Today's Workout

I got today's workout from a large list of bodyweight workouts I downloaded from Crossfit.  Here is the prescription:

Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 squats
10 double unders

I got through six rounds.  After resting a couple minutes I did 20 more double unders becasue I am trying to get better at them.  I also did 4 sets of 3 dips because I am working on those as well.  I also held a tucked back lever for 5 seconds x 3. 

After this I ran home.  On the way home I experimented with running whilst jump roping.  I have seen this used as a pose running drill but had never used it before.  It takes a lot of timing but really does help you learn to pull your foot up once it hits the ground which is essential to maintaining great running form.

I'm all Bi-Phasic n' shit

So I have been lagging on keeping you updated on my sleep patterns but I will summarize that I am really diggin this nap thing.  I feel more energized and have a more positive attitude.  Two days I skipped a nap and the following day I was bitter and tired.  Yesterday I took a 20 minute nap and slept 7 hours and I feel great!  The only problem is that it does not fit in with my exercise schedule all that well.  I get home from work at 5:00, take a nap then head out the door for a run/workout.  It feels weird to get home from work and go to sleep and I am always a bit leery of losing motivation to work out but so far it hasn't slowed me down.  As the days get longer I think it will be easier as I will have more daylight to run and play after my naps.

Today's Workout

Perhaps y'all are interested in what I do to stay in shape so I have decided to post some of my workouts here occasionally. I am not sure where this blog it going. It is part running advice and part running log I guess.  Enough with the introspection on to what I did today.  Most of my workouts I get from Crossfit Endurance and today's was just that.  It consisted of:

12 min AMRAP (as many rounds as possible, no rest)
10 Pistols (one legged squats)
10 Kettlebell swings
Rest 5 minutes
6 minutes running clock of:
1 minute knees to elbows
1 minute hollow rocks
DONE

I modified this workout since I am not strong enough to do a full pistol.  I did the pistols from a 20" bench and did the KB swings starting with 30 lbs dumbell first round then switching to 20 pounds because I felt a pinch in my shoulder (which means I was swinging the dumbell wrong, using my shoulders instead of explosively driving with my hips)
For the hollow rocks I managed what I could...oooh it burns
I didn't feel like going to the pull up bars to I did the knees to elbows lying on the floor, it was certainly easier but I still felt a deep burn.  I laid down with my arms outstretched over my head and using my abs curled my body up so my feet touched my hands avoinding momentum or swinging motions.

Short workout but damn my glutes are burning!!

My First Shoe Review The Puma Street Kosmos

Hello friends and welcome to my first shoe review.  This is the shoe I have been running in for the past 5 months or so.  I have logged at least 300 miles on them and they have held up nicely.  They weigh in at 8 oz which is a very light shoe and have a slipper feel to them.  These shoes are very flexible which makes them a good minimalist shoe.  I removed the insert from them to get a better ground feel myself but they are ok if left in.  I tried wearing these sans socks for a while and they really tore up my feet so I do not recommend that.  These are wonderful shoes for running POSE.  The materials they are made of last.  I ran a half marathon in them in the rain and they take on a lot of water and had no traction going downhill so I do not recommend them for running in wet hilly conditions.  I have heard some with wide feet say the toebox could be roomier but I have narrow feet and they fit me great.  The drop on this shoe (difference between height of heel and height of forefoot) is very small, perhaps 1mm and at $65 they are well worth it.  Summary: These shoes are lightweight, flexible with a 1mm drop and a comfy slipper like feel.  They can be tight in the toebox for those with wider feet (as are most Pumas) have limited traction (especially going down hill when wet) and take on water like a sponge and are not recommended for sockless running..  I recommend them for everyday running/racing on the roads (though i do wear mine on the dry trails) for a minimalist/POSE runner.

Siesta Weekend

This weekend I was unable to take a nap on Saturday but did notice being very sleepy on Saturday around 5pm.  It seems like my body is in the groove of napping at that time and I am enjoying it.  I stayed up til 1am and woke at 8am today feeling well so it seems I am on a 20 minute nap 7 hour sleep cycle.  Per the 4 hour body book it says you can nap 20 and sleep six but so far I have not been able to do that without being fatigued.  It may be due to me just needing more sleep in general as an active person.  Today I ran for an hour through Tilden and napped for 20 minutes at 5pm and plan on getting seven hours tonight  I will continue it this week and let you know how I feel.  What I have noticed is a feeling of being "on" sort of more focused through out the day at certain times.  Hopefully it will keep up.

My Workout Today

I have been doing Crossfit Endurance off and on for a while now and feel that it is a great program!  It has inspired me to think about fitness differently and question what a fitness regimen should look like.  I just recently moved close to one of those workout stations.  You know the type with pull up bars and parallel bars and designed a nice workout for today.  Here it is:


8 rounds of:
5 Pullups
25 Meter strides reaching max speed at end (walk back to parallel bars)
3 Dips
10 Double Unders
10 20" Box Jumps
no rest between rounds

I skipped the sprint on the 7th round because I pussed out for a second but found this to be a great little workout.  The sprint after the pullups really taxed my system and made me feel a bit pukey which I enjoyed.  Try it out!

Siesta Day 3 and 4

So I guess it would be better to call this Biphasic sleep since there are just two phases.  I felt really tired on day three and hit the hay a bit early.  I was trying to nap for 20 minutes and sleep for 6 hours previously but my body needed more.  I napped twenty and slept seven on day 3 and day 4 and feel much better now.  I have trouble getting up from the nap still and get groggy around 4pm on my BART ride home but I am digging it thus far and will continue it next week.  I am not sure what the weekend holds but I will try to maintain the naps.  I will keep you posted.

Siesta Day 2

My 2nd day doing the siesta style polyphasic sleep mentioned in 4 hour body went well but I definitely felt a bit sluggish.  I woke up well rested and actually woke up 3 times in the night thinking I had already slept enough and was glad to see I had more time to sleep.  The morning went well but I got real sleepy around 3pm.  Once off work I took a 20 minute nap at 5:30.  I set my alarm to go off in 30 minutes assuming it would take a few minutes for me to sleep.  I am not sure how long I slept but I definitely was awoken by the alarm.  I worked out ate dinner then watched some TV.  I felt pretty sleepy at 10pm but stated up til 11 since I should only need 6 hrs and I wake up at 5am.  Day 2 = A bit sluggish in the afternoon and late evening.

It's Mid January already?

Wow!!  So then the holidays happened eh?  Man, it has been I while since i have been on here but I will be making more posts from here on out.  I just picked up a copy of Tim Ferriss' "4 Hour Body" and there is a lot of great stuff in it.  I suggest you go grab a copy if you are into efficient body maintenance/transformation. A lot of the content I had heard of before but never seen in such detail or all in one place.  One thing I had not heard about is polyphasic sleeping.  Poly what? Yeah polyphasic.  It is basically breaking your sleep down into smaller naps throughout the day instead of sleeping one large chunk at night.  It is a way into tricking your brain into REM sleep (allegedly the only kind that matters)more quickly.  This really caught my eye and I am giving it a try this week.  I am starting small and doing what the book calls the siesta.  It consists of a 20 minute nap during the day and 6 hours of sleep at night rather than 8.  An extra hour and 40 minutes?  If it works I''ll take it.  Normally I would be asleep at this hour as I wake at 5am but I am staying up to 11 to give it a try.  I will be posting my results daily.  Stay tuned!

Oh yeah and we all have resolutions right.  I am being more conscious of my diet and eating ZONE.  I'll keep you posted on that too.  Anyone else have resolutions?