Thursday
Started out with some overhead work.
Press
7 x 140
Push Press
5 x 175
Split Jerk
4 x 215
Going into this one, my shoulders were already pretty shot after yesterday's "Elizabeth" debacle and wasn't feeling too strong. The press continues to need lots of work. Push press was light and a good warm-up for the jerks. Was going for 5 at 215 and missed the last attempt. But made some great improvements to my technique and feel I'm getting back up close to my pr in the jerk.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Fitness-3/16/10-"Elizabeth...kind of", L-hang work
Tuesday
"Elizabeth" was on the board today and decided to go after it with a twist. I set the rings high and decided I'd do a muscle-up before commencing any of the dips. That meant if I came off the rings before I'd gotten my reps for the round, I'd have to hit a muscle-up to get back on and finish my reps. It was a poor choice. "Elizabeth" is 3 rounds, 21-15-9 of:
squat clean, 135#
ring-dips
time=19:45ish
This one was a disaster, the whole muscle-up idea killed me. I got the set of 21 dips done with only 4 muscle-ups. The set of 15, I hit my first muscle-up and knocked out 7 dips. Then I started failing muscle-ups. Then the rings about came loose and I had to grab a box and fix them. Then I kept failing muscle-ups. I ended up finishing the workout without muscle-ups, just performing straight dips. I took this one slow from the start and it still kicked my butt. I should note my body weight is up 10-12 pounds from the Sectional competition. And I can feel it big time doing the BW work. After the wod, I attempted more muscle-ups and couldn't get one, took my oly shoes off, and nailed one easily. It seems every pound counts. Maybe it's just my imagination.
Finished with some false-grip/l-hang work. Was a good day.
"Elizabeth" was on the board today and decided to go after it with a twist. I set the rings high and decided I'd do a muscle-up before commencing any of the dips. That meant if I came off the rings before I'd gotten my reps for the round, I'd have to hit a muscle-up to get back on and finish my reps. It was a poor choice. "Elizabeth" is 3 rounds, 21-15-9 of:
squat clean, 135#
ring-dips
time=19:45ish
This one was a disaster, the whole muscle-up idea killed me. I got the set of 21 dips done with only 4 muscle-ups. The set of 15, I hit my first muscle-up and knocked out 7 dips. Then I started failing muscle-ups. Then the rings about came loose and I had to grab a box and fix them. Then I kept failing muscle-ups. I ended up finishing the workout without muscle-ups, just performing straight dips. I took this one slow from the start and it still kicked my butt. I should note my body weight is up 10-12 pounds from the Sectional competition. And I can feel it big time doing the BW work. After the wod, I attempted more muscle-ups and couldn't get one, took my oly shoes off, and nailed one easily. It seems every pound counts. Maybe it's just my imagination.
Finished with some false-grip/l-hang work. Was a good day.
Fitness-3/15/10-snatch, deadlifts, "Pillar Circuit"
Monday
Today marked the start of my first full week back in the gym. I'd hoped to get into the gym over the weekend to go after some new pr's in the snatch, deadlift and front squat but I didn't make time. The rest proved to be worthwhile. I felt good to go with new energy/motivation for another couple months of hard work. Started back on the first week of a new strength cycle with snatch and deads:
Snatch
5 x 155
Deadlifts
7 x 350
The snatch felt strong and light, was a good warm-up for the deads. The last set at 350 on the deads felt heavy (it was my first heavy dead since Sectionals) yet easy. I was good for more than 7 but decided to cap it. Trying to be smart about my training, especially first week back.
After the lift, went through a KB circuit, un-timed but with good pace. The "Pillar Circuit" was 3 rounds of the following:
-5 x R/L 2 arm front racked kb box step-up, 24" box/24kg or 16kg
-5 x R/L 1 arm kb chest press, back on medball, 24kg
-5 x R/L renegade row, 24kg
-10 x R/L 1 arm front racked kb abmat sit-up, 24kg
This one took me around 10-15 minutes to work through and I was actually pretty good and spent afterwards. It's amazing how much unilateral work will call out your weaknesses. These were some out of the ordinary exercises, at least for our programming, and it was an excellent change of pace and great way to start back to training. The step-ups were brutal! I used the 16kg's for the first round, decided it was too easy and went to the 24kg"s for the second round. Barely made 5 each leg. Gnarly exercise.
Today marked the start of my first full week back in the gym. I'd hoped to get into the gym over the weekend to go after some new pr's in the snatch, deadlift and front squat but I didn't make time. The rest proved to be worthwhile. I felt good to go with new energy/motivation for another couple months of hard work. Started back on the first week of a new strength cycle with snatch and deads:
Snatch
5 x 155
Deadlifts
7 x 350
The snatch felt strong and light, was a good warm-up for the deads. The last set at 350 on the deads felt heavy (it was my first heavy dead since Sectionals) yet easy. I was good for more than 7 but decided to cap it. Trying to be smart about my training, especially first week back.
After the lift, went through a KB circuit, un-timed but with good pace. The "Pillar Circuit" was 3 rounds of the following:
-5 x R/L 2 arm front racked kb box step-up, 24" box/24kg or 16kg
-5 x R/L 1 arm kb chest press, back on medball, 24kg
-5 x R/L renegade row, 24kg
-10 x R/L 1 arm front racked kb abmat sit-up, 24kg
This one took me around 10-15 minutes to work through and I was actually pretty good and spent afterwards. It's amazing how much unilateral work will call out your weaknesses. These were some out of the ordinary exercises, at least for our programming, and it was an excellent change of pace and great way to start back to training. The step-ups were brutal! I used the 16kg's for the first round, decided it was too easy and went to the 24kg"s for the second round. Barely made 5 each leg. Gnarly exercise.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Fitness-3/12/10-clean pr, press, "The Great North"
Friday
I was pretty good and wrecked after Tuesday's first big effort back in the gym after my post-competition lay-off. So, I took Wednesday and Thursday off in order to rest up. I wanted to finish the week with some new 1-rep PR attempts in the olympic and power lifts before we start our next round of programming next week as we begin gearing up for regionals. So I went in this morning with plans to determine new 1-rep scores for the clean, front squat, press, snatch and deadlift. I started with the squat clean.
Clean
-1 x 225
-1 x 245
-1 x 260
-1 x 270
-1 x 275, failed
I was pretty happy with this effort. 270 was a pr by 25#. The attempt at 275 was close, but couldn't get out of the hole. I have a good enough pull to clean MUCH more than this but my front squat continues to be the limiting factor. It's improving steadily though and I'll look forward to retesting after a few more months of work.
After the clean, I planned to move to the front squat. I put 275 in the rack for my first attempt and ended up failing the rep. I'd done 275 fairly easily a couple weeks ago but my head wasn't in the game and it seemed I spent my energy on the clean. I decided to scrap the front squat and move to the press.
Press
-1 x 155
-1 x 170
-1 x 175, failed
My press is weaaaakkkkk. I think this was the same 1 rep I made last time I tested over 3 months ago. So, seemingly, it didn't improve at all. But, as evidenced by the front squat, I think I was zapped, probably mentally as much as anything else. Just couldn't get fired up. Feeling good, I'm sure I could get at least a 5-10# improvement. Still a long ways to go in the press but I already knew that.
After that, I decided my 1 rep day was done. My mind wasn't right and I didn't want to frustrate myself. I moved on to the "Great North," a wod from one of the sectional qualifiers.
4 rounds for time of:
-6 pullups, chest to bar
-6 ring dips
-500m row
-6 thrusters, 135#
time: 2 rounds in app 10 minutes
I went at this one un-timed and was just planning on pacing myself through. I know I still made it through the first round fairly quick, about 3 minutes. On the rower in round 2, I went tachycardic. Finished the row, laid down for a bit, finished the thrusters and decided to cut myself off. It's proving harder than I thought to get back in the gym and back to training with good intensity after the competition and the rest. My mind and body need a little more acclimatization. I plan to head into the gym tomorrow morning, after a good nights rest, and test my 1 rep snatch and deadlift. That's if I'm feeling good. And if I'm feeling really good, I'll make a purposeful go at my front squat and maybe even re-test my press. Stay tuned.
I was pretty good and wrecked after Tuesday's first big effort back in the gym after my post-competition lay-off. So, I took Wednesday and Thursday off in order to rest up. I wanted to finish the week with some new 1-rep PR attempts in the olympic and power lifts before we start our next round of programming next week as we begin gearing up for regionals. So I went in this morning with plans to determine new 1-rep scores for the clean, front squat, press, snatch and deadlift. I started with the squat clean.
Clean
-1 x 225
-1 x 245
-1 x 260
-1 x 270
-1 x 275, failed
I was pretty happy with this effort. 270 was a pr by 25#. The attempt at 275 was close, but couldn't get out of the hole. I have a good enough pull to clean MUCH more than this but my front squat continues to be the limiting factor. It's improving steadily though and I'll look forward to retesting after a few more months of work.
After the clean, I planned to move to the front squat. I put 275 in the rack for my first attempt and ended up failing the rep. I'd done 275 fairly easily a couple weeks ago but my head wasn't in the game and it seemed I spent my energy on the clean. I decided to scrap the front squat and move to the press.
Press
-1 x 155
-1 x 170
-1 x 175, failed
My press is weaaaakkkkk. I think this was the same 1 rep I made last time I tested over 3 months ago. So, seemingly, it didn't improve at all. But, as evidenced by the front squat, I think I was zapped, probably mentally as much as anything else. Just couldn't get fired up. Feeling good, I'm sure I could get at least a 5-10# improvement. Still a long ways to go in the press but I already knew that.
After that, I decided my 1 rep day was done. My mind wasn't right and I didn't want to frustrate myself. I moved on to the "Great North," a wod from one of the sectional qualifiers.
4 rounds for time of:
-6 pullups, chest to bar
-6 ring dips
-500m row
-6 thrusters, 135#
time: 2 rounds in app 10 minutes
I went at this one un-timed and was just planning on pacing myself through. I know I still made it through the first round fairly quick, about 3 minutes. On the rower in round 2, I went tachycardic. Finished the row, laid down for a bit, finished the thrusters and decided to cut myself off. It's proving harder than I thought to get back in the gym and back to training with good intensity after the competition and the rest. My mind and body need a little more acclimatization. I plan to head into the gym tomorrow morning, after a good nights rest, and test my 1 rep snatch and deadlift. That's if I'm feeling good. And if I'm feeling really good, I'll make a purposeful go at my front squat and maybe even re-test my press. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Recovered and Back in the Gym-3/9/10
Tuesday
Well, I'm back and I think I'm recovered. Sectionals was quite the experience. I started off the weekend pretty poorly placing low in the first two events. But I finished strong, finishing in the top 25 in events 3 and 4 and finishing workout 5 under the time-cap which was a good accomplishment for me considering it consisted of 20 muscle-ups. It was an amazing weekend and such a blessing to compete with so many amazing athletes and witness so many inspirational performances. The energy was great and the support from fellow competitors was unbelievable. It's pretty phenomenal to watch someone complete a workout only to have them turn around and cheer for you to better their performance. Quite the sport. Much like last year, the weekend renewed my motivation to keep on training. I didn't qualify but gave it my best and significantly improved my performance/fitness from the 2009 Regional Comp less than 1 year ago. Next up: The 2010 CrossFit Games Affiliate Competition! Our gym is putting together a coed team to compete and the middle of May marks the first qualification competition. The top 6 teams from our Northwest region will be invited to compete down in Aromas come July and we think, the way we're going, we've a strong chance to be one of those 6! We'll officially start our next round of training next week.
This week, I'm back in the gym after taking all of last week off. I did a light workout yesterday but today marked my first "intense" effort since the competition and it didn't disappoint. I started the session off with an impromptu clean and jerk wod in celebration of a teammates birthday. John turned 20 today and decided he wanted to do 20 body weight clean and jerks at for time. I couldn't let him go it alone and decided to join. But I used his body weight. If I'd used my own, I think I'd still be there.
20 clean and jerks, 175#
time=3:46
I didn't go for broke on this one. Took 'em one at a time and split jerked all of them. Finished feeling shaky but on my feet and with more in the tank. Wanted to save a little something for the wod to follow. One of these days I'll give Grace a go at 185. But think I'll wait a bit for that effort. 5 minutes later, went after the wod.
"Kettle Bell Hell" was the big effort on the docket today. It's a gnarly wod and is 10 rounds of the following performed AFAP:
-20 Russian kb swings (eye level), 24kg
-5 burpees
-20 Russian kb swings, 24kg
-5 TGU sit-ups each arm, 24kg
time=26:47
This was a pretty good effort. I never broke on any of the exercises. Took a few too many rest breaths between them but for the first day back and 400 kb swings, I'll take it.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Update-2/18-Less than 10 days to go
Thursday
We're less than 10 days out from the 2010 CrossFit Games Washington Sectional Qualifier and I'm in the process of making final preparations to give the best performance I can. I've not been sharing my workouts or nutrition lately. Time, in large part, has been an issue but I've also kept off the blog in order to "protect the playbook" so to speak. Sounds cheesy, I know, but much can be accomplished with proper training, nutrition and rest in the final month leading up to competition. And in the spirit of friendly competition, I'm keeping some training tricks/methods to myself. Ultimately, the fittest athletes will win but to the winners also goes the affirmation of good programming and effective preparation. Basically, a successful performance proves your shit works. Look at Mikko Salo for example, a year ago no one knew him, let alone cared how he prepared. He comes out of nowhere and wins the CF Games and now everyone's dying to know his method. We're all looking for an edge, some more seriously than others. In all honesty though, I've not prepared in this last month nearly as well as I could, or probably should, have. But, I'm buckling down in this last week and a half here and going to give it the best run I can. I'm so excited to get after it with you guys and everyone else who competes next weekend. Trust me when I say it promises to be a weekend we'll never forget! That said, here's a look at some of my notable performances from the last few weeks:
2/9/10
2009 NorCal Qualifier WOD
500m row
30 burpees
10 jerks, 165#
time=4:55
2/10/10
"Helen"
3 rounds
-400m run
-21 kb swings, 24kg
-12 pullups
time=8:42 (pr by about 1:15)
2/12/10
5 rounds (10 minute cap)
-200m run
-10 burpees
-10 kb swings
score=4 rounds + run+8 burpees
2/16/10
"Nasty Girls"
3 rounds
-50 air squats
-7 muscle ups
-10 hang power cleans, 135#
time=12:19- this is not a competitive time, the small and strong guys are finishing this one in well under 10 minutes. But this was a milestone workout performance for me. I was about 232# at the time of this one. I had tried this wod the week before with a 10 minute cap and had barely finished 1 round in 10 minutes, making only 8 successful MU's in over 20 attempts. In my second go at her, less than a week later, I made all 21 MU's with only 1 missed rep. And finished the whole wod only 2 minuets slower than it took me to finish a third of it on the first go. Needless to say, it was a big confidence builder.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Fitness-2/5-ghd/ring push/kb carry
Friday WOD
I felt pretty good and recovered/fresh after taking Thursday off. Went into the gym to get after a short one. We did a 3 rounder AFAP:
20 x ghd situps
20 x ring push-ups
50m kb waiter carry, R arm/32kg
50m kb waiter carry, L arm/32kg
time=14:40
This one humbled me. I rolled through the first round pretty quick. As soon as I started failing on the ring push-ups in the second round though, I knew it'd be a grind. Transitioning from the push to holding 32kg over head and walking 50m was wretched for me. My triceps were so spent from the ring push-ups, it was an absolute battle to keep my elbow locked. Push strength is a weakness and this one was a good reminder of how much I need to work on it.
I took about 10 minutes rest after this one and then went after some muscle-ups. I made 3 muscle-ups in as many minutes and decided to call it a day. Wasn't feeling the gusto and figured I'd be better served resting up for a big day tomorrow.
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