Monday, April 30, 2012
Outlaw Monday
BB Gymnastics
1) 5X3 Snatch @ 75% – rest 45 sec. [40kg/88lb hang squat snatch*]
2a) 4X3 Behind the neck Push Press (snatch grip) – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec. [80kg/176lb]
2b) 4X2 Snatch Pull @ 110% – rest 60 sec. [80kg/176lb]
*For the next month or so I'll be replacing snatches and cleans from the floor with the same lift from the hang position. Mostly because the second pull (when the bar is just above the knees to when the bar reaches the hips when the hips are fully extended) is where a disproportionate amount of power in the lifts is generated and I want to drill this pull until I can get maximal power out of full hip extension on these lifts without even thinking about it. My biggest flaw in the past has been not fully opening the hips, which leads to loss of power and also floats the bar out in front of my midline or "frontal plane" as its taught in the CF seminars.
Conditioning
30 Burpee Over-The-Box Jumps 24"
30 T2B
30 Push Jerks 135 [scaled to 115]
Row 1K
For time
11:42
Good challenging WOD - glad I scaled to 115 considering I was approaching 12 min with the time. Row sucked after all of the other crap.
On a closing note, what's harder: qualifying for the CF Games or getting into an ivy league school?
so much for resting my legs
50 lateral burpees (over partner holding plank)
100 wall balls, 20#
150 sit-ups
200 double-unders
250 air squats
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Our boy Chen on the Mainsite
http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/assets_c/2012/04/SanDiegoL1_VirtuosityL1_CharlotteL1_IronMajorL1_CentrumL1_NewZealandL1-10247.html
MIRANDA...drool
Manion
Perfect way to go out: Hero Wod - "Manion" in honor of Travis Manion, a Marine that fought and died in Iraq.
The wod is 7 rounds of:
Run 400 meters
135 pound Back squat, 29 reps
I subbed 95 pound back squats for 135.
Time - 45:20 (after round two, I ran into a neighbor on my run and had to talk to her for two minutes)
Broke up each set of squats as 10-10-9. Frickin' brutal. Loved it.
SS (day 1)
The first workout for SS goes as follows: for each lift, start with an empty bar and do 5 reps. Continue adding 10 lbs until the bar slows down; when the bar slows, do 2 more sets of 5 reps at that weight. That is your first working set.
My starting sets were a bit lower than I expected, but that's OK -- just leaves more room to grow.
Squat: 145
Bench: 155
Deadlift: 205
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Fran
Thrusters 95#
Pullups
3:35
Notes - pretty happy with this time, 95# thrusters are significantly easier compared to the last time I did Fran, probably almost a year ago. I'm guessing my 1RM thruster is around 200# now so that definitely helps. My goal going in was to go as steady as possible and maintain a consistent pace so I could go unbroken. I did the round of 21 unbroken. I didn't drop the bar on any set of thrusters but in the round of 15 and 9 I rested in the rack once during each set I think. Round of 15 and 9 pullups I dropped from the bar once during each set. I wonder if I took a few more seconds during my transitions between thrusters and pullups if I would have been able to do the pullups unbroken. Goal for next time is a sub 3:00 time and unbroken.
Today was also the first day of my Level I Cert Course. The course is organized very well and all of the instructors definitely know there stuff. The instructors, most of whom I've seen in Crossfit journal videos, mainsite videos, or Games videos are well versed in the Crossfit methodologies, movements, and are better lecturers than many professors I had in college. I feel like these courses are unique in that you have basically professional caliber athletes presenting material, where they unequivocally practice what they preach. This is contrasted by many coaching/sports-related seminars where washed up coaches who you can't ever picture having any sort of athletic ability try to tell you how to move your body or play a sport.
The Level I Cert Course handbook thing that you can find as a free download on the Crossfit Journal is kind of like the textbook of the course material but I wasn't impressed with the handbook as it seems more like a haphazard piecing together of various crossfit journal articles that cover the principals that are presented in the course. Nonetheless the handbook is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the Crossfit definition, Crossfit's definition of fitness, movement overviews, and things like that.
The material presented in the course follows a logical progression, like many of the fundamental Crossfit principles. The material is easy to follow and I can see how hundreds of people drink the Koolaid every weekend after attending one of these courses. I can also see how there are hundreds of gyms that have opened up in the last few years run by trainers who really don't know anything about training athletes. While successful completion of this course allows an individual to advertise him or herself as a Crossfit certified trainer and to open a Crossfit affiliate - in no way does this course qualify an individual to be a good coach.
I have not learned anything groundbreaking yet - though I have learned some good cues for coaching other athletes. Most of the notes I have taken are points that the instructors make that complement information that I have already read or picked up watching various videos or talking to different athletes and coaches throughout the years. Much of the information I have written down reinforces concepts I'm already familiar way but explains them in a logical, intuitive fashion that I think will be useful when explaining concepts to others in the future - I see the more as a glue that ties a lot of seemingly disparate concepts I've picked up in the last few years. I plan on typing up my notes sometime next week when I don't feel like doing any work. I won't be posting them here but I'd be happy to share them with you guys. Let me know if you're interested and I'll shoot you an email.
From mainsite to CrossfitBethesda
Yesterday's Crossfit Bethesda wod:
Skill: open session.
I worked on double unders, pistols and handstand pushups. Strung 5 in a row double unders together on several occasions...I'm coming for you, Testani. I suck at pistols and haven't done them for awhile so I used a box. Did some work on hspu's - not so good at these either but saw some improvement.
Condition: 4 rounds
Max deadhang pullups
Max pushups
8, 25
6, 14
5, 13
5, 13
Bitch numbers
Mobility: wrist and forearm. Did some stretches and work on the front rack position.
An older Crossfit Bethesda wod that I did today:
Skill: snatch. focused on good hip movement, working up to the weight for today's wod.
Condition: 5 rounds
3 snatches at 115
3 overhead squats at 115
10 pullups
Run 200 meters
Time- 22:38
Mobility: Glutes and hips. Haven't done this yet, but gonna use a video from the mobilitywod.com site that Yang posted (thanks, Yang. nice post).
2009 Games Chipper WOD
Split Press
I did 5-5-4-3 of 45-95-115-115
Metcon --
30 toes-to-bar
30 box jumps 24"
15 muscle-ups (scaled to 30 horizontal ring rows)
30 push presses 40# DBs (scaled to 25#)
30 double-unders
15 thrusters 135# (scaled to 95#)
30 pull-ups
30 burpees
300ft Overhead walking lunges 45# plate (scaled to #35)
Friday, April 27, 2012
Starting Strength Primer
I. INTRO
I started SS back in April of 2010 because after doing about a month of crossfit, I realized that I wasn't strong enough to do some of the strength based workouts as RX. I then decided to dedicate some time to get my strength up and basically got addicted to the improvements I was seeing. I'll probably keep strength training (almost exclusively) for the forseeable future. In strength training, beginners will generally see the fastest gains because they're so far from their genetic potential. SS is designed to eke out these "beginner gains" as quickly as possible. The main idea is to add weight after each workout, so it's aptly called a linear progression program.
II. THE PROGRAM
The SS program is very simple. Generally it's designed around a few major principles:
- 3 sets of 5 for most exercises, 5 sets of 3 for technique based movements, 1 set of 5 for deadlifts.
- It's generally accepted that 1-3 reps are for pure strength, 8-12 reps are for hypertrophy, and something in the middle is a compromise between the 2. Thus SS uses 5 reps.
- Back Squat every day.
- Some sort of press every day
- Some sort of pull every day
- Acceptable press movements: overhead press, bench press (barbell)
- Acceptable pulls: Power cleans, pullups, chinups, deadlifts
A very common interpretation of this (and the program that Mark Rippetoe, the author, recommended one of his trainees) is as follows:
Workout A:
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Workout B:
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Power Clean 5x3
Workout A and B alternate, and since the program is 3 times a week, you'll have something like ABA on week 1, BAB on week 2, etc etc.
Some people will take out power cleans, and replace them with chinups/pullups. I ran that version for the first 6 months or so.
III. THE FIRST WORKOUT
So for the first workout, you basically learn the movement, and progressively add weight until the bar speed slows a little. With this weight, do 3 sets of 5, and that's the first workout. Each workout thereafter, you will add weight to your previous work weight IF you were able to accomplish all 3 sets of 5. For squats and deadlift, this will be 5-10lbs, and for the bench press and press, this will be 2.5-5lbs. Micro plates will be useful for this; I got some 1/4,1/2,1 lb plates for this purpose.
Some lifts will progress slower than others, and it depends on anthropometry among other factors which lifts you will be better at. For most people, the best lift will be the deadlift, then the squat, then bench, and finally press. I have really short legs and a long torso, so my lifts are kind of wonky.
IV. PROGRESSION
If you're able to finish all 3 sets of 5 with decent form, then you will add weight for the next workout. For example, if I'm squatting 225lbs, and I complete all 3 sets of 5, then the next time I'll be doing 230lbs. This continues until you fail a workout in that you get less than 15 reps.
If you get 12 or more of the 15 reps, then just try again next workout. If you get <12, then you should try to figure out what went wrong. If your diet and rest have been spot on, then maybe you're overtrained. Otherwise fix whatever was wrong and try again. If you get something like 5/2/3 or something wonky, you probably just didn't rest enough between sets.
If you get stuck for 3 workouts in a row and your diet/rest is as good as you can get it, then it's time for a reset. Generally, you should take away at least 10%, so if you're stuck at 250, then do 225 for the next workout, and work your way back in 5 lb increments. When you reset twice, then your linear progression with SS is probably near the end, and you should look for a more advanced program.
V. MY EXPERIENCE
Anyway, I began this whole thing in April of 2011, and my starting weights were:
Squat 155lbs
Bench 155lbs
Deadlift 185lbs
Press 85lbs
These are probably above average starting numbers because I had been working out for a few years (doing the usual bullshit bodypart split routine without really getting any results).
At first, I honestly didn't really follow the program that well, and probably skipped at least 1/3 of all workouts, but I still made progress. After August or so, I started to take it more seriously, and probably rarely missed a workout since then. I also did a lot of reading/watching videos to perfect my form, and even resetted a couple of times to fix form issues.
My lifts by mid Jan (these are 3x5 #s):
Squat 345lbs,
Bench 230lbs,
Deadlift 345lbs,
Press 135lbs.
Coincidentally, I got stuck when I decided to start cutting some weight, and I stopped running a calorie surplus. I shifted to Texas Method for a while (I won't go into it here, maybe next time, but basically it's an intermediate program), but then I thought maybe I had some more beginner gains to make. I then upped my calorie intake again, and started back on linear progress.
As of 4/19/12, my 3x5 weights are:
Squat 375lbs
Bench 245lbs
Deadlift 365lbs
Press 150lbs.
Squat 1rm is around 425, deadlift 415. My goal right now is a 500lb squat and 500lb deadlift by the end of the year.
VI. TIPS
- Make sure your form is PERFECT.
- Invest in a belt, but you should wait until you've been on the program for a few months
- Invest in chalk
- Get some weighlifting shoes. They will make your squats magical.
- Watch your rest and eating. They are VITALLY important. Case in point. Those #s I just posted were completely correct on 4/19 when I weighed about 193. I went out of town for a weekend and ate/rested like shit. I was 188 when I came back on 4/22. On 4/24 I tried to workout and could only squat 365 for a set of 3. REST AND NUTRITION ARE VERY VERY IMPORTANT.
- If you plateau, eat and rest more.
- You can rest as long as you want between sets. I'm probably around 7 minutes between heavy sets of squats.
- Work on mobility (check out mobilitywod.com).
CFFB 042712
ASWOD
5x3 PC @ 140
Really worked on getting low in the setup and keeping my scaps back. Easy.
DWOD
5 rounds:
12 barbell lunges, 30-40 1rm squat (subbed 100 lbs in DBs)
12 dynamic pushups (used the dumbells on end to land on)
100 yd sprint (subbed 3x 30 yd touch n go's)
Got 4 rounds and couldn't do regular pushups, let alone explosive ones that would get me a foot off the ground. Weak.
AMRAP Thurs
Bench 10x180#
Dead 5x340#
CFSD Competition Team WOD:
A: 10 hang cleans 225# not for time
B: 7 min AMRAP
7 kb swings 2p (32kg/~70#)
7 wall balls 20#/10'
Rest 8 min
C: 9 min AMRAP
5 bodyweight squats (162#)
150m row
The damage:
A: Scaled to 176# (used kilo plates)
B: 7 rounds + 7 kb swings + 3 wall balls
C: 7 rounds + 4 squats
Pretty happy with the wendler bench, deadlift form feels marginally better, not sure if I'm going to jack up the squat/deadlifts next cycle by 5# or just repeat the weights.
Did the WOD with four other guys, two guys on the competition team, and two trainers who curiously rarely do metcons so it's always a big spectacle when they do. Anyways, it was a lot of fun throwing down with these guys. Kb swings at 2p mfing suck (my lower back is gonna have a six pack before my six pack has a six pack) And the best part is I'm sure they're going to become the men's standard kb swing weight really mfing soon. Happy to say I did the Kb swings and wall balls unbroken though. My goal on part A was to go as steady as possible and not try to set any land speed records. Overall on the day, on part A three guys broke 10 rounds and one girl broke 9 rounds - beastly.
Goal on part B was to go as steady as possible and then balls to the wall for the last two minutes. I concentrated on pulling more with my arms on the row than usual because I knew I wouldn't be using those for anything else (don't try this at home/if you're concerned with good rowing technique). Managed to keep my 500m pace just under 2:00 which I was happy with. Went rep for rep and almost stroke for stroke with one of the other guys, ended up squeaking out 2 more squats than him at the end, but it definitely helped me keep my pace up knowing we were neck to neck the entire time. With two mins left I went balls to the wall and by balls to the wall I mean went as hard as I could and seemingly stayed at the same overall pace. I think I did cut my rowing pace to around 1:50 for the last two rounds though. One dude, who doesn't look all that big or athletic, but apparently is jacked central and in crazy shape (former D1 swimmer), came away with 10+ rounds on part A and 8+ rounds on part B. Happy to say I came in second on part B on the day. That's like getting slaughtered 86-15 in the first three quarters then celebrating cause you outscored your opponent's JV team 10-9 in the fourth quarter, but I'll take what I can get.
endurance training, day 11
30 mins on 5.7 on massive overhang on rope 9 ( couldn't even do this route last week)
30 mins on 5.10/5.8. Took me awhile to get the 5.10, but I was so happy I got it.
It was 1130 so I decided to leave and skip my last set in hopes of waking up in 5 hours for crossfit. Failed on weds, let's see if I can do better tomorrow. Set a few more alarms this time.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Foundations - Day 2
In any case, I learned a thing or two about my dead lift, so hopefully it's better now than it was before.
The WOD:
A scaled "Annie"
40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit ups
My time was 6:15. No one else in the class could do doubles, so they had to do three singles for each double. I finished minutes ahead of everyone else, which felt really good. It was an easy WOD, but I still worked harder than I have in a long time.
Still loving it
Exhaustion set in
"J.J."
For time:
185 pound Squat clean, 1 rep
10 Parallette handstand push-ups
185 pound Squat clean, 2 reps
9 Parallette handstand push-ups
...
185 pound Squat clean, 10 reps
1 Parallette handstand push-up
Couldn't swing it. Was just physically exhausted from the day before, and I couldn't mentally wrap my mind around the heavy squat cleans and handstand pushups. Did some light thrusters and practiced double unders instead.
Today was feeling nice and refreshed. Did the wod that chenowith did a few days ago:
lightened the load to 95 pounds instead of 115, and subbed 100 single unders for 50 double unders too.
100 singles
10 power snatches 95#
10 overhead squats 95#
100 single unders
10 power cleans 95#
10 front squats 95#
100 single unders
10 overhead walking lunge, 5 per leg 95#
100 single unders
front squats are just a really tough lift for me, not great wrist flexibility due to a psist on my right wrist. and, oh my, walking lunges at this weight were spicy, but i managed.
time- 14 minutes flat
CFFB 042612
ASWOD
3x5 squat @ 210
3x5 bench @ 130
DWOD
12-9-6-3:
Push press @ 185 (scaled to 95)
Ring dips (scaled to bar dips)
7 min ish. Could have gone heavier with the push presses, but shoulder was still feeling a little tweaked from monday's KB snatches. PP set of 9 was the only broken set, meaning my conditioning could use some work.
establishing 1RM (round 2)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Hump My Face Day
CFSD Competition Team WOD:
3 rounds
10 power snatch 95#
15 pullups
20 thrusters 75#
5 burpee penalty upon completion of WOD for any time the bar is dropped or you drop from the bar
10:16 - Best time of the day was a little over 7:00, but some other guy got high 9:00 so I don't feel so bad. I feel like breaking up the snatches and thrusters in the last two sets would have been significantly easier (and faster maybe), even with a 20 burpee penalty afterwards. But alas, the spirit of the WOD was to go unbroken, basically came down to how much rest you thought you needed to do the next set unbroken. Turns out I needed a f load. Physically and mentally ass kicking. Also the pullups were the easiest part fo sho. Makes me realize I'm a puss for doing like 10 pullups at a time in most metcons. Also I've been rubbing the dead skin off my hands with one of those callus rock stone things every day in the shower. I think if I hadn't done that I would have torn some serious skin today, so yeah, gonna keep that up fo sho.
Rested 40 mins then did the 2008 Games WOD MB and Kleiner went through this week:
5 rounds
5 deadlifts 275#
10 burpees
3:46 - All out sprint, did the first (and maybe second) set of deads unbroken. Rounds 3-5 were like 3-1-1 or something. I roped 6' 4" GI Joe ex Marine into doing the WOD with me. Definitely helped me push harder because I was chasing him the entire time after basically the 4th deadlift rep. He did all the deads unbroken like he was lifting pillows. I made up some time on the burpees but he ended up beating me by 5 or 6 seconds I think. Overall a good time, definitely would have been slower if I tried this alone. Maaaaybe could have cut 3-4 seconds off my time if I didn't stare at the bar so long between burpees and deadlifts but overally pretty happy with the time.
Saw this mentioned on some other site today. No clue WTF it is. Don't worry, its safe for work, unless you live in Palestine. Or Iran. I think they have some crap on the Facebook but I'm abstaining for the week so couldn't tell you what's going on up in there.
Also read this and discuss.
Also this is one of the referral URLs to this site. The f?
endurance training, day 10 (week 3, day 3)
30 minutes of 5.7 on rope 11
20 minutes of 5.7/5.9 on rope 13 (had to stop early due to shoulder acting up)
25 minutes of traversing (the upside to staying till midnight is that you have the entire wall to yourself, so you can traverse)
I'm going to attempt to hit up crossfit in 5 hours, but the probability is low.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Oly Seminar
Lift Like a Toolbag Tuesday
Had time for a little Outlaw BB Gymnastics before Gymnasty Class began:
5x1: 1 hang power clean + 1 squat clean + 1 push jerk 75% 1RM (165#)
Rest 40s between sets
Definitely more challenging with the 40s rest cap - I never pay attention to how much time I take between lifting sets (except today on my squats). I like this work at the 75% range because it's heavy enough where you're still doing work but not so heavy that you can't pay attention to positioning/technique. Second part of the BB Gymnastics was something like 8x3 snatch balance which I didn't have time for.
Gymnasty:
Warmup - 900m run
3 rounds
5 false grip ring pullups
7 pushups
then 50 kb swings 16kg
4 rounds, 2-3 min rest between rounds (glossary below)
10 cast wall walks (scaled to 5)
7 dynamic pushups (wheels)
30 wall runs (scaled to 15)
Cash out:
2x8 palm off pushups, back hand pushups, finger tip dynamic pushups, knife finger pushups
Cast wall walk - Start in a hand stand, chest against the wall, walk your hands away from the wall while walking your feet towards the floor until you're in the plank position, reverse that shit and walk back up, thats 1 rep. First few are always easy, then you're shoulders explode. Also slightly different from the CF wall walk standard in that the rep starts at the top of the hand stand rather than on the ground.
Dynamic pushups (wheels) - Imagine doing arm circles, with your arms starting by your sides, rotating backwards, coming up by your ears so your hands are pointing straight up and then completing the circle by your sides. Now imagine doing that at the top of a pushup. Yeah I did that shit Rx, NBD. No way I would be able to do this if I hadn't been doing 5x20 pushups every weekday for the last 3-4 months or so. Scaling options incase you wanted to try: arm circle pushups from the knees; clapping pushups; or plain old dynamic pushups where you just get some air under your hands at the top of the pushup.
Wall runs - Back in the hand stand with your chest against the wall, touch your right shoulder with your right hand, then left shoulder with your left hand. Thats two reps. Good luck trying not to eat it.
Palm off pushups - Pushup, but the pushup ends when your palms are raised off the floor and the only part of your hands on the ground are your fingers and thumbs. Yeah I did 0 of these.
Back hand pushups - Start at the top of the push up with your fists clenched like you're doing knuckle pushups, on the way down roll onto your wrists so at the bottom of the pushup the backs of your palms are flat against the ground, reverse the pattern and push your ass back up. Yeah, was able to pull off 0 of these too.
Finger tip dynamic pushups - Fingertip pushups where your hands are fully in the air at the top of the pushup. Finally, something I could do without shattering my wrists.
Knife finger pushups - Standard pushup except at the top of the pushup the only thing in contact with the ground is the tips of your index/middle/ring fingers. Couldn't even pull these off from my knees.
In conclusion I have little pussy wrists and need to work on wrist strength and flexibility. On the flip side the talent at the gym tonight was pretay pretay good. This post was way too long.
lots to report
benchpress 3-3-3-3-3
produced 155, 165, 175, 185, 205 (no attempt)
quite possibly the stupidest thing i've tried in awhile, i don't have a bench to do bench press on, so instead i used 10 cushions piled on each other to create my bench. by 175 i was noticing that the heavier the weight got the more i started sinking into the cushions making it difficult to get the weight back on my rack. at 185, once i finished the three reps, i was too low and couldn't reach the squat hooks with the bar even though my arms were locked out. luckily i didn't have the collars on the bar so i methodically bailed out from under the bar. 205 was hopeless and not even worth trying but i'm definitely capable of doing it - felt good about bench, i haven't benched so much since sophomore year of high school when i took weightlifting everyday. overall, a difficult wod to complete without a proper/solid bench and no spotter.
wasn't satisfied with this as my wod, so i attempted the 2008 crossfit games wod that bonak posted recently.
5 rounds for time:
5 deadlifts at 275 lb
10 burpees
scaled the deadlifts to 235, the max weight i have.
time- 5:33, extremely happy with this time. was basically "redlining" since after the second round. once i finished it tasted like i had tinfoil in my mouth or blood or something, not pleasant. definitely the hardest i've pushed myself on a wod, probably ever. three hours later and i'm still hiccupping (yeah, that's right, i refuse to spell it "hiccoughing" or whatever the fuck) from the wod.
i don't think i broke up the deadlifts until the last round when i went 3 and 2. on burpees i think i broke up the fourth and fifth round as 7-3, but other than that didn't break it up. definitely an interesting wod...mentally i like it because each round is only ten burpees and i feel like no matter what you can push through ten burpees if you need to.
oh yeah - on my last rep of deadlifts i dropped the bar and continued onto burpees. by my 6th burpee on my last round, my mom came out and started to try to have a conversation with me. imagine george's mom from seinfeld for the following voice, "adaaaaaammm, that was too loud. what's gooooing on outtt here?? oh my gawwwd, adaaaaammmm!!! yooour heaad almost hit the ceiling when you jumppped, be caaaarefulll, adaaaammm." me: "not now, can't talk". by this point, i was seriously about to pass out from the wod, and i wish there was a camera capturing this moment. it's comedic gold.
I'm baaaaaack
Today's lesson was low bar back squats. I'm not flexible at all, so squats have always been a bit of an issue for me. The trainer gave me a few pointers, but I definitely need to work some serious stretching into my routine.
After we did a few sets of squats, we did a mini-WOD.
Cindy - 10 min AMRAP
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 air squats
The trainer said we couldn't do kipping pull ups this early in the game and recommended that we all use bands to assist. I used a red band which was relatively thin compared to the bands the rest of the dudes were using.
I did 4 full rounds and 5 pull ups (i believe the crossfit vernacular is 4 rounds + 5 reps)
I was pretty much dead afterwards. The push ups were my main issue. My score was prob middle of the pack for my class. I'm pretty sure the two indian kids are hustling (one did like 6 or 7 rounds).
Anyway, long story short: today was awesome and I'm really looking forward to Thursday. It's kind of tough to get out of work early enough to make these Foundations classes, but I'm just going to make it work. Once these classes are done, I can go to whatever classes work best for my schedule.
Thanks for kicking me in the ass, gents.
CFFB 042412 and then some
sucky mcsuckerson
8 rounds for max reps of:
muscle ups, 20 seconds
rest 10 seconds
135 pound clean and jerk, 20 seconds
rest 10 seconds
subbed muscle ups with chest to bar pullups. did clean and jerks prescribed. kinda annoying though that my parents were home so i couldn't drop the bar (they complain), and it was raining out so i couldn't do it on the grass without sinking my bar into the wet ground.
29 ctb pullups, 18 clean n jerks. not too happy with this, mostly bc i couldn't drop the bar on the clean n jerks.
will likely try the 2008 games wod that bonak posted. looks like fun.
2008 games WOD
65x3
75x5
95x3
105x3
2008 Games WOD 5 Rounds for time:
5 deadlifts, 275# (scaled to 165#)
10 burpees
Time: 5:35
Note: Should have gone heaver on the DLs.
Checkout: 40 rolling pistols
BTW, if you want paragraphs in your posts, you need to click "Compose" instead of "HTML" on post page.
Monday, April 23, 2012
lead climbing class 2
Quadruple Double Under Sandwich
Kicked it off with 15 mins to find a 1RM OHS:
95-115-155-179-185
I think I could have pulled off 195 or 200 but I guess that doesn't mean sht if I didn't lift it. Next time.
Metcon:
50 double unders
10 power snatches 115#
10 OHS 115#
50 double unders
10 power cleans 115#
10 front squats 115#
50 double unders
10 overhead walking lunge, 5 per leg 115#
50 double unders
10:07
Good wod overall, not sure if all this hopping around helped or hurt my sore calves. Form on the snatches sucked d but I already knew that was gonna happen so whatevs. Got through the OHS unbroken which I was pleased with. I think I might have broken up the power cleans into two sets. Front squats were unbroken which I was also pleased with. Overhead walking lunge was a first. Didn't even bother trying them while warming up - surprises are fun! Rested the bar on my back at some point in the set - pretty sure I didn't drop the bar though. Double unders were eh - strung together 20 in a row a few times, lifting shoes didn't help but I think they were worth it given the volume and loads for the snatches/OHS.
CFFB 042312
some catchup
Saturday, did ten rounds of 2 rep backsquat (2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2).
Produced this:
155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215, 225, 235, 235 with holders.
Would've tried for 240 on the last set if I had more weight, probably would've failed. Started seeing spots on the first rep of the last set. Need to buy more plates, probably a pair of 2.5 lb plates and 35 lb plates. Fun stuff.
rhino rowing
3-5 heavy sets of:
(1 Set = doing this progression 5 times)
Power clean
Press
Front squat
Romanian deadlift
Pendlay rows
I did 4 sets. Doing between 3 and 5 reps. Pretty rough on the grip.
95-115-95-115
Rowing
10 rounds of 1 min on / 1 min rest: Row
Must row at least 3,000m
Penalties for falling short (to be done after the 10 sets):
burpee for every 10m
Score: 3,080m
Progression (in meters): 305-309-311-313-309-305-307-311-304-306
Notes: I think a 1:40min/500m pace will get you 300m.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Little bit of this a little bit of that
Row 1000m
25 pistols, alternating legs
15 hang cleans 225#
No clue what my time was, somewhere around 10 mins probably, the idea was for everyone to collectively finish as fast as possible. Scaled the hang cleans, obviously. Went with 165, should have done 185. 3/4 other guys were doing hang power cleans at 225# and the other guy was doing hang squat cleans. Pretty impressive considering none of them are really huge.
Ran 4 miles about an hour later. Then about 4 hours later ran 6 miles. Basically just doing an assload of mobility today cause my calves feel like bricks.
establishing 1 RM for Wendler 5/3/1
Squat: 220#
Press: 135#
I was blown away by my squat number. I don't think my body has ever attempted to lift more than 200#. Thursday will be deadlift and bench day.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
chipper + climbing
35 deadlifts 225# (scaled to 135#)
35 box jumps (24″)
50 wall balls 10#
50 pull ups
100 DU (did 50 DU-SU-SU progresions)
400 m “run” with a 45# weight (used 35# weight)
time: 24:09
then did some endurance climbing for the first time in 1.5 weeks. pretty rough, but good.
30 minutes of 5.6 on rope 11 (big overhang)
25 minutes of 5.8 on rope 12 (very challenging for me)
25 minutes of lead climbing on 5.6 on rope 5
Deja Vu
1) Every 30 sec for 5 minutes complete 2 Snatches (full squat) @ 75%.
Notes: There will be a 10 Burpee penalty for every missed rep.
2) Every 30 sec for 5 minutes complete 1 Clean & Jerk (full squat) @ 75%.
Notes: There will be a 20 Burpee penalty for every missed rep.
So I got a lot of work to do before I can comfortably do this Outlaw crap. The nature of the loads and movements requires you to be strong as f while also having sound fundamentals. A lot of non Outlawish WODs that you come across can be brute forced if you're strong enough and don't have the technique down. Theres also the other side of the coin with WODs where you can have a 1RM bench around 65# and dominate the workout cause you can do muscle ups or some crap. Well none of that crap slides with this Outlaw stuff. This programming has a certain flair to it that leads me to believe some serious thought goes into these workouts, as opposed to some of the crap you see on the internets that is stupid hard, but also stupid stupid, like:
15 rounds for time
26 muscle ups
50 cleans 155#
17 burpees over a unicorn
753m run carrying a GHD machine
Back to the BB Gymnastics - did the snatches slightly under 75% at 110# (115# would have been rx). Did two snatches the first set then quickly realized there was no way I was keeping that pace up. Did singles the rest of the way. Felt like this workout was designed to test your technique under a not so light load with a time constraint where you needed sound technique but not quite enough time where you could get away with it if you still had to think about what you were doing. So yeah, I did just barely more than half the prescribed snatches and actually missed one. I did the clean and jerk at 75% (165#) and the last two to three sets were definitely pretty demanding. Oh yeah, the nature of these lifts basically leaves you with 15 secs of rest between lifts, barely enough time to get your composure and get your starting position set for the next rep. If you're super fast/efficient you might find time to throw some chalk on the hands. Also I filmed both sets of lifts and basically everything looked like crap - so...lots more empty barbell work to do. Maybe I need to chill with these BB Gymnastics before I'm satisfied with my technique? Decisions...
Alright so I should have probably done about 114 burpees as a penalty for missing 1 snatch and not being able to do doubles for more than one set. Did the 19 April 2012 Mainsite WOD instead (which you may have seen below a la Kleiner).
For time:
Run 400 meters
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
21 Pull-ups
Run 300 meters
95 pound Thruster, 15 reps
15 Pull-ups
Run 200 meters
95 pound Thruster, 9 reps
9 Pull-ups
9:26
The good: thrusters felt the easiest they ever had (must be getting stronger or some crap), broke up the round of 21 thrusters and pullups into 11-10; round of 15 thrusters into 10-5; remaining crap unbroken. Probably should have sacked up and done the round of 15 thrusters unbroken - oh well. So yeah, basically dropped the bar/came off the bar three times, probably adding 30 seconds to my time if I had done it unbroken. Which brings me to the bad: if I had gone unbroken I would have probably just broken 9:00. Conservatively lets say my Fran time is 4:30-5:00, that means it took me 4:00-4:30 to run 400m + 300m + 200m = 900m or around an 8 min mile pace. Well that f ing blows. Dude on the mainsite demo video did it in like 7:30 - probably went unbroken on the Fran stuff so basically he ran a crapload faster than me. I wish I was one of those skinny kids in middle school who ran track for fun cause it was easy to run fast rather than being the short pudgy kid who hated running. Here ends my soliloquy.
Why am I jumping on the Outlaw bandwagon? So I can get really good at exercising, obviously. Also uniboob.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Regionals WOD 2
Row 2K
50 pistols, alternating (scaled with medium box)
30 Hang Cleans 225# (scaled to 115#)
Time: 22:58
Cleans slowed me down big time. Funny how, as you get more tired, your body requires you to do the cleans more efficiently, thereby improving your form. Thinking about following a 2 days Wendler 5/3/1 schedule on Thursdays and Sundays. I'll need to do some more research.
Reached my goal of 4x crossfit this week. Quest completed. Level up.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Spicy Fran
Run 400 meters
95 pound thruster, 21 reps
21 pullups
run 300 meters
95 pound thruster, 15 reps
15 pullups
run 200 meters
95 pound thruster, 9 reps
9 pullups
What a sexy wod. I wanted an accurate, comparable time for the future in case I do this again, so I measured with a pedometer the exact distance I had to run down my block. Scaled the thrusters to 75 pounds.
Time - 15:27
I was kinda happy with my time. Thrusters, for the first time ever, were the easiest part of a workout. For the 21 rep set: broke them up as 11, 4, 3, 3
For the 15 rep set: broke up as 9, 6
Did the final 9 rep set unbroken. Was gonna break up as 6, 3...felt like I broke through a mental barrier by doing them unbroken.
I definitely feel like the heavy (for me) clean and jerks I've been doing paid off today. Where in the past my shoulder is extremely sore pressing any amount of weight, today I didn't feel any tenderness. Look forward to doing this again at the prescribed weight. Also looking forward to doing Fran prescribed and seeing the time I can get.
For those that don't follow RFjr on twitter, one of his wods today was AMRAP 10 minutes, 15 wall balls and 10 toes to bar, then mow the lawn for time.
Mediocrity at its best
Wendler:
Dead 8x325
Press 9x125
Outlaw Conditioning:
25 wall balls
45 kb swings 2p/32kg
45 GHD situps
25 wall balls
45 deadlifts 225#
45 toes to bar
25 wall balls
9:11 - scaled the f out of this wod, cut all the reps to 20 in an attempt to keep the metcon between 10-12 minutes. Maybe could have done 25 reps each, regardless will likely need to scale most of the future Outlaw conditioning WODs as I build up my strength base. I'm guessing the WOD as rx would have taken me 25-30 minutes, which defeats the purpose of a short heavy metcon.
thursday endurance
1000m Row
100 Double-Unders or 400 singles (I did 50 DU-SU-SU progressions)
750m Row
75 Sit-ups
500m Row
50 Walking Lunges
250m Row
25 Burpees
Time: 23:53
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Surprising workout
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tues
5x2 1 Hang power snatch + 1 push press + 1 front squat + 1 push jerk @65% - rest 75 sec.
Went with 135#, nice complement to yesterdays BB gymnastics
Wendler:
Squats were a joke today, only got up to 6x250. Hit 9x250 last cycle. Oh well.
Gymnasty:
4 rounds not for time (~3 min rest between rounds)
1 rope climb (arms only)
5 front lever pulls (scaled to tucked knees)
10 elevated ring rows
Cash out - 3x5 body levers
Notes: rope climbs got progressively harder each round but were probably the easiest of the three movements. Ring rows always sound benign but they always get me. Front lever pulls, definitely the hardest movement.
Front lever pulls:
Body levers (did these on the floor, I imagine you'd get shredded doing a lot of these):
monday and tuesday
was feeling really good pre-wod and got pumped for some deadlifts. i don't have enough weights/plates at home to do my one rep max for deadlift so i decided to do max reps for seven sets, instead, @ the max weights I do have, which is 235#.
so a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 wod turned into max reps for seven sets.
at 235 lbs, reps looked like this: 7, 9, 8, 6, 6, 5, 6. very curious what i could put up for a one rep max.
drank a protein shake, had a chicken breast, green beans and half a potato with water. really trying to cut down on the amount of diet coke/artificial sweetener i ingest. been taking my coffee black with no sweetener or milk, which i kinda like bc i can taste the coffee.
Yesterday's wod:
run 800 meters
10 rounds of the couplet:
handstand pushups, 10 reps
one legged squats, 10 reps
run 800 meters
the run was down my block and back - approx. .35 miles instead of half a mile. handstands scaled on a box. squats, did lunges instead, quads were still sore from the 250 reps of squats i did on thursday night.
time: 19 minutes, i'm not loving these half mile buy ins and half mile cash outs that crossfit has done a ton of lately on the mainsite. could've pushed the intensity a lot more. especially on the couplet. i blame my lack of intensity on a shitty day at work. overall though, was pleased i got a workout in for the day when i wasn't feeling my best. in the past, would've just said fuck it.
lead climbing
4-17 wod
3-3-3-3-3
65-75-95-95-115
Failed at 115.
“Goodie’s Goodbye”
2 rounds for time:
4 bar facing burpees
17 deadlifts, 135 (scaled to 115#)
4 muscle ups (did 2 ring dips + 2 pull ups for each MU)
17 HRPU
4 front squats
17 HSPU (scaled with box)
4 squat cleans
17 toes to bar
4 push jerks
17 double unders
Notes: I actually did the DUs. I've got the 2 singles, 1 double rhythm down pretty good.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Outlaw Monday
5X2 1 Hang Snatch (full squat) + 1 OHS + 1 Snatch Balance + 1 OHS @ 65% heaviest possible – rest 75 sec. One set is the sequence above performed twice through. Went with 95# which is definitely as high as I could have gone with this guy, actual 65% would have been 100-105ish. Very challenging and technically demanding.
Outlaw Conditioning from Last Week or Something:
800m run
50 CTB pullups
800m run
13:12
Cleaning up the diet starting now.
woo hoo, monday
5×3
Metcon:
20 Thrusters 85# (scaled to 65#)
4 Burpees
16 Thrusters
8 Burpees
12 Thrusters
12 Burpees
8 Thrusters
16 Burpees
4 Thrusters
20 Burpees
Time: 12:57
Solid weekend of working out, eating and sleeping with JC. My goal is CF 4x this week. I want to average 3.5x this month, and I went 3x these past two weeks.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Torrey Pines State Reserve
some wods
time was irrelevant, it basically turned into handstand skill practice with air squats in between.
i'm still sore three days later from the 250 air squats.
friday: did some snatch work. maxed out at 135. haven't done snatches in like 6 months, i watched several burgener vids before doing it. after maxing out on the prescribed 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 wod, i practiced 115lb snatches. started getting the hang of it and feeling good about that.
yesterday: rest.
today: i made robin bring her gym clothes when she slept over last night. got up today and went to the ymca track with her. i found a band laying around so i could get her attempting pullups - this helped her a lot. did today's mainsite wod:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:
Chest-to-bar pull-up
Box jump, 30 inch box
GHD sit-up
did regular pullups, not chest to bar, and regular situps, not ghd, since we were outside. threw in a sixty yard run between pullups and box jumps and box jumps and situps since the 30 inch bleachers were sixty yards away from the pullup bar. that made it fun.
time was 19:50.
i love doing pullups on a bar where i can kip without my feet touching the ground. hope to do more wods at the ymca track. might even drive over with a bar and some plates one of these days if it makes sense for the wod.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Good times
Twofer
Friday, April 13, 2012
Nothin' But a Peanut!
Yesterday's workout:
Squat 375lbs: 5/3/3, 365lbs x 3. Crap. It's all about nutrition and rest. I haven't slept well the last few days and I ate less than usual the day before.
Press: 140lbs: 5/5/3. Crap again. See the above. The first set was the closest I'd ever come to fainting during a set. I had my belt pretty tight, and took a deep breath and held it before starting to press. I started getting tunnel vision like, 3 reps in. Can't believe i managed to finish it.
Deadlift: mostly worked on form. Did some reps at 325, 345, 365.
I recently watched Ronnie Coleman's training video called "The Unbelievable". It's pretty hilarious and you guys should check it out. The best line is: "Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but don't NOBODY wanna lift no heavy ass weight!" His voice is also really high for someone who is 300lbs @ 5% bodyfat. Also before any lift he likes to say either "light weight!" or "nothin but a peanut!". I've found myself doing this recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwJr9ZduG6Y
I won't fault him for not hitting depth because he probably...can't? He just has too much leg muscle.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Almost the weekend....
3x5 squat @ 245 (fail: set of 3 then 5-5-5@225)
3x5 bench @ 165 (meh, wouldn't have made it with out some touch spotting on the last reps of sets 2 and 3)
Conditioning
2 hrs tennis, jogged laps at brisk pace in between sets
mainsite wod
yesterday's mainsite wod for time:
Run 800 meters
10 rounds of the couplet:
Pull-up, 10 reps
Ring dip, 10 reps
Run 800 meters
time - 30:20, substituted ring dips with ring pushups using these straps I have instead of rings. was feeling pretty juiced after. followed up with some milk mixed with water and one scoop of whey. my time would've been better but whenever I do pushups my dog humps me (it's a girl so it's okay, right? and she's MY dog so it's not cheating on Robin, right?). anyway, the point of that is that it added an extra 85 pounds on top of my back on about half of my pushups.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Liz
Gonna probably be doing more short/heavy metcons the next few weeks a la Outlaw CrossFit/CFFB. Did Elizabeth today, which was Outlaw's metcon yesterday.
21-15-9
135# squat clean
ring dips
8:31
Notes: First go at this B, probably came out of the gate too fast, did the first 9 cleans touch and go but then ended up having to do doubles and triples the rest of the set which was lame. Ring dips were 11-10; 10-5; and 9. Slowed down the subsequent sets of cleans and tried to get 4-5 not necessarily touch and go bout at a steadier pace.
Squatnasty
Gymnasty Class
Ring Strength Routine
3 sets, 3 min rest between sets, 3 sec hold for each movement
Muscle Up>Dip>Back Lever (tucked knees)>Front Lever (tucked knees)>Back Lever>Front Lever
Then
3 sets of ring L-sit, taking 10 seconds to lower straight legs from L to vertical (pointing straight down) then bringing back to L position, repeat 3 times (30 seconds total) for each set
Finish
2×10 Wall Extensions (sit on the floor with feet straight and back, shoulders, and lower back touching the wall, rotate shoulders back so elbows and wrists are in contact with the wall and fingers pointing up, bring arms from as low as possible to as high as possible, ideally to overhead, though that seems to be impossible without 20 years of practice.) Youubes getting blocked right now otherwise I'd find a video. Google it if you're curious, sounds/looks like a joke of a movement. Probably the hardest thing we did all day.
Closed out with Wendler squat day. First week of my third cycle/month. Hit 14 reps at 235 compared to 6 reps at 225 2 months ago so thats nice. Also adding in 2x10 at 50% of 1RM swollertrophy a la Yang for this cycle. Pants are getting tighter in the quad region. Waist is still ok so I don't think I'm getting too fat.
endurance training, day 8 (week 3, day 1)
30 minutes on 5.8 rope 4
25 minutes on 5.8 rope 13
25 minutes on 5.7 rope 10 (2 big overhangs)
Swollertrophy
Bench 230lbs 3x5
Power cleans: worked up to 175x3.
Barbell Curls: 70lbs 5x10.
My bench has a problem. I'm unable to keep my shoulders tucked back (externally rotated) throughout the set, and it always comes out (internally rotated) which saps power. I really need to work on this. Maybe work on getting a stronger upper back so it can keep my shoulders tucked? Chins/pullups maybe?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Anyone for tennis?
2 hrs tennis.
SS round 2
Before I left for Boston on thursday, I squeezed in a quick squat/bench session. For squats, I worked up to a new 1RM which I'm pretty happy about.
squat 1x375, 1x395, 1x415, 1x425.
bench 3x5 225 (did this in a hurry).
4/9/12:
squat 370lbs 3x5
weighted chins (222lbs total) 5/5/3
back extensions w/ 25lbs 10/10/7
I'm going back tonight to do some benching and power cleans.
chooosday
Time: 3:02
Notes: Probably not good for my already weakened lungs to run in 37 degree weather. But, I'm pretty happy about that time.
B. 10 Rounds:
5 HSPU (scaled with box)
10 Wall Ball Shots 20# (scaled to 16#)
20 Double Unders (subbed 10 double under "attempts", with single unders in between)
time: 18:58
notes: this was rough on my shoulders. also, i just noticed i scaled every single exercise - what a noob. on the bright side, i did manage to string together some DUs.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Clean and Jerks
I'm beginning to have doubts about the mainsite wods. This is now the second time in one week where I've been concerned that the programming doesn't allow for sufficient rest from a particular movement. The hero wod from Saturday was intended to be a pretty heavy load of push jerks (3 rounds of 5 reps), and two days later they're programming 1 rep maxes on clean and jerks. My shoulder was feeling pretty raw from Saturdays hero wod so I took extra precautions in warming up and stretching today. Here's what I got:
135-145-155-165-175-185 (cleaned it, couldn't jerk it <insert penis joke, ricci>), and then finished with a final set of 175. I was pretty happy with jerking 175 (until I saw the girl on the mainsite video clean and jerk 190). A few weeks ago on the open wod that had 165 pound jerks, I couldn't put 165 over my head. Also, I'm pretty sure that the 185 clean matches my PR and I felt like I could've cleaned more except it wasn't worth trying because I couldn't jerk more than 175 tonight.
The past month I've just been drinking 8 ounces of milk as my post-workout protein, but I saw in Men's Health Magazine a few days ago that it takes 17 ounces of milk to fully repair muscles after a workout. Since I haven't drank 17 ounces of milk in one sitting since Milk Pong with Logan, I decided to start on the whey protein again. You guys have any recs for whey protein? I'm tempted to pay a lot of money for progenex because that's what RFjr uses. Historically, I've just used the chocolate gnc brand whey protein which tastes pretty good. Obviously muscle milk protein is fucking delicious but I heard it causes cancer or some shit. Anyway, lemme know what you bros use. Peace.
CFFB mashup
SWOD
3x5 front squats @ 185 (haven't done this in forever, so it was good. bar speed was good, i think this was my previous PR or damn close to it. so i'm pumped. I could have gotten another 25 lbs or so with more grit and a slower bar).
DWOD
Complete 5 rounds:
Max Rep Deadlifts 405 lbs (subbed 315#) [5-5-5-6-5]
Max Rep Pull Ups [10-8-7-6-6]
*Rest as needed between rounds
Probably averaged 3 min in between sets. I was spotting a gym friend who was push pressing like 245+ in his quest to "get shoulders like brock lesnar", so I was not resting as much as I usually do when I'm doing strength stuff.
Weekend in Review
For time:
450m run
21-15-9
Dumbbell thrusters 35#
Burpees
Then 30 knees to elbow
10:15 I think. Trainer made me do round of 9 burpees with the dumbbells, dick. Probably because I was beating everyone.
Sunday went on a 5+ mi trail run in Laguna Beach - combination of sprinting, running, jogging, walking, and almost eating it up and down trails, rock faces, and other nature like things. Good prep for RCC - a lot of variation in terrain, elevation change, and probability of death for taking a wrong step.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
HAPPY EASTER
Today I ran 3 miles on the treadmill (I know it's not as good as running outside but I had to watch the Masters). Would do a half mile at a running pace for 3-4 minutes, then until 5 minutes, I would walk. Did this 6 times for 3 miles in 30 minutes. Running blows.
Yesterday, did the hero wod "Pheezy" that was posted on the mainsite.
Three rounds for time of:
165 pound front squat, 5 reps
18 pullups
225 pound deadlift, 5 reps
18 toes to bar
165 pound push jerk, 5 reps
18 hand release pushups
Front squats and push jerks I scaled to 125 pounds. Deadlift I scaled to 215 pound. Lost time on the transitions every time I had to add 90 pounds to my bar for the deadlift and take it off for the push jerk. This wod was pretty painful on my shoulders. It was kinda odd on the push jerks, I felt like my third round was my best round on this lift. Anyway, by the end of the wod, 125# felt light.
Time - 26:48
Overall, feelin' real good. I've been more-or-less pretty consistent with doing the crossfit mainsite wod for about a month now. One day at a time. Gotta keep being vigilant about not eating crap food. Beer is okay though. Gonna go have one now. Peace.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
endurance training, day 7
20 minutes on rope 11 and rope 13 (5.7,5.6)
25 minutes on rope 4 (5.8)
CFFB 040612
Skipped power cleans on accounta my smashed ass thumb (don't let .50 cal bolts slam home on your thumbs FYI) preventing me from laying the gorilla grip on a barbell.
DWOD
Complete 8 rounds:
Sprint 200 meters (subbed 200-250m rows)
*Rest 3:1 (3:1 means however long it took you to sprint 200 meters times your rest by 3)
Rowed at whatever pace I felt like in between efforts. 4500m total. 24:04. Bested my previous highest output to show up on erg computer: 1900 cal/hr. Next up, 2000 cal/hr. I should start watching watts instead, the engineer in me says thats more scientific units of measurement. Calculating new VO2 max still on the to-do list.
Also, getting amped up on creatine and caffeine and b vitamins then rowing sprints with black metal absolutely blasting makes me feel like a badass viking out of an epic poem.
sprintin' saturday
Row 500m
Run 1/3 mile
Round 1: (a) row: 1:44, run: 1:21
Round 2: (a) row: 1:41, run: 1:22
Round 3: (a) row: 1:39, run: 1:27
Round 4: (a) row: 1:42, run: 1:29
Round 3 was a PR for 500m rowing for me.
Friday, April 6, 2012
CFFB 040512
3x5 back squat @ 155 (5-5-10; went for speed, was gonna do a 20RM widowmaker then pussed out, coulda got it if i wasn't a bitch)
3x5 bench press @ 160 (PR tie)
DWOD
As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes:
5 DB Burpees - 40 lb DBs (subbed 20 lb DBs by misunderstanding)
10 Ball Slams - 40 lbs (subbed 1.5 pd KB slam)
4 rounds even. Gassed so hard my throat dried out, painful.
manmakin' friday
Deadlifts
5-5-5
185-195-205
First time getting a baseline for deadlift. I ran out of time today -- could have done more I think. It felt pretty easy.
Metcon---
5 rounds for time of:
5 Manmakers 35# (scaled to 25#)
10 Toes-to-bar
150m shuttle run (15x10m)
Time: 15:58
Good metcon.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Deja Vu
800m run
10 rounds of Cindy:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 airsquats
1000m row
16:40
Gymnasty class:
2 min rest between sets
3x back lever (max 15s hold) (scaled to knees tucked, attempt straight back instead of rounded)
3x front lever (max 15s hold) (scaled to knees tucked, attempt straight back instead of rounded)
4 rounds not for time, 3-4 min rest between sets
5 ring pushup flys (scaled to one armed flys, 5 each side)
7 bulgarian ring dips (scaled to regular ring dips)
hand stand walk, length of gym (scaled to seal walk w/ feet on frisbee)
Ring flys
metcon thursday
10 rounds of Cindy:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 airsquats
1000m row
Time: 23:48
Used red band for first 5 rounds on pullups and blue band for last 5 rounds. My pushups still suck; had to fall to my knees for most of them. Feels good to be back after a 1 week hiatus.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Semi Active Rest Day
Then spent 30 mins working mid hang snatch movements with a PVC pipe. Then 30 mins of mid hang squat snatches doing doubles and triples with the barbell.
Olympic weightlifting book basically teaches the lifts from the top down starting with the proper overhead squat position then progressing to the proper mid hang position and working progressions from mid hang to overhead before even considering pulling anything off the ground. Logical progression and I can already feel like my fundamental positions are more sound.
Also of note is a logical order of priorities for teaching and learning the lifts: position, movement, speed, load. He says: "Performing a correct movement from an incorrect position is impossible, because it is, by definition, a different movement, and the introduction of excessive speed or weight before the development of sound movement is counterproductive, because again, we're simply practicing an incorrect movement." I think this applies to most any lift or athletic movement. If you're not fundamentally sound and hitting all of the correct positions, you're wasting your time learning irrelevant movements.
CFFB 040212
ASWOD
3x5 deadlift @ 365 (fail: 2-5@315-5@315-5@315; 1RM PR)
Had some time to kill before DWOD so I tried some squats for speed with an unloaded bar. I'm guessing I'm not as fast as I should be through the majority of my current working load.
DWOD
Complete 7 rounds:
Max Rep Handstand Push Ups
15 Hollow Rocks
HSPU something like 3-4-4-4-3-2 = 24 total
endurance climbing, day 6 (week 2)
20 minutes on 5.7/5.6 on rope 11 (big overhang)
25 minutes on 5.7 on rope 12 (medium overhang)
We're following a periodized training program where the first 4 weeks are dedicated to "Aerobic Restoration and Capillarity" (i.e. ARC). When ARCing, you're supposed to find a route you can do nonstop for 20 to 30 minutes. This type of training is supposed to promote the growth of capillaries to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches the cells. When climbing difficult routes, you usually find that your forearms get rock-solid and you're unable to grip any of the holds; this is what climbers call a "pump." When you start climbing the route, your arms are using an aerobic process which relies on oxygen reaching the cells. But, as you grip hand holds, the capillaries in your arms are squeezed which creates an oxygen deficit. The pump comes from the anaerobic process that kicks in when your arms fail to receive enough oxygen; this anaerobic process leaves lactic acid behind. When done right, ARCing is supposed to make you breath heavy and have a very slight pump in your arms.
ARCing is somewhat of a long-term pursuit -- one that you're supposed to always have in your periodized training schedule. After 4 weeks of ARCing, we move on to maximum strength training. I'll post more about that later.
More than anything, the biggest gains I've felt so far have been mental. When we were coming to the gym 2-3 times/week to climb before starting this program, we would climb for about 7 to 8 minutes. I couldn't even imagine staying on the wall for 15 minutes, let alone 25. I've already feel like I've come a long way. By week four of ARC training, our 3 sets are supposed to be 30 minutes each.
Oh yeah, we went outdoor climbing for the first time this past weekend. It was awesome. Going again very soon.
Sweet
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Twofer
Run 100m
10 cleans 135#
Run 100m
10 jerks 135#
Run 100m
10 c&j 135#
Run 100m
10 jerks 135#
Run 100m
10 cleans 135#
Gymnasty:
5x3 weighted box pistols 16kg
5x3 natural leg curls
5x3 depth jumps ~45"" box
1x10 hip extension (front, side, side sweep)
Mainsite WOD Tuesday
45 pound barbell overhead, 50 ft lunges
11 burpees (21 was prescribed)
This wod really sucked. Crazy combination with the 45 pound bar overhead on the lunges really made it tough to follow with the burpees. Surprised how much the lunges gassed me. Tomorrow should be fun.
Time - 17:08
Monday, April 2, 2012
Monday Funday
Run 400m
3 round of barbell complex*
Run 400m
2 rounds of barbell complex
Run 400m
1 round of barbell complex
*Barbell complex:
5 deadlifts 115#
5 hang power cleans 115#
5 push press #115
Then did a mainsite WOD from last week: 7x3 thrusters
95-135-155-175-185-135-135
Did the first three sets without resting between reps. 175 and 185 I reset in the rack between each rep. Haven't maxed out thrusters in a while and never did them cleaning the bar off the floor so pretty happy with this. Did 7x3 last fall up to 165 and 7x1 up to 190 in November, both out of a rack. Pretty sure 5x20 pushups 5 times a week first thing in the morning is paying dividends.
Also did 3 unbroken no false grip pullups and two more singles. Thinking about pulling myself up as high as possible at the same time as driving my hands as low as possible in relation to my body is helping me get my elbows flipped around a lot more. Other popular cues people use like pulling the rings to the hips and doing the fastest situp in the world hasn't worked quite as well for me in the past and generally gets my hand stuck in the no false grip, thus preventing me from transitioning to the bottom of the dip. Going to try to do 3-5 no false grip muscle ups every day I'm in the gym.
Volume day 3-31-12
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thrusters and Diane
Weights: 95, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155 (fail), 145
My last set of 145 felt easy compared to the first set of 145.
Today, warmed up with some jump rope and stretching. Did Diane:
225 pound Deadlift
Handstand push-ups
