brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
I completely understand what you mean, bud. I went from bulking on Max-OT to cutting on CF. I couldn't do the CF exercises as Rx'ed, often times, but I would ruin myself trying. I hurt my hip due to the high capacitance of the CF workouts. The best thing to do is visit the scaled workouts site, which gives you several ranges that you can start at and work your way up with. I really wish I would've done that, but I'm too stubborn Good luck, man, and I hope to be joining you before summer's over.

Yup, sadly, I learned this lesson the hard way too. When you become concerned with your numbers and improving performance, it gets really hard to check your ego. One of the reasons my hips & lower back are injured is that I kept doing heavy weight on squats + deadlift even after they started hurting. I should've stopped right away, rested, worked on my form and restarted at a lower weight, but I didn't want to lose my "progress" and just kept pushing it.

Now, I need to lay off back squats + deadlifts completely, I'm going to lose much progress anyway and in the end, my stubbornness only made the situation much worse. I think I've finally learned my lesson and will work on doing things the proper way for CF. Big numbers are meaningless if you're too hurt to use them.

 

[gramboh]

Originally posted by: HN

Originally posted by: gramboh
Burpees are a bitch eh?

yes, yes they are, especially if you force yourself to jump to a specific height each time (e.g. jump up to tap a pull up bar that's 6-12 inches above your reach for each rep)

here's a demo of the 50 burpee WOD: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Af7ylxkTdw (don't let the sub-2minute time fool you; the guy's a beast and last year's crossfit games winner)

That is James from OPT (Optimum Performance Training - Crossfit affiliate) here in Calgary I believe right? Funny, I've actually just signed up for the Crossfit level 1 intro next week at OPT, and will be taking level 2 and 3 the week after (intro to oly lifts etc). Hoping to spend maybe one session a week at OPT for the rest of the summer as I'm moving out of the city at the end of August to a place with no CF gym .

 

[brikis98]

Saturday, July 12

Workout of the Day

* Four rounds, each for time of: 800 meter run
* Rest as needed between efforts.

My numbers

I ran on an olympic track and timed these runs with the stopwatch on my ipod nano. Format is:
(lap 1 + lap 2 = total)

1. 1:35 + 1:39 = 3:15
2. 1:34 + 1:53 = 3:28
3. 1:46 + 1:39 = 3:26
4. 1:52 + 1:58 = 3:50

Comments:

* Just like every CF workout I've done, this was a lot harder than I expected. My times on these runs are pretty pitiful, but I've learned a lot from this experience and cannot wait to do it again. I'm quite competitive, and this whole "beat your previous numbers" challenge that's inherent in CF is an awesome motivation.

* I love how CF is revealing the massive gaps in my fitness. For example, my cardio training before CF consisted of short sprints (HIIT) and slightly longer runs (3-5 miles). I was not used to these 800m distance that fall in between and found them to be quite tough. CF has really opened my eyes to just how specific/limited all my previous exercise was and I'm really happy that I'm now using their "broad, general, and inclusive" approach to fitness.

* Running outside definitely seems much harder than on a treadmill. This may be a combination of the wind resistance, the fact that you actually have to propel your body forward rather than just up and down, and the weather (it was quite warm/humid today). I've run a 6:30 mile on a treadmill without too much difficulty, but today, keeping the same pace for half a mile was incredibly tough. I'm definitely going to try to do more of my running on the olympic track nearby from now on.

* I wasted too much energy in the warmup. The olympic track is ~1 mile away from my house and I jogged there as a warmup. This isn't a big deal for most other workouts, but since running was the name of the game today, I think my stamina took a noticeable hit from this. I was especially gassed for the fourth run and really could not keep up any speed.

* I suck at pacing myself. This is the disadvantage of running outside rather than on a treadmill, but it's a good skill that I should learn. On my second round, I ran way too quickly in the first part of the first lap and really suffered for the rest of the run. On the third round, I did the opposite, running way too slow for the first ~1.25 laps and actually finished the second lap in a sprint with energy to spare. If I get better at pacing and don't waste as much energy on the warmup, I think I could dip under 3:00 min, at least on the first run.

 

[HN]

Originally posted by: gramboh

That is James from OPT (Optimum Performance Training - Crossfit affiliate) here in Calgary I believe right? Funny, I've actually just signed up for the Crossfit level 1 intro next week at OPT, and will be taking level 2 and 3 the week after (intro to oly lifts etc). Hoping to spend maybe one session a week at OPT for the rest of the summer as I'm moving out of the city at the end of August to a place with no CF gym .

yup, it's the man himself. that's awesome how you'll be getting to work with him :thumbsup:

Originally posted by: brikis98

* Running outside definitely seems much harder than on a treadmill. This may be a combination of the wind resistance, the fact that you actually have to propel your body forward rather than just up and down, and the weather (it was quite warm/humid today). I've run a 6:30 mile on a treadmill without too much difficulty, but today, keeping the same pace for half a mile was incredibly tough. I'm definitely going to try to do more of my running on the olympic track nearby from now on.

i've always felt that was it right there (moving forward vs up and down). wish i had an olympic track to run on; on running days, i measure out distances around the city and have to either dodge cars or wait at intersections and it futz's with my time.

 

[lucasorion]

Thanks to your inspiration, I tried the crossfit "Bear Complex" WOD today, in addition to 20 minutes on the elliptical.
It was tough, and I even forgot one component of it, the front squat.
It consists of power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press - seven reps of that sequence, 5 sets.
I started with 85 lbs for the first set, then 105 for 2, then 115 for the last 2.
I'm looking forward to trying it again soon.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: lucasorion
Thanks to your inspiration, I tried the crossfit "Bear Complex" WOD today, in addition to 20 minutes on the elliptical.
It was tough, and I even forgot one component of it, the front squat.
It consists of power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press - seven reps of that sequence, 5 sets.
I started with 85 lbs for the first set, then 105 for 2, then 115 for the last 2.
I'm looking forward to trying it again soon.

Well done man. Just watched this video of it and it looks brutal! It makes me laugh that "1 rep" includes a power clean, front squat, back squat and two presses. Did you follow the "no resting" rule? That is, in the video it says you are not allowed to rest the weight on the ground during a round. You can rest it on your back, shoulders, arms, whatever, but the only time it can touch the ground is briefly to do the power clean. Damn.

 

[lucasorion]

I rested it on the ground between each round, but not during. The last 7, at 115 lbs, felt like the 150 lbs I usually do overhead presses with. The squats and cleans were almost a vacation from the presses. I tried shooting a 12-15 foot shot at a basketball hoop right afterward, and put up an airball.

 

[brikis98]

Sunday, July 13

Workout of the Day

"Elizabeth"
For time, 21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips

My numbers

We don't have rings at my gym so I substituted normal dips instead.

Time: 25:04

I'm fairly new to Olympic lifts and this was my first time doing the full squat clean (instead of a power clean), so my form was pretty crappy. It did improve through out the workout, but I'll definitely need to keep practicing. I really like doing the squat as it feels very natural and effective and the deadlift motion at the beginning was pretty smooth too (no back pain, yay). Where I need work, as I'm sure is the case for most people, is the explosive part in the middle. Well, that and my stamina, as these cleans really winded me and ate up the vast majority of the 25 minutes.

As for the dips, they weren't too tough, but I'm well aware my substitution made it a lot easier. I believe their FAQ recommends doing 3 times as many normal dips when substituting for ring dips, but there was no way I was going to do 63-45-27. Maybe next time this workout comes around I'll give that a shot, but for now, I had more than enough


EDIT ---> forgot to mention: I also played an hour of basketball after this workout and then stretched. I can finally touch the very tops of my feet! I know it's a pathetic accomplishment, but for someone as inflexible as me, this is a huge improvement.

 

[brikis98]

Monday, July 14

Rest day.

Will do a bit of jump rope and stretching later tonight. Tomorrow's workout includes handstand push-ups, which I'll have to learn, as well as a 225 deadlift, which I'll probably need to avoid. Although 225 isn't particularly heavy, it's to be done for 21-15-9 reps, and I just don't think my lower back is healed enough for that. I'll either need to scale the weight down (185 maybe?) or do back/hip extensions. I'm leaning towards the latter as they actually make my back feel better (almost like PT) as opposed to the former. Or, perhaps, a hybrid: warm my back up with 21 back/hip extensions and then do the 185lbs deadlift for the 15 and 9 rep sets.

 

[HN]

practicing double unders?

once i finally got the feel for them, i can't get enough of 'em -- warm up, cool down, rest days, waiting for stations at the gym :laugh:

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: HN
practicing double unders?

once i finally got the feel for them, i can't get enough of 'em -- warm up, cool down, rest days, waiting for stations at the gym :laugh:

actually, I need to learn how to do these. every time I try, I just smack the rope into my feet, and I'm not sure if I just don't have the timing down, don't move the rope fast enough, or don't jump high enough (or all 3). is there some "technique" for doing them?

 

[HN]

The initial mentality is to try to jump as high as you can or jump and tuck your legs all the way up (which i used to do). All that just makes your more tired. It's all about the coordination and 'whipping' action that will get you to clear the rope twice.

i'd start with with a few singles and then getting a double in there; then progressing to single-double-single-double, and then finally stringing a bunch of doubles together.

When i was trying to show my friends, i noticed they were initiating the double whipping too earlier so by the time the rope got around, they were either landing on or before the rope. try to keep and eye on the rope (or at least be aware of its position) and initiate the double swing just as it's in front of your feet rather than when it's overhead or out in front of your arms.

The type of rope also helped for me -- i have a leather rope with bearings with which i can only string a few doubles together. with my cheapy plastic rope, i've been able to string up to 30 together . see the 'everlast speed rope' here http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/jumprope2.htm

buddy lee intro to double under (w/ demo of single-double) http://youtube.com/watch?v=hXovowbMsLE

 

[brikis98]

Tuesday, July 15

Workout of the Day

"Diane"
For time, 21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
Handstand push-ups

My numbers

Worrying about re-injuring my back, I did 185lb deadlifts. As I can't do a handstand (no balance), I did the handstand push-ups with my feet on a wall (stomach towards the wall).

Time: 15 minutes

Comments:

* The hip/back extensions felt really good during the warmup and I decided to go for some light deadlifts after all. They were ridiculously easy and it occurred to me just how much I miss deadlift as an exercise - such a great full body workout. I think I would have had 225 easily, but for the safety of my back, I decided against it.

* The gym attendant was watching TV, so I did the whole workout in socks while he wasn't looking. Doing deadlifts this way felt fantastic - I really had a good feel of the floor and great balance - and I wish I could do all my lifting bearfoot. Unfortunately, the folks at the gym don't like it, so I can only do it when they aren't paying attention.

* Handstand push-ups didn't go so well. During the warmup, I tried to practice them, but my gym just does not have anywhere I can do it in a safe, step-by-step manner. There are no mats and nothing soft to fall on, so everything was done on a hard rubber floor (and I have lots of cuts/scrapes from falling). I didn't even have anywhere to put my legs up to try an L push-up - all the squat racks and smith racks are really close together (and close to other pointy equipment), so if you fall, you're gonna get impaled. I tried handstands with my buddy holding my legs, but of course, we're both doing the same workout for time, so that wouldn't work too well. I finally decided to do the push-ups against a wall. With my back to the wall, I would crouch and put my hands on the ground, then walk my feet up the wall behind me and finally walk my hands back towards the wall until I was nearly vertical with my face looking at the wall. Only my toes were touching the wall and in socks, they slid up and down pretty easy.

* Overall, I wasn't a fan of the handstand push-ups. Going upside down and right side up really messes with you, especially when you have so much blood pumping around during a workout. After the first set of deadlifts, I did my first 8 push-ups in a row, dropped down, and felt very light headed. Even my legs were very shaky, possibly lacking the blood they needed to recover after deadlifts. Moreover, it's such a short range of motion before your head touches that it almost doesn't seem worth it. Of course, it's such a damn hard motion that even this short press can feel like you're lifting your body a mile. I suppose you can raise yourself up on some kind of pipes/bars, but that only makes getting into the position more difficult. Finally, the HSPU has a very high learning curve, and I just don't know when I'll have the time to practice more or where I'll find a good place to do it.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: HN
The initial mentality is to try to jump as high as you can or jump and tuck your legs all the way up (which i used to do). All that just makes your more tired. It's all about the coordination and 'whipping' action that will get you to clear the rope twice.

i'd start with with a few singles and then getting a double in there; then progressing to single-double-single-double, and then finally stringing a bunch of doubles together.

When i was trying to show my friends, i noticed they were initiating the double whipping too earlier so by the time the rope got around, they were either landing on or before the rope. try to keep and eye on the rope (or at least be aware of its position) and initiate the double swing just as it's in front of your feet rather than when it's overhead or out in front of your arms.

The type of rope also helped for me -- i have a leather rope with bearings with which i can only string a few doubles together. with my cheapy plastic rope, i've been able to string up to 30 together . see the 'everlast speed rope' here http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/jumprope2.htm

buddy lee intro to double under (w/ demo of single-double) http://youtube.com/watch?v=hXovowbMsLE

during breaks from work, i tried these a bunch of times and got closer, but still didn't quite make it. thanks for the info and the links - i'll keep working on it.

 

[brikis98]

Wednesday, July 16

Workout of the Day

"Fran"
Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

My numbers

As Rx'd, 10:50

Comments:

* This was yet another learning experience for me. My form on thrusters was terrible in the first set as I didn't get the bar down onto my shoulders. This eliminated any leg drive and momentum going into the bar, so I essentially did 21 front squats and 21 overhead presses. This made the exercise much harder and I had to stop 3 times to get through the first set. On the last two sets, I figured out my mistake and did much better.

* I'm not sure if it was from the handstand push-ups yesterday or something unrelated, but the overhead portion of the thrusters was really hurting my shoulders today. i fought through it but i had a ringing/buzzing pain in both shoulders for 45 minutes afterwards. not fun.

* My kipping form somehow got worse. I was not pushing back off the bar properly, could not get myself to swing forward enough and was not timing the leg drive well. I needed at least 3 breaks for each set, which is worse then when I was doing the pull-ups for Murph. I'm not happy about this and really need to practice.

* I am humbled by the people who get sub 5 minute and even sub 3 minute times on Fran. However, I'm now determined to cut my own time in half. I don't have another Fran coming up for well over a month, so hopefully my stamina will improve a lot by then. Moreover, improvements to my form on thrusters and kipping should help me shave off a few minutes right off the bat.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Fran's a tough one. You should watch the video where the guy does it with a mask limiting his oxygen intake. It's like altitude training. Absolutely insane, imo.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Fran's a tough one. You should watch the video where the guy does it with a mask limiting his oxygen intake. It's like altitude training. Absolutely insane, imo.

holy crap. 45lbs of gear and a goddamn oxygen mask and the guy gets the whole thing done in 8:54. friggin unbelievable.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Fran's a tough one. You should watch the video where the guy does it with a mask limiting his oxygen intake. It's like altitude training. Absolutely insane, imo.

holy crap. 45lbs of gear and a goddamn oxygen mask and the guy gets the whole thing done in 8:54. friggin unbelievable.

Surprisingly, that's not the one I was talking about. Amazing.

 

[HN]

doing plenty of overhead lifts (overhead squats, press, push press, push jerk, even more thrusters) all contribute to flexibility needed for the ending overhead position of the thruster. i have no doubt your next fran will be a significant improvement :thumbsup:

i remember when if first started and reading about how people were absolutely winded and light headed and dizzy after their super speedy frans. i never felt that, i guess, because i was still learning and building up strength / endurance to be able to get it done faster and keep my heart rate up. the first time i got sub-6, i almost blacked out afterwards and had to sit it out for a good 15 minutes. it really is the 100m dash of crossfit.

these days i can do the full 21-21-15 straight, but have to break up the 15-9-9.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: HN
doing plenty of overhead lifts (overhead squats, press, push press, push jerk, even more thrusters) all contribute to flexibility needed for the ending overhead position of the thruster. i have no doubt your next fran will be a significant improvement :thumbsup:

i remember when if first started and reading about how people were absolutely winded and light headed and dizzy after their super speedy frans. i never felt that, i guess, because i was still learning and building up strength / endurance to be able to get it done faster and keep my heart rate up. the first time i got sub-6, i almost blacked out afterwards and had to sit it out for a good 15 minutes. it really is the 100m dash of crossfit.

these days i can do the full 21-21-15 straight, but have to break up the 15-9-9.

It may be the 100m dash of CrossFit, but good God that's a hard 100m. Give me 100 to run any day over that, haha.

 

[brikis98]

Diet update: when I started cutting back in April, I tracked my diet and exercise in fitday.com to get decent estimates for how many calories I burned per day and how many I ate. Using that, I setup a decent diet for myself and once the weight started dropping, I stopped using fitday as my plan was working.

I dropped from 223lbs to 198lbs. in ~2.5 months, but I've been stuck around 198lbs for the last several weeks. As I posted in this thread, I recently started tracking my diet and exercise again, but this time on thedailyplate.com. I guess it should have been obvious, but the reason my weight loss stopped was because, after dropping 25lbs, the number of calories I burn per day has dropped considerably. My resting metabolic rate has gone down some 400 calories and the number of calories I burn from exercise that involves my body weight (running, pull-ups, etc) has gone down as well. My original diet had a daily ~500 calorie deficit; due to weight loss, I now burn ~500 calories less per day. Logically, my weight hasn't shifted because of this.

So, it's back to the drawing board for the diet. The most offending meal I have is lunch, which is catered by different restaurants every day at work. Restaurant food is almost always very "rich" - full of butter, sugar, fat - and way more calories than I need. Today's lunch alone was over 1000 calories! However, I've come to the conclusion that with free, delicious food available, there is just now way I'm going to have the will power to bring in my own. Therefore, the only solution is to make my lunch portion smaller and have a healthy snack later in the day, such as nuts & fruits (also free at work). The snack will have far less calories than the equivalent amount of lunch food and will keep me from getting too hungry. Hopefully, that alone will cut away some 250 calories. If I poke around a bit more, I should be able to slim off another 250 with a couple tweaks. It would also be nice to find a lower calorie breakfast, but the kashi go lean cereal is so quick & easy and with milk, adds a significant amount of protein to my diet.

 

[brikis98]

Thursday, July 17

Workout of the Day

Overhead Squat 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps

My numbers

85x3, 95x3, 105x3, 115x3, 125x2xmissed, 125x3, 135x1xmissed

Comments:

* This was my first real time doing overhead squats. I had done them before as part of the warmup but had never gotten above 85lbs.

* My biggest issue was locking the weight out overhead. This is supposed to be a very demanding exercise for your core, but the only place I really felt strain was my upper back and shoulders. I was never truly comfortable holding the weight, so I guess i never got the weight high enough to challenge my core or legs.

* My shoulders, possibly still hurting from yesterday and the day before, were again not happy with this exercise. The worst part was getting the weight down at the end of the set. I don't have bumper plates, so I can't just drop it. How do you guys get the weight down? I tried lowering it down onto my upper back, but either I'd drop it too fast and bang up my neck/traps (even if I absorbed the impact with my knees) or I'd try to slow the bar on the way down, which would be VERY unpleasant on my shoulders from such a wide grip.

* I have no bench press in any CF workout this entire month, and as this wasn't too exhausting of a workout, I did a few sets. I hadn't done bench since I started CF and my shoulders were quite wobbly from the overhead squats, but I was still disappointed with the results. I got 185x5, 225x5, 265x3 and the last set was damn hard. Considering I was at ~285x3 before CF and ~305x5 before I started cutting, this is a little depressing. This might be an argument for doing a Starting Strength and CF hybrid program once my back is 100% and I deem my flexibility acceptable for heavy squatting & deadlifting.

 

[HN]

RE: Overhead squats
I have the same problem -- the only place i have heavy weights available is at the gym and they don't have bumpers either. I know i can go heavier on the the OHS but there is that definite fear of trying to get the weight back down. best I can do is use the weight i can handle and slowly bring down arms and absorb with soft knees. i have scraped the back of my neck a couple of times and scares the hell out of me because the outcome could be a lot worse than a scrape.

On days when testing max effort is Rx'd, i use the squat cage with the adjustable side rails. i move the rails all the way up to just about where the bar would hit when i'm at the bottom of my squat. so, when i reach failure and can't lower the weight down safely, i do one last squat and drop the bar. this is about a 3-5 inch drop. since it is metal on metal (bar hitting rails), it does make a bit of a clang but it's safer than the alternative. (and make absolutely sure your hands are not between the bar and the rail!)

RE: bench press
when i was first doing CF, i was still scaling to a lot of the puppy weights just so i can get form correct and maintain the high level of intensity. that meant having to add strength work that i was used to (like benching). my bench numbers were significantly higher than my squat and deadlift. these days, where i'm able to do many of the Rx'd weights (or scaled back just slightly) and without the added bench work, i notice i haven't lost much strength in that area at all. in fact, the other day was 5x5 bench / 5x5 deadlift. previous 5x5 bench for me as about a month ago and i was able to do the exact loads. since it was a month's span, i wasn't sure if i could do it but it was fine; in fact, i don't recall struggling on the last set. I really should log my per-set experience instead of just actual loads / times / rounds.

i guess over time, with the variety of the wods, you develop a lot of strength in other muscles that help contribute to the overall bench -- ring dips, lots of shoulder work, stabilizer muscles around elbows, shoulders, back. also watching rippetoe videos on benching technique also helps.

keep it up brikman

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: HN
RE: Overhead squats
I have the same problem -- the only place i have heavy weights available is at the gym and they don't have bumpers either. I know i can go heavier on the the OHS but there is that definite fear of trying to get the weight back down. best I can do is use the weight i can handle and slowly bring down arms and absorb with soft knees. i have scraped the back of my neck a couple of times and scares the hell out of me because the outcome could be a lot worse than a scrape.

On days when testing max effort is Rx'd, i use the squat cage with the adjustable side rails. i move the rails all the way up to just about where the bar would hit when i'm at the bottom of my squat. so, when i reach failure and can't lower the weight down safely, i do one last squat and drop the bar. this is about a 3-5 inch drop. since it is metal on metal (bar hitting rails), it does make a bit of a clang but it's safer than the alternative. (and make absolutely sure your hands are not between the bar and the rail!)

Yea, the more of these olympic-style lifts I do, the more I need to find a gym with bumper plates. The squat cage idea is decent, but of course, my gym doesn't have one. We have these combo racks like this one, which are not all too useful for overhead squats. The best solution I found was, after the last rep, to do a jump (push-jerk style) to launch the weight up a bit and while it's in the air, very quickly slide the hands in closer to overhead press width and catch it, which then lets you easily lower it to your shoulders. This was still unpleasant on the shoulders (as they have to apply a vertical force to a very wide grip), but far less painful then trying to lower it onto my back. However, I'm not sure how well it would work if the weight got any heavier and am still hoping there is a better solution.

Originally posted by: HN
RE: bench press
when i was first doing CF, i was still scaling to a lot of the puppy weights just so i can get form correct and maintain the high level of intensity. that meant having to add strength work that i was used to (like benching). my bench numbers were significantly higher than my squat and deadlift. these days, where i'm able to do many of the Rx'd weights (or scaled back just slightly) and without the added bench work, i notice i haven't lost much strength in that area at all. in fact, the other day was 5x5 bench / 5x5 deadlift. previous 5x5 bench for me as about a month ago and i was able to do the exact loads. since it was a month's span, i wasn't sure if i could do it but it was fine; in fact, i don't recall struggling on the last set. I really should log my per-set experience instead of just actual loads / times / rounds.

i guess over time, with the variety of the wods, you develop a lot of strength in other muscles that help contribute to the overall bench -- ring dips, lots of shoulder work, stabilizer muscles around elbows, shoulders, back. also watching rippetoe videos on benching technique also helps.

keep it up brikman

I'm still a bit skeptical that doing the CF workouts, which are primarily focused on lighter weight and higher reps, can let me maintain the strength I got from the heavier, lower rep SS style workouts... However, you are definitely not the only one who kept or even gained strength during CF, so I guess I should just have patience.

On a random note, I ordered rings yesterday and can't wait for them to get here. It seems like a rip off - $70 for 2 rubber rings and some harness - but I'm excited to start learning ring dips, l-sits, muscle-ups, etc. It looks hard as hell, but that kind of stuff definitely looks like it'll build some massive strength.

 

[brikis98]

Friday, July 18

Rest day.

Going to jump rope a bit and stretch today. Also, last night I started my planche progression as described at the bottom of this article. I can do the frog stand for ~15 seconds, although the limiting factor seems to be pain from my elbows digging into my thighs. I'll keep at it, looks like a fun skill to learn.