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!
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