This is why District Crossfit is awesome

http://districtcrossfit.com/2011/11/december-1st-thursday/

Crossfit Pensacola

12 min AMRAP

Buy in: 25 double unders

10 wall ball 20#, 10'

8 box jump 24"

5 power snatch 95#

7 rounds

Buy in means the clock starts for the WOD and you do 25 double unders before you can start the WOD. Cool idea, puts some pressure on you but nothing that should really screw you if you're not amazing at whatever the buyin is. Getting marginally better at wall balls and box jumps but still need a lot of work. I think the key to wall balls, like thrusters and everything else in life, is driving the shit out of your hips.

Small gym in a retail space but only a few blocks from my hotel so I'm not complaining. $20 or a T shirt from your box to drop in or $10 per class for multiple classes. Hopefully I'll have time to swing by tomorrow night.

CFFB 112911

DWOD
8 rds:
3 broad jumps (>6')
40 yd sprint (subbed 94' sprint)

4:49

SWOD

back/ass still sore from tabata deadlift, did some half ass strength work:

3x5 bench @ 145#
3x5 front squat @ 175#

AMRAP w/ a twist

If you're having trouble motivating yourself to get into the gym, eat quality food, get reasonable amounts of sleep, etc. realize that this is the easiest time of the year to slack off. Without even trying, you'll be in the same boat as millions of other people during this soft spot between Thanksgiving and Christmas as you make excuses: it's too cold, I'm too busy, I have too much work to do, I'll start up again after New Years. So how badly do you want it? If you want to be successful as badly as you want to breath oxygen, you'll find a way to get to the gym.


AMRAP until the trainer says stop

3 power snatch 115#
6 toes to bar
9 wall ball 20# 10' target

8 rounds

Interesting format b/c you basically need to go balls to the wall the entire time otherwise you'll feel like an asshole if you pace yourself for a 20 min AMRAP and it ends up being a 5 min AMRAP. My guess is we went for 10-12 minutes. Wish I had gone a little harder, still need to work on wall balls a lot. One cue that really helped on the toes to bar was to aggressively swing your feet down after touching the bar, which seems counter intuitive b/c when you're doing kipping pullups you basically let gravity pull you down. I think focusing on pulling your feet down after touching the bar with your toes helps get you in a good position at the bottom with your shoulders forward of the bar without letting you swing out of control at the bottom, thus preventing you from stringing a billion toes to bar together.


Matt Hasselbeck (NFL Quarterback, sitting out this season due to injuries I think) on CF:

good read

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Spealler_Green.pdf

dudes incredible.

CFFB 112611

Tabata Deadlift Challenge

46 reps @ 185#

185 is a little on the heavy side of ~50% 1RM for me, but it was a convenient use of plates. Objective is >50 reps, but I'll chalk this one up as a win. Sets started at 10 reps and dwindled down to a 3 or so before a final valiant set of 5. I'll pick back up with SWODs tomorrow, after this long thanksgiving break from stuff.

Murph

For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Time: 41:20 (no vest/armor)

Medal of Honor Citation

Dirty South

Travel day, no WOD time except for 18 HSPU before I showered tonight. Crossfit gym 3 blocks from my hotel. Should be able to drop in for a few WODs this week.

Watch this and get ready to go to town on Rachel Carson.

friday

ran 2 miles then did 50 burpees

turkey day

2 mile run (there are actually hills here in PA!)
then,

5 rounds of:
10 pushups
10 situps
10 air squats

Happy Thanksgiving

I don't own a sledgehammer or a giant tire and the gym is closed today, so I figured I might as well get something productive done before I head home...

2k row: 8:12
bodyweight = 166.4#
VO2_max = ~43.99

Consider that a baseline I guess, because I have nothing to compare it to.

3xMax pullups: 11-6-4 (gonna blame this one on my arms being beat up from the row...yea, that's it)

The Best Tuesdays

Are those that are really Fridays. This might be the best week of the year with two days of work and Thanksgiving all at once.

If you're having trouble motivating yourself to get in the gym...she has a sub 4 min Fran

I know what youre thinking: how does she do thrusters with those huge bangs. Just kidding. She probably doesn't have a f ing clue what crossfit is. Point is, get off your mfing ass, someone once told me anything easy isn't worth doing. That includes getting enough sleep so you can wake up for your workout in the morning or whatever else you need to do to get your ass in the gym. Also you should google Rosie Jones. At home.

Walked into the crossfit gym today and realized I forgot my shoes (chuck taylors). I was wearing heavy leather boots cause it was raining. Proceeded to workout barefoot (with socks). I would have definitely gotten kicked out of any other non cf gym if I tried to do this.

Did some warmup I'm too lazy to type out. Then some lax ball rolling under the feet, calves, and ass. (didn't even have to take my shoes off for the lax ball under the foot. Cause I didn't have any)

Then 12x2 deadlift on the minute at 80% 1RM. I scaled down to 275, apparently my deadlift starting position is great for the Oly lifts but sucks for doing deadlifts. I never really saw the difference between the Oly lift deadlift and the deadlift deadlift. Still not sure I have it 100% right but I need to work on keeping my hips higher during the deadlift and using my hamstrings almost exclusively rather than my quads. Apparently you can pull a shitload more this way.

WOD:

6-5-4-3-2-1

Wall climb

185# squat clean (scaled to 155#)

Time: 7:48

Notes: Squat cleans barefoot weren't nearly as awkward as I thought they would be. They were actually pretty sweet. Wall climbs were fine too, just couldn't crash down quite as hard on the way down. No one finished the wod Rx all day, one guy tried in an AM class but g'd up his wrist on a clean (probably tried to catch the weight too far forward) and DNF'd. I'm hoping I can finish this wod in under 10 mins within 6 months. 155# squat cleans weren't bad, I would do 170# if I could do it over.

CFFB 112211

DWOD

Complete 10 rounds for time:
10 KB Swings 2 pood
5 Burpee Broad Jumps (6 feet minimum)

sub'd 1 pd for 2 pd, sub'd standard burpees, did this in 2 sets of 5 rounds.

My lower back was still sore as shit from yesterday (power cleans and heavy squat + KB swings and deadlift today). Maybe i'm a pussy but the sting from lower back exhaustion was too much to tackle these 10 rounds all at once. I dont think I should have to scale down any further than 50%...i dunno what i'm getting at. everything i've learned from good ole rip would tell me that after setting a new 3x5 squat PR yesterday, I should have given my back a rest for the most part. poor performance on the dwod today though. ima stick with it as closely to rx'd frequency as possible (despite the holidays) for at least through next week and see if i can keep pace.

SWOD

Deadlift 5 RM (add 10 lbs to last workout)
Pull Ups 3 x max reps

deadlifted 265, grip was what failed me. form probably wasn't 100% with my spinal erectors telling me to go fuck myself.

in line with the rest of my gym experience today, my pullups were disappointing: 11-7-5. my records indicate max dead-hang pullups of 17, which clearly is not the case anymore...looks like i got a new goat to work on.

CFFB 112111

Daily WOD
3 rounds for time:
1 Full Gasser*
3 Power Cleans 185 lbs
3 Push Jerks 185 lbs
3 Power Cleans 185 lbs
3 Push Jerks 185 lbs

*Gasser = 4x 53yd (football field width) sprints, I sub'd 6x 94ft (basketball court length) sprints

~15:00 (used the wall clock)

I started this at 155# and realized that was too much. Dropped it down to 135# after rd 1. I immediately understood why they're called gassers. My clean form went down the drain once I was fully winded. The cleans wiped out my spinal erectors, making the SWOD tough.

Strength WOD
3x5 back squat @ 220

I should have done this at 230 (adding 5 from my last 3x5), but that would not have been possible. In retrospect 220 was perfect, I couldn't have eked out 1 more rep.

T-minus 3 Days

Thanksgiving is in three days. Get your ass in the gym so you can PR your turkey AMRAP on Thurs.

Also, Fight Gone Bad 7 is on Sat Sept 22nd, 2012. Put that in your calendar. Now.

Warmup WOD:
50 burpees for time
1:56

WOD:
All lifts at 95#
21 front squat
21 push press
21 deadlift
Run 400m
15 front squat
15 push press
15 deadlift
Run 400m
9 front squat
9 push press
9 deadlift

12:36

Notes: Pretty happy w/ the 50 burpees, did 47 unbroken without slowing down much. Last time I tried 100 burpees in Sept I got a hair under 7 min - hoping I can shave atleast a minute off that next time. Did all the squats and deadlifts unbroken, still horrible at running. Definitely more of a sprint pace given the light weight but the running was definitely the bottleneck here. Might go with 115# if I do this again.

Cindarella

WTF were you doing when you were 15?


WOD:
3 rounds, 1 min rest between rounds
6 min AMRAP
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

23 rounds + 7 squats

Notes: interesting that most people I talked to beat their previous Cindy PR, which is 20 min AMRAP 5 pull ups, 10 pushups, 15 squats. Beat my Cindy PR by ~2 rounds.

achievement unlocked

3x5 back squat @ 225# (milestone PR)
3x5 bench @ 145#
+ some other not notable shit...

i'm convinced now more than ever that mindset plays a HUGE role in strength training. i've been struggling for weeks on bench press, hovering around 140-145. every time i'd go for 145 i'd falter on the last set and my bar speed would be slow throughout. it was no problem doing it right after setting that squat PR i've been after, though, easy even. bar speed was solid until the very last rep.

...75 more lbs on my 3x5 squat and you'll all be envious of my gnarly quad viking ink. mark my words.

Active Rest Day

Dont really care for parkour but this guys probably ok at body weight WODs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQgFxDSqft4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Starting the 5-3-1 strength program

3x5 bench 115, 135, 155

3x5 back squat 155, 180, 205

Then 21-15-9

Chest to bar pull up

HRPU

Kb swing 55# dumbbell

No time, more of a brisk jogging pace than a balls to the wall sprint.

Then day 1 of 60 days of HSPU.

Thrusting Diane

Warmed up with 200 double unders, wasn't feeling these today - got ~20 a few times. Got 60 in a row yesterday.

Thruster 7x1
95-135-135-155-175-190
Skipped the last rep cause I was pretty sure I maxed out at 190, in hindsight I guess I should have tried like 191 or something. My idea with this rep scheme was to keep the weight relatively light for the first 3 rounds and then increase the weight rapidly over the last few sets in an effort to be as fresh as possible going into the PR sets. Not sure if it helped or not but I did PR by 10#.

Diane
21-15-9 (scaled to 15-12-9)
HSPU
225# deadlift
6:14

Notes: the 15-12-9 rep scheme was good for this WOD b/c my HSPU sets were broken into something like 15-6-3-3-3-3-etc. I probably could have done even fewer reps and kept the intensity higher. Some guys at District CF are going to do a 60 day HSPU challenge where the number of HSPU you do on a given day (broken up however you want) is equal to the number of days you've been doing the challenge. I think after that I'll probably be able to do most WODs that require 45 total HSPU.

Monday Funday

Warmup:
10 tuck jumps
10 air squats
10 scapular push ups

8 OTM:
3 ring dips
3 ring rows
3 hollow body rocks

WOD:
50 ground to overhead 45# plate
40 pullups
30 burpees
6:16

Closed out with lateral hand stand walks against the wall touching a cone and then walking sideways along the wall and touching a cone about 6 feet away

wrong way to go for max height box jump

http://www.todaysbigfail.com/view/20111030/Table-Back-Breaker

edit: this is a more useful video...

something better than nothing

Grace @ 95#: 3:02

much MWODing to come as I laze around the rest of the day.

this was an interesting read, i rarely ever get an outside opinion on CF anymore through my online reading.

its a great tool in the bag, is how i look at it.

JT lite

District CF at the 2011 Mid Atlantic Hopper Challenge


Warmup:
Run 580m
200 double unders
Run 580m

JT
21-15-9 (scaled to 15-12-9)
HSPU
Ring dips
Hand release pushup

Time: 12:56
DCF head trainer: ~5:00

Notes: just happy I finished, did the first 15 HSPU unbroken - probably could have hit 20, did the last 19 HSPU as singles w/ kips.

Annie on Roids

Warmup:
8 min OTM
3 C2B pullup
4 HR pushup
5 Hollow body rock

Mobility:
Lax ball under foot

WOD:
50 squats, double unders, situps
40 box jumps, double unders, situps
30 HR pushups, double unders, situps
20 pullups, double unders, situps
10 reverse burpees, double unders, situps

15:16

Notes: Reverse burpee starts with you on your back, rolling onto your feet without the assistance of your hands, jumping and finishing with a clap overhead. Pretty happy w/ my time since I clearly still need more double under practice - but also b/c I did Annie on Sun, which was this WOD but only the double unders and situps in ~13 or something. First round of double unders sucked, was stringing like 3-4 together for a while. Progressively got better/easier as I did more rounds, I think I strung together 20 in the round of 20. Theoretically 150 double unders should take under 2 mins to finish. Next time I'll shoot for 12 mins total.

thirsty (for milk) thursday

3x5 back squat @ 220# (PR)

used more of a low bar back squat form, that might have contributed to the squat being easier, i dunno. also played around with power clean and behind the neck press, established a working load of like 80-85lbs for 3x5.

metcons will be resumed in ~1 week. when i can solidly bust out 3x5 BS @ 225#. 4 plates on the bar will make me smile.

Amazing Grace

How sweet the sound
Of waking up at 5AM

Went to the 6AM class today to get some exposure to different coaches.

Warmed up with some drills running down the length of the gym doing high knees, butt kickers, backwards run, etc

Then 8 min OTM
3 behind the neck clean grip jerk 45#
4 good mornings w/ slightly bent knees
5 in and outs - lie down in the hollow body position and bring your knees to your chest and hands to your feet

Then 2 mins per side of pect/shoulder mobility taking a lax ball and sandwiching it between the wall and the area where your pects meet your shoulder then doing snow angels with the arm closest to the ball.

Then some skill work - 5x10 clean pull

WOD:

Grace
30 clean and jerk 135#

3:14

Came across this video yesterday - interesting alternative to pose running to prevent landing on your heel.

why does the gym have to get so busy...

stupid free army gym...its bullshit.

anyway...got that strict press PR i missed last time (3x5 @ 105#). my bench press seems to be fluctuating between 140-150, which is muy frustrato.

did those "get a better rack" stretches JC linked to a few days ago, first thing after warm up (getting better at DUs), but only on one arm. made a marked difference. i did the other one and my rack felt great (TWSS).

reechee, out.

Stronger than me

Off today - back on Weds, Thurs, Fri

Belated Halloween

31 Oct Mainsite WOD

Three rounds for time of:
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps
15 L Pull-ups
95 pound Split-jerk, 15 reps
15 Knees to elbows
95 pound Hang clean, 15 reps
15 Back extensions, with 25 pounds (subbed good mornings holding 25# on chest)

Time: 23:36
Dave Lipson 16:10

Planning on checking out the 6:00AM District CF class on Weds - diff coaches/diff crowd, doubtful I'll go consistently in the AMs but I'm curious to see how different it is.

monday

skill --
turkish get-ups 5x2 (35lbs)

metcon --
for time:
30 Man-Makers (25lbs -- Rx = 35lbs)
60 Toe-to-Bar

Partition as needed.

Time: 15:16

Notes: I did 6 rounds of 5 MM + 10 TTB. Pretty good workout.

Annie

Friends don't let friends text without external rotation



WOD:
50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit ups

13:48

Notes: beat my previous PR by like 10s which was surprising b/c my double unders still need work, I think my longest unbroken streak was 7 or 8. Also my tailbone is sore somehow from sitting on my couch in a weird position so the situps were kind of painful. Stupid couch.

Off Day Mobility

Solid routine for PRing the crap out of all your lifts next time

day off work

i've got a serious junk funk right now (just coined that, use it at your discretion).

PR: 3x5 back squat @ 215

also did bench press, strict press, power cleans, and 5x10 pullups. strict press would have been a PR (105#) but i had to push press like 3-4 reps total so thats no good. my progress is slow, but its there. need to make it to the gym more than twice a week, im working deep in the heart of our restricted area so sneaking off to play with big iron in the middle of the day hasn't been flying lately.

Finally Friday

This is a sweet story.

And Germany is awesome for having this paleo restaurant.
Need a better rack position? Try this.

10 min OTM

4 goblet squats

4 kb press

10s hollow body hold

Then rack position mobility. Standing on the band, hold the other end in your hand so your elbow is pointing at the sky like an exaggerated rack position. 90s per side.

Then a few mins of skin the cat work on the rings. Google if you don't know what that is.

WOD:

4 rounds

10 squat cleans 135#

20 hand release push ups

30 lateral bar jumps

8:48

Notes: watched a guy in the previous class pound the WOD in 8:08, he and a guy I went head to head with in my class are probably the top 2 in the gym w/ the exception of the two head trainers. Figured trying to break 10:00 would be a reasonable goal. Ended up going head to head for most of the WOD with the other guy in my class who got 8:24. Probably wouldn't have broken 9:00 if I was doing this alone.

Make Excuses

to devote yourself to perfection

Hump/Thrust Day

Warmup:
5 rounds
15 double unders
5 chest to bar pullups

Mobility:
90s per leg of shin to wall

5 rounds for time
7 kb thrusters 55#
11 burpees

7:04

Notes: subbed dumbbells for kb. Thrusters were significantly harder than I thought they would be. Did the first round unbroken then did the remaining sets of thrusters broken up into 4 and 3. Did some more double under work after the WOD. Strung together 15 and 16 in a row. Noticing a marked improvement in my double unders - as I string more together I feel like I'm moving my hands and wrists less and less and actually expending less effort than when I used to struggle to string 2 together. When I got into a rhythm, stringing 10+ together I felt like the jump rope handles were only moving in the circumference of say a quarter (like the coin) and I also felt like I was barely holding onto the handles as far as grip pressure goes. Gonna concentrate on that next time I work on them, see if that helps at all.

Jack

Jack:
20 min AMRAP:
10 Push Press (75lbs - Rx = 115lbs)
10 KB Swings (40 lbs - Rx = 55lbs)
10 Box Jobs (24 inches)

Rounds: 10 rounds + 20 reps

notes: should go higher weight next time.

AMRape

Warmed up with 10 mins on the minute (OTM)

3 snatch pulls 45#

3 snatch balance 45#

3 push ups

Then 12 mins OTM

2 squat snatch 70% of 1RM (105#)

WOD

8 min AMRAP

3 squat snatch 135#

8 bastards

7 rounds

Notes: scaled to 115#, a bastard is a burpee where the jumping portion is over the barbell while you face the same direction the end of the barbell is pointing. Was pretty pissed I didn't go with 95# after the third round and seriously considered dropping the weight down cause I thought I was going too slow. Ended up getting the most rounds in the class and using the heaviest weight. Some beasts threw down 8-9+ rounds earlier in the day rx. Not a wod I'm trying to repeat anytime soon but if I had to I might try 95# to see if I could get more touch and go snatches.

Also met a girl who's pretty legit (read has muscle ups) who trains at crossfit Chicago but is in DC for a little while.