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

7/4 – Happy ‘Tabata’ Day

Or for my American friends – Happy 4^th of July and since I’m clearly becoming such a bad Canadian – Happy (belated) Canada Day! To be fair, I was barely moving on Canada Day after the weekend of competing, I kind of ignored it completely – like I said, bad Canadian.

WOD

Tabata-Tabata-Tabata

8 rounds (20 seconds on 10 seconds rest) of each then rotate

V-ups

Push Press (40/30kg)

Box Jumps (30/24”)

Score = lowest from each round

10-8-6 = 24

We broke into three groups for this one and I started on the v-ups and progressed in order as noted above.  I picked a number for each movement and tried to stick with it – the v-ups started out ok, I had about 10 seconds to rest in the early rounds and though I managed to keep 10 throughout by the last round I just snuck in the last rep.

I knew that the push press were going to be heavy as my shoulders are still hurting from the weekend (when 30 kg shoulder to overhead was oh-so-humbling) so I chose to just do the empty bar and that was a good decision just so I could maintain good form and not put extra stress on my back.  I did all the rounds unbroken and had an extra 10 seconds or so rest each round but it was a good choice, no need to do high reps even at low weight when I’m still trying to recover – Coach Hayden supported this decision as well which was great.

I started out the box jumps with 8 reps thinking it should be doable but apparently my legs are also still recovering from all the jumping on the weekend.  Where 24” would normally be easy for me to rebound I just couldn’t do it consistently last night.  It didn’t take long either for my left calve to tighten up again as it did the last time I did the high box jumps in Melbourne (not good).  So I stopped rebounding most of them, I’m jump up and down and then go again rather than bouncing right back up.  Coach Claire came around telling me to lock out on one of them – I’d just lost my balance – but I’d already no-repped myself on that one.  Better to do the quality reps in practice so that it translates into competition.

Was a good little workout – glad that the v-ups came first as they would have been much harder had they come when I was already breathing heavy.

6/19 - 'Dirty 30'

Well, I was planning on taking yesterday as a rest day after ‘Diane’ and ‘Karen’ and the aching shoulders still from the weekend but I’ve never done Dirty 30 (or Filthy 50) for that matter and I always love me a good chipper so… I had to go to this.  I wasn’t sure about the wall balls, or the lunges, or really anything that required the use of my legs but I was game.

As a side note – I forgot to mention – when I got in the car after ‘Karen’ I almost didn’t think I’d be able to drive home – when I stepped on the clutch my leg started shaking uncontrollably.  It was a fun little journey with me sitting in neutral at all the lights and throwing it back into first at the last minute before having to accelerate.  Ah crossfit, the things you do to me.

We had a pretty quick warm-up and mobility session – the air squats were a killer but got through them then it was a whole lot of set up for the WOD – it was organized though – as much as could be – different areas for each movement with some of us choosing to throw our ropes outside to finish up out there (a good call overall).

WOD 'Dirty 30'

30 Box jump, 24 inch box

30 Jumping pull-ups

30 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood (16kg/12)

Walking Lunge, 30 steps

30 Knees to elbows

30 Push press, 20kg/15

30 Back extensions

30 Wall ball shots, 10kg/5 ball

30 Burpees

30 Double unders

12:38 Rx

I was in the first group to go and was planning on breaking up the box jumps into sets of 10 but the boys around me didn’t stop and so neither did I.  I think I almost ate it at about 14 reps – not so pretty – box felt really, really high – but kept going pretty much unbroken.  I got off the box jumps fairly quickly overall but that hurt me on the jumping pull-ups – my legs started to rebel.  I think I did three sets of 10 or something, just trying to get through them as quick as possible.  The kettlebell swings were super light which was amazing – I was trying to minimize use of my legs on this knowing that the lunges and wall balls were still ahead.  My arms felt good and I went unbroken quite quickly.  The walking lunges hurt way less that I expected – way less than they did the other week in sports class though then we had a 15kg plate overhead.  They were over fast and it was on to knees to elbow – I swear this is worse than toes to bar.  It was a painful struggle all around but got through them – broke them up quite a bit though – I think 10-10 then 5-5. 

Similar to the KB swings, I tried to minimize use of my legs on the push press – again, 15kg was light so it wasn’t too hard to strict press it mostly, tiny little dip-drive only.  I did them in two sets of 15.  The back extensions really hurt though I was pushing to get done in the time cap – knowing that the wall balls and burpees would take me some time.  I tried to minimize the rest and get done with them, moving on to the wall balls.  I wasn’t wearing my oly shoes or my knee sleeves which felt odd but there were only 30 reps.  My form wasn’t great – Coach Hayden at one point commented to both Ali and I to stay on our heels – good cue, not great follow through from me.  My intent was to do three sets of 10 but that fell apart rather quick.  10-8-4-4-4.  I was aiming for 8-7-5 but couldn’t hold on after those 4 reps.  It killed and so did the burpees.  I did three sets of 10 moving ever closer to the door between each, finishing the last set of 10 outside (thankfully it was cooler out there).  I then grabbed my rope for the DU’s which went quick thankfully though I did stuff up once.  It hurt but I’m happy that I did it, that I survived and that I came in under the time cap.  I can’t imagine doing this for 50 reps of each but I’m sure the day will come.

It was funny afterward both in thinking about the WOD and watching the next class go through parts of it – I mentally blocked some of it out – I know I did it but can’t quite remember doing it/ it was a blur.  I guess in some ways that might be a good thing?  Or perhaps the pain was just too bad.  Who knows.  Definitely earned tonight as a rest day.  My body needs it as I can barely sit down/ get up from my chair.   Ugh.

6/22 – Epic Double WOD Day

WOD #1

2010 Crossfit Games Chipper

25 minute cut-off

15 squat cleans (70/50kg) (scaled to 42.5kg)

30 toes to bar

30 box jumps (24/20”)

15 muscle ups (scaled to 2 ring rows/ 2 dips with orange band for each rep)

30 dumbbell push press (17.5/12.5kg)

30 double unders

15 thrusters (60/42.5kg) (scaled to 40kg)

30 pull-ups

30 burpees

90m overhead walking lunge (20/15kg)

Finished through 23 burpees

You can imagine the look on everyone’s faces in the sports class as we watched Coach Hayden write this up on the board.  As we talked through (all) the movement standards and then got set up to go through it – three heats in all.  Boys, girls then the elite.  It was as hard as it looked too.  A challenge and one that never seemed to end.  I do love a good chipper though.

It started out hard and heavy.  I broke up the squat cleans into 3 sets of 5 and was definitely happy I’d scaled them with my shoulder still being a bit unhappy and the work that was ahead.  I need to work on more heavy cleans though as it’s been a while since I’ve done them.  The toes to bare still cause me grief, I can’t link them at all though again I think that stems from my shoulder – I can’t stay active so it becomes a struggle and I need an extra kip in the middle.  I was happy to do them (mostly) in sets of 5 and not kill my hands.  The box jumps were steady – I used the 18” box as the two twenties were already in use.  I did three sets of 10 only switching to the other side in between to change my perspective/ have an extra breath.  Then it was on to the ‘muscle-ups’ which by far took the most time.  It was solid though the dips were troublesome near the end – it was just a lot of movement, back and forth for two reps at a time but it’s what I get – still need to get my muscle ups in order.  Jas was amazing, the only girl in our group to do the muscle ups.  Solid.

The dumbbell push press hurt much less than I anticipated.  I broke it into 10-8-7-5.  Yes, my head plays funny math games mid WOD.  It made it manageable as I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold sets of 10 throughout and didn’t want to go straight into sets of 5.  I managed the double unders unbroken and they went far too fast.  The thrusters hurt.  I did sets of 3 right from the start and even then (especially after the db push presses) they were a struggle.  My pull-ups were where I started to really fail.  I did baby sets, 2’s and 3’s.  Managed not to rip my hands but boy did they hurt.  I was happy to get through them but they took up so much time.  Then I had to finish out on the burpees.  A grind until the clock beeped.  I wanted to finish them but came up 7 short.  Still got through much more than I’d expected.  Solid effort by all.

I was a little broken after this WOD and dreading what Vini/ Shonelle had programmed for ASG.  I knew I’d be working with all the girls (Angie, Sarah, Kayla, Shonelle) so it’d be fun but I wasn’t sure what my shoulders would be capable of.

ASG Afternoon Session

Strength

3RM strict press

32.5kg (1 rep at 34kg)

This was way off my PR but not surprising.  Happy I managed even that.  The one rep at 34kg was a struggle. 

WOD#2

4 rounds

6 HSPU’s

12 power cleans (55/40kg)

24 double unders

9:13 (scaled the HSPU’s to an abmat)

This was fun – great to be amongst the girls and pushing through it.  Wanted to cry on the power cleans.  Happy with my HSPU’s – in that I didn’t die from them – only failed one I think though definitely couldn’t have done them to Rx range of motion – my shoulders were having none of that.  Broke up all the power cleans – I think 6-6 then 4’s thereafter.  The double unders were all unbroken except for one silly trip in the third round.  It was a good one and thankfully over quicker than anticipated.  Four rounds is definitely easier on the mind than 7.  It was a great time with the girls, playing, being goofy and working on headstand progressions after it all (with some epic crumples by myself – oops).

Thanks for the great work out girls... and ASG.  Good times as always.

 

Laughing at Angie... (sorry!)

The girls!

6/1 – Sports Class

WOD #1

9-13 minute Virtuosity Session

3 rounds

5-10 HSPU (strict)

20 pistols

5-10 pull-ups (strict)

5 strict HSPU/20 pistols/3 strict pull-ups

This was a fun warm-up.  Coach Hayden explicitly told us if we finished before the 9 minute mark that he’d make us do burpees until everyone else had finished.  The goal was good form not to speed through.  I wasn’t sure about the strict HSPU’s as it’s been a while since I’ve done them but they worked.  I did sets of 5 unbroken down to 2 ab mats/ an abmat on a plate.  The pistols got easier as I got into it more and they started to flow as I bounced out of the bottom.  The strict pull-ups really hurt my shoulder even though I only did 3 reps each round.  Not the best idea.  Oops.

WOD #2

EMOM5

10 shoulder to overhead (40/60kg)

10 pull-ups

30kg (missed minutes 2 and 4)

This was tough and I was smart to drop the weight down from Rx.  Given that my abs still ached something fierce I struggled a lot.  It (surprisingly?) takes a ton of core strength/ activation to do both shoulder to overhead and pull-ups.  The rule was that if you didn’t finish the 20 reps in the minute then you’d miss a round and have to wait to the start of the next minute to go again.  As such I missed both the second and fourth minutes as it took me about 10-15 seconds over the minute to finish the reps.

WOD #3

5 rounds

250m row

5 backsquats

Bailed after 1 round and a 250m row

I went light on the backsquats (40kg I think) and still bailed after the row on the second round as I was hurting.  My abs were no longer working at all and rather than set myself back further by pushing I walked away.  I could barely even row so it was a good thing.  Instead while everyone finished up I worked on trying to stretch my abs a bit – this still hurt but also probably helped a little in the long run.  It sucked to walk away, I rarely ever do this but I also have learned over time that I need to listen to my body and not push beyond the sore/ tired to the hurt phase, it’s a fine line and a struggle to face sometimes but in this case I still feel like it was the right one.