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.

Full body

Julie Foucher

This is my first time in the gym training on my own for a week. I had the best night's sleep for weeks, and my nutrition was good yesterday (not that I eat a lot of crap, but some weekends I don't eat enough if I'm running around doing errands.) Bearing all that in mind, I can't figure out why today's session was so disappointing.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 2
105 x 3
110 x 2
115 x 1
115 x 2
120 x 0
120 x 0

Only 2 reps at 105lb was pretty shit, so I redid that set before proceeding. Likewise, I should be able to get 2 reps at 115lb, but I failed my second rep in my first attempt, so I did it again. Even though I didn't manage to hold the bar overhead with either of my 120lb jerks, they were both pretty close. I got the bar overhead, but couldn't hold it there for long.

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Cindy - Amrap 20: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats
Score = 12 rounds plus 5 pull-ups and 5 push-ups

The last time I did this - in January - I was disappointed and frustrated with my performance. Today was even worse. However, back then I felt pretty weak and that accounted for my low score; today I felt really good but my strategy was different - and failed. I didn't count my rounds so that I could concentrate on just completing the movements as my body allowed. This was a mistake because sometimes knowing how much I've done and how long I have left can push me to increase my speed. Also, I deliberately tried not to go at full speed from the beginning so that I could save my energy for later in the routine. Again, this didn't work very well.

I'm disappointed with today's performance because I felt so good and very positive heading into the gym. I felt fully rested and full of energy, which makes the results so frustrating. 

Making do #3

On the London Eye, with the Houses of Parliament in the background

Short workout today so I could take Madi into Central London for some sightseeing. 

Clean and jerks, touch and go:
5 x 30kg
5 x 35kg
5 x 35kg
5 x 35kg
4 x 35kg

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Alternate sets:
Pull-ups: 9, 7, 6, 5, 5
Dips: 7, 6, 5, 5, 5

Making do #1

I decided to get a temporary membership for a gym close to my Mother's place so that I could train for the few days that I'm in England. Also, the showers here are a damn sight more powerful than Mum's. This is a typical wall-to-wall machines type of gym, with very little options for using free weights. However, I did my best to make do with what's here. Consequently, my training this week hasn't been to the same intensity as usual.

I forgot to take my notebook with me today, so no record of the weights nor reps that I did.

Alternate sets, relative max: Pull-ups / push-ups

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Hang cleans, relative max

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Dumbbell clean and jerks, touch and go, relative max

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Machine rows

Full body. Yay! And Ouch.

This was both a very good day, and a pretty bad one.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 2
115 x 2
120 x 0
120 x 1 (PR)
125 x 0

Given my struggles with overhead routines the past few weeks, I was surprised by how well I did with this workout. My PR for c&j was 115lb for 1 rep, and the second rep at that weight was pretty close today. I attempted 120lb, but couldn't lockout with my right arm, as you can see in the video below. However, I felt that I was quite close enough to warrant a second attempt. I was pretty shocked that I was successful, hence the cheesy reaction afterward! The 125lb attempt wasn't even close, but I'm still very pleased with 120lb, given the context.

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I rested about 4 minutes, then started a routine I did with Paul a few weeks back: 30 dips and 50 push-ups for time. My shoulders felt fine and well-rested after the c&js, and I started well with the dips. Pushing up to complete the 10th rep, I felt something go in my left shoulder and I had a searing pain. I jumped down from the dip rack as my shoulder was in agony. The pain gradually subsided, so I did some stretches on the pull-up station, which seemed to help. Everything felt ok after that, so I did another recent routine, but with pull-ups.

5 rft:
3 weighted pull-ups @ 25lb
5 strict pull-ups
7 kipping pull-ups
Time = 10:43

That's a pretty big improvement on last time - 12:27 - and I didn't feel any discomfort in my shoulder.

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Death by burpees:
Score = 12 rounds + 9 burpees

As always with "Death by..." routines, this started easily and got tough by about 8 burpees. I saw this on a CrossFit website recently, so decided to try it.

Again, there seemed to be no problem with my shoulder. However, by the time I was cooled off in the changing room, I could feel the pain returning. It isn't constant, but is pretty bad when I move it a certain way, such as reaching to open a door. I hope this clears up by the weekend.

Full body

Today's lunch: two homemade beefburgers with fried eggs, sweet potato mash, and zucchini with green onion.

I was going to have a total leg day, but this morning I saw this clean and jerk routine for today's main site WOD and decided to give it a try.

Clean and Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
95, 100, 105, 110 (F the jerk), 110, 115 (F - couldn't hold overhead), 115

Nothing spectacular here, as I only just equaled my 1RM. However, it wasn't until I returned home and read the guidelines for the routine that I realise I didn't do it exactly as advised. (I was in a rush this morning when I planned today's workout.) Comment #3 explains how it should be done and is actually a bit less strict than I was aiming for. The site advises: "Rest 3-5:00 between sets, enough to recharge but not enough to get cool", but I  rested for no more than 2 minutes each time. Also, "If you happen to press out a lift just a bit at the top but you lock out your elbows and stand up…good lift today." By that standard, I think my first attempt at 115lb might be counted as successful, not an F. Oh, well; no biggie.

I didn't video this routine, but here's the official demo. I didn't do a squat clean like this guy; a power clean is acceptable. Interesting bouncing movement before the jerk in order to get a feel for the weight before pushing overhead. 

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Back squats:
145 x 8
185 x 3
195 x 3
200 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 2
210 x 1

I think this video shows that my weight is too far forward, which is affecting my balance. My shoulders and chest should be up more and my knees shouldn't be so far in front of my toes. 

Don't know what I was thinking in that first set at 210lb! As Cher often says, "Either shit or get off the pot!" (Charming.)

Full body

At what point does one decide enough is enough?

Like Monday, today's workout followed a poor night's sleep. I revisited a metcon I did with Paul a few weeks ago. Back in December I got really bad cramp in my calf and hamstring late into the routine, so Paul paused the stopwatch to allow me time to recover. Of course, this meant that I was able to catch my breath, too. My time in December - not including the recovery break - was 44:23. Which makes today's time even more surprising.

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: 33:54

I knocked 10:29 off my previous time! When I finished the last air squat I sat down on the bench I used to step up to the pull-up bar and stared at my watch because I couldn't believe the time.

When I did this with Paul, he checked the quality of my jerks, but there was no way to do that today other than to trust my own judgement. Nevertheless, I do think that my form was pretty good. In fact, following the third rep of the 8 clean and jerks, I dropped the bar onto the top of  my head (ouch). That could only happen if my arms were holding the bar straight overhead and not in front of me! I got plenty of power from my hips. My feet actually left the ground for both the clean and the jerk movements.

All of the sets of kipping pull-ups were unbroken because I was able to maintain a good, efficient swinging rhythm. The only time I failed a rep in any of the moves was on 1 push-up. I was fatigued - I think it was in the 7th or 8th round - and I couldn't keep my body straight, so on the 5th rep my stomach touched the ground before my chest. I didn't count that rep, rested a few seconds, then continued.

Regardless of the possibility of poor c & j form - although I'd like to think they were acceptable - I'm extremely pleased with that time. And no cramp!

Full body

Early start today because of a busy schedule. I was planning on doing the power clean/Cindy routine today, but there was no way my legs would allow me to do 150 air squats. It was enough of a challenge to put on socks and shoes. It's been a while since I had really bad doms in my legs and it's all because I forgot to stretch after the squatting and lunging metcon on Tuesday. D'oh! Consequently, today's workout was a bit haphazard.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 2
115 x 1
115 x 1

This is equal to my PR for the third time (I think). I probably should have done better, but it was impossible to get more power from my hips due to my aching legs. A little bit too much leaning back, but I think the weight stayed up above my shoulders for a decent amount of time. I couldn't get a decent angle for videoing this, so the only clip I have is my final set at 115lb. The slo-mo is just to show off the video technique, rather than my lifting!



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Bench press for time - 15 @ 125
Time = 4:37

Not a major milestone, but this my previous best was 6:12 at the same weight.

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Amrap 10 - Max reps, alternating sets (switching when I reach relative failure):
Wide-grip pull-ups: 11, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 1 = 42
Dips: 8, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 = 35

Conditioning

Jenny LaBaw. Something is surely wrong if I look at a fit female body and think, "Nice lats."

Amrap 10:
Power squat clean and jerk @ 95 Power clean, front squat and push jerk @ 95(jeez!)
Score = 26

I did an amrap 10 hang squat clean and jerk with 85lb in April 2011 for a total of 24 reps. This is only a 2 rep improvement, but with 10lb extra and from the ground. I didn't video myself today - there wasn't anywhere I could set up my camera - but I'm pretty sure my form for the jerks was pretty good. As this was an amrap, I didn't keep the bar overhead for long, but my arms locked out and the bar was straight above my shoulders, not in front. Of course, I have no way of knowing what my form was like last year, but I'm guessing it wasn't as good as today.

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Half Angie:
50 x squats (hamstring to calf)
50 x push-ups
50 x pull-ups
50 x sit-ups
Time = 14:29

That's 3:01 better than a year ago. I would have been even quicker if I was using the pull-up bar in the squat rack, but that was already being used. I used the other pull-ups station, which meant limited kipping because the whole set-up wobbles from side to side and I was afraid of the whole thing toppling over. My pull-ups weren't strict, but certainly slower than they would have been in the squat rack.

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!

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 and Conditioning

Personal training with Paul



Clean and Jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 2
110 x 2
115 x 0
115 x 0 (couldn't quite hold the bar up long enough)
115 x 0
115 x 0

I felt close to completing the movement successfully at 115lb, but I couldn't lock out my arms for more than a split second. The video above shows my second and third attempts. My shoulders still feel fatigued from Thursday' upper body workout, which didn't help. The next routine punished them even more.

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Cindy on Steroids: Amrap 20
5 wide grip pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
15 jump squats

Score = 9 rounds + 5 pull-ups

Bloody hell, this got my heart pumping! It was good to do a seriously punishing conditioning routine again because I've been concentrating on lifting heavy the past few weeks. This is the first time I've done Cindy on Steroids; I usually do the plain vanilla Cindy. It felt great to be able to do jump squats again, this being the first time in months due to my dodgy left hip.

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Each for time: 15 sit-ups, 30 bicycle crunches per side
1:05, 1:25