Here is today's WOD
Three rounds for time of:
21 Knees to elbows
21 Kettlebell swing
21 Push-ups
21 Rope Pullups
21 Box jump
21 Good Mornings
150 ft Walking Lunge
I saw the 5:30 class finish this workout and it was taking awhile. I wanted to go really hard on this because I didn't feel like there was anything that would slow me down.
My time was 28:29 and I completed the WOD as Rx'd.
As usually the swings sucked. The rope pullups were really hard I was able to get 5-6 in a row to start than was breaking the remainder down into sets of 2-3.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday - November 23, 2008
I ended up taking both Friday and Saturday as rest days so was ready to get in a good workout. Today we did Max attempts of Clean & Jerk. Seven attempts.
I had set my push jerk PR last week at 215 and I knew the last time we did max attempts for clean & jerks I got up 195 and had a hard time cleaning 200. I really wanted to get 200.
Here are my attempts:
165-175-185-195-200-200-200
I really tried to focus on my form and felt good with my cleans until I went for 200 and ended up muscling it up. That is why I stayed with it and tried to clean up my attempts. I feel my cleans are getting better but I still have a lot to work on, especially getting under the bar faster = faster elbows.
I had set my push jerk PR last week at 215 and I knew the last time we did max attempts for clean & jerks I got up 195 and had a hard time cleaning 200. I really wanted to get 200.
Here are my attempts:
165-175-185-195-200-200-200
I really tried to focus on my form and felt good with my cleans until I went for 200 and ended up muscling it up. That is why I stayed with it and tried to clean up my attempts. I feel my cleans are getting better but I still have a lot to work on, especially getting under the bar faster = faster elbows.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday November 20, 2008 - NICOLE
Today was Nicole, which was the first time I had tried this WOD.
AMRAP in 25 min
400m run
Max Pull-ups
It was around 30 degrees this morning for our run. I wanted to go for a new pullup PR in the first round so I had to get 30 pullups (Current PR 29). I felt good after the first 20 and then started to feel it in the forearms and had a hard time maintaining my grip. I fell off the bar at 28. I was still happy but a little disappointed and I have to admit I carried that attitude into the next round. I felt like I ran hard on all my 400m runs but never went all out, so I am mad I held back a little bit. Here are all my pullups for each round:
28-15-18-18-18 Total 97 pullups
I finished the run of round 6 when time expired so didn't get a chance to jump up on the bar and knock out another consecutive round of 18. I finished with towards the top of the class in total pullups but wish I would have gotten that new PR. Well at least I did not tear my calluses.
AMRAP in 25 min
400m run
Max Pull-ups
It was around 30 degrees this morning for our run. I wanted to go for a new pullup PR in the first round so I had to get 30 pullups (Current PR 29). I felt good after the first 20 and then started to feel it in the forearms and had a hard time maintaining my grip. I fell off the bar at 28. I was still happy but a little disappointed and I have to admit I carried that attitude into the next round. I felt like I ran hard on all my 400m runs but never went all out, so I am mad I held back a little bit. Here are all my pullups for each round:
28-15-18-18-18 Total 97 pullups
I finished the run of round 6 when time expired so didn't get a chance to jump up on the bar and knock out another consecutive round of 18. I finished with towards the top of the class in total pullups but wish I would have gotten that new PR. Well at least I did not tear my calluses.
Wednesday November 19, 2008 - Push Jerks
Some days you are just dialed in and have a great workout and leave with a big smile on your face. That was today.
Push Jerks
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
I didn't really have any goals but just wanted to be careful with my back since it bothered me yesterday. Here are the weights I got:
135-155-165-175-185-195-205
I felt really strong so kept going. I put up a very solid 215 that felt great. I thew the weight down and gave Jerry the thumbs up that I wanted to try 225. I tried 225 twice and was not quick enough to get under the bar. After my last attempt I knew I was done. Something to shoot for next time, in the mean time a PR @ 215!
Push Jerks
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
I didn't really have any goals but just wanted to be careful with my back since it bothered me yesterday. Here are the weights I got:
135-155-165-175-185-195-205
I felt really strong so kept going. I put up a very solid 215 that felt great. I thew the weight down and gave Jerry the thumbs up that I wanted to try 225. I tried 225 twice and was not quick enough to get under the bar. After my last attempt I knew I was done. Something to shoot for next time, in the mean time a PR @ 215!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Helen
Today was my first attempt at "Helen"
3 Rounds for Time
Run 400m
21 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 Pood or 52#
12 Pullups
Like I said it was my first time on this one and I was not too happy with my performance. I was shooting for sub 10 minutes but ended up with 12:19. My lower back is really weak/sore from yesterdays front squats and a 5 mile run last night. My back was the first thing I felt and thought about when I started the WOD. I think that thought got in my head a little bit.
Some things I need to work on: SWINGS! I feel like I have ok form but I have no speed. Jerry said I need to pull the weight down from the top position to create some momentum. There were a few people who started swings after me and finished before me. I was also mad at myself for not staying on the bar for my pullups. I know my forearms were sore from the swings but if I want to get a good time I need to stay on the bar. Next Time Helen!
3 Rounds for Time
Run 400m
21 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 Pood or 52#
12 Pullups
Like I said it was my first time on this one and I was not too happy with my performance. I was shooting for sub 10 minutes but ended up with 12:19. My lower back is really weak/sore from yesterdays front squats and a 5 mile run last night. My back was the first thing I felt and thought about when I started the WOD. I think that thought got in my head a little bit.
Some things I need to work on: SWINGS! I feel like I have ok form but I have no speed. Jerry said I need to pull the weight down from the top position to create some momentum. There were a few people who started swings after me and finished before me. I was also mad at myself for not staying on the bar for my pullups. I know my forearms were sore from the swings but if I want to get a good time I need to stay on the bar. Next Time Helen!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Its been awhile.....
Every week I start by telling myself that I need to sit down and update my blog. I have neglected it and was trying to figure out how to fill in the gap since my last post on October 14! I thought about going through Jerry's posts on the CFOT site but I know there is a record of those so I am not going to waste my time going back and thought I would summarize the last month in a few lines.
I feel progession in my olympic lifts and have been spending a good amount of time reading "Starting Strength" 2nd Edition by Coach Mark Rippetoe. I spent a few days in the Caymans for some R&R and squeezed in a few workouts where my girlfriend beat me both times, for the record I let her pick the workouts. I have been consistently going to CFOT 5-6 times a week but have not been running as much as I used to and have neglected my jiu jitsu training. These are two things I need to spend more time on without sacrificing studying and training crossfit. Ok, here goes back at it...
Monday November 17, 2008
Jerry has been using the mainsite WODs because he has been busy and strategizing rest days and inserting a CFOT original every now and again on those rest days if needed. I have never strictly followed the mainsite WODs before. I have to admit I like it. There are those people who are mainsite groupies like Elise and I have to admit I may be following her lead. A few bonuses are (1) pre-emptive knowledge - checking out the mainsite and strategizing for the WOD (2) other benchmarks (3) finally catching up on some Girl and Hero WODs.
Now the pre-emptive knowledge is available to everyone and I have to admit puts me at ease, versus walking into the Blue Room to see what is in store. Second, I find myself looking through the comments and other sites to see where other crossfitters outside the CFOT family are peforming. It is kind of a new challenge.
Ok, today we did 3 sets of 5 max front squats. The mainsite called for back squats on Saturday but we don't have that liberty so got a chance to work on some heavy front squats. For the record I think it has been 6 months since I did a back squat.
Warm-up
Bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 5
Here are my sets
1) 165 x 5
2) 175 x 5
3) 195 - failed*
4) 185 - extra set because I failed at 195 - felt good and strong.
I bailed on the first rep of 195 because I felt my lower back get weak and don't want to risk a re-injury of my chronic back problems.
I feel progession in my olympic lifts and have been spending a good amount of time reading "Starting Strength" 2nd Edition by Coach Mark Rippetoe. I spent a few days in the Caymans for some R&R and squeezed in a few workouts where my girlfriend beat me both times, for the record I let her pick the workouts. I have been consistently going to CFOT 5-6 times a week but have not been running as much as I used to and have neglected my jiu jitsu training. These are two things I need to spend more time on without sacrificing studying and training crossfit. Ok, here goes back at it...
Monday November 17, 2008
Jerry has been using the mainsite WODs because he has been busy and strategizing rest days and inserting a CFOT original every now and again on those rest days if needed. I have never strictly followed the mainsite WODs before. I have to admit I like it. There are those people who are mainsite groupies like Elise and I have to admit I may be following her lead. A few bonuses are (1) pre-emptive knowledge - checking out the mainsite and strategizing for the WOD (2) other benchmarks (3) finally catching up on some Girl and Hero WODs.
Now the pre-emptive knowledge is available to everyone and I have to admit puts me at ease, versus walking into the Blue Room to see what is in store. Second, I find myself looking through the comments and other sites to see where other crossfitters outside the CFOT family are peforming. It is kind of a new challenge.
Ok, today we did 3 sets of 5 max front squats. The mainsite called for back squats on Saturday but we don't have that liberty so got a chance to work on some heavy front squats. For the record I think it has been 6 months since I did a back squat.
Warm-up
Bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 5
Here are my sets
1) 165 x 5
2) 175 x 5
3) 195 - failed*
4) 185 - extra set because I failed at 195 - felt good and strong.
I bailed on the first rep of 195 because I felt my lower back get weak and don't want to risk a re-injury of my chronic back problems.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday - Front Squats! October 14, 2008
Today is Adrienne's Birthday so Jerry put this WOD together for her.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Front Squat Rx'd 115#
2 pushup burpee
So 10 Front squats then 10 burpees then 9 front squats....all the way down to 1.
2 pushup burpees just add another or a full pushup after the first one before you jump into a squat position. Jerry was focusing on the arm extension at the top and chest to the deck.
I was tentative because I am still not fully recovered and decided to stick with 115# even though Gar and Dan did 135#. 115# was a good weight for me. I was dialed in and could really focus on maintaining my spine and keeping more core tight throught the front squats. The extra push up really slowed my burpees down. I felt like I couldn't fly through them. I was happy that I did all my front squat sets unbroken and never set the bar down. Once I got through the sets of 5 I knew I was almost there and picked up the pace a little. To my surprise I finished first and in 11:51 the best time of the day so far. I am not completely recovered from the Half Marathon but this workout shows me I am just about there.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Front Squat Rx'd 115#
2 pushup burpee
So 10 Front squats then 10 burpees then 9 front squats....all the way down to 1.
2 pushup burpees just add another or a full pushup after the first one before you jump into a squat position. Jerry was focusing on the arm extension at the top and chest to the deck.
I was tentative because I am still not fully recovered and decided to stick with 115# even though Gar and Dan did 135#. 115# was a good weight for me. I was dialed in and could really focus on maintaining my spine and keeping more core tight throught the front squats. The extra push up really slowed my burpees down. I felt like I couldn't fly through them. I was happy that I did all my front squat sets unbroken and never set the bar down. Once I got through the sets of 5 I knew I was almost there and picked up the pace a little. To my surprise I finished first and in 11:51 the best time of the day so far. I am not completely recovered from the Half Marathon but this workout shows me I am just about there.
Columbus Day - Monday October 13, 2008 - Still sore
Slept in a little bit and went to the 9am. I am still pretty sore, especially my calf muscles and my right knee. I was planning on scaling the WOD so I didn't do too much.
Here is the WOD:
"Breaking Ground" In celebration of construction beginning on the new facility.
For Time:
20 Pullups
30 BoxJumps
40 KB High Pulls
1000 m run
50 Jumping Slam Balls on the Sidewalk
1000 m run
40 KB High Pulls
30 Box Jumps
20 Pullups
Jerry recommended that I row instead of run and I am really glad I did. I substituted a 1200 m row and then headed outside for the slam balls. Also I used the 88lb Kettlebell. First time doing High Pulls that heavy.
The row was tough but the Box Jumps sucked! I knew they were going to hurt as soon as I jumped up there the first time and yelled "this Sucks!"
A great WOD, finished in a respectable 29:07.
Here is the WOD:
"Breaking Ground" In celebration of construction beginning on the new facility.
For Time:
20 Pullups
30 BoxJumps
40 KB High Pulls
1000 m run
50 Jumping Slam Balls on the Sidewalk
1000 m run
40 KB High Pulls
30 Box Jumps
20 Pullups
Jerry recommended that I row instead of run and I am really glad I did. I substituted a 1200 m row and then headed outside for the slam balls. Also I used the 88lb Kettlebell. First time doing High Pulls that heavy.
The row was tough but the Box Jumps sucked! I knew they were going to hurt as soon as I jumped up there the first time and yelled "this Sucks!"
A great WOD, finished in a respectable 29:07.
Sunday October 12, 2008 - The Day After
I was having withdrawal of the Blue Room and had to go in. I know I am crazy but I was going to take it easy and was hoping that moving around a little bit would help me losen up a bit and feel better.
The first 30 minutes after a little warm up (a little pullup burpee ladder from 1-5)was skill work on our cleans, which I am glad I did not miss. Jerry broke it down into a few basic steps and exercises to work on these steps.
1) Wider Grip - sometimes I think I may have a narrow grip, which kind of prohibits or makes the rack delivery of opening my hands difficult.
2) Rack Delivery - Something I need to work on because of my flexibility in my wrists as well as finding that good rack position. My deltoids/shoulders tend to get in the way.
A- Frankenstein Squat - Stand upright with arms extended straight out like Frankenstein. Place the bar or PVC pipe in the Rack Position on top of your arms. Squat down and keep the bar in that rack position. This will get you used to keeping upright with a tight core as well as finding the right rack position.
B - Scarecrow - Simply start (while holding a bar or PVC) with arms bend at 90 degrees at the elbows so hands face the ground. This is the position where you need to get the bar or where the shrug will get the bar, some people say the bar is weightless here. The bar sits right below your chest. Quickly swing elbows under and open hands while keeping the bar close and ending in that rack position. The key is to keep the bar close so you don't end up reverse curling the bar up into the racked position.
C - Tall Muscle Clean - While standing straight with the bar or pvc pipe slowly complete the full motion without using your hips or legs. Focus on the violent shrug to start the motion but still go slow motion through the movement.
3) Get Under the Bar - Simple right?
A - Scarecrow Clean- from the scarecrow position dive under the bar or pull yourself under the bar. This pull is referred to as the third pull of the movement.
B- Tall Clean - Faster than the muscle clean but still not using the hips or legs, emphasizing the violent shrug to initiate the movement.
C- Hang Cleans - From a Hang position: knees slightly bent with bar right above knees. Basically where the bar would be if you had just deadlifted it from the ground in a full squat clean.
I really liked class and how this was broken down. I am planning on doing this sequence a little bit on my own to work on my squat cleans. Areas I know are my problem areas are: (1) Keeping the bar close - avoid reverse curling the bar (2) Shrugging the weight up and using my hips to create momentum (3) pulling myself under the bar.
I did not do the WOD which was 75 Hang Squat Clean Thrusters, I watched and coached others.
The first 30 minutes after a little warm up (a little pullup burpee ladder from 1-5)was skill work on our cleans, which I am glad I did not miss. Jerry broke it down into a few basic steps and exercises to work on these steps.
1) Wider Grip - sometimes I think I may have a narrow grip, which kind of prohibits or makes the rack delivery of opening my hands difficult.
2) Rack Delivery - Something I need to work on because of my flexibility in my wrists as well as finding that good rack position. My deltoids/shoulders tend to get in the way.
A- Frankenstein Squat - Stand upright with arms extended straight out like Frankenstein. Place the bar or PVC pipe in the Rack Position on top of your arms. Squat down and keep the bar in that rack position. This will get you used to keeping upright with a tight core as well as finding the right rack position.
B - Scarecrow - Simply start (while holding a bar or PVC) with arms bend at 90 degrees at the elbows so hands face the ground. This is the position where you need to get the bar or where the shrug will get the bar, some people say the bar is weightless here. The bar sits right below your chest. Quickly swing elbows under and open hands while keeping the bar close and ending in that rack position. The key is to keep the bar close so you don't end up reverse curling the bar up into the racked position.
C - Tall Muscle Clean - While standing straight with the bar or pvc pipe slowly complete the full motion without using your hips or legs. Focus on the violent shrug to start the motion but still go slow motion through the movement.
3) Get Under the Bar - Simple right?
A - Scarecrow Clean- from the scarecrow position dive under the bar or pull yourself under the bar. This pull is referred to as the third pull of the movement.
B- Tall Clean - Faster than the muscle clean but still not using the hips or legs, emphasizing the violent shrug to initiate the movement.
C- Hang Cleans - From a Hang position: knees slightly bent with bar right above knees. Basically where the bar would be if you had just deadlifted it from the ground in a full squat clean.
I really liked class and how this was broken down. I am planning on doing this sequence a little bit on my own to work on my squat cleans. Areas I know are my problem areas are: (1) Keeping the bar close - avoid reverse curling the bar (2) Shrugging the weight up and using my hips to create momentum (3) pulling myself under the bar.
I did not do the WOD which was 75 Hang Squat Clean Thrusters, I watched and coached others.
Baltimore Half Marathon Saturday October 11, 2008
I am not sure what was harder, taking two rest days (Thursday and Friday) or the Half Marathon on Saturday. Let me think about that......definitely the half.
I carbed up on Friday and got a good night sleep. It was great to eat carbs and use the race as an excuse (that trend continued throughout the weekend). Elise and I drove up and got there with plenty of prep time. I didn't really do any warm up running and barely even stretched. I was nervous and just wanted to get going.
I am usually one for details but I am not going to write every detail of the race because that would be as boring as running it. So I am going to do a lessons learned.
1) Run with someone next time. The ipod was going but I think the race would have been more enjoyable with someone to push me and for me to push too.
2) Strategize a race before running it. Whether it be talking to someone who has run that race or looking at the elevation chart or map. I never knew Baltimore had so many hills and I started out way to fast. I ended up running 4 miles in 31 minutes which may not have been the best idea. On top of that I never knew where the finish line was at and thought it was at Camden Yard with all the people to only find out it was about 500m on the other side.
3) Maybe run to train or prepare for a half marathon. I had never run over 7-8 miles before and sure enough my legs started bothering me around mile 8-9. The last time I ran was probably 4 weeks before the race. I have being doing Crossfit religiously and had no problem with my conditioning it was my legs that got tight, tired and heavy.
4) There is no "high" for finishing a race that long, there is only pain. If someone was to ask me if I would run another half or full marathon on Saturday I would have said HELL NO! Now after I have started my recovery I would be up for another race but will take these lessons to heart.
I set out with two goals 1) Not to stop running and 2) Run in 104 minutes or 1:44 minutes which is a 8 minute pace.
1) I did not stop running even to drink water and usually spilt more than I drank, which I think helped me not cramp up. That I am extremely proud of this considering I saw a lot of people walking the hills and stopping along the way.
2) I did not make my goal of 104 minutes but finished eight minutes behind that in 1:52.06 or at a 8:34 minute pace. I kept my splits and like I said before I started really well and maybe even too fast, I will leave that to inexperience and racing strategy. Needless to say I finished in under 2 hours which I am very happy with.
Not sure when the next race will be I am more focused on the short term of being able to walk right now.
I carbed up on Friday and got a good night sleep. It was great to eat carbs and use the race as an excuse (that trend continued throughout the weekend). Elise and I drove up and got there with plenty of prep time. I didn't really do any warm up running and barely even stretched. I was nervous and just wanted to get going.
I am usually one for details but I am not going to write every detail of the race because that would be as boring as running it. So I am going to do a lessons learned.
1) Run with someone next time. The ipod was going but I think the race would have been more enjoyable with someone to push me and for me to push too.
2) Strategize a race before running it. Whether it be talking to someone who has run that race or looking at the elevation chart or map. I never knew Baltimore had so many hills and I started out way to fast. I ended up running 4 miles in 31 minutes which may not have been the best idea. On top of that I never knew where the finish line was at and thought it was at Camden Yard with all the people to only find out it was about 500m on the other side.
3) Maybe run to train or prepare for a half marathon. I had never run over 7-8 miles before and sure enough my legs started bothering me around mile 8-9. The last time I ran was probably 4 weeks before the race. I have being doing Crossfit religiously and had no problem with my conditioning it was my legs that got tight, tired and heavy.
4) There is no "high" for finishing a race that long, there is only pain. If someone was to ask me if I would run another half or full marathon on Saturday I would have said HELL NO! Now after I have started my recovery I would be up for another race but will take these lessons to heart.
I set out with two goals 1) Not to stop running and 2) Run in 104 minutes or 1:44 minutes which is a 8 minute pace.
1) I did not stop running even to drink water and usually spilt more than I drank, which I think helped me not cramp up. That I am extremely proud of this considering I saw a lot of people walking the hills and stopping along the way.
2) I did not make my goal of 104 minutes but finished eight minutes behind that in 1:52.06 or at a 8:34 minute pace. I kept my splits and like I said before I started really well and maybe even too fast, I will leave that to inexperience and racing strategy. Needless to say I finished in under 2 hours which I am very happy with.
Not sure when the next race will be I am more focused on the short term of being able to walk right now.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Wednesday October 8, 2008
Today was a good WOD. Jerry designed it to be a intense interval, only one round. I walked in and saw it on the board and immediately thought of doing it twice with no rest. Jerry then challenged us to go as hard as possible for one round. Here is the WOD:
1,000 m run
40 AbMat Situps
30 Med Ball Squat Cleans
20 Pushups
10 Pullups
I really ran the 1,000m hard and led the 9:00am pack. The run felt really good, I felt I maintained a very hard running pace the entire time. The Med Ball Squat Cleans were tough even though it was only a 20# Dynamex Med Ball. I finished in a time of 8:07, at the time the best male score. Chriss later got a 7:41. I was spent but really wanted to see how I would peform a second time after a decent amount of rest. Would I be consistent and have enought recovery time or if I wasn't tired did I really push myself hard enough? I had a chance to time my run from the time I left the front door til I got back, 3:52 (approx a 6:12 pace!). The run did not feel as strong as the first time but I was pretty happy with my ability to maintain such a hard pace.
I am running the Baltimore Half Marathon on Saturday morning and was going to run today but feel that my 2-1,000 m runs were about all I should do. I was not going to do the Makimba WOD which is the WOD a man in Manassas VA is suing over. This is Makimba:
15-10-5
20# DB Thrusters
Air Squats
Burpees
Like I said I wasn't going to do it and then Iman challenged me. She had done it earlier in 2:59. As soon as I started to do those thrusters (I used a 25#) my legs felt it. Oh well, I started the WOD and had to keep pace with Iman. I got through the WOD in 3:06, about 10 seconds behind Iman. Maybe not the smartest idea because my legs were spent!
So taking a few days off from Crossfit to prepare myself for my race. It should be interesting since the extent of my running that last few weeks has been 800m & 1000m runs during Crossfit WODs. I would like to maintain a 8:30 pace, here goes!
1,000 m run
40 AbMat Situps
30 Med Ball Squat Cleans
20 Pushups
10 Pullups
I really ran the 1,000m hard and led the 9:00am pack. The run felt really good, I felt I maintained a very hard running pace the entire time. The Med Ball Squat Cleans were tough even though it was only a 20# Dynamex Med Ball. I finished in a time of 8:07, at the time the best male score. Chriss later got a 7:41. I was spent but really wanted to see how I would peform a second time after a decent amount of rest. Would I be consistent and have enought recovery time or if I wasn't tired did I really push myself hard enough? I had a chance to time my run from the time I left the front door til I got back, 3:52 (approx a 6:12 pace!). The run did not feel as strong as the first time but I was pretty happy with my ability to maintain such a hard pace.
I am running the Baltimore Half Marathon on Saturday morning and was going to run today but feel that my 2-1,000 m runs were about all I should do. I was not going to do the Makimba WOD which is the WOD a man in Manassas VA is suing over. This is Makimba:
15-10-5
20# DB Thrusters
Air Squats
Burpees
Like I said I wasn't going to do it and then Iman challenged me. She had done it earlier in 2:59. As soon as I started to do those thrusters (I used a 25#) my legs felt it. Oh well, I started the WOD and had to keep pace with Iman. I got through the WOD in 3:06, about 10 seconds behind Iman. Maybe not the smartest idea because my legs were spent!
So taking a few days off from Crossfit to prepare myself for my race. It should be interesting since the extent of my running that last few weeks has been 800m & 1000m runs during Crossfit WODs. I would like to maintain a 8:30 pace, here goes!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday October 7, 2008 - Max Day
Today was Max day on Strict Press and Deadlift. It reminded me of my powerlifting days because we only got 3 attempts. My deadlift is not ready for a max effort and I want to rest my legs for my race Saturday so I just did shoulder press.
I set my PR back on September 9, 2008 by pressing 175#. My goal today was 190#. I was working with Chriss and Harold and warmed up with five reps of 95# and 3-4 reps of 135#. I wasn't sure where to start my first attempt at so I talked with Jerry. Strategy is you want to go for a PR but you want to get a good attempt and usually you are not able to go down once you attempt a weight. Jerry didn't care but I did not want to drop weight anyway. I thought about doing 170 -180 and then 190 but Jerry said that was a big jump and you really only have one good rep. I decided to start with 170 and then go for 180 a new PR and then 185 if I got 180. I got 170 very smoothly. I put 180 on the bar and Jerry told us we could have our partners rack the weight up rather than cleaning it from the ground. I said sure why waste the effort and had Harold and Chriss rack it. I took the weight and could not get it past that point where I could use the momentum to lock it out. I thought maybe it was because I didn't clean it from the ground and the confidence I have from cleaning that weight. So for my third and final attempt stuck with 180 and attempted it from the ground. I sort of struggled for a second on the clean and caught it and then regained my focus and went for the final attempt. I failed. Chriss said I was so close. I was happy that I did not compromise my form and kept my feet anchored and my core tight. I am a little bit bummed but know I can get it next time. Just one of those days.
I set my PR back on September 9, 2008 by pressing 175#. My goal today was 190#. I was working with Chriss and Harold and warmed up with five reps of 95# and 3-4 reps of 135#. I wasn't sure where to start my first attempt at so I talked with Jerry. Strategy is you want to go for a PR but you want to get a good attempt and usually you are not able to go down once you attempt a weight. Jerry didn't care but I did not want to drop weight anyway. I thought about doing 170 -180 and then 190 but Jerry said that was a big jump and you really only have one good rep. I decided to start with 170 and then go for 180 a new PR and then 185 if I got 180. I got 170 very smoothly. I put 180 on the bar and Jerry told us we could have our partners rack the weight up rather than cleaning it from the ground. I said sure why waste the effort and had Harold and Chriss rack it. I took the weight and could not get it past that point where I could use the momentum to lock it out. I thought maybe it was because I didn't clean it from the ground and the confidence I have from cleaning that weight. So for my third and final attempt stuck with 180 and attempted it from the ground. I sort of struggled for a second on the clean and caught it and then regained my focus and went for the final attempt. I failed. Chriss said I was so close. I was happy that I did not compromise my form and kept my feet anchored and my core tight. I am a little bit bummed but know I can get it next time. Just one of those days.
Monday October 6, 2008 - A Little Blood on the Bar
Ladder workouts:
With a continuously running clock, do 1 XXX the first minute, two the next until you can no longer keep up with the clock.
We did (1) Pullups then (2) Jumping Squats** with 35# Dumbbell and finally I chose to do (3) a Burpee ladder.
**Started with 5 the first minute and progressed from there for the sake of time**
Pullups seemed really tough today. The rule is you have a minute to get your reps and can get off the bar if needed as long as you get the reps in the minute you are still in. I remembered this from last time and used it to my advantage and tried not to do all of them consecutively when I got up to 10 and higher. I finished 13 in a minute and just fell short by one pullup in the round of 14. I tore my hand during the round of 14 really bad. There was a lot of blood. It frustrated me because I have not torn in awhile and I knew I could have at least gotten through the round had I not torn. I went to the rest room and rinsed off and came back and cleaned up the bar. I was really frustrated and had a lot of negative energy built up for some reason. Everyone had started the jumping squats while I was cleaning the bar.
I remembered this Ladder WOD, we did back on July 7 and I remember because I tore my hand up pretty good and could barely walk after doing the jumping squats. Jerry said anyone that did Elizabeth Sunday did not have to do the jumping squats but I was in one of those moods. I picked up the dumbbell put it on my chest and started. I got through 18 rounds just in time and fell to the ground in the defeat then realized I was not going to stop until that next minute expired. I got back up and ended up getting 14 of 19 jumping squats. I felt like I was barely getting up but Jerry said I definitly was getting some good ups.
I was still a little frustrated and took it upon myself to do the burpee ladder. I really wanted to beat myself up for some reason not really sure but just did. Only a few people did all 3 ladders, none had done Elizabeth the day before. I ended up getting 13 minutes completed and got 12/14 in my last minute.
I was talking with Jack and Joel afterwards about my half marathon coming up on Saturday and they both told me that I probably should not have done jumping squats and burpees and definitely stay away from doing any leg work the remainder of the week. I think I am going to take Thursday and Friday off to rest up.
With a continuously running clock, do 1 XXX the first minute, two the next until you can no longer keep up with the clock.
We did (1) Pullups then (2) Jumping Squats** with 35# Dumbbell and finally I chose to do (3) a Burpee ladder.
**Started with 5 the first minute and progressed from there for the sake of time**
Pullups seemed really tough today. The rule is you have a minute to get your reps and can get off the bar if needed as long as you get the reps in the minute you are still in. I remembered this from last time and used it to my advantage and tried not to do all of them consecutively when I got up to 10 and higher. I finished 13 in a minute and just fell short by one pullup in the round of 14. I tore my hand during the round of 14 really bad. There was a lot of blood. It frustrated me because I have not torn in awhile and I knew I could have at least gotten through the round had I not torn. I went to the rest room and rinsed off and came back and cleaned up the bar. I was really frustrated and had a lot of negative energy built up for some reason. Everyone had started the jumping squats while I was cleaning the bar.
I remembered this Ladder WOD, we did back on July 7 and I remember because I tore my hand up pretty good and could barely walk after doing the jumping squats. Jerry said anyone that did Elizabeth Sunday did not have to do the jumping squats but I was in one of those moods. I picked up the dumbbell put it on my chest and started. I got through 18 rounds just in time and fell to the ground in the defeat then realized I was not going to stop until that next minute expired. I got back up and ended up getting 14 of 19 jumping squats. I felt like I was barely getting up but Jerry said I definitly was getting some good ups.
I was still a little frustrated and took it upon myself to do the burpee ladder. I really wanted to beat myself up for some reason not really sure but just did. Only a few people did all 3 ladders, none had done Elizabeth the day before. I ended up getting 13 minutes completed and got 12/14 in my last minute.
I was talking with Jack and Joel afterwards about my half marathon coming up on Saturday and they both told me that I probably should not have done jumping squats and burpees and definitely stay away from doing any leg work the remainder of the week. I think I am going to take Thursday and Friday off to rest up.
Sunday - October 5, 2008 - ELIZABETH
After Barbara kicked my ass yesterday I woke up to Elizabeth!
Here it the WOD:
21-15-9
Squat Clean - Rx'd 135#
Ring Dips
I have never done Elizabeth before and Jerry wanted us to do Squat Cleans from the floor. I guess they had done Power Cleans or Hang Squat Cleans and previous times. Full squat cleans from the ground are definitely the hardest. I remembered watching Jason Khalipa do the 30 - Squat Clean & Jerk 155# at the Games and he dropped the weight after every rep after locking out. I thought with 135# Squat Cleans I may want to do the same because the energy to lower the bar may be too much, plus may be rough on my body.
We did a quick Med Ball progression to warmup:
Deadlift 10
Deadlift Shrug 10
Front Squat 10
Squat Clean 10
Two Rounds
I was reverse curling the Med Ball on the Squat Cleans and Elise was nice enought to let me know of my poor form. I tried to correct it but was just wanted to start the WOD. So I had my strategy about dropping the weight each time and I was not really worried about the ring dips (almost like active rest for me).
I felt good doing the squat cleans and knew when I had a good rep and knew when I had a bad rep. Only once did I not count a rep because I didn't think I went low enough. I must say I got the bar to move a bit with my Deadlift shrug and on my best rep almost knocked myself out as the bar flew up and got in me in the chin. Jerry gave me some great coaching points:
(1) Keep the bar close and ride it up your shins
(2) Explode your hips and shrug the weight once the bar is above your knees
(3) Once Bar is at your nipples then drop and swing the elbows under the bar
He also told me I round-out on every rep but I do everytime. Still working on that.
I was the first to finish in the 8:30 class and got a 11:04. I was pumped! Only Chriss and Mike M had better times on the Record Board. Jerry actually wiped the board clean and put me on top since they never went from the floor last time and this is the new standard. My stay at the top was very short lived. Chriss came in at 9:30 and blew me away by getting a 8:23. Two and a half minutes faster than me! I and I thought I was flying. Chriss did not drop the weight and actually went touch and go on the floor which was a lot faster. Stacey also did this and I think she got her first 21 reps in 1:46 versus I think I got mine done in 4 minutes. I am curious to see how much quicker I could go if I did touch and go. This is going to bug me and I may do Elizabeth sometime soon just to see what I can do if I touch and go.
Here it the WOD:
21-15-9
Squat Clean - Rx'd 135#
Ring Dips
I have never done Elizabeth before and Jerry wanted us to do Squat Cleans from the floor. I guess they had done Power Cleans or Hang Squat Cleans and previous times. Full squat cleans from the ground are definitely the hardest. I remembered watching Jason Khalipa do the 30 - Squat Clean & Jerk 155# at the Games and he dropped the weight after every rep after locking out. I thought with 135# Squat Cleans I may want to do the same because the energy to lower the bar may be too much, plus may be rough on my body.
We did a quick Med Ball progression to warmup:
Deadlift 10
Deadlift Shrug 10
Front Squat 10
Squat Clean 10
Two Rounds
I was reverse curling the Med Ball on the Squat Cleans and Elise was nice enought to let me know of my poor form. I tried to correct it but was just wanted to start the WOD. So I had my strategy about dropping the weight each time and I was not really worried about the ring dips (almost like active rest for me).
I felt good doing the squat cleans and knew when I had a good rep and knew when I had a bad rep. Only once did I not count a rep because I didn't think I went low enough. I must say I got the bar to move a bit with my Deadlift shrug and on my best rep almost knocked myself out as the bar flew up and got in me in the chin. Jerry gave me some great coaching points:
(1) Keep the bar close and ride it up your shins
(2) Explode your hips and shrug the weight once the bar is above your knees
(3) Once Bar is at your nipples then drop and swing the elbows under the bar
He also told me I round-out on every rep but I do everytime. Still working on that.
I was the first to finish in the 8:30 class and got a 11:04. I was pumped! Only Chriss and Mike M had better times on the Record Board. Jerry actually wiped the board clean and put me on top since they never went from the floor last time and this is the new standard. My stay at the top was very short lived. Chriss came in at 9:30 and blew me away by getting a 8:23. Two and a half minutes faster than me! I and I thought I was flying. Chriss did not drop the weight and actually went touch and go on the floor which was a lot faster. Stacey also did this and I think she got her first 21 reps in 1:46 versus I think I got mine done in 4 minutes. I am curious to see how much quicker I could go if I did touch and go. This is going to bug me and I may do Elizabeth sometime soon just to see what I can do if I touch and go.
Saturday 10/4/08
Yesterday was my rest day and for once I did nothing but rest. It was good, I needed it. I even decided to sleep in and not drive out to Dulles for the 8am class. That left me with figuring out a WOD to do on my own. Thank god for the mainsite. The mainsite WOD was Barbara:
5 Rounds
20 Pullups
30 Pushups
40 Situps
50 Squats
Time each round individually and take 3 minutes between rounds. I looked at this and thought it didn't sound to bad and I could do it all at the pull up bar station in Rock Creek. With the 3 minutes recovery I figured I could go running afterwards. Let me say this, Barbara snuck up on my and got me good!
Here are my rounds:
3:29 - 3:42 - 4:19 - 5:01 - 5:12
I was able to do the pullups unbroken in the first round and then did 10, 5, 5 in the second and that went down hill quickly. The bar was not ideal and I felt like my kip was off but I was able to get through them. Pushups which I like to think is own of my strengths kicked my butt. I was able to knock out the 30 push ups unbroken in the first two rounds and then after that was lucky to get sets of 3 or 5 after I rattled off the first 10. The pushups and then squats definitely slowed me down. For the squats I met my goal of doing 25 taking a quick breath and then finishing the second 25 for 4/5 rounds. The last round was more like 10, 10, 5 for the second 25.
For the record I have never met Pukie during a workout. However, I have never come this close to an introduction before. At first I thought it was the California Tortilia I had for lunch, which I am sure did not help but later found out was not the cause. I was so exhausted and sore I could barely walk and my head was killing me. I sat on the edge of the bathtub with the shower on trying to figure out if I was going to die or puke anytime soon. I have never had such a bad after effect after a WOD before. I ended up looking at comments on the mainsite and realized I was not alone, Barbara kicked everyone's ass!
I was happy with my times but was not happy with my pushup performance. Speal got between 2 and 2:15 for every round, sick! Another goal to work for.
5 Rounds
20 Pullups
30 Pushups
40 Situps
50 Squats
Time each round individually and take 3 minutes between rounds. I looked at this and thought it didn't sound to bad and I could do it all at the pull up bar station in Rock Creek. With the 3 minutes recovery I figured I could go running afterwards. Let me say this, Barbara snuck up on my and got me good!
Here are my rounds:
3:29 - 3:42 - 4:19 - 5:01 - 5:12
I was able to do the pullups unbroken in the first round and then did 10, 5, 5 in the second and that went down hill quickly. The bar was not ideal and I felt like my kip was off but I was able to get through them. Pushups which I like to think is own of my strengths kicked my butt. I was able to knock out the 30 push ups unbroken in the first two rounds and then after that was lucky to get sets of 3 or 5 after I rattled off the first 10. The pushups and then squats definitely slowed me down. For the squats I met my goal of doing 25 taking a quick breath and then finishing the second 25 for 4/5 rounds. The last round was more like 10, 10, 5 for the second 25.
For the record I have never met Pukie during a workout. However, I have never come this close to an introduction before. At first I thought it was the California Tortilia I had for lunch, which I am sure did not help but later found out was not the cause. I was so exhausted and sore I could barely walk and my head was killing me. I sat on the edge of the bathtub with the shower on trying to figure out if I was going to die or puke anytime soon. I have never had such a bad after effect after a WOD before. I ended up looking at comments on the mainsite and realized I was not alone, Barbara kicked everyone's ass!
I was happy with my times but was not happy with my pushup performance. Speal got between 2 and 2:15 for every round, sick! Another goal to work for.
Thursday - October 2, 2008
Did I mention I feel that Jerry is preparing us for Fran? Maybe a little more evident once I saw this WOD.
7 Rounds for Time:
7 Thrusters
7 Pullups
7 Box Jumps (5 Mats)
7 Burpees
Elite 115# Thruster - Chest to Bar
Pro 95# Thruster - Throat to Bar
Chriss said he is trying to work on gaining more strength so he was going to go at 120# thrusters. Of course in the spirit of competition and Crossfit I said what the hell and put 125# on the bar. I mean tomorrow is my rest day and it is only 7 at a time. Wow, 125 was tough but good! I really felt like it forced me to use my hips and explode and open up my hips to get the weight overhead instead of breaking it down into a front squat / push press. I was pretty much done after 5 rounds so rounds 6 and 7 were tough. I was slightly behind Chriss and keeping pace with Stacey so that kept me going. I finished in 20:05, Chriss was at 19:23. I wanted sub 20 minutes but I was happy with my performance especially the box jumps. Because of the height I was not doing super quick box jumps but would get up and jump off making sure I extended my hip in the top position.
7 Rounds for Time:
7 Thrusters
7 Pullups
7 Box Jumps (5 Mats)
7 Burpees
Elite 115# Thruster - Chest to Bar
Pro 95# Thruster - Throat to Bar
Chriss said he is trying to work on gaining more strength so he was going to go at 120# thrusters. Of course in the spirit of competition and Crossfit I said what the hell and put 125# on the bar. I mean tomorrow is my rest day and it is only 7 at a time. Wow, 125 was tough but good! I really felt like it forced me to use my hips and explode and open up my hips to get the weight overhead instead of breaking it down into a front squat / push press. I was pretty much done after 5 rounds so rounds 6 and 7 were tough. I was slightly behind Chriss and keeping pace with Stacey so that kept me going. I finished in 20:05, Chriss was at 19:23. I wanted sub 20 minutes but I was happy with my performance especially the box jumps. Because of the height I was not doing super quick box jumps but would get up and jump off making sure I extended my hip in the top position.
October 1, 2008 - Chest to the Bar
A new Crossfit Standard for Pullups came out right before the 2008 games specifically for the "Fran" WOD. It required the chest to touch the bar for a pullup to count. The reason why the standard was implemented was because guys were doing super efficient butterfly kipping pullups and getting high but there was no standard measurement. I like to think that I get that high when I do my pullups but after doing this WOD I know it does take a little bit more focus and a little bit more out of you.
Here is the WOD:
15 Power Cleans from the Ground
15 Pullups
Run Both Buildings
12 Power Cleans from the Ground
12 Pullups
Run Both Buildings
9 Power Cleans
9 Pullups
Elite - Chest to Bar on Pullups - 155# on Power Cleans
Pro - Throat to Bar on Pullups - 135# on Power Cleans
The run was not bad and I maintained a good pace while still getting my active rest. Jerry told us that he had to mark a few people from Elite to Pro because they were not consistently hitting their chest every time. I really focused in to get this and also maintain a good pace. I finished in 19:07 which ended up being the best male time for the day. I was really happy with my performance.
Something tells me that Jerry may be getting us ready for another run at Fran. I think I would be able to maintain a fast pace with the Chest to Bar standard and even improve on my 4:09 Fran time.
Here is the WOD:
15 Power Cleans from the Ground
15 Pullups
Run Both Buildings
12 Power Cleans from the Ground
12 Pullups
Run Both Buildings
9 Power Cleans
9 Pullups
Elite - Chest to Bar on Pullups - 155# on Power Cleans
Pro - Throat to Bar on Pullups - 135# on Power Cleans
The run was not bad and I maintained a good pace while still getting my active rest. Jerry told us that he had to mark a few people from Elite to Pro because they were not consistently hitting their chest every time. I really focused in to get this and also maintain a good pace. I finished in 19:07 which ended up being the best male time for the day. I was really happy with my performance.
Something tells me that Jerry may be getting us ready for another run at Fran. I think I would be able to maintain a fast pace with the Chest to Bar standard and even improve on my 4:09 Fran time.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - Oh my Shoulders!
Tuesday WOD
Run 800m
21 Strict Press Rx'd 95#
Run 800m
21 Push Press
Run 800m
21 Push Jerks
I got excited about this one because this is definitley one of my strength areas. The concept of the WOD is to use a weight that fatigues you by the time that push jerks come around so you have to jerk the weight in order to get it up. Jerry mentioned that I am strong enough that 95# would likely not fatigue me to force myself to work on push jerks so I decided to go up in weight. I went up to 115#.
The runs felt really good. I was able to get the 21 strict press in 2 sets. When I got to the Push Press Jerry and Danny noticed I jump or drive from my toes instead of from my heals. To properly jump or drive you should have you heels anchored and the momentum causes you to get up on your toes, but the point is to start and drive through the heels. I have sort of noticed that I do this, especially when I am going fast like in FGB with 75#. I tend to lose my balance a little bit. I tried to correct myself as I did the reps but still couldn't focus and correct it. The Push Jerks felt good, I felt like I needed to get under the bar to get it up and did.
I finished with a time of 19:52, which I was happy with because it was sub 20 minutes.
Afterwards I worked with Danny on dipping and driving through my heels. I will definitely need to work on this. Jerry said one way to work on this is by curling your toes up, which forces you to put all your weight on your heels.
Run 800m
21 Strict Press Rx'd 95#
Run 800m
21 Push Press
Run 800m
21 Push Jerks
I got excited about this one because this is definitley one of my strength areas. The concept of the WOD is to use a weight that fatigues you by the time that push jerks come around so you have to jerk the weight in order to get it up. Jerry mentioned that I am strong enough that 95# would likely not fatigue me to force myself to work on push jerks so I decided to go up in weight. I went up to 115#.
The runs felt really good. I was able to get the 21 strict press in 2 sets. When I got to the Push Press Jerry and Danny noticed I jump or drive from my toes instead of from my heals. To properly jump or drive you should have you heels anchored and the momentum causes you to get up on your toes, but the point is to start and drive through the heels. I have sort of noticed that I do this, especially when I am going fast like in FGB with 75#. I tend to lose my balance a little bit. I tried to correct myself as I did the reps but still couldn't focus and correct it. The Push Jerks felt good, I felt like I needed to get under the bar to get it up and did.
I finished with a time of 19:52, which I was happy with because it was sub 20 minutes.
Afterwards I worked with Danny on dipping and driving through my heels. I will definitely need to work on this. Jerry said one way to work on this is by curling your toes up, which forces you to put all your weight on your heels.
Monday, September 29, 2008 - TABATA SOMETHING ELSE
I can't say that I love Tabata workouts and have never Tabata'd a lot of things. I have done squats, situps and pushups before but never pullups. I think I get frustrated with the scoring, since you just keep your lowest score. I learned today that you can also do a "sellout" and that is what we did.
Tabata Something Else
Continuous clock, one round is 20 seconds work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds per exercise
I was getting ready to jump on the bar when I saw Harold grabbing a 20# vest so I did too. I am such a sucker. Tim also grabbed a vest. We are keeping track of total reps per exercise and I knew the first two exercises were my strongest. Here goes:
Pullups 57
Pushups 63
Situps 65
Squats 113
Total 298
I had the highest pullup # until Danny killed it by getting 76 and then 76 pushups. The pushups were by far the hardest because (a) I was fatigued from the pullups and (b) the weight vest made them tough. I felt pretty good about my workout. It is a benchmark WOD and I wish I would not have used a vest so I could have compared my performance to others not just CFOT. I don't know how much the 20# vest affected my numbers. Note to self for next time.
Tabata Something Else
Continuous clock, one round is 20 seconds work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds per exercise
I was getting ready to jump on the bar when I saw Harold grabbing a 20# vest so I did too. I am such a sucker. Tim also grabbed a vest. We are keeping track of total reps per exercise and I knew the first two exercises were my strongest. Here goes:
Pullups 57
Pushups 63
Situps 65
Squats 113
Total 298
I had the highest pullup # until Danny killed it by getting 76 and then 76 pushups. The pushups were by far the hardest because (a) I was fatigued from the pullups and (b) the weight vest made them tough. I felt pretty good about my workout. It is a benchmark WOD and I wish I would not have used a vest so I could have compared my performance to others not just CFOT. I don't know how much the 20# vest affected my numbers. Note to self for next time.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Big Day - FIGHT GONE BAD the Day has Arrived!
My initial goal for FGB was 350. My previous PR was 314 back on July 1. Then when we did a trial run a few Sundays ago I got a 346 and thought I needed to push myself and go for 375. Last Sunday I was not happy with myself. I stayed out late and didn't eat well the night before and I think my performance sufferred that day. My plan was to treat this like a race or event and get a good dinner and a good night sleep and wake up to kill the workout. Plans are always good but I let temptation get to me and headed out on Saturday night. I did not eat anything bad necessarily and was in before 12:30am, better than the previous Saturday night but not what I had planned. Oh well. I am not going to use this as an excuse but will stick to my plans next time, no matter what.
I paired up with Harold and decided to go first since the adrenaline was pumping. Some people asked me if I was going for 400 and I just kind of shrugged off that suggestion and remained focused on my goal of 375 and my strategy. I was talking with Mike M. beforehand and he mentioned he started on SumoDeadHighPull. I usually start on Push Press, my strongest exercise, but thought about it and I could go hard on highpulls give my upper body a break on box jumps then hit push press. Plus, I would start my last round with push press (because we rotate our start each round). Now there are people who say that Fight Gone Bad is not Rx'd unless you go in the set order every round where you start at wall ball and end at row. I am not sure about this but I do agree that it is different and hard to compare scores when I can strategize my start around my strengths. We could not stick to the same order everytime because of the numbers we had. I was used to this condition because that is the way we have been training.
My strategy was to go hard as I could and not think about reps per say but limit by breaks. Great strategy but I wish I would have done it differently, I will address this later. Here are my reps per round:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
SumoDeadHighPull 35 22 23
Box Jumps 21 27 19
Push Press 39 36 31
Row 9 9 7
Wall Ball 29 27 20
Round Total 133 121 100
Grand Total 354
Everyone is going to say nice job, you incrased your PR by 8 and achieved your initial goal of 350. That was not how I felt. I was disappointed. I was disappointed that I didn't get 375, that I felt like I lost energy and strength late and that I didn't get the reps where I know I needed them (i.e. box jumps). I watched the video Jerry posted and saw a few problems, one obvious one is that I jumped off the box but still took a step back before my next jump almost like I was stepping off and that took away valuable seconds. Second, my wall balls sucked! I usually get a good rhythm going and can easily get 25 per round. Today they felt heavy and I never got into that rhythm and routine. About the only exercise I felt good about was push press. I know 354 is a great score and it ended up being the highest male score (Stacey got a 377) but I know I could have done better and knew my goal of 375 was realistic and should have been met.
I am incredibly hard on myself and want to get this goal soon. I mean this is how I am, I am never satisfied and always analysis and criticize my performance so I can get better everytime. One think I thought may help in terms of reaching my goal is having my partner to a running or cumulative score that way I know how close I am to my goal and can push myself that extra bit if I knew how close. It is hard counting each exercise individually. It helps when training or when you need to analyze your score but I needed to go for broke and if I knew I was a few reps away, lets say 21 then I may have pushed myself a little bit harder.
Deep breath - I am still happy I scored 354. I need to but it into context: I first did FGB last October and got a 287 and have progressed to a 314 in July and then 346 and finally a 354. In time I will get 375 and then will be reaching for 400! Never satisfied!
I paired up with Harold and decided to go first since the adrenaline was pumping. Some people asked me if I was going for 400 and I just kind of shrugged off that suggestion and remained focused on my goal of 375 and my strategy. I was talking with Mike M. beforehand and he mentioned he started on SumoDeadHighPull. I usually start on Push Press, my strongest exercise, but thought about it and I could go hard on highpulls give my upper body a break on box jumps then hit push press. Plus, I would start my last round with push press (because we rotate our start each round). Now there are people who say that Fight Gone Bad is not Rx'd unless you go in the set order every round where you start at wall ball and end at row. I am not sure about this but I do agree that it is different and hard to compare scores when I can strategize my start around my strengths. We could not stick to the same order everytime because of the numbers we had. I was used to this condition because that is the way we have been training.
My strategy was to go hard as I could and not think about reps per say but limit by breaks. Great strategy but I wish I would have done it differently, I will address this later. Here are my reps per round:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
SumoDeadHighPull 35 22 23
Box Jumps 21 27 19
Push Press 39 36 31
Row 9 9 7
Wall Ball 29 27 20
Round Total 133 121 100
Grand Total 354
Everyone is going to say nice job, you incrased your PR by 8 and achieved your initial goal of 350. That was not how I felt. I was disappointed. I was disappointed that I didn't get 375, that I felt like I lost energy and strength late and that I didn't get the reps where I know I needed them (i.e. box jumps). I watched the video Jerry posted and saw a few problems, one obvious one is that I jumped off the box but still took a step back before my next jump almost like I was stepping off and that took away valuable seconds. Second, my wall balls sucked! I usually get a good rhythm going and can easily get 25 per round. Today they felt heavy and I never got into that rhythm and routine. About the only exercise I felt good about was push press. I know 354 is a great score and it ended up being the highest male score (Stacey got a 377) but I know I could have done better and knew my goal of 375 was realistic and should have been met.
I am incredibly hard on myself and want to get this goal soon. I mean this is how I am, I am never satisfied and always analysis and criticize my performance so I can get better everytime. One think I thought may help in terms of reaching my goal is having my partner to a running or cumulative score that way I know how close I am to my goal and can push myself that extra bit if I knew how close. It is hard counting each exercise individually. It helps when training or when you need to analyze your score but I needed to go for broke and if I knew I was a few reps away, lets say 21 then I may have pushed myself a little bit harder.
Deep breath - I am still happy I scored 354. I need to but it into context: I first did FGB last October and got a 287 and have progressed to a 314 in July and then 346 and finally a 354. In time I will get 375 and then will be reaching for 400! Never satisfied!
Saturday September, 27, 2008
Crossfit Loudon-Dulles was doing Fight Gone Bad on Saturday morning so thought about doing something in rock creek. Friday the mainsite had 30 muscle-ups for time and I have my rings so thought why not. I still have a really hard time maintaining my false grip when attempting multiple consecutive muscle ups so decided it may make sense to do individuals. I have never done this WOD before and wanted to get through it and set a benchmark. Then I can work on the false grip and improve on that time. I was able to get through the first 10 in about 3 minutes, not too bad. I may have had only 1-2 failures. As I got close to 20, it got really tough. There were a few times where I had 3 failures between reps. I would try to get off the rings shake my arms out and focus my energy. I got through my 30 muscle ups in 13:30. I know that I can improve on this and plan to, by doing this WOD every or every other Saturday morning. At least I say that now.
WOD Friday, September 26, 2008
This circuit was deceivingly hard. Here it is
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
6 ring dips
9 kettlebell swings
12 jumping lunges
I looked at it and thought not too bad, I mean impossible to get 19-20 rounds but 15 would be a good goal and Keturah reminded me of that a few times. Jerry said he wanted us to go hard and the 6:00am class stepped it up! (Couldn't do the 6:45am class because I had a dentist appt at 8am). I used the 70# Kettlebell and a 25# dumbbell for jumping lunges. A few times I did my jumping lunges with 20# because someone was using it and I didn't want to sacrifice the time. I actually started with jumping lunges because of the number we of rings and people and went to ring dips then swings. Harold was a little early for the 6:45am class and counted my rounds for me. That was a huge help because I tend to forget reps or rounds when I am going through a fast circuit. I ended up with 14 rounds! I was upset I didn't get 15 but like I said this was deceivingly hard. The swings got really heavy really quick and I really focused on my jumping lunges and getting that hip extension or explosion.
I was sore all weekend from this this WOD.
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
6 ring dips
9 kettlebell swings
12 jumping lunges
I looked at it and thought not too bad, I mean impossible to get 19-20 rounds but 15 would be a good goal and Keturah reminded me of that a few times. Jerry said he wanted us to go hard and the 6:00am class stepped it up! (Couldn't do the 6:45am class because I had a dentist appt at 8am). I used the 70# Kettlebell and a 25# dumbbell for jumping lunges. A few times I did my jumping lunges with 20# because someone was using it and I didn't want to sacrifice the time. I actually started with jumping lunges because of the number we of rings and people and went to ring dips then swings. Harold was a little early for the 6:45am class and counted my rounds for me. That was a huge help because I tend to forget reps or rounds when I am going through a fast circuit. I ended up with 14 rounds! I was upset I didn't get 15 but like I said this was deceivingly hard. The swings got really heavy really quick and I really focused on my jumping lunges and getting that hip extension or explosion.
I was sore all weekend from this this WOD.
Friday, September 26, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK LALANNE! Friday September 26, 2008
Found this on LaLanne Fitness website. Jack LaLanne fathered every crossfitter. Happy Birthday Jack!
Today we celebrate the birthday of a true American icon, Jack LaLanne. "The Jack LaLanne Show", which ran for 35 years, was the longest running television show in history.
..........
Over the years his amazing feats of physical strength and fitness include: as reported on Jack LaLanne's website, and as documented contemporaneously when they happened:
1954 (age 40): Jack swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
1955 (age 41): Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to star jump significantly.
1956 (age 42): Jack set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on You Asked For It, a television program with Art Baker.
1957 (age 43): Jack swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles.
1958 (age 44): Jack maneuvered a paddleboard nonstop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile trip took 9.5 hours.
1959 (age 45): Jack did 1,000 pull-ups and 1,000 push-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes. His well-known white German shepherd, Happy, was born this year, the same year The Jack LaLanne Show went nationwide.
1974 (age 60): For the second time, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, Jack again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76", United States Bicentennial, Jack swam one mile in Long Beach Harbor. He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
1979 (age 65): Jack towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan. He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp.
1980 (age 66): Jack towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile in less than one hour.
1984 (age 70): Once again handcuffed and shackled, Jack fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1.5 miles while towing 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary.
1992 (age 78): Jack received the Academy of Body Building and Fitness Award.
1994 (age 80): Jack received the State of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award.
1996 (age 82): Jack received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award.
1999 (age 85): Jack received the Spirit of Muscle Beach Award.
2002 (age 88): Jack received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
2004 (age 90): Jack celebrated his 90th birthday in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. ESPN Classic ran a 24-hour marathon of the original Jack LaLanne television shows.
2004 (age 90): Jack became the official spokesperson for Covenant Reliance Producers, LLC, a Financial Marketing Organization based in Nashville Tennessee
2005 (age 91): Jack received the Jack Webb Award from the Los Angeles Police Department Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal's International Infomercial Award, the Freddie, and the Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth's Freedom Forum.
I am honored to speak from the same platform with a man who has made such a difference in our world!
"Jack LaLanne Live" can be heard every Monday @ 9am on Voice America Health and Wellness Network.
I think this would be a great Sunday workout:
Workout of the Day
"Jack LaLanne"
For time:(Four man team)
1,000 Pull-Ups
1,000 Push-Ups
Partition the Pull-Ups and Push-ups as needed between the four athletes.
Only one athlete is allowed to work at a time!
Today we celebrate the birthday of a true American icon, Jack LaLanne. "The Jack LaLanne Show", which ran for 35 years, was the longest running television show in history.
..........
Over the years his amazing feats of physical strength and fitness include: as reported on Jack LaLanne's website, and as documented contemporaneously when they happened:
1954 (age 40): Jack swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
1955 (age 41): Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to star jump significantly.
1956 (age 42): Jack set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on You Asked For It, a television program with Art Baker.
1957 (age 43): Jack swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles.
1958 (age 44): Jack maneuvered a paddleboard nonstop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile trip took 9.5 hours.
1959 (age 45): Jack did 1,000 pull-ups and 1,000 push-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes. His well-known white German shepherd, Happy, was born this year, the same year The Jack LaLanne Show went nationwide.
1974 (age 60): For the second time, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, Jack again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76", United States Bicentennial, Jack swam one mile in Long Beach Harbor. He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
1979 (age 65): Jack towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan. He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp.
1980 (age 66): Jack towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile in less than one hour.
1984 (age 70): Once again handcuffed and shackled, Jack fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1.5 miles while towing 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary.
1992 (age 78): Jack received the Academy of Body Building and Fitness Award.
1994 (age 80): Jack received the State of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award.
1996 (age 82): Jack received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award.
1999 (age 85): Jack received the Spirit of Muscle Beach Award.
2002 (age 88): Jack received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
2004 (age 90): Jack celebrated his 90th birthday in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. ESPN Classic ran a 24-hour marathon of the original Jack LaLanne television shows.
2004 (age 90): Jack became the official spokesperson for Covenant Reliance Producers, LLC, a Financial Marketing Organization based in Nashville Tennessee
2005 (age 91): Jack received the Jack Webb Award from the Los Angeles Police Department Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal's International Infomercial Award, the Freddie, and the Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth's Freedom Forum.
I am honored to speak from the same platform with a man who has made such a difference in our world!
"Jack LaLanne Live" can be heard every Monday @ 9am on Voice America Health and Wellness Network.
I think this would be a great Sunday workout:
Workout of the Day
"Jack LaLanne"
For time:(Four man team)
1,000 Pull-Ups
1,000 Push-Ups
Partition the Pull-Ups and Push-ups as needed between the four athletes.
Only one athlete is allowed to work at a time!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday September 24, 2008 - I Knew Today Was Going To Be A Good Day
I woke up this morning at 7am, since I am working from home and felt great. I got a good night sleep and knew that I only had a half day of work. I am going to Boston this afternoon for the Boston Red Sox v. Cleveland Indians and can't wait, so the adrenaline was flowing this morning. I get back early tomorrow morning my rest day.
I got to the 9am class early and got a chance to talk to Jack about the WOD and saw that he scored a 20:21. Not much more to say but I wanted to get sub 20 min before I even saw the WOD. Here it is:
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Wall Ball 20#
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Box Jumps (26-27")
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Burpees
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Calories - Rowing
I immediatley knew the transitions were going to be key and actually ended up running without tying my shoes the last two 400m. Jerry said 3-2-1 Go and I was out the gate, I truly sprinted that first 400m. I knew box jumps and rowing may slow me down but knew I had to go super hard! I was half way through (finished the 30 box jumps just under 9 min). The 400m runs felt good and I knew I was really pushing myself. I headed up stairs for the last round and knew I had to knock out the abmats and got up to the rower with 17:00 on the clock. Ok, so I know I am not a good rower but knew I had to just get 30 calories in 3 minutes to reach my goal. I tried to use my hips as much as possible and am not sure if I could have rowed any harder. I called time and looked up to get 19:25! Feel great! A great start to the day and hope this feeling carries throughout the day and at the game tonight! Go Tribe!
I got to the 9am class early and got a chance to talk to Jack about the WOD and saw that he scored a 20:21. Not much more to say but I wanted to get sub 20 min before I even saw the WOD. Here it is:
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Wall Ball 20#
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Box Jumps (26-27")
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Burpees
400m run
35 AbMat Situps
30 Calories - Rowing
I immediatley knew the transitions were going to be key and actually ended up running without tying my shoes the last two 400m. Jerry said 3-2-1 Go and I was out the gate, I truly sprinted that first 400m. I knew box jumps and rowing may slow me down but knew I had to go super hard! I was half way through (finished the 30 box jumps just under 9 min). The 400m runs felt good and I knew I was really pushing myself. I headed up stairs for the last round and knew I had to knock out the abmats and got up to the rower with 17:00 on the clock. Ok, so I know I am not a good rower but knew I had to just get 30 calories in 3 minutes to reach my goal. I tried to use my hips as much as possible and am not sure if I could have rowed any harder. I called time and looked up to get 19:25! Feel great! A great start to the day and hope this feeling carries throughout the day and at the game tonight! Go Tribe!
Tuesday September 23, 2008 "The Chief"
I saw this WOD on the mainsite a week or so ago (I think it was 9/14) and thought it looked tough but interesting. It definitely seemed like a good circuit that Jerry would put us through. I got what I wished and came in to see the Chief on the board.
Here it is:
Five 3 minute sets
Within each set AMRAP of:
3 Power Cleans (Rx'd 135#)
6 Perfect Pushups
9 Super Low Squats
I looked at the 5:30 and 6:00am class and saw only a few people did 135# and know that I still need to work on my form for cleans but all of us guys at 6:45 decided to do 135# and Danny did 155# which is 20# more than he ways. Right before we started Harold goes "Komar I am coming for you!" That pumped me up and I said to myself 'catch me if you can.' I ended up doing 8 or 9 pushups the first round and then realized I only needed 6. I jumped up into the air squat position basically executing a burpee, that really seemed to help my transition. I am going to say it now the squats were by far the hardest part. I knocked out 5 rounds and felt confident and strong with my cleans. I felt like I had fast elbows and felt strong pulling it from the ground. Here are my scores per set
5-5-5-5-5 1/3
There were a few sets where I had 10 seconds left after getting 5 rounds and just took it as rest. I really should have gotten the cleans for the fraction of a round. I was happy with my effort, it was strong and consistent. Next time I want to push it a little harder in the 3,4 and 5 sets and go for 6 rounds. I looked back at the mainsite for 9/14 that day it was the mainsite WOD and saw that Speal consistently got 6+ rounds per set, something to work for!
Here it is:
Five 3 minute sets
Within each set AMRAP of:
3 Power Cleans (Rx'd 135#)
6 Perfect Pushups
9 Super Low Squats
I looked at the 5:30 and 6:00am class and saw only a few people did 135# and know that I still need to work on my form for cleans but all of us guys at 6:45 decided to do 135# and Danny did 155# which is 20# more than he ways. Right before we started Harold goes "Komar I am coming for you!" That pumped me up and I said to myself 'catch me if you can.' I ended up doing 8 or 9 pushups the first round and then realized I only needed 6. I jumped up into the air squat position basically executing a burpee, that really seemed to help my transition. I am going to say it now the squats were by far the hardest part. I knocked out 5 rounds and felt confident and strong with my cleans. I felt like I had fast elbows and felt strong pulling it from the ground. Here are my scores per set
5-5-5-5-5 1/3
There were a few sets where I had 10 seconds left after getting 5 rounds and just took it as rest. I really should have gotten the cleans for the fraction of a round. I was happy with my effort, it was strong and consistent. Next time I want to push it a little harder in the 3,4 and 5 sets and go for 6 rounds. I looked back at the mainsite for 9/14 that day it was the mainsite WOD and saw that Speal consistently got 6+ rounds per set, something to work for!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday September 22, 2008 - Ohhh Snatch
I have limited experience with the Snatch and this WOD let me try out the movement. To put it lightly it sucked from the beginning and seemed to only get worse.
WOD
For Time:
30 Snatches 75#
30 Pullups
800m run
25 Snatches 75#
25 Pullups
800m run
20 Snatches 75#
20 Pullups
As soon as I warmed up I knew this was going to be tough. The 75# felt heavy and I really tried to maintain form throughout. I was slightly behind Tim throughout the workout and finished with a 20:34. I was not happy with my performance because the movement did not feel right. Honestly the only thing that felt good during the WOD was the 800m run. I felt like I was almost laterally raising the weight overhead instead of jump shrugging the weight and dipping under the bar. I was really frustrated because 75# felt heavy so I knew I wasn't doing something right.
I was sitting in the lobby and Pat just suggested doing 15 reps. I knew I had to work on the motion and was fired up so got up and went back in the blue room. I did 15 snatches, 15 pullup, 10 snatches, 10 pullups, 5 snatches and 5 pullups. Maybe not the best idea but got to work on my form. Jerry kept saying the arm bend was too soon. I tried to keep my arms straight.
My problems with the motion became more apparent after watching the video today. First, I was not keeping the bar close to my body and that made it feel like a lateral raise where I was relying entirely on my shoulders. Second, I did have an arm bend and as Jerry says "when the arm bends the power ends." Finally, I had the jump but not a strong shrug so I was muscling the weight. I studied the movement from videos on the mainsite and identified these problems. I plan to work on them Wednesday for a little bit with a PVC pipe.
WOD
For Time:
30 Snatches 75#
30 Pullups
800m run
25 Snatches 75#
25 Pullups
800m run
20 Snatches 75#
20 Pullups
As soon as I warmed up I knew this was going to be tough. The 75# felt heavy and I really tried to maintain form throughout. I was slightly behind Tim throughout the workout and finished with a 20:34. I was not happy with my performance because the movement did not feel right. Honestly the only thing that felt good during the WOD was the 800m run. I felt like I was almost laterally raising the weight overhead instead of jump shrugging the weight and dipping under the bar. I was really frustrated because 75# felt heavy so I knew I wasn't doing something right.
I was sitting in the lobby and Pat just suggested doing 15 reps. I knew I had to work on the motion and was fired up so got up and went back in the blue room. I did 15 snatches, 15 pullup, 10 snatches, 10 pullups, 5 snatches and 5 pullups. Maybe not the best idea but got to work on my form. Jerry kept saying the arm bend was too soon. I tried to keep my arms straight.
My problems with the motion became more apparent after watching the video today. First, I was not keeping the bar close to my body and that made it feel like a lateral raise where I was relying entirely on my shoulders. Second, I did have an arm bend and as Jerry says "when the arm bends the power ends." Finally, I had the jump but not a strong shrug so I was muscling the weight. I studied the movement from videos on the mainsite and identified these problems. I plan to work on them Wednesday for a little bit with a PVC pipe.
Sunday, September 21 2008 - More Fight Gone Bad Training - Overtime Training
As of today we have 7 days until the Fight Gone Bad (FGB) fundraiser workout. I woke up today a little sluggish. I was out late and had some late night food that basically just sat in my stomach all morning. But one week left to train and the last day dedicated to FGB before the event.
Today Jerry had us do a little overtime at each exercise. We were at each exercise for 1:15, so :15 more than the Rx'd FGB. I partnered up with Russ and started out on my strongest event Push Press (75#). In the first round I truly was a piston and knocked out 60 Push presses before moving to the row. Like I said I felt a little sluggish so just kept pushing, I felt like the sumo dead high pulls were especially tough.
Here are my scores per round
Round 1
Push Press 60
Row 14
Wall Ball 34
SDHP 32
Box Jump 27
Total Round 1 167
Round 2
Row 15
Wall Ball 28
SDHP 27
Box Jump 27
Push Press 37
Total Round 2 134
Round 3
Wall Ball 25
SDHP 25
Box Jump 26
Push Press 34
Row 14
Total Round 3 124
Total 425
I was surprised at how well I did. I figured out that the normal FGB minute per exercise is essentially 80% of the time of the OT FGB so multiplied 425 by 80% to see my FGB pace, which was 340. I was talking to Chriss after the second class and we noticed that people were taking more time on transitions and breaks because they knew they had the extra 15 second. It would be very interesting to go Round 1 at 1:15 per exercise, then in round 2 1:00, and finally round 3 :45. I would like to compare scores per round and think round 3 people would work especially hard because they know it is only 45 seconds.
Going into FGB this coming weekend I know a few things I need to do so I can get 375. First and foremost I need to be well rested and watch what I eat the day before. This is no different than running a race and I need to prepare my body. In terms of strategy I am sticking to the transition from row to wall ball with 10 seconds left but know I really need to push it on wall ball and SDHP. These two exercises are back to back but I know I tend to rest more on SDHP and need to give myself 3 sec rest if needed not 5. I also need to be careful with my box jumps and need to jump up and off to get that hip extension. I have found that I really can knock a lot of these out in the last few seconds so need to have my partner tell me when I have 15 seconds left on box jumps. With these little things I think I have a great chance of getting 375 and of course I need to be pumped up and at the end of the day I either go hard or go home!
Today Jerry had us do a little overtime at each exercise. We were at each exercise for 1:15, so :15 more than the Rx'd FGB. I partnered up with Russ and started out on my strongest event Push Press (75#). In the first round I truly was a piston and knocked out 60 Push presses before moving to the row. Like I said I felt a little sluggish so just kept pushing, I felt like the sumo dead high pulls were especially tough.
Here are my scores per round
Round 1
Push Press 60
Row 14
Wall Ball 34
SDHP 32
Box Jump 27
Total Round 1 167
Round 2
Row 15
Wall Ball 28
SDHP 27
Box Jump 27
Push Press 37
Total Round 2 134
Round 3
Wall Ball 25
SDHP 25
Box Jump 26
Push Press 34
Row 14
Total Round 3 124
Total 425
I was surprised at how well I did. I figured out that the normal FGB minute per exercise is essentially 80% of the time of the OT FGB so multiplied 425 by 80% to see my FGB pace, which was 340. I was talking to Chriss after the second class and we noticed that people were taking more time on transitions and breaks because they knew they had the extra 15 second. It would be very interesting to go Round 1 at 1:15 per exercise, then in round 2 1:00, and finally round 3 :45. I would like to compare scores per round and think round 3 people would work especially hard because they know it is only 45 seconds.
Going into FGB this coming weekend I know a few things I need to do so I can get 375. First and foremost I need to be well rested and watch what I eat the day before. This is no different than running a race and I need to prepare my body. In terms of strategy I am sticking to the transition from row to wall ball with 10 seconds left but know I really need to push it on wall ball and SDHP. These two exercises are back to back but I know I tend to rest more on SDHP and need to give myself 3 sec rest if needed not 5. I also need to be careful with my box jumps and need to jump up and off to get that hip extension. I have found that I really can knock a lot of these out in the last few seconds so need to have my partner tell me when I have 15 seconds left on box jumps. With these little things I think I have a great chance of getting 375 and of course I need to be pumped up and at the end of the day I either go hard or go home!
Saturday 9/20/08 - Crossfit = PFT PRs
I woke up a little bit later so I knew I would just have enough time to get a practice Physical Fitness Test (PFT) in today and have to skip the long run. The PFT is four exercises with a scaled point system for each excercise where the maximum score is 40. The four exercises are (in this order) situps in a minute, 300 m sprint, pushups until failure, and 1.5 mile run. Oh yeah approx. 5 min rest between events.
The last time I did a practice PFT was 7/12/08 and I got a total of 19 out of 40 points. The reason why I mention this is because I started doing Crossfit fulltime on June 30. Also as a benchmark I scored a 21 in January of 2008 for my actual test. Here goes:
(1) Situps
I knocked out 54 situps in a minute for 8 points. I focuses on my form because during my actual test did not have all them count because I used my hips and rocked myself up. These situps are not crossfit situps but tough. I have to have my hands interlaced behind my head and have a partner kneeling on my toes and holding me feet at the tongues of my shoes. Sounds easy right? I used to think so too until I realized how strict the form is and not to rock or use my hips to raise my body. The last PFT I did 50 situps so improved to my PR of 54.
(2) 300 m sprint
Not much to say about this, just gotta do it. My last 50m are always the hardest, not sure if it is an endurance thing or because I start out too fast. I just run. I ran a 45.44 a PR and scored 5 points. I ran a 48.02 back in July.
(3) Pushups unil failure
This may be my strongest event but you have to knock out 71 to get the full 10 points! The rules are simple you cannot stop and pause in the up position. There can be a quick pause but I am talking half second or so. I dropped down and got 62 consecutive pushups before collapsing to the ground. It was another PR of the day, I had only gotten 52 pushups in July so I received 6 points this time.
(4) 1.5 mile run
The worst thing about the sequence of events is right here. After going until failure on pushups your chest and arms feel 10 times larger which makes the first few laps hard because you really can't use your arms to run. I started off at a good pace and came insanely close to getting a sub 10 min. I finished in 10:08, so for those keeping track at home like me that is a 6:45 mile. The reason why I say that is because I am pumped that is another PR! Last time I got a 10:30 and got a 10:28 at the Test in January while running with others, that is 20 seconds off my time. In the final event I got a 6.
So my total was 25! In July I got a 19 and in Janurary I got a 21. I had trained for my test in January on my own and dabbled in Crossfit but now I truly see the results of consistent crossfit training. When looking at this PFT and thinking about training, Crossfit just makes so much sense. I owe a PR in every event to crossfit and the WODs Jerry puts me through. At this rate maybe I will be floating at 30 total points when I get to Quantico.
The last time I did a practice PFT was 7/12/08 and I got a total of 19 out of 40 points. The reason why I mention this is because I started doing Crossfit fulltime on June 30. Also as a benchmark I scored a 21 in January of 2008 for my actual test. Here goes:
(1) Situps
I knocked out 54 situps in a minute for 8 points. I focuses on my form because during my actual test did not have all them count because I used my hips and rocked myself up. These situps are not crossfit situps but tough. I have to have my hands interlaced behind my head and have a partner kneeling on my toes and holding me feet at the tongues of my shoes. Sounds easy right? I used to think so too until I realized how strict the form is and not to rock or use my hips to raise my body. The last PFT I did 50 situps so improved to my PR of 54.
(2) 300 m sprint
Not much to say about this, just gotta do it. My last 50m are always the hardest, not sure if it is an endurance thing or because I start out too fast. I just run. I ran a 45.44 a PR and scored 5 points. I ran a 48.02 back in July.
(3) Pushups unil failure
This may be my strongest event but you have to knock out 71 to get the full 10 points! The rules are simple you cannot stop and pause in the up position. There can be a quick pause but I am talking half second or so. I dropped down and got 62 consecutive pushups before collapsing to the ground. It was another PR of the day, I had only gotten 52 pushups in July so I received 6 points this time.
(4) 1.5 mile run
The worst thing about the sequence of events is right here. After going until failure on pushups your chest and arms feel 10 times larger which makes the first few laps hard because you really can't use your arms to run. I started off at a good pace and came insanely close to getting a sub 10 min. I finished in 10:08, so for those keeping track at home like me that is a 6:45 mile. The reason why I say that is because I am pumped that is another PR! Last time I got a 10:30 and got a 10:28 at the Test in January while running with others, that is 20 seconds off my time. In the final event I got a 6.
So my total was 25! In July I got a 19 and in Janurary I got a 21. I had trained for my test in January on my own and dabbled in Crossfit but now I truly see the results of consistent crossfit training. When looking at this PFT and thinking about training, Crossfit just makes so much sense. I owe a PR in every event to crossfit and the WODs Jerry puts me through. At this rate maybe I will be floating at 30 total points when I get to Quantico.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Friday September 19, 2008 - Happy Birthday Andrea
Jerry had a WOD up for Andrea's birthday that included things she is good at or enjoys here goes:
For Time:
5 rounds (reps for each round listed)
Air Squats 80-70-60-50-40
AbMat Situps 60-50-40-30-20
Hang Power Clean #95 40-30-20-10-5
80 air squats is a ton! I could not wait to get to the AbMat situps. I felt good with both the air squats and abmat situps. I tried to focus on keeping my spine aligned and core tight when doing the air squats and avoid rounding. The Hang Power Cleans were not too bad. I did 20 reps in a row without dropping the bar on the first round and am not sure that was a good idea because my forearms were killing me. Even more so after yesterdays pull up and shoulder press workout. I had to break the remaining 20 into two sets. The cleans felt good but I still think I need to jump the bar a little more so I can swing my elbows under easier and rest the bar on my shoulders rather than resting it in my hands in the top position.
Karen rocked this WOD in just over 20 minutes at the 6am class and Leslie was not far behind her at around 21 minutes. Chriss and I were keeping pace throughout. He had a slight lead on me in the AbMats and I made up for it there. He finished in 22:41 and I finished in 22:46. Respectable. If anything I would have minimized me rest periods but with that many reps on air squats and the beginning of cleans it is hard if not impossible to take a few seconds to recover. I will be curious to see if anyone got a sub 20 minutes.
Tomorrow my plan is to do a practice FBI PFT and maybe some more running. My half marathon in 3 weeks away and Ihave barely been running more than once a week. I am not concerned because I have been consistently training crossfit which has some running. Maybe it will be a good idea to run 8 miles or so tomorrow.
For Time:
5 rounds (reps for each round listed)
Air Squats 80-70-60-50-40
AbMat Situps 60-50-40-30-20
Hang Power Clean #95 40-30-20-10-5
80 air squats is a ton! I could not wait to get to the AbMat situps. I felt good with both the air squats and abmat situps. I tried to focus on keeping my spine aligned and core tight when doing the air squats and avoid rounding. The Hang Power Cleans were not too bad. I did 20 reps in a row without dropping the bar on the first round and am not sure that was a good idea because my forearms were killing me. Even more so after yesterdays pull up and shoulder press workout. I had to break the remaining 20 into two sets. The cleans felt good but I still think I need to jump the bar a little more so I can swing my elbows under easier and rest the bar on my shoulders rather than resting it in my hands in the top position.
Karen rocked this WOD in just over 20 minutes at the 6am class and Leslie was not far behind her at around 21 minutes. Chriss and I were keeping pace throughout. He had a slight lead on me in the AbMats and I made up for it there. He finished in 22:41 and I finished in 22:46. Respectable. If anything I would have minimized me rest periods but with that many reps on air squats and the beginning of cleans it is hard if not impossible to take a few seconds to recover. I will be curious to see if anyone got a sub 20 minutes.
Tomorrow my plan is to do a practice FBI PFT and maybe some more running. My half marathon in 3 weeks away and Ihave barely been running more than once a week. I am not concerned because I have been consistently training crossfit which has some running. Maybe it will be a good idea to run 8 miles or so tomorrow.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008 - One of My Favorite Workouts!
I ended up taking a rest day yesterday basically because I did not want to get out of bed. Jerry had told me that I should not miss Thursday and now I know why. This is definitely a WOD I do well in and have seen real good progession on since we do it about every 25-30 days. Here goes
Repetition Max - 5 rounds
Strict Press - Pullups
You have 2:30 minutes to get your repetition max once you drop the bar or get off the pullup bar you are done and the remainder of the 2:30 is rest time. Not a metcon workout definitley a strength and muscle endurance workout.
Jerry possted the previous two times we had this workout and here is how I did
(total reps not by round)
July 3
Strict Press 85# 92 reps
Pullups 80 reps
August 18th
Strict Press 95# 85 reps
Pullups 71 reps
The August workout I had torn my hands up pretty good a few days before and basically was doing finger tip pullups. I really wanted to get over 100 pullups especially since I started off with 25 in the first round. I asked Jerry what weight I should use and he challenged me to use 105#. I was all about the challenge but knew I would not get 90 reps so just wanted to go all out each round.
Here are my results today for each round
Round 1 Strict Press - 18 Pullup - 25
Round 2 Strict Press - 15 Pullup - 20
Round 3 Strict Press - 14 Pullup - 20
Round 4 Strict Press - 12 Pullup - 20
Round 5 Strict Press - 10 Pullup - 19
Total Strict Press 69 Pullup - 104
I know I went to absolute failure on every strict press and did not hold anything back. That probably explains the downward repetitions per round. I was really happy with maintaining 20 pullups per round but I think I may have been able to do a few more in rounds 2 or 3. On round 5 I got 18 and readjusted my hands and got 19, then ended up with just a finger tip grip and was trying to get the strength to adjust my grip to a whole hand but literally fell off the bar. Pretty sure that was a sign I gave all I had.
Like I said I love this workout. It is definitley a strength of mine. I have been able to increase my strict press by 10# each time and maintained good reps. I wish I had gotten around 75 today but knew I gave it everything. What more can you want from a workout?
I will be interested to see if I move up again to 115# next time. I would like to get in the 70s or low 80s with 105 strict press. As for pullups I was pumped about the 104! Jack tied me and Stacey got one more.
Repetition Max - 5 rounds
Strict Press - Pullups
You have 2:30 minutes to get your repetition max once you drop the bar or get off the pullup bar you are done and the remainder of the 2:30 is rest time. Not a metcon workout definitley a strength and muscle endurance workout.
Jerry possted the previous two times we had this workout and here is how I did
(total reps not by round)
July 3
Strict Press 85# 92 reps
Pullups 80 reps
August 18th
Strict Press 95# 85 reps
Pullups 71 reps
The August workout I had torn my hands up pretty good a few days before and basically was doing finger tip pullups. I really wanted to get over 100 pullups especially since I started off with 25 in the first round. I asked Jerry what weight I should use and he challenged me to use 105#. I was all about the challenge but knew I would not get 90 reps so just wanted to go all out each round.
Here are my results today for each round
Round 1 Strict Press - 18 Pullup - 25
Round 2 Strict Press - 15 Pullup - 20
Round 3 Strict Press - 14 Pullup - 20
Round 4 Strict Press - 12 Pullup - 20
Round 5 Strict Press - 10 Pullup - 19
Total Strict Press 69 Pullup - 104
I know I went to absolute failure on every strict press and did not hold anything back. That probably explains the downward repetitions per round. I was really happy with maintaining 20 pullups per round but I think I may have been able to do a few more in rounds 2 or 3. On round 5 I got 18 and readjusted my hands and got 19, then ended up with just a finger tip grip and was trying to get the strength to adjust my grip to a whole hand but literally fell off the bar. Pretty sure that was a sign I gave all I had.
Like I said I love this workout. It is definitley a strength of mine. I have been able to increase my strict press by 10# each time and maintained good reps. I wish I had gotten around 75 today but knew I gave it everything. What more can you want from a workout?
I will be interested to see if I move up again to 115# next time. I would like to get in the 70s or low 80s with 105 strict press. As for pullups I was pumped about the 104! Jack tied me and Stacey got one more.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - Oh my core!
I guess everyone has been using weight vests lately. Chriss and Stacey put up some impressive times with vests on yesterdays workout. I got in today and looked at the WOD to see if I could do it with a 20# vest, looks like it, I asked Jerry and threw the vest on. Here is the WOD:
For Time:
5 Rounds
8 Front Squats 135#
8 Burpees
8 Knees to Elbows
8 Turkish Getups 35# Dumbbell (4 each arm)
Not sure but looks like reps of "8" are the new "5". I will be the first to admit that Front Squats are not one of my strengths. Danny and Jerry told me I tend to round forward so I really tried to keep my elbows up. It is also hard for me to tell if I am going deep enough. When I was warming up Danny mentioned I was going too low and that was causing me to round out, so I tried to feel out the best bottom position.
I was able to knock out all 5 rounds of Front Squats without putting the bar down. I really did not want to clean 135# any more than I had to. Normally my burpees are smooth but they were rough today with the vest. Knees to elbows were not too difficult and I ended up breaking them up into sets of 4 in the later rounds. For the Turkish Getups I used the 40# Dumbbell. That is the weight I normally use for getups. I am not sure if I my core was sore from all those abmat situps yesterday or if it was the additional 20# but I think the getups were the hardest part of the workout. I felt like they would never end.
I felt really good about my pace and finished at 18:52. I had noticed that round 1 & 2 were done in 7:15 so I tried to maintain that 3:45 round pace and was not too far off. Definitely a great WOD, my legs are sore everytime I get up from my desk.
For Time:
5 Rounds
8 Front Squats 135#
8 Burpees
8 Knees to Elbows
8 Turkish Getups 35# Dumbbell (4 each arm)
Not sure but looks like reps of "8" are the new "5". I will be the first to admit that Front Squats are not one of my strengths. Danny and Jerry told me I tend to round forward so I really tried to keep my elbows up. It is also hard for me to tell if I am going deep enough. When I was warming up Danny mentioned I was going too low and that was causing me to round out, so I tried to feel out the best bottom position.
I was able to knock out all 5 rounds of Front Squats without putting the bar down. I really did not want to clean 135# any more than I had to. Normally my burpees are smooth but they were rough today with the vest. Knees to elbows were not too difficult and I ended up breaking them up into sets of 4 in the later rounds. For the Turkish Getups I used the 40# Dumbbell. That is the weight I normally use for getups. I am not sure if I my core was sore from all those abmat situps yesterday or if it was the additional 20# but I think the getups were the hardest part of the workout. I felt like they would never end.
I felt really good about my pace and finished at 18:52. I had noticed that round 1 & 2 were done in 7:15 so I tried to maintain that 3:45 round pace and was not too far off. Definitely a great WOD, my legs are sore everytime I get up from my desk.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008 - I knew we would be running
It seems like we have not run for awhile so I prepared myself to run as I was driving in today. This is good because I didn't go on a long run this past week. Last Monday I ran 3-4 miles at lunch but that has been the extend. I welcomed the WOD today when I saw it.
For time
50 abmat situps
then 5 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
run 800m
40 abmat situps
then 4 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
run 800m
30 abmat situps
then 3 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
A crossover pushup is when you do a pushup with one hand elevated on either a weight plate or kettlebell and at the top of the pushup crossover and place the other hand on the kettlebell. I had never done these before and liked them.
The first 50 Abmats were tough but good. I ended up doing 100 abmats yesterday for time so I was a little sore. I felt really good on the pullups and crossover pushups and ended my 5 rounds using the 88# kettlebell, which I guess is harder but I am not really sure. I headed out my first 800m and wanted to go at a good hard pace since we only had to do two of them. The 800m run felt great and I felt like I was really pushing my pace. I got back upstairs and started doing my 4 rounds of 8 pullups/8 crossover pushups and was into my second round when Jerry asked me if I did my 40 abmats. Thank god he asked me, another case of me being absent minded while I workout. I finished my abmats and the 2 remaining rounds and went back out for my run. Again I really felt good and pushed it knowing this was my last run. I was the first one in and started the last abmats and then the rounds. Ended up finishing at 23:30! I was flying today. Everything felt great, I did the pullups and crossover pushups unbroken, and the 800m were smooth. Great way to start the week.
For time
50 abmat situps
then 5 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
run 800m
40 abmat situps
then 4 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
run 800m
30 abmat situps
then 3 rounds of:
8 pull ups
8 crossover pushup
A crossover pushup is when you do a pushup with one hand elevated on either a weight plate or kettlebell and at the top of the pushup crossover and place the other hand on the kettlebell. I had never done these before and liked them.
The first 50 Abmats were tough but good. I ended up doing 100 abmats yesterday for time so I was a little sore. I felt really good on the pullups and crossover pushups and ended my 5 rounds using the 88# kettlebell, which I guess is harder but I am not really sure. I headed out my first 800m and wanted to go at a good hard pace since we only had to do two of them. The 800m run felt great and I felt like I was really pushing my pace. I got back upstairs and started doing my 4 rounds of 8 pullups/8 crossover pushups and was into my second round when Jerry asked me if I did my 40 abmats. Thank god he asked me, another case of me being absent minded while I workout. I finished my abmats and the 2 remaining rounds and went back out for my run. Again I really felt good and pushed it knowing this was my last run. I was the first one in and started the last abmats and then the rounds. Ended up finishing at 23:30! I was flying today. Everything felt great, I did the pullups and crossover pushups unbroken, and the 800m were smooth. Great way to start the week.
Sunday September 13, 2008 - Partner/Team Fight Gone Bad
I didn't realize it but I guess the plan is to train for Fight Gone Bad (FGB) every Sunday until our fundraiser on September 28. Today was focused on endurance and I really liked it. Here the the scenario; partner up and you spend 6 minutes at an exercise of FGB working and counting reps as a team, one person working at a time. There is 1 minute rest between exercises.
So again the FGB exercises are:
Wall Ball (men 20#)
Sumo Dead High Pull (72-75# for men)
Box Jump 20 inches
Push Press (men 75#)
Row for Calories
I teamed up with Stuart again because her really pushed me last time and we had a blast pushing each other through FGB. We knew our strength was push press so we started there. Stuart is fighting through a shoulder injury and used 52# to start and we killed it. Together we had 231 total reps in the 6 minutes. I tried focusing on my form and I think the one thing I was not doing was pushing my core including my head forward with the bar in the top position. Other than that they felt good and I tried doing 15-25 reps intervals and then let Stuart go at it. We did not keep track of individual reps since it was easier to just keep a running total.
Rowing was not too bad and we ended up around 110 calories. Stuart and I both tend to kick it up a bit in the last minute or 30 seconds, which is awesome and helps us really work hard and demonstrate endurance. Wall balls is where I started to feel it but I was able to maintain at least 20 reps before switching with Stuart, not really sure what are total was there, maybe around 120-125. I really feel like I hit the wall with Sumo Dead High Pulls. I started doing sets of 15 then 10 then 5. The weight felt heavy. I tried to really use my hips and create that momentum. Box jumps are finally getting comfortable. I have taken a few coaching tips from Chriss to heart. I feel good jumping down and actually try to extend my hips while I jump off the box. I was able to knock out 20-25 reps pretty good. When it was all said and done Stuart and I had 781 reps, which to our surprise was 4th best. Some teams killed this, especially Karen and Mel, very impressive. Can't forget Mike and Lt. Col. Dan, beating them out by 1 rep!
I felt great about our total and loved that Stuart and I immediately started figuring out are weaknesses and "what ifs."
Jerry was taping the workout and I got a chance to watch it. I love that Jerry tapes workouts and I really try to focus in on my form when the camera is on me. I also learn a ton from watching other people. As I said before the Sumo Dead High Pulls were tough and even though I felt like I was really exploding my hips I wanted to study the movement some more. The video on the mainsite is awesome it really describes the bad tendencies of the movement and one I noticed with me and others is that you should not segment the movement into two separate exercises (deadlift, high pull). The way to avoid segmenting the motion is to drive the hips forward and shrug the kettlebell to where it becomes almost weightless than bend your elbows and finish the pull at the top. I think I was really forgetting the shrug. Jerry has been beating us up on the hip and shrug lately, especially with hang squat cleans and training those with the dynamex ball. I watched others on the video and there are a lot of different variations of the movement. I tend to start with the kettlebell behind me in between my legs so I can create that momentum up with my hips, others tend to start with it in front of them but I think that may cause me to round out. There were also a few others that started similar to me but created more of a swinging motion and did not touch the kettlebell down. I think I have the most efficient motion for me but it was interesting to study the motion of others. Bottom line: I know I need to focus on exploding my hips and shrugging so I don't segment the movement.
So again the FGB exercises are:
Wall Ball (men 20#)
Sumo Dead High Pull (72-75# for men)
Box Jump 20 inches
Push Press (men 75#)
Row for Calories
I teamed up with Stuart again because her really pushed me last time and we had a blast pushing each other through FGB. We knew our strength was push press so we started there. Stuart is fighting through a shoulder injury and used 52# to start and we killed it. Together we had 231 total reps in the 6 minutes. I tried focusing on my form and I think the one thing I was not doing was pushing my core including my head forward with the bar in the top position. Other than that they felt good and I tried doing 15-25 reps intervals and then let Stuart go at it. We did not keep track of individual reps since it was easier to just keep a running total.
Rowing was not too bad and we ended up around 110 calories. Stuart and I both tend to kick it up a bit in the last minute or 30 seconds, which is awesome and helps us really work hard and demonstrate endurance. Wall balls is where I started to feel it but I was able to maintain at least 20 reps before switching with Stuart, not really sure what are total was there, maybe around 120-125. I really feel like I hit the wall with Sumo Dead High Pulls. I started doing sets of 15 then 10 then 5. The weight felt heavy. I tried to really use my hips and create that momentum. Box jumps are finally getting comfortable. I have taken a few coaching tips from Chriss to heart. I feel good jumping down and actually try to extend my hips while I jump off the box. I was able to knock out 20-25 reps pretty good. When it was all said and done Stuart and I had 781 reps, which to our surprise was 4th best. Some teams killed this, especially Karen and Mel, very impressive. Can't forget Mike and Lt. Col. Dan, beating them out by 1 rep!
I felt great about our total and loved that Stuart and I immediately started figuring out are weaknesses and "what ifs."
Jerry was taping the workout and I got a chance to watch it. I love that Jerry tapes workouts and I really try to focus in on my form when the camera is on me. I also learn a ton from watching other people. As I said before the Sumo Dead High Pulls were tough and even though I felt like I was really exploding my hips I wanted to study the movement some more. The video on the mainsite is awesome it really describes the bad tendencies of the movement and one I noticed with me and others is that you should not segment the movement into two separate exercises (deadlift, high pull). The way to avoid segmenting the motion is to drive the hips forward and shrug the kettlebell to where it becomes almost weightless than bend your elbows and finish the pull at the top. I think I was really forgetting the shrug. Jerry has been beating us up on the hip and shrug lately, especially with hang squat cleans and training those with the dynamex ball. I watched others on the video and there are a lot of different variations of the movement. I tend to start with the kettlebell behind me in between my legs so I can create that momentum up with my hips, others tend to start with it in front of them but I think that may cause me to round out. There were also a few others that started similar to me but created more of a swinging motion and did not touch the kettlebell down. I think I have the most efficient motion for me but it was interesting to study the motion of others. Bottom line: I know I need to focus on exploding my hips and shrugging so I don't segment the movement.
Saturday 9/13 at CF Loudon-Dulles - Clean & Jerks
Friday 9/12 was my rest day and usually I sneak some sort of workout in but I can honestly say I gave my body the entire day. The barbell complex at CFOT looked fun, hopefully I can try it sometime. I was looking at the #s and there were some killer outputs.
Made the trip up to Loudon Dulles and started with a long warmup of 2 rounds: 10 pullups, 20 pushups, 30 Squats, 40 Abmats, 50 Double Unders. I didn't get all of the double unders but I definitely am seeing some improvement. I think I am jumping too heavy and need to focus on wrist speed. I am glad we did an long warmup because we were doing the mainsite WOD from the previous day: Clean & Jerk 3-3-3-3-3. So even though I missed the barbell complex on Friday I as able to get some work in. My jerks felt good and I felt like I was definitley under the bar. I worked up to 155# and was really happy with that, but I felt my power clean was a lot of arms and strength. It needs to be hips and throwing the elbows forward under the bar.
Made the trip up to Loudon Dulles and started with a long warmup of 2 rounds: 10 pullups, 20 pushups, 30 Squats, 40 Abmats, 50 Double Unders. I didn't get all of the double unders but I definitely am seeing some improvement. I think I am jumping too heavy and need to focus on wrist speed. I am glad we did an long warmup because we were doing the mainsite WOD from the previous day: Clean & Jerk 3-3-3-3-3. So even though I missed the barbell complex on Friday I as able to get some work in. My jerks felt good and I felt like I was definitley under the bar. I worked up to 155# and was really happy with that, but I felt my power clean was a lot of arms and strength. It needs to be hips and throwing the elbows forward under the bar.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
In Honor of those we lost on 9/11/01
I expected an "epic" workout today to honor those we lost on 9/11/01. Oh believe me, if I was going to describe this WOD the only word I can think of is EPIC.
Side note: I have wanted to be an FBI agent for a long time (ever since my freshman year of college which definitely was before 9/11/01) and it is remembering those heroes from that day and their sacrifices that makes me realize why I am suppose to be an agent and why I wake up everyday and am determined to achieve that goal. Words can not express how highly I think of those who ran into those towers to help or helped lead those out and away. It is the thought of those we lost that made me not quit and kick it up a little bit to finish this WOD.
“We Shall Never Forget”
For Time
Part One = World Trade Center
Run 800 meters, only once
9 Burpees
11 Pullups
[Repeat the Pullups and Burpees for 10 total rounds]
(So 90 total Burpees, 110 total pullups)
Part Two = Pentagon
Run 800 meters, only once
9 Kettlebell High-Pulls 72# Kettlebell
11 Jumping Slamball 15# ball
[Repeat the Kettlebell High-pulls and Jumping Slamball for 10 total rounds]
I started doing all 11 pullups unbroken (not leaving the bar) and decided that I would do all 10 sets that way, kind of a way to honor those we lost. I mean the will and strength of those climbing those stairs is amazing and I kept thinking 'the strain and pain of 11 pullups is nothing compared to what the endured.' Believe me it was tough towards the end by I was not getting off that bar until I got all 11 each time. I went out to the second run and was thinking and started doubting that I completed all 10 rounds of the 9 burpees and 11 pullups. I focus in so much I sometimes forget and even though I was using a piece of paper thought I may have missed one. I got back in after the run and told Jerry I thought I may have missed one so knocked out another round just in case. I would rather do more than cut my workout short. After the extra round I move to the high pulls and slam balls. The high pulls were not bad and I tried to focus on using my hips to create the momentum on the kettlebell. They felt good and I did all of those unbroken. Now the slam balls, that was tough. My legs were done and I felt like I was barely leaving the ground. I felt like I was taking a few too many breaks and for the first time during a WOD actually felt like I may puke. That feeling subsided because I knew I would not let myself puke. I fought through the last few sets and got a time of 41:32. I really wanted to get a sub 40 minutes and I think those breaks cost me but I was spent. My legs and shoulders were done and have not felt like that after a WOD ever.
When I used to go to Gold's gym and do some cardio I would get on the stairmaster. Back then I didn't know any better and thought it was a great workout. I had one rule when I did the stairmaster, I must always do at least 111 floors in tribute to those who climbed the 110 floors of the world trade center that day. I can honestly say I have done this on each anniversary of 9/11. Even though it seems rediculous because I have learned the ways of Crossfit I am going to either go to Golds and climb 111 floors or use the stairs in my building to get 111 floors.
Side note: I have wanted to be an FBI agent for a long time (ever since my freshman year of college which definitely was before 9/11/01) and it is remembering those heroes from that day and their sacrifices that makes me realize why I am suppose to be an agent and why I wake up everyday and am determined to achieve that goal. Words can not express how highly I think of those who ran into those towers to help or helped lead those out and away. It is the thought of those we lost that made me not quit and kick it up a little bit to finish this WOD.
“We Shall Never Forget”
For Time
Part One = World Trade Center
Run 800 meters, only once
9 Burpees
11 Pullups
[Repeat the Pullups and Burpees for 10 total rounds]
(So 90 total Burpees, 110 total pullups)
Part Two = Pentagon
Run 800 meters, only once
9 Kettlebell High-Pulls 72# Kettlebell
11 Jumping Slamball 15# ball
[Repeat the Kettlebell High-pulls and Jumping Slamball for 10 total rounds]
I started doing all 11 pullups unbroken (not leaving the bar) and decided that I would do all 10 sets that way, kind of a way to honor those we lost. I mean the will and strength of those climbing those stairs is amazing and I kept thinking 'the strain and pain of 11 pullups is nothing compared to what the endured.' Believe me it was tough towards the end by I was not getting off that bar until I got all 11 each time. I went out to the second run and was thinking and started doubting that I completed all 10 rounds of the 9 burpees and 11 pullups. I focus in so much I sometimes forget and even though I was using a piece of paper thought I may have missed one. I got back in after the run and told Jerry I thought I may have missed one so knocked out another round just in case. I would rather do more than cut my workout short. After the extra round I move to the high pulls and slam balls. The high pulls were not bad and I tried to focus on using my hips to create the momentum on the kettlebell. They felt good and I did all of those unbroken. Now the slam balls, that was tough. My legs were done and I felt like I was barely leaving the ground. I felt like I was taking a few too many breaks and for the first time during a WOD actually felt like I may puke. That feeling subsided because I knew I would not let myself puke. I fought through the last few sets and got a time of 41:32. I really wanted to get a sub 40 minutes and I think those breaks cost me but I was spent. My legs and shoulders were done and have not felt like that after a WOD ever.
When I used to go to Gold's gym and do some cardio I would get on the stairmaster. Back then I didn't know any better and thought it was a great workout. I had one rule when I did the stairmaster, I must always do at least 111 floors in tribute to those who climbed the 110 floors of the world trade center that day. I can honestly say I have done this on each anniversary of 9/11. Even though it seems rediculous because I have learned the ways of Crossfit I am going to either go to Golds and climb 111 floors or use the stairs in my building to get 111 floors.
Wednesday September 10 - Flight 93
One reason I enjoy crossfit so much is that there are stories and reasons why we do workouts. When we do a tribute workout I try to go especially hard to honor those no longer with us. I am very proud honor those who have fought to maintain our America through a workout. I tried on memorial day to get some guys from Capital to do a workout in remembrance of those who have died in the Iraq war but was not able to get enough people. I was honored and excited to do a workout in tribute to those on Flight 93. I think of those passengers and their courage just about every time I board a plane. Jerry great job designing this one and its in honor to complete this WOD.
Here it is
For time:
93 box jumps
93 ring dips
93 medicine ball squat cleans with 20# ball
The board said you can partition but Jerry basically challenged anyone to go straight through 93 at a time. Harold, Danny and I decided to challenge ourselves. Chriss and Jack also did and added 20# weight vests. I probably would have added the vest but the clock already started and to be honest was afraid I would knock myself out with the vest doing box jumps.
Harold, Danny and I started on box jumps and we all got through all 93 pretty quick without any significant breaks. We moved over to ring dips and realized we didn't plan for the rings to be occupied by everyone partitioning and Chriss and Jack who started there. We were able to work in with others and started knocking them out. I was really sinking my ring dips and started off with 2 sets of 10 and then sets of 5 with just a few seconds between sets. I was able to pull ahead the pace of the others on the ring dips. I moved over to the hang squat cleans and kept the pace and strategy of knocking out 5 at a time. I think that really helped. I was not just focused on my pace but the motion of the hang squat clean. It was hard not to curl the med ball but I think I did well. I tried to really get that shoulder shrug and hip extension. I think my elbows are a little slow which then makes me slow to drop under the ball. I feel like my form is better on the barbell but the ball is a great thing to use to avoid reverse curling. I tried to keep the ball in one straight vertical line and hold the ball on the side to concentrate on the rotation under the ball. I was done with 30-35 when Harold was finishing up ring dips. I kept the pace and ended up finishing first at 18:33. I ended up with the best time and really felt good after the WOD. I actually worked a few more sets of 5 on the hang squat cleans.
This week has been a great week. I feel like I have been dialing in on all my workouts, pushing my limits and completing them with a sense of achievement. Jerry mentioned tomorrow is going to be an "EPIC" workout. Jerry does not use that word lightly. It is September 11 so I am expecting a intense workout. Can't wait for that rest day on Friday.
Here it is
For time:
93 box jumps
93 ring dips
93 medicine ball squat cleans with 20# ball
The board said you can partition but Jerry basically challenged anyone to go straight through 93 at a time. Harold, Danny and I decided to challenge ourselves. Chriss and Jack also did and added 20# weight vests. I probably would have added the vest but the clock already started and to be honest was afraid I would knock myself out with the vest doing box jumps.
Harold, Danny and I started on box jumps and we all got through all 93 pretty quick without any significant breaks. We moved over to ring dips and realized we didn't plan for the rings to be occupied by everyone partitioning and Chriss and Jack who started there. We were able to work in with others and started knocking them out. I was really sinking my ring dips and started off with 2 sets of 10 and then sets of 5 with just a few seconds between sets. I was able to pull ahead the pace of the others on the ring dips. I moved over to the hang squat cleans and kept the pace and strategy of knocking out 5 at a time. I think that really helped. I was not just focused on my pace but the motion of the hang squat clean. It was hard not to curl the med ball but I think I did well. I tried to really get that shoulder shrug and hip extension. I think my elbows are a little slow which then makes me slow to drop under the ball. I feel like my form is better on the barbell but the ball is a great thing to use to avoid reverse curling. I tried to keep the ball in one straight vertical line and hold the ball on the side to concentrate on the rotation under the ball. I was done with 30-35 when Harold was finishing up ring dips. I kept the pace and ended up finishing first at 18:33. I ended up with the best time and really felt good after the WOD. I actually worked a few more sets of 5 on the hang squat cleans.
This week has been a great week. I feel like I have been dialing in on all my workouts, pushing my limits and completing them with a sense of achievement. Jerry mentioned tomorrow is going to be an "EPIC" workout. Jerry does not use that word lightly. It is September 11 so I am expecting a intense workout. Can't wait for that rest day on Friday.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A Much Anticipated Strength Day
Today was one of those days where I was walking up the stairs hoping for a nice strength day and actually got it. I needed one after going all out on FGB and yesterdays circuit. As an extra bonus I got to finally set a max PR for shoulder press. Here are the details of the WOD but you worked at your own pace.
WOD
Work up to a Max Strict Press
Modified Deadlifts 50% of Max Weight 4 sets of 10-15 reps
5 Rounds
10 Turkish Getups with 20-25% of body weight
10 Knees to Elbows
Today could not have been a better designed workout for me. I got to work on a strength of mine and also my biggest weakness. I only got through 2 rounds of the turkish getups and knees to elbows due to time and the fact that I was just spent. Will figure out a little punishment later.
I worked Srict Press with Harold and Danny. We are all pretty close to the same strength however Danny is a freak because he only weighs 135#. We warmed up and I started with 155#, got it and it felt good. I basically had a goal of 185#, not sure why but after getting 3 reps of 165 last week thought it was realistic. I moved up to 170# and got it but it was not as smooth as 155# tough. I actually got up on my toes and Jerry said normally that would not count. I wanted to go for my goal of 185# but knew that 15lbs was a good jump and talked to Jerry, Harold and Danny and thought 175# was a good weight to go for my final attempt. For the record I weighed in today at 173#. I focused in and reminded myself to maintain my tight core and to drive through my heals and slowly got the rep. I felt it was a great rep and was glad I didn't try 185#. Will shoot for that next time. By the way Danny got 155# and game really close to 170#, remember he weighs 135#!
Now on to modified deadlifts. Danny said he really doesn't go heavy on deadlifts so we loaded a bar with 115# (yes I strict press more than I deadlift). Again that first rep is the worst and I felt myself round and quickly recovered. Danny noticed that I overextend my lower back in the up position instead of moving my hips back and then forward and basically stopping in a position where my body was completely straight. I really focused in on moving just my hips and using that movement and momentum to pull the weight up. I definitly felt it and my hamstrings and glutes were the focus of the movement. I had Jerry film some of my reps so I could see my form. It was a big help and I noticed my good reps and bad reps and feel like I know what a good rep feels like.
Like I said I didn't finish the WOD because of time but had a great workout; I set a PR on strict press (which I can only improve on) and feel like I improved my deadlift even more. It is definitely something I am getting more comfortable and confident with.
WOD
Work up to a Max Strict Press
Modified Deadlifts 50% of Max Weight 4 sets of 10-15 reps
5 Rounds
10 Turkish Getups with 20-25% of body weight
10 Knees to Elbows
Today could not have been a better designed workout for me. I got to work on a strength of mine and also my biggest weakness. I only got through 2 rounds of the turkish getups and knees to elbows due to time and the fact that I was just spent. Will figure out a little punishment later.
I worked Srict Press with Harold and Danny. We are all pretty close to the same strength however Danny is a freak because he only weighs 135#. We warmed up and I started with 155#, got it and it felt good. I basically had a goal of 185#, not sure why but after getting 3 reps of 165 last week thought it was realistic. I moved up to 170# and got it but it was not as smooth as 155# tough. I actually got up on my toes and Jerry said normally that would not count. I wanted to go for my goal of 185# but knew that 15lbs was a good jump and talked to Jerry, Harold and Danny and thought 175# was a good weight to go for my final attempt. For the record I weighed in today at 173#. I focused in and reminded myself to maintain my tight core and to drive through my heals and slowly got the rep. I felt it was a great rep and was glad I didn't try 185#. Will shoot for that next time. By the way Danny got 155# and game really close to 170#, remember he weighs 135#!
Now on to modified deadlifts. Danny said he really doesn't go heavy on deadlifts so we loaded a bar with 115# (yes I strict press more than I deadlift). Again that first rep is the worst and I felt myself round and quickly recovered. Danny noticed that I overextend my lower back in the up position instead of moving my hips back and then forward and basically stopping in a position where my body was completely straight. I really focused in on moving just my hips and using that movement and momentum to pull the weight up. I definitly felt it and my hamstrings and glutes were the focus of the movement. I had Jerry film some of my reps so I could see my form. It was a big help and I noticed my good reps and bad reps and feel like I know what a good rep feels like.
Like I said I didn't finish the WOD because of time but had a great workout; I set a PR on strict press (which I can only improve on) and feel like I improved my deadlift even more. It is definitely something I am getting more comfortable and confident with.
Monday, September 8, 2008
I am pretty sure I was still pumped up about my Fight Gone Bad performance when I walked into the blue room today. It was a good day, I felt well rested and ready for a good workout. So here it goes:
5 rounds - 30 minute time limit
20 pullups
30 pushups
40 ab mat situps
50 squats
No offense to the 6am crew, but I am becoming a fan of 6:45 not just because of the crew but because you have scores/times to shoot for and being as competitive as I am that helps me work out even harder. I saw some of the times and knew I wanted to get below 28 minutes and actually thought I could go for sub 25 minutes. Gar had gotten a PR on pullups at 6am with 30 and that got me to thinking about finally trying to set one, so I did. I got 29 pullups. I think you lose your grip before anything else, something to work on. Gar set the standard at 6am by getting 30 in round 1 and then counting those extra 10 against round 2, so I did as well.
I know my weaknesses and one of them is my lower back and tendency not to keep a strong core position when doing squats because I feel my lower back is week. For the first time the squats felt great and I felt I was getting low enough and not rounding my back. I was able to knock out 25 squats take a few seconds and do another 25 in each of the 5 rounds.
Another side note, Jerry got a huge time clock for the new place and brought it in Sunday for FGB. It is awesome, I can look up and gauge my time now without having to bug Jerry. I didn't really look at the clock until I was starting my ab mats of the 5th round and realized I could totally get my goal of a sub 25 min time and kicked it up a bit. I got through my final squats and yelled time with a time of 24:57! It is hard to explain but I love the feeling after a good workout especially when you meet your goals. I had that feeling after this workout and after FGB yesterday, I only hope to maintain this performance all week.
5 rounds - 30 minute time limit
20 pullups
30 pushups
40 ab mat situps
50 squats
No offense to the 6am crew, but I am becoming a fan of 6:45 not just because of the crew but because you have scores/times to shoot for and being as competitive as I am that helps me work out even harder. I saw some of the times and knew I wanted to get below 28 minutes and actually thought I could go for sub 25 minutes. Gar had gotten a PR on pullups at 6am with 30 and that got me to thinking about finally trying to set one, so I did. I got 29 pullups. I think you lose your grip before anything else, something to work on. Gar set the standard at 6am by getting 30 in round 1 and then counting those extra 10 against round 2, so I did as well.
I know my weaknesses and one of them is my lower back and tendency not to keep a strong core position when doing squats because I feel my lower back is week. For the first time the squats felt great and I felt I was getting low enough and not rounding my back. I was able to knock out 25 squats take a few seconds and do another 25 in each of the 5 rounds.
Another side note, Jerry got a huge time clock for the new place and brought it in Sunday for FGB. It is awesome, I can look up and gauge my time now without having to bug Jerry. I didn't really look at the clock until I was starting my ab mats of the 5th round and realized I could totally get my goal of a sub 25 min time and kicked it up a bit. I got through my final squats and yelled time with a time of 24:57! It is hard to explain but I love the feeling after a good workout especially when you meet your goals. I had that feeling after this workout and after FGB yesterday, I only hope to maintain this performance all week.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday September 7, 2008 - FIGHT GONE BAD
Lately I have really been thinking about Fight Gone Bad. A lot of affiliates are training specifically to work on reps for the nationwide event on September 27/28. The last time I did FGB was July 1 up at Crossfit Loudon-Dulles for Jacob's last day. That was the second time I completed the workout and got a score of 311. Based on that my goal for September 27/28 was 350. A good feasible goal. I mean 400+ is elite athlete type numbers.
With all that being said I was kind of pumped when I saw FGB on the board yesterday. I figured it would be a good time to see where I was and figure out how I could get 350 at the end of the month. Here is what FGB is:
Total Reps/Calories
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball 20lb - 10 ft target (Reps)
Kettlebell high-pull, 70lb=M (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 75lb=M (Reps)
Row (Calories)
Each exercise is for a minute and then there is one minute rest in between rounds, similar to a MMA fight.
I tend to go through a lot of details when I describe my workouts but bottom line was it felt good. First, Stuart was a great partner. He pushed me each exercise and kept me on target with the time. I knew box jumps are the biggest exercise I can and need to improve on to rattle off reps so I focused on those. Other than that I just pushed it. I felt like I did and felt good after the workout. Needless to say I was shocked when I scored a 346! I PR'd by 35 and was only 4 reps off my goal for the end of the month. I was so happy with my performance.
I guess with being so close to my goal I decided to re-evaluate my goal and want to shoot for 375 at the end of the month. Jerry is planning on doing WODs that will improve everyone's scores so I definitely think it is doable.
FGB involves alot of strategy so I will be working on that, here are my scores for the 3 rounds:
Wall-ball 20lb - 10 ft target (Reps) 25 - 25 -25
Kettlebell high-pull, 70lb=M (Reps) 25-25-25
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps) 27-25-22
Push-press, 75lb=M (Reps) 41 -25 25
Row (Calories) 11 -12 11
Round 1 total 129
Round 2 total 112
Round 3 total 105
Total 346
With all that being said I was kind of pumped when I saw FGB on the board yesterday. I figured it would be a good time to see where I was and figure out how I could get 350 at the end of the month. Here is what FGB is:
Total Reps/Calories
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball 20lb - 10 ft target (Reps)
Kettlebell high-pull, 70lb=M (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 75lb=M (Reps)
Row (Calories)
Each exercise is for a minute and then there is one minute rest in between rounds, similar to a MMA fight.
I tend to go through a lot of details when I describe my workouts but bottom line was it felt good. First, Stuart was a great partner. He pushed me each exercise and kept me on target with the time. I knew box jumps are the biggest exercise I can and need to improve on to rattle off reps so I focused on those. Other than that I just pushed it. I felt like I did and felt good after the workout. Needless to say I was shocked when I scored a 346! I PR'd by 35 and was only 4 reps off my goal for the end of the month. I was so happy with my performance.
I guess with being so close to my goal I decided to re-evaluate my goal and want to shoot for 375 at the end of the month. Jerry is planning on doing WODs that will improve everyone's scores so I definitely think it is doable.
FGB involves alot of strategy so I will be working on that, here are my scores for the 3 rounds:
Wall-ball 20lb - 10 ft target (Reps) 25 - 25 -25
Kettlebell high-pull, 70lb=M (Reps) 25-25-25
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps) 27-25-22
Push-press, 75lb=M (Reps) 41 -25 25
Row (Calories) 11 -12 11
Round 1 total 129
Round 2 total 112
Round 3 total 105
Total 346
Saturday at CF Loudon-Dulles - A Quick One BUT a TOUGH One
The workout is going to be a quick as this post.
WOD
For Time
21 2-for1 Wall Balls (20#)
21 Burpees
15 2-for1 Wall Balls
15 Burpees
9 2-for1 Wall Balls
9 Burpees
I have never done a 2-for1 Wall Ball and only recently heard about them. Essentially after you thrust the wall ball up against the wall you quickly do a squat and catch the ball in the standing position. Sounds simply right. Not so much. I really struggled with these. You have to be quick so you are ready to catch the Dynamex Ball. I will be honest I caught it with my face a few times. I could not get into a rhythm and literally would do one at a time. It took me a little while but I caught up on Burpees. Mike Lee finished in 7:19 and I was next at 7:42. I was surprised at how fast I did get through these.
Tom said 2-for1 Wall Balls will help train for Fight Gone Bad. Makes sense, little did I know what was in store for Sunday at CFOT.
WOD
For Time
21 2-for1 Wall Balls (20#)
21 Burpees
15 2-for1 Wall Balls
15 Burpees
9 2-for1 Wall Balls
9 Burpees
I have never done a 2-for1 Wall Ball and only recently heard about them. Essentially after you thrust the wall ball up against the wall you quickly do a squat and catch the ball in the standing position. Sounds simply right. Not so much. I really struggled with these. You have to be quick so you are ready to catch the Dynamex Ball. I will be honest I caught it with my face a few times. I could not get into a rhythm and literally would do one at a time. It took me a little while but I caught up on Burpees. Mike Lee finished in 7:19 and I was next at 7:42. I was surprised at how fast I did get through these.
Tom said 2-for1 Wall Balls will help train for Fight Gone Bad. Makes sense, little did I know what was in store for Sunday at CFOT.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008 - A good little circuit
Jerry had us do a WOD today that I noticed on the mainsite last week.
For Time:
30 Handstand Pushups
40 Pullups
50 Kettlebell Swings (52#)
60 AbMat Situps
70 Burpees
Jerry mentioned a workout with 70 burpees the other day so I was looking forward to this WOD. I initially thought I could get sub 10 minutes but that expectation quickly changed when I saw the 6:00am class finishing up. I was worried about the swings and wanted to try and get as many handstand pushups at once. I ended up doing 21 consecutive Handstand pushups. Maybe not a great idea. It made the rest tough. I got back up and knocked out 6 and then 3. The pullups weren't bad, I did 20 in the first set and then broke the remaining up into 3 more sets. Then on to the kettlebell swings. I just don't feel comfortable with these, which is why I don't feel comfortable with my deadlift. I feel like I have improved but I am still not efficiently doing this movement and muscling it up. Jerry reiterated that while I was knocking out 5 sets of 10. I knew I would catch up with Danny and Tim on the AbMats and did. I was the first to start burpees. Danny was right behind me. Danny and I ended up doing sets of 10 together with about 5 seconds rest in between. It was good to have Danny push me because after 40 those burpees sucked. Danny consistently got through his 10 before me and thus finished 14:39, I finished a few seconds behind at 14:44. I was really happy with my time. Again I know my weaknesses and what I would do different but really happy. The top time from the 6am class was 22:52. A very satisfying workout to start the weekend.
For Time:
30 Handstand Pushups
40 Pullups
50 Kettlebell Swings (52#)
60 AbMat Situps
70 Burpees
Jerry mentioned a workout with 70 burpees the other day so I was looking forward to this WOD. I initially thought I could get sub 10 minutes but that expectation quickly changed when I saw the 6:00am class finishing up. I was worried about the swings and wanted to try and get as many handstand pushups at once. I ended up doing 21 consecutive Handstand pushups. Maybe not a great idea. It made the rest tough. I got back up and knocked out 6 and then 3. The pullups weren't bad, I did 20 in the first set and then broke the remaining up into 3 more sets. Then on to the kettlebell swings. I just don't feel comfortable with these, which is why I don't feel comfortable with my deadlift. I feel like I have improved but I am still not efficiently doing this movement and muscling it up. Jerry reiterated that while I was knocking out 5 sets of 10. I knew I would catch up with Danny and Tim on the AbMats and did. I was the first to start burpees. Danny was right behind me. Danny and I ended up doing sets of 10 together with about 5 seconds rest in between. It was good to have Danny push me because after 40 those burpees sucked. Danny consistently got through his 10 before me and thus finished 14:39, I finished a few seconds behind at 14:44. I was really happy with my time. Again I know my weaknesses and what I would do different but really happy. The top time from the 6am class was 22:52. A very satisfying workout to start the weekend.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday September 3, 2008 - A Good Old Stength Day
After Murph on Sunday, Elise's crazy jumping workout on Monday, and the Filthy 50 yesterday I was excited to see the workout when I got in at 9AM! Yes 9AM! It felt good to sleep in a little bit and since I go to no-gi jiu jitsu at 11:30 it just made sense to go to the later class. Hopefully know one from work would need to get a hold of me for a little bit.
At first I thought the workout was the 5 round max reps of strict press, pullups but it was different.
5 rounds of:
5 strict press reps
5 weighted strict pullups
The situation is you have 90 seconds to get in your 5 reps and 30 seconds transition between exercises and rounds. The weight used is up to you but you want to get the most lbs as possible and try and get all 5 so definitely some strategy was involved. There were some sick numbers on the board. Lt Col Dan had 9875! I better mention the math involved so the strict press is easy cumulative rounds of weight x reps. Then you add the pullups where the weight was your bodyweight plus any additional weight (vests, kettlebells, persons on your back).
It was funny I wanted to stick around today and try to establish a max weight for shoulder press. I think I can strict press my body weight but want to make sure, not many people can. I started with 125# for strict press and a 20# vest for pullups. Handled both well and moved up in weight. My goal was to find a weight that challenged me but I was still able to get all 5 reps, simply because I didn't know my 5 rep max and didn't want to kill myself early. Here are my weights and reps:
Strict Press
1) 125# x 5
2) 135# x5
3) 145# x 5
4) 155# x 5
5) 165# x 3, then 145 x 2
Total weight: 3,585#
Strict Pull-ups
BW = 172#
1) BW + 20# Vest x 5
2) BW + 20# Vest + 26# Kettlebell x 5
3) BW + 20# Vest + 35# Kettlebell x 5
4) BW + 20# Vest + 52# Kettle Bell x 5
5) BW + 2-20# Vests + 52# Kettle Bell x 2
BW + 20# Vest + 52# Kettle Bell x 3
Total weight: 5,585#
Combined 9170#
Not as high as Lt. Col Dan, Craig, Gar and a few others but definitely in the top. I was really happy with getting 165# 3 times on strict press, which is pretty much my body weight. I am curious to know if others did that much on strict press because I think a lot of guys got more on pullups because they weighted more than me. Overall a really good workout. I am taking Thursday off, probably will go for a run.
After a stupid
At first I thought the workout was the 5 round max reps of strict press, pullups but it was different.
5 rounds of:
5 strict press reps
5 weighted strict pullups
The situation is you have 90 seconds to get in your 5 reps and 30 seconds transition between exercises and rounds. The weight used is up to you but you want to get the most lbs as possible and try and get all 5 so definitely some strategy was involved. There were some sick numbers on the board. Lt Col Dan had 9875! I better mention the math involved so the strict press is easy cumulative rounds of weight x reps. Then you add the pullups where the weight was your bodyweight plus any additional weight (vests, kettlebells, persons on your back).
It was funny I wanted to stick around today and try to establish a max weight for shoulder press. I think I can strict press my body weight but want to make sure, not many people can. I started with 125# for strict press and a 20# vest for pullups. Handled both well and moved up in weight. My goal was to find a weight that challenged me but I was still able to get all 5 reps, simply because I didn't know my 5 rep max and didn't want to kill myself early. Here are my weights and reps:
Strict Press
1) 125# x 5
2) 135# x5
3) 145# x 5
4) 155# x 5
5) 165# x 3, then 145 x 2
Total weight: 3,585#
Strict Pull-ups
BW = 172#
1) BW + 20# Vest x 5
2) BW + 20# Vest + 26# Kettlebell x 5
3) BW + 20# Vest + 35# Kettlebell x 5
4) BW + 20# Vest + 52# Kettle Bell x 5
5) BW + 2-20# Vests + 52# Kettle Bell x 2
BW + 20# Vest + 52# Kettle Bell x 3
Total weight: 5,585#
Combined 9170#
Not as high as Lt. Col Dan, Craig, Gar and a few others but definitely in the top. I was really happy with getting 165# 3 times on strict press, which is pretty much my body weight. I am curious to know if others did that much on strict press because I think a lot of guys got more on pullups because they weighted more than me. Overall a really good workout. I am taking Thursday off, probably will go for a run.
After a stupid
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - Filthy Fifty
Harold had told me what the workout was going to be for Tuesday because he had asked Jerry what he should avoid for his workout on Monday. Even though I knew the Filthy Fifty was coming I still did the WOD yesterday with Elise, which was a humbling experience that ended up involving 450 jumps. Maybe not the best Idea considering this is the Filthy Fifty
For Time
50 Knee to Elbow
50 Dumbbell Thrusters (20#)
50 Kettlebell High Pull (52#)
50 Dumbbel Push Press (20#)
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders or 150 singles if can't do DUs
50 Box Jumps (4 mats)
50 Jumping Pullups
50 KettleBell Swings (52#)
50 Walking Lunges each leg (so 100 in total)
I have never done this WOD before and figured Jerry was going to substitute somethings from the mainsite version because of equipment but bottom line was I wanted to get a sub 25 minute time. I went to the 6:45 class and saw Leslie finish this in around 27 minutes, a great time! I asked her where she started and she said Thrusters and went through it in order from there ending with knees to elbow. We could start where we wanted to and that made sense to me because you would knock out most of the weighted movements in the beginning. Jerry recommended starting with Knees to Elbows because it was such a strength motion.
Just wanted to say, 50 thrusters are tough even with 20# dumbbells. I started to get worried about my sub 25 minute time when I couldn't do all 50 right away. It was then I realized I had to pace myself and just keep checking my time and altering my pace with the intention of getting a time below 25 minutes. I did the 150 singles because I wanted to get a good time and 50 double unders would have cost me ALOT of time. So I guess you could say this wasn't as Rx'd. Like I said yesterday adding DUs to the list of things to work on. I flew through most of these and to be honest 50 box jumps were not that bad after yesterday. The walking lunges were rough but I fought through them and grabbed the bar for my knees to elbows. I actually rattled off 20 consecutive ones right away. After that it was 10, then a few sets of 5 and actually ended up with 2 then 1. I yelled time and got 25:12! I had asked Jerry my time when I was doing Knees to elbows and he told me 22 minutes so I really picked up the pace but made sure I maintained form on the Knees to Elbows. It was a great workout, I ended up with the best time in the class a few minutes ahead of Leslie.
I really like dialing in and getting focused on a workout. It was a little bit of an unfair advantage to know ahead of time what the WOD was but I didn't know the substitutes Jerry would throw at us. Tomorrow is a strength day can't wait!
For Time
50 Knee to Elbow
50 Dumbbell Thrusters (20#)
50 Kettlebell High Pull (52#)
50 Dumbbel Push Press (20#)
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders or 150 singles if can't do DUs
50 Box Jumps (4 mats)
50 Jumping Pullups
50 KettleBell Swings (52#)
50 Walking Lunges each leg (so 100 in total)
I have never done this WOD before and figured Jerry was going to substitute somethings from the mainsite version because of equipment but bottom line was I wanted to get a sub 25 minute time. I went to the 6:45 class and saw Leslie finish this in around 27 minutes, a great time! I asked her where she started and she said Thrusters and went through it in order from there ending with knees to elbow. We could start where we wanted to and that made sense to me because you would knock out most of the weighted movements in the beginning. Jerry recommended starting with Knees to Elbows because it was such a strength motion.
Just wanted to say, 50 thrusters are tough even with 20# dumbbells. I started to get worried about my sub 25 minute time when I couldn't do all 50 right away. It was then I realized I had to pace myself and just keep checking my time and altering my pace with the intention of getting a time below 25 minutes. I did the 150 singles because I wanted to get a good time and 50 double unders would have cost me ALOT of time. So I guess you could say this wasn't as Rx'd. Like I said yesterday adding DUs to the list of things to work on. I flew through most of these and to be honest 50 box jumps were not that bad after yesterday. The walking lunges were rough but I fought through them and grabbed the bar for my knees to elbows. I actually rattled off 20 consecutive ones right away. After that it was 10, then a few sets of 5 and actually ended up with 2 then 1. I yelled time and got 25:12! I had asked Jerry my time when I was doing Knees to elbows and he told me 22 minutes so I really picked up the pace but made sure I maintained form on the Knees to Elbows. It was a great workout, I ended up with the best time in the class a few minutes ahead of Leslie.
I really like dialing in and getting focused on a workout. It was a little bit of an unfair advantage to know ahead of time what the WOD was but I didn't know the substitutes Jerry would throw at us. Tomorrow is a strength day can't wait!
September 1, 2008 - Labor Day - You Can't Really Have A Rest Day on Labor Day
There were no classes scheduled for Labor Day, so I was planning on doing some sort of workout. I found out yesterday that I am not the only crazy person that drives from the District (NW) to Old Town for Crossfit, that other crazy person would be Elise. Elise just got back from NYC and lives in Woodley Park so we talked about doing a Rock Creek workout, using the exercise stations along the trail or something. I told Elise she could plan the WOD so kept the element of randomization! Here it is:
For Time
50 Box jumps, 50 jumping pullups, 50 single jump ropes
40 Box jumps, 40 jumping pullups, 40 single jump ropes
30 Box jumps, 30 jumping pullups, 30 single jump ropes
20 Box jumps, 20 jumping pullups, 20 single jump ropes
10 Box jumps, 10 jumping pullups, 10 single jump ropes
I guess she got this workout from the Camp Pendleton affiliate site and wow what a workout. We ended up doing this workout in the blue room because I remembered that Capital was open until 6pm and I figured it would be easier. I used 4 mats so probably a 30" jump.
Ok, so Elise seems to be almost as competitive as me, which is crazy! She got done with box jumps a little bit before me and then I thought I would pull ahead of her on the jumping pullups but that didn't happen. First, we used the muai thai mats as a box to jump off of and the two mats stacked kept moving around and I had to adjust them every few reps. Second, she kept telling me to get my chin over the bar, which I didn't know I wasn't doing but think it was happening because I kept falling off the muai thai mats. For the record, these mats are not an excuse but did complicate the workout for me. I never caught up with Elise and she finished just under a minute ahead of me.
I was working on some rings before the WOD and ended up getting 3 consecutive muscle ups. Elise helped me with my false grip. I don't know what kind of grip I was really using but her coaching definitely helped. She also helped me work on double unders after the WOD but we were both spent.
Double unders are definitely something I want to start practicing a few times a week. First things first I need to get a good jump rope so I will be purchasing the Buddy Lee rope in the next week or so.
For Time
50 Box jumps, 50 jumping pullups, 50 single jump ropes
40 Box jumps, 40 jumping pullups, 40 single jump ropes
30 Box jumps, 30 jumping pullups, 30 single jump ropes
20 Box jumps, 20 jumping pullups, 20 single jump ropes
10 Box jumps, 10 jumping pullups, 10 single jump ropes
I guess she got this workout from the Camp Pendleton affiliate site and wow what a workout. We ended up doing this workout in the blue room because I remembered that Capital was open until 6pm and I figured it would be easier. I used 4 mats so probably a 30" jump.
Ok, so Elise seems to be almost as competitive as me, which is crazy! She got done with box jumps a little bit before me and then I thought I would pull ahead of her on the jumping pullups but that didn't happen. First, we used the muai thai mats as a box to jump off of and the two mats stacked kept moving around and I had to adjust them every few reps. Second, she kept telling me to get my chin over the bar, which I didn't know I wasn't doing but think it was happening because I kept falling off the muai thai mats. For the record, these mats are not an excuse but did complicate the workout for me. I never caught up with Elise and she finished just under a minute ahead of me.
I was working on some rings before the WOD and ended up getting 3 consecutive muscle ups. Elise helped me with my false grip. I don't know what kind of grip I was really using but her coaching definitely helped. She also helped me work on double unders after the WOD but we were both spent.
Double unders are definitely something I want to start practicing a few times a week. First things first I need to get a good jump rope so I will be purchasing the Buddy Lee rope in the next week or so.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sunday - Murph
Jerry had let us know to expect Murph for Sunday so I was pumped to do Murph for the first time and get to use my weight vest. There were 20+ people at CFOT for the workout of which only a few wore vests: Steven, Lt. Col Dan, Stacey and Elise. Murph is a hero workout and is the following:
1 mile run
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 air squats
1 mile run
The pullups, pushups and squats can be partitioned in any way. I strategized the night before and decided to go 10 rounds of 10-20-30. Most people were going 20 rounds of 5-10-15.
We started with the run and only Charlie was ahead of me. I finished with Leslie and Karen in about 7:15. The course is a little less than a mile but still I was really happy with my pace. I headed up stairs and jumped on a bar. The 10 pullups were not bad, and I was able to knock out the first 2 rounds of 20 pushups with stopping. The air squats were tough, 30 was a lot. They really were slowing me down so I decided during my fourth round that I would complete 5 of the original 10-20-30 rounds and then switch over and do 10 rounds of 5-10-15. A great idea! It was mentally and physically easier for me and I could knock everything out without stopping. I was probably on round 7-8 of my 10 remaining rounds when Mel went out first for the mile run, she was followed shortly by Leslie and Karen. When I got outside I saw Stacey in front of me, she was probably about 150 meters ahead of me. I immediately told myself I had to catch her and finish as the first person with a weight vest. On the second lap of the 800m loop I caught her and really pushed it. I was keeping my own time and marked it at 46:34 at the bottom of the stairs (where we started) I made it up the stairs and yelled time to Jerry for his time of 46:54, no matter what did it in under 47 minutes. I was pumped. I was the first guy to finish, Mel, Leslie and Karen finished ahead of me and the first person with a vest! I was wiped out, it just hurt. My goal next time is to drop 5 minutes off my time, but no sure if I would change the way I did the workout. As an additional challenge I could non partition the pullups, pushups, and air squats. Until next time, but nonetheless set a PR and a benchmark to work towards beating next time.
1 mile run
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 air squats
1 mile run
The pullups, pushups and squats can be partitioned in any way. I strategized the night before and decided to go 10 rounds of 10-20-30. Most people were going 20 rounds of 5-10-15.
We started with the run and only Charlie was ahead of me. I finished with Leslie and Karen in about 7:15. The course is a little less than a mile but still I was really happy with my pace. I headed up stairs and jumped on a bar. The 10 pullups were not bad, and I was able to knock out the first 2 rounds of 20 pushups with stopping. The air squats were tough, 30 was a lot. They really were slowing me down so I decided during my fourth round that I would complete 5 of the original 10-20-30 rounds and then switch over and do 10 rounds of 5-10-15. A great idea! It was mentally and physically easier for me and I could knock everything out without stopping. I was probably on round 7-8 of my 10 remaining rounds when Mel went out first for the mile run, she was followed shortly by Leslie and Karen. When I got outside I saw Stacey in front of me, she was probably about 150 meters ahead of me. I immediately told myself I had to catch her and finish as the first person with a weight vest. On the second lap of the 800m loop I caught her and really pushed it. I was keeping my own time and marked it at 46:34 at the bottom of the stairs (where we started) I made it up the stairs and yelled time to Jerry for his time of 46:54, no matter what did it in under 47 minutes. I was pumped. I was the first guy to finish, Mel, Leslie and Karen finished ahead of me and the first person with a vest! I was wiped out, it just hurt. My goal next time is to drop 5 minutes off my time, but no sure if I would change the way I did the workout. As an additional challenge I could non partition the pullups, pushups, and air squats. Until next time, but nonetheless set a PR and a benchmark to work towards beating next time.
Saturday - Crossfit Dulles - Interesting workout followed by some priceleless entertainment
Laruen went with me out to Dulles Saturday morning. Tom was coaching the class and brought out some unused equipment, 'wheel walks'. Basically they are 10 inch wheels with spokes out the side that have pedals connected for your feet, this allows you to essentially wheel-borrow by yourself. This was the WOD
5 Rounds for time
10 push press 35# Dumbbells
Wheel Walk 20 feet
10 double unders or 30 single jump ropes
Wheel Walk back 20 feet
I went in a heat with Mike and Japeth. Mike was the only one who could do Dble Unders, he took an early lead and finished first. Japeth beat me by a few seconds. I was tired and it was a good sweat but not a really hard workout, probably lasted 10-12 minutes. The transition was really tough and in the middle we realized it was easier to put the wheels on without shoes.
Lauren and I ended up running 3miles or so at a really good pace once we got back to her place. It was really hot so that made the run even tougher, but good to run at Lauren's pace.
After the WOD at CF Dulles, a few of the coaches and members had a additional workout. Eat a dozen cake donuts for time. Not Krispy Kreme light fluffy donuts but heavy flavored cake donuts. 2 of the guys bowed out early and it was between Tom and Anna. It came down to the end and Anna tried but ended up puking in the bucket. I could have never done that, hilarious and disgusting. I think it to Tom 24 min.
5 Rounds for time
10 push press 35# Dumbbells
Wheel Walk 20 feet
10 double unders or 30 single jump ropes
Wheel Walk back 20 feet
I went in a heat with Mike and Japeth. Mike was the only one who could do Dble Unders, he took an early lead and finished first. Japeth beat me by a few seconds. I was tired and it was a good sweat but not a really hard workout, probably lasted 10-12 minutes. The transition was really tough and in the middle we realized it was easier to put the wheels on without shoes.
Lauren and I ended up running 3miles or so at a really good pace once we got back to her place. It was really hot so that made the run even tougher, but good to run at Lauren's pace.
After the WOD at CF Dulles, a few of the coaches and members had a additional workout. Eat a dozen cake donuts for time. Not Krispy Kreme light fluffy donuts but heavy flavored cake donuts. 2 of the guys bowed out early and it was between Tom and Anna. It came down to the end and Anna tried but ended up puking in the bucket. I could have never done that, hilarious and disgusting. I think it to Tom 24 min.
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