DarK_RaideR's BattlE_LoG

[DarK_RaideR]

16 hours ago, Raxie said:

How do you math while working out? I'd never be able to remember how many burpees/thursters to do each time.  Especially since this is for time?!

At first, it was a struggle and I often tended to mess up my numbers, especially when counting reps and rounds in AMRAP. I then set an honor code for myself where if that happened, I'd pick the worst case scenario, meaning either that I had scored less reps or that I had more left to do. The (potential) extra work and worse scores were a good motivator to keep me focused on the math.

 

Eventually, I switched to having a chalk next to me and writing the numbers down on the floor mat, a plyo box or a steel post from a rack or pullup bar. Anything that could be erased afterwards, no vandalism involved. After a while, this also became a problem because I spent too much time stopping my workout to write stuff down, not to mention that most of the time that gives enough time for my brain to register the pain my body is in. As I pushed harder and harder, I slowly began to do the math in my head well enough that I didn't need to stop and write it down.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's still hard to crossfit and math. I loved the experience of competing and having a judge take care of that part for me as I focused onto the workout. I should note however, there's definitely something about my conditioning involved in the process. At first everything was pain and struggle, as I got into better shape I was able to spare more and more brain capacity during the workout, which in turn helped with the math.

 

In other news, here's a photo of the Crossfit Jesus after having trained with Rich Froning and his gang. I'm sure @Rurik Harrgath, @Agnarr and @deftona would approve

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

Ha!  I saw that photo earlier on my Instagram feed and instantly thought of you too. 

 

I've got to say, there's an awful lot of fitness crammed into that picture!

[DarK_RaideR]

2 minutes ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

I've got to say, there's an awful lot of fitness crammed into that picture!

Plus I can't help thinking the guy on the far right looks like @EricMN. Might be the beard

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

6 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Plus I can't help thinking the guy on the far right looks like @EricMN. Might be the beard

Cannot unsee.

[EricMN]

9 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Plus I can't help thinking the guy on the far right looks like @EricMN. Might be the beard

 

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Cannot unsee.

 

This is legit. This is also where I protest and say something about me having a full head of hair.

 

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Thursday, August 4th

 

Nutrition: 0/10 servings of alcohol and 1/10 cheat meals

 

Workouts: Rest day

 

Finances: Nothing spent, stayed at home for most of the day because...

 

Motorcycle: Had my lesson at 10a.m. as other hours were unavailable. Fortunately that's the only morning class, all the others will be evening ones. Finally rode the 600cc Hornet and took it around like a bicycle. Sure, it may have a bit more mass and power, but it's dormant until (I guess) higher speeds. Having tried the much more agressive 400, this felt too easy riding among people who were struggling to master the scooters. Yeah, yesterday I was that guy

 

[Mr_Willes]

Being that guy is awesome, and i think it's fantastic you get to try out multiple bikes to see what fits you, ofcourse there is multitude more around, but every little bit helps. The touring bikes you mentioned will only be easier handling so you've got that to look forward to!

 

Looking at the powerband of a hornet it looks like it's pretty linear.

 

 

You can see a little dip around 3000 rpm. Which means just before 4 it will feel like it will be winding up and will keep that pulling sensation straight through untill 8000 rpm. Great characteristics for a bike! My sis had a 600 suzuki, which had a small nudge at 5 or 6 so when riding it hitting top reps was quite the excitement!

[Agnarr]

good job on the 600!

 

BTW, have you seen Gudmundsson giving a shot at the Husafell Stone?... I'm certainly no expert, but his back seems to be far too rounded for that lift to be safe. What do you think?

 

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Friday, August 5th

 

Nutrition: 0/10 servings of alcohol and 1/10 cheat meals

 

Workouts: Third workout of the week

 

WOD

3 rounds for time:

4 Wall Walks

8 Power Snatches

12 Toes to bar

 

Goal: Since there was no time cap, break everything in sets of 4 and never stop moving

Result: 11:04 and goal achieved

Comments:

+ For the first time in a very long while, Wall Walks didn't kill my back

+ Used 40kg for my Power Snatches. Which isn't bad when I realized that 50kg is my 1RM

- Grip and technique failed me during the T2B. Didn't spend any extra time beyond my planned breaks on the ground, but it's disappointing to see that I haven't made much progress on those. Ironically, grip strength is also a minor issue for my bike riding.

Intensity rating: 80%

 

Finances: SRLF got paid and we're staying afloat until Wednesday. Went to the supermarket and meat market to stock on supplies

 

Motorcycle: Another lesson, another victory. Next week I'm leaving the course to do riding on the actual street

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Saturday, August 6th

 

Nutrition: 1/10 servings of alcohol and 2/10 cheat meals. Went out with the SRLF for the night, had a beer and falafel. It's been over a month since the last time we went out for a drink, alone or with company!

 

Workouts: Rest day

 

Finances: Stockpiling pt. 2, got some more meat and freggies.

 

Motorcycle: More on Monday

[Xena]

On 8/5/2016 at 8:15 AM, Agnarr said:

good job on the 600!

 

BTW, have you seen Gudmundsson giving a shot at the Husafell Stone?... I'm certainly no expert, but his back seems to be far too rounded for that lift to be safe. What do you think?

 

 

Love that this strength test involves a goat pen!

 

I had to google wall walks...they look challenging, and kind of scary (guy in the video dropped down pretty fast into the pushup position)! I could see how it would hurt your back toward the bottom of the range...I guess dropping down fast helps if you can handle it.

[DarK_RaideR]

On 5/8/2016 at 2:01 PM, mr_willes said:

Looking at the powerband of a hornet it looks like it's pretty linear. 

 

You can see a little dip around 3000 rpm. Which means just before 4 it will feel like it will be winding up and will keep that pulling sensation straight through untill 8000 rpm. Great characteristics for a bike!

It feels like a smooth climb in power indeed, I guess the 400cc would display a much sharper incline to display its more agressive reaction. As for the rest, probably useful for someone who would consider buying a Hornet (not me). During classes and exam we use just first and second gear, no speeding around!

 

On 5/8/2016 at 3:15 PM, Agnarr said:

BTW, have you seen Gudmundsson giving a shot at the Husafell Stone?... I'm certainly no expert, but his back seems to be far too rounded for that lift to be safe. What do you think?

It feels strange judging such an athlete's form, but I guess you're right about the rounded back. However, due to the sheer size of the stone I noticed he can't get his feet in a proper lifting position, they're wide enough to almost be considered a sumo deadlift, which makes things a little harder (for me at least)

 

8 hours ago, Xena said:

I had to google wall walks...they look challenging, and kind of scary (guy in the video dropped down pretty fast into the pushup position)! I could see how it would hurt your back toward the bottom of the range...I guess dropping down fast helps if you can handle it.

Wall Walks begin on the ground and going up to a pushup position. You take a big step back and up the wall, then put the other leg there as well and use your hands to walk back all the way to a (wall supported) handstand position, then do everything backwards until you're lying on the ground again. Feet are simply resting on the wall, it's all about arms and a great exercise to prepare for handstand walks. What most people seem to forget is you need a strong solid core to keep a hollow position, because if it goes loose you either fall over or (more often) get your full weight pressing down your back.

 

Theoretically, you're supposed to come back down in a slow and controlled manner. I get the jumping down part to make it faster and end the torture sooner, but that's how it's supposed to be. Also, during a workout it's understandable to drop down like that, both to save time and mainly because you're tired

 

Sunday, August 5th

 

Nutrition: 1/10 servings of alcohol and 2/10 cheat meals. Almost grabbed something from outside for dinner, but the SRLF kept me in line and we ate when we got back home

 

Workouts: Rest day

 

Finances: Money for the helmet I bought is waiting for me at my hometown. I should be able to make it until Wednesday when my salary comes in

 

Motorcycle: I forgot to mention, checked some second-hand bikes for sale online, some good deals around. My only problem is that the cheaper ones that haven't got too much mileage are somewhat older models and I can't clearly tell if they're equipped with an ABS system (except maybe the BMW F650GS) which always tends to raise the price

[Mr_Willes]

35 minutes ago, DarK_RaideR said:

I can't clearly tell if they're equipped with an ABS system (except maybe the BMW F650GS) which always tends to raise the price

 

But well worth it, especially for the less experienced!

[DarK_RaideR]

Monday, August 8th

 

Nutrition: 1/10 servings of alcohol and 2/10 cheat meals

 

Workouts: Rest day. Meant to train but my mood was terrible and my body felt low on energy, so I decided to postpone it for Tuesday

 

Finances: Just one more day left until payday

 

Motorcycle: Not good. I was already in a funk and it didn't help that my bike was late to arrive because of another dude that had it out for a spin. We hit a little hump at the exit and I messed up stopping to check the street, resulting in engine death. Restarting didn't help and things went downhill from there. Next turn the teacher stopped me to say I don't check around enough and drive as if I'm alone on the street. More lost concentration later, I messed up my left turns. Twice. See, when you're on a one direction street and intend to turn, you're supposed to go to the edge of the road until the crossroads. I did that, but got confused and took too sharp left turns, essentially ending up on the opposite lane. Teacher took the bike and I got back seat as we rode another round with the rest of the class. I was so mad I even forgot to check before dismounting and hit my leg on another guy's parked bike, falling to the ground and nearly knocking him and his bike down too. Really sucked. Hope I do better today and I'm concentrated enough during Wednesday's exam.

 

Bonus: Remember back in a day when I did a challenge running a wrestling federation with a roster of videogame characters? Well, it's back (rejoice T.H. and @deftona !) albeit as a different animal. No challenge and goals, just narrative and a lot more condensed at that. I've uploaded the intro and first 3 episodes that I had typed before that challenge collapsed. Feel free to check it out and I'd love it if you took the time to comment.

[deftona]

29 minutes ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Remember back in a day when I did a challenge running a wrestling federation with a roster of videogame characters? Well, it's back (rejoice T.H. and @deftona !)

 

 

Sorry to hear your bike lessons sucked but hopefully it will all come together on Wednesday. 

[Mr_Willes]

1 hour ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Really sucked. Hope I do better today and I'm concentrated enough during Wednesday's exam.

 

This could actually be a blessing in disguise. The very last lesson i had my teacher really picked out every little and big mistake i made. At the end i felt like rubbish. But a few days later on the exam i was laser-focused! In hindsight i think he did that on purpose to get me in that state. We have a saying:

"een slechte generale belooft een goede premiere"

translated (don't know if there is an english equivalent):

"a bad last practice makes for a good recital"

 

Good luck on your exam, ride with confidence!

[AugustaAdaByron]

Sorry to hear about the funk. It's amazing how not being concentrated can affect you but it was random. I'm sure you'll do better today and on Wednesday because you'll be watching out for everything that happened yesterday. Basically, what @mr_willes said.

[DarK_RaideR]

Tuesday, August 9th

 

Nutrition: 1/10 servings of alcohol and 2/10 cheat meals

 

Workouts: First workout of the week

 

WOD

14' AMRAP

6 Ring Dips

9 Deadlifts (60kg)

12 Box Jumps

15 Pullups

 

Goal: Go Rx and complete 3 rounds

Score: 3 rounds and 16 reps Rx. Thats 1 short of completing the Box Jumps in the 4th round

Comments:

+ Replaced the strict bar pullups with strict ring pullups during warmup. This will become a standard, as I need to work on my ring grip, control and getting up there if I want to pull of a ring muscle up anytime soon

+ Glad I stuck to ring dips instead of bar dips. Had to kip and my ROM wasn't the best, but I attacked it as hard as I could

+ DLs felt light and were all done unbroken

+ I wasn't as fast as I'd like on the Box Jumps, but was surprisingly unaffected by them as far as my pulse and breathing go

- Pullups were my achilles heel, mainly because of poor grip strength. I feel like my kipping technique is collapsing too

 

Finances: Payday tomorrow!

 

Motorcycle: Final class is today, thanks everyone for your kind words. I practiced my turns while driving the car today, repeating "left is wide, right is sharp" inside my head. Hoping things will go better today.

 

Bonus: HWA has a new episode up. That's the first original content in almost a year!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I'm glad things turned around for you. Bad days are the worst.

[Mr_Willes]

 

Spoiler

6 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I'm glad things turned around for you. Bad days are the worst.

 

 

Actually, a German sausage is the worst

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

4 minutes ago, mr_willes said:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

Actually, a German sausage is the worst

 

No, its the wurst.

[Mr_Willes]

5 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

No, its the wurst.

 

Shall we ask @elizevdmerwe  

[Mrs Van]

1 hour ago, mr_willes said:

 

Shall we ask @elizevdmerwe  

Who is using my name? worst? wurst? Don't know about German, but Afrikaans sausage is "wors". And it is the worst if not braaied properly. Mr_Willes, Tank's right that wurst is a German sausage, but bad days can be like the worst wurst.

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

43 minutes ago, elizevdmerwe said:

Who is using my name? worst? wurst? Don't know about German, but Afrikaans sausage is "wors". And it is the worst if not braaied properly. Mr_Willes, Tank's right that wurst is a German sausage, but bad days can be like the worst wurst.

[DarK_RaideR]

Wednesday, August 10th

 

Motorcycle: I passed my exam! Tuesday's class went fine and I found out the 400cc Super Four has a carbyrator instead of a fuel injection, which explains its agressive engine. Anyway, I took a day off from work and was there by 1p.m. We took the bikes for a spin across all tests on course, then for a short drive on the street. Teacher then took us to the shade to explain the theory and mechanics. After that, we got our gear and suited up for the test. Had a few theoretical questions I wasn't sure about, but as soon as I answered with my best guess, the stress went away and I remembered the right one to correct it. The examiner was understanding and I got away with it. My low speed drive destroyed the timers in over 20" (there's a 15" minimum baseline) and all the tests went well. My engine died at the first crossroads during the street exam (if it happens twice it's a fail and 160 Euros to take the exam next month) but I kept my cool and drove as I should to pass. It was already 5+ p.m. and I went home to celebrate

 

Nutrition: 2/10 servings of alcohol and 3/10 cheat meals for that ice cream

 

Workouts: Rest day

 

Finances: Finally got paid! Gave the rest of the money to the motorcycle school and got some groceries, now it's all about proper management of resources until next payday. August is expected to be pretty rough on the financial side.