Matt and Donna's Crossfit Chronicles

"Tim"

2010-08-21T17:42:00.004+12:00

My workout today came via CrossFit New Zealand.

Lt Tim O’Donnell, 28, was serving as part of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Bamyan Province, Afganistan, when his unit came under attack. Lt O'Donnell was killed.

Two other New Zealand defence personnel were seriously injured; Lance Corporal Matthew Ball, 24, who is a friend of CFNZ member Nick's from primary and secondary school, and Private Allistar Baker, 23. Lt O'Donnell is New Zealand's first combat death in Afganistan, and New Zealand's first combat death in over a decade. Lt O'Donnell is survived by his father Mark, a former police officer, his mother Mary-Anne, a nurse, his brother Andrew, and his sister Anna.

Nick asked us if he could create a workout to honour Tim in the traditional CrossFit fashion. He wrote a few words for us as well.

Tim O'Donnell, Matthew Ball and Allistar Baker are New Zealand's heroes. It's intrinsic to the nature of heroism, however, that a hero is the last person who is going to call himself a hero, because the chief characteristic of true heroism is selflessness. That is what distinguishes true heroism, like those fighting for our country and community, from false heroism such as sports idols and movie stars. Tim, Matt and Allistar gave selflessly of themselves to fight for our country and felt as if they were only doing their jobs, even though their jobs require them to do extraordinary things. The New Zealand Defence Force in Afganistan are not men and women who, once in a lifetime, rise to the occasion and go into the fray at great personal peril. They are people who train to do this, and more, on a daily basis. New Zealand is proud of their contribution to Afganistan.

This post is dedicated to all those who are in professions that involve keeping our community, and country, safe. Thank you for your sacrifices. - Nick Linton

"Tim"
400m Farmers Walk 2 x 24's/16's Kettlebells
28 Box Jumps 60/50cm
28m Bear Crawl
28 Double Unders
28 Ground to Overhead 40/30kg
28m Bear Crawl
28 Double Unders
28 Chest to bar Pull Ups
28m Bear Crawl
28 Double Unders
28 Burpees
28m Bear Crawl
28 Double Unders
28 Pistols
28m Bear Crawl
28 Double Unders
400m Farmers Walk

Subbed 84 singles for the double unders otherwise as Rx in 30:33. RIP Tim.

Meatza!!!!!!!!!!!! Vegetarians look away

2010-08-16T20:50:00.003+12:00

Yeah that's right a meat based pizza,awesome.
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Turns out Facebook is good for something :-) this link was posted by one of my "friends" in the US, Donna modified the recipe a little bit, but damn this is good.

Done!

2010-08-01T14:57:00.003+12:00

Platform is done, just pick the height and get ready to load some stones

Our two new 24kg Kettlebells arrived so.....

...... now I have more to paint.

Work in progress

2010-07-28T14:29:00.003+12:00

This should work, just need some 4x4's to use as the main supports

What's hanging in your yard?

The girls enjoy the mid winter sun

On the ropes and then in the gym
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My workout today was Jen Conlin's birthday wod:
Ten Mins to go for a 15-20 rep Back squat at 50% or 65% of your 1Rm
I got to 20 @ 100kg
MetCon
Run 800m with bumper plate (25#/15#) 10kg plate
20 Box Jumps 24 inch
20 Power Cleans(95#/135) 60kg
10 Ring push-ups
Run 800m With Bumper plate
15 Box Jumps
15 Power cleans
10 Ring push ups
As Rx 18:38 :-)

Thrusters!

2010-07-26T21:01:00.003+12:00

Thruster 1 x 5 70-80-85-90 Fail-90 PR
New Thruster PR at 90kg or 198# :-)

THEN:

Thruster 1 x 15 @ 50kg

FINISH WITH:

Every min for 12 min – DB Complex

(loading 50% Body Weight) 20kg DB's

3 Hang Power Clean

3 Front Squat

3 Push Press

Dumbell complex was rough!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

2010-07-26T13:15:00.002+12:00

Brilliant idea!

Snatchtastic Sunday

2010-07-25T16:55:00.002+12:00

Sporting my EC Snatch shirt I headed to the gym for some Oly lifting.

Nick joined me to have a go at "Lynne" which is 5 rounds of max reps Body Weight Bench Press and Pull Ups. He managed 26 Bench Press and 80 Pull Ups

I did a Catalyst Athletics O Lifting workout
Muscle Snatch + 2 x OHS + Snatch Balance x 3 Sets - did these at 50kg
2 Position Snatch @ 60% x 4 sets these at 45kg
then 3 x 10 Ab Rollouts using the barbell. I had forgotten how tough these are.

Nick got to find out for himself

Great morning with the sun streaming through the windows

Wow, where did 2 weeks go?????????????

2010-07-23T08:59:00.005+12:00

So Donna had a blast at the CrossFit Games and is now hanging out with Paige in Sacramento California before heading to Santa Cruz this afternoon.

Last weekend Amy and I headed to Linton Camp near Palmerston North to take part in the Tough Guy and Gal Mud Run. We both chose the 6k option and it was a blast

Beer, mud and a little bit of a run :-)

Results were: Matt 33:18 22nd overall, 19th Male, 5th in age group

Amy 39:06 75th overall,19th Female, 16th in age group

Then it was a busy week at work and the gym before I could hit todays workout, which Donna did at CF East Sac as well.

Deadlift 3 x 5, then 25-20-15 of Burpees, Power Clean + Push Press and Kettlebell Cross Chops
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DL 120-135-150-150-150kg
Met Con: 11:19 using a 20kg sandbag and 1 pood KB

MaD CF sweat angel

Donna and the East Sac crew:
Deads: 75, 80,85, 85, 85

Everyone joined in on the Met Con, it was brutal!!! we did PC/PP with dumbbells

Loren 10kg 11:07
D$ 10kg 12:55
Paige 5kg 13:55 (scaled)
Kelly 12.5kg 16:19
Tino-lets just say after returning from the bathroom and almost meeting pukie-he finished. Then I told him “your girlfriends mom just kicked your ass”

all in all a good morning!

Coaches workout...............

2010-07-11T17:18:00.002+12:00

We headed down to clean the gym and hit tomorrows workout. A bit of a test run of the Met Con portion. But 1st it was 5 x 5 Deadlifts. 100-120-135-135-135kg (last 3 sets @ 80% of 1RM)

We're not in Kansas anymore

Met Con 10-1 Burpees and 1-10 Kettlebell swings 2 pood in 5:58 :-)

"Annie", "The Chief" and other stuff

2010-07-07T21:01:00.002+12:00

Monday - For time:
Row 2k - 50 WallBall Shots 20# ball
Row 1k - 35 WBS
Row 500m - 20 WBS
As Rx 20:48
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Tuesday - "Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders (subbed 4 x single unders)
Sit Ups (subbed half GHD Situps)
Time 10:23

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Wednesday
“The Chief” – Max rounds in 3 minutes
3 x 60/43 kg Power Clean
6 x Push Ups
9 x Squat
Rest 1 minute – 5 Cycles
As Rx: 29 rounds.

Power Cleans + Push Ups +

Squats = The Chief
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A nice PR, I last did this WOD at CrossFit Battleborn in Reno Nevada on Jul 5th 2009, long time between attempts :-)

Strongman stuff at MaD

2010-07-03T17:35:00.003+12:00

Toys :-)

Good shoulder but then a miss on pressing the 45kg stone

Stone loading

Teaching the tire flip

Good day at the gym, great crew from CrossFit Mana. Thanks AJ and Jenn for coming down to play.

Workout

Run 400m

4 x 45kg stone loads

Run 400m

10 x 90kg Tire flips

Run 400m

10 x 90kg Fat Bar Deadlifts

As Rx 5:22

More pics here

Dogs, some wod's and stones.............

2010-06-21T20:50:00.004+12:00

Some new artwork at the gym, thanks to my brother Dan and his family Kat, Esme' and the newly arrived Cordy for the Blik pugs.

We think the one on the right is Ging!

Everything in it's place.

Wednesday 16 Jun

Clean 5 x 5 - 60-70-80-85 x 4 - 60kg
Then 6 minute AMRAP:
3 Muscle Ups
6 Thrusters 43/30
As Rx 5 rounds
.

Thursday - Rest

Friday

Press 1 x 5 – 60-62.5-65-67.5-70kg Fail
Front Squat 1×15 80kg (these were nasty)
AMRAP in 8 minutes:
8 box jumps (mid thigh)
8 OHS (43/30)
8 KBS (1.5/1)

As Rx 5 rounds + 20 reps.

Saturday and Sunday were rest days but I did manage to move some concrete and soon we will have another baby stone :-)

Empty and full
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Monday

Back Squat 5 x 5 - 60-80-100-110-110

21-15-9

Deadlift 100/75kg

Push Ups

As Rx 2:32 :-)

Another PR only by 0.2 of a pound though :-)

2010-06-15T20:58:00.004+12:00

Monday:
Front Squat 5 x 5 sets across @ 100kg

Then 5 rounds of :
5 HSPU
5 Double Unders
5:38

HSPU are tough but DU's suck or actually I suck at DU's

Tuesday

Push Press 1 x 5

80-82.5-85-87.5-91 - NEW PR!!! (by 0.2 pounds)

Then 4 rounds of:

5 Ring Dips

20 KB CrossChops 10 per side

20 Lunges with the KB 10 per side

Push Press and CrossChops, fun stuff :-)

New Back Squat PR 155kg or 341#

2010-06-10T21:02:00.003+12:00

Last time I PR'd my back squat was June last year and then I injured myself falling off a pull up bar - but that's another story entirely. I am really happy to be back at this level :-)

Part way through tonight's workout, which was:

Back Squat 1 x 5 (155kg), so heavy singles, followed by Deadlift 1 x 15 (100kg) and finishing with - 3 RFT:

3 Clean to lunge 1 each leg – 45% BW – DB or Barbell - 40kg

3 Turkish Get Up (each side) 20kg

5 Pull Ups

Time: 7:47

and for Tuesday.
Deadlift 5 x5
130-140-145-150-155 x 3

Then 5 rounds of:
5 Wallball 20# to 10'
5 Power Snatch 20kg
Time: 3:06

I guess the girls think it's winter

New toys and somewhere to put them.

2010-06-07T19:40:00.003+12:00

2 new bars one 20kg with bearings and 17kg with bushings.
12 new change plates 4 each of 5,2.5 and 1.25kg

New bar holders :-)

Todays workout:

Cleans 1 x 5 - I used the new 17kg bar, seems to spin ok.

77-87-92-97F-92Kg

Back squat 1 x 20 @ 102kg
.

Met Con 3 RFT

6 Ring Dips

6 Power Snatch 42kg

250m Row

All done in 5:50

High School Reunion and visiting old haunts......

2010-06-06T17:03:00.003+12:00

So I spent the weekend in Cambridge at my Class of '83 Reunion. It was a fun time and I managed to get around to the old family homes.

17 Hall St

138 Victoria St

Cambridge Primary School
Still looks the same, as opposed to Cambridge High, which has changed a ton.

The "sneaky way"

The high level bridge
Climbing across the lower span was a favourite pastime

A couple to catch up on.................

2010-06-03T20:35:00.003+12:00

June 1st

(NOT FOR TIME) – Complete 5 rounds of:
1 Power Snatch
3 Overhead Squat
5 Box Jumps
*Do 1 Power Snatch, then 3 OHS without setting the bar down, then Box Jump.
*Increase the load each round.
*Increase the box jump height each round.
*Go as heavy as possible, go as high as possible - 70kg and 101cm
.
June 3

Front Squat 5 x 5
60-75-85-95-100kg
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Then another Met Con from Catalyst.

3 rounds for time of:
10 (1 Clean + 2 lunge) – 50% BW
20 pull-ups
As Rx with 40kg 12:35
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This combo sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Presses and a little Row

2010-05-31T21:00:00.003+12:00

Donna and Kelly hit a Sunday Catalyst WOD and no I have no idea what Marshall is doing!

Today was press 5 x 5 then a 7 minute AMRAP of 250m sprint - 150m Rest

Nick and I managed 5 rounds.

Press 50-55-57.5-57.5-57.5 (x3)

Bad As then the coaches throw down.......

2010-05-30T10:57:00.004+12:00

The Womens Bad As Womens Open Weightlifting competition went off well yesterday.

The ladies warm up!

Marshall from CrossFit A and M and Darren from CrossFit NZ helped to judge. On Friday we hit the MaD CF WOD 10 rounds of 1 Deadlift and 12 Push Ups. Divide time by weight lifted.

Marshall -160kg 1.89

Darren - 160kg 2.25

Matt -145kg 3.63

Then after the Bad As we hit Jason (Thanks Amy!).

Matt: 18:20 a PR by 3 minutes :-)

Darren: 20:12

Marshall: 27:05

Louise: 22:42

Cara: 16:10

Lots more BaD As pics here and here

Oooppppps a nine day break..............

2010-05-25T20:23:00.003+12:00

Coaching the ladies on Saturday :-)

The last week or so has been stupid busy at work with the army. I have been assessing some new Bomb Tech team leaders which requires some long hours and hard work.

In addition I managed to get sick with the flu and working out has not been an option.

So back to it tonight with "Elizabeth" 21-15-9 61kg Cleans and Ring Dips in 6:40 this is a 4 second PR and 1 minute better that last month :-) Turns out all the rest I have had has paid off.

I will try to get back to being a little more regular with my posts.

Rest day car shopping and more.........

2010-05-16T20:40:00.005+12:00

The girls make good use of their rest day.

We on the other hand spent a few hours looking for a car for Donna.

This is what we got, a Toyota Corolla Wagon, tinted windows and all :-)

I finally got around to making another rope for the gym using the 1 inch dia rope that I brought back from Tulsa, Ok in March.

Another gym toy.

I also found a small tyre that is perfect for the 10 inch stone mold, time to make some more rocks!

Cute or what?

Snatch then Clean and Jerk :-)

2010-05-12T20:38:00.003+12:00

The last couple of days have been a bit Oly centric. Sadly I have been a bit bad with the camera.

Snatch session on Tuesday
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Snatch 3 x 5 (3 reps x 5 sets) 40-50-60-65-65
.
Then for time:
10 Hand Stand Push Ups and 1 Pull Up
9 HSPU and 2 Pull Ups
down and up to
2 HSPU and 9 Pull Ups
1 HSPU and 10 Pull Ups
11:24 working HSPU negatives after the first 5.
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Then tonight, Clean and Jerk 1 x 5 70-80-80-80-85kg
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Followed by Deadlift 1 x 15 - 120kg
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and finished with, 3 Rounds For Time of:
50m Farmers Carry
15 Pull Ups
3:46 with 22.7kg DB's

Bombing and new T's

2010-05-09T18:30:00.005+12:00

A busy weekend at the gym so no time or energy to workout.

Before and After the bombing

New letter box and wall ball targets
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The new T's finally arrived.

Mens - (L to R Front and Back)

Ladies - (L to R Front and Back)

Cinco de Mayo, good press and a new PR :-)

2010-05-05T20:41:00.005+12:00

Kiwi helps celebrate Cinco de Mayo

The Bad As Womens Open hits the Hutt News

I hit a new Over Head Squat PR of 100kg or 220pounds :-)

Nick cranks out 30 Muscle Ups in 22 minutes, great first go at this wod!

Then time for the Met Con 5 rounds of 5 Hang Power Snatch 40kg and 20 Double Unders (or sub 80 Single Unders)

A rest day for some...........

2010-05-02T17:49:00.003+12:00

The girls make the most of their day off!

Today started with a 5km Trail/Mountain run in Wainuiomata. I was trying out my Vibrams Five Fingers. Finished 2nd overall in 29:33 and didn't really notice any adverse effects from not wearing normal shoes.

Before and after

Poser!
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Then it was time to walk the girls, meet some friends at the mall, before we headed in to the gym. We were meeting the crew who will be tagging one of the walls in there, pics will be up next Saturday, it should look awesome!

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Jenn and AJ from Linton stopped in to drop off our women's oly lifting bars and pick up their stash of 500kg of bumpers. They are both competing at the Regionals in Sydney next weekend so we wish them the best of luck for the comp over there. Go kick some Aussie ass!

AJ (on the left) at Sectionals

100km Done!

2010-05-01T15:09:00.004+12:00

The 100km rowing is all over :-) I finished off my last 500m last night with a new PR of 1:31.6 :-)

Then it was time to Snatch 5 x 5 -40-40-45-45-50kg turns out this is a ton of work.

We finished with a short sharp met con 10-8-6-4-2 Pull Ups and Box Jumps, Time: 2:29

Today it was fun with stones and big tires before "Jackie" at MaD CrossFit

Flipping out with the tire

Stone shouldering

Back in the groove..................

2010-04-28T20:47:00.004+12:00

So a few days to catch up on.

Monday: MetCon only 4 Rounds For Time:
Row 200m
10 Toes to Bar
Time:5:28

Tuesday:Bench Press 5 x 5
60-70-80-85-91kg x 4 (trying for an even 200lbs x 5 but not quite there today)
.

3 Rounds For Time
10 Kettlebell Swings 30% Body Weight
50m Sprint, due to the torrential downpour I subbed shuttle runs for sprints and used the 2 pood bell
Time: 1:58

Today our new bumpers arrived from the US, we now have 4 more 20kg and 10kg plates plus 6 more 5kg plates, should be enough for a while.

Then I did the MaD workout:Deadlift 3 x 5

130-140-145-150-155kg PR :-)
Then:
3RFT
20 Steps Walking Lunge 20kg Overhead
10 Box Jump 70cm

Time: 4:24

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Donna is on her own program from Catalyst Athletics, sporting her CrossFit Harlem T on the row, sandbag clean and half moon workout tonight :-)

"Murph" and releasing the stones..............

2010-04-25T15:31:00.003+12:00

Yesterday we hit "Murph" as the MaD CrossFit workout of the day. I quite like this workout in a sort of perverse way. I wore my issue frag vest, made for a whole other level of suffering, as Rx 47:28.

"Murph"

For time:
1 mile (1600m) Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile (1600m) Run
Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
.

Then today after the ANZAC Day dawn service in Upper Hutt we headed to Makara to the womens only MTB series to give away a spot prize and meet some more local ladies who ride.

After that it was time to hit the gym for some rowing, some cleaning and some running repairs. A few clients joined us as well, there are only 5 days left in our 100,000m challenge.

Once we finally made it home it was time to release the stones. Not the greatest in the world, but a good start. Next time more vibration required.

Less than 25km to go..............

2010-04-22T20:29:00.001+12:00

Rowing today 25 minutes 6583m :-)

Yesterday:
Snatch 1 x 5 (Going for 1 RM – so think before you load the bar)
Snatch 50-55 Pwr Sn-55-60PS-60-65kg

Then Deadlift 1 x 15 - 100kg

and finish with Total Calories Rowed during each work interval
3:00 Work (Calorie Total) 1:30 Rest Interval
2:00 Work (Calorie Total) 1:30 Rest Interval
1:30 Work (Calorie Total)

Row: 155 cal/ 1966m
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No pics sorry :-(

Shrimp on the Barbie and more..........

2010-04-19T20:35:00.003+12:00

Ginger goes Paleo eating zucchini!

Shrimp on the barbie, we must be down under

I warmed up with 7k of rowing then

5 x 5 DeadLift

Matt:120.8-141.6-141.6-132.8-132.8

Donna: 50-70-80-85-80 -making a comeback :-)

MetCon every minute on the minute for 10:00 perform:

5 Hang Power Snatch (Use a 10 RM Load) - Matt 40kg

5 Overhead Squats

This is truely hideous, go lighter than you think, that load is based on your Hang Power Snatch!

Round 9 and it was starting to hurt a bit

A busy weekend, but all good stuff!

2010-04-18T17:58:00.003+12:00

Yesterday was Hopper Deck day at MaD CrossFit, we ended up with the 6 of Diamonds
50 Wallballs
40 Double Unders (or 160 SU’s)
30 KBS
20 Walking Lunge
10 Box Jump

This one was the 3rd choice, Joshie, and 150 KBS went the way of a 10 Burpee penalty.

Great wod
5:17
160 SU’s -1.5pood KBS-24″ BJ
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We also hit some max effort box jumps- didn't quite make this one at 115cm

Then today we headed out to Makara to check out the trails.

After that it was time for a quick 5k row and to clean the gym, before I finally got around to making a couple of Atlas Stones.

In a weeks time we will know how these ones worked out :-)

Barbell Complex - a nasty beast!

2010-04-15T20:02:00.004+12:00

From the Queensland Sectional today's workout at MaD

AMRAP in 10 mins of:
Deadlift, 7 reps
Hang Power Clean, 7 reps
Front Squat, 7 reps
Chest to Overhead, 7 reps

Loads are 40kg/30kg. The same bar is used for all exercises. A clear separation is required between movements

This one is a beast.

Matt

178 Reps as Rx

Donna
96 as Rx
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Top numbers from the Sectional
Men 280
Women 209

We warmed up with more rowing. Half way through the month and I have only logged 28k, time to get some serious mileage in to make 100km by April 30. Check out progress here.

Sleeve and a T

2010-04-14T20:33:00.004+12:00

The replacement sleeve for one of our York Barbells arrived from Again Faster today so I spent the evening fixing that.

Then I got to coach a great Fight Gone Bad session. Nick (279) and Sovita (266) rocked it as Rx :-) Great stuff.

Again Faster also supplied a great new T.

Back on the band wagon...........

2010-04-13T22:21:00.004+12:00

Kiwi in chains a true thug pug!

Today's workout on MaD CrossFit

From the NY/NJ Sectional

Row 1k
30 Burpee Box Jumps 24″
Row 1k

Time: 10:22 - using the big tire as the box jump.

Nick helps out changing the chain on one of the ropes

Too Hard, Too Fast...........

2010-04-11T19:25:00.005+12:00

turns out going out hard and fast and trying to keep up with 20 year olds is not so smart. At the 12k mark I twisted an ankle but continued to run as we were in 2nd place at the time. We kept up the pace and were the 1st team into Checkpoint 1 of the Oxfam Trailwalker.

The effort took a toll and I only made it to Checkpoint 3 at a distance of 45km in 7 hours and 10 minutes before it was time to call it a day. The next leg was 19km long and it was time to finally check my ego. My knees and ankles were ok going up but hated the downs and the flat.

One of the young guys, Lee, was a mess as well so we both retired. The other two in my team continued on after being adopted by another team, Team Race4Max from Office Max in Christchurch. These were an awesome bunch of guys with a great support crew. Lee and I joined the supporters. So Kelly, Paul, Fiona and the retired Ammo team members met the guys at each Checkpoint until the finish at 11:44pm in downtown Taupo. The guys finished in 17:44 well inside our 18 hour goal.

Here are some pics of the day :-)

Team Ammo ready to hit the start line

On the trails

The views were great. Team Ammo and Run4Max combined :-)

The final leg on the lakefront

The boys just wanted a pie at the finish.

(L to R Cam, Lee and Leighton)

"You must always blow on the pie?" Kelly from Run4Max lays down the law to Leighton

Tires!

2010-04-08T20:07:00.003+12:00

I am taking another rest day before the Oxfam 100km Trailwalker this weekend.

So thanks to Grant and Donna for test running the Tabata with Tires workout tonight.

Tire Flips

Tire/Box Jumps

Tire Strikes with Sledge Hammer

Tire Rope Pull

Score each rep, 1 Tabata Interval (8 x 20:10) of each exercise. Positive feedback from both participants, we will do this one again :-)

Elizabeth is a nasty b*tch!

2010-04-06T20:19:00.004+12:00

Andy telling me to keep my head up - thanks for the coaching mate

Today's workout was Elizabeth:

21-15-9

Cleans 60kg

Ring Dips

Time: 7:45

Andy hit Elizabeth and then a nasty 20 min AMRAP, he will be one to watch at Regionals in Sydney next month.

A mixed bag............

2010-04-05T17:28:00.003+12:00

Great morning at MaD CrossFit. Bench Press, some Back Squats then a nasty little Met con and some rowing.

Hitting todays MetCon 3 rounds for time:
50 m sprint
10 walking lunges
2 rope climbs

Time 2:41 - Tall socks are a must for this one!

Andy, visiting from Wales via Oz

We repainted the front door - Old and New colours

We also squeezed in some more mountain bike riding, the trails are a fun timeout from work and chores :-)

More rowing............only 88km to go!

2010-04-04T17:16:00.004+12:00

After adding a few km's to my total for the month yesterday. We headed back in this dreary afternoon armed with the DVD player and a copy of "The Collective" mountain bike film. 30 mins and just over 6km later we were done for the day :-)

Good Friday fun and games..............

2010-04-02T15:04:00.004+13:00

Good Friday session
.
Great 9am Class at MaD CrossFit this morning. Ben and Owen Franks of CrossFit Canterbury stopped by to visit. They are in town to play in the Crusaders Vs Hurricanes Super 14 Rugby Game tonight and were nice enough to provide us tickets to the match.
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Then it was time to head to the hills again. The trails in Wainuiomata are great fun and well constructed.

Looking forward to the long weekend.

2010-04-01T20:20:00.003+13:00

Hit the MaD CrossFit workout tonight.

5 x 5 Over Head Squats

60-65-70 x 2 -65-65

Followed by a quick Met Con

3 Rounds For Time

20 Pull Ups

20 Walking Lunges 20kg overhead

Time 5:30

Looks like the weather will be good so I am hoping for some good mountain biking :-)

Snatchtastic Tuesday!

2010-03-30T19:51:00.003+13:00

Snatch Pull then SNATCH!

Back into the gym tonight for some Snatch practice.
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Snatch 3 x 5 (3 reps x 5 sets)
40-45-50-55-60 then Snatch Balance 65kg x 1 followed by Snatch 65kg x 1.
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Met Con: 5:21 as Rx
2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 reps for time:
KB swings 1.5/1 pood
Toes to Bar
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Look for MaD CrossFit on the CrossFit.com Affiliate Blog tomorrow.

A small Hematoma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-29T19:55:00.002+13:00

Turns out my little tumble off the bike yesterday left a bit of a bruise on my hamstring. So I took another rest day to coach Donna and Amy through a 5 x 5 Thruster workout followed by a row, pull up and box jump metcon.

I will be back in the gym tomorrow though.

Good Times...........

2010-03-28T16:57:00.003+13:00

As the logo says "You can't beat Wellington on a good day!

MaD on the Wainuiomata Trails :-)

After a busy day yesterday we had a chilled out morning. Donna practiced her massage skills on me :-)

Then we headed for the hills, the trail head is less than 10 minutes from the house. Great trails, great riding, good times.

After that it was home for a pug pampering session, nails and brushing all around.

Now we are relaxing checking out the pics and results from all the CrossFit Games sectional competitions on this weekend. Great to see so many athletes from our second home, CrossFit East Sacramento doing so well.

Saturday Class, Skills and Workout!

2010-03-27T17:46:00.002+13:00

Kiwi helps keep the class in line!

Great class and skills session at MaD CrossFit this morning. I finished off with a workout drawn from the Hopper Deck.

Tommy V

For time:
115 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 12 ascents
115 pound Thruster, 15 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 9 ascents
115 pound Thruster, 9 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 6 ascents

2nd to last ascent!

Time: 21:28

Now we are home with all the chores done, looking forward to a day off tomorrow with fingers crossed for good weather so we can hit the trails on our mountain bikes.

Damn that was rough!

2010-03-26T20:00:00.003+13:00

Look Ma no feet! Working hard on the pull ups

Deadlift 1 x 5 (Heavy Singles so be smart!)
140.8-150.8-155.8-160.8-165.8kg

Then – 1 x 15 Over Head Squats
55kg

Followed by a 15 Minute AMRAP of:
3 HSPU - after 2 rounds these became negatives only
6 Pull Ups
9 Knee To Elbow
12 DB/KB Swings 1.5/1 pood
6 Rounds + HSPU, Pull Ups and 1 KTE

Not so light weight baby!

Squats make your butt sore!!!!!

2010-03-25T20:09:00.003+13:00

Not much to add today, coached the 6pm class and rolled out.

Butt is super sore from yesterday!

I will try to be better..................

2010-03-24T19:44:00.004+13:00

Working hard at the NZ CrossFit Games Sectionals (check here for all the vids)

A long time between posts. Between work in the Army and at the gym I have been a slacker.

So I will now try to use this as a bit of a training blog and see how that goes.

This week I have been busy assessing and being assessed at work so my workouts have been a little random

Monday I joined the 6pm class at MaD CF for the MetCon
3 RFT:
8 Dumbbell push press @ 30% BW each (20kg each side)
12 Pull-ups
16 KettleBell Swings @ 40% BW (32kg)
Time- 5:25

Tuesday was way too busy so I took a break.

Wednesday (today) was Back squat 5 x 5
120-120-125-125-125kg

Then:

4 RFT:
200 m row
10 KB cross-chops (5/side) – 25% BW
Time - 4:54

Back in NZ...................

2010-02-05T14:16:00.004+13:00

I flew back to NZ yesterday so am now fighting a bit of jet lag. The trip to the states was good, I managed to bring back lots of little things for the gym.

A huge thank you to Brandon at CrossFit Tulsa and Eric at Next Generation CrossFit for allowing me to workout at their boxes.

Donna now has her new shoes - Do Wins from Again Faster :-)

We headed out to sort out some stuff for the gym and stopped by a tyre store to see if we could have a tyre or two..............

Didn't quite fit, so we took home a smaller one, but I will get a trailer for the big one :-)

Now I think it is time for a short nap!

A bit of ice and snow.........

2010-01-30T16:24:00.003+13:00

Last night we had a bit of an ice storm...

..followed today by 5 inches of snow

Got to love the weather in Tulsa, OK

Just another warehouse?

2010-01-28T03:18:00.002+13:00

From the outside.........

You never know what is behind the roller door.

This is Next Generation CrossFit in Tulsa. I hit their 6am class for:
Strength/Skill: 20 Back Squats (225/135), one set.
WOD:
Three rounds, each timed, of:
500m Run
Rest approx. 5 minutes between rounds
1:48-1:49-1:47
This one is a leg burner :-)

Some of the snacks on offer at the firm I am training with. At least they offer great coffee and jerky to offset the Butterfingers and donuts.

It's been too long...........

2010-01-26T17:48:00.005+13:00

OK so I am now in Tulsa, Oklahoma for some army training. At the same time I am managing to pick up some stuff for the gym and visit local affiliates.

First stop was CrossFit Tulsa, thanks to Brandon for making me welcome and letting me play with my new shoes.

I am here for a week before heading back to NZ so I hope to hit at least a couple more CrossFit gyms.

In the meantime Donna is holding the fort in NZ. Give her a call or stop by if you live close. A big thanks to Liz for making us both feel at home back in NZ :-)

Changes.............

2010-01-10T19:04:00.005+13:00

Entryway to MaD CrossFit - hit the link and check out the new layout at MaD CrossFit as well.

25 November 1st coat of paint - and now

A couple of other views

Thanks to Jane for the stencils

The stereo gets some elevation

The dip stations look much better with a coat of paint on the timber supports

Transmission resumes...............

2010-01-09T20:16:00.004+13:00

Sorry for the break in posts, I guess me going back to work and working at the gym have got in the way.

Pics from Fridays "Filthy 50" which I finished in 26:44

More to follow...................

Beds and dip bars.....

2009-12-30T20:22:00.002+13:00

I finally got around to building the girls a new bed so I could have my 6 inch Plyo box back.

The girls enjoy their new bed!

I also installed one of the sets of dip bars, thanks again Ralph :-)

1 down 3 to go!

Bacon Bambi Explosion!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-27T14:48:00.004+13:00

Ralph requested a "Bacon Explosion" while he was visiting. So in order to reward his and Val's hard work today painting and laying floor at MaD CrossFit, I came up with a slight twist on the theme when I found venison sausages at the store. See the results below of a Bacon Bambi Explosion! Rated very well with the tasters as a "definitely would eat again, in fact lets have another one for dinner" :-)

The Finished Product:

The dark meat is the venison

The Process:

I used streaky bacon, 4 venison and 2 pork sausages, a mix of Moroccan spices and Dukkah as the rub and a hickory smoked BBQ sauce.

Boxing Day

2009-12-26T17:58:00.004+13:00

A good boxing day, we only held a 10am class at MaD CrossFit and hit them with the "Filthy Sixties" like a "Filthy 50" but with only 60 seconds work at each exercise.

Box Jumps on Boxing Day and using the new Wallball targets

Val and Ralph joined in for a fast and furious 10 minutes of fun and games. Great effort.

Then it was home to throw more food on the grill as Liz, Craig and Bohdi joined us for lunch.

The girls enjoyed their play date with Bohdi so we left them at home as we headed to Te Papa to check out a Collosal Squid and an exhibition on a day in Pompeii.

Now we are back home catching up on the news and looking forward to a relaxing evening at home.

Kiwi Xmas

2009-12-25T18:23:00.005+13:00

Ginger waits in the morning sun to open presents

Ginger enjoys her "Greenie" while Kiwi chews on the new warthog

Kiwi tries out the blanket from Nanny in New England

After making sure we opened everything, the girls are exhausted.

Then off to the beach for a walk before Christmas Dinner

Ham on the BBQ, sweet potato, grilled pineapple and salad!

Followed by a seriously awesome non paleo Christmas Cake made by my Mum :-)

Then we enjoyed a sunny afternoon sampling the best NZ has to offer in beer and wine while play a round each of Scrabble and Cranium. Some interesting words, sculptures and humming eventuated.

Thanks to all for their gifts and best wishes. A special thanks to Ralph and Val (Mum) for joining us on our first Kiwi Christmas as a family in New Zealand.

Christmas Eve and all is good in NZ. Merry Christmas to all :-)

2009-12-24T20:15:00.003+13:00

A bit different to last year - A pug and a pig in the sun!

Xmas Eve dinner, meat and vege's

The gym gets an early Xmas, new squat racks made by my Step Dad - Ralph.

The new wall ball targets - Red, White (ok Silver) and Blue :-)

..............and more progress

2009-12-22T20:48:00.003+13:00

More work on the gym today, it is starting to look pretty good :-)

Donna coaches Anthony to a Front Squat and Push Press PR :-)

New Dumbbell's and storage racks

Progress report.................

2009-12-19T19:40:00.003+13:00

Work in the gym continues, looking forward to spending some time there over my leave break from the Army.

The 3rd Olympic lifting platform is in and a new storage rack under construction

Making use of the toys, Matt and Anthony hit todays, MaD CrossFit WOD

It looks like Christmas........

2009-12-13T17:20:00.003+13:00

No penguin on the roof this year, but the kitchen looks festive.

The other important piece of Christmas equipment the new grill :-)

At least I will be grilling in the summer sun this year, not snow like last year.

Is it Christmas yet?

2009-12-12T18:43:00.002+13:00

Kiwi is not impressed with the approach of Christmas!

I spent the last week in Waiouru, blowing up unexploded ammunition (blinds or duds, depending where you come from in the world). This pic has an 81mm High Explosive Mortar Bomb in the foreground and Mount Ruapehu in the background. Some days the view from my "office" is actually pretty good.

We are getting there........

2009-12-05T18:40:00.004+13:00

More work at the gym this afternoon after a great morning of workouts at MaD CrossFit.

New flooring looks good, Ginger inspects the platforms.

New Wallball targets.

Finishing the entryway with some melteca that is doubling as white board :-)

Grinder!

2009-12-01T20:29:00.002+13:00

With more flooring due in the next few days it was time to grind down the bits of pipe sticking through the concrete.

We are nearly done in the new space, I am looking forward to getting back to a workout routine, instead of a work routine.

If it doesn't move paint it!

2009-11-28T19:11:00.003+13:00

New paint on the floor and walls. It is looking good, tomorrow we add some flags and another pull up bar.

To see more click across to MaD CrossFit

Getting there.........

2009-11-26T20:57:00.001+13:00

Work on the gym continues.............

Pull up bar number 1 and the entryway.

Kiwi is in there somewhere

Ahh there she is :-)

Great 1st day at the Oly Cert in Auckland

2009-11-21T21:19:00.003+13:00

A long day coaching, Coach B, Donna and Matt

Who else thinks Taz's pants look like frogs legs?

The girls at Cf Auckland

A good hamstring stretch!

Clean!

2009-11-18T19:49:00.002+13:00

While I added some much needed reinforcing to one end of the pull up bar Donna hit the max effort lift portion of today's workout, 4 x 4 Cleans.

Then it was off to the store to buy TimTams for Sage, Coach B's daughter. Turns out these are the one thing America doesn't have ;-)

Jerk!

2009-11-16T20:36:00.004+13:00

Today's workout, Jerk 5 x 4

Donna: 30-35-40-43.5 PR!
Matt: 40-45-50-55

Followed by a short MetCon, 3 Rounds For Time:

10 Box Jumps - mid thigh

10 DB Push Press - 25% Body Weight each.

Matt: 2:36 24" box, 45# DB

Donna: 3:05 18" box, 25#

Then a little more work on the new space.

The day the wall fell!

2009-11-15T18:06:00.003+13:00

In commemoration of the fall of the Berlin wall this week I decided it was timely to take down the extra wall in our new space. This week we get new flooring for the smaller space and the equipment to get two 7m or 21 foot pull up bars in the new space.

Before the wall fell!

The offending wall!

and with the wall gone!
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We also finally got a coffee table for home, we love Trade Me!

Back to normal???????????????

2009-11-14T19:12:00.003+13:00

Busy day at the gym, a 9am On Ramp class, 10am Running Clinic and 11am Free Class. All run by Donna with some input from me while I ran around trying to make some progress on the new space.

The girls make use of the 6 inch plyo box

The 11am free class makes use of all the other plyo boxes

Then we got to workout. 1 x 3 Front Squats and Push Press

Matt: FS 110-120-125kg. PP 70-70-75

Top of the Push Press

Donna: FS 50-58.2-60kg .PP(DB 3 x 3)15.6-17.2-20.5

Then a little MetCon 4 Rounds For Time: Row 250, 30 Sit Ups, 30 Flutter Kicks

Matt: 10:45 as Rx

Donna: 15:10 subbed a 250m run

New toys for the gym, just need to fill them with some sand or rocks!

It's been a while................

2009-11-13T20:49:00.003+13:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have spent the week in Waiouru teaching on an Intermediate Ammunition Technicians Course.

I managed to hit a few CrossFit workouts at the gym and met a young MMA fighter there who has dabbled in CrossFit but needed some help with his kipping pull up. Nice to fit in some coaching as well.

Now back in Wellington for the week, so expect a few more posts.

Nice day for a free class at MaD CrossFit

2009-11-07T19:17:00.004+13:00

A quick catch up from the last couple of days. Over Head Squat 5x4 40,50,60,60kg then 3 RFT 10 Power Cleans 60kg and 15 Pull Ups 5:47. Yuk, turns out I misread the wod, should have been push ups not pull ups, now that makes more sense!

Then today we ran a Back squat Skills session at 10am and our first Free Intro Class at 11am. Look at MaD CrossFit for the details, but we were very happy with the turn out.

Can't beat Wellington on a good day!

Then Donna and I hit the MaD WOD for today:

Run 800m

21 Shoulder Press 60kg/135#

Run 800m

21 Push press 60kg/135#

Run 800m

21 Push Jerk 60kg/135#

Matt: 16:50 as Rx

Donna: 18:07 22.6kg/55#

We got the girls out for a walk by the river and are looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. We will probably end up at the gym working on the new big space.

Donna got her work permit this week and managed to fit in two massages today. So things are looking good on that front as well.

Pics of the new space......

2009-11-04T18:20:00.003+13:00

Kiwi helps me blog

Paleo lunch, cooked chicken, nuts and diced apple :-)

The new space, lots of natural light

More space!

We are taking a different space in the building that we are in. This one requires a lot less of a tidy up and has a much higher stud. Let us know what you think.

We really don't like Karen...........

2009-11-03T20:46:00.005+13:00

Today's workout from MaD CrossFit was Snatch 3 x 3 and "Karen" - 150 Wallball shots for time.
Both of us worked on technique, I spent a lot of time snatching from the hang position and working up snatch balances. I am trying to get better at getting under the bar!

60kg Snatch Balance

Then it was time for "Karen" we had forgotten how much this sucked.

A nice post Karen sweat angel!

Snatch 3 x 3
Matt: 40-50-60kg
Donna: 20-25-25kg
"Karen"
Matt: 11:17 20#ball/10' target
Donna: 10:58 14#/8' target

In other news we are getting a different space to expand into, much wider and better finished. Pics to follow tomorrow :-)

Damn Kilograms!

2009-11-01T19:35:00.003+13:00

We are a day behind on MaD CrossFit so today we hit the CrossFit Total. We are still struggling to adjust to using Kilogram plates, the calculator got used a lot.

Squat!
Matt: 130kg/286lbs
Donna: 70kg/154lbs

Press!
Matt: 65kg/143lbs
Donna: 35kg/77lbs

Deadlift!
Matt: 160kgs/362lbs
Donna: 90/198lbs

TOTAL!
Matt: 355kg/781lbs
Donna: 195kgs/429lbs

We both went light today as we have not been hitting workouts on a regular basis. Still not a terrible effort. So with that out of the way we hit a met con that we will be using with our on ramp program.
For Time:
Run 200m
15-12-9
Squat
Push Ups
Body Rows ( subbed with Pull Ups)
Run 200m

Matt: 5:07
Donna: 6:44

Then home to break in the new lawn mower!

The bar is done!

2009-10-29T18:56:00.003+13:00

More work at the gym today. The pull up bar is finished, I have to say I am pretty happy with the MasterKlamp system from Fletcher Steel. We now have 8 metres of bar, more than enough to start with. We also got the wallball targets up. We intend to put a stencil of the snatching kiwi in the middle of each.

Working on the bar and the finished product!

Looking pretty good now

Now time to work on the extra space. Not sure of the exact layout, we are still working through a few options.

Great that we can drive in, one possible layout

We are picking up some good stuff on TradeMe the NZ version of E-Bay. Kiwi has been helping :-)

Kiwi checks her watch list

New friends, helpers and our first WOD at the new box :-)

2009-10-27T18:22:00.005+13:00

Back to the box this morning for more painting. We had some help today from Pearse, who came all the way from Palmerston North to lend a hand. He got in touch with us via the MaD CrossFit Facebook page.

Arnna also stopped by with her girls, luckily our girls like babies, they smell of food and poo!

Then time for a paleo late lunch of chicken, fruit and nuts before drawing some cards from the Hopper Deck and going with the 2 of Hearts - Cleans 5,4,3,2,1,1,1

Donna: 32, 34.6, 36.8, 40, 42.2

Pearse: 40, 50, 60, 65, 70

Matt: 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, 80

Pearse and Matt clean.

The box is looking pretty good now. Not too much more green to paint over and the pull up bar arrives tomorrow :-)

The girls are enjoying being home

Free at last :-)

2009-10-26T12:09:00.005+13:00

We went and released the girls from their 30 day quarantine experience. Now they are making themselves at home and shedding hair everywhere :-)

On the road home and exploring the yard

Everything smells different and adding their own smells

Yesterday was more work at the gym. The massage room is ready for clients :-)

Painting and cutting, those plyo boxes are coming in handy

Just need some carpet for the floor

Bruce and Marilyn for Lis and Aimee

MaD Crossfits new home gets some love.........

2009-10-24T18:27:00.003+13:00

We spent the day fitting out the new box. Managed to get two platforms down and the massage room got a coat of primer.

BEFORE

The initial space

The extra space - very bare and basic!

Thanks Val and Ralph for the can of primer :-)

Cleaning up after priming the massage room

AFTER

Balls, barbells, boxes and rings, just need a pull up bar!

In case you are missing the pugs like us, watch this: http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

Two days on the road.................

2009-10-22T22:01:00.003+13:00

We spent the last couple of days on the road. We headed up to Ngongotaha to pick up my stuff from storage. This meant 6-7 hours a day on the road and a couple of hours loading and unloading the car and trailer.

The weather on Wednesday was great, some great views. Today was not so hot but we dodged most of the showers when unloading the trailer.

Mt Ruapehu and Lake Taupo

The biggest trailer the car could tow. Starting to load......

Loading and loaded!

The girls are still in jail, but we hope to have them out this weekend.

Our container load finally arrived!

2009-10-19T14:03:00.002+13:00

It's all here at last!

Now we are spending the day sorting through it all to find the important stuff.

Free in a week..............

2009-10-17T15:30:00.003+13:00

Ginger and Kiwi's last weekend in jail!

Wow big fleas in NZ!

Looks like the girls will be out this time next week :-)

.
We met our new landlord for the house today and we hope to sign the lease on the warehouse on Monday, so things are moving along.

All things going well we will be all set up in the house before the girls get released and then will spend a week working on the new box before I have to go back to the "Green Machine" at the beginning of November.

The closest NZ equivalent of Almond meal we have found

MaD CrossFit has a new home (well once the lease is signed at any rate)

2009-10-14T20:42:00.004+13:00

We found a space for MaD CrossFit today :-). It used to be a personal training studio so should suit us quite well. It is in Birch St, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. We are looking to move in there around the beginning of November and will be up and running by the end of the month.

From the front and the former personal training studio

A room for massage (yes it will be repainted) and room to expand into

Room to run out the back

Another visit to the girls today before launching into some business admin. Only 10 days until they are released from jail!

Ginger.....

and Kiwi!

Beach run and Turkish coffee :-)........

2009-10-13T13:41:00.002+13:00

We got out in the sun this morning for a run on the beach. So nice to be 3 blocks from the sea.

Today we are hanging out at Cafe Kilim in Petone, catching up on our Internet reading and research as the connection at the apartment has become a bit sporadic. We go on cable broadband at the new house so that will be much better.

Looking at more warehouse space tomorrow before another trip up the coast to visit the girls.

Sun at last! A house at last!

2009-10-11T16:35:00.005+13:00

We woke this morning to the best day in NZ so far, light wind and a nice sunny day.

The view from Petone towards Wellington city

We headed to brunch at Caffiend Cafe in Petone, with my sister Briony and her husband Geoff to celebrate her birthday.

Yesterday we got to visit the girls again, they were exhausted as they had a very windy night and another dog arrived at the kennel at 2am. So they were making the most of their nap time in the sun when we were there. It looks like they may get out of jail a bit early, we might be able to pick them up on Oct 24th, so fingers crossed for that.

Ginger being a bat and Kiwi being cute :-)

Good news on the house front. We are now the new tenants of a small two bedroom place in Waiwhetu. The back section is fenced and it has a good sized garage :-) We move in Oct 19th. First workout there is to unload a shipping container for time on the same day :-)

Our new abode!

Liz our current landlord has a six month old puppy Bodhi who provides plenty of entertainment and our daily dog fix.

Liz's dog Bodhi and Reggie the cat next door

Missed out on one house, fingers crossed for the next..........

2009-10-09T16:52:00.004+13:00

Looks like we didn't get the first house we were after :-( Hopefully we have better luck with the next one.

We headed out in the wind and rain to look at some warehouses and to make up for the workout we missed yesterday.

Donna: DeadLift 3-3-3-1-1-1 95kg/209#

Matt: Weighted Pull Up 3-3-3-1-1-1 30kg/66#

Then we both did the same MetCon, For Time:

50 Barbell Thrusters (20kg barbell)

40 Jump rope Double Unders

30 DB Swings (55lbs/35lbs)

20 Barbell Reverse Alt Lunge (10/side) Hold barbell overhead in snatch grip

10 Burpees

Donna: 9:28 with DU's

Matt: 6:50 with SU's I still need to work on those double unders!

Off to visit the girls again tomorrow :-)

Dog, Houses, next step a warehouse.............

2009-10-08T10:27:00.003+13:00

Another visit with the girls yesterday, they seem quite happy there now. Especially as the sun made an appearance.

Ginger is very relaxed!

Then it was time for more house hunting, here are a couple of possibilities. We have applied for the one on the left and just need to go through the vetting process.

If that works out then it is time to look for some warehouse space and a new home for MaD CrossFit.

Today we head to the gym at Trentham Army Camp and try not to get kicked out of the weightroom for CrossFitting :-)

Not quite summer yet, but we got to see the girls

2009-10-05T11:14:00.003+13:00

Yesterday we made the drive to Wellington, turns out summer is not quite here yet. There was snow on the desert road!

MA or NZ somedays it is hard to tell.
.

Then once we got away from the snow it was time to visit the girls in jail. They seem pretty happy, especially Ginger as she is looking fat and happy now that she is off her allergy meds.

The girls and "Stinky Bunny"

What are they looking at?

Today we are trying to find a reliable internet connection and start the house hunt in earnest. Until we get the web thing sorted postings might be a bit sporadic.

MaD CrossFit Run Clinic at CrossFit New Zealand

2009-10-03T18:05:00.002+13:00

Partner drills and "Charlies Angels"

Just a quick post for tonight.

We had a great run clinic at CrossFit NZ today with 20+ CrossFitters learning better run technique in order to go faster.

Make sure you stretch afterwards

More pics and video to follow.............

A visit to CF Auckland...........

2009-10-02T15:30:00.004+13:00

Darren (CFNZ) and Alex (CF Auckland) getting set to go

This morning we rode with Darren and Taz from CFNZ to meet Alex and Lisa at CrossFit Auckland. This is where the Oly Cert will be held in Nov. While there we hit a lightened version of the Hero workout "DT", 5 rounds for time of:
15 DeadLifts
12 hang Power Cleans
9 Front Squats
6 Push Jerks
Rx weight is 155/115# or 70/52kg.

Darren went heaviest with 132#/60kg, Alex and I used 110#/50kg, Taz 103.4#/47kg and Donna 44#/20kg.

Deadlift and Hang Power Cleans

Hang Power Cleans and Front Squats
Donna: 14:17
Matt: 17:02

Great workout, thanks to Alex for hosting us and having some good angry music to workout to.

After recovering as best we could we headed out to lunch at a cafe on the waterfront. Nice to be by the ocean again. Tomorrow we have the run clinic, so we are praying this good weather continues.

Snatch, Jerk, Pull and Squat

2009-10-01T21:15:00.002+13:00

Today we headed back to Auckland to get ready for the run clinic on Saturday. We managed to catch up with Rachel and Chris for lunch before heading to CFNZ to hit a Catalyst workout:
Power snatch + 2 snatch - 65% x 2 sets; 70% x 3 sets
Jerk - 70% x 3 x 2; 75% x 3 x 3
Clean pull - 90% x 7 x 4
Back squat - 60% x 8; 65% x 8; 70% x 6; 75% x 6 x 2
V-ups - 3 x 15

Matt and Darren Snatch

Clean Pull
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Darren from CFNZ joined in for some Snatch technique work. We both scaled the workout back a little as jet lag and fatigue kicked in. Tomorrow we head to CF Auckland to check it out before the Oly Cert in November.

Second summer? Not quite yet.

2009-09-29T19:11:00.008+13:00

Sheep on the hill and ducks in the paddock
So here we are in not quite so sunny New Zealand, turns out it is still Spring here so there is plenty of rain along with baby ducks and lambs. At least the landscape is green, a nice change from California brown.

We headed out to run this morning, to get in some practice before the run clinic on Saturday. We found a nice 1/4 mile hill nearby and hit some hill repeats in the rain.

Then this afternoon we stopped by the Personal Training Studio that my mother works out at, Cappella in Rotorua. We met Lyn and had a good exchange of idea's. Hopefully we can get back to Rotorua for yet another run clinic before long.

Tomorrow we head to Auckland to work out at CFNZ and check out CF Auckland before the run clinic on Saturday.

Fight Gone Bad at CrossFit NZ

2009-09-28T18:53:00.007+13:00

After arriving in New Zealand early on Monday morning we headed to CrossFit New Zealand to touch base with Taz and Darren, as we are holding a run clinic there on Saturday.

They were just about to hit Fight Gone Bad, so we stayed to help coach and count for them.

Getting set up and Taz with the SDLHP

Taz and Darren wallballing
.

Once they were done (Darren 354 and Taz 314) we headed south.

We stopped in Matamata for lunch and thinking of Eileen at CFES got some pictures of the Hobbiton signs and sculptures. The Hobbiton scenes in Lord of the Rings were filmed here.

MaD with Gollum and Donna the Hobbit :-)
.

After a good nights sleep it was time for breakfast, bacon, eggs and 'srooms :-)

Turns out free range hens have very yellow eggs!

Fight Gone Bad with CrossFit LA

2009-09-28T15:55:00.010+13:00

We had a great Fight Gone Bad workout with CrossFit LA and CrossFit Culver City at Sony Studios on Saturday. We hit the first heats so that we would have time to get back to check out of our hotel. So sadly we missed out on the paleo BBQ :-(

Matt: 294
Donna: 194 (Turns out that a 14# Wallball to a 10' target is damn hard work)

Post workout, hot and sweaty. The scores go up

After the workout we headed to The Grove in Beverly Hills for some quality people watching and post workout nutrition (beer!).
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Then it was time to head for LAX to return the rental car and catch our flight to NZ.
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Before getting on the plane we checked with the kennel in NZ and the girls had finally arrived there safe and sound :-). We also made it to NZ with all our baggage and are now getting ourselves sorted in Rotorua.

Say goodbye to the Matrix.................

2009-09-26T13:26:00.003+12:00

We started the day by turning in Donna's car to Toyota Santa Monica, the lease guy there, Tony Doyle, was very helpful but Donna will still end up with a black mark against her from Toyota :-(

Last night I picked up the rental car we are using for our last two days in the US, a nice silver Dodge Charger :-)

The get away car!

This afternoon we headed up to CrossFit LA to help them load up the equipment for Fight Gone Bad tomorrow.

Then we made our way across town to unload and set up in Sound Stage 22 on the Sony Studios lot.

Sony Pictures and Sound Stage 22 all set for FGB!

On the pug front the girls finally got all their paperwork in order and are all set to fly out tonight. By midday tomorrow they should be settling in to the quarantine facility in NZ.

Dogs, Rings, Ropes and things................

2009-09-25T14:16:00.005+12:00

The girls enjoying their hotel bed before their ordeal began!
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Things are not going smoothly with the girls. The vet signed some forms in the wrong place and a test result was missing. So the USDA wouldn't approve them to fly today. We think Jet-A-Pet has got it all sorted and they should be good to go tomorrow, fingers crossed.
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to provide a distraction we headed to Santa Monica Beach to check out the pier and the play ground to the south.

The pier and part of the playground

Donna on the swing and Matt swinging :-)

Matt the monkey!

Obligatory muscle up!

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Then we headed back to the pier for lunch. Interesting sights to see there and I am not talking about the ocean. People watching is a fascinating pass time. We also discovered that you can learn to play on the trapeze there as well. We were tempted but not this time.

Tonight we headed out for dinner and found people running short sprints just up the block. Looks like we stumbled onto CFLA! So we stuck our heads in, said hi to Ingrid and John, before heading off to dinner. We are going to help them with Fight Gone Bad this weekend. Should help us stay distracted from the girls plight.

San Diego and chilling by the pool..........

2009-09-25T03:49:00.003+12:00

We started the day yesterday in San Diego visiting a couple of the CrossFit boxes. First stop was Invictus, CJ made us very welcome and shared a lot of his experiences with us. Great facility with probably the best bathrooms/locker rooms we have seen. A necessary addition when you cater to a downtown clientele.

They probably have the sexiest chalk buckets too!
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While at Invictus we also got to meet and chat with Michele Vieux, owner of Mmmm Good Meals, a great way to get Zone and Paleo meals if you are in the area.

Next stop was CF San Diego. Nathan, a trainer there, showed us around and educated us on the intricacies of modern country music :-)

Nice mural!

Then down to the harbour to see the sights and have fish and chips for lunch :-) Not paleo but they tasted good!

Just one of the boats in/under the water

Once we had our fill of CrossFit we headed back to Coach Burgener's place to chill out for the afternoon. The girls enjoyed the pool and got to meet a big bulldog who belongs to one of Mike's clients.

Relaxing by the pool and Ginger stealing Coach B's seat

Kiwi meets Roxy

The view from the front door at Coach B's

Coach B and his wife Leslie made us feel at home and fed us a great paleo meal, tri tip, chicken, steamed veges and salad :-) Thank you so much, we really needed a place to wind down and relax. After dinner we hit the road to LA, driving at night was so much better than during the day and we made excellent time.

Humming birds at CoachB's. They are very cool birds!
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This morning we dropped the girls off at the kennel prior to them shipping out tonight. We hope they won't be too pissed about it when we see them in NZ next week.

Matt and Donna's Crossfit Chronicles

"Tim"

Meatza!!!!!!!!!!!! Vegetarians look away

Done!

Work in progress

Thrusters!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Snatchtastic Sunday

Wow, where did 2 weeks go?????????????

Coaches workout...............

"Annie", "The Chief" and other stuff

Strongman stuff at MaD

Dogs, some wod's and stones.............

Another PR only by 0.2 of a pound though :-)

New Back Squat PR 155kg or 341#

New toys and somewhere to put them.

High School Reunion and visiting old haunts......

A couple to catch up on.................

Presses and a little Row

Bad As then the coaches throw down.......

Oooppppps a nine day break..............

Rest day car shopping and more.........

Snatch then Clean and Jerk :-)

Bombing and new T's

Cinco de Mayo, good press and a new PR :-)

A rest day for some...........

100km Done!

Back in the groove..................

"Murph" and releasing the stones..............

Less than 25km to go..............

Shrimp on the Barbie and more..........

A busy weekend, but all good stuff!

Barbell Complex - a nasty beast!

Sleeve and a T

Back on the band wagon...........

Too Hard, Too Fast...........

Tires!

Elizabeth is a nasty b*tch!

A mixed bag............

More rowing............only 88km to go!

Good Friday fun and games..............

Looking forward to the long weekend.

Snatchtastic Tuesday!

A small Hematoma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Times...........

Saturday Class, Skills and Workout!

Damn that was rough!

Squats make your butt sore!!!!!

I will try to be better..................

Back in NZ...................

A bit of ice and snow.........

Just another warehouse?

It's been too long...........

Changes.............

Transmission resumes...............

Beds and dip bars.....

Bacon Bambi Explosion!!!!!!!!!!

Boxing Day

Kiwi Xmas

Christmas Eve and all is good in NZ. Merry Christmas to all :-)

..............and more progress

Progress report.................

It looks like Christmas........

Is it Christmas yet?

We are getting there........

Grinder!

If it doesn't move paint it!

Getting there.........

More Oly Cert Pics and a video

Great 1st day at the Oly Cert in Auckland

Clean!

Jerk!

The day the wall fell!

Back to normal???????????????

It's been a while................

Nice day for a free class at MaD CrossFit

Pics of the new space......

We really don't like Karen...........

Damn Kilograms!

The bar is done!