Fitness-6/6-snatch, squat clean, "Half-Pack Cindy"

Saturday-Oly work and "Half-Pack Cindy"

Today was the first day of olympic lifting work in my two-month long strength/power biased experiment. I worked the snatch and squat clean. It was a humbling and very productive session. I haven't trained full squat snatch in longer than I can remember and I felt as strong or stronger than I ever have in this lift. My front squat, though, is weaker than it's been in a long time but there's a awesome reason why; I have a much fuller range of motion now and can hit depth without tucking my pelvis. So, I'm just having to start training this new range of motion to get stronger. It's a great feeling doing a full-depth squat and knowing your back is in the right position.

I started with snacth @ 3x5, aiming for max effort on the last go. It turned into 4x5 because I was feeling strong:

5x135#
5x145#
5x155#
5x165#

I went after squat cleans next, again aiming for 3x5 with max effort on the last go. It turned into 2x5 because I was a bit gassed by this point and not feeling I could safely go any heavier;

5x185#
5x205#

After the oly work, I decided on a little "Half-Pack Cindy" for a good met-con. It was as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

-5 pullups, chest to bar
-10 pushups
-15 abmat situps

score=7 rounds in 10:49

Not bad here but the chest to bar pullups are still really slowing me down. But they're getting easier.

Nutrition-6/6

Saturday

9:15am

-1/4 cup dried cranberries 

-large banana

11:30am(brunch at the daisy)

-2 hard poached eggs

-5 oz. beef top sirloin

-large plate of fruit, app 4 blocks(grapes, apples, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, bananas)

-1/4 cup mixed dried cranberries and raisins

-20 oz. coffee, black

3:45pm

-3 oz. beef top sirloin (left over from brunch)

-3 oz. beef jerkey

-1/4 cup almonds

-1 cup raspberries

-large banana

-small apple

9pm

-6 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup pistachios

-8 oz. green grapes

-8 oz. strawberries

-6 oz. carrots

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 2g fish oil

-110 oz. water on the day

Nutrition-6/5

Friday

8am

-3 hardboiled eggs

-3 oz. dried apricots

-medium apple

12pm

-3 hardboiled eggs

-1/4 cup raisins

-8 oz. carrots

2:30pm

-6 oz. chicken breast

-small apple

-1/4 cup almonds

-3 oz. dried apricots

6:30pm

-6 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup almonds

-1 cup blackberries

-large banana

8-11pm (poker with the boys)

-3 glasses Johnny Walker Black Label

12am

-4 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup pistachios

-2 oz. dried apricots

-1/4 cup raisins

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 2g fish oil

-128 oz. water on the day

Fitness-6/4-press, box jump/run, wheel work

Thursday WOD

I started today's workout with some press work. I plan to spend the next two months trying to make some significant strength gains without spending too much time on strength biased exercise. I have it worked out where I'll be hitting each of the major lifts every 10-14 days. The olympic lifts I plan to hit every 7 days. For example, since I pressed today, I'll have pressed again by two Thursdays from now. But I won't press again before at least 10 days have passed. I will continue to do met-cons 4-5 days a week. It's a bit of an experiment, we'll see how it goes. I believe that purposeful strength work performed within these time frames along with strategic met-cons will see some significant strength improvement while still maintaining and even improving overall work capacity and fitness. I started the experiment Monday, 6/1, with the deadlift. We'll see how the next couple of months shape up. Stay tuned.

Today's press workout was 5x5 trying to hit a max effort 5 rep on the last set:

-5 x 95#

-5 x 115#

-5 x 135#

-5 x 145#

-3 x 150#, 2 x 150# push press

Failed on the last attempt at 5 but was still a very productive press day. I really see my press strength improving a lot over the next 8 weeks.

I finished off with some wheel work after a light and fast met-con for time:

-21 box jumps, 24"

-run 100m

-15 box jumps, 24"

-run 200m

-9 box jumps, 24"

-run 400m

time=4:08

My runs are getting faster. I've been working a lot on pose running. It is legit. I feel faster than I've ever felt on my feet and don't have much problem keeping a 1:20-1:30 min pace on 400m runs during wods. And it seems like it takes much less effort to run pose. But you have to think about it at first which is the tough part. 

Nutrition-6/4

Thursday

7am

-2 oz. wild dover sole fillet

-3 hardboiled eggs

-2 oz. dried apricots

-small apple

-large banana

-1/8 cup almonds

11:15am

-5 oz. wild dover sole fillet

-1/4 cup walnuts

-8 oz. strawberries

-8 oz. carrots

-small apple

3:20pm

-3 oz. chicken breast

-1 hardboiled egg

-1/4 cup walnuts

-large banana

6:30pm

-3 oz. chicken breast

-1 hardboiled egg

-1/4 cup raisins

-1/4 cup dried cranberries

9pm

-Single Glen Rothes single malt, 18 year

-Single Talisker single malt, 10 year

11pm

-4 oz. lean beef steak

-1 hardboiled egg

-3 oz. dried apricots

-1 cup blackberries

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 3g fish oil

-150 oz. water on the day

Nutrition-6/3

Wednesday

7am

-3 hardboiled eggs

-2 oz. wild dover sole fillet

-1/8 cup almonds

-large banana

-small apple

11:20am

-chicken salad (5 oz. seasoned chicken breast, 5 oz. spinach, 4 tblspn guac, 3-4 tblspn salsa, 2-3 oz. tomato)

-large banana

-8 oz. strawberries

3:15pm

-4 oz. wild dover sole fillet

-1/4 cup walnuts

-large banana

-small apple

7pm

-2 oz. chicken breast

-10 almonds

7:30pm

-app. 6 oz. Laphroaig single malt, 10 year (so good)

8:30pm

-4 oz. wild sockeye salmon fillet

-1/4 cup almonds

-4 oz. dried apricots

-1 cup blackberries

9:30pm

-5 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup almonds

-large banana

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 2g fish oil

-130 oz. water on the day

Fitness-6/2-"Helen"

Tuesday WOD-"Helen"

Another CrossFit classic. "Helen" was up today. This workout is quickly becoming one of my favorites. "Helen" is 3 rounds for time of:

-400m run

-21 american kb swings, 24kg

-12 pull-ups (chest to bar)

time=11:45

This was my second full wod doing full chest to bar pull-ups where your chest has to touch the bar below your clavicle for the rep to count. It was a tough go. But chest to bar already seems to be getting easier. I ended up doing about 3 extra pull-ups each round because of missing hitting my chest on a few attempts. My last go at "Helen" was 10:29 on 3/13/09. So here about 3 months later only 1 minute slower but doing chest to bar. I'll take it. I think I should be able to break 10 minutes chest to bar the next time around.

Also, I reached a milestone today. I made two trips up the climbing rope. First time in my life I've ever climbed a rope successfully. I was always the kid in gym class who was two heavy to hold himself up. Today I made it up twice. Had to use my feet but it seems like going up just arms is right around the corner. Talk about a grip workout. Stay tuned.

Nutrition-6/2

Tuesday

7:50am

-3 hardboiled eggs

-2 oz. lean beef steak

-1/4 cup almonds

-large banana

-1/4 cup dried cranberries

-small apple

12:30pm

-5 oz. lean beef steak

-1/4 cup walnuts

-8 oz. carrots

-8 oz. strawberries

-small apple

4:20pm

-3 oz. chicken breast

-2 oz. lean beef steak

-1/4 cup walnuts

-large banana

-1/4 cup raisins

6:30pm

-4 oz. lean beef steak

-1/4 cup walnuts

-1/4 cup raisins

-large banana

8:45pm

-4 to 5 oz. wild sockeye salmon fillet

-1/4 pistachios

-3 oz. dried apricots

-small apple

-1 cup raspberries

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 4g fish oil

-150 oz. water on the day

Fitness-6/1-"The Duane"

Monday WOD-"The Duane"

We did a wod today in honor of our gym buddy Duane who's birthday it was. Duane's a big strong dude and he loves heavy wods, especially one's like "The Bear" where you have to complete a series of bar exercises without ever resting the bar on the ground. So, we did this wod today "Bear" style. It was a rough one. "The Duane" was 5 rounds for time at 135# of:

-4 deadlifts

-3 hang power cleans

-2 front squats

-1 press

-1 time through constitutes 1 rep, 3 reps constitutes 1 round. You can only rest the bar on the ground between rounds. Any drop during a round requires starting the round over. When the weight touches the ground for the deadlift, it must be touch and go to not be considered a drop.

time=10:20

I got through this one pretty easy but the last round was rough. My grip is improving but it's still a big weakness. During round 5, my grip was gone. But I pulled through without a drop. I did drop between rounds but took way to long of rests. I'll look to do this one again. I should be getting this one done in the 8 minute range. I have some work to do. 

Nutrition-6/1

Monday

7am

-4 hardboiled eggs

-1/4 cup almonds

-3 oz. dried apricots

-large banana

-small apple

11:30am

-4 oz. chicken breast

-1 hardboiled egg

-1/4 cup almonds

-8 oz. carrots

-8 oz. strawberries

-1 small apple

3:20pm

-3 oz. chicken breast

-1 hardboiled egg

-large banana

-1/4 cup dried cranberries

-1/4 cup almonds

6:30pm

-4 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup almonds

-1/4 cup raisins

-large banana

9pm

-5 oz. lean beef tip steak

-12 oz. broccoli 

-1/4 cup pistachios

-2 oz. dried apricots

-1 cup raspberries

-1000mg ca, 400iu vit d3, 2g fish oil

-146 oz. water on the day

Nutrition-5/31

Sunday

9:30am

-12 oz. 3 shot americano, black

-12 oz. drip coffee, black

1pm

-6 oz. chicken breast

-1/4 cup almonds

-large banana

-8 oz. carrots

-small apple

7:30pm

-6 oz chicken breast

-1/4 cup pistachios

-large banana

-2 oz. dried apricots

-1 cup raspberries/blackberries

-1/8 cup raisins

9:30pm(I was hungry tonight)

-6 oz. chicken breast

-1/3 cup raisins

-1/4 cup almonds

-large banana

700mg ca, 275iu vit d3, 2g fish oil

-123 oz. water on the day

Fitness-5/30-sdhp/push-press/burppee/knees to bows wod

Saturday WOD

I needed to get into the gym today and hit a good short and intense wod and one that targeted a few of my weaknesses. I got the idea for this one from my friends at Kirkland CrossFit. I saw it on their blog and knew right away I had to try it. And of course, I had to add something to it just to get a little bit of extra work on an exercise that always gives me trouble: knees to bows. So the wod was 7 rounds for time of the following:

7 sdhp, 95#

7 push-press, 95#

7 burpees

7 knees to bows

time=13:01

I spent too much time with my hands on my knees during this workout. I was sucking wind hard. Sometimes you just have a tough time hitting the next gear and this was one of those times. But it was a great wod for me to hit as burpees and knees to bows are both exercises I struggle with and need to work to increase capacity on. I'll look to do this one again in the near future.