Barbara

I don't usually train on Friday, but (a) I had a rest day on Wednesday, and (b) I won't have my regular personal training session tomorrow, only a gentle 3k run with Madi.

Barbara - 5 rft:
20 kipping pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 air squats
Time = 38:56

Okay, this is 19 seconds slower than last time, which was over a year ago. A couple of things to note, neither of which I'm offering as excuses, only observations.

1. This time, I did strict sit-ups, not the old "hands-over-head" that gave me some momentum. That may or may not have slowed me down, but, on the other hand, I hope I'm stronger than I was in September 2011. Also, the air squats were a2g; I can't remember if I only broke parallel last year.

2. Usually when I do a significant number of pull-ups in a metcon, I start with strict pull-ups rather than the kipping version. This is to enable my shoulders to warm up a bit before I start resorting to kipping. This morning, however, I went into straight into kipping because I wanted to move as quickly as possible from the beginning. My form was fucking awful; I lacked control and although I managed 12 consecutive reps before I had to rest, I was already out of breath. From that point onward I was struggling with breathing too hard, and that meant I needed to take too many breaks throughout the rest of the routine, just so I could catch my breath. Not a smart start by any means.

Regardless of whether or not I could/should have done better, this was still a good workout. I'm typing this a couple of hours after I left the gym, and I'm already seizing up. My moobs are sore as hell! Thankfully, tomorrow's Santa Pur-Suit won't be too taxing.

Full body

Short and simple today, due to time restraints.

Alternate sets; 5 x relative max reps
Bench press @ 125lb: 6, 5, 4, 4, 4
Weighted pull-ups @ 35lb: 5, 5, 4, 4, 4

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Superset - front and back squats (a2g)
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
150 - 3 & 3
160 - 3 & 3
170 - 2 & 3

Full body: Heavy weight and conditioning

I decided to revisit a whole workout from about a year ago. This was originally done as a personal training session on November 26, 2011. Yeah, I know yesterday would have been more symmetrical, but I didn't think of doing this until this morning.

Clean and push press (t&g; 2 second lockout)
95 x 3
105 x 3 (only did 2 last time)
110 x 2
115 x 1
120 x 1 (but not a full 2 second lockout)

I only just checked out the video from last time and realized I did squat cleans back then. However, today I only did power cleans. A year ago I failed the press at 115lb several times, but I managed a single at both 115lb and 120lb today. The heavier lift stayed up for about a second before I had to drop the bar. Coincidentally and bizarrely, looking back on that video I noticed I wore exactly the same shorts and shirt today!

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Cindy on Steroids: Amrap 20
5 wide grip pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
15 jump squats
Score = 10 + 1 pull-up

That's significantly better than last year, when my score was 9 rounds and 5 pull-ups. I can't remember if I used any type of strategy back then, but today I did a kind of "death by" technique. I would complete a round - which always took over a minute - then rest for the remainder of the two minutes. I would only get into position for the pull-ups when my watch approached the end of the second minute. This seemed to work quite well, hence the improvement. All of the pull-ups were unbroken, except for the 10th round, which was 3 and 2. The first round of all three moves was completed without any breaks.

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Each for time: 15 sit-ups (strict) and 30 bicycle crunches per side
59, 1:15

These were tougher crunches than a year ago, but I still beat both times, which were 1:05 and 1:25.

Overall, a decent workout today.

Full body

I decided to try something different from my usual Monday pushing workout today, just for a change.

Diane: 21-15-9 rft
Deadlifts @ 225lb (sets broke down as 11, 5, 5 - 5, 5, 5 - 5,4)
Push presses @ 95lb (5, 6, 5, 5 - 5, 5, 5 - 5, 4)
Time = 12:54

Because I can't do handstand push-ups, I substituted presses instead. The last time I did Diane - with Paul - I used military presses, but today I went for push presses with more weight. The reason for trying this is because a few of the YouTube Diane videos show some athletes doing a kipping type of motion for the handstand push-ups, and I thought push presses might be a good approximation of that movement. My time ended up being quicker by 6:45, so perhaps I could have gone heavier on the push presses (the deadlifts were RXed).

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The second routine was yesterday's main site WOD.

For time:
5 front squats @ 125lb
25 pull-ups
4 front squats
20 pull-ups
3 front squats
15 pull-ups
2 front squats
10 pull-ups
1 front squat
5 pull-ups
Time = 13:14

The demo video stipulates using 65% of a 1RM for the front squats. I can't recall ever going for a 1RM, so I used my heaviest ever weight - 175lb - and did a little over 70% of that. That would have been 122.5lb, so I rounded up. The front squats were just breaking parallel and actually felt quite easy. This enabled me to do all the reps with good form; i.e. elbows up. The pull-ups, however, really took my breath away and slowed me down.

Overall, a good, sweaty workout today!

Full body

A bit more elegant than me

Personal training with Paul

Alternating sets
Bench press
95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 2, 135 x 3 (fourth rep was assisted)

Dumbbell rows
70 x 5, 75 x 5, 75 x 5, 80 x 5, 80 x 5

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For time:
50 hang power cleans and push presses @ 75lb
Every break (bar on the ground) do 10 pushups and 15 jump squats
Time = 10:57

I think I took breaks after the following reps: 14, 10, 8, 5, 5, 8. Edit: 14-10-10-8-8.

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50 strict sit-ups
40 straight leg raises
30 leg raises/hip raises
20 decline sit-ups
10 toes to bars

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At the end of today's workout I weighed myself on the gym's scale. According to that, I'm now 148lb, which is 6lb more than the last time I weighed on my home scale. There may or may not be a discrepancy between the two scales, but I think Paul might be exaggerating when he said I'm getting fat! The evidence in my favour...

Flexin' time

Looking back at all these photos, I can't see too much difference between them, although I do look a bit lighter in the early ones. Other than that, everything looks pretty consistent.

Upper body and conditioning

Well, it worked for deadlifts...

Bench press
5 x 30% = 45lb
5 x 40% = 60lb
3 x 50% = 75lb
3 x 60% = 90lb
2 x 70% = 105lb
2 x 80% = 120lb
1 x 90% = 135lb
1 x 95% = 140lb
1 x 100% = 150lb (F)
1 x 145lb

But not quite for bench presses. I managed to get the bar halfway up at 150lb, but couldn't get near a lock out. Still, that's the heaviest bench I've ever attempted, and at least I was able to move it! I took off 5lb, rested a couple of minutes, then did a single lift at 145lb, so at least I matched my existing PR.

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Alternate sets:
Preacher curls @ 65lb - 7, 6, 6, 5, 5
Push-downs @ 45lb - 8, 7, 8, 7, 7

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For 20 minutes:
Every minute on the minute do
7 Push-ups
7 Box jumps @ 22"

Rest for 5 minutes

75 strict sit-ups for time = 3:50

This was based on a workout I found online this morning, but the original finishes with burpees, not sit-ups. Yeah, I know sit-ups are nowhere near as tough as burpees, but this was a matter of running out of time - honest! I knew the burpees would take me more than 15 minutes, but I couldn't stay that long, so I did a move I knew I could get through quickly. I don't think the original stated the height for the box jumps, but in retrospect I could have added a couple of inches. Despite my recent problems with these, the 22" jumps were no problem, and all 20 rounds were unbroken. In fact, none of the rounds took me longer than 32 seconds to complete both movements. Still, this was fun, and I was a puddle of stinky sweat at the end.

Legs

Only two routines this morning, but good results for both.

Back squats (a2g)
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 3 (PR)

My weight increase progression is usually quite erratic, simply based on how I feel. Today, I deliberately increased the weight by no more than 10lb each set (other than after the first one), and that seemed to work quite well because I didn't feel a sudden jump in weight at the start of each round.

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Similarly, I changed the way I approach weight progression for the next routine. I've struggled to increase my 1RM for deadlifts for a while now - which was 320lb - and I was starting to get frustrated by this because I didn't know what I could change. I googled "1 rep max deadlift" yesterday and found a forum discussion about how to warm up for a 1RM. I tried one of the suggestions today (the first answer in the forum), which is based on a 10% weight increase each set and the number of reps decreasing gradually, with the aim of hitting a specific weight. My target was 325lb.

Deadlift
5 x 30% = 100lb
5 x 40% = 130lb
3 x 50% = 165lb
3 x 60% = 195lb
2 x 70% = 230lb
2 x 80% = 260lb
1 x 90% = 290lb
1 x 95% = 310lb
1 x 100% = 325lb

Finally - a new deadlift PR! When I sat down afterward, I had a huge, goofy grin like the Cheshire Cat. Before when I've attempted 325lb, it's been a struggle to even get the weight off the ground. However, today felt much more comfortable. I can see in the video that my form isn't perfect; there's a bit of back arching, which isn't good, of course, but I don't think it was horrendous. I felt like I could have attempted another 5lb increase, but I didn't want to push my luck. Another change I made today was going back to lifting in my socks so that my feet were completely flat on the ground.

Like I said, only two routines today, but I'm very happy with the results.

Pulling

Post-lunch workout.

Complex: 3 power cleans + 3 hang cleans
85, 95, 110, 120, 125 (1 hang clean)

I didn't video this, but I know my single hang clean at 125lb was shit. I lacked control, and my legs were all over the place. Still, I attempted a second rep, but couldn't get the bar anywhere near my chest.

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Dumbbell rows 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
70s, 75s, 80s, 85s, 90s (4)

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Power snatches
65 x 3
75 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3

A little bit of press out from 85lb onwards, which is why I didn't add any weight after my first set with 90lb. That being said, the second round 90lb was better than the first.

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Cable rows
100 x 10
110 x 10
120 x 8, 6, 5

Pushing

Damn easy - and delicious - pulled pork.

Yesterday, we had a surprise party to celebrate my Mum's 80th birthday. There were about 30 guests, so I cooked a big batch of pulled pork, with a recipe from a Paleo cookbook Cher gave me for my birthday. The recipe is sooo easy, but tastes frigging amazing. The meat was juicy and tender, even though you don't add any liquid to it. It's just pork, a seasoning dry rub, and onions. It was one of those gratifying occasions when I cook something really healthy and everyone loves it!

Military presses 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
65, 75, 80, 85, 90 (0), 85, 85

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Supersets

Dumbbell bench presses; rel max @ 50s - 8, 5, 4, 3, 3
Push-ups - 10, 8, 6, 7, 7

Push presses @ 105lb - 5, 6, 4, 5
Dips - 6, 5, 5, 4

Full body (mostly upper)

Personal training with Paul

Note to self: The next time I see a workout online that I'd like to try, shut the hell up.

Rowing Helen
3 rft:
500 metre row
21 kettlebell swings @ 24kg
12 pull-ups (kipping)
Time = 19:11

I saw a CrossFit main site video yesterday, which showed some top level athletes doing a metabolic analysis. All the data was based on their reactions to a workout called Rowing Helen (the standard Helen uses running sprints, not rowing). Anyway, I thought it looked like an interesting challenge, so I asked Paul if I could do it with him sometime, as the rowing machines and kettlebells can only be used in a personal training session.

The kettlebells were the hardest part, and I no-repped a few times because I didn't get the weight overhead. In all three parts of the routine, it wasn't the weight that challenged me the most; it was my lack of breath. (Come to think of it, I can see why they chose this for a VO2 test). In the third round of rowing, I started off really slowly because I could hardly breathe, but I wanted to get moving. About halfway through, I started rowing 50 metres slowly, then 50 quickly, up until the end.

Not basing this on anything, but I thought I might get a time of circa 15 minutes. Still, I think I gave it everything to get 19:11, and it definitely required a lot of mental strength.

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4 rft:
10 incline dumbbell bench presses @ 40s
10 dips
Time = 16:47

21-15-9

Lindsey Valenzuela

This morning I started with the aborted lunges and snatches from yesterday. 

21-15-9 rft
Traveling lunges @ 35s (per leg)
Dumbbell snatches @ 35s (per side)
Time = 14:51

Yesterday I attempted this with 25s, but I decided to go a bit heavier because I was starting my workout with the routine, which meant I was much fresher. I spent plenty of time stretching out my glutes and quads beforehand, which was especially important because (a) my legs were quite stiff from Wednesday's exercises and (b) I went for an early morning bike ride and really pushed myself for speed. It was so damn cold when I set off to McD's (-5!) so I needed to pedal hard just to get warmed up! 

Anyway, I'm glad I was able to actually complete this today. The lunges were tough, but not as bad as I expected. The snatches, on the other hand, left me gasping for breath.

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I did something that was pure weight, just to allow myself to feel fresh again before my final routine.

Barbell curls @ 60lb; relative max reps - 12, 8, 6, 6, 5

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21-15-9 rft
Wide grip strict pull-ups
Strict sit-ups
Time = 9:18

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I was going to do some box jumps, too, but I realised that I only had nine steps for one side, with 10 on the other. There was a yoga class in session, so I didn't want to disturb them. Of course, it only occurred to me later that I could have simply done a routine with a lower height for the jumps. D'oh!

Legs and pulling

Cool - yet disgusting - pants design

Another combination day because I missed yesterday's pulling workout, due to attending a funeral in Toronto.

Complex: 1 power clean + 5 front squats
115, 125, 135, 140, 145 (4)

Video of the last two sets (forgot to subtitle the video). My elbows are too low after catching the clean, but I corrected them for the squats. For the 145lb clean, my legs are all over the bloody place.

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rft
Deadlifts @ 185lb
Pull-ups
Time = 11:16

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21-15-9 rft
Traveling lunges with 25s (per leg)
25lb dumbbell snatches (per arm)

I got as far as completing the 21 lunges per leg and then I got the a frigging painful cramp in both quads. It was the type of cramp where I thought I was going to puke, and I was hoping from leg to leg - both of which were equally bad, so that wasn't helping - then collapsed on my ass. It was bad enough that two people came to ask if I was okay! When I finally felt good to go, I started doing the snatches, but it still felt like the cramp would come back at any moment (I got to a total of 12 db snatches). I decided to abort as the time I'd spent trying to recover was longer than I'd actually spent moving, so whatever time I finished with would have been meaningless, anyway. I don't like walking away from an incomplete or poorly executed workout - or, in this case, staggering away - so I'm going to start with this tomorrow morning and make sure I finish it.

Pushing

A decent start to the week.

Bench press - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (small bench, 6 holes)
105, 115, 125, 135, 140, 145 (2), 145 (1)

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Push press - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
85, 95, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125 (2)

I didn't PR on the benches nor the push presses in terms of weight, but I increased the number of reps - by one - of the heaviest I've managed with both routines.

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5 rft
10 x dips
15 x push ups
Time = 12:08

The dips station was being used when I started, so I used the unsecured pull up rack instead. It feels a bit different (a) because it doesn't have grips, and (b) the horizontal bars slant inwards. Even though the proper dip bars became vacant midway through this routine, I stuck with the same type of dips for the sake of consistency.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

A lot of relative maxes to start...

Squat cleans
95lb x 8, 8, 5, 7

I lost concentration during the first set and my grip failed, causing me to drop the bar. That pissed me off; there was no reason for me to fail.

Military press
65lb x 10, 8, 6, 7

Neutral alternating pull-ups
10, 8, 6, 5

Dips
12, 8, 9, 7

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Amrap 10
10 x traveling lunges @ 20s (per leg)
10 x burpees
10 x sit-ups (strict)
Score = 4 rounds + 3 burpees

After a disappointing first set of squat cleans to start the day, I was quite pleased with how I finished with this short amrap. The lunges burned my quads, but I kept going and never broke them up. The burpees burned my lungs and I had to take a rest during the first three sets, but not the fourth. I wanted to, but I kept telling myself that this was only a short metcon, so just keep going! The sit ups weren't too bad. They started to hurt, but not enough to force me to take a break, other than a couple of breaths in the final set.

Conditioning

Goddamn box jumps. I had a great night's sleep that left me feeling fully rested and ready to work my ass off at the gym. I hadn't actually planned my session and was just going to wing it when I got there, making up something on the spot for my first routine.

3 rft
25 burpees
50 supported lateral hops @ 24"
100 single skips
Time = 18:37

Okay, that might not look too bad, but I had actually set up the risers and step so I could do box jumps (over by the squat rack in the corner). However, while I was warming up, I started to get that same damn mental block I've had the past few times I wanted to do box jumps. I've no idea why this has suddenly become a problem, but every time I started to crouch down to jump, I couldn't get my feet off the ground! I kept staring at the bloody thing and froze. Rather than stand there for half an hour and not doing anything, I decided to at least get moving, swapping in the lateral hops instead.

When I got to the end, I felt really pissed at myself. I decided I wasn't going to leave the gym until I'd completed 50 box jumps at 24". There's something about attempting these with lots of clear space in front of me that puts me off, as if I think the whole set up is going to collapse and I'm going to fall over, knocking out all my teeth. Yeah, I know that's bloody stupid; I'm not saying I was being rational! Anyway, I moved the setup to the corner by Chris's office, about a foot in front of the cupboard door. I figured if I misjudged my jump I could steady myself by putting my hand on the door. That seemed to calm me down mentally, although I'm sure it must have pissed off Chris with the constant "thump, thump, thump" of me landing on the box. Anyway...

50 box jumps @ 24"
Time = 4:24

Ironically, I did actually trip attempting the 47th rep, and hit my hand on the top step!

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300 single skips
10 push ups whenever I fail a rep or rest
Time = 8:13, with 80 push ups (8 fails)

Pulling

44

Only time for a short workout today. Also, I had a bit of an upset stomach, which was due, I think, to too much caffeine. I stayed up later than usual last night to watch the U.S. election results so I felt quite tired today. I tried to get myself going with lots of coffee throughout the day.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rft
Power cleans @ 115lb
Kipping pull-ups
Time = 17:43

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Wide cable rows
100lb x 10, 10, 7, 9

Legs

Usually without 165lb on my back.

On Saturday morning - before my training session - I had a pain in my left shoulder. It went away by the time I got to the gym, and it didn't cause any problems during my workout, so I didn't think anything more about it. Yesterday was a pushing day, and I did some push ups, bench presses and fast push presses. Again, no problems. However, by late afternoon my shoulder started to hurt quite a lot when I moved it a certain way. It wasn't the same as the injury I had earlier this year; this is more of a clicking and grinding sensation (hard to explain). I felt fine this morning, but thought it best not to do my usual Tuesday pulling workout and switched to a leg day instead.

Supersets
Box back squats - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (small bench, wooden step)
135, 145, 155, 160, 165

Jumping lunges (BW) x 10 per leg

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Deadlifts
175 x 6
195 x 4
225 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
310 x 0, 1
320 x 0

With my first attempt at 310lb I tried to use wrist straps and I almost completed the lift, but I felt unbalanced on my left side as the strap felt uncomfortable (probably because it felt weird using them with a mixed grip). I rested a few minutes and tried again - successfully - without the straps.

Pushing

After-lunch workout with mixed results.

Dumbbell seated shoulder press
30s (10), 35s (5), 37s (5, 5), 40s (4)

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Bench press (small bench, 6 holes)
95 x 10
115 x 7
125 x 4
135 x 2
135 x 1

A little bit below par with these.

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12-10-8-6-4-2 rft
Push press @ 95lb, from a clean
Push ups
Time = 6:18

I did this in August with 85lb from a rack. I was warming up with 65lb, then 85lb, and felt really comfortable, so I upped the weight. Also, I wanted to use cleans whenever I picked up the bar, rather than a rack. I felt like I took long rests, although not too often. I expected the extra weight and starting with a clean would slow me down, so I was really surprised when I checked my watch at the end and saw that I was over 3 minutes quicker. The presses felt really good, with plenty of hip power. 6:18 is two thirds of my previous time!

Full body

Lots of supersets today.

Front squats - 135 x 5, 145 x 5, 150 x 5, 5
Jump squats - 4 x 15

The first two sets of jump squats were unbroken, but my quads burned like feck!

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Incline dumbbell bench press - 40s x 6, 45s x 6, 47s x 6, 50s x 5
Dips - 4 x 8

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Pull-downs - 100 x 8, 8, 8, 8
Wide pull-ups - 4 x 5

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And to finish...

50 sit-ups
Time = 2:26

Death by...

I felt a bit meh today - no idea why. I'd planned on doing either Angie or Barbara today, or even Cindy Max, but when I got to the gym, the pull-up rack was being used. I must admit I was secretly pleased because it meant I couldn't do kipping pull-ups. Yeah, I know I was being damn lazy, but hey, I'm being honest here. I did a few shorter routines instead.

Alternate sets
Incline dumbbell curls - 25s x 10, 27s x 5, 5, 5, 4
Skull crushers - 22s x 12, 25s x 9, 7, 7, 8

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Death by military press @ 65lb
Score = 8 rounds + 7 reps
1 round increase.

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Death by chin-ups (strict)
Score = 8 rounds + 5 reps

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Death by sit-ups x 2
Score = 12 rounds (24 sit-ups) + 14 reps
Another 1 round increase.

I got to the end of the 12th round and immediately started the next one, as there wasn't even time for one second's rest.