Early Mornings V2

Praying to the Squat Gods today before one of my sets... I never knew squats could be so hard. Winded after each set. 

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Zamcave. Week 4. Tuesday.

Rest. And win the school dodgeball tournament. 

"Active recovery" ...

Speaking of V2, here's the Regionals update feat. Nasty Girls V2...

http://games.crossfit.com/video/crossfit-games-update-april-28-2014?autoplay=true

Brolov

Redid a lot of the gym today! Exciting stuff. So much more room for activities! *cue Step Brothers theme song*

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Zamcave. Week 4. Monday. 

Smolov Jr. Week 2. Day IV.

10 x 3 backsquat @ 265

Gonna be tough! High volume heavy squats... do the body good? Hitting that for a morning session.

Honestly some of the days that I've programmed, I haven't been able to fit in the metcon. I feel bad about it until I realize that I'm balancing a Smolov cycle and track practice... So I guess I'll deal with it. Strength is the real journey; stamina and endurance (wod-type stuff) are relatively easier to re-train.

Today after realizing that I have just about reached "logistical perfection" in the gym - that is, I can't improve any more without new equipment - I put together a sort of "gym wish list" if you will.

Here's what I've got:

1. J-cups ($65) expensive, but necessary to fit more guys lifting on the rig outside. 

2. Bench ($175) it's a bench... Need I say more?

3. Wallball targets ($69 ea.) wallballs are an excellent exercise, but there is really nowhere to do them as of now at the gym. The side of the house is a no-go.

4a. Axles ($40) cheap and easy to make, these can add a lot to group workouts if we get a lot of them. However...

4b. HG Collars ($39) HG collars are the only collars that work with axles. Expensive but very necessary.

ZamJam of the night: Down the Road by C2C. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tetra/id594533472

Enjoy!

  

Quad Squad

Had a couple of the guys over for a nice workout yesterday. Big shoutout to Berto for having some serious heart when the going got tough. We ended up doing a mile "walk" alternating between farmer walks with 2 53# kettlebells, overhead walk with a 45# plate, back rack walk with 135#, and a sled pull. Pretty tough all in all... Everyone got battle scars of some sort. Good times. 

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Zamcave. Week 4. Sunday. 

Smolov Week 2 Day III 

- 8x4 backsquat @ 80% + 10lbs

Then, from the minds of the guys at Outlaw Crossfit...

15-12-9

- Strict HSPU

- Power C&J @ 135

Tabata plank hold

Rest day today so I'm hitting it hard tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here's some Chad Vaughn for ya... Incredible Oly lifter. Check out some of his instructional videos, they're awesome. 

http://library.crossfit.com/free/video/CFJ_USAW_ChadVaughn.mov

Eternal Champ

Relaxing with the new KILLCLIFF today after a nasty wod at the new gym, which is amazing. I love everything about this picture.

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Zamcave. Week 3. Friday.

Work to a heavy complex:

- power clean

- push press

- split jerk

On a 10 min. clock:

- Run 400m

In remaining time, AMRAP:

- 5 pullups 

- 5 burpees

When the clock hits 5 mins, repeat. 

Here's a cool new song that a friend suggested to me, I think it would be a great one to lift to:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/where-will-i-go/id565645984?i=565645988

The song is "Where Will I Go", but the whole album is good. 

Might have to start making music suggestions a thing... "ZamJams" anyone?

Here's a nice mainsite video that shows how specialist athletes can use crossfit to up their game. I really like the perspective that it doesn't necessarily need to replace the athlete's training, but can definitely supplement it and improve performance.

http://library.crossfit.com/free/video/CFJ_BismackBiyombo_SD.mov

Back At It

Got a run in with my dad on the Staten Island boardwalk this morning. Crossfit gyms galore and great places to run... NYC might be the place for me.

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Zamcave. Week 3. Wednesday.

Attempt PR's in 400m & Javelin.

I apologize for not posting the past couple days - I was pretty busy with all the goings on in the city. The rest days (Sunday + Monday) were exactly what I needed.

Expansion Pack

Did a strength sesh + a little metcon with Joe, who exhibited some remarkable wardrobe choice today. Perfect weather for a WOD too. One on one work was pretty nice, but I can't wait for more people to start coming this summer!

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Zamcave. Week 3. Sunday.

Rest day. 

I know I've been programming a lot of "rest days", it seems like, but in reality I have not been able to take a day completely off because of track in about a week. So tomorrow I will do so and enjoy it thoroughly. Road trips are good excuses for taking rest days anyways. 

Speaking of track, these past couple weeks in track have been really eye opening as to what kind of mental toughness people around me possess. I always thought I was mentally tough... Until I started really running with the middle distance group. A couple workouts down and I feel like I've broken my perceived max pain threshold on every one. Makes me wonder how they did this all throughout indoor season. I truly respect every single one of them and I have learned a lot of lessons from running with them. It really does come down to how much pain you can put yourself through to improve - and they do it better than anyone else. I'm inspired. 

In other news... HUGE upgrade(s) to the gym today!!! New rack (below) and also a rope (above).

Helping build the new gym over in Acton has its perks. Got a great deal on both of these new things and helped the owner of the others gym get rid of older equipment to make space for (the ungodly amount of) new equipment he has. Exciting stuff. 

On the topic of mental toughness today... Here's a phenomenal article from 2006 on "mental fitness."

Check it out. 

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/51-06-ForgingMentalFitness.pdf

Vacation

BARBULL SHIRTS ARE IN!!! $20. Contact me if you want one.

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Zamcave. Week 3. Saturday.

- Work to a heavy 3 RM strict press.

21-15-9
- Pullups
- Burpees
200m run with 45# plate between rounds.

Don't know how this one will turn out. A couple guys said they were interested in joining me. Gonna be interesting.

Generalism

From the Jefferson summit the other day. The pic was too cool not to put up. 

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Zamcave. Week 2. Friday. 

Rest or make up.

I was unable to do the EMOM from yesterday, so I will be doing that today. Again, if I can walk. Smolov (all these back squat days) + track has really been killing my legs... Trying to join the tree trunk club here.

Some musings from Thursday...

Yesterday out on the trails at practice, myself and a couple buddies started talking about crossfit and specialism (most track guys) vs. generalism (cross fitters). We talked about some people's crossfit experiences, which got me to thinking. I realized that to be successful in crossfit you have to be willing to greatly broaden the scope of your efforts to encompass all facets of fitness and movement in general - that's what the "cross" if "crossfit" is for. More specifically (heh), you need to be able to acknowledge and work on your weaknesses while maintaining your strengths. It's a very difficult and relatively unpleasant thing to do, but it makes you a better athlete. 

This is all in contrast to specialism, which is DJ's side of the spectrum... opposite of crossfit. He specializes in the 400m and the triple jump - and he's very good at them. Most of his time is spent honing and refining his skills to maximize his performance on those two things. Although working on hidden weaknesses could give a small edge, most of his time and effort are focused on strengths. 

Basically what the discussion boils down to is the idea that a generalist has a wide range of moderately proficient skills, and a specialist has a very narrow range of highly proficient skills. It all depends on your goals.

Figured I'd share it and provide some food for thought (paleo, of course) since I haven't been delivering much crunchy subject matter lately.

In the meantime, here's a classic Danny Broflex video.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkQzdzDsEA

Happy Friday.

Aftermath

14.1 aftermath. #waybackwednesday? 

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Zamcave. Week 2. Thursday. 

- 8x4 backsquat ~80%

EMOM 20

- Even: 10 HSPU

- Odd: 7 L-pullup

Dead tired from today. Early morning, full day of school, track meet, poetry slam event... busy is better than bored, right?

The poetry slam was really inspiring in a lot of ways. It was the embodiment of the passion of a very passionate group of people. Truly amazing. I might have to break out the poetry pen and write up some original bars for next year... 

Here's a super helpful progression towards the back uprise from Mainsite. This is looking like it will be the next achievement to unlock...

http://media.crossfit.com/awset/CrossFit_DuranteSpeallerBackUpriseProgression_534ede7e86854_SD.mp4

Squats and Fish Oil

Hitting a Smolov 7x5 squat set in the garage today. I can't wait to start the full cycle this summer.

Today I did squats instead of the snatches and metcon from yesterday... Tough track workout. People were lying all over on the ground after - it looked like the aftermath of a crossfit workout!

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Zamcave. Week 2. Tuesday.

Light skill work / active recovery day.
- Butterfly pullups
- Handstand practice

Keeping it light because of a Wednesday meet.

Invictus

One of many quality selfies taken on the mountain. Props to whoever invented the fisheye lens for iPhones!

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Zamcave. Week 2. Monday.

Depending on leg functionality after track practice, here's what I have in mind:

- 3RM power snatch

5 RFT
- 75m farmer carry (1.5 pood KB)
- 21 burpees


One of my favorite poems of all time is "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. I have it memorized and often say parts or all of it to myself or others. It's weird, I know. It's kind of a heavy poem, but I love it because it has helped me get through a bunch of tough times and I feel like it applies well to a lot of aspects of life in general (not more so than "If" by Rudyard Kipling... that's for a different day.) Lately, there have been some more frequent rough patches, both athletically and otherwise, and keeping this poem in mind has helped me tremendously. Here it is:


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.


What a poem. Henley's story is really inspiring also if you care to look him up.

Anyways, I'll leave you all with a link to some good Mainsite material. Definitely a must-read/must-watch.

Article

Video

Peak

Repping our gym shirts at the summit today! About 7 hours round trip. Good times. 

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Posting from my phone again... Promise I'll get back to good posts tomorrow. 

Zamcave. Week 2. Sunday. 

- Power clean & jerk 3RM

Then...

30-20-10 

- Pistols (alternating)

- Ring dips

Mountain Men

Posting from my phone tonight! Hence the blurry picture. I'm up in the mountains for a few days for a school trip so of cours I had to get a good workout in with these guys. The guy next to me is also really into Crossfit! We had some fun programming the little AMRAP we all did today:

AMRAP 10

- ~150m run (down & back on a little field)

- 10 pushups

- 10 squats

- 10 situps

Spice. The altitude didn't help too much with the burn!

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Zamcave. Week 2. Saturday. 

4,000 foot mountain climb... For time.

Not really for time. But it'll still be a helluva workout. 

In the meantime, here's another mainsite goodie, as usual: 

http://library.crossfit.com/free/video/CFJ_DerekHutchison_Koz_SD.mov

Enjoy!

On Track

Thruster & Burpee AMRAP with my brother a while ago. This couplet rings a bell... 

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Zamcave. Week 1. Day 6.

Track meet:

Attempt PRs at 200m, 400m, and Javelin

Shirts are ordered! I have 15 (3S, 8M, 2L, 2XL) 

These are selling for $20. Contact me during the day if you want one!

As always, work on that mobility. Here's a good MWOD video on some t-spine tips: 

Clear the T-Spine

Database

Got some good snatch form analysis today with Coach's Eye. Awesome app. 

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Zamcave. Week 1. Day 5. 

Rest Day.

Track meet on Thursday, so I'm taking it easy tomorrow. This brings me smoothly into today's thoughts! Rest days/periods. Similar to yesterday's musings about motivation and dealing with burning out, rest days play a huge role for performance as well. Other than being the only time that your muscles have the chance to rebuild from the workouts you do, they help keep things balanced mentally and physically. If you do a rest day "right" — no working out at all... some people (me) cheat — coming back hard the next day will be easier, more enjoyable, and more worthwhile. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 

Some other news...

Last day to place your order for the Barbull Shirts! Sign up here!

I will not be around this weekend, so there won't be a workout on Saturday unfortunately. I'll still post a workout somehow, in case some of you want to get one in, but I won't be able to host anything. 

Here are a couple hip extension drills from Jeff Martone... Important stuff for maximizing really any athletic performance.

Jeff Martone: Two Hip Extension Drills

West Coast

My good friend Whitley from California showing some love for the gym! Believe it or not, she's actually the one who got me into Crossfit in the first place. Maybe she'll be in attendance at some future workouts here... Keep an eye out!

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Zamcave. Week 1. Day 4. 

Work to a heavy complex:

- Power clean

- Low hang squat clean

Then...

AMRAP 10

- 6 pistols (3 each leg)

- 3 HSPU

When the clock hits 10 minutes,

AMRAP 10

- 5 burpees

- 5 strict pullups

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And now, for your weekly dose of philosophy direct from the mind of Ca Zam...

Motivation! The topic of the night. I have been having some trouble lately with motivation and accountability to my training and school and such. I have no idea why, but I'm in a slump. For that, I write about motivation and general sticktoitiveness. (That's a word, believe me.)

I believe that sometimes, despite our best efforts, it's possible to slack on something and mentally wear away. Multiple bad days in a row, a failed lift that was once easy, and even the weather can all take tolls. Those 3 were what really took it out of me this weekend. But, how to fix it? The million dollar question. Going off of past posts, it might be expected that as usual I will now go on a rant about teamwork and such. Although the team helps, I feel like the one true way to get out of this sort of situation really comes from inside... I wasn't lying when I said it was a dose of philosophy.

Self-motivation is critical in really every aspect of life. Usually something like a slump or an off week is caused by a lapse in motivation. I can't really say how to get yourself motivated (other than listening to Eminem... He says it himself in Rap God), but just know that the work you put in today, whether school or sport or whatever you do, is building to something greater. And when that day comes and you've reached that something greater, you won't even remember the rough times you had. I take that back- you will - and the memory of them will make the greatness of your accomplishment all the sweeter. Man, now even I'm pumped. 

Now with your newfound - or boosted - motivation (I hope), here's a video on Kevin Ogar and his road to recovery. 100% money back guarantee that this will inspire you. 

Kevin Ogar: Road to Recovery

Squattin' on the Job

Working with DJ on some construction today... Had to snap the classic OHS picture. Yes, that's real wood.

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Zamcave. Week 1. Day 3. 

5x3 backsquat @ 90%

EMOM 20

- 5 pullups

- 10 pushups

- 15 squats

I deeply apologize for missing a post yesterday. Between working on the gym(s), working out, and weekend festivities, I had little extra time. Getting back to the important stuff now...

Unfortunately a lot of the guys could not show up yesterday. The couple guys that were the just did some skill and strength stuff and chilled out in the sun. It ended up being a pretty good time... Perfect day for it, too. I wish more guys could have come. 

Hit a nice little double session this morning: 

21-15-9 

- burpees

- KBS (53)

- 6 front rack walking lunge steps (135) between movements.

Reps went 21-lunge-21-lunge-15-lunge-15- etc... 

Spicy.

Then...

EMOM 14

Odd: 15 GHD situp

Even: 15 hip extension

Holy abdominals. 

Here's another cool Dave Durante video. Watching what this guy can do makes me rethink what I've done with my life up to this point. Enjoy.

Dave Durante Back Uprise

Opening Day

Today's the day! First real workout of the new season. I'm pumped. Hope everyone is too!

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Zamcave. Week 1. Day 1.

3 rounds: 
- 1 min max wallballs (20/12)
- 1 min max ring row
- 1 min max S2OH (75#)
- 1 min max kettlebell swing (1.5/1)
- 1 min max box jumps
- 1 min rest. 

Accessory work. Play around with tire flips & drags, rope climbs, farmers walks, sandbags, etc. 

It's gonna be money. I hope everyone has a phenomenal time and gets a lot out of it!

Also, a quick update for the blog: I've added a FAQ page and a Programming page up on the bar next to Crossfit Lingo. I got the idea from Ben Bergeron's blog (competitorswod.blogspot.com). I thought it could be some more helpful info for you guys as well as a place to explain some of the reasoning behind what I do.

Grassroots

Throwback Thursday. Talk about humble beginnings. A barbell, a couple plates, some improvised equipment, and a little love for Crossfit. Brings a tear to my eye.

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Shirt sign-ups are up! The more people that sign up, the cheaper they get. Just throw your name up there, more people will follow!

Hit a mini skill/strength sesh with my buddy DJ after track today:

- OHS skill work, lightweight. Got in roughly 4 or 5 sets at about 6 reps each. Big focus on positioning and balance. 

- Front Squats (and jerks, for me)
He did 5x4 across at about 75%, I did 5 complexes of 2 front squats + 1 jerk, going up in weight.

Played around with rope climbs and some other gymnasty stuff afterwards.

Solid bro sesh.

This is the first Thursday evening in 5 weeks that I haven't had to watch Dave Castro dramatically announce the next Open workout! "The clock will save you not" *throws watch* ... Crossfit or WWE wrestling? Who knows. If you watched the 14.5 announcement, you understand.

Now that the Open is over, and hopefully track practice is past the daily vomit-inducing 400 repeats, my Crossfit training season can really start. I was looking at some of the good stuff Outlaw Crossfit has to offer over on their blog. They don't play around. I might have to start doing some of their stuff here... Anyone with me? Also, as you all know by now, workout 1 of the new season is this Saturday. I might have to take a page out of Miranda Olroyd's book for some new blog formatting... We'll see.

As always, work some mobility in there. Try loosening up your T-spine, it's a commonly tight area between the base of your neck and the bottom of your shoulder blades. Spend a good 10 minutes rolling that out, and you'll feel like a million and one bucks.

Momentum

Here's a pic from an epic hill run up a ski slope! Functional fitness fo sho. Momentum was definitely not on my side there.

Momentum is doing pretty well for the project though!
Finally broke 1K views, courtesy of Liam Doyle's reddit post. As more people clicked the link, I saw there were a lot of views from our  neighbor to the north. Shoutout to Canada, you guys keep doing you, eh!
Also, the shirt has been launched! Right now I'm calling it the Barbull shirt... Open to suggestions though...

You can find the sign-up sheet here

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Another brutal track workout today... I'm seeing that what I thought was a strength is really a weakness. I guess it's like that sometimes.

- 500m

- 400m

- 400m

- 400m

- 400m

- 400m

Total: 2500

I, along with everyone who witnessed the events, thought I was going to die. Luckily not. 

I honestly would not have been able to mentally or physically finish the workout without the 400 squad pulling me through. Like I said in a couple posts, sometimes you rely on the team. This is why I love Crossfit and track so much - even though they are individual sports when it comes down to it, the team aspect of everything makes everything more enjoyable. Or just suck less when it gets tough. 

After we all peeled ourselves off the ground post-workout, a couple of us stayed and talked about food, of all things. It was uncannily similar to Dinner of Champions... Performance is nutrition based.  Of the 3/4 of the 4x400 relay team that were in attendance at the pow-wow, all three of us agreed on that. Eat well. If it isn't going to help your performance, it's probably not the wisest thing to eat. (Unless it happens to be Nutella, which is its own food group and does in fact serve a key role in developing upper-level athletic performance.)

I don't know about you guys that are coming over on Saturday, but I'm stoked. Check out last night's post if you missed it, it has some good info on preparing for the squats. 

Here's a brilliant article from Mainsite today about the L1 course I mentioned a few posts ago. 6 pages seems like a lot, but if you read just the last two, they're awesome for understanding some of the stuff I have going on at the gym. Give it a browse!

Crunching Numbers

Tried to get an artsy pic of the new bar holder... Not so much. I tried. People ask where I get all the money to make the upgrades all the time. Smart spending, folks. A little thought goes a long way.

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Shoutout to Joe Neveux for the shoutout this morning! I feel honored to be recognized by such a fella. If Joe advocates it, it's legit. Anyhow, it brought a lot more requests for Z shirts! Unfortunately, I only have two left, and I won't be able to get them to all the people who want them. Fortunately, I made a concept for a new shirt today with the help of some clever guys. I hesitate to say that it will be better than the original... But I won't lie. It will be.

A couple new people asked what the blog is all about today. For the newcomers to the Zamcave experience, my "mission statement" for what this blog has to offer can be found in Just The Beginning. Quality literature. I feel like I've been slacking on the philosophical side of things though. Not to worry, it's coming soon. I think the weekends are more suited for that anyways because I have a lot more time to really sit and bond with the blog. If bonding with a blog is a thing.


Finally got to hit a nice little WOD in the cave today.

The minion made sure I got low on all the squats.

Wendler Backsquat 3x5+

5 reps @ 65% of my Wendler Max (90% of my true max)
5 reps @ 75%
5 reps @ 85%, plus as many reps as possible until failure. I got +7

Calculating the loads was a challenge in and of itself... Confusing stuff.

Then...

EMOM 10
6 strict pullups
4 DB snatch 75# (2 each arm)

Surprising! Not too winded afterwards, but I probably couldn't have continued for much longer... Haven't done DB snatches in a while.

Half of the workout was outside. Pretty nice night for it too. Pumped for the good weather coming!

For those of you coming Saturday, work squat mobility. There are wallballs involved, and if you have a shaky squat, they're gonna hurt. The easier your squat, the easier the wallball. As always, mobilityWOD is the way to go.

Just because I love you all, here's a really good video on loosening up the squat that might surprise you: http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/02/case-study-tight-ankles-bad-squatting/