Sunday, September 30, 2012

Elite Nationals

This was a bit of a weird year for me. After the disappointment of traveling to Pennsylvania for masters nationals last year and totally tanking, switching coaches mid-year, and then riding almost a second slower than my PR at Elite Nats..  i made a promise to myself that i wouldn't get caught up in the wins and set myself up for that kind of disapointment again. I love the training- I love the weight lifting i even love the endless tire glueing and greasing and adjusting. So this year i was in it for the love of the process. The time at the track with friends, the weight room with joe Camacho. I was not going to get caught up in the results, i was just going to do what i was good at- following coaches orders, training hard and riding fast.
     Its a good thing i made that promise to myself! My wife and i ended up opening our new restaurant a week or two before Masters Nationals, and i knew from early spring that the trip was not in the cards this year. The new restaurant needed a great Chef De Cuisine, so i sacrificed my longtime right hand man from Hatfield's to go handle the kitchen for me at The Sycamore Kitchen. That move left my flagship slightly short handed and put the nails in the coffin that was the final resting place for my dreams of Masters Worlds as well... I was working 7 nights a week and i had to sacrifice the trip.

Coach Steve decided we would target Masters States for our first peak, with only a slight taper. My coach is a pretty solid judge of fitness even through the phone from Hollywood to Atlanta- so he recommended a bit of floating on the 3rd lap to help finish the effort strong. He was right, i finished strong and with a win and a new PR of 1:08.69, nearly a full second faster than my best time, ridden 2 seasons previous...

After states i didn't really have a clear goal. I wasn't getting to do the local races due to work- so i just decided to hit it really hard on the bike and really-really-really hard in the gym, and i would ride Elite Nats and try to set a PR. Training weights at Joe Camachos house was a really special thing. It ended up being a really great environment to push it hard on the weights. During this time i put on 6lbs of body weight and upped my squat over 40lbs for my 5-rep set. this was along with my standard tuesday and thursday track sessions and a gut wrenching 90-minute ergo session on saturdays.
    after this brutal block of training I was weighing in at 190lbs, i had a body-fat percentage of 8.9%, single squats at 455lbs, deadlifts over 500lbs and times were looking great! I was Big, I was Strong, I was Lean and everything pointed to me being fast!
  during my really long 3+ week taper things at the track were a little off. My single motor paced efforts were very fast and i could tell it was taking a toll on my driver- he was honestly scared to drive the efforts. During one effort in the three week out area i snapped a seat post bolt 2-laps in, as i limped around the track with my saddle balanced on the post i hit the broken bolt and popped a tire. The next week i was itching to ride hard, and when my driver mis-counted laps and pulled off early i lost focus and went over the handlebars at 30mph popping another tire and giving myself a big patch of road rash.
   the last week of training leading into Nats we came to the realization that i could ride faster through the turns at encino than the motorcycle could. So the amazing effects of overspeed training you get from chasing a motor were reduced. I actually did 500m efforts solo that were faster than ones led by the motor.
  all through these last few weeks i was getting little signs that we were right on course- the totally weird feeling during the first week of the taper left and i just felt great all the time... i was ready for Elite Nationals, and was hopeful that i would ride faster than my time at States, and hopeful to crack the top 10.
   There isn't too much to say about the actual effort of riding a kilo. You can either handle that kind of Lactic Shit Storm or you cant. If you can learn to lean into the pain you might be a kilo rider. The only interesting thing about the race was i met the guy who was starting opposite me, and he told me he was going to ride a very slow time- I knew i would have something to chase, and in the end i think that was a benefit if only mentally.
  On the starting block i had all the normal feelings- jitters, doubt, Im too old for this level of competition... then the countdown starts and the effort is just a blur. I caught sight the other rider, chased him down, and passed him as i exited the last turn on my last lap...
i knew it was a good ride- but was shocked to see 1:07.60 on the Jumbo-Tron!
   I barely got off my bike, barely made it down the stairs and as i laid on the floor the paramedics raced over to see if i was ok and didn't really want to take my word for it when i said it was Normal!

as I sat in the infield ecstatic with my ride a funny thing happened- I sat in first place for a long time... Like 15 of the 20 riders went off before i got bumped down to 2nd. By the time the last ride went off i knew i had sealed a 5th place and a podium.

It was a huge moment for me- i seriously warned TJ, who won silver that i might cry on the podium. for sure my proudest moment in sport! Thank You so much to everyone who helped me this year and everyone who trained with me and helped this old man ride fast!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

DUNK TANK- hydrostatic body fat test



Joe and I heard that the local Mobile Body Fat Test Truck was going to be at a Cross Fit Gym near his house- so we made reservations to get our body fat test done. It was a pretty simple procedure that only required we strip down to trunks, check our height and weight, then climb into the tank. once in the tank you placed a weighted strap over your knees, clamped your nose shut with your hand and laid back into the water while blowing every bit of air out of your lungs. The dude running the test said that air reads as fat- so you wanted to force it all out. it was mentally a little weird, leaning back into water without filling your lungs... you had to repeat the test until you got a couple of consistent reads.. that took about 3-4 times for me, and a few more than that for Joe...
I was pretty Happy with my results! I weighed in at 190.5lbs- According to the wall chart that weight and my height of 69.25 inches puts me well into the obese category..  but clearly my diet and training have paid off and i registered a Body Fat Percentage of 8.9%. According to the literature that came with the results that puts me in the 99 percentile for men 40-49 years old..

This is a bit of a confidence boost heading into nationals just a couple weeks from now. I have been feeling a little weird since we started the taper, and not really sure if i was in top form. realizing how lean i have gotten in this last block makes me think i have raised my fitness since States and hopefully I am on track for a PR Kilo at Elite Nationals...




age-40
height-69.25
Body Fat Weight-16.95
Body Fat Percentage-8.9%
Lean Mass Weight-173.45
Lean Mass Percentage-91.1%
Resting Metabolic Rate-2205 calories per day

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Music

JAPANDROIDS!!!

Anybody who has lifted with me at Joe-Gym has already had an earful of the Japandroids.. you may have even noticed that my last two form check videos had them playing in the background. Not surprising since they are playing pretty much the whole time we lift..

Anyway- Best Canadian band ever? Best Two-Piece ever? probably.. they are my current favorite..

here is their new Video-

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Gym Log pt. 2 the Deadlift @455

my Deadlift day this week was wednesday. So after adding another 2.5# to my Squat (427.5#) it was time for warm up sets and a work set of 5-Reps.
Not much to say about DeadLifts- i am pretty good at them thanks to my long arms and SHORT legs (Shrimp!! thx +Tim M) and i typically pull about 30# more than where my squat is. That was true today, as i threw on an extra 5# for the cameras- for a set of pulls at 455#

also focussing today on my breath control during squats. I already burst a blood vessel in my eye and getting headaches after squatting!!! it seams that being mindful of where the pressure is and releasing at the end helps..


Monday, August 13, 2012

Gym Log: Squat Video @425#

Gym Log 8/13:
I've been back in the gym for about 6 weeks since we dropped weight work for Masters States.
Leading into states i got lazy on the squats and just rep'd out on 4-plates at my gym..
after Joe and i got his Garage Gym set i really started turning the screws on the weight work, and the post lift rollers (more on rollers in another post). Its amazing how much more motivating it is to train at Joes! I dropped my work weight down below 375# for my 3-sets of 5-reps, and began to methodically add weight each lift day (3 times a week). I started out with gains of 5# until i hit 405#, then dropped down to 2.5# increases per day.
It was interesting that on any given day after i hit about 410#, I felt like the current weight was about all i could handle- but i would add weight the next lift day and still manage to hit all my reps. my previous PR for a 5-Rep was probably about 410#, mostly from being lazy, or hitting that weight right before we dropped the lifting pre-competition.
Today i added another 2.5# for a total bar weight of 425#. To be entirely honest i was not feeling amazing today- and suffered through the 2nd and 3rd set- but still managed all 15 reps.

One more week of adding weight- then we go into maintenance mode leading into Elite Nationals... Deadlifts wednesday and another video update..










Saturday, August 11, 2012

Joe Gym- and focusing in on the second half of the year

This has been a good year on the bike for me. I have hit PR's in every event I run. There was some solid competition at Masters States this year in the kilo and I managed to drop 7/10ths of a second off my personal record- and that time was from 2 seasons previous- I have made a lot of progress in the last year.
   The juggling act that is my life did not allow me to go to Colorado Springs this year for Masters Track Nationals... It wasn't in the cards. To be honest I was not interested in going and not winning so maybe it is better I didn't go... so now i take all the frustration, all the thoughts of how things could of gone and grind them up in the mill that is my obsessive brain... turning it all in to fuel to finish the season out strong!


JOE-GYM
joe and i hocked some old bikes on e-bay and started putting together equipment for our gym. I would of loved to have this set up at my house, but my un-sealed garage wasn't working out, so it ended up in Joe's garage in Culver City.
  This gym has allowed a huge amount of progress in a short period of time. Not only is it set up perfectly for the weight program i follow, we avoid the pit-falls of commercial gym douche bag tolerance, and we get to hop on our rollers immediately following out lifting...
both weights and roller workouts have gone up quality wise!
So now with about 6-weeks until my Kilo at Elite Nats, i am really putting the weight on the bar. More updates on the lifts this week.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Shrimp Fest!!!


My good friend- and Hell of a bike racer- Tim McGee came out to encino last Tuesday to drive the moto while I trained. Between big loads of Shit Talking he shot this vid of me behind the motor on the effort where my saddle broke... There might of been some bad behavior, as I struggled in the 105f heat trying to bolt on a rental bike saddle...


Great training! Thx Tim!
By the way- check out Tim's Blog
www.everythingeaten.com

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Green Machine

8oz 70/30 Grass Fed ground beef from Lindy and Grundy with avocado on butter lettuce leaves...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Power Cleans!!!!

of the lifts i do, the power clean is my weakest and worst technically speaking... i struggle with form and the weights i'm using are embarrassing. Yesterday i shot a quick vid for coach Steve to criticize... 




the notes:

  1. stance is too wide- i think it actually gets worse as the efforts continue.
  2. i am not straightening my knees enough initially- causing the bar to move around the knee 
  3. not committing to catching the bar on the chest... worst one was #1  

Wings version 1.0


 I was thinking about wings- and i refuse to eat them at a restaurant because most places that serve them tend to be nasty. I live directly behind one of the busiest wing restaurants in LA and i know first hand just how shady they are! i am not letting those people touch anything i eat!

so i grabbed 4lbs of chicken wings- i didn't cut them or anything, just dumped them in a bowl and seasoned them with salt, smoked paprika, a drizzle of honey, some chopped rosemary and a half dozen cloves of garlic that i pealed and smashed- but left intact. I let it marinate while my oven came up to 235f. once the oven was at temp i spread the wings on a sheet tray making sure they were all turned up, with all the smashed garlic underneath- so the garlic would steam and not burn...

i popped them in for 3-hrs and let them go... after i pulled them and turned the oven to broil and coked them until they were golden, pulling ones that were done and leaving others longer...

they came out OK- this technique will need a little work. While the meat itself was really good from the slow low temp cook the skin did not do so well. it turned out a little tough and not as delicate as a skin on a fried wing... Not every go is a winner!

more wings later!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Gym Log 3/16

It was 10 days between gym visits- just after last Wednesday's session, where I actualy felt decent despite a string of bad training days that were mostly the result of me searching for the correct bar position for executing a low bar squat... Yes something I thought I mastered over a year ago. Anyway- after last Wednesday's session I got sick, and ended up starting antibiotics Friday and then loosing a week+ to feeling like shit.

 So here I was back in the gym. I was not feeling amazing, but I was hell bent on lifting as heavy as I did the week previous. I set out to do a 3X5 work set of Squats at 4-plates which adds up to about 385# in my crummy gym! More on the non-calibrated plate debacle at another time... Anyway I took copious rest between sets and managed 15 good reps at that weight.

 My weakest lift (that I care about) the Power Clean, was at best- OK. I have moments where I feel I am understanding the technique side, but I never totally understand why I am so weak at them... A form-check video will follow soon...

Squat-3X5X385#
Cleans-5X3X135#
body weight-188#

Eats

here is a video-recipe for something that i truly cook all the time, Charred Baby Broccoli..

This stuff is really great and good for you and this method does not yield your moms broccoli! this is powerful stuff ! Enjoy!



What you need:

  1. Baby Broccoli
  2. butter
  3. salt 
  4. chili flake (optional)
  5. garlic (optional)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Training Log 3/15

ok- shaking the congestion from the lungs! after seeing my doctor on Friday, and starting my 5-day run of antibiotics i was feeling pretty bad all weekend. I started my normal 45-minute roller sessions on Monday... one roller session a day was my only training through Wednesday. those sessions felt good to great- i assume it is because i have rarely done one without a hard gym session immediately preceding it.. max speed on my sprints was about average 52-53mph in an 81" gear... or about 225-230rpm. Today was my first day back at the track since last Tuesday. not sure if i was just thrilled to be riding or actually feeling strong- but i stuck out the whole 40-lap warm up and sprinted at the end.. top speed 36.3mph in an 81" gear. my warm up jumps felt OK but after i finished them i rolled in and sat down and got sick like i just rode a fast kilo! dizzy and dry heaving! awesome! a set of standing starts and another set of jumps followed... for the Moto Session my coach told me to take it easy and do 4-sets of 3X500m... i made it through 2 sets... here is the second 500m of the second set... not fast

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Here we go!

Ok- here we go, it's march 2012 and I am firing up the Blog. I have pecked out a few first post in the past for blogs I never followed through with, and tweeted until it became clear that i had to make a choice between that or my masculinity... So what got this round going? Total boredom and a bout with death- not actually death, common Bronchitis really, but it cost me over a week of training and feels like the end of the world... In my Couch bound daze I spent a bunch of time looking at weightlifting Blogs and Food Blogs and Bike Blogs.... So why not my own? The plan is to chronicle the training and competing of a nearly 40-year old dude with a more than full time job, 2 amazing children and a wife who thinks all of this is a big fucking waste of time! So why not spend more time typing about it?