8/19 – Running and Squats Galore

Skill

3 x max set of HSPU’s

6-5-5 Rx

WOD

4 Rounds

400m run

50 squats

14:51 Rx

Another week of squatting was added into our extra work so I snuck out of work a bit early to get them done before the WOD, I knew trying to do them the other way around would be killer.  It worked out I think – I’d rather have a slower WOD time than start failing reps in the heavy squats.

The HSPU’s were good.  My kip is getting stronger and I’m able to stay on the wall.  I’m also happy to be doing them Rx now – full range of motion which is a big step up.  I’ll take the progress for sure.

Ah, the WOD… what can I say about it other than it was merely a test of mental fortitude- how much you could stay in the pain place and keep going.  The run wasn’t that fast, just a chance to try and get feeling back in the legs (that didn’t happen after the second run though) and then get into the squats – technically you can do air squats all day, just keep moving – you will just get into a place of pain and whether you decide to quit (rest) or push through for longer is entirely up to you.  I was quite happy with my plan and though I was closer to the back of the pack than the front in the first two rounds I slowly made my way up just from getting through the squats faster.  I did two sets of 25 in the first round with a quick shake out of my legs in between (no more than three seconds really) then in the rest of the rounds I went 20-20-10 even when 20 was horribly hard – I made myself stick with the number, knowing that once I’d gotten to 12 I was pretty close to 15 and then 16 was almost 20 (or so I kept telling myself).  Just kept moving and got through it (and then thankfully it was over)

Extra Work

1) SXF WOD

See above

2) Back Squat

6x6 @70% +15kg

6x6 @71kg

3) EMOTM 10

alternate
odds = 'x' Chest to bar Pull-ups (*scale to pull-ups if needed)
evens = 'x' abmat sit ups
* 'x' = a number you can hold across all sets  

3 c2b (or attempts)

20 sit-ups

4) SXF Yoga Class or 60mins mobility & stretching

60 minutes mobility

As I mentioned I got through the backsquats before the WOD.  I knew Cam would be in there early which worked for me as I was able to get him spotting me – or at least talking me through.  The 6x6 felt way harder than the 10x3 on Saturday even though the weight was 7kg less I think because of the number of reps.  Three is a good number, 4 is okay but 5 and 6 reps are struggle-town.  I mean, losing blood flow to the head, nauseating struggle.  It was good to have him talking me through it.  They were challenging but then they were also done.

After the WOD I got into the EMOM work (again with Cam).  I attempted 3 c2b and managed one on the first round then completely started struggling with my kip.  Coach Claire was there to help me though and told me I needed to keep tighter and more upright rather than trying to pull myself to the bar from so far away.  Eventually it worked and on the last two rounds (of five) I got all 3 reps unbroken with my chest hitting the bar.  The sit-ups were fine, I could have probably pushed 30 reps but knew that would take me the full minute to do and I didn’t want to do that.  Even by the end the 20 were burning and transferring to the c2b as well – definitely felt the core usage when on the bar.  Good though to get through it and be done. 

Followed it all up with lots of mobility on the legs and then dinner with Kelly.  Good night overall and so happy that Steph is back (after playing tour guide for the week)… oh how I’ve missed my ‘twin’. Haha.

8/10 - Saturday Sports Class

1) Back Squats

10x3rep @85% (+ 5kg's to last week)

10x3 @73kg

2) Comp WOD

9min AMRAP of;
3 Muscle-ups 6 pull-ups/ 6 dips
6 Thrusters 60/42.5kg

4 +6 pull-ups + 6 dips (30kg thrusters)

3) 10 x 100m Sprints
*rest will be determind by your group/partners 

No time for these (thankfully!!!)

It always feels like I’ve just left when I return for Saturday sports class.  It also feels like the sun shining is really the only difference – it barely feels like I’ve had a nights sleep to rest and this was especially true after the rope climbs and KB swings of last night.  My shoulders were heavy when I woke up and my legs just tired.  You can imagine how much I was looking forward to more squatting but alas, the burpee rule still applies – no negative talk about backsquats or you guessed it… burpee penalty (self-imposed).

Anyway, we started with a full hour to get through the back squats.  This was sufficient time and I managed to get them all done without failing any even though the weight was actually 91% of my 1RM backsquat (really curious to see what it will be after all this).  Worked through with Sacha which was good, we got a chance to chat and work on our hip mobility in between sets.  I tried to rest a minimum of 3 minutes between rounds which at times was closer to 4 or 5 which was needed.  I also had Sacha spot me for most of them as well again, ‘just in case’ because of how I was feeling.  You just never know and since we’re not supposed to drop the bar but rather get through the movement it worked to be aware.

Following this we set up for the WOD.  I usually love going first but when the girls (Ali and Sacha) made me go first without thought I almost dreaded it.  I had no motivation or desire as I was just so physically exhausted.  I kept the weight low on the thrusters and knew that with the current state (still) of my hands I wasn’t going to get c2b (what we were supposed to scale to) so I just did pull-ups and dips (on the bars, not the rings),  It was still crazy hard.  I didn’t even think about counting (had Ali for that thankfully) and when Sacha asked me at the end how many rounds I’d gotten I truly had no idea and I really didn’t care.  I had to ask Ali.  This WOD however for me what just to focus on each movement and get through them rather than racing the clock or whatnot.  I had to break up the pull-ups because of my hands and then dips were the part that failed first.  They are similar to HSPU’s in that when they go they go so you need to back off before failure.  It was still tough but I made it through (mostly) the full range of motion.  I struggled but it was one of those days.  The thrusters felt solid – Coach Hayden told me to keep my elbows up and really drive through which made a huge difference and definitely made me feel stronger (as could be on the day).

Followed it up with a well earned breakfast of pancakes and bacon and eggs which I struggled to eat with a knife and fork as I could barely lift my arms at this point (I think the feeling was similar for many who had done the Friday night WOD).  I had to use two hands to hold my coffee.  Hard times.  Timmy and Jack came by Foam though - awesome to catch up with them too and compare rope climb marks.  Miss you boys!

Rest day Sunday – so happy!!

8/3 – Saturday Sports Class – Backsquats and Hard ‘Cindy’

Strength

10x3 backsquats at 85% 1RM

10x3 @68kg

WOD

Harder ‘Cindy’

5 c2b pull-ups

10 hand release push-ups

15 air squats

2-4-6-8-10 Clean and Jerks (70/50kg)

15:09 (9 CJ’s left)

As Coach Jono wrote on the board for the strength – Squat Mother F*cker… and that it was.  Especially back to back days.  We had about 50 minutes to work through it though so solid amount of rest which was necessary.  Definitely glad it was only sets of 3.  Worked with Steph which was fun as it was a chance to gossip.

Harder ‘Cindy’ was hard.  Fun though it a twisted way.  Essentially it’s 5 rounds of ‘Cindy’ with c2b and HR push-ups though in between each round you do heavy CJ’s in ascending reps (2-4-6-8-10).  There was also a 15 minute cut-off.

I didn’t do c2b as my hands are still pretty torn from doing ‘Nate’ and they just hurt.  I had plenty of height for each rep but my chest wasn’t hitting – probably a good thing given the size of the bruise that I already have.

The HR push-ups felt fairly good given that I haven’t been doing many push-ups at all lately.  And the air squats were just steady – almost great without weight and the amount of backsquatting we’ve been doing.

The CJ’s was the equalizer.  It’s where it slowed down a lot.  50kg is quite heavy though thankfully Coach Jono let us power clean if we wanted (that rarely is an option).  My power cleans were ugly, feet wide ugly however my legs were completely against dropping under the bar so that’s how it went.  I had some solid jerks though, they felt good and I only lost one of them over my head without locking it out so I was happy.

I didn’t finish – I managed to get one rep done on the last round of 10 CJ’s before the cut off.  And that left me pretty shattered.  Glad to have gotten through it though.

7/31 – ‘Nate’

There are more parts of my body this morning angry at me than there are not and I’m somewhat happily enjoying this.  Last night was solid.  Definitely not easy but it felt good.  We are 2.5 weeks into the new Sports Extra programming and everyone is still going strong and more importantly getting strong(er).  A few people made this comment last night and I can’t help but agree.

Every movement containing squats feels solid these days – cleans, snatches (minus my mental headcase-ness), CJ’s… the list goes on.  And then there is the fact that in the past two weeks I’ve solidly acquired chest to bar pull-ups and have the bruises to show for it.  They are there now whenever I want them, not just sometimes and not ‘almost-but-just-not-quite’.  Included on the list too – Rx HSPU’s.  Yup, did these in a WOD last night and some sets unbroken too. 

I’m feeling stronger and more important than that my body is adapting – there are days still that I’m a little sore or tired or my legs feel heavy but I’m not hurting, the programming is varied so that we’re not smashing the same muscles day after day – the variety is amazing and I’m excited for each new WOD, I’m learning to love squats (or at least trying to say it until I do) and the feeling of us all working through the extra bits together makes it that much more amazing – we truly are in this together and when it comes down to competition time we will be that much stronger as a group for it.  Bring it on… I’m looking forward to continuing this journey.

WOD

‘Nate’

AMRAP 20

2 muscle-ups 4 c2b pull-ups

4 HSPU’s

8 KB Swings (24/32kg)

10/1* (Rx HSPU/ Rx KB Swings)

*2 c2b completed

First off let’s talk about ‘Nate’ – he’s a bit of a jerk (in a really good way) though I did make a comment last night in a joking manner that I didn’t know who he was but… Here’s what I know, he’s a hero.  That’s all that matters but I think today I should also learn more.  From crossfit.com… this is Nate:

In honor of Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy, who was killed Sunday February 4th during combat operations in Iraq.  Nate is survived by his wife, Mindi, and his infant son Parker.

Nate did a number on me last night – I finished the WOD sweaty and worn out, shirt off (for the first time ever at SXF) and hand bloody and I kind of loved every minute of it.

It wasn’t a WOD that was a lung burner, it was heavy, it was steady and long though the time ticked by quite quickly.  Most of the movements I tried to do unbroken unless I feel off the wall on the HSPU’s (a few times) or my hands started to tear near the end – then I broke up the C2B.   I am pretty sure that it’s only the second time that I’ve swung the 24kg KB for more than a few reps and I was determined not to break up any of the sets even though brining the KB down was what in the end caused my hands to tear open (and bleed).  Oops.

This was the first workout that I managed to HSPU’s Rx for the entire WOD.  I’m feeling strong.  I did a few sets unbroken though for some was struggling to stay on the wall (with my feet). Coach Scotty came around at one point and told me to stop looking at the ground and to cast my eyes forward which made a huge difference – an amazing cue. 

I loved this WOD.  I loved it even as my hands tore and started to bleed (they didn’t really hurt until it was over).  It was funny too, about a minute after I realized that I had torn my hand Coach Scotty shouts to the class – ‘Stop before you tear your hands’.  Too late but I didn’t mind, I wasn’t stopping as I felt too good with it all.  Did most of my c2b mixed grip but at one point because of the tear I did one regular grip and it still was no problem – love it.  I saw Cam on a few of the sets early on where we were much on pace and when I could string together my c2b I was actually ahead of him (and secretly loved it!)

I was happy with my score.  I had no idea where I was at as I couldn’t see the number on the clicker I just pushed the button after each round.  I had a nice little compact corner in the back of the room so I didn’t have to move around much and the people around me were all good at cheering for each other which helped as the WOD progressed.  So Nate, as much of a jerk as you may have been I kind of loved you all the same.  Til we meet again and I know we will.

7/22 – Bear Complex

WOD

Bear Complex

5 x 5reps

New complex set begins every 4mins

35/35/35/35/37.5

Wasn’t sure how this was gonna go having never done it before and having Coach Scotty emphasise repeatedly that it sneaks up on you.  Basically you go through the complex 5 times without putting the bar down (it must be unbroken) and then you get to rest for the remaining time in that 4 minute period.  The complex consists of a deadlift, hang power clean, front squat, shoulder to over head (I was push jerking), back squat, shoulder to overhead – that would be one rep.  We did this 5 times per round for a total of 5 rounds (25 reps in all). 

I started at 35kg thinking it might be heavy and though it wasn’t too bad I did start to feel it in my shoulders in the last few reps even though I was quite focused on my shoulder to overhead technique.  I quite liked this workout for that reason overall – you had time and the requirement to focus on good technique throughout, you could rest in the rack or back squat or anywhere else really with the bar off the ground and since it wasn’t a race against the clock it went well.  I bumped up to 37.5kg for the last round and though I managed to get through it there was no way I would have been able to hold that for more than just the one round. 

I have some nice bruises this morning on both my chest (and from c2b pull-ups – more below) and the back of my neck from receiving the bar a little too heavily when bringing it down.  Oops.  Had about two minutes rest each round which was good overall.

New Skill

Another reason as I’ve noted above for the bruising on my chest is that I finally figured out c2b pull-ups last night.  I have done c2b before but never fluently, often I’d require a second kip in the middle to get high enough.  Last night Coach Tara was helping me, giving me some tips as I was getting ‘oh-so-very-close-but-not-quite’ and then I jumped up to try again and flew to the bar, I felt like I got super high and managed to link two together right away.  Tara saw this too and it was really awesome, out of nowhere.  Stoked.  I managed to get three in a row too throughout the extra work we were doing.  So happy, and… FINALLY!

Interesting Article

Also, found this article this morning... definitely interesting to think that overtraining could actually be cutting into our sex drives rather than enhancing it as you would normally think...

http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/get-your-sexy-back-how-your-workouts-are-crushing-your-libido

6/18 - 'Karen'

Some days I just wish I didn’t look at the WOD before heading to the box.  Yesterday was one of those days.  ‘Karen’.  ‘Karen’ is a bitch – not as bad when she’s not followed by DU’s and muscle-ups as in the open the past two years but still enough to make you not look forward to her at all.

Strength/ Skill

5 Rds

10 Chest to bar Pull Ups

Max L-Sit

Used the red band for the first 4 sets of c2b pull-ups then Coach Scotty yelled at me (nicely) to not kip with the band so finished up with both red and orange bands.  It was almost comical at the beginning (easy) then a struggle towards the end (so hard).  The L-sits were done hanging from the bar.  I think on average I was around 20 seconds for each.  It was fun partnering up with George for this one though I think us giving each other time increments on the L-sits didn’t actually help much – we both aimed for 20 seconds rather than going to failure – that being said my arms/ hands weren’t having much more anyway.  It was a good 20 minute warm-up heading into…

WOD ‘Karen’

150 Wall Balls 20/14lb

9:23 PR (14lb to 9’ line)

I have only done ‘Karen’ in the open WODs.  The first year (2011) I didn’t finish the wall balls in the 12 minute time cap.  This year I finished the wall balls (aka ‘Karen’) in 10:55 (the tie-breaker as noted on the games website score).  My summary from 13.3 noted that I did a set of 10 reps then sets of 5 for the rest with Coach Tara judging/ cheering me on.  It was nice to have a reminder of that going in.

Last night I just went with what felt good – even as the air squats in the warm-up reminded me of how sore my hamstrings were from ‘Diane’.  I started off just getting into the rhythm and found it feeling solid – I easily hit 15 reps and while I thought of going for 20 (especially as the boys on either side of me hadn’t yet stopped I knew it was still a long way to the finish and took a little break).  I didn’t want to get into sets of 5 until I had to so I picked up the ball again and did 10, it felt okay and I tried to stick with this number.  I remember at 45 reps in noting how hard it was starting to feel and how I wasn’t even yet halfway (the hard part is when you hit 75 and make that halfway realization).  Thankfully I never even noted 75, I was struggling to maintain sets of 10 and did through to 95 reps.  I wanted to hold on to the number but just couldn’t – that being said I also didn’t want to drop down to sets of 5 either as 10 (11) sets of 5 is still a lot to wrap your mind around. I decided on 8-7 pattern.  Which I followed through til the end.  The last few rounds were a struggle in forcing myself to both pick up the ball and go and also keep going even when I wanted to stop/ my form was getting a little wonky.

It was fun working beside Brendan – he helped me to minimize my rest times either because he was getting back to the ball/ still working or because Coach Scotty came around and was counting him down to get back at it and I used this cue as well.  My splits were fairly consistent.  I rememeber hitting 25 reps in the first minute then 50 at the 3 minute mark (approximately) and then 100 at 6 minutes in (approximately).  Finishing just over 9 minutes was fairly decent in my mind, a solid 1:30 faster than my previous PR.  I will definitely take it.

And for anyone questioning why I showed up for ‘Karen’ when I hate her so… it’s for a few reasons – trying not to cherry pick WODs and also because I’m fairly certain we’ll see wallballs in the Primal Throwdown and I knew I could use the practice.  The extra dose of confidence it gave me definitely helped.