Shok Fitness

I started a one-month "boot camp" at Shok Fitness on Brookville Road. The gym's slogan is "super high output kinetics" and it is a CrossFit affiliate. I'll explain more about CrossFit later, but suffice to say it is a grueling physical training program favored by law enforcement and fire departments as well as many high-level combat sports competitors. This morning's workout consisted of three warm up stretches done in rotation for several minutes and a "21-15-9" (denoting the number of reps per set) workout circuit of kettlebell lifts, clean and jerk, double unders (a jump rope exercise) and box jumps. The workout took me 11:54 - 11 minutes, 54 seconds - and I was totally thrashed afterwards. Owner Jeff Chapman (a Krav Maga instructor and BJJ blue belt) oversees almost all the classes. I get a super good vibe from him, he has a long history in high performance athletics, martial arts and combat sports. The gym is less than three miles from my house and because of the way the training is formatted, I can get home from the 6 a.m. session by 7 a.m. Needless to say I think Shok is the best possible solution for my fitness and conditioning problem right now.

Diet 8 a.m. Two eggs, toast, strawberries, eight ounces of water. 10:30 a.m. Hungry after doctor's appointment. Turkey sandwich, chips, carrots, a few cookies, 16 ounces of water. 1 p.m. Granola bar. 3 p.m. Starbucks Grande Mocha and 16 ounces of water. 8:30 p.m. Walked at the YMCA with Amanda for a while to help her get into a workout routine and flushed a lot of lactic acid out of my legs in the process. Bean curd with garlic sauce and 16 ounces of water.