I'm following the CrossFit Weightlifting programming which had snatches in the workouts. 

I was sick for the past few weeks and did not workout. It sucked, couldn't breathe during workouts and kept coughing. I'm finally getting over it and need to pick up some weights!

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Today was all about snatches. I did some position work and some strength.

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I decided to do some programming from CrossFit Weightlifting on Beyond the Whiteboard. This was programmed on February 26, 2019.

Overhead Squat - 3 Rep Max

My last overhead squat attempt was about a year ago. My lifts were done at 205 lb. and with all of the work that I've done in the past year I'm sure I could increase that number by 10 lb. I warmed up well, taking it slow and focusing on form and breathing. My first PR attempt was at 207 lb. The jerk to get the bar overhead felt heavy but I was able to keep it stable. I found a good pace and was able to get three reps without any problems.

My next attempt was at 215 lb. and was a lot harder. I almost missed the first rep, and had to take a short step to balance the bar. The next two reps were just as difficult but I was able to keep the bar straight and finish. It felt great setting two PR's in the same day!

WOD - 10 Minute AMRAP

10 Power Cleans (135 lb.)

Run (100 m)

10 Front Squats

Run (100 m)

I wasn't sure how I was going to do on this workout. The cleans would be easy but the front squat was going to kill my legs. The run was short so I wasn't too worried. The workout started well. I did the power cleans in singles. The run was short and not too bad. The front squats were hard on the legs but that was expected. I did all the front squats unbroken. The first and second rounds were okay but the third is what killed me. The weight felt like 225 lb. instead of 135 lb. I kept the reps at singles for the cleans and unbroken for the front squats. I wanted to complete four rounds but I only finished three.

WOD - 12 Minute AMRAP

30 Handstand Push Ups

3 Rope Climbs (15 ft.)

20 Handstand Push Ups

2 Rope Climbs (15 ft.)

10 Handstand Push Ups

1 Rope Climb (15 ft.)

-then in the remaining time-

Max Burpees

This workout looked nuts. I'm okay when it comes to handstand push ups and bad when it comes to rope climbs. The handstand push ups will have to be broken into sets ten and five or whenever my arms give out. The rope climbs are just as hard since I have a fear that when I get to the top I'm going to slip and lose my grip. However, I wanted to give this workout a go.

The first set of handstand push ups were okay. I was able to get two sets of ten reps before having to switch to two sets of five. By the end of the first set of handstand push ups, my arms were "smoked". Next I had to do three rope climbs. Which took a minute or two. I'm very slow when it comes to rope climbs since I hardly practice them and my fear of falling. However was able to complete three reps and was on to the next set of handstand push ups. My arms were very tired by this time and the reps were very slow. I would do sets three to five and have a short rest in between. It took forever but I eventually finished that round of handstand push ups. I was a bit quicker on my rope climb reps, I didn't take a long rest.

I tried to sprint the last set of handstand push ups and rope climbs but my arms couldn't take it. I was very slow on the handstand push ups and I was able to finish the rope climb quickly. I finished the first portion at 11:09. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath but I started on the burpees. I finished my tenth rep at time. I didn't think I was going to die out that quickly on the handstand push ups, I need to work on my overhead strength and endurance. 

Back Squat - 8x4 at 70% (286 lb.)

This was a good squat day. I the weight felt heavy but I was able to get in some quality reps. Around set six through eight, I started to have some sticking points. I would get stuck around parallel on the fourth rep but I always finished. My legs are slowly coming back.

Partner WOD - 16 Minute AMRAP

30 Double Unders

20 Wall Balls (20 lb.)

10 Cal. Row

This looked like a fun workout but the wall balls were going to crush us. Everything else was going to be manageable. The movements were alternated, giving us some time to rest. The workout wasn't too bad in the beginning. I was able to get the double unders done unbroken until the last few rounds where I would trip up every few reps. My rhythm was off and I was exhausted but I finished all my double unders. I broke up my wall balls into two sets of 10 but that turned into four sets of five by the end of the workout. The rest was really on the row. I kept a consistent pace and tried to control my breathing. At the end of the workout we finished with eight rounds and 25 double unders. Our goal was nine rounds but we came up a bit short.

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!

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!