First post after a looong break. My web server went down and I've been too lazy to get it back up and running. I'll get around to it eventually.
I've finished my coop term with Elasticpath. I had such a great time that I requested to work part time for them while I'm in school. Thankfully, they wanted me back as well so I'm still rocking out with the performance team. On top of working three days a week at EP, I'm taking two courses at SFU Burnaby. Graphics and Compilers. Only two courses, but it will be a lot of work on my plate as they are two of the harder computing courses offered.
As far as my crossfit training goes; I'm still going at it. I had a setback for about a month because of an aggravated knee. I saw two separate physiotherapists who both diagnosed it as Patellofemoral Syndrome. It wasn't healing until I started really working to stretch out every muscle in my legs. Since then I feel much better.
I've also started dialling in my diet by joining in a 6 week paleo challenge with my gym. I'm looking forward to see what effect clean eating will have on my training.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Muscle Up
I did my first muscle up at the gym today! I have only tried a handful of times before so I can't say that it has been a long time coming. I didn't exactly expect to get up either. I just thought I would end up where I had the last few times I'd attempted the muscle up. I got a little kip going, pulled hard and when I got to the top, just threw my head through the rings. To my disbelief, I was up! No one saw so naturally I had to show the gym owner Chris so that I had an eye witness. Having a muscle up makes me really happy because I know that there aren't many movements a WOD can throw at me that I can't do. The next movements I really want to improve on are my strict press/handstand push ups.
I'm throwing down the third crossfit open WOD this Saturday. It is as many rounds and reps as possible of 1 squat clean and 1 push jerk at 165 lbs. I'm not expecting to perform too well in this workout. I had never clean and jerked 165 before until yesterday, and it's really heavy. I'm shooting for 10 rounds. If I hit that goal I will be really pleased.
Work is going very well. I've moved to the performance team. They run all sorts of cool tests on the web applications that are developed, and analyze the results. There are only three other members on the team, and one of the works abroad in Moscow. I set up Ubuntu on my work machine. I will be learning all sorts of linux hacks and all about performance testing and analysis. I'm really looking forward to the next 5 months at work and at crossfit lions.
I'm throwing down the third crossfit open WOD this Saturday. It is as many rounds and reps as possible of 1 squat clean and 1 push jerk at 165 lbs. I'm not expecting to perform too well in this workout. I had never clean and jerked 165 before until yesterday, and it's really heavy. I'm shooting for 10 rounds. If I hit that goal I will be really pleased.
Work is going very well. I've moved to the performance team. They run all sorts of cool tests on the web applications that are developed, and analyze the results. There are only three other members on the team, and one of the works abroad in Moscow. I set up Ubuntu on my work machine. I will be learning all sorts of linux hacks and all about performance testing and analysis. I'm really looking forward to the next 5 months at work and at crossfit lions.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Crossfit Open
I haven't had anything too exciting happen in the last month. Everything is going smoothly at work and nothing too crazy happened outside of the office...until yesterday.
The 2011 Crossfit Games will be from July 29-31st this year in California. This year, there is a 6 week qualifier called the Crossfit Open. Athletes worldwide can compete in the open for a chance to compete in the crossfit games. Each athlete registers online, specifying their personal stats as well as what region they will be competing in. The top 60 athletes from each region will get a chance to compete in the games.
When I started crossfit full time back in January, my goal was to improve as fast as possible and join a competition next year. When I found out that it was only $10 to register for the crossfit open, I jumped at the opertunity. I figure this will be a great way to see how much I improve my fitness over the next year.
Each week for 6 week, 1 workout is perscribed. Each registered athlete must complete the workout by the end of the week and submit their score. The workout must be performed at a certified crossfit gym, or videotaped and submitted to ensure that all scores are legitimate. I performed the workout at my home gym (Crossfit Lions). Chris, the gym owner, created an extra workout session at 11am Saturdays for everyone to come in and throw down the workouts.
This week the workout was:
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 10 minues:
15 Double Unders
30 Ground to Overhead (power snatch/power clean...whatever works)
The gym atmosphere yesterday was much different than anything I have experienced before. I walked in with about 5 minues left to go in the first heat. 5 stations were set up, so 5 people could perform at a time. There were about 40 people in the gym at this time (already more than I had ever seen there). Everyone watching was cheering the 5 athletes on, watching them struggle to get through the workout. In the last minute everyone was yelling, willing them to squeeze in as many reps as they can. Just watching the first group throw down got me really amped.
The workout itself was really tough. I found myself getting fairly lightheaded at certain points. I fought through it and ended up posting a score of 4 rounds + 19 double unders. Previous to the workout I told myself that I would be happy with anything over 4 rounds, so I was stoked.
I hung around after I had finished to watch a few more rounds. Many more athletes showed up from other gyms to post their scores. When I left there had to be about 70 people in the gym. This was my first taste of a crossfit competition and it was great. I immediately found myself looking forward to next weeks WOD. You can check out all the info on the Crossfit Open and leaderboards here.
The 2011 Crossfit Games will be from July 29-31st this year in California. This year, there is a 6 week qualifier called the Crossfit Open. Athletes worldwide can compete in the open for a chance to compete in the crossfit games. Each athlete registers online, specifying their personal stats as well as what region they will be competing in. The top 60 athletes from each region will get a chance to compete in the games.
When I started crossfit full time back in January, my goal was to improve as fast as possible and join a competition next year. When I found out that it was only $10 to register for the crossfit open, I jumped at the opertunity. I figure this will be a great way to see how much I improve my fitness over the next year.
Each week for 6 week, 1 workout is perscribed. Each registered athlete must complete the workout by the end of the week and submit their score. The workout must be performed at a certified crossfit gym, or videotaped and submitted to ensure that all scores are legitimate. I performed the workout at my home gym (Crossfit Lions). Chris, the gym owner, created an extra workout session at 11am Saturdays for everyone to come in and throw down the workouts.
This week the workout was:
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 10 minues:
15 Double Unders
30 Ground to Overhead (power snatch/power clean...whatever works)
The gym atmosphere yesterday was much different than anything I have experienced before. I walked in with about 5 minues left to go in the first heat. 5 stations were set up, so 5 people could perform at a time. There were about 40 people in the gym at this time (already more than I had ever seen there). Everyone watching was cheering the 5 athletes on, watching them struggle to get through the workout. In the last minute everyone was yelling, willing them to squeeze in as many reps as they can. Just watching the first group throw down got me really amped.
The workout itself was really tough. I found myself getting fairly lightheaded at certain points. I fought through it and ended up posting a score of 4 rounds + 19 double unders. Previous to the workout I told myself that I would be happy with anything over 4 rounds, so I was stoked.
I hung around after I had finished to watch a few more rounds. Many more athletes showed up from other gyms to post their scores. When I left there had to be about 70 people in the gym. This was my first taste of a crossfit competition and it was great. I immediately found myself looking forward to next weeks WOD. You can check out all the info on the Crossfit Open and leaderboards here.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Beer Heaven
Last night, three friend and I went and checked out a place in gastown called The Alibi Room. This place is a beer lovers heaven. They have 25 beers on tap, mostly from local breweries. The best part is that most of the beers are made exclusively for the Alibi Room. Their beer list is constantly changing. Our waitress said that on a slow week it changes about every three days. As if this wasn't good enough, they are putting in at least another 20 taps in the next few weeks. That means they'll have over 40 beers on tap!
I thought the prices were reasonable at $5.75 for a pint. You also have the option to sample 4 beers in 1/4 pint glasses at the same cost as a normal pint. There are a few beers at $7.50 or $8.50 a pint. They also offer fancier bottles of aged beer and barley wine that can get up to $40 per bottle. Food is a little bit more expensive than most pubs and the selection is limited, but if you find yourself in the Alibi room, you probably aren't too concerned about food.
I had two pints alongside a plate of goat cheese, olives, hummus, red peppers, and flat bread. The first of the beers I tried was a wheat ale from Driftwood Brewing. It was extremely refreshing. It would be a perfect summer beer. I also tried a liquorice stout from Howe Sound brewing called "Megadestroyer".
It was very strong (%10) and flavorful. I think my favorite beer of the night was a sour brown ale my friends ordered. I can't recall who it was brewed by but it had an extremely distinct taste. Supposedly they do something funky with bacteria and store it in oak casks that used to house whiskey or some other spirits. This is how the beer gets it's unique flavor. I'm no beer expert so I won't try to describe it, but if you happen to see it on the menu, I strongly recommend giving it a shot.
I'm very happy to have experienced the Alibi Room and have a feeling that I will be making many trips back.
I thought the prices were reasonable at $5.75 for a pint. You also have the option to sample 4 beers in 1/4 pint glasses at the same cost as a normal pint. There are a few beers at $7.50 or $8.50 a pint. They also offer fancier bottles of aged beer and barley wine that can get up to $40 per bottle. Food is a little bit more expensive than most pubs and the selection is limited, but if you find yourself in the Alibi room, you probably aren't too concerned about food.
I had two pints alongside a plate of goat cheese, olives, hummus, red peppers, and flat bread. The first of the beers I tried was a wheat ale from Driftwood Brewing. It was extremely refreshing. It would be a perfect summer beer. I also tried a liquorice stout from Howe Sound brewing called "Megadestroyer".
It was very strong (%10) and flavorful. I think my favorite beer of the night was a sour brown ale my friends ordered. I can't recall who it was brewed by but it had an extremely distinct taste. Supposedly they do something funky with bacteria and store it in oak casks that used to house whiskey or some other spirits. This is how the beer gets it's unique flavor. I'm no beer expert so I won't try to describe it, but if you happen to see it on the menu, I strongly recommend giving it a shot.
I'm very happy to have experienced the Alibi Room and have a feeling that I will be making many trips back.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What 75 pull-ups can do to your hands
Our workout a week ago at lions was 3 rounds for time of 25 pull-ups followed by 20 two-for-one wall balls. I have never done this many pull-ups in one workout before. As you can see, it took quite a toll on my hands. After the WOD, I put some hydrogen peroxyde on the wounds and followed that by some polysporin the next day. It is now a week later and the sores are healing very well. They are almost good enough to get back on the pull-up bar :)
This week at work was great. I have been working on a bunch of backlogged bugs, trying to reproduce them to see if they have been fixed yet. Each bug is very different and I'm learning a lot about the application. The highlight of the week was EP hockey on tuesday night. A bunch of the guys at elasticpath try to organize a hockey game one a month or so. Tuesday was my first time out with them. It was a blast. I started playing drop-in games at the north van recreation centers about a year ago. The skill level at EP hockey is about the same as the drop-in's I'm used to but the pace is much friendlier. I can't wait for the next game.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The New Year
2011 is looking good. I had a great finish to 2010, visiting my family in Pemberton for Christmas. The weather was very poor but that didn't matter. We played a bunch of board games and had a pool tournament which, naturally, my cousin Georgia and I won. It was all capped off by some amazing food. Seafood chowder on Christmas eve and good old turkey on Christmas day.
My new years resolutions started as soon as I got back to Vancouver on the 26th. I have started attending crossfit classes as often as my body will let me. The first two sessions were pretty rough. I was introduced to manmakers and the squat snatch. I tweaked my back sometime in the past few days and aggravated it yesterday. I hate resting but when it comes to something as serious as my back I have to make exceptions.
I started my new job yesterday (Janurary 4th) at Elasticpath. I was anxious to see what the company was like. The first impressions they give off are great. The orientation is very well organized and informative. All the employees seem very friendly. Additional perks include fresh fruit delivered mondays and free soft drinks (which I won't be drinking often). Most of what I have learned so far is general info about the company. Over the next few days my training will become more technical which I look forward too.
My new years resolutions started as soon as I got back to Vancouver on the 26th. I have started attending crossfit classes as often as my body will let me. The first two sessions were pretty rough. I was introduced to manmakers and the squat snatch. I tweaked my back sometime in the past few days and aggravated it yesterday. I hate resting but when it comes to something as serious as my back I have to make exceptions.
I started my new job yesterday (Janurary 4th) at Elasticpath. I was anxious to see what the company was like. The first impressions they give off are great. The orientation is very well organized and informative. All the employees seem very friendly. Additional perks include fresh fruit delivered mondays and free soft drinks (which I won't be drinking often). Most of what I have learned so far is general info about the company. Over the next few days my training will become more technical which I look forward too.
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