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Home Archive for February 2016

Monday

Back Squat - 2x2 at 100% (355 lb.)

This is the last week of the back squat cycle. Our max day is going to be Friday, but first I had this workout to do. I was really nervous but confident I could finish the lifts. The first set went well. I was able to lift the first rep without any pauses. The second rep however was difficult. I had a slight pause but with the help of a spotter, I was able to finish. He said he didn't really lift the bar which was great to hear. The second set went the same with the spotter helping on the last rep. Overall, I'm confident that I'll be able to hit a PR Friday.

WOD

3x3:00 AMRAP

10 toes-to-bar
10 one arm dumbbell snatch (50 lb.)
30 double unders
Rest 1 minute between each AMRAP

The Rx weight for one arm dumbbell snatch was 70 lb. but I can only do a few reps at that weight. I wish the box had a 60 lb. dumbbell but I settled for 50 lb. I was able to at least finish one round per set. The hardest part of this workout was the toes-to-bar since I'm still weak in gymnastics movements. The snatches were good, wanted a bit more weight but I'll take what I can get. The double unders were not too bad. I would mess up every 10 or so reps during the second and third sets. That was mainly due to fatigue. I was able to complete a total of 4.067 rounds, when you count partial reps.

Wednesday

Back Squat - 8x2 at 80% (285 lb.)

Since we're maxing out this Friday, today was a maintenance day. The weight felt a lot lighter and I was able to move faster during the reps. I was ready to set a new PR.

Partner WOD - Time Cap, 15 Minutes

Helen Meets Grace

3 Rounds
Run (400 m)
21 kettlebell swings (53 lb.)
12 pull ups
-then-
30 clean and jerks (135 lb.)

I partnered with my fiance for this workout. The hardest part of this workout was the run. If you have read these posts for awhile, you know I hate running. I would be winded by the time we would get to the kettlebell swings. The kettlebell swings were not too difficult and the pull ups were easy to finish. We were only able to finish 10 clean and jerks when time was called.

WOD 2 - Time Cap, 7 Minutes

3 Rounds
15 hang power clean (135 lb.)
15 burpees

We had a few minutes to rest before starting this workout. I was still exhausted when we started. I was so tired that I forgot how to hang clean. I took a few seconds for me to snap out of it. 15 hang power cleans is not easy especially at 63% of your max. I wasn't able to string many together but I got through it. My speed bump was the burpees. It would take me more time to finish burpees than cleans. I was only able to finish two rounds when time was called.

Friday

Back Squat - Find 1 Rep Max

After six weeks of back squats, I was eager to test my new 1RM. My goal weight was 375 lb. which is 20 lb. over my last 1RM. I warmed up and attempted my first lift at 365 lb. I successfully completed the lift but not without a lot of effort. I wasn't confident in attempting 375 lb. but I decided to do it anyway.

I learned a lot from that attempt. I didn't complete it, but it was a great learning experience. I was a bit fast on the decent. Not sure if it was nerves or if the weight was too heavy. I hit the bottom and I deflated. My breathing needs some work. I tried my best to stand it up but my spotter had to step in and help. After that attempt I know I have to work on a few things. I need to stay tight throughout the lift especially at the bottom. I also need to work on tempo. Even though the cycle is over, I'm going to start incorporating more squats.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

The Open is finally here! Today starts the 2016 season and I'm excited to see what Dave Castro has in store for us. I know I'm not going to qualify for regionals but "leaderboarding" is going to be fun. Seeing where I stack up against friends from my gym and others is also a bonus. I like competition, and I use it as a way to push myself to be better.

The workout announcements are also fun to watch. Dave Castro is a bit dramatic but it adds to the tension. The athlete showdown is entertaining since you get to see how the pros do it. 16.1 sucked! It wasn't the worst workout that I've done but it ranks up there.

Workout 16.1

AMRAP 20 minutes

25 ft. overhead lunge (95 lb.)

8 bar facing burpees

25 ft. overhead lunge (95 lb.)

8 chest-to-bar pull-ups

I didn't know how to approach this workout but I knew I had to have a good pace. I haven't done many workouts that last 20 minutes. Usually those workouts are done with a partner. I underestimated the lunges initially and was more focused on the burpees and chest-to-bars. "I have good legs" I thought to myself, "it's not going to be that bad". As the workout went on, I realized the mistake I made. I was able to do the first three rounds unbroken but it was tough. After each interval I would take a short break to catch my breath. My legs were on fire by this point and I was starting to have a hard time lifting my self out of the lunge. Holding the weight overhead was the easy part. The last round was terrible, it was a mental test. I wanted to quit a few times but I stuck it out.

The burpees and chest to bar pull ups were difficult but manageable. I was able to get through them without much trouble, except for the last round. I wanted to stay on the floor every time I did burpees but I was able to get back up somehow. I broke the burpees into sets of four and the chest-to-bars were done in singles. I finished the workout with 113 total reps.

It was a great start to the 2016 CrossFit season. I hope Dave Castro doesn't kill us with a crazy workout in the coming weeks. Even though the workout was horrible, I had a good time.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

What is Loot Crate?

Taken from the Loot Crate site, "Each month, Loot Crate™ ships a themed mystery box of the best geek, gaming, and pop culture gear to a subscriber base of over 100,000 Looters. We emphasize phenomenal support and content, and include gear from some of the most respected entertainment and consumer product companies in the world." Loot Crate sells for $13.95 a month plus $6.00 shipping and handling. You can save on the costs by subscribing for longer periods as well. If you like this theme check out the link at the bottom to subscribe.

This month's theme was DEAD, and Loot Crate included items from Deadpool and The Walking Dead.

Whats in the Box?

The shirt this month is from Deadpool. It looks great and would go well with my Deadpool socks from a previous month.

This Q Pop miniature is sweet! I will definitely be making a space for it on my desk. I'll probably remove the Pop figures from my desk and replace it with this.

This soap on a rope is the first Walking Dead item. It's the ear necklace that Daryl wears in season 2. It's a litte creepy to be honest. I'm not going to open it yet, I hope it smells good.

The last featured item is the McFarlane toys figure. This item was a bit disappointing. I was expecting a normal sized figure but instead we got a miniature from the building sets. The building sets allow you to create your own scenes from the tv show. I will look into this some more.

This month's pin is a zombie Loot Crate box. The free item this month is a rare Carl from the game "The Walking Dead: Road to Survival" by Scopely. I haven't played this game yet, but I might give it a try. Not sure if I can pack more stuff into my phone though. Check out LOOT CRATE PINS for more details.

Final Thoughts

The Deadpool items were great but the Walking Dead items fell short. The Q Fig and shirt are my favorite items this month. I'm going to remove my Pop! vinyls to make room for this Q fig.

If you want to sign up use this LINK, also use the promo code BOX5 to save $5 off your first subscription. If that code doesn't work you can use SAVE3 for $3 off any subscription. I also get credit towards more Loot Crates if you use the link.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

This entry is going to be longer than other weeks since I went six days straight.

Monday

Back Squat - 5x5 at 85% (275 lb.)

I decided not to go up to 85%. I warmed up and wasn't feeling it. I was having a difficult time at 275 lb. and I didn't want to risk an injury. I was able to finish four sets at 275 lb. before the time ran out.

WOD

3x 3:00 AMRAP:

30 double unders

20 shoulder to overhead (75 lb.)

10 toes to bar

Rest one minute

My goal for this workout was to at least finish 1 round each set. My first set I was able to finish one round and 30 double unders. My slowest area was the shoulder to overhead and toes to bar. I was able to go unbroken on the first round of shoulder to overhead but I had to break the toes to bar reps into two sets. The second round was worse. The fatigue set in and I was only able to get through one round. I wasn't able to finish a round in the third set. I took longer rests and was slower overall. It was rough and I only was able to finish eight toes to bar.

AMRAP 7 minutes

7 pull ups
7 overhead squats (75 lb.)
7 burpees

We only had a minute or two of rest before we started this workout. I was super slow during this workout. The pull ups were slow. I was only able to complete them in singles. The overhead squat was also hard to complete mainly because of my wrist. I have been having wrist issues and overhead work has been taking a toll on it. I also haven't done overhead squat work in awhile. I was able to complete this in two sets. The burpees were taxing adding to my overall fatigue. I was only able to finish two rounds of this workout.

Tuesday

Snatch Complex

3 power snatch + 1 overhead squat

Started by doing the Burgner warm up and some empty bar work to loosen up. Started with 75 lb. and worked up to 135 lb. I was a bit worried about my wrist but it wasn't too bad. I stopped at 135 lb. because I could feel my form starting to go bad and time was running out. I'm happy with the workout since 135 lb. used to be my two rep max.

WOD - FGB style

3 rounds, 1 minute per station

Flutter kicks (4 count)
Ring push ups
Superman holds
Handstand holds

This workout was a nice change of pace, my hands were thankful. Even though the workout didn't have a barbell or gymnastics work it was plenty difficult. The hardest movements were the ring push ups and the handstand holds. I would only be able to get a few reps in before my arms would give out. I would complete at least 10 in a minute. I was able to hold the handstand for at least 40 seconds each round. The flutter kicks and superman holds were easier to get through. I was able to complete at least 30 reps of flutter kicks and at least 10 reps of superman holds.

Wednesday

Back Squat - 6x2 80% (275 lb.)

Another day of back squat maintenance. I was able to get in a full six sets this session but I didn't increase the weight to 285 lb. for my actual 80%. The squats felt great and my knee felt better after the warm up.

WOD

Fran: 21-16-9

Thrusters (95 lb.)

Pull ups

After doing well in the 15.5 retest, I wanted to retest Fran. Today was my chance and I was going to go hard! That was my plan, but that is not what happened. I was able to get through the thrusters but the pull ups were another story. I was very slow, only doing a few reps at a time. I was also resting longer than usual. I finished this workout at 7:39, 32 seconds slower than my last time. I thought I was going to do a lot better this time. I wanted to at least a minute faster. I didn't do as well but I can at least learn from it. I need to work on my pull ups. I need to do more strength work and work on my kip. I was kipping the pull ups but I couldn't find a rhythm. I was only able to string a few reps together. I will add in some more strict pull up work.

Thursday

Power Clean, 3 Rep Max (Touch and Go)

I was able to complete three reps at 175 lb. which was surprising. I've been having issues trying to re grip the bar after a rep. I would use a hook grip for the first rep but use a regular grip for the other reps. I'm not sure if I could have went heavier, the reps were getting harder to complete with good form. I'm happy with my progress since my old squat clean 1RM used to be 185 lb.

Partner WOD

AMRAP, 12 minutes

9 power cleans (135 lb.)
12 row (cals.)
24 double unders

I like doing partner workouts. I tend to rest less and push myself to keep up. We alternated movements instead of each person completing a round each. This way, we kept moving instead of resting too long. We kept a good pace throughout the workout. We had enough recovery time between each movement, and I didn't have to slow down on the intensity. We finished this workout with eight total rounds completed.

Friday

Back Squat - 4x4 at 90% (315 lb.)

90% is the heaviest I've gone since this squat cycle started. I felt good on Monday and I was eager to squat heavy. I took a bit longer to warm up since I haven't lifted this heavy in awhile. I'm still looking out for my knee as well. I was able to get up to 305 lb. for two sets of four and then 315 lb. for the last two sets. I wanted to get in another set at 315 lb. but I ran out of time.

WOD

For time

50 chest to bar pull ups
50 wall balls (20 lb.)
50 row (cals.)

The hardest part of this workout was going to be the chest to bars. I'm still weak at that movement and I can't do many at one time. I would do as many reps as I could before scaling. I was able to do ten before I had to scale. It took me almost a minute and I realized I wasn't going to finish if I didn't scale to regular pull ups. I broke up the reps into fives and eventually singles. I went a bit quicker after scaling but it still took me awhile to get those last few pull ups.

Wall balls are a strong movement for me and I was able to get through these reps. I broke up the reps into sets of 10 which were manageable. The row was a grind. I was feeling the effects of the wall balls as well as the squats. It was tough but I focused on each pull and zoned out. I finished the workout at 13:38.

Saturday

Snatch, 1 rep heavy

I spent Saturday working on snatches. After working on cleans the week before, I decided to switch to snatches. I'm very weak at snatches and it's something I want to improve on. I started warming up with 75 lb. and focusing on form. I haven't snatched heavy in awhile and all I have been doing in class is power snatches. I would stay at a certain weight until I was able to get at least three reps before adding more. I was able to get to 145 lb. but I started missing lifts.

145 lb. is about 94% of my 1RM. I was only able to successfully hit this weight once out of six tries. After my fourth miss, I decided to call it a day. A big issue was getting under the bar. My lack of experience really shows in this area. One of my coaches commented that I had the power but not the speed. I need to work on getting into that bottom position. I will try to get more sessions in over the next few weeks.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!