I feel like I should give some sort of commentary on the CrossFit Games. This is what I came up with.
It's done. The Fittest Man & Woman have been crowned. It's time to start training for #2014Games.
Cheers to #forgingelitefitness!
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Partner WOD
11pm @ RNCF
2 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Sots Presses (45# bar)
10 OH Squats
50 DU
NOTES: I didn't bring my own rope. I forgot how much it stinks to not have a rope cut for your height. I should probably go heavier on the sots press (says Andy).
Front Squat
Find 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175
1 x 195 (PR)
1 x 210 (PR!!)
1 x 215 (fail, fail, fail)
NOTES: My old PR was 190. But this was really outdated. Even though I'm excited about a 20# PR, I still think it could have been more. But, I think your front squat is supposed to be at least 80% of your back squat. 80% of my back squat is 204. I missed my first 215 at the bottom. I couldn't stand it up at all. But, I got more comfortable with the weight and was able to stand up out of the bottom for the last two attempts - but I couldn't stand it up all the way. I need to remember to be able to control myself on the way down and pop out of the bottom while staying engaged. Sometimes I go way too slow and get stuck in the squat. It's kind of humbling posting a video of a no-rep.
WOD 1
3 Rounds
20 Ring Dips
20 Pistols
20 GHDs
200m Run
TIME: 11:?
NOTES: I wasn't planning on doing this WOD before the partner WOD, but I had about 25 minutes to spare. I did the ring dips pretty easily. I did them in sets of 15s/10s/5s. The pistols felt a little bit off today. The GHDs are never fun. I think they tweak my back more than they engage my abs. I also love running in my lifting shoes. Not.
Partner WOD
2 Rounds
50 cal Row
50 Burpee Box Jumps
50 Power Cleans (65#)
50 Lateral Bar Hops
50 Air Squats
20 Wall Walks
(Partner works while other partner runs one lap)
TIME: 33:27
NOTES: My partner and I made a good team. We were good compliments of each other. This WOD would have been great, except that my legs were fatigued from the squats, so I didn't use them AT ALL in the 100 power cleans (which I did 75 of for my team). This was the stupidest thing I could have done. I'm actually really mad at myself. I'm also kind of mad that a coach didn't yell at me. That was a really stupid thing to do. I've just been reading a ton about efficiency of movement and making sure that every rep is performed perfect and with precision. And, as a result of my stupidity, my back hurts so incredibly bad. I guess that's what I get.
It was fun to watch the Games this weekend, but it also made me angry that I wasn't there competing. It just adds fuel to my fire.
More on this later.
Cheers to Amtrak!
2 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Sots Presses (45# bar)
10 OH Squats
50 DU
NOTES: I didn't bring my own rope. I forgot how much it stinks to not have a rope cut for your height. I should probably go heavier on the sots press (says Andy).
Front Squat
Find 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175
1 x 195 (PR)
1 x 210 (PR!!)
1 x 215 (fail, fail, fail)
NOTES: My old PR was 190. But this was really outdated. Even though I'm excited about a 20# PR, I still think it could have been more. But, I think your front squat is supposed to be at least 80% of your back squat. 80% of my back squat is 204. I missed my first 215 at the bottom. I couldn't stand it up at all. But, I got more comfortable with the weight and was able to stand up out of the bottom for the last two attempts - but I couldn't stand it up all the way. I need to remember to be able to control myself on the way down and pop out of the bottom while staying engaged. Sometimes I go way too slow and get stuck in the squat. It's kind of humbling posting a video of a no-rep.
WOD 1
3 Rounds
20 Ring Dips
20 Pistols
20 GHDs
200m Run
TIME: 11:?
NOTES: I wasn't planning on doing this WOD before the partner WOD, but I had about 25 minutes to spare. I did the ring dips pretty easily. I did them in sets of 15s/10s/5s. The pistols felt a little bit off today. The GHDs are never fun. I think they tweak my back more than they engage my abs. I also love running in my lifting shoes. Not.
Partner WOD
2 Rounds
50 cal Row
50 Burpee Box Jumps
50 Power Cleans (65#)
50 Lateral Bar Hops
50 Air Squats
20 Wall Walks
(Partner works while other partner runs one lap)
TIME: 33:27
NOTES: My partner and I made a good team. We were good compliments of each other. This WOD would have been great, except that my legs were fatigued from the squats, so I didn't use them AT ALL in the 100 power cleans (which I did 75 of for my team). This was the stupidest thing I could have done. I'm actually really mad at myself. I'm also kind of mad that a coach didn't yell at me. That was a really stupid thing to do. I've just been reading a ton about efficiency of movement and making sure that every rep is performed perfect and with precision. And, as a result of my stupidity, my back hurts so incredibly bad. I guess that's what I get.
It was fun to watch the Games this weekend, but it also made me angry that I wasn't there competing. It just adds fuel to my fire.
Cheers to Amtrak!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Olympic Lifting Class
5:30 @ CFBN
For the first time in about a year, my entire workout consisted of a single movement. The snatch. No WOD. No crossfit.
CrossFit Bloomington Normal boasts an excellent Oly coach, Brian Lahr. Brian has over 25 years of Oly training, he's studied under two Olympic qualifiers, and he trained at the Olympic Training Center. What more could you ask for?
Every Thursday and Saturday, for an hour and a half, Brian teaches an Oly class. Tonight we focused on the snatch. Seeing that this was my first class, he had me start with the very basics. We focused on finding my 'power position', and I did my majority of work from there.
I focused on starting with the weight in my heels in the power position, pushing my hips/butt back as I slid the bar down to my knees, keeping my shoulders and lats engaged, bringing the bar back up to the power position SLOWLY, shifting weight to the balls of my feet, shrugging my shoulders, popping my hips, and pulling with high elbows.
Simple, right?
Here is a sampling of what my night looked like.
I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I was beyond excited for this class. The anticipation was killing me! Can you say, Christmas in July!?
Cheers to late night drive through!
For the first time in about a year, my entire workout consisted of a single movement. The snatch. No WOD. No crossfit.
CrossFit Bloomington Normal boasts an excellent Oly coach, Brian Lahr. Brian has over 25 years of Oly training, he's studied under two Olympic qualifiers, and he trained at the Olympic Training Center. What more could you ask for?
Every Thursday and Saturday, for an hour and a half, Brian teaches an Oly class. Tonight we focused on the snatch. Seeing that this was my first class, he had me start with the very basics. We focused on finding my 'power position', and I did my majority of work from there.
I focused on starting with the weight in my heels in the power position, pushing my hips/butt back as I slid the bar down to my knees, keeping my shoulders and lats engaged, bringing the bar back up to the power position SLOWLY, shifting weight to the balls of my feet, shrugging my shoulders, popping my hips, and pulling with high elbows.
Simple, right?
Here is a sampling of what my night looked like.
I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I was beyond excited for this class. The anticipation was killing me! Can you say, Christmas in July!?
Cheers to late night drive through!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Perspectives on PRing
Tom posted an article from insidethebox.com this morning that really struck a cord with me.
The past couple months have been confusing, to say the least. I'm finally on a great program (thanks Andy!), I've been training hard, I'm crushing benchmark WODs, and I feel really strong. BUT, I haven't hit new PRs in back squat or snatch (both of which I was consistently besting pre-Regionals).
I kept leaving the gym frustrated and really bummed.
This is what I needed to see.
"In CrossFit, it’s always open season for committed newbies. There may be the expectation that CrossFit is most difficult at the beginning, and to whatever degree of truth there is to that, it’s offset by the progress that comes flowing in. In fact, it’s probably worth noting that this freeway doesn’t last forever. Eventually the arc slows down and PRs come at a slower, more infrequent rate.
One of the things you’ll notice is that the advanced CrossFitters of the gym have to work especially hard to claw their way to new PRs. They’re the ones arriving early or staying late to attack weaknesses or do extra mobility work. They’re the ones that look for every possible advantage in refining their nutrition and taking care of their hands. It’s good to pay attention to how they do things—for the newbies that stick with it and evolve into the veterans, this will be the future path to keep the PR machine going."
- T.J. Murphy is a veteran journalist, CrossFitter, and author of the upcoming book Inside the Box: How CrossFit® Shredded the Rules, Stripped Down the Gym, and Rebuilt My Body.
Cheers to baby Everly!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Isabel
2:30 @ CFBN
3 Rounds Not For Time:
10 Hanging Wipers
Strict Deficit HSPU (4/2/2);(3/2/2);(3/2)
6 KB Swings (62)
NOTES: I didn't do the wipers right. I held my toes up to the bar in a pike position and moved my feet to the left and right, just outside my grip. I'm getting better at the strict deficit HSPU. These are my new favorite movement to work on. The KB Swings felt heavy on my back (my back was a little sore from the combination of rowing/DL yesterday).
Back Squat
Find 1RM (less than 6 reps)
1 x 125
1 x 175
1 x 210
1 x 235
1 x 250 (fail)
1 x 260 (fail, stood up the weight w/ side spotters)
NOTES: I was really frustrated with this. My previous PR is 255, and I failed at 250. I just got done with a 20rep back squat program, which was great for endurance and building confidence under the bar. But, I haven't had anything heavier than 185# on my back for months, and it showed. It felt good to get under the heavy weight again. I'm looking forward to getting back to a heavy program.
Good Mornings
5 x 5 @ 105
NOTES: I tried to get more range of motion in the bottom of the good mornings. I'm feeling more comfortable with the movement.
Bench
3 x 80% (115)
2 x 85% (125)
1 x 90% (130)
3 x 85% (125)
2 x 90% (130)
1 x 95% (140)
3 x 90% (130)
2 x 95% (140) [1 rep]
1 x 100+% (147) [failed]
NOTES: I haven't done a bench workout since college. It felt weird, but it was a good change of pace. I got a little bit of coaching on my bench. I usually set my feet up on the bench because I had a tendency to arch my back off the bench, but the coach showed me how I could set up weights below the bench to rest my feet on. Because I'm so short, my feet weren't able to make good contact with the ground, which was why I was arching a lot. I'll be interested to see how this bench program goes.
Pendlay Row
5 x 5 @ 105
NOTES: I think I was doing these right. They probably should have been heavier.
Isabel
30 Snatches (95)
TIME: 3:08
NOTES: My previous PR was 6:20. So, this was a huge PR. I pulled all singles, which I probably shouldn't have done. I basically just kept the same pace the entire time. The last 5 reps felt heavy, but they were still tolerable. I remember the first time I did Isabel I had to squat snatch like the last 10 reps because I was so fatigued. I'm glad that 95# snatches move so easy.
GH Raises
4 x 10
Cheers to stick bass/sunset boat rides/peach tort!
3 Rounds Not For Time:
10 Hanging Wipers
Strict Deficit HSPU (4/2/2);(3/2/2);(3/2)
6 KB Swings (62)
NOTES: I didn't do the wipers right. I held my toes up to the bar in a pike position and moved my feet to the left and right, just outside my grip. I'm getting better at the strict deficit HSPU. These are my new favorite movement to work on. The KB Swings felt heavy on my back (my back was a little sore from the combination of rowing/DL yesterday).
Back Squat
Find 1RM (less than 6 reps)
1 x 125
1 x 175
1 x 210
1 x 235
1 x 250 (fail)
1 x 260 (fail, stood up the weight w/ side spotters)
NOTES: I was really frustrated with this. My previous PR is 255, and I failed at 250. I just got done with a 20rep back squat program, which was great for endurance and building confidence under the bar. But, I haven't had anything heavier than 185# on my back for months, and it showed. It felt good to get under the heavy weight again. I'm looking forward to getting back to a heavy program.
Good Mornings
5 x 5 @ 105
NOTES: I tried to get more range of motion in the bottom of the good mornings. I'm feeling more comfortable with the movement.
Bench
3 x 80% (115)
2 x 85% (125)
1 x 90% (130)
3 x 85% (125)
2 x 90% (130)
1 x 95% (140)
3 x 90% (130)
2 x 95% (140) [1 rep]
1 x 100+% (147) [failed]
NOTES: I haven't done a bench workout since college. It felt weird, but it was a good change of pace. I got a little bit of coaching on my bench. I usually set my feet up on the bench because I had a tendency to arch my back off the bench, but the coach showed me how I could set up weights below the bench to rest my feet on. Because I'm so short, my feet weren't able to make good contact with the ground, which was why I was arching a lot. I'll be interested to see how this bench program goes.
Pendlay Row
5 x 5 @ 105
NOTES: I think I was doing these right. They probably should have been heavier.
Isabel
30 Snatches (95)
TIME: 3:08
NOTES: My previous PR was 6:20. So, this was a huge PR. I pulled all singles, which I probably shouldn't have done. I basically just kept the same pace the entire time. The last 5 reps felt heavy, but they were still tolerable. I remember the first time I did Isabel I had to squat snatch like the last 10 reps because I was so fatigued. I'm glad that 95# snatches move so easy.
GH Raises
4 x 10
Cheers to stick bass/sunset boat rides/peach tort!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Ropes, Rowers, and Ripped up Hands
5:30pm @ CrossFit Bloomington Normal
3 Rounds For Time:
2 Rope Climbs (15ft)
50ft UB Handstand Walk
50 DU
NOTES: My rope climbs felt pretty good. It's nice to do it on a full 15' rope. We did the HS Walk in a parking lot, which was quite the experience. It actually made me perform better, being on the concrete, becuase I didn't want to fall out of my HS.
Squat Clean
5x3 @ 75% (63kg = 148#)
NOTES: Chad watched my cleans and gave me the same feedback that Andy has always given me: keep the bar close. I felt comfortable with the weight. I love the oly platforms. I'm not jumping forward very much, and I'm falling good into my squat. Surprisingly, Chad didn't have too many critiques (because I was still at light weight).
Jerk
Behind the neck (hold split for 3 seconds)
5x3 @ 75% (150)
NOTES: I did these off the blocks and really focused on catching the jerk in a strong power position. I also tried to engage and set my core, which helped. I'm loving these sets of percentages and not maxes.
Clean Pulls
2x3 @ 90% of clean (175)
3x3 @ 95% of clean (185)
NOTES: I need to work on pulling my shoulders back and keeping my butt down. Andy pointed out that my butt is rising before my shoulders. It's pretty crazy how I can pull 185# so high off the ground. Just last year I could barely even dead lift 185#.
WOD
7 RFT
250m Row
10 DL (105)
10 Burpees
2 min rest
TIME: 24:56
NOTES: I was very consistent with my rounds today.
Round 1: 1:47
Round 2: 1:49
Round 3: 1:52
Round 4: 1:50
Round 5: 1:54
Round 6: 1:52
Round 7: 1:52
I wasn't able to keep track of my exact splits, but I kept the rower between 1:50-1:53. My deads were all unbroken and quick. Burpees were burpees. I feel like I have one speed for those. I wish I would've gone a little faster on the row.
Cheers to taco pizza!
3 Rounds For Time:
2 Rope Climbs (15ft)
50ft UB Handstand Walk
50 DU
NOTES: My rope climbs felt pretty good. It's nice to do it on a full 15' rope. We did the HS Walk in a parking lot, which was quite the experience. It actually made me perform better, being on the concrete, becuase I didn't want to fall out of my HS.
Squat Clean
5x3 @ 75% (63kg = 148#)
NOTES: Chad watched my cleans and gave me the same feedback that Andy has always given me: keep the bar close. I felt comfortable with the weight. I love the oly platforms. I'm not jumping forward very much, and I'm falling good into my squat. Surprisingly, Chad didn't have too many critiques (because I was still at light weight).
Jerk
Behind the neck (hold split for 3 seconds)
5x3 @ 75% (150)
NOTES: I did these off the blocks and really focused on catching the jerk in a strong power position. I also tried to engage and set my core, which helped. I'm loving these sets of percentages and not maxes.
Clean Pulls
2x3 @ 90% of clean (175)
3x3 @ 95% of clean (185)
NOTES: I need to work on pulling my shoulders back and keeping my butt down. Andy pointed out that my butt is rising before my shoulders. It's pretty crazy how I can pull 185# so high off the ground. Just last year I could barely even dead lift 185#.
WOD
7 RFT
250m Row
10 DL (105)
10 Burpees
2 min rest
TIME: 24:56
NOTES: I was very consistent with my rounds today.
Round 1: 1:47
Round 2: 1:49
Round 3: 1:52
Round 4: 1:50
Round 5: 1:54
Round 6: 1:52
Round 7: 1:52
I wasn't able to keep track of my exact splits, but I kept the rower between 1:50-1:53. My deads were all unbroken and quick. Burpees were burpees. I feel like I have one speed for those. I wish I would've gone a little faster on the row.
Cheers to taco pizza!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Oly Training
5:30 at CrossFit Bloomington Normal
3 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Bottoms Up KB (18)
10 GHD Sit ups
10-15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: I think I should try and go up in weight in the bottoms up kb presses next week.
Snatch
5 x 3 @ 75%
2 x 75
2 x 99
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
NOTES: I used an Olympic bar, on an Olympic platform, with Olympic weights. I felt very official, and a little intimidated. First, it was a struggle to convert the kilos to pounds (typical American). Second, I knew the Oly coach and the head coach were staring me down, just waiting to see what they had to work with. I actually felt really confident under this weight today. I stuck all the 110s with no problems. I'm extremely excited to start working with Brian this Thursday! He has already given me great attention and advice on grip and set up. This is exactly what I needed. No pressure of maxing. Just focusing on good form and getting in a lot of good, quality reps.
Jerk
5 x 3 @ 75%
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 split jerk
3 x 150 split jerk
NOTES: Brian really stepped in once I changed to split jerk. He noticed on my first rep that my back leg is too straight, which is causing my hips/shoulders to tilt forward (ultimately propelling the bar forward). He also instructed me to NEVER use a hook grip in my jerk. He showed me how the bar is supposed to rest high on your chest with a loose, finger tip grip. Just like Andy always tells me, Brian also noted my forward lean in my dip. Brian also suggests widening my grip on both my clean and jerk in order avoid wasted movement. Because my hands were so close, you shoulders were having to rotate out. He told me to think of the bar as a giant band that you are trying to pull apart (this is applicable to C&J, snatch, and OH squat). My brain was overflowing my knowledge today. I LOVED it.
Back Squat
20 x 185
REPS: 15
NOTES: My goal was to get to 15, so once I got there I just dropped the bar. I wasn't mentally prepared to get 20, and my back was a little tweaked from the GHD. The first 10 felt amazing. I tried to set my core and keep my breathing under control. I was also bouncing out of the bottom, which I haven't been doing. Surprisingly, I'm not upset that I didn't hit 20 because I know that I had 15 solid reps.
Snatch Deadlift
5 x 3 @ 100% Snatch
3 x 125
3 x 155
4 x 155
4 x 155
NOTES: I didn't really know what this movement was. Brian demonstrated it and told me to start with my knees over the bar, shift my knees/hips back, then return to a solid power position. I think I was doing these right. Dead lifts always rip my thumbs apart when I don't tape them.
WOD
20 AMRAP
5 HSPU
7 Chest to Bar PU
10 DB Snatches (alternate arms) (30)
ROUNDS: 13 +5
NOTES: This WOD made me sweat so bad. It was constant movement with little rest. I did all my HSPU UB, either strict or with a little baby kip. I did the first couple rounds of C2B butterfly, then gave that up when my butterfly got crazy. I settled in doing sets of 4/3. I ripped through all the DB snatches. 30 feels like nothing compared to the 50! I would take about 5-8 seconds to left my breathing get back under control before I started the HSPU again. Nothing got too fatigued. It was just hard for me to hand on to the bar because I was dripping in sweat. Gross. I just calculated that I did 91 chest to bar pull ups. I must be getting better at these, or it's a lot easier to do them in small sets of 7. I think the answer to that inquiry is: both.
Cheers to liter sale!
3 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Bottoms Up KB (18)
10 GHD Sit ups
10-15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: I think I should try and go up in weight in the bottoms up kb presses next week.
Snatch
5 x 3 @ 75%
2 x 75
2 x 99
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
3 x 110
NOTES: I used an Olympic bar, on an Olympic platform, with Olympic weights. I felt very official, and a little intimidated. First, it was a struggle to convert the kilos to pounds (typical American). Second, I knew the Oly coach and the head coach were staring me down, just waiting to see what they had to work with. I actually felt really confident under this weight today. I stuck all the 110s with no problems. I'm extremely excited to start working with Brian this Thursday! He has already given me great attention and advice on grip and set up. This is exactly what I needed. No pressure of maxing. Just focusing on good form and getting in a lot of good, quality reps.
Jerk
5 x 3 @ 75%
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 push jerk
3 x 150 split jerk
3 x 150 split jerk
NOTES: Brian really stepped in once I changed to split jerk. He noticed on my first rep that my back leg is too straight, which is causing my hips/shoulders to tilt forward (ultimately propelling the bar forward). He also instructed me to NEVER use a hook grip in my jerk. He showed me how the bar is supposed to rest high on your chest with a loose, finger tip grip. Just like Andy always tells me, Brian also noted my forward lean in my dip. Brian also suggests widening my grip on both my clean and jerk in order avoid wasted movement. Because my hands were so close, you shoulders were having to rotate out. He told me to think of the bar as a giant band that you are trying to pull apart (this is applicable to C&J, snatch, and OH squat). My brain was overflowing my knowledge today. I LOVED it.
Back Squat
20 x 185
REPS: 15
NOTES: My goal was to get to 15, so once I got there I just dropped the bar. I wasn't mentally prepared to get 20, and my back was a little tweaked from the GHD. The first 10 felt amazing. I tried to set my core and keep my breathing under control. I was also bouncing out of the bottom, which I haven't been doing. Surprisingly, I'm not upset that I didn't hit 20 because I know that I had 15 solid reps.
Snatch Deadlift
5 x 3 @ 100% Snatch
3 x 125
3 x 155
4 x 155
4 x 155
NOTES: I didn't really know what this movement was. Brian demonstrated it and told me to start with my knees over the bar, shift my knees/hips back, then return to a solid power position. I think I was doing these right. Dead lifts always rip my thumbs apart when I don't tape them.
WOD
20 AMRAP
5 HSPU
7 Chest to Bar PU
10 DB Snatches (alternate arms) (30)
ROUNDS: 13 +5
NOTES: This WOD made me sweat so bad. It was constant movement with little rest. I did all my HSPU UB, either strict or with a little baby kip. I did the first couple rounds of C2B butterfly, then gave that up when my butterfly got crazy. I settled in doing sets of 4/3. I ripped through all the DB snatches. 30 feels like nothing compared to the 50! I would take about 5-8 seconds to left my breathing get back under control before I started the HSPU again. Nothing got too fatigued. It was just hard for me to hand on to the bar because I was dripping in sweat. Gross. I just calculated that I did 91 chest to bar pull ups. I must be getting better at these, or it's a lot easier to do them in small sets of 7. I think the answer to that inquiry is: both.
Cheers to liter sale!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
CrossFit Bloomington-Normal & JT
9:00am @ CrossFit Bloomington-Normal
3 Rounds Not for Time:
5 Man Makers (25)
10 T2B
NOTES: The man makers were fine, and the toes to bar felt great. I was just thinking this morning that I hadn't done this in awhile, and then I looked on my programming and there they were! Andy is so smart.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 20!!
NOTES: I FINALLY got my 20 reps at 180. Thank goodness. One of the coaches at CFBN told me how to breathe through the reps and take my time. I think that really helped a lot. Before, I was banging out like 10 reps, and then I would get really out of breath and couldn't get my heart rate back down. Once again, I felt these lifts more in my back and not my legs. This is definitely a mental game.
Push Press
Find 5RM
5 x 125
5 x 135
5 x 145 (fail - 4 reps)
NOTES: These felt pretty strong. I think I need to work on keeping my chest and my elbows up in my dip. I just couldn't lock out that last rep at 145. My 3RM is 150 and my 1RM is 160. I have no idea what percentages I should be hitting for each of these reps.
JT
21-15-9
HSPU
Ring Dip
Push Up
TIME: 7:31
NOTES: I severely underestimated how back JT would burn my shoulders/triceps! I'm pretty proficient in both HSPU and Ring Dips, and I was struggling hard on the round of 15. Also, I assumed that the push ups would be a nice easy rest...WRONG. I could barely string 3 push ups together at the end. It was pretty pathetic. But, that's all this WOD is about. Testing your shoulders and arms. I just really wasn't except to hurt that bad after only about a minute in. I did all my 21 HSPU unbroken. Broke my ring dips into sets of 5. And, who knows what I did on my push ups. The rest of the time I did either sets of 5 or 3 on every movement. I'm not proud of it, but I think I actually did a 'set' of 1 during my push ups. Embarrassing!
4 x 20 Hollow Rocks
Today I dropped in at CrossFit Bloomington-Normal. I met some great coaches and some great people. They have a really nice set up with essentially three different gym spaces: CrossFit room, Olympic lifting room, and an 'athlete training center'.
I was very impressed with their weight training focus.
They have a Oly Lifting Club and a Power Lifting Club that are run by very knowledgeable coaches. I think I'm going to drop in on a few of their Oly classes in the up coming weeks. I would love the opportunity to work one-on-one with a lifting coach.
It's always exciting to get a new perspective on training, see a new gym, and workout with a new group of people.
I will definitely be back.
I'm lucky that Bloomington has three great CrossFit gyms. They all
Cheers to official transcripts!
3 Rounds Not for Time:
5 Man Makers (25)
10 T2B
NOTES: The man makers were fine, and the toes to bar felt great. I was just thinking this morning that I hadn't done this in awhile, and then I looked on my programming and there they were! Andy is so smart.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 20!!
NOTES: I FINALLY got my 20 reps at 180. Thank goodness. One of the coaches at CFBN told me how to breathe through the reps and take my time. I think that really helped a lot. Before, I was banging out like 10 reps, and then I would get really out of breath and couldn't get my heart rate back down. Once again, I felt these lifts more in my back and not my legs. This is definitely a mental game.
Push Press
Find 5RM
5 x 125
5 x 135
5 x 145 (fail - 4 reps)
NOTES: These felt pretty strong. I think I need to work on keeping my chest and my elbows up in my dip. I just couldn't lock out that last rep at 145. My 3RM is 150 and my 1RM is 160. I have no idea what percentages I should be hitting for each of these reps.
JT
21-15-9
HSPU
Ring Dip
Push Up
TIME: 7:31
NOTES: I severely underestimated how back JT would burn my shoulders/triceps! I'm pretty proficient in both HSPU and Ring Dips, and I was struggling hard on the round of 15. Also, I assumed that the push ups would be a nice easy rest...WRONG. I could barely string 3 push ups together at the end. It was pretty pathetic. But, that's all this WOD is about. Testing your shoulders and arms. I just really wasn't except to hurt that bad after only about a minute in. I did all my 21 HSPU unbroken. Broke my ring dips into sets of 5. And, who knows what I did on my push ups. The rest of the time I did either sets of 5 or 3 on every movement. I'm not proud of it, but I think I actually did a 'set' of 1 during my push ups. Embarrassing!
4 x 20 Hollow Rocks
Today I dropped in at CrossFit Bloomington-Normal. I met some great coaches and some great people. They have a really nice set up with essentially three different gym spaces: CrossFit room, Olympic lifting room, and an 'athlete training center'.
I was very impressed with their weight training focus.
They have a Oly Lifting Club and a Power Lifting Club that are run by very knowledgeable coaches. I think I'm going to drop in on a few of their Oly classes in the up coming weeks. I would love the opportunity to work one-on-one with a lifting coach.
It's always exciting to get a new perspective on training, see a new gym, and workout with a new group of people.
I will definitely be back.
I'm lucky that Bloomington has three great CrossFit gyms. They all
Cheers to official transcripts!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
So hot...milk was a bad choice
5:30pm at FitBodies
3 RFT:
5 Bar MU
10 KB Swing (53)
TIME: 2:51
NOTES: One thing that I do not suggest, is doing sets of 5 UB bar MU the day after you did 180 pull ups. Just saying. That was the only reason why I wasn't faster. I literally had to wait at the bar for my hands to extinguish.
Power Clean & Jerk
Find 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175
1 x 190
1 x 200 (fail)
NOTES: I always freak out when I put 200# on the bar. I literally change everything I do. Such a mental case. Also, when the weight gets heavy, as you can see in the video, I start doing a weird split/half squat catch. Not good.
OTM Weight Training
7 x 1 OTM Power Snatch at 85% (125)
NOTES: This was awful, awful, awful, awful, awful. Did I mention this was awful? I literally missed a rep every single round, except for one or two. I wasn't getting under the bar. The bar was flying out like crazy. I was getting mad. Clearly this has been an issue with me lately. Maybe I should take a sabbatical from snatching for awhile. Yes? No?
7 x 1 OTM Power Clean & Jerk at 85% (160)
NOTES: This felt so much better. Jenna and I actually changed this to one rep every 45 seconds because we needed to hurry up if we were going to get the WOD in. I can totally tell a huge difference when I don't lean forward in my jerk - the bar just floats up in the air like a angel :)
WOD:
12 AMRAP
10 Burpees
25 Double Unders
ROUNDS: 13?
NOTES: To be honest, I lost track of how many I got. Jenna said she got 11, and I was a couple rounds ahead of her. I was proud of myself that I didn't miss any double unders. I wasn't the biggest fan of this WOD, so I kind of made it into a game. Each round I pretended like I was at the Games and you HAD to get all your DU unbroken in order to move on in the WOD. Apparently the fake pressure I put on myself helped. I'm such a CrossFit nerd. I love it. This WOD just made me sweat a ton. My shirt weighted about 20 pounds when I was done (so, I practically did the WOD in a weight vest...I should've done this in a weight vest...). I never know what to think about WODs like this. I don't really get tired. I don't rest. It's just constant movement from one movement to the next. Should I speed up? Tom, how am I supposed to attack these? I need goal times in these WODs. I like how RNCF keeps records of every WOD. I think that's really helpful. Can you tell I'm just rambling now? I just got done with 2 hours of legal research/editing. After I worked out for 2 hours. After I worked 9 hours.
Running
1 Mile Run
3 minute rest
1 Mile Run
NOTES: Well, the heat index in Bloomington was 102 today. Needless to say, it was so HOTTT. My IT bands and my glutes are shot from yesterday's pistols. I just wanted to get these miles in and not worry about time. Jenna and I had a good pace going. Nice and easy. We ran about a 9:25 and then a 9:15. Nothing to be crazy about, but nothing to be worried about either.
Cheers to peach cobbler!
3 RFT:
5 Bar MU
10 KB Swing (53)
TIME: 2:51
NOTES: One thing that I do not suggest, is doing sets of 5 UB bar MU the day after you did 180 pull ups. Just saying. That was the only reason why I wasn't faster. I literally had to wait at the bar for my hands to extinguish.
Power Clean & Jerk
Find 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175
1 x 190
1 x 200 (fail)
NOTES: I always freak out when I put 200# on the bar. I literally change everything I do. Such a mental case. Also, when the weight gets heavy, as you can see in the video, I start doing a weird split/half squat catch. Not good.
OTM Weight Training
7 x 1 OTM Power Snatch at 85% (125)
NOTES: This was awful, awful, awful, awful, awful. Did I mention this was awful? I literally missed a rep every single round, except for one or two. I wasn't getting under the bar. The bar was flying out like crazy. I was getting mad. Clearly this has been an issue with me lately. Maybe I should take a sabbatical from snatching for awhile. Yes? No?
7 x 1 OTM Power Clean & Jerk at 85% (160)
NOTES: This felt so much better. Jenna and I actually changed this to one rep every 45 seconds because we needed to hurry up if we were going to get the WOD in. I can totally tell a huge difference when I don't lean forward in my jerk - the bar just floats up in the air like a angel :)
WOD:
12 AMRAP
10 Burpees
25 Double Unders
ROUNDS: 13?
NOTES: To be honest, I lost track of how many I got. Jenna said she got 11, and I was a couple rounds ahead of her. I was proud of myself that I didn't miss any double unders. I wasn't the biggest fan of this WOD, so I kind of made it into a game. Each round I pretended like I was at the Games and you HAD to get all your DU unbroken in order to move on in the WOD. Apparently the fake pressure I put on myself helped. I'm such a CrossFit nerd. I love it. This WOD just made me sweat a ton. My shirt weighted about 20 pounds when I was done (so, I practically did the WOD in a weight vest...I should've done this in a weight vest...). I never know what to think about WODs like this. I don't really get tired. I don't rest. It's just constant movement from one movement to the next. Should I speed up? Tom, how am I supposed to attack these? I need goal times in these WODs. I like how RNCF keeps records of every WOD. I think that's really helpful. Can you tell I'm just rambling now? I just got done with 2 hours of legal research/editing. After I worked out for 2 hours. After I worked 9 hours.
Running
1 Mile Run
3 minute rest
1 Mile Run
NOTES: Well, the heat index in Bloomington was 102 today. Needless to say, it was so HOTTT. My IT bands and my glutes are shot from yesterday's pistols. I just wanted to get these miles in and not worry about time. Jenna and I had a good pace going. Nice and easy. We ran about a 9:25 and then a 9:15. Nothing to be crazy about, but nothing to be worried about either.
P.S. I wore my Real Fitness top today in honor of Talayna, and she liked my picture on Instagram. Best. Day. Ever.
Cheers to peach cobbler!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Mary
11am @ FitBodies
2 Rounds Not for Time:
4 Strict Deficit HSPU
10 GHD Sit-Ups
15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: I've never done a strict deficit HSPU before today. Those are no joke. I was doing them in sets of 2 and 1. I cut it down to 3 rounds because I had so much other stuff to do today. Plus, the gym was about 1,000 degrees, so it was easy to get my muscles warm.
*P.S. Go watch my videos at blondebarbellvideos!
Snatch
15min to build to max power snatch
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 140 (fail x 5)
NOTES: Again, there was a continuous stream of frustration flowing through my sweaty body. I've talked this over with Andy, and I think I'm going to start doing sets at lower percentages instead of focusing on weight. I clearly have issues with my form. My pull is crap. I let the bar float about 24" away from my body. I'm still jumping forward. And the list goes on. I have a lot to say about this issue, but I've been on the computer all day doing research and the last thing I want to do is type about something that makes my blood boil :) I promise I actually am a happy person.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 14
NOTES: As soon as I stood up with the weight I knew I wasn't going to get it. It felt really heavy and my head wasn't in it. Also, I don't usually feel the pain or fatigue in my legs. I feel it in my lower back, and I find it extremely hard to breathe because of the combination of the heavy (180 pounds!) weight on my back and my super, tiny, tight lifting belt. This is the second time I've missed this weight. I'm going to try it again on Saturday and get it!! (positive thoughts...positive thoughts...)
Good Mornings
5 x 85
5 x 105
5 x 115
5 x 125
5 x 135
NOTES: This was the first time I've really gone heavy on these. I think I was doing them right.
Bench Press
Find 1RM bench
1 x 85
1 x 105
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 150 (fail)
NOTES: The last time I maxed on bench was in January and I could barely get 125. Today I threw up 125 like it was the baby kettle bell. 135 also felt really light. 145 had a little struggle, and then I just couldn't lock out on 150. I was very surprised/impressed with this 1RM considering I haven't benched since January. It's crazy how a lift can improve by 20# without doing it at all.
"Mary"
20 AMRAP
5 HSPU
10 Pistols
15 Pull Ups
ROUNDS: 13
NOTES: I really wanted to get 12 rounds (because no one at RNCF has gotten that before), and I got 13! I was really proud of myself in this WOD. I did all my HSPU strict and unbroken. I pretty much did all my pistols unbroken, except for when I would kind of fall out of it and have to regain my balance. As soon as I dropped from my HSPU I make a quick pivot and did pistols, which was right under the pull-up bar. A wise man once told me to always WOD smart. I did all my PUs in sets of 5 with a 5 second break. I think I only had to break down the last set of 5 in each round for the last couple. I was constantly moving the entire time. It's crazy how fast 20min flies by. And, if you're curious. Completing 12 rounds means that I did 60 HSPU, 120 Pistols, and 180 Pull Ups. Pretty epic.
Shoulder Mobilization/Stabilization
Cheers to Avantis bread!
2 Rounds Not for Time:
4 Strict Deficit HSPU
10 GHD Sit-Ups
15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: I've never done a strict deficit HSPU before today. Those are no joke. I was doing them in sets of 2 and 1. I cut it down to 3 rounds because I had so much other stuff to do today. Plus, the gym was about 1,000 degrees, so it was easy to get my muscles warm.
*P.S. Go watch my videos at blondebarbellvideos!
Snatch
15min to build to max power snatch
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 140 (fail x 5)
NOTES: Again, there was a continuous stream of frustration flowing through my sweaty body. I've talked this over with Andy, and I think I'm going to start doing sets at lower percentages instead of focusing on weight. I clearly have issues with my form. My pull is crap. I let the bar float about 24" away from my body. I'm still jumping forward. And the list goes on. I have a lot to say about this issue, but I've been on the computer all day doing research and the last thing I want to do is type about something that makes my blood boil :) I promise I actually am a happy person.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 14
NOTES: As soon as I stood up with the weight I knew I wasn't going to get it. It felt really heavy and my head wasn't in it. Also, I don't usually feel the pain or fatigue in my legs. I feel it in my lower back, and I find it extremely hard to breathe because of the combination of the heavy (180 pounds!) weight on my back and my super, tiny, tight lifting belt. This is the second time I've missed this weight. I'm going to try it again on Saturday and get it!! (positive thoughts...positive thoughts...)
Good Mornings
5 x 85
5 x 105
5 x 115
5 x 125
5 x 135
NOTES: This was the first time I've really gone heavy on these. I think I was doing them right.
Bench Press
Find 1RM bench
1 x 85
1 x 105
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 150 (fail)
NOTES: The last time I maxed on bench was in January and I could barely get 125. Today I threw up 125 like it was the baby kettle bell. 135 also felt really light. 145 had a little struggle, and then I just couldn't lock out on 150. I was very surprised/impressed with this 1RM considering I haven't benched since January. It's crazy how a lift can improve by 20# without doing it at all.
"Mary"
20 AMRAP
5 HSPU
10 Pistols
15 Pull Ups
ROUNDS: 13
NOTES: I really wanted to get 12 rounds (because no one at RNCF has gotten that before), and I got 13! I was really proud of myself in this WOD. I did all my HSPU strict and unbroken. I pretty much did all my pistols unbroken, except for when I would kind of fall out of it and have to regain my balance. As soon as I dropped from my HSPU I make a quick pivot and did pistols, which was right under the pull-up bar. A wise man once told me to always WOD smart. I did all my PUs in sets of 5 with a 5 second break. I think I only had to break down the last set of 5 in each round for the last couple. I was constantly moving the entire time. It's crazy how fast 20min flies by. And, if you're curious. Completing 12 rounds means that I did 60 HSPU, 120 Pistols, and 180 Pull Ups. Pretty epic.
Shoulder Mobilization/Stabilization
Cheers to Avantis bread!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
DT
5:30pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not for Time:
5 Burpee Muscle Up
10 DB Snatch (40, 45, 50)
Max L-Sit
NOTES: The burpee muscle ups felt pretty good. I pretty much just dropped, did the burpee, then jumped back up. I am terrible at L-Sits. Andy said to try and do at least 30 seconds...I did 20, and that was a struggle.
Squat Clean & Jerk
15 min to build to 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175 (fail)
1 x 185
NOTES: We really rushed through these today. I wanted to be able to jump in with the class. I could have gone up a little bit, but I ran out of time. It felt pretty good.
OH Squat
Build to max OH Squat (no more than 5 reps)
1 x 125
1 x 150
1 x 165
1 x 175
NOTES: These actually felt really good. I haven't heavy OH squatted since Regionals. Again, like the C&J, we ran out of time. I can for sure put weight on to that movement. I felt so stable. I was able to find that "sweet spot" every time.
"DT"
5 Rounds
12 DL (105)
9 Hang Cleans (105)
6 Push Jerk (105)
TIME: 6:36
NOTES: The first time I did DT I got 13:00. The second time I improved to a whoping 8:46. And, today I beasted a 6:36. I wanted to get under 6:45. I barely rested this time. Every time I set down the bar I would only take a couple seconds. Then, between sets I would take less than 10 seconds. My first round was the only round I did completely unbroken. It took me about :40 seconds to complete that. I did all my DL unbroken. I had to break up my hang cleans because my hands were destroyed from the DL (I hook grip my deads). The push jerks were alright.
Running
800m run
1 min rest
400m run
NOTES: This was relaxed and easy. It felt good to move my legs after the WOD.
Post-WOD
4 x 10 GHD Raises
3 x 3 Turkish Get Ups (25)
NOTES: These were average. I basically forgot how to do turkish get ups. I don't think I was doing it right.
Cheers to home videos!
3 Rounds Not for Time:
5 Burpee Muscle Up
10 DB Snatch (40, 45, 50)
Max L-Sit
NOTES: The burpee muscle ups felt pretty good. I pretty much just dropped, did the burpee, then jumped back up. I am terrible at L-Sits. Andy said to try and do at least 30 seconds...I did 20, and that was a struggle.
Squat Clean & Jerk
15 min to build to 1RM
1 x 125
1 x 155
1 x 175 (fail)
1 x 185
NOTES: We really rushed through these today. I wanted to be able to jump in with the class. I could have gone up a little bit, but I ran out of time. It felt pretty good.
OH Squat
Build to max OH Squat (no more than 5 reps)
1 x 125
1 x 150
1 x 165
1 x 175
NOTES: These actually felt really good. I haven't heavy OH squatted since Regionals. Again, like the C&J, we ran out of time. I can for sure put weight on to that movement. I felt so stable. I was able to find that "sweet spot" every time.
"DT"
5 Rounds
12 DL (105)
9 Hang Cleans (105)
6 Push Jerk (105)
TIME: 6:36
NOTES: The first time I did DT I got 13:00. The second time I improved to a whoping 8:46. And, today I beasted a 6:36. I wanted to get under 6:45. I barely rested this time. Every time I set down the bar I would only take a couple seconds. Then, between sets I would take less than 10 seconds. My first round was the only round I did completely unbroken. It took me about :40 seconds to complete that. I did all my DL unbroken. I had to break up my hang cleans because my hands were destroyed from the DL (I hook grip my deads). The push jerks were alright.
Running
800m run
1 min rest
400m run
NOTES: This was relaxed and easy. It felt good to move my legs after the WOD.
Post-WOD
4 x 10 GHD Raises
3 x 3 Turkish Get Ups (25)
NOTES: These were average. I basically forgot how to do turkish get ups. I don't think I was doing it right.
Cheers to home videos!
Monday, July 15, 2013
ugh.
5:30pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Bottoms Up KB Presses (18)
10 BF Chest to Bar PU
50 DU
NOTES: This was the first time I really spent any amount of substantial time trying to do BF Chest to Bar. I was able to link about 5-6 together pretty consistently. But, I need to watch someone do them. I feel like I'm kipping really far backwards and it started to aggrevate my lower back.
Squat Snatch
Find 1RM:
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 145 (fail x5)
NOTES: I was beyond frustrated with this today. I removed the plates, and was confident that I wasn't going to go to my toes too early, or jump forward. I felt pretty good about the light weights, but when Andy looked over the videos he said no too much was corrected. That's depressing. I'm still letting the bar swoop out way too far from my body. I didn't notice myself jumping forward very much. I think that was at least a little better. But, I have a serious mental block at 145#. I've been trying to break this barrier since before Regionals and it is extremely frustrating. I know I am strong enough to do it. Strength isn't the issue. Bad, awful, horrible form is the issue. And, it's really frustrating to try and teach yourself this movement. Andy is a huge help, but it sucks that he is working remotely. I wanted to get 145# so bad. But, it seemed like the more I tried, the worst my form got. Ugh. It pretty much ruined the rest of my day and put me in an awful mood. I needed someone to just tell me to get over myself and move on.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 17
NOTES: I knew I was going to drop the bar before 20 reps at about rep 5. I couldn't find a comfortable spot for my feet and my back hurt. I wasn't really feeling it in my legs. For some reason I just couldn't find that 'sweet spot' at the bottom. I was also still upset about my snatches, so I wasn't focused on the present squats. I'm really frustrated with myself. I know better than to let one movement dictate my entire workout. I should be able to get this on Wednesday.
OTM:
7 OTM Squat Snatch at 85% (125)
NOTES: These felt pretty good. I tried to stick the squat and not move my feet. Who knows if I was actually doing that or not. They felt relatively stable compared to my earlier ones.
7 OTM Squat Clean & Jerk at 85% (165)
NOTES: The bottom of the squat clean felt pretty heavy for it only being 165#. Looking back, I'm realizing that my squat was causing me a lot of problems today. I don't think I properly warmed up my squat today. I was late getting out of the office and my warm up was not as thorough as I like it. This is clear evidence that a proper warm up will do the body good. Lesson learned.
WOD...there was no WOD today because we got kicked out before we could do one.
Rowing
4 x 500
TIME: 2:00.2; 2:01.9; 2:02.9; 2:05.3
NOTES: I knew we were running out of time, so I chose to row instead of getting in a short WOD. I haven't rowed for awhile. I'm really trying to focus on better rowing form. I'm not pulling to my neck or leaning back parallel to the floor anymore, thank goodness! I was happy with my consistent times. I think the last time was a little off. It was good to feel that burning in your legs that only comes with sprinting and rowing.
Moral of the Story: Paige needs to stop having pitty-parties for herself and GET OVER IT.
Cheers to late night research assignments!
3 Rounds Not for Time:
10 Bottoms Up KB Presses (18)
10 BF Chest to Bar PU
50 DU
NOTES: This was the first time I really spent any amount of substantial time trying to do BF Chest to Bar. I was able to link about 5-6 together pretty consistently. But, I need to watch someone do them. I feel like I'm kipping really far backwards and it started to aggrevate my lower back.
Squat Snatch
Find 1RM:
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 145 (fail x5)
NOTES: I was beyond frustrated with this today. I removed the plates, and was confident that I wasn't going to go to my toes too early, or jump forward. I felt pretty good about the light weights, but when Andy looked over the videos he said no too much was corrected. That's depressing. I'm still letting the bar swoop out way too far from my body. I didn't notice myself jumping forward very much. I think that was at least a little better. But, I have a serious mental block at 145#. I've been trying to break this barrier since before Regionals and it is extremely frustrating. I know I am strong enough to do it. Strength isn't the issue. Bad, awful, horrible form is the issue. And, it's really frustrating to try and teach yourself this movement. Andy is a huge help, but it sucks that he is working remotely. I wanted to get 145# so bad. But, it seemed like the more I tried, the worst my form got. Ugh. It pretty much ruined the rest of my day and put me in an awful mood. I needed someone to just tell me to get over myself and move on.
Back Squat
20 x 180
REPS: 17
NOTES: I knew I was going to drop the bar before 20 reps at about rep 5. I couldn't find a comfortable spot for my feet and my back hurt. I wasn't really feeling it in my legs. For some reason I just couldn't find that 'sweet spot' at the bottom. I was also still upset about my snatches, so I wasn't focused on the present squats. I'm really frustrated with myself. I know better than to let one movement dictate my entire workout. I should be able to get this on Wednesday.
OTM:
7 OTM Squat Snatch at 85% (125)
NOTES: These felt pretty good. I tried to stick the squat and not move my feet. Who knows if I was actually doing that or not. They felt relatively stable compared to my earlier ones.
7 OTM Squat Clean & Jerk at 85% (165)
NOTES: The bottom of the squat clean felt pretty heavy for it only being 165#. Looking back, I'm realizing that my squat was causing me a lot of problems today. I don't think I properly warmed up my squat today. I was late getting out of the office and my warm up was not as thorough as I like it. This is clear evidence that a proper warm up will do the body good. Lesson learned.
WOD...there was no WOD today because we got kicked out before we could do one.
Rowing
4 x 500
TIME: 2:00.2; 2:01.9; 2:02.9; 2:05.3
NOTES: I knew we were running out of time, so I chose to row instead of getting in a short WOD. I haven't rowed for awhile. I'm really trying to focus on better rowing form. I'm not pulling to my neck or leaning back parallel to the floor anymore, thank goodness! I was happy with my consistent times. I think the last time was a little off. It was good to feel that burning in your legs that only comes with sprinting and rowing.
Moral of the Story: Paige needs to stop having pitty-parties for herself and GET OVER IT.
Cheers to late night research assignments!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
DL and Push Press
5:30pm at FitBodies
3 Rounds Not For Time:
10 Deficit HSPU
10 GHD Sit Up
10 Hip Extension
NOTES: I did the HSPU in sets of 5. These felt pretty good. I still don't like GHD sit-ups.
Clean & Jerk
20 min to find 1RM on plates
1 x 105
1 x 155
1 x 175 (push jerk)
1 x 190 (split jerk) (fail, make)
1 x 200 (fail on pull, fail on squat)
NOTES: I was so excited to get the 200 up, but I couldn't stand it up. My legs are so fatigued from this week. I don't even realize that I'm on the plates anymore.
Push Press
Find 1RM
1 x 105
1 x 135
1 x 155
1 x 160 (fail, make)
NOTES: This is a new PR on my push press. My dip still needs a lot of work. I'm leaning forward a ton and going to my toes early. Sound familiar? I need a coach in my ear when I'm working on this. It's really hard to fix by yourself.
WOD:
10 Rounds
5 DL (155)
25 Double Unders
TIME: 5:31
NOTES: I love that 155# dead lifts finally feel easy. Thank goodness. I wanted to get 5:00 (because Andy got 5:01). I missed about 3 DU and my rope got tangled once. I didn't really take any rest and I tried to keep my rope close to my bar. I don't really know where I could make up 30 seconds. I'm just happy I can do 50 DL and not feel it in my back.
Shoulder Mobility/Stabilization
Cheers to Zambia!
3 Rounds Not For Time:
10 Deficit HSPU
10 GHD Sit Up
10 Hip Extension
NOTES: I did the HSPU in sets of 5. These felt pretty good. I still don't like GHD sit-ups.
Clean & Jerk
20 min to find 1RM on plates
1 x 105
1 x 155
1 x 175 (push jerk)
1 x 190 (split jerk) (fail, make)
1 x 200 (fail on pull, fail on squat)
NOTES: I was so excited to get the 200 up, but I couldn't stand it up. My legs are so fatigued from this week. I don't even realize that I'm on the plates anymore.
Push Press
Find 1RM
1 x 105
1 x 135
1 x 155
1 x 160 (fail, make)
NOTES: This is a new PR on my push press. My dip still needs a lot of work. I'm leaning forward a ton and going to my toes early. Sound familiar? I need a coach in my ear when I'm working on this. It's really hard to fix by yourself.
WOD:
10 Rounds
5 DL (155)
25 Double Unders
TIME: 5:31
NOTES: I love that 155# dead lifts finally feel easy. Thank goodness. I wanted to get 5:00 (because Andy got 5:01). I missed about 3 DU and my rope got tangled once. I didn't really take any rest and I tried to keep my rope close to my bar. I don't really know where I could make up 30 seconds. I'm just happy I can do 50 DL and not feel it in my back.
Shoulder Mobility/Stabilization
Cheers to Zambia!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Eva
3pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not For Time:
50 DU
5 Man Makers (With DB in each hand, 1 push up, 1 row for each hand, squat clean, and press) (25)
NOTES: This was my first encounter with Man Makers. They were kinda not fun. I was supposed to do 10, but I was not feeling it. I was feeling pretty exhausted from yesterday's long complex.
Snatch
15 mins to find 1RM on plates
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135 (fail, fail, fail)
NOTES: I couldn't figure out why I kept missing 135#. I was catching it over my head, but I just couldn't stick it and stand it up. Andy couldn't figure out what was going on. We both came to the conclusion that I was just fatigued and today wasn't a day to find a 1RM.
Back Squat
20 x 175 (repeat from Monday)
NOTES: Thank goodness! I missed this on Monday (with only 16 reps). I felt a lot more stable and focused today. I also remembered to put on my belt and kept calm. It wasn't too horrible.
"Eva"
5 Rounds:
800m Run
30 KB Swings (53)
30 Pull Ups
TIME: 46:05
NOTES: This was an epic WOD. But, it was actually a lot easier than I though it would be. All my rounds were between 8:30-10:00. Thanks to poor planning on our part and the evil ways of Mother Nature, the last 200m of our 800m course was uphill and into the wind. Woo-hoo! I did all my KB swings in sets of 10 and my Pull ups in sets of 5. I tried to rest less than 10sec whenever I rested. I don't think I would do anything different. I can totally tell that my motor is a lot stronger. I was able to kept on pace the entire 46 minutes. I never hit that red line, and I was able to control my breathing the whole time. It would have been interesting to chase someone in this WOD.
Remember to take a peak at my YouTube channel: blondebarbellvideos
Cheers to 2 1/2 miles!
3 Rounds Not For Time:
50 DU
5 Man Makers (With DB in each hand, 1 push up, 1 row for each hand, squat clean, and press) (25)
NOTES: This was my first encounter with Man Makers. They were kinda not fun. I was supposed to do 10, but I was not feeling it. I was feeling pretty exhausted from yesterday's long complex.
Snatch
15 mins to find 1RM on plates
1 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135 (fail, fail, fail)
NOTES: I couldn't figure out why I kept missing 135#. I was catching it over my head, but I just couldn't stick it and stand it up. Andy couldn't figure out what was going on. We both came to the conclusion that I was just fatigued and today wasn't a day to find a 1RM.
Back Squat
20 x 175 (repeat from Monday)
NOTES: Thank goodness! I missed this on Monday (with only 16 reps). I felt a lot more stable and focused today. I also remembered to put on my belt and kept calm. It wasn't too horrible.
"Eva"
5 Rounds:
800m Run
30 KB Swings (53)
30 Pull Ups
TIME: 46:05
NOTES: This was an epic WOD. But, it was actually a lot easier than I though it would be. All my rounds were between 8:30-10:00. Thanks to poor planning on our part and the evil ways of Mother Nature, the last 200m of our 800m course was uphill and into the wind. Woo-hoo! I did all my KB swings in sets of 10 and my Pull ups in sets of 5. I tried to rest less than 10sec whenever I rested. I don't think I would do anything different. I can totally tell that my motor is a lot stronger. I was able to kept on pace the entire 46 minutes. I never hit that red line, and I was able to control my breathing the whole time. It would have been interesting to chase someone in this WOD.
Remember to take a peak at my YouTube channel: blondebarbellvideos
Cheers to 2 1/2 miles!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
#painstorm
5:30 pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds
6 Burpess Over the Box (18")(can NOT touch the box)
3 Bar MU
TIME: 1:53
NOTES: I did all the bar MU unbroken, but they were a little more difficult than usual since this was the first movement of the day. I wasn't that warmed up. I fatigued really bad on the last rep. I still got it, but I caught it a lot lower than usual.
Clean & Jerk
15 min to find max C&J on plates
1 x 125 (push jerk)
1 x 155 (push jerk)
1 x 170 (push jerk)
1 x 180 (split jerk)
1 x 190 (no jerk)
NOTES: I was surprised how easy the 180 and 190 went up. I'm not leaning into my toes anymore on the plates. I didn't jerk it because my back felt a little off after the 170# jerk. I hyperextended a little too much on the heavy push jerk.
OH Squat Tabata
4min of 20 sec work/10 sec rest
OH Squat (95)
NOTES: I did 5 reps in both Round 1 and 2. I only did 3 reps in the rest of the Rounds. By the time I snatched the bar up, I really didn't have that much time. I probably could have done at least one more rep in each round, but I wanted to save my legs and arms for the WOD.
#painstorm
30 AMRAP
5 DL (95)
5 Hang Clean (95)
5 Front Squat (95)
5 Push Jerk (95)
5 Back Squat (95)
ROUNDS: 20
NOTES: I kept a good pace the whole time. I did a round every 1:30. It took me about 40-45 sec to do a round, so I got about 45 sec rest each time. It really wasn't that difficult. The extreme temperature of the gym is what made this difficult. If I did this again, I would either go 15 more minutes (as was prescribed in HyperFit)or move the weight up to 85#. It was easy to do all the reps unbroken. And the 45 sec was more than enough time to recover. It wasn't as 'painstormy' as I thought it would be. But, it was still a solid WOD.
I've been surprising myself lately with these longer WODs. I've been able to maintain my strength for a lot longer periods of time (thanks to the training and new supplements).
Cheers to $1.99 Mango Margs!
3 Rounds
6 Burpess Over the Box (18")(can NOT touch the box)
3 Bar MU
TIME: 1:53
NOTES: I did all the bar MU unbroken, but they were a little more difficult than usual since this was the first movement of the day. I wasn't that warmed up. I fatigued really bad on the last rep. I still got it, but I caught it a lot lower than usual.
Clean & Jerk
15 min to find max C&J on plates
1 x 125 (push jerk)
1 x 155 (push jerk)
1 x 170 (push jerk)
1 x 180 (split jerk)
1 x 190 (no jerk)
NOTES: I was surprised how easy the 180 and 190 went up. I'm not leaning into my toes anymore on the plates. I didn't jerk it because my back felt a little off after the 170# jerk. I hyperextended a little too much on the heavy push jerk.
OH Squat Tabata
4min of 20 sec work/10 sec rest
OH Squat (95)
NOTES: I did 5 reps in both Round 1 and 2. I only did 3 reps in the rest of the Rounds. By the time I snatched the bar up, I really didn't have that much time. I probably could have done at least one more rep in each round, but I wanted to save my legs and arms for the WOD.
#painstorm
30 AMRAP
5 DL (95)
5 Hang Clean (95)
5 Front Squat (95)
5 Push Jerk (95)
5 Back Squat (95)
ROUNDS: 20
NOTES: I kept a good pace the whole time. I did a round every 1:30. It took me about 40-45 sec to do a round, so I got about 45 sec rest each time. It really wasn't that difficult. The extreme temperature of the gym is what made this difficult. If I did this again, I would either go 15 more minutes (as was prescribed in HyperFit)or move the weight up to 85#. It was easy to do all the reps unbroken. And the 45 sec was more than enough time to recover. It wasn't as 'painstormy' as I thought it would be. But, it was still a solid WOD.
I've been surprising myself lately with these longer WODs. I've been able to maintain my strength for a lot longer periods of time (thanks to the training and new supplements).
Cheers to $1.99 Mango Margs!
Monday, July 8, 2013
And runnin, runnin...
5:30pm at FitBodies
3 Rounds Not For Time:
1MU + 4 Dips
15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: It felt really weird to do dips on the high rings. We flew through this in a couple minutes.
Strength Endurance Training:
7 x 2 OTM Squat Snatch at 80% max (115)
NOTES: This wasn't too bad. I did these on the plates. I feel like I keep back in my heel a lot more. Thank goodness. It was about 200 degrees at the gym today and I was dripping sweat the whole time. It was epic.
Back Squat
20 x 175
REPS COMPLETED: 16 :(
NOTES: I was extremely rushed today. We had to make sure we could jump in the class WOD at about 6:15. I didn't have my belt on, I wasn't focused on my squats, and I was trying to hurry, which meant that it was a disaster. I know I can get this weight. I was very distracted.
7 x 2 OTM Squat Clean & Jerk at 80% max (155)
NOTES: I was made after my back squats, so these felt really easy. My anger transferred into better pulls. Sliver lining. I push jerked all the jerks (I usually split jerk), and they felt really easy.
WOD:
1 Mile Run
50 Wall Balls (14# at 9')
40 Russian Swings (53)
30 HSPU
20 Box Overs (20")
10 MU
TIME: 18:05
NOTES: I really liked this WOD. I ran a 7:40 mile, which is really good for me! Then, I broke up everything into sets of 10. I took 8 seconds between sets on the wall balls, 6 on the KB, 10 on the HSPU, and like 5 seconds on the box overs. I planned to do at least double on my MUs, but I was so sweaty that my hands and arms kept slipping on the rings. It was actually really terrifying. So, I decided to value my safety and stick to solid singles. I really wasn't too gased after this.
Rest 5 minutes...
EMOM (6 Minutes)
15 American KB Swings (53)(Odd Minutes)
30 Double Unders (Even Minutes)
NOTES: The 'heavy' KB swings don't feel too heavy anymore. Yay for getting stronger.
Running:
6 x 400m Run (2 Minute Rest)
NOTES: I'm glad we stuck around and did these after the WOD. 2:08, 2:00, 1:56, 1:55, 1:44, 1:39. Obviously we got faster on each run. My legs and lungs felt great today. I was able to really sprint it in on the last rep. I always feel accomplished after repeat 400s. #bettereveryday
3 Rounds Not For Time:
1MU + 4 Dips
15 Hip Extensions
NOTES: It felt really weird to do dips on the high rings. We flew through this in a couple minutes.
Strength Endurance Training:
7 x 2 OTM Squat Snatch at 80% max (115)
NOTES: This wasn't too bad. I did these on the plates. I feel like I keep back in my heel a lot more. Thank goodness. It was about 200 degrees at the gym today and I was dripping sweat the whole time. It was epic.
Back Squat
20 x 175
REPS COMPLETED: 16 :(
NOTES: I was extremely rushed today. We had to make sure we could jump in the class WOD at about 6:15. I didn't have my belt on, I wasn't focused on my squats, and I was trying to hurry, which meant that it was a disaster. I know I can get this weight. I was very distracted.
7 x 2 OTM Squat Clean & Jerk at 80% max (155)
NOTES: I was made after my back squats, so these felt really easy. My anger transferred into better pulls. Sliver lining. I push jerked all the jerks (I usually split jerk), and they felt really easy.
WOD:
1 Mile Run
50 Wall Balls (14# at 9')
40 Russian Swings (53)
30 HSPU
20 Box Overs (20")
10 MU
TIME: 18:05
NOTES: I really liked this WOD. I ran a 7:40 mile, which is really good for me! Then, I broke up everything into sets of 10. I took 8 seconds between sets on the wall balls, 6 on the KB, 10 on the HSPU, and like 5 seconds on the box overs. I planned to do at least double on my MUs, but I was so sweaty that my hands and arms kept slipping on the rings. It was actually really terrifying. So, I decided to value my safety and stick to solid singles. I really wasn't too gased after this.
Rest 5 minutes...
EMOM (6 Minutes)
15 American KB Swings (53)(Odd Minutes)
30 Double Unders (Even Minutes)
NOTES: The 'heavy' KB swings don't feel too heavy anymore. Yay for getting stronger.
Running:
6 x 400m Run (2 Minute Rest)
NOTES: I'm glad we stuck around and did these after the WOD. 2:08, 2:00, 1:56, 1:55, 1:44, 1:39. Obviously we got faster on each run. My legs and lungs felt great today. I was able to really sprint it in on the last rep. I always feel accomplished after repeat 400s. #bettereveryday
Ryan knows what's up.
Cheers to Loyola Law Journal!
30 Ways to Train Better
Tom posted an article this morning: "30 Ways to Train Better". I think it's a pretty solid list that is more than worth sharing. Some seem more applicable than others.
And here it is.
- Finish every last rep, regardless of your time or placing
- practice ‘intentional perfection’
- write down each WOD and strength workout and your results
- go to that “dark place”
- study mobility WOD
- foam roll
- lacrosse ball
- stretch
- sleep 8 hours a night
- eat breakfast (preferably healthy)
- show up early and get a great warmup
- hydrate
- eat well (whatever this needs to look like and mean to you)
- work one on one with a gymnastics coach
- study gymnastics WOD
- learn proper gymnastics movement progressions
- work one on one with an olympic lifting coach
- check out Spencer Arnold’s Olympic Lifting Blog
- PR your snatch
- PR your Clean and Jerk
- set SMART goals and write them down!
- take an active recovery day
- learn burpee mechanics and “skill transfer”
- cheer on the athletes better than you
- cheer on the newest athletes in the gym
- film yourself practicing your weaknesses
- know all of your gym’s members names, use them!
- practice squatting with vertical torso, hitting full bottom, and activating stretch reflect bounce out of bottom
- high five the new person at the gym
- HAVE FUN
For the whole article, check out http://www.tyrellmara.com/debunking-crossfit-rx-fallacy-30-ways-train/.
Cheers to sunburn!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Twinkies
8am at FitBodies
WU:
DU
HS Walking
Sots Press
NOTES: I didn't have any set number of reps or rounds, I just messed around with each movement.
Snatch
1RM snatch on plates
1 x 75
1 x 105
1 x120
1 x 130 (fail, fail, make)
1 x 135 (f, f, f, f, f)
NOTES: I got pretty frustrated with 135. I couldn't figure out why I was missing it. I think it was a combination of bringing the bar too far away from my body and not catching it above my head (I was catching it a little forward...because I'm chasing after the bar). I was pretty excited that I got 130, though.
Back Squat
20 x 170
NOTES: I went pretty consistent through all 20 reps. The last three were pretty hard, but tolerable. I felt warmed up this time, so it wasn't as bad.
Rest 10 minutes...
15 AMRAP
3 DL (95)
3 Hang Cleans (95)
3 Jerks (95)
ROUNDS: 27
NOTES: I thought that this was a pretty good WOD, I was doing about one round each 30 seconds. When I reported back to Andy he said I probably should have gone a little heavier, which is awesome. I can tell that, finally, both my strength and my endurance are improving. It felt good. I never really got fatigued. I was just really sweaty and I had to keep chalking up my hands so the bar didn't go flying.
Sled Pulls
6 x Sled + 100# down the turf
NOTES: Jenna and I did this in super sonic speed! We only had about 10min before the gym was going to close. We also had to use our enginerring skills to come up with a substitute for a harness, since neither of us has one. So, we just grabbed two thick bands, wrapped them around the base of the prowler, threw our weights on top, grabbed a band in each hand, and pulled the prowler like a farm animal. ha. It actually worked out really well! I LOVE that FitBodies has this awesome turf to work on!
Also, you can tell that Jenna and I have been spending a lot of time together. We showed up to the gym this morning in the exact same outfit :) Purple tops, black spandex, purple shoes, and of course, a stylish braid!
Cheers to bunheads!
WU:
DU
HS Walking
Sots Press
NOTES: I didn't have any set number of reps or rounds, I just messed around with each movement.
Snatch
1RM snatch on plates
1 x 75
1 x 105
1 x120
1 x 130 (fail, fail, make)
1 x 135 (f, f, f, f, f)
NOTES: I got pretty frustrated with 135. I couldn't figure out why I was missing it. I think it was a combination of bringing the bar too far away from my body and not catching it above my head (I was catching it a little forward...because I'm chasing after the bar). I was pretty excited that I got 130, though.
Back Squat
20 x 170
NOTES: I went pretty consistent through all 20 reps. The last three were pretty hard, but tolerable. I felt warmed up this time, so it wasn't as bad.
Rest 10 minutes...
15 AMRAP
3 DL (95)
3 Hang Cleans (95)
3 Jerks (95)
ROUNDS: 27
NOTES: I thought that this was a pretty good WOD, I was doing about one round each 30 seconds. When I reported back to Andy he said I probably should have gone a little heavier, which is awesome. I can tell that, finally, both my strength and my endurance are improving. It felt good. I never really got fatigued. I was just really sweaty and I had to keep chalking up my hands so the bar didn't go flying.
Sled Pulls
6 x Sled + 100# down the turf
NOTES: Jenna and I did this in super sonic speed! We only had about 10min before the gym was going to close. We also had to use our enginerring skills to come up with a substitute for a harness, since neither of us has one. So, we just grabbed two thick bands, wrapped them around the base of the prowler, threw our weights on top, grabbed a band in each hand, and pulled the prowler like a farm animal. ha. It actually worked out really well! I LOVE that FitBodies has this awesome turf to work on!
Also, you can tell that Jenna and I have been spending a lot of time together. We showed up to the gym this morning in the exact same outfit :) Purple tops, black spandex, purple shoes, and of course, a stylish braid!
Cheers to bunheads!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'MERICA!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREAT U.S OF A!
#back2backWWchamps
(teams of 4: 2 men, 2 women)
4 laps around turf (each partner must carry med ball for 1 lap)
30 Lateral plank burpees AND DL hang/front rack (1 woman holds plank while other woman does burpees over her; 1 man holds DL hang while other holds front rack, everyone must complete each movement)
30 Front squats (both men must complete 30 squats each while both women hold iso squat, then switch)
30 Push Press (both bars moving at same time, can only complete 5 reps at a time)
100m partner carry (each partner must be carried for 100m)
NOTES: This WOD was a blast! I had an awesome team and we had a great time! I wasn't worried about times or scores or ranks. It felt good to WOD with the group and enjoy ourselves on this beautiful morning!
Now it's time to head to the lake! Happy 4th of July!
Cheers to AMERICA!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
blondebarebell on YouTube!
I've starting uploading videos to my new channel on YouTube
Check it out!
blondebarebellvideos
Cheers to red, white & blue jello!
Morrison
11am @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not For Time
10 KB Snatches (35)
8 Deficit HSPU
8 GHD Situps
NOTES: The KB snatches felt a little strange because I haven't done them for so long. The bell kept slamming into my forearm. It was not the most comfortable thing ever. The deficit HSPU felt pretty good. I did all my sets in 5/3. I didn't want to burn out my shoulders before I even started. Tom pointed out that I need to work on making my kip more efficient. I'm not even bringing my hips off the wall. The GHD were so painful after Annie yesterday.
Power Cleans
15min to establish 1RM off plates
2 x 85
2 x 115
2 x 145
1 x 165 (fail)
1 x 170
1 x 180 (fail, make)
NOTES: These felt pretty good. Last week I couldn't even get up a 180 power clean for the life of me. This drill is slowly changing my life :)
Back Squat
20 x 165
NOTES: This was pretty hard. But not impossible. I think I need to work on getting just a tiny bit lower on my squats. I'm getting to comfortable barely breaking parallel, which is not good when you have a mean judge.
Rest 10 minutes...
"Morrison"
50-40-30-20-10
Wall Balls (14 to 9')
Box Jumps (20")
KB Swings (35)
TIME: 18:32
NOTES:
Round 1 - 5:37
Round 2 - 5:11
Round 3 - 4:02
Round 4 - 2:34
Round 5 - 1:08
I tried really hard not to redline on anything. I broke up things more than I probably needed to, but I was able to finish really strong. I tried to limit my rest to 5-8 when I would break up the movement. I used the box jumps as my rest. Surprisingly the KB swings were hard for me (I thought those were going to be the easiest). I tried to do either sets of 20 or 10 for pretty much everything. My upper back and traps were pretty tight after this.
Shoulder Mobilization/Stabilization
Cheers to Smoothie King app!
3 Rounds Not For Time
10 KB Snatches (35)
8 Deficit HSPU
8 GHD Situps
NOTES: The KB snatches felt a little strange because I haven't done them for so long. The bell kept slamming into my forearm. It was not the most comfortable thing ever. The deficit HSPU felt pretty good. I did all my sets in 5/3. I didn't want to burn out my shoulders before I even started. Tom pointed out that I need to work on making my kip more efficient. I'm not even bringing my hips off the wall. The GHD were so painful after Annie yesterday.
Power Cleans
15min to establish 1RM off plates
2 x 85
2 x 115
2 x 145
1 x 165 (fail)
1 x 170
1 x 180 (fail, make)
NOTES: These felt pretty good. Last week I couldn't even get up a 180 power clean for the life of me. This drill is slowly changing my life :)
Back Squat
20 x 165
NOTES: This was pretty hard. But not impossible. I think I need to work on getting just a tiny bit lower on my squats. I'm getting to comfortable barely breaking parallel, which is not good when you have a mean judge.
Rest 10 minutes...
"Morrison"
50-40-30-20-10
Wall Balls (14 to 9')
Box Jumps (20")
KB Swings (35)
TIME: 18:32
NOTES:
Round 1 - 5:37
Round 2 - 5:11
Round 3 - 4:02
Round 4 - 2:34
Round 5 - 1:08
I tried really hard not to redline on anything. I broke up things more than I probably needed to, but I was able to finish really strong. I tried to limit my rest to 5-8 when I would break up the movement. I used the box jumps as my rest. Surprisingly the KB swings were hard for me (I thought those were going to be the easiest). I tried to do either sets of 20 or 10 for pretty much everything. My upper back and traps were pretty tight after this.
Shoulder Mobilization/Stabilization
Cheers to Smoothie King app!
Snatches off Plates
5:30pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not For Time
10 DB Snatch (40, 45, 50)
30 WB
5 UB Bar MU
NOTES: The snatches felt pretty good. The wall balls were all over the place. Tom was showing me show to squat early and catch the ball more at the bottom of the squat. When you do it right, it's fabulous. When you do it wrong, it feels super awkward, and I usually drop the ball. It's a work in progress. The bar muscle ups felt great. I love this movement when I have a good bar to work on.
"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
DUs
Sit-Ups
TIME: 5:41
NOTES: (previous Best 6:16 ). I didn't miss any DU, and I stayed pretty consistent on my situps. I don't know how I could go any faster, besides learning how to do a more efficient sit-up. It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but my abs were on fire by the time we left for the night.
Squat Snatch
15 min to build to 1RM
Do this standing on plates with toes hanging off so you can't shift weight to your toes.
2 x 65
2 x 85
2 x 105
2 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135 (fail, fail, stepped off plates)
NOTES: These were crazy. It took me a couple rounds with the empty bar to figure out how to stop my feet from jumping wide and forward. But, once I got going, these felt awesome. Even though I stepped off the plates on 135, I still was able to stand it up on the plates. The bar's momentum took me forward. So, yes, I did go to my toes, but I didn't go to my toes till a lot later than usual. I definitely need to add this drill to my bag of tricks. I guess Andy does know what he's talking about :)
Power Snatch Prison Rules
Every 15 seconds for 4 minutes complete 2 Power Snatches (75)
NOTES: I should have gone heavier on this. It wasn't bad at all. My heart rate didn't even rise very much.
WOD
3 Rounds:
400m run
20 burpees
10 Toes to bar
TIME: 11:00
NOTES: So, by the time we got done with everything else, we had missed the class WOD and only had 15min left before the doors were going to be locked on the gym. After some confusion and a misinterpreted phone call to an unnamed coach, Jenna and I were able to sneak in three rounds of this WOD. Turns out, this is not what we were supposed to do. Oops. But, who doesn't need more burpee practice?? The run actually felt pretty good today. I felt strong, even though my legs were burning.
P.S. I have no idea why the pictures will/won't show up sometimes. They usually show up on a computer, but not on my iPhone. Weird.
Cheers to Mike Wazowski!
3 Rounds Not For Time
10 DB Snatch (40, 45, 50)
30 WB
5 UB Bar MU
NOTES: The snatches felt pretty good. The wall balls were all over the place. Tom was showing me show to squat early and catch the ball more at the bottom of the squat. When you do it right, it's fabulous. When you do it wrong, it feels super awkward, and I usually drop the ball. It's a work in progress. The bar muscle ups felt great. I love this movement when I have a good bar to work on.
"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
DUs
Sit-Ups
TIME: 5:41
NOTES: (previous Best 6:16 ). I didn't miss any DU, and I stayed pretty consistent on my situps. I don't know how I could go any faster, besides learning how to do a more efficient sit-up. It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but my abs were on fire by the time we left for the night.
Squat Snatch
15 min to build to 1RM
Do this standing on plates with toes hanging off so you can't shift weight to your toes.
2 x 65
2 x 85
2 x 105
2 x 115
1 x 125
1 x 135 (fail, fail, stepped off plates)
NOTES: These were crazy. It took me a couple rounds with the empty bar to figure out how to stop my feet from jumping wide and forward. But, once I got going, these felt awesome. Even though I stepped off the plates on 135, I still was able to stand it up on the plates. The bar's momentum took me forward. So, yes, I did go to my toes, but I didn't go to my toes till a lot later than usual. I definitely need to add this drill to my bag of tricks. I guess Andy does know what he's talking about :)
Power Snatch Prison Rules
Every 15 seconds for 4 minutes complete 2 Power Snatches (75)
NOTES: I should have gone heavier on this. It wasn't bad at all. My heart rate didn't even rise very much.
WOD
3 Rounds:
400m run
20 burpees
10 Toes to bar
TIME: 11:00
NOTES: So, by the time we got done with everything else, we had missed the class WOD and only had 15min left before the doors were going to be locked on the gym. After some confusion and a misinterpreted phone call to an unnamed coach, Jenna and I were able to sneak in three rounds of this WOD. Turns out, this is not what we were supposed to do. Oops. But, who doesn't need more burpee practice?? The run actually felt pretty good today. I felt strong, even though my legs were burning.
P.S. I have no idea why the pictures will/won't show up sometimes. They usually show up on a computer, but not on my iPhone. Weird.
Cheers to Mike Wazowski!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
C&J on Plates
5:30pm @ FitBodies
3 Rounds Not for Time
50 DU
10 Bottoms up KB Press (18)
10 T2B
NOTES: The bottoms up KB Presses are no joke! They blast my forearms, which made the transition to T2B harder than it should be. I love trying out new movements.
Squat Clean and Jerk
15 min to build to max squat clean & jerk off plates.
Do this standing on plates (metal 45s flipped upside down) with toes handing off so you can't put weight into your toes.
1 x 65
1 x 95
1 x 115
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 155
1 x 165
1 x 175 (fail, fail, fail - stuck in bottom of squat)
NOTES: I was terrified to try this, but after being assured by Andy that I would not break my legs, I really got into it. I think this is one of the most helpful drills I've ever done to try and correct my awful Oly form. I have a horrible habit jumping forward/going to my toes way too quick when I lift. So, when you stand half way on a plate, you physically can't do this. The first couple were a little weird and awkward, but by the time I got up to 145 I had already learned how to transfer my weight back onto my heels. It was really helpful being able to actually see the weight shift to my toes when I would miss a rep. I'm interested to see how this works out on my snatches tomorrow.
Back Squat
20 x 160
NOTES: This actually felt better than the 155 on Saturday - probably because I had a full nights sleep and did a proper WU. I still need to work on breathing.
Death by Ball Slams
1 Power Clean (80% of max clean) (160)
1 Ball Slam (30)
1 Power Clean
2 Ball Slams
...
EMOM complete 1 PC and 1 ball slam. Each minute increase the number of ball slams by 1 rep. Continue until you can't complete the amount of prescribed ball slams.
ROUNDS: 15
NOTES: This was an interesting WOD. It took a really long time for this to get hard. We actually had to end up cutting ourselves off at 15 rounds because the gym was closing and we were getting kicked out. We finished up our 15 ball slams with still about 15 seconds left in the minute. I don't know what this WOD was supposed to do, but I don't think it did it for me. It felt really long for not much gain. Was this designed to be really long? Should we have taken shorter rest? Heavier clean? I walked away really confused from this WOD.
Cheers to creatine!
3 Rounds Not for Time
50 DU
10 Bottoms up KB Press (18)
10 T2B
NOTES: The bottoms up KB Presses are no joke! They blast my forearms, which made the transition to T2B harder than it should be. I love trying out new movements.
Squat Clean and Jerk
15 min to build to max squat clean & jerk off plates.
Do this standing on plates (metal 45s flipped upside down) with toes handing off so you can't put weight into your toes.
1 x 65
1 x 95
1 x 115
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 155
1 x 165
1 x 175 (fail, fail, fail - stuck in bottom of squat)
NOTES: I was terrified to try this, but after being assured by Andy that I would not break my legs, I really got into it. I think this is one of the most helpful drills I've ever done to try and correct my awful Oly form. I have a horrible habit jumping forward/going to my toes way too quick when I lift. So, when you stand half way on a plate, you physically can't do this. The first couple were a little weird and awkward, but by the time I got up to 145 I had already learned how to transfer my weight back onto my heels. It was really helpful being able to actually see the weight shift to my toes when I would miss a rep. I'm interested to see how this works out on my snatches tomorrow.
Back Squat
20 x 160
NOTES: This actually felt better than the 155 on Saturday - probably because I had a full nights sleep and did a proper WU. I still need to work on breathing.
Death by Ball Slams
1 Power Clean (80% of max clean) (160)
1 Ball Slam (30)
1 Power Clean
2 Ball Slams
...
EMOM complete 1 PC and 1 ball slam. Each minute increase the number of ball slams by 1 rep. Continue until you can't complete the amount of prescribed ball slams.
ROUNDS: 15
NOTES: This was an interesting WOD. It took a really long time for this to get hard. We actually had to end up cutting ourselves off at 15 rounds because the gym was closing and we were getting kicked out. We finished up our 15 ball slams with still about 15 seconds left in the minute. I don't know what this WOD was supposed to do, but I don't think it did it for me. It felt really long for not much gain. Was this designed to be really long? Should we have taken shorter rest? Heavier clean? I walked away really confused from this WOD.
Cheers to creatine!
July 2013 Best List
I'm pretty good at keeping records of my 1RMs and my top times in named WODs. But, what I'm not good at is keeping them all in one place.
I thought it would be helpful to keep a composite list and update it (roughly) each month. Not only will this allow me to keep everything together, it will also assist me in tracking my overall progress.
Enjoy!
Movement 1RM/Time/Rep Date
500m Row 1:51.4 1/17/13
Back Squat 255 5/22/13
Bench Press 125 1/17/13
Clean (squat) 195 6/24/13
Clean (power) 200 5/7/13
Clean and Jerk 195 6/24/13
Dead Lift 275 5/9/13
Double Unders 128 1/23/13
Front Squat 190 2/8/13
HSUP 24 1/31/13
Jerk 200 5/3/13
Mile 6:55 (treadmill) 3/30/13
MU 6 5/20/13
OH Squat 175 (2 reps) 5/17/13
Push Press 152 & 3 x 150 2/19/13 & 6/27/13
Snatch 145 5/10/13
Strict Press 105 12/22/12
Thruster 125 12/22/12
WOD Time Date
Annie 6:16 1/24/13
Cindy 22 +4 4/11/13
CF Total 465 12/22/12
Diane 3:04 4/19/13
DT 13:00 12/22/12
Fran 2:38 6/29/13
Grace 3:13 12/22/12
Helen 10:14 12/22/12
Holleyman 25:12 12/22/12
Isabel 6:20 1/28/13
Jackie 8:05 12/22/12
Jeremy 4:04 1/21/13
Karen 6:23 (Open) 3/21/13
Klepto 15:01 2/4/13
Nancy 14:33 4/16/13
Nate 13 + 6 1/16/13
Nicole 78 12/22/12
Randy 6:07 12/22/12
Cheers to organization!
Enjoy!
Movement 1RM/Time/Rep Date
500m Row 1:51.4 1/17/13
Back Squat 255 5/22/13
Bench Press 125 1/17/13
Clean (squat) 195 6/24/13
Clean (power) 200 5/7/13
Clean and Jerk 195 6/24/13
Dead Lift 275 5/9/13
Double Unders 128 1/23/13
Front Squat 190 2/8/13
HSUP 24 1/31/13
Jerk 200 5/3/13
Mile 6:55 (treadmill) 3/30/13
MU 6 5/20/13
OH Squat 175 (2 reps) 5/17/13
Push Press 152 & 3 x 150 2/19/13 & 6/27/13
Snatch 145 5/10/13
Strict Press 105 12/22/12
Thruster 125 12/22/12
WOD Time Date
Annie 6:16 1/24/13
Cindy 22 +4 4/11/13
CF Total 465 12/22/12
Diane 3:04 4/19/13
DT 13:00 12/22/12
Fran 2:38 6/29/13
Grace 3:13 12/22/12
Helen 10:14 12/22/12
Holleyman 25:12 12/22/12
Isabel 6:20 1/28/13
Jackie 8:05 12/22/12
Jeremy 4:04 1/21/13
Karen 6:23 (Open) 3/21/13
Klepto 15:01 2/4/13
Nancy 14:33 4/16/13
Nate 13 + 6 1/16/13
Nicole 78 12/22/12
Randy 6:07 12/22/12
Cheers to organization!
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