Can marathoners be good crossfitters ?

December 2014 Powerlifting

It is December and this was a tough month with setbacks for my progress regarding powerlifting. Most of the gains you see are due to progression in November, a month i did not post my progress to my blog.

Progress on the powerlifts

I have added all the new features to the Stronglift 5x5 app. I am especially thrilled about the Dip and chin up progressions and also got myself a dip belt, which is due to arrive for the new year. If I want to progress to muscle ups and handstand push ups, I think this is a nice addition to my already established routine. The scores on beyond the whiteboard for the back squat are skewed. I did not do them with proper form once i passed the 110kg mark as my ego took over. The week before christmas i decided to scale back from 140kg to a 100kg squat to get my butt down again and will be more vigilant about what counts as a rep and what not. Three things for you which i could have done better.

1. Work on your Air squat until you have full range of motion, than progress to goblets and back squats

2. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch

3. Consult a physiotherapist

The next half year i will be going to a "back to basics" phase. As i was in Paris during christmas week i had to stand a lot and walk about and felt pain in my lower back. So pay attention to form and avoid the mistakes I made by progressing to fast being eager to show off how many plates i can load on my barbell (and only move a few centimetres...). I have a physio in my family which i consulted on stretches and I feel better after following the advice. Next check up will be in January to see how my progress on mobility is and maybe introduce some new stretches.

Effects on marathon running

Currently I am not tracking my runs as vigorously as I used to. I got fed up with the Iphone + arm fiddly wrap thing set up. Also as my practise runs passed the 10 Mile mark I got problems with battery lifetime of the I phone during my run. This is a very frustrating experience, espcially when half of your long run is not being fed back into the measurements. My better half was so kind as to give me a Garmin 220 Forerunner as a christmas present, so I will be back on track soon. Stepping on the scale i discovered that I gained 10kg in muscle mass which could also explain my rather poor performance at the frankfurt marathon as I weighted 10kg more than in Dublin the year before. We will see what the "back to basics" approach will yield for the Vienna marathon in 2015, which i signed up for.