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!

Front Squat - Three Rep Max

I decided to try and set a new PR for this lift. My previous 3RM was 275 lb. and I wanted at least 10 lb. increase. Warm up felt good but the weight felt heavy around 225 lb. I haven't been doing many front squats which is probably why it felt different. I loaded my goal weight 285 lb. and started my attempt. The first rep felt very heavy but I was able to stand it up. The second rep felt heavier and my breathing was not great. I tried to catch my breath and started my last rep. I made it to parallel before I had to drop the bar. After catching my breath and thinking about the lifts I needed to fix my breathing and my bracing. My core was a little loose on that last rep.

After a few minutes I grabbed the bar and tried again. Hopefully the adjustments would be enough. The first rep felt just as heavy but I managed to stand it up without too much issues. The second rep felt better than the last attempt, the breathing and core bracing changes worked. The last rep was the hardest and I barely made the lift. My elbows dropped and it felt like my biceps were stabilizing the weight. Thankfully, I made the lift but that last rep felt "ugly". I need to work on form before trying this again.

WOD - For Time, 18 Minute Time Cap

Run (400 m)

21 Back Squats (185 lb.)

Run (400 m)

15 Back Squats (185 lb.)

Run (400 m)

9 Back Squats (185 lb.)

Run (400 m)

After my front squat max, I wasn't feeling great about doing this workout. Heavy squats and running are not my strong suit. My concern for this workout was the back squats since we had to start from the ground. Cleaning the weight multiple times was not going to be efficient so I had to do the squats unbroken. The run was going to suck but that was a given.

The first round was okay. The run was normal but the squat took a lot of effort. I broke up the reps into 11 and 10. I probably should have went with sevens. After that first round my legs were on fire and my lower back was tight as well. The second round was almost the same. I broke up the squats into sets of five. The last round was the hardest. The weight was heavy and I missed the jerk. I had to reset and take a few breaths before trying it again. After the squats, I was exhausted and my legs hated me. I had to finish the run though and after 400 m I finished the workout in 17:30. 

Wednesday

Back Squat - 6x6 at 60% (244 lb.)

Squat maintenance day, nothing crazy.

Partner WOD - AMRAP 20 Minutes

15 Burpees

20 Overhead Squats (115 lb.)

30 Sit Ups

Run (100 m)

I did this workout with my wife and it was a lot of fun. We broke up the reps in half for all movements and alternated on the run. We kept a good pace on the movements. The burpees and sit ups went by quickly. The overhead squats took a bit more time because we broke it up into sets of five. We did it at a steady pace and pushed each other until the end. We finished this workout with four rounds and 30 sit ups.

Strict Press - 8x4 at 70% (115 lb.)

I haven't done much strict press lately and this weight felt heavy. I took a few minutes in between sets to rest. At the sixth set, it started getting very heavy. I was struggling on the third rep and almost missed the fourth rep on set seven and eight.

WOD - 18 Minute Time Cap

Ground to Overhead - 10,000 lb.

I did this workout back in 2014 and posted a short description of the workout on the blog. It was also my first POST! My previous time for this workout was 19:45, 15 seconds under the time cap. This time around, the time cap is 18 minutes. If I finish the workout, it will be a PR. My set up will also be the same. I'm going to do the workout with a 100 lb. bar and the sets will be 10x10. I will be doing the reps with a clean and jerk instead of a snatch. If I did snatches, I'll definitely gas out.

The workout started well. I did 10 reps unbroken for at least four sets. At set five, I had to break up the reps into two sets of five. My shoulders and triceps were burning making the jerk harder to cycle. This slowed me down considerably and I stayed at this rep scheme until the end of the workout. At set nine I was getting very tired but I wanted to finish as quickly as possible. I decided to snatch the last five reps and managed to do them unbroken. I finished this workout at 16:10, 3:35 better than the last time!

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Back Squat - 8x4 at 70% (275 lb.)

After squatting a bit last week my legs are almost back to normal. My old numbers were 275 lb. and I wanted to work up to that. I loaded up the bar and I got to work. I took about three warm up sets before putting on 275 lb. The first set felt heavier than usual but after a few more reps the lifts felt normal. I was taking about two minutes of rest in between sets. Around the sixth set I could feel the fatigue in my legs and on the eighth set I almost failed my last rep. 

Partner WOD - AMRAP 16 Minutes

7 Dumbbell Snatch (50 lb.)

7 Dumbbell Squat (50 lb.)

7 Russian Dumbbell Swings (50 lb.)

Run (100 m)

Partners alternate rounds

This workout doesn't look too bad on paper. Some rest in between sets and relatively low reps made me think I would be able to do each round quickly. My goal for this workout was 16 rounds total. I underestimated the fatigue on my legs. All those heavy squats really did a number on them. My first round was quick. The snatches, squats and swings were easy. The run however, was the hardest part of the workout. I tried to pick up my running pace in the later rounds but I couldn't. My pace slowed as I finished each round. At the end of 16 minutes we finished 14 rounds. I was short of the goal but I gave it my all.

Tuesday

 Clean and Jerk Complex - Find A Heavy Rep

Power Clean + Push Jerk + Hang Squat Clean + Split Jerk

This was a fun clean and jerk complex. The hardest part was going to be the hang squat clean and split jerk. Holding the bar for that long was going to strain your grip and challenge your breathing. I didn't know how heavy I wanted to go. I've been doing a lot of clean work at 198 lb. and 205 lb. so I decided to shoot for a weight around there.

I started with a light weight and worked up to 198 lb. Everything felt good except for my breathing. I had to focus on my breathing during the hang squat clean and split jerk. I was usually out of breath by then. I manged to lift 198 lb. and moved on to 205 lb. and the 216 lb. I managed to lift 216 lb. which is somewhat of a PR. 216 lb. is also 96% of my current clean and jerk max. I may need to retest that number. 

WOD - 15 Minute Time Cap

5 Rounds

100 Single Unders
15 Hang Clean and Jerks (115 lb.)

After the clean and jerk complex, I was very confident doing the hang clean and jerks at 115 lb. I should be warmed up and able to rep these out quickly. I was wrong, very wrong. The first round of singles were easy and I got through them quickly. The first round of hang clean and jerks however, were terrible. My plan was to do eight reps and then seven reps. I did five reps and then scrapped that plan. I stayed at five reps per set for the rest of the workout.

I only finished four rounds of this workout at time cap. I under estimated how fatigued my arms were. The cleans were easy, the jerks were hard. My shoulders were burning by the end. It was a fun workout but I should have scaled the weight to 95 lb. to finish the jerks quicker.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Fridays (Guam time) are going to be boring but at least Dave Castro is not jerking us around with mystery workouts. We are back to our regular programming but I have a lot of takeaways from this years open.

Movements


Surprisingly, we didn't do two movements that were in the Open since 2011. Snatch and wall balls were not featured in a workout this year. They will more than likely be in next years Open.

My Placement


My goal was to be on the first page (for Guam) but that didn't happen. I placed 62nd, my lowest placement in the open. Either I'm getting worse or everyone else is getting more fit.

My Takeaway

I placed 62nd because I didn't do the work. I can't blame anyone or anything except myself. It sucks but I do have a plan. My conditioning needs a lot of work. This past year, I have been doing a lot of Olympic lifting and not much cardio. I need to find a balance between these two and I need to work in more gymnastics work as well. I want that muscle up! I have a full year to work on these things and hopefully I can get back to the front page of the leader board. I hope you hit some goals in this years Open and if you didn't, we have a lot of time to work on it.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Power Snatch -  Find your 1RM

My last power snatch and snatch PR was at 172 lb. (78 kg). After not training snatches, I wanted to at least reach that weight if not hit a new PR. I warmed up with about three singles at each weight interval. I focused on form and movement throughout all the positions. As the weight got heavier, I took longer rests between sets.

I was able to complete 60 kg and 65 kg fairly easily. Once I reached 70 kg, it started to get challenging. I had to squat a little lower at this weight as I tried not to "starfish". At 75 kg, I was able to complete two singles, then I attempted 80 kg. I missed my first attempt. I was able to get the weight overhead but I caught it too far forward. I made some mental adjustments and went for the next rep. I was able to get under the bar but I landed in a "starfish". I also had a slight press out. I decided to stop there since my form was starting to deteriorate but I at least have a new training pr! 

WOD - AMRAP, 9 Minutes

10 Dumbbell Snatch, Alternating (50 lb.)

Run (100 m)

After speaking to a few members in the previous class, I decided to shoot for eight rounds. The average was about seven to nine rounds and I was shooting for the middle. I was going to try and keep my pace to one round a minute and try to hold on until the end. The dumbbell weight shouldn't be a problem, I've done dumbbell snatches before at that weight. The run would probably be a bit difficult but it was short.

At the start of the workout, everything went smooth. The dumbbell snatches were not giving me a problem and the run was okay. I was able to keep my pace until the fifth round. The dumbbell snatches were a little slower than previous rounds, and my run was slower as well. I could feel my lower back tightening up, which means my running form was not good. I powered though it and was only able to finish seven rounds and 80 meters on the run. I was 20 meters short of my goal! I was happy with the result since I pushed as hard as I could.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Back Squat - 6x6 at 70% (275 lb.)

We started a new back squat cycle and I'm pumped. I really want to get my squat up to 400 lb. but I haven't been putting in the work. At the end of the cycle I want to at least hit a new PR, even if it's only five pounds. 

I worked up to 275 lb. slowly. I haven't been squatting heavy and wanted a good warm up before putting on some heavy weight. Surprisingly, the squats felt good but not light. It took a lot of focus and concentration. I did notice some hip shift in the later sets which is something that I'll need to correct. Overall, great squat session. 

WOD - 10 Minute AMRAP

10 Single Arm Thrusters (50 lb.)

Run (100 m)

10 Single Arm Thrusters (50 lb.)

Run (100 m)

I almost scaled this workout to 30 or 40 lb. The weight was a little heavy for my left arm but I thought I could get through it. The run was going to be the longest portion of this workout. I was able to go through the right arm thrusters unbroken. When doing the left arm thrusters, I had to break up the reps. Like my squat, I have to work on my muscle imbalance. The run sucked but I kept a good pace and tried to catch my breath during the run. I finished three rounds and two right arm thrusters.

WOD 1 - For Time, 6 Minute Time Cap

3 Rounds

10 Deadlifts (275 lb.)

50 Double Unders

Like most workouts, it's the cardio that's going to kill me and those double unders look scary. The deadlifts seemed a bit heavy but I should be able to get through it in two sets each round. I warmed up a bit for the deadlifts before the workout started. I forgot how heavy 275 lb. felt, I wasn't worried however since this is only about 65% of my 1RM.

I was able to get through the deadlifts in sets of five and go unbroken on the double unders in the first round. It only took about a minute to finish. The second and third sets were a lot harder. I had to take a few seconds in between sets. I kept missing my double unders and it took a lot time to string more together. At the time cap I was ten reps into the last round of double unders. 

WOD 2 - AMRAP 6 Minutes

5 Pull Ups

7 Burpees

9 Double Unders

We had a two minute break before starting this workout. I am more comfortable with these movements and I wasn't too worried. The hardest movement was going to be the burpees. I was still tired from the previous workout but I was able to get an okay start. I went through all the movements without much trouble but I had to take a few seconds in between movements. The burpees were the worst part. I moved at a very slow pace but I didn't stop to catch my breath. I was able to go through all the pull ups and double unders unbroken. I was shooting for six rounds, trying to do this workout like an EMOM, but that didn't go as plan. I finished this workout with four rounds and two pull ups.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Overhead Squat Complex - Find a  Heavy 1 Rep

Behind the neck push jerk + overhead squat

I treated this as an overhead squat max. I usually push jerk to get the weight overhead. My goal for this was to complete at least 200 lb. After warm up, I was able to complete lifts at 185 lb. and 200 lb. The lifts felt good and decided to try 220 lb., five pounds below my current PR. After a minute of rest, I attempted the lift and was able to complete it. I decided to call it a day. I was happy with my lift.

Hang Snatch - 3x3 at 75% (130 lb.)

I was riding my high completing the overhead squat and went directly into the hang snatches. 130 lb. is heavy for me but I used straps to keep my grip in tact. I had one miss in the first set. I took a breath and focused. I was able to complete the next nine reps without a miss. Not bad for snatches.

Strict Press - 3x5 at 65% (110 lb.)

After all the strict press work we have been doing, this was a piece of cake. Had no issues.

Back Squat - 3x5 at 75% (264 lb.)

I didn't need a warm up for this and went into it quickly. I haven't been squatting heavy so this took some effort. It was a tough three rounds but I got through it quickly.

Overhead Squat - Find a 3RM

I was a bit sore from Monday but I was going to try and set a new PR today. I started with 135 lb. and worked up to 185 lb. before  thinking of my next few weights. I decided to lift 195 lb. and then jump to 209 lb. to try and set a new PR. I was able to finish three reps but they were a struggle. I was able to PR my overhead squat by four pounds. Not a large number but I'm happy with it.

WOD - Double Under Nancy

5 Rounds

50 double unders

15 overhead squats (95 lb.)

I did this workout three years ago. I scaled to using only the bar which took me 14:26. This time around, I wanted to PR my time as well as the weight. After doing the overhead squat session, I was feeling good. I was confident in my overhead squat but not the double unders. I didn't want to push too hard and gas in the third or fourth round.

The workout started great, I was able to go unbroken on the double unders and the overhead squats for the first two rounds. Round three started to get tough. I was barely able to string 10-20 double unders before messing up. The overhead squats were starting to feel heavy. I was able to get five or six reps before setting the bar back on my back.

It was a grind to finish the fourth round but I almost gave up at the fifth. My legs were on fire and it me a few seconds to catch my breath. Around this time my wife finished her workout and walked over to me to give me some encouragement. I was able to get through the double unders and go unbroken on the overhead squats. The overhead squats were extremely difficult. I had to put all my focus into keeping my arms engaged and break through the pain. I almost lost it around rep seven or eight but I was able to save it. My arms were starting to go numb right when I finished the last rep. My total time was 13:21, 1:05 faster than my last time. Double PR for the day!

Bench Press - 5x2 at 90% (205 lb.)

This was the heaviest I've gone in awhile. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. I used a spotter but I didn't have to be helped. It felt great.

Partner WOD - AMRAP, 16 Minutes

20 box jumps (24 in.)

15 deadlifts (225 lb.)

Handstand hold (30 sec.)

I did this partner workout with my wife and we scaled it. Instead of the handstand hold it was a 10m handstand walk. The scale was handstand holds which was more than enough to get our shoulders burning. We split the reps down the middle. Our goals for this workout was to complete six rounds.

The first three rounds went smooth but my partner and I were tired out. I under estimated the deadlifts and tired my best to keep up the intensity. We fell short of the six round goal and completed only five rounds.

Clean Complex

Clean + Hang Clean + Clean

This was a fun complex but it was also frustrating. I couldn't hold onto the bar during the hang portion of the complex at 215 lb. and decided to finish the workout. I have work on establishing the hook grip after the first clean. That should help with my grip issues. I was able to complete the complex at 205 lb. 

Push Press - 4x5 at 65% (145 lb.)

At 65% I was able to finish this workout quickly. I focused on my front rack position and my finishing position

Back Squat + Jerk

3 back squat + behind the neck jerk

This was a difficult one because of the behind the neck jerk. I haven't been practicing it that much and it felt a bit awkward. My limiting factor for this complex was going to be the jerk but I wanted to work up to 225 lb. I started off with a light weight, focusing on form and getting used to the movement. I started getting used to the movement but my form wasn't great. I was able to reach my goal of 225 lb. but it wasn't pretty. I had a slight press on jerk and I had to save it. Slowly getting back into these movements.

Strict Press - 5x6 at 65% (99 lb.)

I was able to get through this quickly. The last two rounds were tough but not too difficult. 

Strict Press - 1x10 at 60% (88 lb.)

This burnout set was difficult. After the thirty reps my arms were tired. I was able to complete about eight reps at a touch and go pace before my arms were tired. I was able to finish the last two reps but they took a bit longer. 88 lb. never felt so heavy!

Partner WOD - AMRAP, 20 Minutes

4 muscle up

8 pistols

12 handstand push ups

Run (200 m)

I did this workout with my wife and we had a great time. I was able to do all the movements Rx but she had to scale. The reps were split in half and the worst part of this workout was the run, no surprise there.

The first few rounds started off great. The movements were challenging but I was able to get through them quickly. We started to slow down after round four. I was able to keep my same pace but my partner had to slow down a bit. I kept an okay pace for the rest of the workout but had to slow down on my partners reps. It was not a problem and my goal was to keep her moving and motivated. We survived the workout and finished with six rounds and a muscle up. Great partner workout!

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Strict Press - Establish a 1RM

My heaviest strict press was around 155 about two years ago, I was able to do two reps. Last year I was able to lift 145 lb. for three. I was hoping to lift at least 145 lb. but I wasn't confident. I loaded 95 lb. on the bar and started to warm up, adding 20 lb. until I reached 135 lb. I added on 10 lb. and attempted the lift. I was able to complete it, but barely. I knew 155 was going to be tough. I attempted the lift but was barely able to get it higher than a few inches off my shoulders. I racked the bar and waited a few minutes. I attempted a second lift and the bar went lower than the first attempt. I called it quits but I was happy with my result. I hope after this strength cycle, I'll be able to lift 165 lb. 

WOD - AMRAP 12 Minutes

12 box jumps

9 push press (50 kg.)

6 lateral burpee over bar

After my failed lifts on the strict press, it was time for a short amrap. Plans for the workout, jump for all box jumps, unbroken on push press and survive the burpees over bar. I wanted to finish at least five rounds. My pace for the workout would have to be 2:15 per round.

The first three rounds of the workout went well. I kept up with the pace and finished them under six minutes. The fourth round is where I hit a wall. I was breathing pretty hard at this point and too about 30 seconds to catch my breath. I slipped on one of the box jumps during this round but thankfully I didn't hit my shins on the box. I focused on the movement and took a few deep breaths and continued. The push presses were not bad but my shoulder were wearing out. I had to break up the reps in the fifth round. The burpees were the worst. It was only six reps but they were the hardest six reps. I tried to hold the standard of taking off with two feet and landing with two feet but I would mess up and do a one legged hop over. I was frustrated and exhausted but I trudged on. I met my goal and finished this workout with five rounds and three box jumps, barely.

Tuesday

Snatch Complex - Three Position Snatch: Ground, Above Knee, Hip

I'm still working on the snatch. We did a heave one rep last week but I'm still a little rusty. I started at 40 kg and worked up to 65 kg. I felt pretty good throughout the positions but the hang is the hardest. My grip gives out during the pull. I attempted 70 kg but I missed on the hang. 

WOD - For Time (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)

Power Snatch (95 lb.)

Overhead Squat (95 lb.)

This was going to be a difficult workout. 55 reps of snatches at 95 lb. was a lot, especially after the snatch complex. I planned to break up the snatch reps in half and go almost unbroken on overhead squats since it's my stronger movement.

The power snatches from rounds 8-10 were broken up into two sets with 15 - 20 seconds in between sets. The overhead squats were done unbroken. By the round of seven, I could feel the fatigue set in. My lower back was starting to get tight and my shoulders were feeling weak. I started breaking the sets into three which took longer but I was able to keep a good pace. I felt like quitting around round five and I almost gave up. My wife and coaches pushed me and I finished the workout in 13:27. 

Bench Press - Find a 1RM

The last time I did heavy bench presses was last year. It's not a huge part of the programming at the box and I haven't been doing it on my own. My last 1RM was 240 lb. and I didn't know how well I was going to do that day. I did a typical warm up. Starting at 95 lb. and working up with 30 - 50 lb. increments. I maxed my bench press at 205 lb. which is 40 lb. lower than my previous max. I have to work back up to that number over the next few weeks.

WOD - Elizabeth, Time Cap - 10 Minutes

21-15-9

Clean (135 lb.)
Ring dips

This was going to be a tough workout. The last time I attempted this workout, I almost passed out. I haven't been working on my dips but I wanted to do this Rx. I would push until I had to scale the ring dips. I decided to break up the reps into three sets of seven. The first round of 21 cleans went well. I was able to do the sets unbroken. The ring dips were a different story. I was able to complete seven reps but I was moving too slow. Given enough time, I would have been able to complete this workout Rx but I wanted to keep moving and finish most of the reps under time cap. Even the scaled ring dips were taking a toll on my arms. My arms were shot but I was able to finish 15 scaled dips when time cap was called. If I had another three minutes I would have been able to finish this workout. Need to work on my dips.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Back Squat - Find a Heavy Set of 5

My goal for this back squat session was to beat my numbers from last week. I lifted 120 kg. for five, so today I was shooting for 125 kg. I warmed up to 100 kg and added 10 kg each set. My form felt off but I focused and was able to do a few reps that felt better. I was able to lift 120 kg without much trouble but I did stick around the fifth rep. I added 5 kg and started my lifts. I was able to complete the first two reps without issue. The weight felt heavy at rep four and five but I was able to stand them up. I wasn't confident enough to add more weight and stopped at 125 kg. I was able to reach my goal but I didn't feel 100%.

WOD - Fight Gone Bad Style

5 Rounds, 1 Minute Per Station

Box Jumps

Wall Balls

Row (Cals.)

Rest 1 Minute

After the heavy squats we had a killer leg workout. I knew the box jumps and wall balls were going to be the hardest movements to keep consistent. I didn't want to scale the box jumps either. I wanted to make sure I jump and not step up.

I finished the first round with 16 box jumps, 17 wall balls, and 14 calories on the wall balls. I was shooting for a total of 50 reps. I came up short and it was tough to reach those numbers. I decided to lower my reps on the wall balls and box jumps and try to increase the calories on the rower. The next  three rounds were 40, 34 and 38 reps. I couldn't maintain the reps on the wall balls and box jumps. I would do a few and then rest for five seconds. My legs were on fire and I couldn't push through it like I wanted to. After the third round I was dissatisfied with my score. I had to increase my intensity but I was already getting more tired. I was able to increase my reps on the fourth round and in the fifth round I was able to complete 40 reps. I was exhausted but I was able to come back from giving up and finish the workout. 

Snatch - Find a 1 Rep Heavy

I haven't done heavy snatches in a while and my wrist was not 100%. My last heavy snatch and PR was at 171 lb. but I knew I wasn't going to hit a number that close. My focus was to maintain good form and go as heavy as I could.

I started out at 40 kg and worked up to 60 kg. At 60 kg, I could feel the strain on my right wrist. I completed the lift and added 5 kg. I completed the lift but I had to struggle to save it. I was able to stand it up but I could still feel the pain in my wrist. I loaded another 5 kg on the bar and attempted a rep and failed. I wasn't moving as quickly as I should have and it showed. I wasn't able to get under the bar but I set up for another attempt. The next attempt was the same, a miss. I was dissappointed but I understood. I haven't been doing heavy snatches and I'm not used to them. It's going to take some time but I'll be lifting at my previous weights.

Clean and Jerk Complex - 5x1 at 85% (90 kg)

2 Power Cleans + 1 Split Jerk

The percentage was taken from my power clean 1RM at about 104 kg. The power cleans were heavier than expected. I was able to complete the first rep quickly but the second rep took a lot more effort. The jerk felt awkward at first but by the third or fourth set, I was able to smooth out the lift.

Overall, my clean and jerks were better than my snatches. I'm not surprised, we have been doing more cleans and not a lot of snatch work. The barbell club programming is a lot of fun and will try and incorporate some of the lifting sessions with the classes.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Hero WOD - Manion

Alternating EMOM: 6 Minutes

15 wall balls (20 lb.)
15 burpees

This was a fun warm up. I was able to finish all reps under 45 seconds and get 15 seconds of rest. Started to get very difficult around the last two rounds.

WOD - For Time

5K Row

This was my first time rowing a 5K. The longest I've done in one sitting was a 2K and I didn't know how it was going to go. I started off slow, keeping a pace of 2:10/500m. The first 1000m was not bad and I was able to finish it under 4:20. As I moved closer to 2,500m I could feel my legs start to fatigue. I eased up my pace to about 2:20/500m and tried to keep my pulls consistent. At 4,000m I could feel the energy slowly drain away. I tried to stay focused and keep steady pulls as I watched the monitor increase. I was able to hold on and finished at 22:28. Now I have a goal to shoot for in the next rowing session.

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Overhead Squat - 6x2 at 80% (185 lb.)

Lately, my hips have been feeling really tight. I haven't been doing much mobility at home or after class and I think it is catching up to me. I took a long time warming up my legs and hips but I felt a lot better after. 135 lb. and 155 lb. felt heavy but at least my legs were holding up. I was able to keep a good form. At 185 lb. it started to get tough. My first set was not strong. After finishing two reps, I wanted to drop the weight to 175 lb. but I decided against it. I did a few quick mobility drills and did my second set. This set felt a lot better than the first and I went through it quickly with good form. I felt a bit shaky but it was not too bad. I was only able to complete four sets before time ran out. 

WOD

CFG Open 11.4 - AMRAP 10 Minutes

60 burpees over bar
30 overhead squats (120 lb.)
10 muscle ups

This was my first time doing this workout. Immediately, I knew the burpess were going to be difficult. I'm still slow when it comes to burpees. The 120 lb. overhead squat would not have been too heavy but I was not that confident. I was predicting maybe two to five muscle ups.

The workout started and I tried to find a rhythm. It was smooth for the first thirty reps but I started to feel winded. I started slowing down on each rep but I kept going and pushed through. I was exhausted but I was able to start the overhead squats. I snatched the weight and started to do five reps. In hindsight, I should have cleaned and set up for the overhead squat from the back. My wrist was giving me problems and I could only do a few reps at a time. At time cap, I only finished 20 reps.

Friday

20 handstand push ups
30 box jumps
400 m row

I walked into the box at 1645 and decided to start some mobility drills as I waited for the 1730 class to start. While warming up, my father calls me over to his overhead squat stations and asks me to be his partner for the workout. Working out with my dad is always fun so I agreed and started warming up for the workout. I would do the overhead squats at the beginning of the next class.

We decided to split the reps in half. 10 handstand push ups, 15 box jumps and 200m on the rower. Our goal for this workout was to finish four rounds. Dad was a little skeptical that we would finish and I wasn't sure if I could keep the pace. Regardless, I was going to do my best.

Not doing the overhead squats helped me get through this workout. My shoulders and legs were not tired going into it. I was able to do the handstand push ups and box jumps unbroken. Also, I was able to keep a 1:40 /500m pace on the rower. My dad was also able to go unbroken on his reps. We pushed hard and finished 4 + 25 reps at the time cap.

After the workout, I did not have the energy to complete the overhead squats. Also, my hips were a bit tight so I decided to take a rest.

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Deadlift - Find 1 Rep Max

I was not confident going into this 1RM lift. I had to scale my weights during the cycle and couldn't reach anything over 90% of my 1RM. Regardless, I was going to attempt something. Over 95% of my 1RM or a new 1RM was going to be my goal.

I warmed up to 365 lb. and started to add on 20 lb. each jump. I was able to lift 385 lb. and went up to 405 lb. This lift was about 98% of my current 1RM. My back was straight and my form look good. I decided to go up to 420 lb. to attempt a new 1RM. I gripped the barbell and pulled. The bar started coming up about two inches then I dropped it. I felt my core weaken and my back start to round slightly. I didn't want to continue and risk losing form. I reached a goal, hitting 98% of my 1RM. If I did more deadlifts during the cycle, I probably could have hit a new PR.

Jackie

Row (1000 m)

50 thrusters

30 pull ups

The last time I did Jackie it was over two years ago. My previous time was 10:53 and my new goal was to finished under 10 minutes. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement to get through. I can handle the thrusters but the pull ups were going to be rough. The row was not bad. I kept a pace of 1:40-1:50 per 500m, which took me about four minutes to finish. The I thought the thrusters were going to be easier but it was a grind. I did 15 reps and then stopped. I rested for a few second and picked up the bar. Towards the end of the thrusters I was doing about 5-10 reps.

The pull ups were my weakest movement. I was not able to string more than five reps together and towards the end was only doing two or three reps at a time. I'm not sure how long I took to do the thrusters and pull ups but I finished at 10:48. I didn't know this was a PR until I entered it into BTWB. I was 48 seconds faster this time around. I thought I went over my previous time and this surprise made me feel better about the workout. Small victories.

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Deadlift - 3x3 at 95% (405 lb.)

My goal was to try and complete one set of deadlifts at 405 lb. but after a few weeks of deadlifts, I knew it was a lofty goal. I worked up to 365 lb. and added 10 lb. every set. 365 lb. felt a lot heavier than what I was used to and I didn't want to make large weight jumps. At 375 lb. and 385 lb. I was able to complete one set, but I failed to get more than one rep at 395 lb. I decided to drop back to 385 lb. but I was only able to finish two reps in the set. I completed the last two sets at 375 lb.

I was frustrated during this strength session because I felt weak. 385 lb. and 395 lb. used to be manageable and I would be able to finish all three sets at this weight. I have to remind myself that I need to put in the work in order to maintain strength.

Partner WOD - 40 Minute Time Cap

Row (100 cals.)

100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)

Rest 5 Minutes

15-12-9

Clusters (135 lb.)

Muscle Ups

Rest 5 Minutes

100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)

Row (100 cals.)

This is a repeat workout that I did in 2015. I wasn't writing about my workouts back then so I can't recall how that workout went other than the result on BTWB. Previously, I modified the workout since I was not able to complete muscle ups then. We also reached the time cap at 40 minutes. I wasn't sure if I would be able to Rx this workout. I haven't been able to complete a muscle up since last year. I have been doing more strict pull up work and decided to try and complete a muscle up instead of scaling. Surprisingly, I made one rep and it felt like riding a bike. I did two more to get used the movement and I was ready for the wod.

The first part of the workout was divided evenly, the row was two sets of 25 cals. and the wall balls were broken up into five sets of 10 reps. The row went well, both of us kept a good pace and finished quickly. The wall balls were harder but not by much. Breaking the reps down into sets of 10 really helped. I was able to get some rest while my partner did some work. The last 10 - 20 reps were difficult but we powered through and before we knew it, five minute break!

The cluster muscle up workout was the easiest part. Since I was comfortable with the weight, I did the extra rep on odd sets. My rep scheme was 5-3, 6, 5 for this part of the workout. I did single reps instead of touch and go, resting for a second or two before the next rep of clusters. After finishing the clusters I moved on the muscle ups doing single reps as well. The rep scheme followed the clusters while my partner scaled the muscle up portion. This section went by quick and then we were able to rest for another five minutes.

The last section of the workout was a lot harder than expected. I knew it was going to be harder than the first section but I didn't think it was going to be as difficult. We powered through the 100 reps of wall balls using the same rep scheme. I almost gave up and broke up the sets into reps of five but my partner pushed me to keep going. After the last set of wall balls, we walked to the rower. We did lower the sets for this section, completing sets of 15 cals. instead of 25 cals. We did two sets of 15 cals. and two sets of 10 cals. We finished the row and the workout at 37:37.

The push was worth it. The last time I did this, I wasn't able to finish the workout and this time, we crushed it. I haven't been hitting my strength numbers recently but I'm satisfied with how my metcon times have been coming along. It was great feeling finishing that workout under time cap. Now I just need to push it and be faster next time it pops up on the whiteboard.

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Deadlift - 5x5 at 85% (355 lb.)

I haven't been hitting my deadlift numbers this cycle. I haven't been doing them consistently for the last few weeks and it shows. My 85% from my lifetime 1RM is 355 lb. I was only able to lift 325 lb. for 5. I'm also more cautious about deadlifts because of injury. I am not where I want to be but I am not in a rush to get there. Proper form will lead to progress eventually. 

For Time - 9 Minute Time Cap

30 pull ups

400 m run

50 thrusters (45 lb.)

This was a short workout but it was one of my favorites from the week. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement but we would have some rest time on the 400 m run. I was not sure how well I would do on the thrusters but I was pretty sure I could do them in two sets, three at the most. My goal was to finish under seven minutes.

The pull ups went okay. I set a pace of about 5-10 reps a set and finished in about three minutes. The strict pull ups I have been doing at home are starting to pay off. The pull ups felt easier and I didn't struggle as much. I also felt more control on descents. I should start doing more gymnastics accessory work at home. I was able to finish the run in two minutes but I took about 30 seconds of rest before I started the thrusters. My first set of thrusters were 20 reps. My shoulders started to give out and I switched to doing 10 - 15 reps per set. After resting a good amount of time between sets, I finished the workout at 7:15.

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Snatch Complex

Snatch Pull + Power Snatch + Overhead Squat

I haven't worked on snatches in a few weeks. Since the Open, I've been doing more classes and focusing less on the barbell club programming. My lifts may have suffered but I was excited to get back into snatching a heavy weight.

Started off with 40 kg and worked up to 75 kg. It took a few reps to get used to the movements. Surprisingly, my lifts were not bad. I did miss my first attempt at 75 kg but was able to finish the second attempt. My current power snatch PR is 78 kg, and I'm only 3 kg short on this complex. I may want to try for 80 kg in my next power snatch PR attempt.

WOD

For Time - 4 Rounds, TC - 9 Minutes

15 hang power snatch (95 lb.)

30 double unders

I did this WORKOUT almost two years ago. I scaled to 75 lb. on the barbell and was only able to finish three rounds in seven minutes. Confident in my fitness, I decided to attempt this workout at 95 lb. My goal for this workout was to finish all four rounds under time cap.

The first round went well. I completed the first set of snatches unbroken and the first set of double unders unbroken. The first round took about 1:15 to complete. The next three rounds however were a lot harder. I had to break up the power snatches into two sets and then three sets. I would trip up on the double unders after a few reps or my arms would get tired and I would have to stop and rest. I may have started this workout too fast and should have paced it a bit better. It was a lot harder than I imagined but I did reach my goal, finishing at 8:22.

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Strict Press - 3 Rep Max (135 lb.)

I was not able to match my previous 3RM of 145 lb. I was able to lift 135 lb. without a problem but got stuck at 145 lb. We haven't done strict press in awhile but we have been doing a lot of strict HSPU which I thought would transfer over. Hopefully, I'll be able to regain my strength in this lift and get back to a new strict press pr!

AMRAP - 12 Minutes

150 double unders

-then-

AMRAP

15 push press (60 kg)

10 front squats (60 kg)

5 power snatches (60 kg)

This was my favorite workout of the week. It's not too long (20 minutes) and I like all the movements. My goal for this workout was to finish two rounds. Others in previous classes were finishing two to three rounds. The double unders went well and was able to finish 75 reps before breaking. My arms were tired and I couldn't keep the rhythm. I wasn't able to go for another 75 reps and had to break it up into a few sets. I finished the double unders around three minutes and started on the barbell portion of the workout.

We did this workout after the strict press 3RM and the 60 kg push press felt heavy. I was able to complete eight reps before dropping the bar. I completed four reps and had to drop the bar again. I had to take a few minutes to recover but I eventually finished the last three reps. The front squats were not a problem in the first round and was able to finish unbroken. I did the power snatches in singles. The second round was harder than the first. The push press was broken up into sets of four to five and I would take a minute in between. I was able to finish ten reps of the front squats by time.

Overall, this was a great workout. I was short of my goal but I did my best. This will be a fun workout to retest.

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Back Squat - 6x3 at 80% (325 lb.)

Last week I did squats at 70%, this week we're up at 80%. I did this twice this week, the Monday session was great, completing four out of six sets at 325 lb. The session of Friday was terrible. I played some Ultimate Frisbee on Wednesday and my legs may have been worn out. On Friday, I worked up to 325 lb. but it felt extremely heavy. I was only able to complete one set. I dropped the weight to 315 lb. but that was too much as well. My coach told me to drop to 275 lb. and do some one second pauses at the bottom. It was a tough week and I should get some heavy reps done. We will be maxing out next week and I hope I'm ready for a new PR.

WOD

Partner AMRAP - 20 Miniutes

10 row (cals.)

15 wall balls (20 lb.)

15 Russian kb swings (54 lb.)

*Partners will alternate movements

Did this workout with my wife and it was a lot of fun. The movements were alternating which gave some time to recover. The hardest movement was the wall balls (as usual). At the beginning of the workout we set our goal to 10 rounds.

I started on the wall balls with the goal of doing all of them unbroken for the entire goal. Looking back on the open, the wall balls in 17.4 were my biggest hurdle and now is the time to work on them. I knew I would be okay on the row and kb swings so I didn't worry about them. I tried to keep a good pace on the rower 900 - 1100 cals. on the rower and complete the kb swings unbroken.

Towards the end of the workout, my wife would finish a movement but I was not ready to start the next one. I was still trying to catch my breath, but it would only take a few seconds. On my last round of wall balls, I broke at 10 reps. I wanted to keep going but my arms and legs were giving up. After a few seconds of rest, I finished the wall balls. We pushed each other and were very supported during the workout. We finished with 10 rounds, 10 row and 9 wall balls.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!