The first item in the box is a cool Rick and Morty t-shirt. The shirt is a blueprint for Rick's portal gun. I love the Rick and Morty show and I hope they make season three just as good as the last two. Wubba lubba dub dub!

The next big item is a mini replica of the Planet Express Ship. This figure is made by Quantum Mechanix, same people that made the Q-Figs from past crates. The model has some areas that needs some clean up, looks like excess glue around some parts. Overall, it's a great model.



Next figure is a Megaman variant from Kid Robot. This model is the red and white variant and is also a Loot Crate exclusive. I'm not a huge Megaman fan but I'll put this on my shelf.

Final Thoughts

The Rick and Morty shirt and Planet Express ship were the best items from this month and easily worth the price of the box. I'm interested in reading the comic book and the Megaman mini will just go on my shelf. I'm not a huge Star Trek fan but the decal is cool as well as the pin. Overall, this month was better than last month but their is always room to be better. 

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!

WOD - Every 1:30 for 15 minutes

100 m run with medicine ball (16 lb.)

10 wall balls (16 lb.)

When I read the workout I thought it was alternating movements. I thought it was a piece of cake until the coaches explained the workout. It was a lot of work and since I haven't been doing much cardio, this workout was going to hurt. I decided to use a 16 lb. medicine ball but I should have went lighter. 14 lb. or 8 lb. would have been more manageable. The first few rounds went well. I was getting my run done under 30 seconds and I would finish the wall balls with about 40 seconds of rest. At the half way mark, my performance went downhill. I would finish the run around 40 seconds and only do about five wall balls or less. It was very tough and I wanted to finish but I didn't have it in me.

I learned a few things from this workout. The first lesson was read the workout carefully. My mindset going into it was a lot more relaxed and I should have mentally prepared for it. The second lesson was that I need to do more than just barbell club. I've noticed my lifts have gotten better but my endurance have gotten worse. I need to find a good balance. Lastly, I should have went with my gut and got a lighter ball. I'm not sure how much of a difference it would have made but I shouldn't have gone that heavy if I couldn't finish all the reps.

Shoulder Taps from High Plank - 3 Minutes

After that brutal workout, this wasn't too bad. I was able to finish 76 reps at the end of three mintues. 

Deadlift - 6x3 at 80% (350 lb.)

I wasn't sure how these deadlifts were going to go. I haven't been doing conventional deadlifts lately and all my pulls are done at lighter weights. I worked up to my 80% and managed to not break my form. I made sure my form wasn't compromised for all sets and it felt great to deadlift relatively heavy again.

Partner WOD - 25 Minute TC

3 km Row

150 sit up with med. ball (4 lb.)

200 air squats

100 kb swings

This was fun and I partnered with my fiance. I wanted to split the row into 500 m sets but she advised against it saying 250 m would be a better distance. We used a light medicine ball (4 lb.) for the sit ups. *Spoiler Alert* we did not make it to the kb swings so the weights are not important.

The row started off great. 500 m sets would have sucked and thankfully she had enough foresight to only go 250 m. I was able to catch my breath between sets and it wasn't too bad. The sit ups were more difficult than the row. My abs started to cramp up around rep 80 or so. I would need to take a short rest before resuming. The air squats is where we stopped at the time cap. We made it through 160 air squats at time. We had to take short breaks since the rest between sets were not enough. I'm happy with our score since we pushed eachother to work hard. 

Push Press - 6x3 at 80% (165 lb.)

Heavy push press session was great. I'm still learning some techniques but it felt great. It was heavy but I managed to get through all the reps.

Back Squat - 6x3 at 80% (305 lb.)

I remember when 305 lb. was around 95% of my 1RM now I'm doing them for three. The last half of the set I had some sticking points but I was able to get through them. My legs felt great. 

Snatch Pull - 3x3 at 85% (135 lb.)

Ended the day with some heavy pull work. I started working without straps since I wanted to get used to holding the weight again.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Overhead Squat - Find a 3 rep heavy

I haven't done heavy overhead squats in awhile. With my grip and shoulder issues, I've been staying away from the movement. After doing a lot more mobility before class and at home, my grip and shoulder issues have improved. My 3RM is 195 lb. and I wanted to come close to that weight. 

Started out light to warm up. Lately, behind the neck push presses were hard to do. It would put a lot of strain on my shoulders and I would barely complete the lift. It wasn't too bad however. After a few reps, I felt normal again. I loaded up the bar to 185 lb. and completed three reps. I decided to stop since we had to get ready for the workout. We only had four minutes left in the session. Surprisingly, the weight wasn't too bad. The first rep was easy and quick. The next two were not too bad either. I could feel my grip slipping a bit but that's probably because I didn't have chalk. I didn't finish at my 3RM but I came within 95%, which I'm happy with.

Partner WOD - 12 Minute AMRAP

50 kb swings (Russian, 54 lb.)

100 double unders

50 overhead squats (95 lb.)

This was a fun partner workout. My goal for this workout was at least two rounds. My biggest issue would be the overhead squats. The work was split equally. The kb swings were not too bad. The reps were broken up into sets of 10. The double unders went well. I was able to complete 40 reps before breaking. The overhead squats were broken up into sets of 10. I had to break it up into sets of five during the last two sets.

The second round did not go as well. I was gassed by this point and I wasn't moving very well. I was able to keep up with the kb swings but I lost it at the double unders. I would do around 5-10 reps before tripping. I was exhausted and my timing was horrible. I think we could have finished more reps if I didn't mess up this section. The overhead squats were not as bad as the double unders but we started running out of time. We finished 1 round and 192 reps at time. We were so close to two rounds!

Wednesday

Snatch - 1x2 at 60% (95 lb.), 1x2 at 70% (110 lb.), 1x2 at 80% (125 lb.) x2

My snatches are starting to feel better. I had to adjust my pulls at the lighter weight because I was catching the bar high. As the weight became heavier, it was easier. The second round felt better than the first. It was probably because I was warmed up. Most of the reps felt really great and I didn't make huge mistakes or any misses.

Clean and Jerk Complex - Every 1:30 for 9:00 Minutes

2 clean + 1 jerk at 75% (165 lb.)

This workout was rough since I tried to keep the reps under 30 seconds. This way, I would have enough time to rest. The first few rounds, the cleans were not too bad but became harder as time went on. The jerks were the easiest part and I decided to focus mostly on form. I was able to get in good reps even though I was tiring out from the cleans. I'm still having some issues with grip but hopefully the stretches alleviate the discomfort. I may want to try and lower the bar on the first clean instead of dropping it before the second clean. This way I can also work on grip strength as I lower the bar.  

Clean High Pull - 4x3 at 85% (185 lb.)

Did these reps quickly without resting too long. I took about a minute between sets.

Front Squat - 5x2 at 80% (245 lb.)

This was a fight. 245 lb. felt a lo heavier than 80%. The first two sets were great. My breathing was on point and I manage to keep my elbows up and back straight. The third set on was a struggle. I couldn't keep a full grip on the bar and it would eventually go on my finger tips. My breathing was a bit harder to control and I felt like I was collapsing in the bottom position. It wasn't too bad but I know where my weaknesses are in the squat. Not sure how I strengthen it either, hopefully doing more squats and midline work will make it easier.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Push Press - 6x2 at 80% (165 lb.)

The push press didn't feel too heavy and I was able to get through it quickly. I focused on my front rack position and my dip and drive.

Snatch Complex - 2 at 70% (110 lb.), 2 at 75% (115 lb.), 2 at 80% (120 lb.)

Snatch pull + power snatch

This was a different snatch complex then the previous weeks. The snatch pull felt great while, the power snatch was a little off at the 70% and 75%. My shoulder have been sore for the past week or two and my shoulders didn't feel as strong. Thankfully, I felt great at 80%. I may need to warm up longer in the future.

Power Clean - 5x2 at 80% (187 lb.)

Power clean was easy compared to the power snatch. Worked on my first pull since I tend to rush it.

Back Squat - 6x2 at 80% (300 lb.)

I haven't moved 300+ lb. in a few weeks but these back squats felt great. I had a few reps where my weight shifted to my forefot and toes but I was able to correct it in later reps. I'm starting to feel more confident in heavier back squats. 

Snatch - 2x2 at 60% (95 lb.), 2x2 at 70% (115 lb.), 2x2 at 80% (125 lb.)

I started doing Burgener warm ups before every snatch session and it helps a lot. The lifts started off a bit rocky but felt a lot better as the weights increased. The two sets at 125 lb. felt easier than the two sets at 95 lb. 

Clean and Jerk Complex - Every 1:30 for 9 Minutes at 75% (165 lb.)

2 squat cleans + split jerk

This was fun but was tiring. I would finish the round under 30 seconds, just to make sure I had enough time to rest. The squat cleans felt great and I was able to get through them without much trouble. I focused on my split jerk form since a few reps didn't feel great. I was able to complete all lifts but it could have been a lot better. 

Clean High Pull - 4x3 at 85% (185 lb.)

After doing the clean and jerk complex, these were easy. My pulls feel a lot stronger now. 

Front Squat - 5x2 at 80% (245 lb.)

Started the day off with front squats. I warmed up a bit but I wasn't comfortable with the squat until the second set. I worked on my front squat issues mainly my breathing. I'm not close to being comfortable with my breathing but it's getting better. I also worked on staying active in the bottom and keeping my chest and elbows up.

Snatch Pull - 3x3 at 85% (135 lb.)

The snatch pulls went well. I focused on not rushing my first pull and finishing in a good postion. 

WOD

FGB style, 5 rounds

kettlebell swings (Russian, 72 lb.)

chin ups

At first glance, I knew this was going to be hard. I didn't know what my goals were going to be for each movement. Kb swings were going to be tough especially at 72 lb. I had a feeling my grip would start to give out in the later rounds. The chin ups were going to be tough as well. I haven't been doing gymnastics movements since I started doing more Oly lifts so this would be interesting. I decided to throw some numbers as goals. I wanted at least 10 kb swings and 5 chin ups.

During the first round I was able to get 15 kb swings and 5 chin ups. The kb swings were not bad but the chin ups were difficult. I was doing them strict since I'm not sure if their is a way to kip a chin up. The first round set the pace for the last four and I was determined to keep up with the number. I dropped to 19 reps during rounds two and three. I would complete 15 reps of the kb swings but I would drop to four chin ups. During round four I was only able to do 10 kb swings but I was able to complete four chin ups. I was able to complete 20 reps during the last round.

It was a great workout and I'm happy that I got to complete some gymnastics work. I have been slacking in the gymnastics department but I plan to do more work and get better. Need to find that balance between CrossFit and Oly lifting.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

I didn't have enough time to complete all the Barbell Club workouts so I did the class instead. 

WOD - AMRAP 9 Minutes

Row 30 cals.
-then-
5 burpees
10 pull-ups
15 kettlebell swings, Russian (54 lb.)


This was a difficult workout for me and I didn't do as well as I hoped. The row wasn't too bad. I kept a good pace and was off in good amount of time. The burpees and kettlebell swings were not too bad as well but I struggled with the pull ups. Since starting the Barbell Club, my gymnastics movements have deteriorated. I need to incorporate more strict movements into my training maybe doing more strict pull ups and handstand push ups. Other than my pull ups feeling horrible, the workout was great. I completed three rounds. 

Wednesday

Snatch - 2x2 at 60% (95 lb.), 2x2 at 70% (110 lb.), 2x2 at 80% (125 lb.)

Same as last Wednesday and same issues. I was able to adjust quicker this time around. Surprisingly, the set at 80% went a lot better than the 60%. It could be because of the heavier weight or I'm getting better at snatches. I hope its the latter. 

Jerk - 1 Rep Heavy

After the snatches I worked on my jerk. Previously, I was able to hit 100 kg. on my jerk and today I wanted to work up to that number. Started out around 60 kg, and worked up in 10 kg sets. I started having trouble at 95 kg. I missed this weight twice and finally was able to complete it on the third try. I need to use shorter jerk blocks since I felt the weights hit the block on my second to last attempt. I lost focus once I felt the weight hit the block and tried to attempt the lift. I should have just stopped and rested. I decided to end it there since I wanted to move on to the next workout and I didn't want to tire myself out trying to get to 100 kg. I didn't hit my goal weight but I will try again next time. 

Clean High Pull - 4x3 at 85% (185 lb.)

We have been doing a lot of snatch high pulls and not a lot of clean high pulls. I had to ask one of the coaches to help me but I eventually got it down. 

Back Squat - 3x3 at 75% (285 lb.)

Haven't done heavy squats this week so naturally, we have two programmed. Back squat and the front squat at the end. 285 lb. is heavy but it's only three reps which isn't too much. I focused on form and was able to finish quickly. 

Power Snatch (Low Block) - 4x3 at 80% (125 lb.)

Starting to feel better doing snatches from the blocks as my form gets better. The bar loops out a bit but I'm working on bringing in the bar closer on the pull and turnover. 

Clean Complex - Every 1:30 for 9 Minutes at 75% (165 lb.)

Power Clean + Hang Clean + Front Squat + Jerk

I had fun doing this complex. It's a lot of work but I had fun with it. Thankfully, it was every 1:30 instead of every minute. I did spot some issues on the power clean and hang clean that I need to work on. I was able to finish all the reps without going over time. 

Front Squat - 3x3 at 80% (245 lb.)

Final workout of the day and it had to be front squats! After that clean and jerk complex I didn't feel like doing more front squats. I need to put in the work if I want to get stronger. I loaded up the bar and started doing some squats. My legs were warm by this point so the warm up wasn't too long. The weight felt a lot heavier than what I remember but I managed to get through it. Thankfully it was only three reps. I worked on my usual weaknesses. Keeping my elbows up and straightening my back. 

Lift Heavy and Level Up!