Last week of Clean and Jerks! Another good one partnering up with
Kirst. We did a few of the movements we've been working on over the past three weeks then it was on to setting some PR's similar to the final snatch session.
3 sets 3x hang clean to split jerk (23/28/33kg)
3 sets 2x squat clean (33/38/40kg)
3 sets 2x clean pulls (60/65/70kg)
clean and jerk (2x40/45/47.5/52.5(PR)/57.5kg(f))
I was pulling too fast on the first phase of the squat cleans so Luke had me do deadlift then hang cleans to try and get the feeling. After a bit more struggle he stopped the class and did a little demo on how to "lock" in on the start of the lift - really pulling your shoulders back/ tightening up the little muscles in the middle (these are weak on me and I'm constantly told to strengthen them). His demonstration was solid - he had me lay on my back with one arm extended - he then grabbed my hand and pulled me up/ shook me around and I didn't really lift up much. He then repeated the same thing but this time had me lock my shoulders back and I was lifted right off the floor because of the connection between my arm and my body. Definitely got the picture from that and it REALLY did help. I found that I actually couldn't "explode" off the ground any more because everything was already "locked" and there was nothing to "explode until I got up to my hips and could extend from there. Sweet. My squat cleans got solid after that.
I'm loving the clean and jerk now and (almost) squat cleans. Kirst and I started at 40kg (previous PR was 45kg) and it felt easy. I did another at 45kg before moving to the "official" lifting platform and going for 47.5kg - new PR (easy). Went up to 52.5 and got that no problem, again the squat clean felt solid it was dropping under on the jerk that I struggle with - I actually pressed the last bit of this one out but it counted. I talked a bit to Luke to figure out how much I should jump up by (2.5kg or 5kg). He suggested the 5kg and to make it my last lift. 57.5kg (PR on squat clean). Fair. I squat cleaned it - it was hard but I made it - then didn't drop/ lock it out on the jerk though I did get it high enough had I dropped under it. It's the confidence again - I chucked the weight behind me (very casually as Tim put it) so I knew it was over my head. Next time I got this. Still very happy with the progress made after the four weeks. I'm totally ready for Rx-ing Grace at 45kg soon.
This week will be mostly deload - I have bicep tendonitis which is what has been causing issue in my left shoulder the past few weeks (it's a recurring injury unfortunately from overuse) and the only "cure" is rest so I'll be doing lighter weights/ modified wods until it goes away.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
5/8 - Last "Snatch" (PR!)
Last week of our Olympic Lifting Sessions. Luke wasn't able to make it so Match coached us through it. As I mentioned in the previous post, I was hurting a bit from the WOD - my shoulders (as usual lately) were pretty tired but somehow felt good once we got going with the lifts - I think because they had been fully warmed up/ utilized in the same movements in the WOD.
Warmup
3 minutes skipping
then:
barbell snatch complex (3 rounds of 3 reps):
3x hang snatch/ 2x OHS (23/25.5kg)
4x3 hang snatch (25.5/25.5/28kg)
4x2 snatch balance (23/25.5/25.5/28)
5x 1 snatch (35.5/38/40(f)/40(f)/40kgPR)
We had plenty of time to work on our 1RM snatch attempts however all "official" attempts had to be made on the two platforms in front of everyone which was a little intimidating but also really supportive and "real world". I managed to actually get my first attempt at 40kg however it wouldn't have actually counted as a snatch as I pushed it out at the top. I had plenty of extension and got the bar high enough but I don't have the confidence to drop under it - you can clearly see this in the sequence of photos that Kirst took. Instant feedback - quite good. Second attempt at 40kg I dropped but didn't lock out the bar overhead and missed it but I was determined. Attempt 3 I got it (finally!) but it still wasn't pretty - I turn my head to the side and close my eyes (again, photo evidence) so I have to find the confidence because I definitely have the strength. It was really fun though and so happy to up my PR which was previously 35kg (set during the open) - though not really a true 1RM PR as I did 27 reps of it. Heh.
I learned a lot during these sessions. It was great to have the time to break the movement down beyond what we'd get in the beginning of a standard WOD. I also really enjoyed the repetition of each week - the same movements for the most part and gaining the confidence (though I still have a way to go). Final clean and jerk session Friday and I'm excited to see what kind of PR that will bring as well.
Congrats to everyone snatching last night - lots of PR's set! And big thanks to Tim for being so encouraging all evening... sweet work on that PR - you'll be hitting 80kg in no time!
Warmup
3 minutes skipping
then:
barbell snatch complex (3 rounds of 3 reps):
- Hang-shrug
- Hang-shrug high pull
- Hang muscle snatch
- Snatch press
- OHS (hold at bottom for 2-3 seconds)
3x hang snatch/ 2x OHS (23/25.5kg)
4x3 hang snatch (25.5/25.5/28kg)
4x2 snatch balance (23/25.5/25.5/28)
5x 1 snatch (35.5/38/40(f)/40(f)/40kgPR)
We had plenty of time to work on our 1RM snatch attempts however all "official" attempts had to be made on the two platforms in front of everyone which was a little intimidating but also really supportive and "real world". I managed to actually get my first attempt at 40kg however it wouldn't have actually counted as a snatch as I pushed it out at the top. I had plenty of extension and got the bar high enough but I don't have the confidence to drop under it - you can clearly see this in the sequence of photos that Kirst took. Instant feedback - quite good. Second attempt at 40kg I dropped but didn't lock out the bar overhead and missed it but I was determined. Attempt 3 I got it (finally!) but it still wasn't pretty - I turn my head to the side and close my eyes (again, photo evidence) so I have to find the confidence because I definitely have the strength. It was really fun though and so happy to up my PR which was previously 35kg (set during the open) - though not really a true 1RM PR as I did 27 reps of it. Heh.
I learned a lot during these sessions. It was great to have the time to break the movement down beyond what we'd get in the beginning of a standard WOD. I also really enjoyed the repetition of each week - the same movements for the most part and gaining the confidence (though I still have a way to go). Final clean and jerk session Friday and I'm excited to see what kind of PR that will bring as well.
Congrats to everyone snatching last night - lots of PR's set! And big thanks to Tim for being so encouraging all evening... sweet work on that PR - you'll be hitting 80kg in no time!
5/8 - AMRAP 7/7/7
WOD
7 min AMRAP
10 bumper OH lunges (10/20kg)
10 clean & presses (30/45kg)
5/5 (23kg)
–1 min rest–
7 min AMRAP
10 push-ups
10 overhead squats (30/45kg)
4/8 (23kg)
–1 min rest–
7 min AMRAP
10 burpee plate jumps
10 thrusters (30/45kg)
3/3 (23kg)
Long WOD today - three 7 minute AMRAPs. I knew I'd be going light as it was also our last night of Snatch Technique tonight too and I knew there would be a chance to test our maxes. Even at 23kg* it still hurt.
In the first AMRAP I managed to do all the clean and presses in solid sets of 10. My cleans feel so much better after all the technique focus lately. The overhead lunges were tough on my tired quads but managed to do them all unbroken as well. Was happy to complete 5 rounds plus.
The second AMRAP got harder quite fast. My shoulders were pretty much done after the first one and the push-ups - started out in sets of 5 and quickly dropped down to 2 and 3's max - didn't help much and the OHS only compounded this fact. I felt quite solid snatching the bar to overhead though on the OHS which I did in two sets of 5's each round.
Last AMRAP - ouch! That's pretty much the only description. It was about surviving, getting through it. The burpees were as always just about keeping a steady pace through out and the thrusters killed though my squats felt good. Bit disappointed I didn't get more than 3 full rounds but with how I was feeling it made sense. Killer.
Had a bit of a rest then it was our last Snatch session. More on that in the next post.
*I realized it's kind of crazy to consider 23kg "light" as it's 50lbs. My head still has trouble with kg in this context unless I convert it to lbs.
7 min AMRAP
10 bumper OH lunges (10/20kg)
10 clean & presses (30/45kg)
5/5 (23kg)
–1 min rest–
7 min AMRAP
10 push-ups
10 overhead squats (30/45kg)
4/8 (23kg)
–1 min rest–
7 min AMRAP
10 burpee plate jumps
10 thrusters (30/45kg)
3/3 (23kg)
Long WOD today - three 7 minute AMRAPs. I knew I'd be going light as it was also our last night of Snatch Technique tonight too and I knew there would be a chance to test our maxes. Even at 23kg* it still hurt.
In the first AMRAP I managed to do all the clean and presses in solid sets of 10. My cleans feel so much better after all the technique focus lately. The overhead lunges were tough on my tired quads but managed to do them all unbroken as well. Was happy to complete 5 rounds plus.
The second AMRAP got harder quite fast. My shoulders were pretty much done after the first one and the push-ups - started out in sets of 5 and quickly dropped down to 2 and 3's max - didn't help much and the OHS only compounded this fact. I felt quite solid snatching the bar to overhead though on the OHS which I did in two sets of 5's each round.
Last AMRAP - ouch! That's pretty much the only description. It was about surviving, getting through it. The burpees were as always just about keeping a steady pace through out and the thrusters killed though my squats felt good. Bit disappointed I didn't get more than 3 full rounds but with how I was feeling it made sense. Killer.
Had a bit of a rest then it was our last Snatch session. More on that in the next post.
*I realized it's kind of crazy to consider 23kg "light" as it's 50lbs. My head still has trouble with kg in this context unless I convert it to lbs.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
5/7 - bar hops and cleans... oh my!
Back at it last night after a ton of nothingness on Saturday night and Sunday. I was pretty exhausted from the team competition, mostly fatigue and some soreness in my lower back. I think I was asleep by 8pm or so on Saturday night and followed that with an amazing nap on Sunday afternoon.
Got to the box a bit early and started to stretch out the shoulders which instantly told me how tired they still were. On the warm-up skipping I also felt my quads. I knew it'd be a tough WOD but it was a short 6 minute AMRAP so I knew I could push through.
WOD 1
6 min AMRAP
5 deadlifts (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
5 hang cleans (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
5 cleans (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
3 rounds (40kg)
Apparently I can't read very well. In my head when Coach Match said that over and back was one rep for the bar hops I got the number 20 stuck in my head - thinking I had to go over the bar a total of 20 times each time so I did a bit of extra work in there - my fault for not reading correctly. Ha!
Initially I had 45kg on the bar as that's what I'd used the previous Monday when doing HSPU's and heavy cleans but that only lasted through the first 5 hang cleans then I dropped 5kg. It was probably a pretty good move, it was still hard. Was happy to finish off the third round in time.
WOD 2
4 rounds
300m run
30 ab mat sit-ups
8:42
Surprisingly I really enjoyed this one. Normally I hope for no running when I look at the board but there was something about the cool air and rain when I arrived that made me hope we'd be outside getting wet and get wet we did. I think when we started our first run the rain was sideways and we had a crazy head wind on the back side of the building - which was so kindly at our back for part of the last 50m. I went hard on each round and stayed steady through the ab mat situps (which are starting to feel better each time). I felt fast - probably due to the rain and the darkness but I'll take it.
Got to the box a bit early and started to stretch out the shoulders which instantly told me how tired they still were. On the warm-up skipping I also felt my quads. I knew it'd be a tough WOD but it was a short 6 minute AMRAP so I knew I could push through.
WOD 1
6 min AMRAP
5 deadlifts (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
5 hang cleans (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
5 cleans (50/75kg)
5 bar hops
3 rounds (40kg)
Apparently I can't read very well. In my head when Coach Match said that over and back was one rep for the bar hops I got the number 20 stuck in my head - thinking I had to go over the bar a total of 20 times each time so I did a bit of extra work in there - my fault for not reading correctly. Ha!
Initially I had 45kg on the bar as that's what I'd used the previous Monday when doing HSPU's and heavy cleans but that only lasted through the first 5 hang cleans then I dropped 5kg. It was probably a pretty good move, it was still hard. Was happy to finish off the third round in time.
WOD 2
4 rounds
300m run
30 ab mat sit-ups
8:42
Surprisingly I really enjoyed this one. Normally I hope for no running when I look at the board but there was something about the cool air and rain when I arrived that made me hope we'd be outside getting wet and get wet we did. I think when we started our first run the rain was sideways and we had a crazy head wind on the back side of the building - which was so kindly at our back for part of the last 50m. I went hard on each round and stayed steady through the ab mat situps (which are starting to feel better each time). I felt fast - probably due to the rain and the darkness but I'll take it.
Monday, May 7, 2012
5/5 - WOD Team Championships
I probably should have written this recap either after we finished on saturday (was too busy passed out on my sofa) or on Sunday (too sore to even think about moving) but alas, I didn't and I am now stuck wondering where to even start.
The basics I guess - Cooee had two teams (one Rx, one scaled) entered into the WOD Team Championships - an online competition. From their website:
I was lucky enough to find myself on a solid, strong and awesomely fun team with Kayla, Pete and Tim in the Rx division. The WODs came out Friday morning so we had all day to plan, prepare and strategize for how we wanted to attack both the order of the WODs and the WODs themselves.
WOD 1
"Get over it"
6 mins of hanging squat clean and jerk (50/30kg) and partner over-unders.
Score = (women CJ + men CJ) x total over-unders
(53+39) * 67 = 6164
Kayla and Tim (both beasts) started on the CJ's while Pete and I partnered up for the over-unders - basically just as they sound - one person on toes and hands while the other crawls under then jumps over and you switch. Harder than you would think and most definitely get your heart racing. I also think I know Pete so much better after this one - at least it was the first WOD and he still smelled good.
Our only strategy for this was to switch both partners (guy and girl) whenever one person who was lifting was starting to tire (but before fatiguing). This worked well, our transitions happened pretty quickly however we probably missed 5 or so over-unders by not finishing the jump over before moving into the transition - oops.
Tim and Kayla did the majority of the lifting on this one while Pete and I switched out for short bursts - 30kg felt heavy for me personally but I managed - my quads however were burning throughout on the squats - pretty sure the over-unders were taking more out of me than I realized.
WOD 3 (did this second)
"Wall Ball KB Swing"
Progress as far through the ladder as possible in 12 minutes
1 x 6kg wall ball (11ft/9ft)
1 x KB swing (32kg/24kg)
2 x wall ball
2 x KB swing
3 x ... etc. Increasing reps each round with each team member staying in the same order
Score = total number of kettlebell swings completed for your team
10 rounds + 20 reps = 240 reps
We ordered ourselves as follows: Kayla, Pete, Jac, Tim and practiced a few rounds of our transitions. The hardest part of this WOD (for me at least) was that you had to catch the final wall ball of the person ahead of you (if it was dropped it was a no rep). For some reason Pete's wall balls came down hard - each one I had to catch felt like a body slam especially by the end when I was too tired to even try and absorb any of it. I was catching it underhanded as well, not even in the rack position. Still, it worked well.
The previous Saturday was the first time I'd ever tried to swing a 24kg KB and this was also only the third time I'd ever done wall balls (only ever in competitions) so going into it I wasn't sure which movement I was more afraid of. Turns out my wall-balls were solid and it was the KB swings that were killer. Somewhere around round 5 my back seized up and made the rest of the WOD painful to say the least. I kept at it though. Ric (from team Body Snatchers) was counting the KB swings for the girls and was amazing at keeping me going - always positive and encouraging even as I struggled for each rep. The best was near the end when Kayla (who was doing wall balls at the time) yelled at me to pick up the KB and get finished as she was coming for it - she was quite loud, aggressive and not exactly PG and I loved it! Got those last two reps out of me pretty quick!
I think overall as a team this one worked well for us. We moved fluidly through out and communicated well during the transitions. The first 4 minutes seemed really long and then the last 8 flew by, really strange how that happens in WODs.
After both teams had completed the first two WODs we stopped for a bit and had a pretty solid (paleo) feast as evidenced by one of only two photos I took on the day.
WOD 2
"Max Tonnage"
24 minutes for max tonnage of:
10 chest to bar pull-ups (M) / pull-ups (F)
20 jump lunges
5 HSPU
1 deadlift
Score = (bar one weight x reps) + (bar two weight x reps) + (bar three weight x reps) + (bar four weight x reps)
Rx - 1425kg = 3*140kg + 3*140kg + 3*105kg +3*90kg
Scaled - 2655 = 6*140kg + 6*140kg + 5*105kg +5*90kg
Each person could choose their deadlift weight however once the 24 minute clock started you couldn't change the weight - I think Kayla and I were pretty close to our deadlift PR's and the boys seemed to realize after that they could have probably gone a bit heavier (not that it was easy on any of us). Each person started at one of the movements and you had to progress through in order each round, only moving on after each person completed their station.
I started on pull-ups having the lowest deadlift weight - we ordered ourselves by overall weight in the instance we finished with partial rotations. It wasn't until we were warming up again that I realized how tired my body actually was - I wasn't feeling particularly sore anywhere except my lower back and yet the hspu's and pullups felt extremely difficult. And we were off...
We started pretty solidly though (not surprising) my pull-ups held us up on the first round as again did my hspu's (though oddly these seemed to get easier for me after this round). We communicated really well as to when to move forward and there was plenty of time to catch your breath before gearing up for one solid deadlift which everyone managed to complete each round - at times with some loud grunts and lots of bar dropping.
In our second rotation Pete started to struggle with the hspu's. He made a very determined effort and managed to complete the 5 reps but it took a lot out of him and his shoulder was rebelling. In the third rotation after much struggle we decided collectively to continue to complete the WOD but would scale the movements - Pete did double the number of hand release push ups as we soldiered on. This was probably one of the highlights of the day for me, where the spirit of crossfit shone - winning is great but that's not why we do this - it's about the camaraderie, the community, and laying it all out there until you just can't any more, every.single.time. There is no quit, ever. It would have been easy to just end the day with those 9 minutes remaining but that's not who we are or what we do - not one of us had to think twice about it - we just moved to the next station and kept at it and it made me really proud - to be part of this team - TOGETHER.
We managed to complete another 3.5 rounds and our day was done. We had left all our energy and sweat and blood on the floor for those three WODs, for our team and for each other and at the end of it all it's what mattered most. We all realized some of our weaknesses throughout the day but I think more than that we realized our capabilities, our strengths. We all pushed farther and harder for each other and that made us great.
Overall it was a great day - I feel that through a collective 92 squat clean and presses, 67 over/unders, 233 wall balls, 220 kb swings, 110(ish) hspu's, 440 jumping lunges, 220 pull-ups and 22 deadlifts and massive amounts of sweat and icy goodness that I know Tim, Pete and Kayla so much better than I did before the day had started. We crossfit all time as individuals but there's something special in competing as a team. We all found more within ourselves as part of a collective than we probably would have on our own and I'm humbled by that. It makes me want to continue to work harder every day along side them for the next time a team comp comes along.
I'm also extremely impressed and proud of the effort of the Body Snatchers (Ric, Neil, Sue and Angie) who pushed just as hard throughout the day and were inspiring to watch. I'm glad we were all in this together.
I didn't need to see two boys in their underwear or Ric ripping his shirt of mid-WOD and I most definitely didn't mean to drive my shoulder into Kayla's boob while practicing over-unders (so sorry) but it made the day memorable. And as Ric so eloquently put it: "Number 1 lesson......do whatever the fuck Kayla says! She is one focused scary/inspiring woman!" - I'd listen to her any day and will always be part of her team. Thanks to Tash and the kids for coming down and cheering us on and to everyone who sent messages and thoughts of encouragement and support. And Badass and Body Snatchers - thank-you for a truly EPIC AND INSPIRING DAY!!
The basics I guess - Cooee had two teams (one Rx, one scaled) entered into the WOD Team Championships - an online competition. From their website:
The main purpose of The WOD Championships is too successfully host a range of online events in which the community can test not only themselves as individuals but also as team members in a team environment.... The WOD Championships will aim to remain the biggest alternative for online competition outside of the Crossfit Open...
I was lucky enough to find myself on a solid, strong and awesomely fun team with Kayla, Pete and Tim in the Rx division. The WODs came out Friday morning so we had all day to plan, prepare and strategize for how we wanted to attack both the order of the WODs and the WODs themselves.
WOD 1
"Get over it"
6 mins of hanging squat clean and jerk (50/30kg) and partner over-unders.
Score = (women CJ + men CJ) x total over-unders
(53+39) * 67 = 6164
Kayla and Tim (both beasts) started on the CJ's while Pete and I partnered up for the over-unders - basically just as they sound - one person on toes and hands while the other crawls under then jumps over and you switch. Harder than you would think and most definitely get your heart racing. I also think I know Pete so much better after this one - at least it was the first WOD and he still smelled good.
Our only strategy for this was to switch both partners (guy and girl) whenever one person who was lifting was starting to tire (but before fatiguing). This worked well, our transitions happened pretty quickly however we probably missed 5 or so over-unders by not finishing the jump over before moving into the transition - oops.
Tim and Kayla did the majority of the lifting on this one while Pete and I switched out for short bursts - 30kg felt heavy for me personally but I managed - my quads however were burning throughout on the squats - pretty sure the over-unders were taking more out of me than I realized.
WOD 3 (did this second)
"Wall Ball KB Swing"
Progress as far through the ladder as possible in 12 minutes
1 x 6kg wall ball (11ft/9ft)
1 x KB swing (32kg/24kg)
2 x wall ball
2 x KB swing
3 x ... etc. Increasing reps each round with each team member staying in the same order
Score = total number of kettlebell swings completed for your team
10 rounds + 20 reps = 240 reps
We ordered ourselves as follows: Kayla, Pete, Jac, Tim and practiced a few rounds of our transitions. The hardest part of this WOD (for me at least) was that you had to catch the final wall ball of the person ahead of you (if it was dropped it was a no rep). For some reason Pete's wall balls came down hard - each one I had to catch felt like a body slam especially by the end when I was too tired to even try and absorb any of it. I was catching it underhanded as well, not even in the rack position. Still, it worked well.
The previous Saturday was the first time I'd ever tried to swing a 24kg KB and this was also only the third time I'd ever done wall balls (only ever in competitions) so going into it I wasn't sure which movement I was more afraid of. Turns out my wall-balls were solid and it was the KB swings that were killer. Somewhere around round 5 my back seized up and made the rest of the WOD painful to say the least. I kept at it though. Ric (from team Body Snatchers) was counting the KB swings for the girls and was amazing at keeping me going - always positive and encouraging even as I struggled for each rep. The best was near the end when Kayla (who was doing wall balls at the time) yelled at me to pick up the KB and get finished as she was coming for it - she was quite loud, aggressive and not exactly PG and I loved it! Got those last two reps out of me pretty quick!
I think overall as a team this one worked well for us. We moved fluidly through out and communicated well during the transitions. The first 4 minutes seemed really long and then the last 8 flew by, really strange how that happens in WODs.
After both teams had completed the first two WODs we stopped for a bit and had a pretty solid (paleo) feast as evidenced by one of only two photos I took on the day.
 |
| Midday Feast - Yum! And Paleo! |
WOD 2
"Max Tonnage"
24 minutes for max tonnage of:
10 chest to bar pull-ups (M) / pull-ups (F)
20 jump lunges
5 HSPU
1 deadlift
Score = (bar one weight x reps) + (bar two weight x reps) + (bar three weight x reps) + (bar four weight x reps)
Rx - 1425kg = 3*140kg + 3*140kg + 3*105kg +3*90kg
Scaled - 2655 = 6*140kg + 6*140kg + 5*105kg +5*90kg
Each person could choose their deadlift weight however once the 24 minute clock started you couldn't change the weight - I think Kayla and I were pretty close to our deadlift PR's and the boys seemed to realize after that they could have probably gone a bit heavier (not that it was easy on any of us). Each person started at one of the movements and you had to progress through in order each round, only moving on after each person completed their station.
I started on pull-ups having the lowest deadlift weight - we ordered ourselves by overall weight in the instance we finished with partial rotations. It wasn't until we were warming up again that I realized how tired my body actually was - I wasn't feeling particularly sore anywhere except my lower back and yet the hspu's and pullups felt extremely difficult. And we were off...
We started pretty solidly though (not surprising) my pull-ups held us up on the first round as again did my hspu's (though oddly these seemed to get easier for me after this round). We communicated really well as to when to move forward and there was plenty of time to catch your breath before gearing up for one solid deadlift which everyone managed to complete each round - at times with some loud grunts and lots of bar dropping.
In our second rotation Pete started to struggle with the hspu's. He made a very determined effort and managed to complete the 5 reps but it took a lot out of him and his shoulder was rebelling. In the third rotation after much struggle we decided collectively to continue to complete the WOD but would scale the movements - Pete did double the number of hand release push ups as we soldiered on. This was probably one of the highlights of the day for me, where the spirit of crossfit shone - winning is great but that's not why we do this - it's about the camaraderie, the community, and laying it all out there until you just can't any more, every.single.time. There is no quit, ever. It would have been easy to just end the day with those 9 minutes remaining but that's not who we are or what we do - not one of us had to think twice about it - we just moved to the next station and kept at it and it made me really proud - to be part of this team - TOGETHER.
We managed to complete another 3.5 rounds and our day was done. We had left all our energy and sweat and blood on the floor for those three WODs, for our team and for each other and at the end of it all it's what mattered most. We all realized some of our weaknesses throughout the day but I think more than that we realized our capabilities, our strengths. We all pushed farther and harder for each other and that made us great.
Overall it was a great day - I feel that through a collective 92 squat clean and presses, 67 over/unders, 233 wall balls, 220 kb swings, 110(ish) hspu's, 440 jumping lunges, 220 pull-ups and 22 deadlifts and massive amounts of sweat and icy goodness that I know Tim, Pete and Kayla so much better than I did before the day had started. We crossfit all time as individuals but there's something special in competing as a team. We all found more within ourselves as part of a collective than we probably would have on our own and I'm humbled by that. It makes me want to continue to work harder every day along side them for the next time a team comp comes along.
I'm also extremely impressed and proud of the effort of the Body Snatchers (Ric, Neil, Sue and Angie) who pushed just as hard throughout the day and were inspiring to watch. I'm glad we were all in this together.
I didn't need to see two boys in their underwear or Ric ripping his shirt of mid-WOD and I most definitely didn't mean to drive my shoulder into Kayla's boob while practicing over-unders (so sorry) but it made the day memorable. And as Ric so eloquently put it: "Number 1 lesson......do whatever the fuck Kayla says! She is one focused scary/inspiring woman!" - I'd listen to her any day and will always be part of her team. Thanks to Tash and the kids for coming down and cheering us on and to everyone who sent messages and thoughts of encouragement and support. And Badass and Body Snatchers - thank-you for a truly EPIC AND INSPIRING DAY!!
 |
| Post WOD Feast - well deserved! Also, um, Paleo(ish)! |
5/4 - "Clean and Jerks"
Week three of Clean and Jerks. Another good one partnering up with Kirst. Luke was away so Match was leading us through the exercises.
4 sets 4x hang clean to push press (20/25/30/30kg)
3 sets 1x power clean then 3x front squat (18/23/28/33/38kg)
3x3 power clean and jerk/ hang clean and jerk (23/28/33kg)
3x2 clean pulls (55/60/65/70kg)
2 rep clean and jerk (35/40/45kg)
I knew I'd be taking it a bit easier tonight because of the competition on Saturday but it was still great to go through all the movements. I'm finding the cleans a ton easier when I get my shoulders out over the bar and drive my momentum upwards rather than back. The clean pulls are also starting to feel better, like I'm actually about to rip my head off (which is the point) so I'm happy going heavier on them as well. Probably could have tried for a higher weight on the clean and jerk but didn't want to push it - will save that for next week/ our last session.
4 sets 4x hang clean to push press (20/25/30/30kg)
3 sets 1x power clean then 3x front squat (18/23/28/33/38kg)
3x3 power clean and jerk/ hang clean and jerk (23/28/33kg)
3x2 clean pulls (55/60/65/70kg)
2 rep clean and jerk (35/40/45kg)
I knew I'd be taking it a bit easier tonight because of the competition on Saturday but it was still great to go through all the movements. I'm finding the cleans a ton easier when I get my shoulders out over the bar and drive my momentum upwards rather than back. The clean pulls are also starting to feel better, like I'm actually about to rip my head off (which is the point) so I'm happy going heavier on them as well. Probably could have tried for a higher weight on the clean and jerk but didn't want to push it - will save that for next week/ our last session.
Friday, May 4, 2012
5/3 - pistols! abs!
Today was going to be a light day no matter what the programming. We have an online team comp this weekend and my body needs a break (at least a little one). I also still feel beaten up especially now after my deep tissue massage that has left me more bruised than the heavy cleans earlier in the week have.
It was nice to see a little couplet on the board.
WOD
21-15-9
OHS (30/45kg)
Pistols
11:11 (25.5kg)
This was the first time I've ever Rx-ed pistols and they were hard. I was glistening all over when I finished from the sweat - unbelievable. My left side is way weaker than my right so that's an area to work on but I was definitely happy to get full depth without any assistance even with a few no reps in there (lifting shoes definitely helped).
OHS were solid, have been getting lots of practice with the lifting specific sessions. I went light more because of my shoulders than anything - felt okay.
AfterWOD
Core work – hollow body and ab mat sit-ups
This was some solid core work. We did hollow body flutters - hollow body hold while pumping your arms by your sides - we did sets of 10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10 (all had to be unbroken). It took me 2:12 - I didn't have much rest until I got into the higher numbers. The fact that Coach Pete has been having us do so many hollow body holds has definitely helped.
We all thought this was the end of our day but we were otherwise surprised. Yes, it is indeed ab mat sit-ups week so of course there'd be some today. It was max attempt at ab mat sit-ups, no stopping but you could go as fast or as slow as you wanted to. The record before us was 136 reps. I had planned to stop at about 100 but Kayla (on my team for Saturday) kept going and I realized beating the previous wasn't far off... once at 136, 150 seemed close enough but again, others were still going. To be honest I could have done these for a really long time - you get to a point where you just accept the ache and keep moving - Kayla stopped at 225 and I did the same. It was a draw - though we both could possibly still be there if we didn't decide to stop. It's not good however that I've already sneezed twice today - the general hurt isn't there but the sneezing, that does hurt.
Team WODs were posted this morning for the comp this weekend, they look fun...
WOD 1 - Get over it
6 mins of hanging squat clean and jerk and partner over-unders
Score = total over-unders x total (male + female) HSCJ
WOD 2 - Max Tonnage
24 minutes for max tonnage of:
10 chest to bar pull-ups (M) / pull-ups (F)
20 jump lunges
5 HSPU
1 deadlift
Score = total kg of deadlifts lifted (total tonnes by all team members)
WOD 3 - Wall Ball KB Swing
Progress as far through the ladder as possible in 12 minutes:
1 wall ball/ 1 KB swing (32/24kg)
2 wall ball/ 2 KB swing...
Only one team member doing wall balls at a time - each person goes through one before moving on...
Score = total number of kettlebell swings completed for your team
Should be a fun day, we have a wicked team (Pete, Tim, Kayla, myself)... looking forward to it!
It was nice to see a little couplet on the board.
WOD
21-15-9
OHS (30/45kg)
Pistols
11:11 (25.5kg)
This was the first time I've ever Rx-ed pistols and they were hard. I was glistening all over when I finished from the sweat - unbelievable. My left side is way weaker than my right so that's an area to work on but I was definitely happy to get full depth without any assistance even with a few no reps in there (lifting shoes definitely helped).
OHS were solid, have been getting lots of practice with the lifting specific sessions. I went light more because of my shoulders than anything - felt okay.
AfterWOD
Core work – hollow body and ab mat sit-ups
This was some solid core work. We did hollow body flutters - hollow body hold while pumping your arms by your sides - we did sets of 10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10 (all had to be unbroken). It took me 2:12 - I didn't have much rest until I got into the higher numbers. The fact that Coach Pete has been having us do so many hollow body holds has definitely helped.
We all thought this was the end of our day but we were otherwise surprised. Yes, it is indeed ab mat sit-ups week so of course there'd be some today. It was max attempt at ab mat sit-ups, no stopping but you could go as fast or as slow as you wanted to. The record before us was 136 reps. I had planned to stop at about 100 but Kayla (on my team for Saturday) kept going and I realized beating the previous wasn't far off... once at 136, 150 seemed close enough but again, others were still going. To be honest I could have done these for a really long time - you get to a point where you just accept the ache and keep moving - Kayla stopped at 225 and I did the same. It was a draw - though we both could possibly still be there if we didn't decide to stop. It's not good however that I've already sneezed twice today - the general hurt isn't there but the sneezing, that does hurt.
Team WODs were posted this morning for the comp this weekend, they look fun...
WOD 1 - Get over it
6 mins of hanging squat clean and jerk and partner over-unders
Score = total over-unders x total (male + female) HSCJ
WOD 2 - Max Tonnage
24 minutes for max tonnage of:
10 chest to bar pull-ups (M) / pull-ups (F)
20 jump lunges
5 HSPU
1 deadlift
Score = total kg of deadlifts lifted (total tonnes by all team members)
WOD 3 - Wall Ball KB Swing
Progress as far through the ladder as possible in 12 minutes:
1 wall ball/ 1 KB swing (32/24kg)
2 wall ball/ 2 KB swing...
Only one team member doing wall balls at a time - each person goes through one before moving on...
Score = total number of kettlebell swings completed for your team
Should be a fun day, we have a wicked team (Pete, Tim, Kayla, myself)... looking forward to it!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
5/1 - "Snatch"
Week three of our Olympic Lifting Sessions with Luke. I felt okay going into this though a little tired from the WOD and shoulders were still unhappy - hoping to get that fixed up tonight.
Warmup
3 minutes skipping
then:
barbell snatch complex (3 rounds of 3 reps):
5x hang snatch (20/20/23/23kg)
1x snatch/ 5x OHS (23/25.5/28kg)
2 reps of 1x power snatch/ 1x hang snatch/ 1x OHS (23/23/25.5kg)
2x snatch grip deadlift (40/50/60/70kg)
2x snatch (28/28/33/33/35.5/28/28kg)
Not much to comment on here, just some highlights (progress/ practice):
-I have stopped jumping backwards and now jump up (mostly) because I've brought my shoulders out over the bar rather than being vertical on the start (technical I know) - Progress!
-I'm not comfortable with the OHS - my shoulders feel all kinds of weird overhead though at the end Luke told me to look at my hands - they were closer than should they should be for a snatch so this should help - Practice, practice, practice!
-I threw the bar over my head on one of the snatch attempts - I couldn't catch it and bailed it behind me - was the first time I'd done this and realized it's not so bad - that being said my confidence was a little shaken on the next lift - Practice!
-I love snatch grip deadlifts as much as normal grip deadlifts - feels strong - Progress.
-I need more confidence dropping under the bar and knowing my arms will lock out - I'm jumping wider than I should be because I'm afraid and it's making me lose my balance - Practice.
Going to get some needling done on my shoulders tonight so hopefully that helps with some of my mobility issues. I notice that over the past week or so I've been compensating for shoulder pain in some very weird ways (hello bruised shoulder) so I need to get on this asap as I don't want to develop any bad habits.
Warmup
3 minutes skipping
then:
barbell snatch complex (3 rounds of 3 reps):
- Hang-shrug
- Hang-shrug high pull
- Hang muscle snatch
- Snatch press
- OHS (hold at bottom for 2-3 seconds)
5x hang snatch (20/20/23/23kg)
1x snatch/ 5x OHS (23/25.5/28kg)
2 reps of 1x power snatch/ 1x hang snatch/ 1x OHS (23/23/25.5kg)
2x snatch grip deadlift (40/50/60/70kg)
2x snatch (28/28/33/33/35.5/28/28kg)
Not much to comment on here, just some highlights (progress/ practice):
-I have stopped jumping backwards and now jump up (mostly) because I've brought my shoulders out over the bar rather than being vertical on the start (technical I know) - Progress!
-I'm not comfortable with the OHS - my shoulders feel all kinds of weird overhead though at the end Luke told me to look at my hands - they were closer than should they should be for a snatch so this should help - Practice, practice, practice!
-I threw the bar over my head on one of the snatch attempts - I couldn't catch it and bailed it behind me - was the first time I'd done this and realized it's not so bad - that being said my confidence was a little shaken on the next lift - Practice!
-I love snatch grip deadlifts as much as normal grip deadlifts - feels strong - Progress.
-I need more confidence dropping under the bar and knowing my arms will lock out - I'm jumping wider than I should be because I'm afraid and it's making me lose my balance - Practice.
Going to get some needling done on my shoulders tonight so hopefully that helps with some of my mobility issues. I notice that over the past week or so I've been compensating for shoulder pain in some very weird ways (hello bruised shoulder) so I need to get on this asap as I don't want to develop any bad habits.
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| This is the madness of my workout log |
5/1 - every minute...
Fun change up today as we did a WOD that was in the style of 'Fight Gone Bad' with different movements.
WOD
3 rounds
1 min pull-ups
1 min KB swings (20/32kg)
1 min double-unders
1 min hand release push-ups
1 min ab mat sit-ups
1 min rest
Score = total reps of all rounds
399 Rx
Pretty sad I was soclose to 400 but didn't quite make it even after I added up my rounds a dozen times. The rounds went like this:
Pull-ups 12/12/10
KB Swings 18/15/12
DU's 60/55/50
Push-ups 20/26/25
Sit-ups 25/30/29
Total 135/138/126
I was happy to beat my score in the second round but really struggled to hold on in round three. Especially with the pullups and KB swings - my forearms got really tight. The double-unders were solid until my shoulders would tire out and I'd need to rest. But tried to keep them steady and bank as many reps with them as I could. The pull-ups were evil - when I'd put the rope down I kept thinking that it was on to sit-ups but the push-ups would sneak in there and hurt (in such a good way). Then sit ups, on the ab mat. Definitely feeling those today - all of them.
Kayla gave me some great feedback on the pull-ups, I need to just grab the bar and give a big kick to get going rather than my little baby kicks which I try and find the rhythm... will have to remember that!
AfterWOD
600m for time
2:51
Managed to convince Coach Tim to run this with me (he was about to warm up for the 6:30 class). This really helped me. It pushed me harder than I probably would have gone. Was steady on the first lap, not letting Tim pull any distance on me and continued with this on the second which included picking it up a bit on the way out as he turned the corner and then keeping that up, longer strides and sprinting the last 70m into the box. I didn't love it but I can't say I hated it as much as I usually do either so that's saying something.
Tim and I have also been chatting about doing some track workouts - short interval training as this will likely come up as part of the Primal Throwdown Comp in June which we're gearing up for.
No bruises today thankfully!
WOD
3 rounds
1 min pull-ups
1 min KB swings (20/32kg)
1 min double-unders
1 min hand release push-ups
1 min ab mat sit-ups
1 min rest
Score = total reps of all rounds
399 Rx
Pretty sad I was soclose to 400 but didn't quite make it even after I added up my rounds a dozen times. The rounds went like this:
Pull-ups 12/12/10
KB Swings 18/15/12
DU's 60/55/50
Push-ups 20/26/25
Sit-ups 25/30/29
Total 135/138/126
I was happy to beat my score in the second round but really struggled to hold on in round three. Especially with the pullups and KB swings - my forearms got really tight. The double-unders were solid until my shoulders would tire out and I'd need to rest. But tried to keep them steady and bank as many reps with them as I could. The pull-ups were evil - when I'd put the rope down I kept thinking that it was on to sit-ups but the push-ups would sneak in there and hurt (in such a good way). Then sit ups, on the ab mat. Definitely feeling those today - all of them.
Kayla gave me some great feedback on the pull-ups, I need to just grab the bar and give a big kick to get going rather than my little baby kicks which I try and find the rhythm... will have to remember that!
AfterWOD
600m for time
2:51
Managed to convince Coach Tim to run this with me (he was about to warm up for the 6:30 class). This really helped me. It pushed me harder than I probably would have gone. Was steady on the first lap, not letting Tim pull any distance on me and continued with this on the second which included picking it up a bit on the way out as he turned the corner and then keeping that up, longer strides and sprinting the last 70m into the box. I didn't love it but I can't say I hated it as much as I usually do either so that's saying something.
Tim and I have also been chatting about doing some track workouts - short interval training as this will likely come up as part of the Primal Throwdown Comp in June which we're gearing up for.
No bruises today thankfully!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
4/30 - heavy...
Today was a heavy day and I LOVED it! That being said, I also feel like I've been beat up by a barbell but I'll get to that.
Strength:
5-5-5 back squat
40-50-60kg
Matched my PR on this one though I didn't know it at the time. This time however it was a 5RM instead of a 3RM. It was definitely hard but I think I might have been able to go higher if I was feeling it (I wasn't). Getting stronger though - I really do love seeing the improvement.
Note - I have to hold the bar lower on my back rather than up near my neck - I'm feeling sore/bruised today from having the bar too high. Ouch!
WOD:
9-7-5
HSPU
Power cleans (50/75kg)
8:36 (Rx, 45kg)
We have a team doing the WOD Team Championships this weekend and their Rx criteria for women on hspu's is 60cm so I had my hands on 10kg plates and my head down to an ab mat. I managed the first set in 5-4 reps with kipping and surprisingly didn't fall off the wall as I did (usually I do). The second set of 7 was broken down as 2-3-1-1. The last two were hard. I really had to set myself up for a solid kip and give it everything I had on the push. The last 5 were ugly, all singles and I did no-rep myself on one of them because I fell off the wall before being fully locked out at the top with my feet on the wall - by this point everyone else was finished but I didn't care. I didn't see a reason to cheat myself by counting the rep just to save a few seconds - I got stronger because of that one full rep.
The cleans were HEAVY. To put it into context - I'd only ever squat cleaned 45kg twice and that was last Friday during our clean and jerk session, not during a WOD. It was hard - but that's the point isn't it? I actually didn't squat clean these as I'm still learning to be comfortable in that movement. I power cleaned them all though by the end they were anything but pretty - I have the bruises to prove it too! The one thing I was aware of was to feel the tension on the bar and pull my shoulders back before starting the lift and to be smooth from the ground until exploding in the hang position. Coach Luke was definitely in my head on these - I'm learning.
I was the last person finished by a minute and a half - most people were done by 4 minutes. I realized on my last set of hspu's that it was only Oli and I and then only me on the cleans and the entire class was watching. Coach Match was cheering me on through which helped, I pushed as hard as I could to the finish but it was not fast at all. Just steady. I loved it though - the heavy cleans made me feel like a beast if only for the moment.
Strength:
5-5-5 back squat
40-50-60kg
Matched my PR on this one though I didn't know it at the time. This time however it was a 5RM instead of a 3RM. It was definitely hard but I think I might have been able to go higher if I was feeling it (I wasn't). Getting stronger though - I really do love seeing the improvement.
Note - I have to hold the bar lower on my back rather than up near my neck - I'm feeling sore/bruised today from having the bar too high. Ouch!
WOD:
9-7-5
HSPU
Power cleans (50/75kg)
8:36 (Rx, 45kg)
We have a team doing the WOD Team Championships this weekend and their Rx criteria for women on hspu's is 60cm so I had my hands on 10kg plates and my head down to an ab mat. I managed the first set in 5-4 reps with kipping and surprisingly didn't fall off the wall as I did (usually I do). The second set of 7 was broken down as 2-3-1-1. The last two were hard. I really had to set myself up for a solid kip and give it everything I had on the push. The last 5 were ugly, all singles and I did no-rep myself on one of them because I fell off the wall before being fully locked out at the top with my feet on the wall - by this point everyone else was finished but I didn't care. I didn't see a reason to cheat myself by counting the rep just to save a few seconds - I got stronger because of that one full rep.
The cleans were HEAVY. To put it into context - I'd only ever squat cleaned 45kg twice and that was last Friday during our clean and jerk session, not during a WOD. It was hard - but that's the point isn't it? I actually didn't squat clean these as I'm still learning to be comfortable in that movement. I power cleaned them all though by the end they were anything but pretty - I have the bruises to prove it too! The one thing I was aware of was to feel the tension on the bar and pull my shoulders back before starting the lift and to be smooth from the ground until exploding in the hang position. Coach Luke was definitely in my head on these - I'm learning.
I was the last person finished by a minute and a half - most people were done by 4 minutes. I realized on my last set of hspu's that it was only Oli and I and then only me on the cleans and the entire class was watching. Coach Match was cheering me on through which helped, I pushed as hard as I could to the finish but it was not fast at all. Just steady. I loved it though - the heavy cleans made me feel like a beast if only for the moment.
 |
| Barbell won this one! |
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