Thanks Brian!

Had an attempt at the March CTC for my club today. This month’s challenge is
6x1k with 1 min rests

I was at 600m of the fifth interval (and in a lot of pain) when I needed to stop for an emergency ****. Not idea but no option other than to shuffle off to the bathroom.
Probably shouldn’t have attempted this on a hangover!

Was averaging 1.46.5. I’ll need to do it again later in the month

No option?!?

Well….

second consecutive terrible sleep last night. did some weights for the first time in a few weeks and enjoyed the change up from rowing. just did highish reps, lower weight, very short rests today

Am gonna move to 2x per week and re-introduce lower body stuff from next week.

4x8 DB Bench 28kg, SS with 4x8 Preacher Curl 40kg
4x9 Hammer wide grip Row 130kg SS with 4x9 Hammer Curl 14kg DBs
3x8 DB Press 22kg DB SS with 3x10 Lat Raise 12kg
3x5 Push Press 50kg
3x8 Tricep Pushdown 35kg SS with 3x8 Tricep Extension 25kg

then played around a little on the X country ski erg. This month's gym challenge (with $200 prize) is 500m ski erg, 500m row erg, 500m Echo assault bike. max 30 secs break. I think I should do fairly well but I have 0 experience with the ski erg. Thinking I'll aim for 1.40 ski, 1.35 row and then all out assault on the bike. I reckon this should be relatively doable but if I lodge the score and someone beats it, I can go again at the end of the moth

Are ski ergs a relatively new thing to crossfit then? I would play around with how far away you stand from it and remember to use your legs.

What's next on the training front after this 1k?

Apart from footage of Mikko using one. I never saw one in a CrossFit setting. But I left in like 2012

I watched a few videos and it looks like the hip hinge and a strong core is the most important part?

It's hard to describe in words, but get on your toes and drive down with your legs and hinge a little. The stroke rate is much higher than rowing. I think 35-45 is pretty standard even when not sprinting. I'm no expert though.

Have been crippled by bad sleep this week. It's sweltering here too - 37 degrees again yesterday.

was supposed to be 10k slow row yesterday but I lost the will after 8k. Slept a little better last night so will try something spicier today. This latest heatwave looks like it'll last til Sun (when it'll be 39) and it'll drop down to mid to high 20s after then

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
35:02.7 8,087m 2:10.0 159 848 16

I wanted to do something hard today as I'm going to a big dance party tomorrow afternoon/evening and there'll be PEDs, so I won't want to push myself cardio wise til at least the middle of next week.

it's officially 1 million degrees in Sydney right now so I knew it needed to be sprinty and I chose an old friend - the Speed Pyramid from Pete's Plan

Surprised myself by managing a small PR - about 1 second faster overall, which is 0.1/500. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise given the 1k and this is the closest to all the intervals I've been doing but it's still heartening.


Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M

13:04.6 4,000m 1:38.0 371 1576 32

0:46.0 250m 1:32.0 449 1846 36

r: 1:30 36m

1:36.0 500m 1:36.0 396 1661 33

r: 3:00 33m

2:29.1 750m 1:39.4 356 1526 31

r: 4:30 36m

3:22.3 1,000m 1:41.1 338 1463 31

r: 6:00 38m

2:30.6 750m 1:40.4 346 1490 31

r: 4:30 35m

1:35.9 500m 1:35.9 397 1665 34

r: 3:00 37m

0:44.7 250m 1:29.4 490 1985 39

r: 3:00 21m

Did some weights yesterday then spent 8 hours at a day/night dance party. Was so much fun…plenty of PEDs were consumed so I’ll be taking it easy this week

I spent the day with a female Olympic rower - she was in the women’s 8 at Sydney and Athens. She was 6-2 and super broad and one of the most alpha women I’ve ever been close to. Could tell she was hard as **** mentally and would have been as tough as nails as a competitor

2 days off given my PED consumption and general boozing over the weekend.

Starting my 'offseason' program, which is basically 4 rows and 2 weights, instead of 5 rows and 1 weights.

Plan is to do mainly upper body on day 1 but also power cleans and then on day 2 I'll squat and do DL and also do some above the head pressing and anything else I feel like doing

DB Bench 3x7-32kg
Incline DB Flye/Bench super set 3x6/5 22kg DB (only managed 2 reps on last set...first time doing incline for a while
Wide grip Hammer Row 3x8-160kg
Bent over DB row 3x7-34kg
Power Clean 3x3-75kg
Close Grip Press/Bench Dip super set 3x8/8 55kg

enjoyed it, but still feeling really shabby after the weekend. ****ing love mdma but it really does have a nasty kick in the tail.

I never got hungovers after molly, maybe it was a superpower of mine.

What do the 4 rows look like during offseason? I assume more long/slow ones than normal?

well...I had a lot... but yeah, it definitely knocks me around these days. Maybe not enough toxins in my system

sleep has been horrible this week - feel totally dead so haven't got much energy to plan my offseason rowing. But I don't think I'll be doing huge amounts of steady state. I can't argue with the science of it, albeit there's less danger of burning out etc if I'm only rowing 4x per week...the real need to worry overly about hr zones is when you're training is when you're doing far higher volume. But most importantly, I want to do what I enjoy and that isn't mindless repetitious long slow stuff. Maybe if I decide to do something silly like a marathon, but I'd say that's a long shot.

we'll see but the framework I've got in my mind is to do 2 time trials a month...a CTC and our club challenge. All of which vary substantially. And my intense rows during that month will be geared towards performing well in those challenges

I suggest a marathon following a lot of PEDs.

30 min UT3 today was all I was good for. 7k in just over 30mins

Not that this is a new thought, but doing something "optimal" that you hate seems . . . not optimal. Just messing around with what you enjoy seems more than fine to me.

Magnesium tablets before and after PED consumption will help.

hmm, interesting. Albeit I do take magnesium anyway to prevent muscle tightness at night.

I just think that 3 caps, some coke, at least 10 cigarettes and a load of booze....followed by come down booze on Sun & Mon...may be more than my body is currently prepared to allow me to get away with

9 hours sober sleep last night and I feel magic again

yep, agreed. just taking every day as it comes right now and my motivation and goals fluctuate, but I really can't see myself grinding through a ton of long slow stuff.

grey zone ish 10kr20. felt this a little in the second half but relatively relaxed and nice to do something semi difficult for the first time in a week

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
39:59.5 10,000m 1:59.9 203 997 20

7:59.2 2,000m 1:59.8 204 1000 20
7:59.9 2,000m 1:59.9 203 997 20
8:01.7 2,000m 2:00.4 200 989 20
8:00.9 2,000m 2:00.2 201 993 21
7:57.7 2,000m 1:59.4 205 1007 21

really meh session

went into it not knowing what I wanted to do apart from do some intervals but paid for not having a plan. I need at least a weekly plan to follow

2k warm up

2x1k 1r at 1.44.5/500 ave

4x100m 1r at 1.21.6/500 ave

1k warm down

1k warm up row

3x3 front squat - 70kg
3x5 Hex Deadlift 120kg
3x3 power clean 70kg
3x6 Press 45kg

500m Echo Assault bike finisher - 31 sec

did some lower body weights for the first time in 5 months and really enjoyed it. Quads were cramping in sets 2 and 3 of the squats

haven't used the Echo bike before but they're all the same. Painful while you're doing them but then it really hits you about 5 secs after you finish.

7100m in just over 30 mins 2.07/700

fine. really only did this to flush a little lactic out of my very sore quads

9 hours sleep last night and felt great

41 min steady state 9768m at 2.06,2

Only had 30 mins so did an ascending rate grey zone row. Not a bad structure as the first 10 mins was a warm up of sorts and I could then go harder. The last 5 mins got quite spicy.

Weights tomorrow and then I have to do the CTC on Fri as it’s the last day of the month. Dreading it though as it’s very painful