Results

I love seeing good results. It makes any hard work you've put in feel completely worth it. Today I'm going to show you some workout results and the progress I've made over the past few months. I know, probably not the most interesting thing, but humor me.


Early October-ish I started CrossFit. I was 155lbs soaking wet and somewhat in shape, but I hadn't really done anything beside the occasional soccer game. So, I wanted to get back in shape. CrossFit has been awesome. Here are some highlights / a brief timeline of what's been going on.


On Oct 31st, I did CrossFit Total for the 1st time. CFT is getting your 1 rep max in squat, shoulder press, and deadlift - in that order. There are rules regarding form and lift attempts. Basically, use proper form, don't cheat - you're only cheating yourself. My results: Bodyweight was 158lbs, squat max - 205, shoulder press - 100, deadlift - 250. Total score was 455 (add up the weights) and I was in the novice category (based on bodyweight and weight lifted). Not bad, but I had a lot of room for improvement.


I've done countless workouts since. The one I'm most proud of is "Murph", which is named in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it 'Body Armor.' The workout is run 1 mile, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, run 1 mile - for time. Wear a weight vest if you have it. This is a brutal workout. My goal was to finish in under 1 hour. I finished in 47min, 51sec without wearing a vest and I was very pleased with that. CrossFit has a lot of named workouts for heroes (soldiers who have fallen in combat) and they are all very tough. I think this is the worst, but they all are hard. CrossFit has a strong following in the military / police / fire departments and they try to keep close ties in those communities. Most of the heroes were people who frequented local CF gyms before getting deployed. I'm getting off topic - back to my results.


In the beginning on February, my workout partner (Lee) and I decided that the thing really keeping us from posting good workout times was our overall strength. So, we decided to do an 8-week strength training program that was recommended by CrossFit. Before starting the workout, I did CrossFit Total on 4 February to baseline myself. My results then: bodyweight - 162, squat max - 245, shoulder press max - 115, deadlift max - 315. Score: 675, intermediate category. Great progress in just 3 months, but I wanted more.


Where am I at now? Well, I'm not 100% certain where my max numbers are, but I know I have improved. Today for my workout, I did squats 265lbs x 5reps, 265lbs x 5reps, 265lbs x 5reps. I did more weight than my previous max for 3 sets of 5 reps! I was pumped. This is great progress, and I'm only in week 4 of 8. I did a shoulder press of 115 x 5 reps, 115 x 5, and 115 x 4 (failed on 5th rep.) That was my previous max, and I repped it. I'm not sure where my deadlift max is, but I did 275x5 the other day. Still working my way up. Also, today I bench pressed more than my body weight, which is something I've never been able to do. I'm currently 169lbs and I did 175lbs x 5, 175 x 4, 175 x 3. Progress.


After the 8 weeks is up I'll be back to the normal CrossFit routine. I'm already getting bored with the strength training regimen because it is only 5 total exercises, 3 days a week. CrossFit is a different exercise every day so it keeps you guessing and you don't get bored. I am pleased with my results, though. Hopefully they will continue to get better.


To sum it all up, I'm making good progress with my workout routine. That makes all that hard work in the gym worth it, especially on the days where you'd rather sleep a little longer or just go home and sit on the couch. Summary of results below:

• 31 Oct, CrossFit Total: Bodyweight-158, Squat-205, Shoulder Press-100, Deadlift-250


• 8 Jan: Murph in 47min 51sec


• 4 Feb, CrossFit Total: Bodyweight-162, Squat-245, Shoulder Press-115, Deadlift-315


• 2 Mar, Workout: Squat-255x5, 255x5, 255x5; Shoulder Press: 115x5, 115x5, 115x4; Power Clean: 140x5, 140x5, 140x5 (previous max - 150)


• 4 Mar, Workout: Bodyweight-169, Squat-265x5, 265x5, 265x5; Bench-175x5, 175x4, 175x3 (Previous max around 155lbs); Deadlift-275x5

Thanks for reading - I know it probably wasn't the most interesting post ever, but I had to brag on myself for once. I'll post next month where my numbers are. Keep working toward your goals.