Jim vs. The Half-Murph, Part 1 of The Second Summer of Murph

Gods help me, I’m gonna try another Summer of Murph. Organized slightly differently, but I’ll get to that. Right now, the 50% Murph.

Half-Murph
.5 mile run
50 pull-ups
100 push-ups
150 squats
.5 mile run

Finished in 18:05, again. That’s almost eerie.

We’ll see where this goes.

Jim vs. KB Swings, Box Jumps, Push-ups

This was an abbreviated version of this workout due to time constraints, and it still kicked my ass.

AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
Kettlebell swings (53lbs) x 10
Box jumps x 10
Hand release push-ups x 10

Finished six rounds, plus the swings and four box jumps of the seventh. Kicked. My. Ass.

Jim vs. Hand Release Push-ups, Jump Rope

I’m pretty sure hand release push-ups only exist because I’ve lived a sinful life.

For time:
75 hand release push-ups
At the start of each minute, do jump rope x 30

I finished up in 5:44, which means I did five rounds of jump rope… but that felt like a rest. My arms and chest are wrecked.

Jim vs. Cindy

Another one I haven’t done in years, but this time with a better result.

“Cindy”
Complete as many rounds in 12 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

I finished 14 full rounds, plus 5 pull-ups in the 15th. By comparison, the last time I did the 12-minute version of this I only did 12 rounds, and when I did the 20-minute version I only got 17. So 14 in 12 feels like a solid improvement.

Jim vs. Jump Rope, Push-ups, Kettlebell Snatch

I should’ve just run.

For time:
Jump rope x 400
Push-ups x 75
Kettlebell snatch (35lbs) x 10

I haven’t been running because it’s been cold and icy, and until today the jump rope sub worked fine. Today, though, once I hit 200 reps my coordination went to shit; I was lucky to get 10 reps in a row, and we’re talking single-unders here. It took me six and a half minutes to get through the jump rope, which is way more time than any 800m run I’ve done in years.

I ended up finishing in 9:37. This probably should’ve taken me seven, seven and a half minutes. Frustrating, especially as it’s less cold outside than it has been.

Should’ve just run.

Jim vs. Loredo

This one was less “modded for home” and more “modded for sidewalks covered in slick, wet ice”. I am not hardcore enough to break bones for a WOD. But if this comes up again in better weather, I’m all over it.

“Loredo”
Five rounds for time of:
Squats x 20
Push-ups x 20
Jumping lunges x 20
Jump rope x 200

By the end, my feet hurt more than anything else; that was a lot more jump rope than I tend to do. Finished in 18:11.

Jim vs. JT

And now, my first workout of 2013.

“JT”
15-12-9 of:
Handstand push-up (progressions)
Ring dips
Push-ups

The progression-of-choice for the HSPUs was with my feet up on my box-jump platform, but it was the ring dips that wrecked me on this one. Finished in 7:24.

Jim vs. Kettlebell SDHPs, Deficit Push-ups, Box Jumps

This was my second AMRAP in a row, but it let my try out the new box jump platform I got for Christmas!

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls (53lbs) x 15
Deficit Push-ups (I used decently thick books) x 15
Box Jumps (18″) x 15

This felt even tougher than yesterday’s, and I only got through 4 full rounds plus 15 SDHPs. Going back to three workout days in a row is not easy.

Jim vs. Tabata This

I don’t have a rowing machine at home, so I switched out the rows for jump rope. Otherwise, this one was as Rx’d.

“Tabata This!”
Tabata Jump rope
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Squat
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Pull-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Sit-up

The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals. Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals.

Here’s how my rounds went, tabata score in bold.

Jump rope: 48, 46, 46, 43, 43, 46, 43, 46 (total: 361, average: 45.1)
Squat: 19, 19, 16, 16, 14, 15, 14, 15 (total: 128, average: 16)
Pull-up: 11, 9, 7, 7, 6, 4, 6, 5 (total: 55, average: 6.9)
Push-up: 20, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 7, 9 (total: 84, average: 10.5)
Sit-up: 9, 8, 8, 8, 6, 6, 6, 6 (total: 57, average: 7.1)

This was brutal; it took me nigh on an hour to feel right after I finished. I mainly tracked the averages to see how far off they were from my tabata scores, and I wasn’t surprised: push-ups and pull-ups were where I felt the worst muscle fatigue, and they were where I was the least consistent.

Maybe next time I do this I’ll just shoot for getting slightly more than today’s averages each time out. Could get higher totals, a higher tabata score, and maybe not feel as crappy afterwards.

Jim vs. A return to kettlebells

Between fighting off a cold and dealing with Thanksgiving, this is the first time I’ve worked out in a week. And I felt that week, and that cold, and most assuredly that Thanksgiving.

Double KB clean, squat, and press, 5 x 5

Renegade row & push-up combo, 4 x 5

Superset x 3 of:
Double KB overhead walk x 100ft
Double KB farmers walk x 100ft 

This is, of course, a portion of one of the kettlebell/bodyweight workouts. The big difference is that I did all these moves with two bells: the 35lb kettlebell and a 35lb dumbbell. It made this all a lot rougher (and the gusting winds and snow didn’t make the outdoor portion fun, either).

I felt increasingly crappy as things progressed, so I didn’t do the final two portions. I’m not pleased with that, but I also didn’t feel like throwing up, so there we are.