Fitness-7/28-back squats

Tuesday WOD-5 x 5 back squats

Not sure if I've mentioned it yet but this week we've started into a new programming as a gym that will take us all the way to next year's regional qualifier for the 2010 CrossFit Games. A few weeks back, if you would have asked me, I would've told you I had no desire to train hard for the rest of the summer. My full intention was to coast into the fall, training when I felt like it, not training when I didn't and just trying to spend more time outside staying active and in shape. I still plan on making the most of that outside part, but in the last month, my body has really started to feel good. I'm feeling refreshed and am chomping at the bit to start a planned preparation to become the fittest I can be. I'm stoked.

And we're coming out of the gates hard starting with a strength oriented phase that'll go the next 4 weeks. We kicked it off today with 5 x 5 max effort back squats at a 2-0-1 timing. 2 seconds down, 0 seconds hold, 1 second up. The timing made things significantly more challenging. My sets looked as follows:

-135 x 5
-185 x 5
-205 x 5
-225 x 5
-255 x 5


The 2 second controlled descent made these squats harder than I thought they'd be. In hindsight, I still should have finished higher. I started a bit too light for max effort. I wanted the first sets to be easy but they we're probably a bit too easy. I should have finished about 20-30 pounds higher. Will do next time. I'm looking forward to improving my squat as it's by far the weakest of the lifts for me.


We finished with a short but intense 3 rounder to get our met-con on. It was 3 rounds of 4 exercises at 45 seconds on/20 seconds off, moving to the next exercise during the rest period. Our score was the combined total of reps for each exercise, calories on the rower. My scores were as follows:


-kb abmat situp, 16kg, score=71
-doubleunders, score=151
-row, score=63
-ring dips, score=22

Everything went pretty well except for the ring dips. I had 10 my first round and then struggled to bang out 6 in each of the remaining rounds. I really need to improve that pressing strength, another weakness. Everything else was right in my wheel-house. I never stopped on the sit-ups, just couldn't physically perform them any faster, especially without cheating. The row was good and the du's were decent. The last two rounds of du's were rough because I was sucking wind but the skill is there and my conditioning will improve as we continue to amp up the effort.