DEC 09 2009 - Zombie Attack Preparation

It has recently been pointed out to me that a 300# deadlift is really only the equivalent of 2 zombies, and that practicing picking up a mere 2 zombies will not help me much if I am being rushed by a crowd of undead. So I'd like to use this rest day to discuss the efficacy of different training methods as preparation for a zombie attack. Feel free to post suggestions for surviving a zombie attack to comments.


Deadlift - Develops strength for moving furniture or broken-down cars to block entry points.

deadlift from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Power Clean and Jerk - Throw zombies (or parts of zombies) at the attacking hordes.

clean and jerk from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Press - To push a door closed on an encroaching zombie horde, you'll need functional upper body strength that's supported by your hips and legs. Nothing builds zombie-fighting pushing strength like the press.

press from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Ball slams - An ab exercise with plenty of crossover value. Trains for the coordination and strength to bash a zombie with a rock on the first try.

slam ball from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Slasher - This aptly-named exercise develops power in the backswing for destroying the brainpan of zombies with anything from cricket bats to crow-bars.

slasher from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Thrusters / Wall-ball - Launch supplies or small friends over walls or to the upper level of a stronghold.

thruster from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

wall ball from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Pullups - Get over that wall or into the stronghold. Strict pullup develops arm strength. Kipping variety trains for power and endurance.

pullups from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Burpees - After playing dead to allow the hordes to pass in favor of fresh victims, hop up & run away.

burpee from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Sprints - Obvious. Distance running can help, but the initial speed to escape the zombie's grasp is most important. Their shuffling gait is an impediment to their endurance.


Jumprope - Agility training. Avoid ankle-clutching zombies hidden in sewers, reaching under fences, etc.

jumprope from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Box jumps - Hop over obstacles. The more difficult your escape route, the more it'll slow down the zombie horde. Obstacles buy you precious time to reload or check the map.

box jumps from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Farmer Carry - Be able to drag a friend to safety.

farmer carry from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

Knees-to-elbows - Besides being a great ab workout, it's excellent practice for keeping your legs out of reach as you're clutching the skid of the rescue helicopter. There's alway one guy who gets pulled back into the waiting arms of the hungry horde. Don't be that guy.

knees to elbows from Scott Francis on Vimeo.

DEC 08 2009 - Return of the Deadlift!

Strength
Deadlift 5 Rep Max (139kg)
Max Reps Strict Pullups x 3 sets (on 2:30 rest)

Conditioning
As Quickly As Possible:
30 Push-press (55kg)
10 x 40 meter Sprints (on :15 rest)
30 Push-press (55kg)

I got my deadlift back over 300 pounds! Last time I lifted this much was May, when I set my current personal best. Since I was able to get 5 reps, I feel like I could set a new PR as soon as next week. I'm hoping for a CFFB Total so I can give my 1RM a try.
My pullups are suffering a little for now, since I'm gaining bodyweight. I'm up to 73kg (163#). Pullups: 4 chest-to-bar + 7 chin-over-bar, 3+5, 3+5.

I had to make some substitutions to the CF Football conditioning workout. It called for 30 reps of bench press at bodyweight. I have no bench, so I opted for push-presses at 75% of my bodyweight. 73kg x 0.75 = 55kg. Finished the conditioning workout in 17:37.

DEC 07 2009 - Press Trouble

Strength:
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (89kg)
Press 3 sets of 5 reps (49kg)

Conditioning:
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 minutes
1 Round = [10 Ring Rows, 10 Ring Push-ups]

I felt good on the squats. The press was hard, I got 4, 3 & 3 reps. Didn't complete any of the sets. If the pattern holds, I'll get all 15 reps next week. If not, I'll have to re-think what to do for the pressing exercises. CrossFit Football prescribes press on Mondays, bench press on Thursdays. Since I have no bench, I've been playing around with different substitutions. At first I also pressed Thursdays, but hit a wall trying to increase the load twice a week. Next I tried 5sets of 3 split jerks, on the theory that supporting a heavier load than I can press would drive improvement on my press much like the bench press would. It'll be interesting to see how that works out.

I finished the conditioning work with 11 full rounds and 2 more ring rows.

DEC 05 2009 - Social Suffering!

Our neighbor Bryce invited us to the local CrossFit affiliate (Get Built Chattanooga) for their running of "Fight Gone Bad" a notorious mainstay of the CrossFit community. It was great to work out in a group again. Shared suffering is great for bonding with one's fellows, and it's a little easier to find the motivation to push hard when other athletes are putting up inspirational efforts and there's a cheering section. (Thanks, Hope & Robbie!)

Fight Gone Bad:
Five stations:
. Rowing machine (count calories burned instead of reps)
. Sumo Deadlift High-Pull (75#)
. Push-Press (75#)
. Wall Ball (20# ball, 10 ft. target)
. Box Jumps (20" box)
Spend one minute at each station; do the maximum ammount of reps. After all five stations, rest exactly one minute. Repeat for a total of 3 rounds. (18 minutes)

Audrey did a great job at her first official FGB, scoring 225! And I put up a personal best of 266. Many thanks to Bryce for bringing us; we had a great time working out and meeting people.

DEC 04 2009 - Runnity-Run-Run

Strength:
Power Snatch 5 sets of 3 reps (49kg)
Strict Chin-ups 3 sets for max reps (14,8,8)

Conditioning:
8x 200m Sprints on 2:30 rest

I tried the first set of power snatches at 55kg, but it was too heavy. Once I learn enough technique to get all the way under the bar in a full overhead squat I think I'll have no problem with that weight. But for now, it was too much to lift 15 times.

I did as many chest-to-bar chin-ups as I could before resorting to chin-over-bar. For some reason I find it easier to get strict chin-ups (palms facing me) chest-to-bar, than strict pullups (with palms facing away). Thinking back on it, I'm curious if it has to do with different grip width on the bar, range of motion from the wrist rotation, or different muscle involvement. Any guesses?

The sprints workout was more running than I'd done in a while. It totaled a mile. I ran up hill from my house 200m (each took between 41 and 44 seconds), and walked back for the next one. The return walk usually took about 2:15. I don't think it was the best rest pattern. I would have gained more benefit if I had lied down or sat for 2 minutes, but the workout took 25 minutes as it was, and more rest would have cut into my supper time. I could have rested at the far end of my sprint, and run the even sprints downhill, but I don't really care for downhill sprints. It's harder on my joints and gravity is doing most of the work.

It was interesting to note how long I could go all-out. It was only about 120 meters. After that my leg cadence slowed noticeably. I was able to keep my speed up longer towards the middle of the workout, once I focussed on it. Then I began decelerating sooner as I fatigued. Makes sense, but it was good to feel, so that I know to watch for it in others.

DEC 03 2009 - Substitutions

Sorry for the delay in getting these posts up.

Strength:
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (87kg)

Conditioning:
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 minutes:
1 Round = [3 Handstand Pushups, 5 Strict Pullups, 7 Knees-to-Elbows]

I made two substitutions: I did incline push-ups (feet 4' off ground) as I don't yet have a handstand pushup, and I counted pullups where my chin rose above the bar but where my chest failed to touch the bar. Since this Summer I've been doing chest-to-bar pullups and feel that it's been a tremendous aid in getting my first muscle-up, and improving pulling power all around. But I have a hard time getting chest-to-bar without kipping. So I still do strict pullups to the chin-over-bar standard.

10 rounds + 2 incline pushups.

DEC 01 2009 - Need Help Counting

A condition I refer to as the deadlift dumb-dumbs set in almost immediately. I have my deadlift 5 rep max very close to my past personal best. As soon as I set down the 5th rep I was overcome by a desire to go to bed. No shower, no stretching, certainly no conditioning workout. But I settled for 5 minutes of laying on the floor, then geared up for a big, heaping serving of power cleans & push-ups. The amount of reps decreased by one in each set. I used to know the mathematical formula for figuring the total number of reps, but it eluded me tonight. Thankfully, my lovely assistant handled the counting.

Deadlift 5 rep max
Rest
As Quickly As Possible: Alternate sets of Power Cleans and Push-ups
. PwrCLN - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
. Push-ups - 20,19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11

I used 55kg for the power cleans, and finished in 14:22. Out of curiosity I used Catalyst Athletics' on line power calculator and found that I averaged 122 watts for the conditioning workout.