Kennebecpirate

Sugar is the bane of my existence. Through a year of diet and exercise I was down 80lbs at the beginning of this summer. I started with weight watchers, then tried Sissons primal diet for about three months, but I still struggled with major sugar cravings and my binges were coming more and more often. I decided to buckle down, and through the summer I did "the whole30" the month of June, took a weekend off and did it again in July, and stayed probably 85% paleo through August. I didnt lose any weight but i was feeling better. Started slipping more in September. Once a week treats slowly getting larger, then every few days. I've freaking lost it this month! I've eaten more crap the last two weeks then I have in year. Major cravings I can't seem to kick.

That's an interesting looking program Phalanx. Did you write it yourself? Is there any particular programming for the metcons. Such as would you avoid a similar movement, as in push-ups on press day, or would it be just the opposite and you would purposefully select similar movements as the strength component.

I think you've really hit the nail on the head Dominic. The lack of measurable results is definitely 90% of my issue. Week 1, 5 and 9 of "Fire your Gym" are testing weeks so you I can measure my progress, and it sticks to just a handful of different exercises. After the 9 weeks I'll see where I am at.

I found this book "Fire Your Gym!" By Andy Petranek, founder of one of the world’s most successful CrossFit gyms, and Los Angeles Times fitness columnist Roy M. Wallack. It's a 9 week program. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday you do a crossfit style bodyweight or barbell WOD, long slow recovery runs Tuesday and Friday, sprints on Thursday. It sticks to a handful of the more basic crossfit movements, but obviously it's more structured and they put more emphasis on rest/recovery days between workout days. Still looks WAY more challenging than I expected from the description on amazon. Just from reading it I don't think I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't at least done a fundamentals class. From my personal experience you can only learn so much from reading or watching videos. Even the minor tweaks a good coach can give you make a world of difference. For the rest of this month I'm going to incorporate active recovery days and maybe sprints with my class. Starting next month I'm going do the program at home. I have a shed that I have setup as a workout room, the only thing I'm missing is a barbell set, which I want to pick up anyways. No heat though, so November or December I'll go back to the box.

Sorry my fuzzy wired brain saw crossfit when I saw the following: Although bodybuilders and other athletes looking for “puffy†bulk over performance might find some use in creatine supplementation, most Primal Blueprinters who value performance over illusory size are probably getting plenty of creatine through dietary means (meat, fish, fowl, etc). The increased muscle fluid absorption can even result in muscle cramps and in dehydration for the rest of the body, so I would actually advise against too much creatine for dedicated athletes.

I am looking for better overall fitness. I want to be able to pass the physical test that active members of the US Army are required to pass. My brother in law was dating a lady my age (44) when I first started really trying to lose weight. We got talking about working out, and she told me about her upcoming PT that she needed to pass. Really got me thinking I didn't want to be skinny, I wanted to be fit. I've lost 80lbs over the last 14 months, but still don't think I could pass the PT. 10 strict pull-ups would be cool too, because I have never been able to do more than 1. Of course I had never worked at doing them either. I have always been fairly strong but always sucked at pull-up, rope climbing because of my weight. I guess I should add that although I didn't make the progress I had hoped over the last 3 months, I have gotten a lot from the class in learning better warm ups and exercise form. My shoulder and knee joints are much better off than when I started.

"I also only go twice a week. I occassionally see the WOD from the day before and ask to do that instead if it hits exercises that I think I need to do... Talk to the coach." I have seen more experienced people doing this , but they are doing it without any coaching, and only if space allows. I can't justify to myself paying $90 a month to work out on my own. "Also, can you do pullups anywhere other than crossfit?? I put a bar up in my backyard for about $40. I do them all the time at home and it has really helped get through some of the WODs." I have thought of this, but haven't done it for fear of overtraining. Keep thinking we haven't done them in awhile, they must be coming right up.

I track my food occasionally, and tend to eat pretty much the same stuff. Carbs and protein pretty equal at around 150-175g, fat 100-120. Calories usually run 1900-2100. I ate the 40/30/30 ratios for about two weeks but it was a pain, now I just try to eat some of each macro each meal.

As far as going warrior instead of ranger, not really what I'm looking for. Though I have been working out regularly for a year, its been mostly bodyweight calisthenics with a couch to 5k thrown in. I just have never really weight trained before and expected that I would make large initial gains in dead lifts and overhead pressing as those are areas I felt I had neglected. I was really hoping to improve on my pull-ups. I can still barely do 1.

I go three times a week, but what days change all the time, never more than 2 days in a row, never more than 4 days between classes. My endurance does seem better, but I haven't had a repeat workout yet to have any way of measuring that factor. Everything I've read up on seems to indicate the owner of the gym does good programming. He is a PT and is a a certified strength and conditioning coach from organizations other than crossfit, and the gym has been steadily growing since he opened 2008. And again other people in the gym are amazingly strong and fit. I think the randomness just throws a wrench in things. I dead lifted in fundamentals to get 1 rep max, but then didn't do them again for a month and a half. Had a month where I didn't do any pull-ups. I've done dips once. I think he is programming these things more often, it's just my dumb (bad) luck it's just not on the days I've been there. I've thought I should try to do some of these things on my own but I'm not recovering well enough to take on extra.

I know I'm kind of late on this thread. I read MDA article that spezzy linked, and he doesn't recommend it for people that do crossfit style workouts. I'm wondering if anyone that does crossfit , other than spezzy obviously, uses or has used it and if its helpful.

I took the fundamentals class at my local box and signed up after for another 3 months, which runs out the end of this month. The training definitely seems to work for other people. The others in my class are hands down the strongest, fittest group I've ever been around. Just doesn't seem to be working for me. My one rep maxes haven't increased at all. I don't feel as if I've made progress in other fitness benchmarks, but its so hard to tell because the workouts are so random. The workouts seem to just leave me tired, sore, and irritable. It also stresses me out trying to make it to class on time. I don't think it's my diet, I did the whole 30 last month, and have been about 80% paleo the rest of the time. I worked out at home for about a year before starting crossfit. Mostly bodyweight and suspension trainer. A little with dumbbells. I would like to incorporate more of the heavy lifting and some of the metcon work into what I was doing. Would the rebel fitness guide, or maybe rebel strength guide fit that bill?

Forgot the link to part 1 http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/03/theposition1doubleunder.tpl#featureArticleTitle

I found this great series free to download on the crossfit journal, "the position" #1-6. Great primer or reinforcement for Starretts book, or just great info on proper bodyweight exercise form.

Pretty well. I like the workouts, but I wish the class was a little more structured. We have classes mon., tues., thurs. nights and a different instructor each of those nights, and they seem to be "third tier". I've only even seen the owner and head instructor a couple of times in the gym, usually just as he's leaving, never worked with him. 2nd in rank is Ginny, who taught 2 of the 3 Saturday classes I went to and I really like her. I really like all the instructors, but we usually start class with the questions "what did you do last class?" or "have you done these?". With only 2 fundamentals class left I still don't feel comfortable with most of the lifts or movements. Description of course on line said recovery and nutrition would be covered. We only had a guided recovery one night, and nothing's been mentioned about nutrition.