Fitness!

Oh, naive, innocent me of yesterday. I look at the last line of my post..."That seems manageable"....and want to pat that version of me on the head and say, "Well, isn't that precious".

Okay, so I finished The Murph. And I did it in less than 60-minutes (57:48); but it was rough. I feel good that I was able to do it sub-60, weighted, and having never done it before (and not participating in CrossFit in general); I don't feel good in so much that it destroyed me (not really, but it was tough).

I thought I was going to get closer to 45-minutes when I started. I felt good out of the gate because I did my starting mile run in just about 8-minutes. I was aiming for no more than 10 for the miles so I felt strong there. @debianlinux your thoughts on the squats were accurate - I was definitely front-loading those. I did the break down of 5/10/15 pull/push/squat but I ended up doing multiple sets of squats (and even push-ups) in a row. The pull-ups were the roughest and were my last thing to finish before the second mile run. In fact, I finished both the push ups and squats and still had 40 pull-ups left to do so I just started pumping away at them.

There is only one weighted vest in my work's apartment's gym so I gave it to the person who invited me. For me, I took a small hiking backpack and put a 20lb kettle bell in it. That wasn't too bad except it stopped me from kipping on the pull-ups because if I tried to the kettle bell would knock around on my lower back and I didn't like that. So all my pull-ups were straight hangs and that made them much more difficult, especially as I got fatigued (TBH, my last handful of pull-ups were shitty-form, barely hanging on for life in execution).

I mentioned that I thought I was on track for a 45- (maybe 50) minute completion time. Here is where I hit a bump: about 30 minutes in I thought that I was going to vomit. I was prepared to put my head out of a sliding glass door and just yurl in our courtyard. I've never vomited from working out, but I think I messed up because I had coffee and ate a PB&J about 20 minutes before we started. So, that's on me. I actually stopped at one point (and this is what killed my time), stripped off the pack, and laid on the ground.

If I was not with a partner I would've stopped. But luckily the person I was with is a shit-talker (in a motivating way). She does CrossFit intermittently with powerlifting as one of her focuses. She had done The Murph a couple of times but never with a vest and was nervous going into it. I was surely the more confident one. Like I said, if I were by myself I would've probably just stopped. But, man, she was talking some shit and told me I wasn't leaving until I finished. Fine, but I didn't want to stay until I finished if it took me 2 hours. I figured if I was gonna finish it was gonna be by getting my ass into gear and getting that sub-60.

I'm not sure how long I laid there. It was probably around 2 minutes but before that my pace had definitely slowed down. However, that pause was a good reset and calmed my stomach down nicely. So I rallied and pushed through. I finished what I had left and the second run took me about 13-minutes.

Like I said, I finished with a time of 57:48. My partner did it in 49:50. I'd like to think if my stomach had held together that I would've been closer to 50-minutes; but I won't know until I try again (which I don't really have a plan to do).

In the end, it was a humbling workout. I'm glad I was able to reach my goal. I'm a little disappointed that I had to slow down, but I still think I rocked it. But, like I said, definitely a humbling workout and one that holds up limits right in front of your face.
You set a goal and achieved it. Congrats. You definitely rocked it. There is no way I would have done my first attempt weighted (although, having a shit talking partner go weighted might push me over that cliff).

Stomach stuff is no joke. I am fairly adamant about not eating a minimum of 2 hours before workouts. I prefer 3 hours prior to deadlifts. Too many times have I been fighting back teeth sweats and resetting position due to my stomach complaining at me. It’s a huge distraction and demotivator. Also, even if it’s not bugging the hell out of me it robs one of some energy since digestion is a fairly energy intensive process. I am guessing that if you hadn’t been dealing with your stomach you’d have shaved 8-10 minutes off your time (Edit, I see you wagered about the same).
 
i'm curious about this but I've no way to do the pull ups.
what could be an acceptable replacement?
If I do 100 crunches instead, can I say I have done the Murph?
Man, I don’t know if there is a proper replacement for pull-ups in terms of actual benefit and the type of fatigue. For your example of crunches, I don’t recall ever doing an exponentially harder crunch rep. I can always eke our one more crunch even if I hate it with every fiber of my being. A pull-up on the other hand can literally be impossible to get the next rep no matter how bad I want it. Out of the list of Murph exercises it seems the most unforgiving.

It’s interesting to me that Murph essentially requires no equipment except some means of doing pull-ups. I think this underscores the near infinite value a bar provides. I’ve got one of those doorway bars I picked up for like $15 that allows for all sorts of hand positions and doubles as a fantastic band anchor enabling lots of band exercises as well. Would you consider getting one of those?
 
Can someone explain "air-squats" and "kipping" the pull-ups to me. I'm assuming air-squats mean squats with no weight, but are we talking ass to heels or 90 degrees... I'm also assuming that kipping means that wacky Crossfit "pull-up" where everyone is swinging up and down in circles like madmen. Which I don't think my doorway bar would handle (nor my cheap door trim for that matter)
 
I don’t usually use the term air squat, but it is widely accepted. I tend to say body weight squat. Same thing. Just a standard calisthenics squat w no bar. So you are correct. It depends what you are doing for form. For example, if you were using a bar (ie weightlifting) you want to keep your heels planted. With BW squats you can change your footing to target different parts of the leg muscles. So if I’m doing my feet closer together, then I’m going to end with my heels lifted, my butt down, and my knees extending past my ankles (you wouldn’t want to do that weighted). Or I can widen my stance and do more of a 90 like if o had a bar.

Kipping - you’re correct. It can help push through fatigue when you can’t get anymore straight hangs and also engages some muscles, movements, coordination that straights won’t. Some people will call it cheating; others will invoke the added benefits that you don’t get with standard pull-ups. I dont personally kip but there are advocates.

kipping can also make a muscle up easier. A dead hang muscle up is def a power move. Kipping can also be that thing that works you up to that. Sort of like using bands or an assisted pull up machine to build a good foundation.
Thanks. The reason I ask is this is goal in my mind now. Might start doing a few reps of the 5/10/15 after my evening runs to test and see if I could ever work my way up to ever attempting this in one "sitting".
 
I would contend that kipping to get a couple extra reps you couldn’t get otherwise is a pretty beneficial thing. Kipping from the very beginning and kipping so hard your body is swinging a 90 degree arc effectively removing the bottom half of the pull are whole other things. In the end it all depends on what you want to achieve for yourself.
 
You’d be surprised. Much like my favorite Prince song, I believe in “Joy in Repetition” for these sort of things. Pull ups, IMO, are always the hardest because they’re a learned movement. I feel that I could dominate pull ups and never do a row and then one day have no problem throwing rows heavy into a workout. OTOH, I could have lats for days, dominate rows, but never do pulls up; I feel if I tried to do pull ups all of a sudden, I would not be as successful as in the first example.

To get great at pull up ya just gotta keep doing them. I could do way more pull ups in my 20s than I can dream of now. For me the key was doing them everyday, even if they weren’t part of my workout. So get one of those doorway bars and set it up somewhere. Every time you walk by it...set of 5. Do that for a week or so. Then add 1 and do sets of 6 every time you walk by. Keeping adding 1 at a rate you feel comfortable. Before you know it...Pull up domination
I did that, but then I got sick of ducking under it everyday LOL.
 
You’d be surprised. Much like my favorite Prince song, I believe in “Joy in Repetition” for these sort of things. Pull ups, IMO, are always the hardest because they’re a learned movement. I feel that I could dominate pull ups and never do a row and then one day have no problem throwing rows heavy into a workout. OTOH, I could have lats for days, dominate rows, but never do pulls up; I feel if I tried to do pull ups all of a sudden, I would not be as successful as in the first example.

To get great at pull up ya just gotta keep doing them. I could do way more pull ups in my 20s than I can dream of now. For me the key was doing them everyday, even if they weren’t part of my workout. So get one of those doorway bars and set it up somewhere. Every time you walk by it...set of 5. Do that for a week or so. Then add 1 and do sets of 6 every time you walk by. Keeping adding 1 at a rate you feel comfortable. Before you know it...Pull up domination
Body weight is a pretty key factor in pull up capacity. I got to where I am by doing pull ups A LOT in the beginning; like whole pull up and push up workouts. Nowadays on pull days I am doing weighted pull ups in 5 sets of 6 and on push days I use them as an antagonistic movement as 4 sets of 25. That started as 4 sets of 10 and progressed over a year or more. At some point I was getting 4 sets of 27 but I lost my desire to progress further and it was just ridiculously hard to do so.

At some point I looked into the world record for most pull-ups in a minute. I thought it was surely over 60. It’s not. It’s 42! I watched a video of the accomplishment and the dude was a 100lb guy shaped like an inverted triangle. Reps 1-30 were just a breeze, 30-35 took some effort, 35-39 were a strain, the last 3 reps were absolute gut wrenchers after dead hanging for a number of seconds. These were zero kip full ROM pulls with judges on all sides.
 
Good Tuesday Morning!

I'm definitely going back to low carb eating. I figured out that my high blood pressure was partially to do with me eating crap. I've got to do better with my diet. This week, I'm going to focus on getting in at least three yoga workouts. Also, I will not be attempting the Murph.

I'm also glad that I'm not the slowest runner on this thread.
 
Ok, I just found this thread. Any runners around here? I've been running 2-3 times a week for the past year, but given the lack of other outdoor activities during this quarantine, I've grown more and more excited about running during the last weeks. I'm thinking it is time to step it up a notch and start training "properly" rather than just going out and running until I feel like it's enough. Anyone with some more experience that can help a beginner?
 
I used to be a much bigger runner than I am now (mostly 'cause where I live now and where I am in the States aren't the best for running - Kuwait where they'll run you over and Vegas where it's super hot part of the year and boringly flat). When I lived on the East Coast my normal runs would be about 7-8 miles/day and a lot of trail running. I'll still put in a 30-40 minute run after a gym workout though - it's contemplative and therapeutic.

How is running in D.F. (one of my favorite cities)?

I think the big question is what are your goal(s)? Is it a distance goal (there are members here who do marathons, I believe); time goal; maybe a particular type of run (like doing a 12-mile weighted ruck under x minutes)?

Also, what's your philosophy about running? Are you looking at running as its own training and that's just what you do or are you using it to improve in something else or as part of a bigger fitness regimen; are you only doing distance running or do you put in days at the track doing sprints and more anaerobic running?
Hey, thanks for your reply! I enjoy running in Mexico City, since it lets me see the city in a different light, if that makes any sense. I run mostly on concrete/pavement, and do it because it eases my mind, keeps me in shape and helps me work my troubles out.

I've run in a sort of casual fashion for the last couple of years, but it was only until a year ago that I decided to challenge myself and start running longer and faster. When I made that decision, 10k looked like a huge milestone, and I have since ran 2 races of said distance and now run 10k pretty much every other weekend. My 10k pace has decreased from 5:25/km on my first race to 4:57/km on a training session a month ago (although I have struggled to run at that pace ever since).

My short-term goals are to be able to run 15k somewhat confortably before the end of the year and to be able sustain that sub-5/km pace when running 10k. Like I said, I run for fun, for my health, and for the multiple mental/emotional benefits it brings. I don't see myself running a marathon anytime soon, but I would like to keep growing.
 
I'm terrible at logging my stuff, I keep forgetting to charge my antiquated fit bit lol

I haven't been tracking my Insanity Max Out workouts for the past month
 
@folsom_lives I'm working towards improving my pull-ups, and by improving I mean doing one unassisted. I do a combo of different exercises that work my back, arms, shoulder, and chest muscles to help with being able to do pull-ups. A lot of lat pulldowns with different grip placement. When I do pull-ups I used the assist machine (depending on if the gym as one), or an assistance band. I want to be able to perform one even if it's with an assist. Mentally, it's a nice ego boost to increase my rep numbers, and it helps with getting the technique and grips down right.

This was a good starter resource for me: 10 Upper-Body Moves to Master the Perfect Pull-Up
 
@agutierrezb It sounds like you have a good base set up already. What helped me with my run time and endurance was running with a weight vest or a backpack with some weights inside. It doesn't even have to be a high number to feel and see a difference. I started with 5 lbs so that I gave myself time to acclimate to running with a vest (friction is no joke), the extra weight, and to avoid an injury or strain on my joints. The highest I went up to was 15 lbs over the course of several weeks. That way when I ran without the vest for an event or fitness assessment (military requirement) I was free to run faster. The biggest thing is to make sure you go slow when increasing the weights so you don't get hurt.
 
@agutierrezb It sounds like you have a good base set up already. What helped me with my run time and endurance was running with a weight vest or a backpack with some weights inside. It doesn't even have to be a high number to feel and see a difference. I started with 5 lbs so that I gave myself time to acclimate to running with a vest (friction is no joke), the extra weight, and to avoid an injury or strain on my joints. The highest I went up to was 15 lbs over the course of several weeks. That way when I ran without the vest for an event or fitness assessment (military requirement) I was free to run faster. The biggest thing is to make sure you go slow when increasing the weights so you don't get hurt.
Wow, I've never thought about running with weights. It does sound like it takes a bit to get used to that feel, but running faster after getting the vest of sounds totally reasonable. I may give this a try soon!
 
During our Quarantine Challenge from April 1 - May 31st we collectively worked out for 7.7 days, ran 503 miles, and burned 114,642 calories between the 7 of us that participated! Great work everyone! Here are the final standings (https://www.endomondo.com/challenges/42721422):

1. @debianlinux (congrats!...again haha)
2. @panino
3. @RowBearToe
4. @Memo (great late surge to secure 4th)
5. @LeSamourai
6. @nolalady
7. @Kris

Again, great work everyone and way to stay active during a time that it's incredibly difficult to do so. Anyone interested in a summer challenge? I could set up a similar challenge from June 1 - August 31 if enough people are interested. Let me know your thoughts, and regardless, keep staying active or work to start getting active again!
 
During our Quarantine Challenge from April 1 - May 31st we collectively worked out for 7.7 days, ran 503 miles, and burned 114,642 calories between the 7 of us that participated! Great work everyone! Here are the final standings (https://www.endomondo.com/challenges/42721422):

1. @debianlinux (congrats!...again haha)
2. @panino
3. @RowBearToe
4. @Memo (great late surge to secure 4th)
5. @LeSamourai
6. @nolalady
7. @Kris

Again, great work everyone and way to stay active during a time that it's incredibly difficult to do so. Anyone interested in a summer challenge? I could set up a similar challenge from June 1 - August 31 if enough people are interested. Let me know your thoughts, and regardless, keep staying active or work to start getting active again!
Thanks @RowBearToe ! I’m in for the next challenge! @debianlinux is unreachable but I’ll keep trying!
 
Wow, I've never thought about running with weights. It does sound like it takes a bit to get used to that feel, but running faster after getting the vest of sounds totally reasonable. I may give this a try soon!
When I wanted to step it up, I started wearing weighted gloves to kickboxing.
During our Quarantine Challenge from April 1 - May 31st we collectively worked out for 7.7 days, ran 503 miles, and burned 114,642 calories between the 7 of us that participated! Great work everyone! Here are the final standings (Needles & Grooves Quarantine Motivation Challenge! | Most active minutes (All sports) Challenge | Endomondo):

1. @debianlinux (congrats!...again haha)
2. @panino
3. @RowBearToe
4. @Memo (great late surge to secure 4th)
5. @LeSamourai
6. @nolalady
7. @Kris

Again, great work everyone and way to stay active during a time that it's incredibly difficult to do so. Anyone interested in a summer challenge? I could set up a similar challenge from June 1 - August 31 if enough people are interested. Let me know your thoughts, and regardless, keep staying active or work to start getting active again!
I need to figure out how to get my fitbit to sync. I didn't put in all my workouts.
Thanks @RowBearToe ! I’m in for the next challenge! @debianlinux is unreachable but I’ll keep trying!
@debianlinux turns into a pumpkin every Sunday. He should be transformed back by now.

Happy start of the summer workout folks. I started today with 30 minutes of yoga and my back is thanking me.
 
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