 rounds + 5 power cleans.

Summary
Only spent one day in the pool, which I did not really mind.  Kinda needed a break last week.  Very quickly figuring out that I need more time to warm up and more focus on mobility throughout the week.

{ Previous training logs }

I just wish it wasn’t called Paleo

I have mentioned some of this before, and its been on my mind for a while now, but Iron-Inside’s post triggered it again for me.

The first time I tried to go strict paleo I absolutely hated it.  I followed a meal plan from a well known author on paleo and it felt like all I was eating was meat and salt.  I did not enjoy it.  I had trouble with portion control.  I lost energy.  Granted I lost some inches in the waist, but the good did not outweigh the bad by any stretch. The next time I picked up the paleo thing I did on my terms, if you will.  Meaning, I looked for recipes that I wanted to try and made my own meal plan.  I found that my body responded much, much better the second time around.  I enjoyed new and different foods.  Through all of this I figured out what worked for me and what made me feel better.

I just wish it wasn’t called paleo.

The idea to me that Paleolithic era man ate the way that he did because he was a master nutritionist is laughable at best.  He ate that way out of necessity.  Bring a caveman into a pizza joint and he would eat his way into a cheese and bread induced coma.  I always cringed when trying to explain to a co-worker what paleo meant.  I usually got that tilted head look like my dog gives me when I think we are having a conversation.  I can imagine them thinking “You try to eat like a caveman?  Really?”

But I like the basic principles.  Eat clean and unprocessed foods, limit sugar, etc.  That works for me.  I don’t care what it is called.  Sometimes I think that labeling a certain style of eating just gives people something to chatter about and judge others.  “Is that paleo?”  Who cares?  I can’t help but get a kick out of those who preach strict paleo nutrition yet funnel loads of chemicals into their body pre/post WOD and/or during an endurance event. 

I guess looking at the big picture, I would not say that I eat strict paleo.  I would say that I just try to eat clean.  There is no real way to label it.  Paleo just so happens to be the closest thing to what I follow.  I have introduced some carbs back into my plan.  I have done that to fuel certain workouts and I love the results.  I feel better removing dairy from my diet.  I don’t really care to label what I do or how I do it.  Right now, this works for me.

I think in her article, this stands out the most to me:

Diet and nutrition are very individual, there is no “one size fits all”.

Oh, and of course this:

Cooking your own food, from scratch, with fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients is just about the best thing you can do for yourself. Period.

I think the best thing about paleo for me is that it was an open door to a nutritional style that is currently working for me.  Between the paleo diet and the Whole Life Challenge I became a lot more aware of what I was putting into my body.  I paid more attention to how foods impacted my day, mood, and performance. During the Whole Life Challenge I kept bringing up paleo to my wife.  She would always reply with “this isn’t a paleo challenge”.  I would always argue that paleo was the closest thing to what we were doing.  Where the need to label my eating style came in I will never know. 

My wife’s shirt says it all:

If strict paleo is your thing, that is awesome.  If your body responds to it and you feel better, that is all that matters.  Find what works for you, and do it.