RAP-DOG!

Joe Rapuano sent me this email yesterday. I loved every bit of it. I had to share it with the rest of you. This is why I love what we do at North Shore CrossFit. Awesome people with great aspirations, and nothing more satisfying than actual RESULTS!!!!



Hey Greg,

Thanks for the email. I am definitely feeling stronger this spring. Some of the more prominent things I am noticing is I have pretty much wiped out any back pain associated with cycling. What used to happen every spring is I would start training harder and develop lower back pain to the point where I would have to back off my training plan. I really believe that all of the workouts at the gym have strengthened my core and have allowed me to utilize my muscle groups more efficiently. In retrospect, I was probably relying on my lower back to take too much work load when riding hard as my core was weaker.

I also have noticed that I can apply some of the principles from the workouts while riding. For instance, on the more shallow and gradual hill climbs, I set myself on the bike similar to the squat and dead lift position vs.. a more hunched over position. I notice I can get more power, speed and no back pain!

I have a big race on May 17, so I have been intensifying my rides. Last night I rode a 24 mile course with 5 good climbs and was able to go faster than ever before. I rode it in 1:16:30, which was an average of 18.75 mph. I have ridden this same course in 1:18-1:19 before, but that was late in the season after logging lots of miles.

I also notice that I am able to recover faster after hard efforts and I attribute this to the workouts at the gym. The fast, intense workouts help to develop faster recovery, much like doing intervals.

I think the one final benefit is more psychological. The atmosphere at the gym is very conducive to pushing yourself and not giving up. I think the competitive spirit really goes a long way and is positive reinforcement. I would have to say the workouts I enjoy the most are doing a number of rounds within a time frame, especially the 20 min long ones, as these are a lot more like the efforts in a cyclocross race (except the races are 40-45 min).

I'm looking forward to the good weather as I can work on the next thing I need improvement on and hate--that is running. There is a lot of running in 'cross and I would like to get faster and improve recovery time.

Thanks for asking and I look forward to working with you--Joe

By the way, the heavy bag that Joe Rap is carrying in the picture is about 14olbs. heavier than the bike he has to carry during sections of his races. If you like money, I'd bet on the Rap-Dog.

Training Log
5/8/08
(am)
Max Deadlift
warm up
5x 135#
5x 225#
3x 315#
2x 385#
1x 435#
1x 485# (current max)
(6/07 max 525#)
I fully admit that I made too big of jumps after my reps at 385#. I would never recommend or allow a client or member to do the same. It's not safe. It was partly laziness by me. But I also have alot of experience with heavy deadlifts, and a good sense of what my body can handle.
(pm)
(NSC WOD)
Tabata Mania (w. a 20# weight vest)
squats 132 reps
sdhp 75# 61 reps
pullups 56 reps
situps (no w.v.) 80 reps
pushups 47 reps
total reps 376
First WOD with my new weight vest that has the potential for 40#. Figure I will slowly work my way up to the full 40#. I did better than I thought I would with the 20 extra pounds on my body.