Full body: Strength

Personal training with Paul

Superset - front squats/back squats:
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
145 - 3 & 3
155 - 3 & 3
160 - 2 & 3

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Superset - incline dumbbell bench press/dips (break up as required):
5 x 40s / 10
5 x 45s / 10
5 x 47s / 10
5 x 47s / 10

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Superset - cable row/neutral pull-ups (break up as required):
5 x 120 / 8
5 x 140 / 8
5 x 140 / 8
5 x 140 / 8

My last workout of 2011, and time to come up with some solid fitness goals for the year ahead.

Conditioning

Today I attempted Monday's main site WOD, which - because it's all bodyweight moves - I thought would be well within my capabilities. Bloody hell, was I wrong!

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
18 Box jumps, 24" box
15 Toes to bar
12 Pull-ups

Score = 2 rounds + 10 pull-ups

My score is 2 pull-ups short of 3 complete rounds. Only 3. Fuck, compare that to some of the scores that were posted. It was the t2b that killed me. I did these for the first time on Saturday as part of my 12 Days of Christmas, but only 2 reps per round. They felt pretty easy then, so how hard could 15 be? Plenty, as it turned out. I failed an awful lot of reps, more than I'm used to with any other type of routine. The first round wasn't too bad, taking breaks when I needed to. However, with both the second and third rounds I'd get fatigued pretty quickly, my form would falter and my legs would flail around all over the place. On the occasions when I rested enough I had the presence of mind to keep my feet close together and use controlled movements to swing up. I'd be able to do 3 or 4 consecutive reps that way. Rushing the t2b reps was my downfall. This is how it should have worked...

The box jumps and pull-ups went well, as I'm more experienced with these and knew when to rest and when to go. The first round of box jumps took just over 1 minute. The pull-ups were mostly doubles or triples. I think the whole of the first round took just under 5 minutes.

I'm disappointed because I usually perform better with bodyweight routines, but I learned a lot about how to approach a lengthy t2b routine, so this workout wasn't a complete failure.

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I brought a list of 5 different routines to the gym, one of which is the WOD mentioned above. I planned on choosing which ones to do based on how I felt today, but I ended up ignoring them all for my second routine. I just decided to do these because I felt like it!

Max reps - 1 power clean and 1 front squat @ 95lb, resetting each time
6, 5, 5, 5, 5

For all of the reps I completed the clean before executing the front squat.

Full body: Heavy weight

No curls today, but so what?

Bench press - small bench, safeties at 6 holes, starting from the top:
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 4
135 x 2
135 x 1

No idea why, but I felt a bit weak on these today. I benched 140lb for 1 rep earlier this month. However, back then I started the lift from my chest, whereas today the reps started with my arms locked out above me. I don't know if that makes a difference to the routine.

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Trap bar deadlifts:
170 x 10
220 x 5
260 x 3
280 x 1
300 x 1
315 x 1
325 x 1
335 x 1 (new PR)
340 x 0

I increased my PR by 5lb; on December 7 I lifted 330lb. The video below shows my last two successful lifts. I reviewed the video straight after 335lb and I thought my form wasn't too bad, so I went for 340lb. However, even though I rested more than 2 minutes I still couldn't get the weight to budge. Which is just as well because I forgot to start my camera; if I'd been successful I would have been pissed that I didn't record it! The video shows my lifts at 325lb and 335lb.



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Push press with hold @ 95lb

I did 5 individual 1 rep sets of these and also tried various width grips to see if that made a difference. In the end, I found that my usual grip - about an inch outside the knurling - was the one that worked best and enabled me to hold the bar overhead for the longest time.

Full body

Bacon-wrapped sweet potato pucks (not mine)

First workout following a day of Christmas self-indulgence. Actually, I wasn't too bad at all. I ate a lot during dinner, but everything was a healthy choice: no starches, plenty of veggies and, of course, lots of turkey. My cousin/brother-in-law (!) cooked the turkey and some of the veggies, Cher made the various desserts, and I cooked spaghetti squash muffins and bacon-wrapped sweet potato pucks. People were skeptical about the pucks, but tried them nonetheless. Everyone enjoyed and devoured them, except for an overweight type 2 diabetic who said she wasn't going to eat bacon because it had too much fat and was therefore unhealthy. Clearly, that's where I'm going wrong with my nutrition, then. Never mind - they were fucking delicious!

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Bear complex:
75 (x 2), 85, 95, 100, 105 (F rack jerk), 105 (F rack jerk)

Bollocks. This is starting to piss me off now; I keep failing at 105, even though I managed it once before a while back. I don't think this is an issue of strength, more likely technique (rack jerks are a relatively new move for me). Rather than take a break from these so I don't get disheartened by my performance, I think I'll keep persevering in the hope of improving my technique.

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Hang power snatches:
45 (5), 70 (3), 85 (3), 90 (F), 90 (1), 90 (2)

Got there in the end and managed to equal my previous max weight. Again, this is a matter of technique as much as anything.

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Relative max push-ups: 32, 20, 14, 12, 10

And a partridge in a pear tree, 2011 style

Personal training with Paul.

Today I had my third annual 12 Days of Christmas workout, but made even more challenging than last year. And then some.

1 x pull-up
2 x toe to bar
3 x hang power cleans @ 115lb
4 x jump lunges per leg
5 x kettlebell clean and press @ 20kg per arm
6 x burpees
7 x sit-ups
8 x box jump @ 24"
9 x deadlifts @ 115lb
10 x push-ups
11 x push press @ 105lb
12 x front squats @ 105lb

Time = 49:43

Oh. My. God. That was frigging painful. I really had to dig deep mentally for this one. Several times during this routine I had to tell myself to pick up the weight (usually the kettlebell) or get into position and start moving. I was breathing so hard my head was spinning, plus I thought my right calf was starting to cramp up. Thankfully, it never did. The kettlebell clean and press was by far the toughest part of the workout, mainly because I haven't used them for ages, so the c&j movement felt a bit awkward. This is probably where I took the most breaks, which explains why Paul kept telling me to pick up the weight during the last round. Although I wasn't keeping track of time, Paul was, and he wanted me to finish in under 50 minutes. I only just made it!

Great workout. Merry Christmas! 

December 24, 2011

Conditioning

Supersets - 5 x max reps:
Bench presses @ 95 (small bench, safeties at 6 holes): 16, 9, 7, 6, 6
Pull-ups (strict): 7, 5, 5, 5, 4

My infected finger feels like it's almost recovered, but the pull-ups today have been the only exercise that's caused me any discomfort this week. In each round today I felt like I had the strength to do 1 or 2 more pull-ups, but my grip started to go because I couldn't hold onto the bar without gripping hard and causing some pain in my finger.

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This is adapted (scaled) from yesterday's Crossfit WOD.

RFT 21-15-9:
Power cleans @ 105
Sit-ups
Time = 10:26

I used the sit-up bench where you lean back, and touched the ground behind me with alternating hands in each rep. Here's a video with Greg Amundson explaining the WOD. As RXed would have been 135lb cleans with GHD sit-ups. In retrospect, I wish I'd used 115lb for the cleans. I was going for speed today, but even scaling like this my final time is still much slower than scores shown on the Crossfit site. 115lb would obviously have been much more challenging, but I'm sure I could have done it. After all, I've done 110lb clean and jerks before in a metcon.

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Dips below parallel - 5 x max:
9, 6, 4, 4, 4

Full body: Heavy weight

Pretty good heavy workout today with a couple of 1 new PRs.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 2 (3 cleans but couldn't hold the third jerk)
110 x 2
115 x 0 (locked out but couldn't maintain the overhead hold)
115 x 1 (PR. Dammit!)

This is an improvement on a few weeks ago during a personal training session, but I wasn't able to video it this time. The first attempt at 115lb today was pretty good, but I couldn't hold the bar overhead for more than a second and I wanted to be strict about keeping it up for 2. I rested a couple of seconds and tried again, successfully.

During my warm up/practice I was able to catch the bar on my shoulders and balance it near my fingertips. That meant my elbows were high and my arms were nice and parallel to the floor. I also did this up to 105lb during the actual routine, but from that point on my elbows got lower and lower.

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Front squats (a2g):
75 x 10
105 x 5
115 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 3
150 x 3
160 x 3
165 x 1 (PR)
165 x 1



This is the first time I'd managed 3 reps at 160lb, so I went for an extra 5lb. I could only do 1 rep, so I racked the bar. I was going to quit at that point, but Cher was watching and asked why I didn't do more reps. I said I felt like I was losing my balance and couldn't hold the bar any more. She said it didn't look like I was struggling with the weight, so I rested a couple of minutes before trying again. Cher videoed my second set at 165lb, including an attempt at a second (failed) rep. And whaddaya know - I lost my bloody balance and couldn't hold the bar any more. D'oh!

Legs and Posterior Chain

It's been 3 days since I've done any training, so I decided to do some leg and posterior chain work as I felt this wouldn't be affected by my aching, infected finger. I started with partial squats, which didn't cause me any discomfort at all; I didn't have to grip the bar, just keep it balanced in place on my back using my palms.

Partial back squats:
185 x 5
220 x 3
235 x 3
250 x 3
260 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
300 x 3
305 x 2 (PR)

Ok, this is only partial squats but I was still surprised at how fresh my legs felt during this routine, perhaps due to taking a few days off. I was trying for three reps at 305lb, but couldn't stand back up for the third. The video shows my final set.



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Deadlifts:
135 x 10
165 x 6
185 x 5
205 x 3
215 x 1
225 x 1
245 x 1
265 x 1
280 x 1
290 x 1
300 x 1 (PR)

Another PR! After the 290lb round, I set up the bar with another 5lb, then sat down for a rest break. I thought, sod it, another 5lb won't kill me, so went for a round 300lb. This was a target I was hoping I'd hit before Christmas, so I managed it with a few days to spare. I felt like I had enough strength for another 5lb, but reviewing my video shows my back was starting to bow, a sure sign to quit at that point. The video shows my lifts from 265lb onwards. It doesn't show the embarrassing toe holes in my left sock, which I'm sure other gym users must have noticed! But I deadlifted 300lb, so who gives a shit!

Damn. Bugger. Piss.

I was planning on a heavy posterior chain and leg day, but I have a very painful infected ring finger on my left hand. It's been bugging me for just over a week, but seemed to be getting better until yesterday when I noticed that it was swollen, which coincided with it getting even more painful. Even the slightest touch is agony, so there was no way I was going to manage heavy deadlifts (or an empty bar, for that matter).

My doctor noticed my hands are really dry and the skin has cracked from the cold weather, so it's likely that bacteria has infected the broken skin on my finger. Now I'm on a 10-day course of antibiotics, which I hate because they always give me an upset stomach. I'm balancing the medication with a probiotic, so I hope that helps to stop me from losing any weight.

Anyway, the main bugger is that this means an extended rest period because I can't lift anything. The pharmacist reckons I should see some improvement within 48-72 hours, so I might be able to get back to training by Monday morning.

Feck!

Full body: Heavy weight

Not a great workout today. I felt a bit bleh because of a rough night's sleep, plus I have an infection in the ring finger of my left hand, which makes gripping a barbell a little painful. It actually isn't too bad, just painful enough to be distracting, thus limiting my concentration and focus.

The first routine was based on a main site WOD from a few days ago.

Resting 60 seconds between sets:
Bench press 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
95, 105, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140 (1), 135 (1), 125, 125, 130

I set up the bench press like I usually do, using the small bench and safeties at 6 holes. This means the bar comes down about an inch from my chest at the lowest point when it hits the safeties. However, this time I had the bar on the rests above my head so that I started the move from the top position, rather than the bottom (safeties).

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Push press - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (from rack)
75, 85, 95, 100, 105, 105, 110, 115 (F), 115 (F)

My posture on the heavier push presses is pretty awful and it looks like I'm leaning back too much. I could certainly feel some pressure in my lower back (not painful) where it's arching. Coincidentally, the picture I posted on my last blog post shows what I'm doing wrong (middle picture). On the video you can see I get the bar overhead at 115lb - twice on the second attempt - but I wasn't happy with my form so I marked both sets as "F". The bar was a little bit in front of me - like with my last Grace attempt - and the bar didn't stay up very long.

Perhaps it's the lack of sleep, but the bar just felt heavy today. I've certainly had enough of a break from hard exercise because I had a rest day yesterday, the first time I've done that on a Wednesday.

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Weighted sit-ups - 4 x max @ 8lb
12, 10, 12, 7

Full body: Heavy weight

Overhead: Solid / Weak core / Tight shoulders

Split jerk:
65 (5), 75 (3), 85 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3)

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Complex: 1 x power squat clean and 1 x front squat
Update: It's probably more accurate to describe this as 1 x power clean and 2 x front squats
(Warm up: 95 x 1, 95 x 2, 95 x 2)
105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140 (F), 140 (F)



On both failed sets at 140lb, the failure was in getting the bar up to my chest (i.e. the power clean portion). Both failures - shown in the video - were close, but then dropped. I couldn't get enough power from my hips to get the bar up to my chest.

The last time I attempted a routine similar to this I did 2 front squats, not 1 like today. That time I failed to clean 135, so today was an improvement in that respect.

Full body: Heavy weight

I was too busy to train this morning, so tried to fit in a quick workout in the afternoon. I'd forgotten how much I dislike afternoon in the gym; it's too busy and crowded, and I found it too difficult to concentrate. The only area I could use was close to the pull-up/squat rack and the weight plates. There were people constantly taking or putting back weights, which put me off, especially during my second routine.

Death by deadlifts @ 225lb
(Warm up: 3 rounds of 6 x 185lb)

Score = 7 rounds

When I completed the 7th round there were only about 5 seconds for me to rest, so when I attempted the first rep of the 8th round I simply didn't have any energy. Also, my lower back started to feel tight. I've no idea what my form was like as it was too crowded for me to set up my camera, and I wouldn't have had time to check the videos between rounds, anyway. This routine pretty much went a I'd expected.

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Bear complex
75, 85, 95 (F on rack jerk), 95, 100 (F on push jerk), 100 (F on rack jerk), 100 (F on rack jerk)

It's not that I felt weak on any of these moves, but I found it difficult to concentrate with so much going on around me. People were walking around my set up to get or put back weights, either for bench presses or leg presses. At least in the morning that area of the gym is much less active.

Oh, well. I only wanted a short, simple workout today anyway - just not this short!

My left calf is still painful from Saturday's cramp - which never returned again later, thankfully - and my right calf also hurts, even though it never cramped up during my training session. Massaging it is too painful, so it's just a matter of waiting it out.

Conditioning: a.k.a Breaking Point!

Angie Pye - CrossFit Article

Personal training with Paul

For time:
1 Clean and Jerk - 110
1 Round of Cindy
2 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
3 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
4 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
5 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
6 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
7 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
8 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
9 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
10 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
(Cindy= 5 Kipping Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Air Squats)

Time: 44:23

Not a completely accurate time because Paul paused his watch during the round of 9 clean jerks when I got cramp in my left calf. I also cramped up my right hamstring during round 8 of the pull-ups (I think), but that didn't last too long. I think that must be the worst pain I've ever endured during a workout. Thankfully, it cleared up and I was able to continue. Watching my calf muscles twitching was pretty creepy. It would have pissed me off that Paul was laughing at me if I hadn't been laughing myself! :-)

One theory for leg cramps during exercise is dehydration, and I was actually pretty thirsty at this point in the routine. However, in the past, drinking too much water while I'm doing an air squat routine usually makes me feel like I'm going to throw up because of all the liquid swilling around my stomach. Therefore, I deliberately didn't drink too much while I was resting. Also, I once saw a video where Iceland Annie criticised herself for chalking up her hands during a routine as just an excuse for taking a rest; I've done that with water breaks but didn't want to do it today.

Another cause is low sodium, and in the past few months I've cut down on my salt intake by eating much less processed food. I'd estimate that 90% of the food I eat now is prepared from scratch.

Full body: Heavy weight

Hang power cleans @ 125
(Warm up: 3 x 5 @ 95; 5 @ 105)
4, 4, 4, 4, 4 = 20

This is the first time I've hit all 20 reps with 125lb. A couple of weeks ago I did 19, as I only got 3 reps in the final set. Nice and consistent today, though. Taking my time to warm up properly certainly paid off.

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Back squats - a2g
100 x 10
125 x 6
135 x 5
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
180 x 3
185 x 3
190 x 3
195 x 1
195 x 2

In both sets at 195lb I could feel my balance starting to go - I started to lean forward - so I felt it was safer to leave it there in case I fell over.  That's a respectable weight for me doing full rom squats and pretty close to 200lb, so that's encouraging.

Also, I figured out why I get dizzy doing heavy deadlifts and squats. I used to think it was the up and down motion that got to me, but I realised - from watching my trap bar deadlift video - that my face goes bright red from the exertion. The dizziness is caused by the blood rushing to my head!

I felt like I still had plenty of energy after these two routines, so I was tempted to do a bear complex. However, I took Paul's advice and finished my workout at this point. (The fact I had to ask shows I kind of knew the answer already.) It's going to take discipline for me to work out intelligently.

Full body: Heavy weight

Back into the gym for the first time since Thursday last week, following a much-needed rest. I started with something simple and didn't overdo my workout.

Bench press - small bench, 6 holes:
95 x 6
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x5
135 x 3
140 x 1

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Trap bar deadlifts:
170 x 10
220 x 5
260 x 3
280 x 1
290 x 1
300 x 1
310 x 1
320 x 1
325 x 1
330 x 1 (PR)



Last time I did these my form on the heavier weights was awful, with my back rounding a lot. This time - at least from the angle I used for this video - was much better, until the last set. That was a PR at 330lb and my back rounded enough for me to call it quits. Even then, I think my form was better than last time. Not wearing shoes definitely helped.

Overtraining... again!

Well, I've gone and done it again. This is the third time this year I've overtrained, although this time the symptoms are a bit different. My joints and muscles are achy, particularly in my arms and shoulders. Previous times when I've overdone it I've also lacked motivation (not wanting to go to the gym, let alone train), my sleep has been disrupted, and I've felt like I was about to get a cold. For the past few days I've just had the aching feeling.

The last time I trained was Thursday, which means that so far I've had 4 days of rest. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, it could well be 5. Reading about overtraining on CrossFit forums, one person advised taking a complete week of rest if necessary, and not doing even light training just for the sake of doing something. At the moment, I'm itching to lift something heavy, even though I know I need to rest. It's the addictive qualities inherent in exercise that keep me going sometimes. As someone noted, perhaps it should be called CrackFit! (Yes, I know I'm not a CrossFit athlete, but it's the style of training that's closest to the regimen I follow.)

I definitely need to rethink how I train, as this is happening too often. Right now I exercise Monday through Thursday, have a personal training session on Saturday, leaving Friday and Sunday as my rest days. As Paul's observed, I often try to fit too much into each session with perhaps 4 or 5 different routines; sticking to just 2 is a more intelligent strategy.

One comment of note, in response to an article about CrossFitters overtraining: "I actually work out less, with greater results than I used to... I used to pretty much always go 5x/week, now it's 4x, and sometimes 3x week. I feel better, recover better, and I've shifted from "I have to hit the PR/I suck at pullups-f$%$%ck!/can't believe that person was faster or lifted heavier than me" BS, and just work out each time as hard as I can, and I do 100% of my best each day."

Part of my problem is that in the back of my mind is the (absurd) idea that if I don't train, I'll turn back into the Pillsbury Doughboy I used to be. However, "Burning Calories: If I don’t workout then I won't have burned any calories today and if I don't do that then I’ll surely get fat. Stop connecting diet and exercise! They are two separate pieces of a healthy profile. Did you know that people actually GAIN weight when they are overtrained or under-slept?"

On another forum, someone said: "Just remember you get stronger by recovering from and adapting to the stress you put on your body in training. Smart training + proper recovery = results. More training ≠ more results."

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not an athlete, so I don't need to train like one. I'm just trying to have fun getting stronger and fitter, which I measure with improved PRs. I'm not trying to win any trophies.

Full body: Heavy weight

The Speal. 5' 4" of monster athlete. Rather like myself.

Front squats (a2g)
75 x 10
105 x 5
115 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 3
150 x 3
160 x 2

In hindsight I'm a little pissed at myself for not trying and failing (if necessary) with the third rep at 160lb. As you can see in the video, I was slow coming up in the second rep, thought about going again, but ended up racking the bar. At that point, I had nothing to lose by attempting the third. Oh well...



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Bent over rows - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
95, 105, 115, 120, 125 (4)

My form is a little shaky on some of the reps when the bar got heavy. My upper body is moving too much as I jerk the bar, rather than using a smooth motion to lift the bar to my chest. Still, I don't think I did too badly.



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Bear complex: 1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push jerk, 1 back squat, 1 rack jerk
75, 85, 95 (failed the push jerk), 95, 100, 105 (failed the pj), 105 (failed the rack jerk)

By this point, I felt really knackered (my arms in particular). This was my last workout at the end of a heavy couple of weeks, so maybe there was just no more fuel left in the tank!