Full body

Just wasn't feeling it today. I was helping out at New Hamburg Live arts festival yesterday, moving lots of furniture for an hour after the concert, until 10:00pm. My shoulders and upper arms were pretty knackered this morning, which was annoying because I'd planned an upper body day.

Clean and press (aiming for 1RM):
85lb x 3
85lb x 3
95lb x 3
105lb x 1
115lb x 1
120lb x 0
120lb x 0

With both failed attempts at 120lb I could just about get the bar overhead, but couldn't hold it there for long enough to count as a successful rep.

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Because of how poorly I did with the first workout, I decided to forget about upper body and do some front squats instead.

Front squats:
115 x 5
125 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 1 (wrists hurt too much)
165 x 1 (ditto)
165 x 1 (crossover grip)

With the first two 165lb attempts the only reason I failed was because of my grip, not my legs. My wrists hurt so much I simply couldn't hold the bar any longer. I rested a couple of minutes, then tried with my old crossover grip, but couldn't hold it like that either, and ended up dropping the bar (with a loud "Fuck!)

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Mixed grip pull-ups
12, 7, 6, 6

Full body

Deadlifts (touch and go):
140 x 10
185 x 5
210 x 5
225 x 5
260 x 5
285 x 2

I did a similar workout several weeks ago, with slightly lighter weights. Today I felt like I was able to go a little heavier while maintaining good form. Plus, every set - except the final one - were touch and go, which I wasn't able to do last time. However, I got too cocky with the last set. In April I finished up with 4 reps at 275lb, but I was pretty sure I could improve on that today, so I went for 285lb. I managed 2 reps - resetting, not t&g - but I could feel the stress on my lower back. It wasn't painful, but it was enough for me to know that I shouldn't risk any more reps as my form was obviously suffering.

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I didn't have too much time this morning, so I finished off with a quick routine stolen from Paul.

2 rounds for time:
20 pull-ups (kipping)
50 push-ups
Time = 9:44

I'll repeat that in case it got missed:

9:44!

I'll say no more... :-)

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Addendum: While Madi had her spin class this afternoon, I did a short workout session.

Death by power snatches @ 70lb
Score = 8 rounds exactly

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Skipping practice

Full body

Camille

My whole body is still sore as hell from Saturday's workout, especially my legs and traps. All I could do was grit my teeth and grind my way through today's workout. (The only other alternative was to do curls for the whole session.)

The first part is Saturday's main site WOD.

Squat clean (t&g) 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
(3 warm up sets @ 95lb)
100, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135 (1), 135

It was a momentary lack of concentration that caused me to fail after the first rep at 135lb, so rather than lighten the weight, I rested 2 minutes then tried again. My 1RM is 140lb, so while I didn't set a new PR, this wasn't a bad result.

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The gym was pretty warm and humid today, so I decided to do a routine in the parking lot (still warm, but at least there was a breeze). This is based on Regional Workout #3 and my original (indoor) plan was to substitute the sprints with either clapping push-ups or burpees. 

4 rft:
10 dumbbell snatches (5 per arm) @ 40lb
200 yd sprint
Time = 7:14

I used a mat to avoid beating the crap out of the dumbbell when it touched the ground. In hindsight, 40lb was probably too light. I thought of using a 45lb, but they were both being used. However, looking at my time, even a 47lb might have been a better challenge. For the "sprints" - which turned into more of a fast jog! - I ran from one end of the parking lot, touched the ground with both hands at the far end, then turned and ran back to the mat.

Surprisingly, my legs feel better now than when I woke up!

Full body

Thor's Daughter

Personal training with Paul

Back squats (a2g)
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x4

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For time:
50 back squats @ 95lb (parallel)
40 kipping pull-ups
30 shoulder to overhead @ 95lb
50 front squats @ 65lb (parallel)
40 kipping pull-ups
30 shoulder to overhead @ 65lb
Time = 31:19

The way I felt during and after that routine makes me look at that time as long, rather than slow, even though there was a 22 minute time cap for the full Regionals routine. 

Two things: (1) Paul said we were using the girls' weights for this CrossFit Regionals workout. The picture above shows the girls of whom he speaks. (2) He advised me to tell him if my left arm went numb. Bloody considerate.

Conditioning

The first routine is based on one I saw Rich Froning do, but scaled (obviously). Froning did deadlifts at 275lb, but I took them down to roughly 75% of that weight, so it was still pretty challenging. 

7 rft:
7 deadlifts @ 205lb
14 push-ups
Time = 8:29

The video didn't say what his time was, but I'm pretty satisfied with how mine turned out. I'm sure Froning was much quicker, but still - 75% of the weight handled by the Fittest Man on Earth? I'll take it! The first round was completely unbroken; in fact, with all the deadlifts I never released the bar during a set, although they weren't all touch and go. I occasionally paused for a second at the top of the movement, then went for the next rep.

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This next routine was completely made up on the spot. I knew I wanted to do a 10-9-8... routine, but I hadn't decided which two exercises to combine. In the end, I went for a technical lift that I want to improve - snatches - together with a movement I know I can do well, box jumps. I typically do 24", but pushed it up by a couple of inches to make it a little tougher.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time
Power snatches @ 75lb
Box jumps @ 26"
Time = 18:04

This really got me breathing hard and sweating like a pig. I thought that the snatches might be too light, but none of the longer early sets were unbroken. The first one was 7 and 3. I lost my concentration during the set of seven box jumps and jumped right into the step on the fourth rep (for some reason I started to picture myself doing the high box jumps last week - no idea why!) I recovered quickly and then continued to finish the set.

Pleased with a good sweaty workout today. I'll probably work on my skipping tonight while Madi is in her spin class.

Conditioning

Death by Power Cleans @ 115lb
Score = 8 rounds plus 6 reps

In the fifth round, I lost track of the number of reps I was supposed to do, and I did six instead of five. That means there's an extra rep in there somewhere! I had thought of using 125lb, but - considering my score - I think I chose the correct weight.

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No idea why I chose to do the next routine today, as my hamstrings and glutes were sore from yesterday, plus my shoulders were knackered from the power cleans. Anyway...

Fran - 21-15-9 reps for time:
Thrusters @ 95lb
Kipping pull-ups
Time = 15:59

That's a hell of a lot slower than my previous time in November 2011. I felt like I did the pull-ups pretty quickly; even though they were broken up, I didn't take very long rest breaks. It was the thrusters that slowed me down. However, even though I didn't video this workout, I'm pretty sure my form and technique was much better than before. The bar went straight overhead each time, and none of the reps were in front of me.

I'm usually pretty tough on myself when I do a slow time on a routine that I've done better previously. However, I often lose sight of the fact that even though I haven't set a new PR, I've still had a decent workout. I think that's the case today.

Update: While Madi was having her spin class this afternoon, I used the opportunity to practice one of the items on my New Year's resolutions list - skipping! Liliana gave me a few pointers, then I practiced for about 30 minutes. I'm nowhere near good enough to include skipping as part of a workout routine, but I'm certainly improving.
  

May 22, 2012

Legs

Not quite the leg session I'd planned. When I got to the gym, both the squat racks were being used, so I opted for Plan B instead.

Trap bar deadlift:
170 x 10
220 x 6
260 x 3
310 x 1
325 x 1
330 x 1
340 x 1
345 x 0
345 x 0

Some rounding in my back, but at least I stood up straighter than last time. 

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By the time I'd completed the trap bar deadlifts, one of the racks was free. I could have gone for timed back squats, but I felt the squatting movement would have been too similar to the tbd's, albeit for volume rather than max weight. Therefore, I did the planned barbell lunges instead.

Lunges 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per leg (alternating):
85 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 5

Not quite a challenging a workout as I was going to do today, but the cycle ride home still made my quads burn.

Power!

I felt pretty tired today, but decided to have a bit of a power day anyway, fueled by two cups of McDonald's coffee and a sugar-free Red Bull.

Squat cleans for time (previous times in brackets):
95 x 5 - I forgot to start my watch, but this was pretty much a warm up set, so no biggie.
115 x 5 - 19 seconds (25)
125 x 5 - 30 (57)
130 x 5 - 34 (1:19)
135 x 5 - 1:03 (2:15)

Very pleased with that performance, which is a lot faster than the time I did this with Paul, in February. The heaviest round at 135lb was less than half my previous time and even included a failed attempt with my fourth rep, which I had to drop about halfway into my squat.

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Push press:
85 x 5
90 x 5
95 x 5
100 x 5
105 x 3

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75 sit-ups
Time = 2:43

Well, that's a damn sight better than last time (3:31), and also an improvement on my quickest time (3:09) Obviously, the extra caffeine was a great help.

Full body

10 rft:
3 x power cleans @ 115lb
6 x push-ups
9 x air squats
Time = 11:16

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Box jumps for height:
5 @ 24"
5 @ 26"
5 @ 28"
5 @ 30"
5 @ 32"
1 @ 34"
1 @ 34"

It's been a while since I did box jumps for maximum height. Last time I got four jumps at 32", so this is a slight improvement. Today, as back then, my progress was hampered by my mind rather than my legs. Even though I had completed a rep at 34", I kept psyching myself out when it came to the second one. I tried twice, and the second time I experienced a "CrossFit Moment", with other gym users shouting words of encouragement, plus David - who was training a client nearby - stopped to give me some advice. The 32" jumps and both 34" attempts are shown in this video, including my mental breakdown!

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Dips, relative max: 10, 10, 7, 5, 5

To finish off the week, I decided to test my left shoulder with some dips. They were all slow and controlled, and I went down just about to parallel, as I didn't want to push my luck. My shoulder felt okay, so hopefully it's fully recovered this time.

Pushing and Pulling

Power snatch:
65 x 5
75 x 5
85 x 4
85 x 4
85 x 3

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Alternate sets, relative max reps:

Bench press @ 105lb - 11, 9, 8, 6, 6
Chin-ups - 11, 9, 8, 7, 7

Cable rows @ 110lb - 10, 10, 9, 9, 8
Push-ups - 18, 16, 15, 15, 11

Full body

Busy day, so a quick hit-and-run workout this morning.

Clean and press:
85 x 5
95 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 3
115 x 3
120 x 2
125 x 1
125 x 0

I reviewed the video of my first attempt at 125lb - which is a PR - and thought my form was a bit off, so I rested and tried again. Unfortunately, even though I got the bar overhead, I couldn't lockout for more than a split second, so I counted that as a no rep. Looking at these heavier rep, I really need to work on keeping my back straight. I'm bending back too much.

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Decided to revisit an old metcon.

5 rft:
10 deadlifts (t&g) @ 135lb
10 burpees
Time = 7:58

My previous time with this was 9:19, so that's a great improvement. I raced through the first round, which definitely helped.

That's it. Not bad for a quickie.

New Hamburg Classic Race: 5k

What the hell's all this small nonsense?

Well, that was a rather disappointing 5k.

My hopes were high for a significant improvement on last year's time because I'd done - what I thought - was decent preparation. For the past few weeks, I'd done at least one run a week, plus I'd done some research into pre-race warm-ups. I got to the WRC early and did a slow jog, covering the 3k course in about 20 minutes. Then I stretched for about 10 minutes and made sure my muscles remained warmed up by keeping moving, right up to start time.

About 1k into the actual race, I was struggling. My breathing was much too laboured for that early stage of the course, and from that point onwards my running was based on sheer willpower, rather than technique.

I stopped running and walked three times during the race because of a stitch. I was going to do it again, fairly close to the finish line, but as I started to slow down I heard Chris screaming all kinds of abuse at me from the side, issuing several threats of a physical nature. Despite nearly causing me to soil myself, her motivational technique worked, as it forced me over the last few hundred metres.

I finished the race in 26:20. Last year's time was 25:51, so despite all the preparation this time, I ran 29 seconds slower. 12 months ago, the weather was awful, with heavy rain blowing into my face and obscuring my view. Today was dry and sunny, and a bit warmer than I would have wished for, but I'm not using that as an excuse.

I'm not sure if this was a failure of my pre-race training regimen, or if running simply isn't my thing. My strength has greatly improved over the past year, but perhaps at the expense of my conditioning.

Full body

Da man.

Front squats:
(Warm up - 2 sets @ 95lb x 3)
135 x 3
155 x 3
160 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 3
175 x 3 (PR)

Last time I did this routine, I only managed 2 reps at 175lb, so this is a slight improvement. Using the correct grip still hurts my wrists - particularly my left, for some reason - and I thought I wouldn't be able to reach the same weight as before. I wanted to go heavier after 175lb, but I didn't think my wrist could take any more! I actually felt like I had a few more squats in me, but I didn't want to resort to my old crossover grip.

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Complex: 3 power cleans + 3 hang cleans
85, 95, 105, 115, 120

When I did this complex a while back, I didn't do 120lb, but jumped from 115 to 125 and got all three power cleans, but only one hang. I don't know why, but I decided to try for all three reps at a lower weight. I managed it, but I'm not sure what that accomplished!

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Power snatch - technique work

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Bear complex x 3, t&g (1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push jerk, 1 back squat, 1 rack jerk)
65, 85, 85, 85, 85

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Alternate sets:
Dumbbell military press @ 25s: 10, 10, 12, 8, 11
Chin-ups: 12, 11, 7, 7, 7

Full body / Conditioning

A Paleo-licious dish I made yesterday for my nephew's birthday dinner: mashed butternut squash,
covered in pecans, with a butter and honey glaze. I think this is the most popular healthy dish I've ever
taken to a family event - it was almost totally devoured!

Early start for me today, due to a morning meeting.

For time:

30 x back squats @ 115lb (a2g)
20 x pull-ups (kipping)
10 x push presses @ 85lb

30 x front squats @ 95lb (a2g)
20 x pull-ups (kipping)
10 x push presses @ 85lb

30 x air squats
20 x pull-ups (kipping)
10 x push presses @ 85lb

Time = 23:30

This was loosely based on a main site WOD from last week. There are various ways of scaling it, as shown in the YouTube demo; the RXed version uses heavier weights and more reps. I sometimes get a head rush from swift up and down movements like squats, but  I made sure not to rush any of the back and front squats too much, concentrating on smooth, controlled reps. Hamstring to calf causes me problems with heavy back squats - partly because of confidence, not just strength - but 115lb was light enough not to be an issue. Good, sweaty workout.

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For time:
75 sit-ups
Time = 3:31 

Far from my quickest time. I don't do these often enough. I keep making excuses to myself, especially after a deadlift or squatting routine when my back is feeling tight. Today, I actually went into the changing room after the workout above, thought, "Screw it", and went back out again to do the sit-ups.

I'll be doing some running at the track while Madi swims this afternoon, which will be my last run before next week's New Hamburg Classic 5k.

Full body / Conditioning

Personal training with Paul

Squat clean and push press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
65, 85, 95, 95 (4), 95 (4)

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Superset:
Incline bench press - 35s x 10, 40s x 8, 7, 6, 5
Push-ups - 11, 7, 6, 6, 6

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5 rft:
10 x dumbbell snatches per arm @ 35
10 x lateral jumps per side @ 16 inches
Time = 16:28

Full body

Angie

Phew! The walk to the gym - plus the gym itself - was steaming hot today. That definitely affected my performance during the first routine.

Power snatches:
45 x 5
65 x 3
75 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
95 x 2
95 x 2

I've managed a single rep at 100lb before, so this is a little bit under than my best. My form wasn't great, either, as I needed a push to lockout for many of these reps.

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Back squats to parallel - 3, 3, 3, 3:
135 x 5 (warm-up)
185,  205, 210, 215 (2)

Upper Body

The first part of today's workout is based on the main site WOD from last Tuesday.

Bench press 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (small bench, 6 holes):
95 x 5 (warm up)
115 x 3
125 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 1
140 x 0

A bit disappointing; my bench press doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

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21-15-9 reps for time:
Clean and jerks push presses @ 85lb
Kipping pull-ups
Time = 17:11

I kind of made this up on the spot. I knew I wanted to do some c&js today as part of a conditioning routine, but wasn't sure how I'd actually do them until I started to set things up. 85lb is light for me, but I wanted to go for speed and make every rep perfect. That turned out to be the case, even when I started to get tired. Every rep locked out overhead, and none of them were out in front of me, as is sometimes the case with Grace. I was always able to do at least three consecutive reps of the c&js; in fact, the pull-ups felt tougher than the weighted portion. Again, the intention was to get my heart pumping and my body sweating; mission accomplished. I had nothing to compare this to, but I was aiming for a sub-15 minute routine.