It's been a busy week at work, so I'll post the workouts I've done so far this week.
Monday, 9/27, 7:00pm CFC
Shoulder to Overhead – #235 (+#10 PR)
Pressed out quite a bit, which means I’ve got #10-#20 more in me with a better drive under the bar. It's always good to to get a PR though.
Metcon, for time:
21-15-9
Power cleans @ #135
Burpees
Metcon @ #135: 6:15
I thought this workout would be heavier than it ended up being, so I didn’t attack it from the start like I should have. Started off with singles but then was able to chain sets of 3/4/5 together for the remainder. Sub-5:30 next time. Still working on gauging my breathing and pacing on these shorter workouts.
Pushups: 100 on the dot. Just paced this to do 10 every 30 seconds. All unbroken except for last set of 10 on knuckles.
Tues, 9/28 @ FFC, 7:45pm
Back Squat
Warmup: 45×10, 95×5, 115×3, 135×3, 185×2, 205×2, 225×2
Work: 175×20
5 min rest
Metcon A:
Did Friday’s Metcon.
5 rounds for time,
10 KBS (1.5 pood, used #55 dumbbell
20 air squats
Time: 3:30
Made it up in my mind beforehand that I was going to hit this as hard as I possibly could. I got it unbroken. Threw in some extra reps on some rounds to simulate being called out on a KB swing or air squat. Hitting these short metcons is an area I'd like to improve in, so I was happy with this. May try this with a 2 pood this weekend as a post-WOD.
5 min rest
Metcon B:
CF Football WOD, 8 min AMRAP
7 dumbbell thrusters (Rx #45, used #35)
7 ball slams (Rx #40, used #25)
7 full rounds
Again, hit another weakness with the thrusters. Legs were gone by this point but did my best to push through.
Wed, 9/29 @ FFC, 7:45 pm
Bench Press 3×5 @ #185
Metcon A:
10 rounds for time,
3 HSPU
5 burpees (jump over 1′ high barrier–aerobics step each time)
7 ball slams (#25)
Time: 10:23
Unbroken–the jump over the barrier in between each burpee definitely gassed and slowed me down, since I couldn’t just drop down to the floor after I hopped up. Trying to experiment with different burpee variations to induce fatigue faster and hopefully make regular burpees more efficient.
Metcon B:
Heavy bag drills
6 rounds 1:00 on / 1:00 off
2 rounds 1:30 on / 1:00 off
Haven’t hit the heavy bag in awhile so this felt good. Never got too tired, but shoulders started to fatigue the last two rounds as I tried to keep my guard up. I have been running out of metcons to make up on my own when I'm not at the box, so I'm going to try to hit the bag at least once a week as a conditioning drill.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Fight Gone Bad Competition
Last Saturday the 25th was the Fight Gone Bad competition at Atlas Crossfit. Here was my plan going in:
Targeted
9/25/2010
WB 25 22 22 69
SDHP 25 25 22 72
BJ 50 45 45 140
PP 27 22 25 74
Row 15 15 15 45
Total 142 129 129 400
Actual
9/25/2010
WB 25 20 13 58
SDHP 25 22 22 69
BJ 50 45 35 130
PP 28 23 20 71
Row 15 15 16 46
Total 143 125 106 374
Differential
9/25/2010
WB 0 (2) (9) (11)
SDHP 0 (3) 0 (3)
BJ 0 0 (10) (10)
PP 1 1 (5) (3)
Row 0 0 1 1
Total 1 (4) (23) (26)
As you can see, I held my pace for the first two rounds but again got burnt out on the third. My total score of 374 was short of my goal of 400 and even 14 reps short of my PR of 388, but I was actually pretty happy with my performance. The setup was less than ideal and the standards were a bit different than what we were used to, but of course it felt good to get out of the comfortable environment of CFC and go head to head with another gym.
Although I didn't hit my target goal, I was pleased that I stayed pretty positive throughout the workout. I usually have a tendency to lose my mental focus on the final round, and while I definitely fatigued and fell off my pace, I didn't have any major blowups. I still think I'm capable of hitting 400 down the road.
I placed 4th out of all of the guys (maybe around 40 guys total). The top 5 guys all came from our gym, which was pretty sweet.
1. John G. 392
2. Nate 390
3. Glenn 377
4. Me 374
5. Tom M 371
It was good to get into a competition setting again for the second week and place near the top. I was super nervous beforehand, especially as I watched other heats go and people weren't hitting PRs due to the setting. That said, I pushed those aside once it came time for my heat and just went out to give it my best shot and have a good time. I told myself that even if it wasn't my day, I'd already prepared all that I could for the event and that was where the hard work would pay off. I think it's important to remember that there are variables you can't control on competition day, so it's best to just set those aside and not let them distract you.
Targeted
9/25/2010
WB 25 22 22 69
SDHP 25 25 22 72
BJ 50 45 45 140
PP 27 22 25 74
Row 15 15 15 45
Total 142 129 129 400
Actual
9/25/2010
WB 25 20 13 58
SDHP 25 22 22 69
BJ 50 45 35 130
PP 28 23 20 71
Row 15 15 16 46
Total 143 125 106 374
Differential
9/25/2010
WB 0 (2) (9) (11)
SDHP 0 (3) 0 (3)
BJ 0 0 (10) (10)
PP 1 1 (5) (3)
Row 0 0 1 1
Total 1 (4) (23) (26)
As you can see, I held my pace for the first two rounds but again got burnt out on the third. My total score of 374 was short of my goal of 400 and even 14 reps short of my PR of 388, but I was actually pretty happy with my performance. The setup was less than ideal and the standards were a bit different than what we were used to, but of course it felt good to get out of the comfortable environment of CFC and go head to head with another gym.
Although I didn't hit my target goal, I was pleased that I stayed pretty positive throughout the workout. I usually have a tendency to lose my mental focus on the final round, and while I definitely fatigued and fell off my pace, I didn't have any major blowups. I still think I'm capable of hitting 400 down the road.
I placed 4th out of all of the guys (maybe around 40 guys total). The top 5 guys all came from our gym, which was pretty sweet.
1. John G. 392
2. Nate 390
3. Glenn 377
4. Me 374
5. Tom M 371
It was good to get into a competition setting again for the second week and place near the top. I was super nervous beforehand, especially as I watched other heats go and people weren't hitting PRs due to the setting. That said, I pushed those aside once it came time for my heat and just went out to give it my best shot and have a good time. I told myself that even if it wasn't my day, I'd already prepared all that I could for the event and that was where the hard work would pay off. I think it's important to remember that there are variables you can't control on competition day, so it's best to just set those aside and not let them distract you.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Back Squats
Tuesday, 5:30a @ FFC:
Started up a 20-rep squat program again on Tuesday. Starting weight at #165 (used this from Crossfit One World's site--took 5RM of #245 and subtracted #80)
Warm-up sets: 45×15, 95×8, 115×3, 135×3, 185×2, 205×1, 225×1
Work set: 165×20
Felt relatively light, good mental exercise as well. Last reps were a bit tough but was taking some breaths in between reps to fatigue myself more.
Made up last Friday’s metcon, but switched out a strength (running) for a weakness (rowing).
5 rounds for time,
500m row
20 pushups (did regular instead of hand release)
10 toes to bar
Time: 19:10
Probably could have been faster but spent a lot of time walking around the gym to find places to do toes to bar. First two rows were under 2:00 pace, last three crept up to 2:05. Pushups unbroken. First three sets of TTB unbroken until I had to do them on a Smith machine beam. Taking most of this week relatively easy in preparation for FGB.
Wednesday
AM
6:15a--30 minute run along the lake
PM
Going to try to go do another hot yoga class later this evening. I have a free pass for the week so want to try out a few different classes. In addition to the movements helping me physically (I slept like a baby Sunday night and my soreness was definitely less than usual on Monday morning after a weekend of tough workouts), I found the hot temperature to be a big challenge mentally.
Planned workout schedule for rest of the week:
Wednesday:
Run
Yoga
Thursday:
Back squat
Jerks
1 round max FGB
Friday:
Rest
Yoga
Saturday:
FGB
Started up a 20-rep squat program again on Tuesday. Starting weight at #165 (used this from Crossfit One World's site--took 5RM of #245 and subtracted #80)
Warm-up sets: 45×15, 95×8, 115×3, 135×3, 185×2, 205×1, 225×1
Work set: 165×20
Felt relatively light, good mental exercise as well. Last reps were a bit tough but was taking some breaths in between reps to fatigue myself more.
Made up last Friday’s metcon, but switched out a strength (running) for a weakness (rowing).
5 rounds for time,
500m row
20 pushups (did regular instead of hand release)
10 toes to bar
Time: 19:10
Probably could have been faster but spent a lot of time walking around the gym to find places to do toes to bar. First two rows were under 2:00 pace, last three crept up to 2:05. Pushups unbroken. First three sets of TTB unbroken until I had to do them on a Smith machine beam. Taking most of this week relatively easy in preparation for FGB.
Wednesday
AM
6:15a--30 minute run along the lake
PM
Going to try to go do another hot yoga class later this evening. I have a free pass for the week so want to try out a few different classes. In addition to the movements helping me physically (I slept like a baby Sunday night and my soreness was definitely less than usual on Monday morning after a weekend of tough workouts), I found the hot temperature to be a big challenge mentally.
Planned workout schedule for rest of the week:
Wednesday:
Run
Yoga
Thursday:
Back squat
Jerks
1 round max FGB
Friday:
Rest
Yoga
Saturday:
FGB
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Time to Pull
Monday Workout, CFC @ 7:00pm:
Worked up to a 1RM full squat snatch. Haven't really done full squat snatches above a very light weight of #95, but my 1RM power snatch is around #150.
Worked up to #140, failed #145x2.
Was content with this for now, especially since the last few attempts felt a bit rushed in order to get the attempts in before the 15 minutes were up. While I still have a bit of a hitch between my two pulls, I'm getting better at eliminating most of it. I also am learning to better aggressively pull the bar up instead of just pulling slowly. My two fails were due likely to me shorting the pull, as I felt I didn't extend all the way. As the weight increased, I wanted to get under the bar as fast a possible but didn't open up all the way, which resulted in the miss. A ton of things to think about on the snatch, but it sesms the trick is to not think about it so much and let the muscles do their work.
Metcon:
For time,
400m run
25 KB swings (2 pood)
50 double unders
400 m run
25 KB swings (2 pood)
50 double unders
400 m run
Time: 9:52
Should have been in the 8:00-min range, but tripped up way too many times on the double unders, which are a strength. Don't know if it was fatigue or a short rope, but messed up more than 10 times when it should have only been a handful at most. Was chasing Cameron out the door on the last run, and made up for it on the last 400 m--good battle. KB swings were broken once each set, 18-7 / 17-8. I actually hit the runs pretty hard, especially the last one. Not the best performance due to the spotty double unders, but still got it sub-10.
Worked up to a 1RM full squat snatch. Haven't really done full squat snatches above a very light weight of #95, but my 1RM power snatch is around #150.
Worked up to #140, failed #145x2.
Was content with this for now, especially since the last few attempts felt a bit rushed in order to get the attempts in before the 15 minutes were up. While I still have a bit of a hitch between my two pulls, I'm getting better at eliminating most of it. I also am learning to better aggressively pull the bar up instead of just pulling slowly. My two fails were due likely to me shorting the pull, as I felt I didn't extend all the way. As the weight increased, I wanted to get under the bar as fast a possible but didn't open up all the way, which resulted in the miss. A ton of things to think about on the snatch, but it sesms the trick is to not think about it so much and let the muscles do their work.
Metcon:
For time,
400m run
25 KB swings (2 pood)
50 double unders
400 m run
25 KB swings (2 pood)
50 double unders
400 m run
Time: 9:52
Should have been in the 8:00-min range, but tripped up way too many times on the double unders, which are a strength. Don't know if it was fatigue or a short rope, but messed up more than 10 times when it should have only been a handful at most. Was chasing Cameron out the door on the last run, and made up for it on the last 400 m--good battle. KB swings were broken once each set, 18-7 / 17-8. I actually hit the runs pretty hard, especially the last one. Not the best performance due to the spotty double unders, but still got it sub-10.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Good Sunday
Went out Saturday night for JohnG's birthday, and was hurting a little bit Sunday morning. That said, made myself get out of bed around 9am so I could go help coach at the 9am class. Hadn't really been planning on working out afterwards since I was pretty sore from Saturday's workouts and not 100% from the night before, but ended up getting in two quick metcons.
Technique Work:
Worked on some squat snatches at a pretty light weight (#95)
Metcon A:
5 rounds for time:
3 power snatches (#115)
7 burpees
9 KB swings (1.5 pood)
Time: 6:30
15 minute rest
Metcon B:
5 rounds for time:
3 power cleans (#155)
5 handstand pushups
7 wall balls (#20)
Time: 7:45
Did both of these on my own--second workout was a actually a lot harder since my shoulders were more fatigued from the day before than I originally thought. Broke up the last two or three sets of HSPUs, which isn't usually too high of volume for me. Just felt good to get a solid sweat going.
PM--4:30pm--Core Power Yoga
Have been thinking about doing yoga for the past few weeks now, and finally got around to signing up for a free week of classes at a place just down the street. The place isn't Bikram yoga, but is hot (around 95-100 degrees). Since I'm not very good about keeping up with flexibility and mobility drills (which I intend on doing here on out), I thought doing this once a week would help. I also think mentally it should help in terms of a nice ending to the weekend and give me a chance to get my mind off daily life for a bit. Lately I've been feeling like I don't really get any time to just sit and hang out, as I find myself running around even during the weekends.
I must say that I was a little intimidated when I went to go to the yoga class, as I hadn't really done it before, save for a few classes back in college. I also did not want to be the only dude sweating profusely and pulling a hamstring in the middle of a class of girls. Thankfully everything went fine, but I must say that it was one of the more physically and mentally challenging things that I've done in awhile. I don't have great balance and it was tough holding some of the positions on one leg or the other, while at the same time sweating all over the place. The last 15 minutes or so (there wasn't a clock in the room) were perhaps the hardest, as the heat was starting to get to me. I did find it pretty fulfilling to finish the class without leaving the room though. Will definitely be heading back there this week and in the future.
Had been planning on going to a concert Sunday night, but the yoga class left me feeling ready for bed, and I knew I should probably get some sleep since I hadn't slept much the night before. Went to bed around 9:30p and slept in until 6:15a for work. Felt great, so going to head into the box tonight.
Weekend Diet:
Not too great at the tail end. Didn't go out Friday night, so had a salad from PJ Clarke's. Had beers all afternoon/night on Saturday. Dinner on Saturday was at a bar and had chicken tenders w/ tater tots, then a slice of Bacci pizza on the way home. Sunday went to Flat Top Grill--had some rice/noodles with my meat but stopped at two bowls.
Technique Work:
Worked on some squat snatches at a pretty light weight (#95)
Metcon A:
5 rounds for time:
3 power snatches (#115)
7 burpees
9 KB swings (1.5 pood)
Time: 6:30
15 minute rest
Metcon B:
5 rounds for time:
3 power cleans (#155)
5 handstand pushups
7 wall balls (#20)
Time: 7:45
Did both of these on my own--second workout was a actually a lot harder since my shoulders were more fatigued from the day before than I originally thought. Broke up the last two or three sets of HSPUs, which isn't usually too high of volume for me. Just felt good to get a solid sweat going.
PM--4:30pm--Core Power Yoga
Have been thinking about doing yoga for the past few weeks now, and finally got around to signing up for a free week of classes at a place just down the street. The place isn't Bikram yoga, but is hot (around 95-100 degrees). Since I'm not very good about keeping up with flexibility and mobility drills (which I intend on doing here on out), I thought doing this once a week would help. I also think mentally it should help in terms of a nice ending to the weekend and give me a chance to get my mind off daily life for a bit. Lately I've been feeling like I don't really get any time to just sit and hang out, as I find myself running around even during the weekends.
I must say that I was a little intimidated when I went to go to the yoga class, as I hadn't really done it before, save for a few classes back in college. I also did not want to be the only dude sweating profusely and pulling a hamstring in the middle of a class of girls. Thankfully everything went fine, but I must say that it was one of the more physically and mentally challenging things that I've done in awhile. I don't have great balance and it was tough holding some of the positions on one leg or the other, while at the same time sweating all over the place. The last 15 minutes or so (there wasn't a clock in the room) were perhaps the hardest, as the heat was starting to get to me. I did find it pretty fulfilling to finish the class without leaving the room though. Will definitely be heading back there this week and in the future.
Had been planning on going to a concert Sunday night, but the yoga class left me feeling ready for bed, and I knew I should probably get some sleep since I hadn't slept much the night before. Went to bed around 9:30p and slept in until 6:15a for work. Felt great, so going to head into the box tonight.
Weekend Diet:
Not too great at the tail end. Didn't go out Friday night, so had a salad from PJ Clarke's. Had beers all afternoon/night on Saturday. Dinner on Saturday was at a bar and had chicken tenders w/ tater tots, then a slice of Bacci pizza on the way home. Sunday went to Flat Top Grill--had some rice/noodles with my meat but stopped at two bowls.
Competition Time
Really good weekend, both training and community wise. JVu planned an awesome event at our gym with Windy City Crossfit, and I was able to get some good experience in a competition setting. I participated in the men's individual competition, which had probably around 15-20 guys.
Workout #1:
3 data points:
1. max vertical jump – 1 attempt – max inches is score
rest 10 sec
2. build to a max lift of:
power clean x 1
squat clean x 1
clean and overhead anyhow x 1
(max 20 sec to complete all 3 lifts); rest 2:40 x 3 attempts
rest 10 sec after final lift
3. AMRAP Burpees in 90 sec
(jump and arms straight overhead like thruster at top)
1. Vertical Jump: "20
Pretty pathetic, but I did this in my weightlifting shoes and probably didn't give it as solid of an effort as I should have. Bryce made the remark that I can crank out box jumps on "20/"24 boxes but only have a max jump of "20, which doesn't seem to make much sense
2. Lift complexes completed: #145-#165-#185
I was really happy to hit the #185 on my last attempt, as I was a bit worried about the :20 time limit to complete all three lifts. I actually really enjoyed this part of the workout. Other guys were definitely throwing around some serious weight, but with my clean max around #200 I thought I did well.
3. Burpees in :90: 44
Placed first on this portion, beating out Derek by 1 burpee (although he also did his highest clean and jerk complex at #225). Stopped for maybe 5 seconds at one point but hit this as hard as I could.
Workout #2:
2 data points:
1. AMRAP Box Jumps in 90 sec – 20″/14″
rest 30 sec
2. for time:
20 shoulder to overhead – 135#/95#
40 chin ups
1. Box jumps: 79
Did not stop moving the entire time, but looking back could have hit these a little harder. Tried to keep a steady pace but should have maybe upped the tempo during the last 30 seconds.
2. Overhead/Pullups: 2:44
I think I was one of the top 5 times on this, which I was happy with. Good combination of a strength element and a bodyweight movement. Jerks were 10-5-5. Butterflied the first 15 pullups, and then realized my arms were gone. Last 25 were a struggle but chipped away.
Overall Place: Tied for 5th w/ Cheston from Windy City.
Pretty pleased with my performance, there were some really solid athletes from Windy City present as well as all of the guys from CFC, so I was glad to finish where I did. The workouts had a few elements that I excel at (burpees, box jumps, pullups), but the time domains were all pretty short (whereas my strength lies in longer workouts). OPT's programming is different from our regular CFC, as there are some rest periods, and I thought I was able to manage the balance between pushing myself and not completely burning out pretty well.
Next competition will be Saturday for Fight Gone Bad at Atlas Crossfit, so I'm starting to get pumped to go for my 400 rep goal.
Workout #1:
3 data points:
1. max vertical jump – 1 attempt – max inches is score
rest 10 sec
2. build to a max lift of:
power clean x 1
squat clean x 1
clean and overhead anyhow x 1
(max 20 sec to complete all 3 lifts); rest 2:40 x 3 attempts
rest 10 sec after final lift
3. AMRAP Burpees in 90 sec
(jump and arms straight overhead like thruster at top)
1. Vertical Jump: "20
Pretty pathetic, but I did this in my weightlifting shoes and probably didn't give it as solid of an effort as I should have. Bryce made the remark that I can crank out box jumps on "20/"24 boxes but only have a max jump of "20, which doesn't seem to make much sense
2. Lift complexes completed: #145-#165-#185
I was really happy to hit the #185 on my last attempt, as I was a bit worried about the :20 time limit to complete all three lifts. I actually really enjoyed this part of the workout. Other guys were definitely throwing around some serious weight, but with my clean max around #200 I thought I did well.
3. Burpees in :90: 44
Placed first on this portion, beating out Derek by 1 burpee (although he also did his highest clean and jerk complex at #225). Stopped for maybe 5 seconds at one point but hit this as hard as I could.
Workout #2:
2 data points:
1. AMRAP Box Jumps in 90 sec – 20″/14″
rest 30 sec
2. for time:
20 shoulder to overhead – 135#/95#
40 chin ups
1. Box jumps: 79
Did not stop moving the entire time, but looking back could have hit these a little harder. Tried to keep a steady pace but should have maybe upped the tempo during the last 30 seconds.
2. Overhead/Pullups: 2:44
I think I was one of the top 5 times on this, which I was happy with. Good combination of a strength element and a bodyweight movement. Jerks were 10-5-5. Butterflied the first 15 pullups, and then realized my arms were gone. Last 25 were a struggle but chipped away.
Overall Place: Tied for 5th w/ Cheston from Windy City.
Pretty pleased with my performance, there were some really solid athletes from Windy City present as well as all of the guys from CFC, so I was glad to finish where I did. The workouts had a few elements that I excel at (burpees, box jumps, pullups), but the time domains were all pretty short (whereas my strength lies in longer workouts). OPT's programming is different from our regular CFC, as there are some rest periods, and I thought I was able to manage the balance between pushing myself and not completely burning out pretty well.
Next competition will be Saturday for Fight Gone Bad at Atlas Crossfit, so I'm starting to get pumped to go for my 400 rep goal.
Friday, September 17, 2010
This WOD will Self-Destruct in 2.5 Rounds
After a late night out Wednesday, I knew my trial run for FGB wasn't going to be the best, but wanted to at least get it in before the competition next weekend. I don't do very well on inadequate sleep, and had been dragging all day.
Here was my plan going in to hit around my 400 goal:
Planned:
WB: 25-22-22
SDHP: 25-22-22
BJ: 50-50-50
PP: 25-22-22
Row: 15-15-15
Total: 402
Actual:
WB: 25-22-20
SDHP: 25-22-20
BJ: 50-45-25 (where the bomb went off)
PP: 25-25-17
Row: 15-13-15
Total: 140-127-97 = 364
Notes:
Round 1:
Looking back, I thought I could have gone out harder during the first round, as everything felt pretty easy. Set of 50 box jumps were unbroken. May try to get around 150+ on Round 1 next week to give me some insurance for the later rounds.
Round 2:
Tougher, but was still feeling pretty good until the end of the round. My rowing stroke still sucks, as I tend to try to overcompensate for my lack of height by pulling faster and shorting my pulls, instead of reaching all the way and going for power. Was only -4 behind my targets at the end of the round, but was feeling the pain coming in during the rest period
Round 3:
First two movements (WB, SDHP) were tough but was close to my numbers. Was spent when I got to the box jumps, which are usually my moneymaker. That said, these were a complete meltdown, and I got 25, well off my 50 target and probably the lowest number I've ever put up in a round. My abs and legs started cramping and I couldn't physically pop up on the box. Frustrating. Push press went similarly, as I was having trouble chaining them together, even with the light weight.
Overall, a little discouraging, but I knew I wasn't at 100% so I didn't expect to hit my goal. That said, I now have a better game plan of how I'll approach next Saturday. It was also good to have Rudy judging/counting for me, as he really makes sure I stick to the standards and holds me accountable to each rep. I've already put my targets in a nice Excel spreadsheet (yes I am that big of a nerd), as well as my past two FGB results, and 400 is still the goal.
Here was my plan going in to hit around my 400 goal:
Planned:
WB: 25-22-22
SDHP: 25-22-22
BJ: 50-50-50
PP: 25-22-22
Row: 15-15-15
Total: 402
Actual:
WB: 25-22-20
SDHP: 25-22-20
BJ: 50-45-25 (where the bomb went off)
PP: 25-25-17
Row: 15-13-15
Total: 140-127-97 = 364
Notes:
Round 1:
Looking back, I thought I could have gone out harder during the first round, as everything felt pretty easy. Set of 50 box jumps were unbroken. May try to get around 150+ on Round 1 next week to give me some insurance for the later rounds.
Round 2:
Tougher, but was still feeling pretty good until the end of the round. My rowing stroke still sucks, as I tend to try to overcompensate for my lack of height by pulling faster and shorting my pulls, instead of reaching all the way and going for power. Was only -4 behind my targets at the end of the round, but was feeling the pain coming in during the rest period
Round 3:
First two movements (WB, SDHP) were tough but was close to my numbers. Was spent when I got to the box jumps, which are usually my moneymaker. That said, these were a complete meltdown, and I got 25, well off my 50 target and probably the lowest number I've ever put up in a round. My abs and legs started cramping and I couldn't physically pop up on the box. Frustrating. Push press went similarly, as I was having trouble chaining them together, even with the light weight.
Overall, a little discouraging, but I knew I wasn't at 100% so I didn't expect to hit my goal. That said, I now have a better game plan of how I'll approach next Saturday. It was also good to have Rudy judging/counting for me, as he really makes sure I stick to the standards and holds me accountable to each rep. I've already put my targets in a nice Excel spreadsheet (yes I am that big of a nerd), as well as my past two FGB results, and 400 is still the goal.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Seizing the Carp
Wednesday AM--5:45 @ FFC:
Strength:
Bench Press (speed), 10×2 @ #160
Legs were feeling tired after all of the running the last few days, so no squatting on Wednesday. Thinking about starting up a 20 rep squat program again, as it got me a +#30 PR back in the spring. Will likely start at a pretty light weight.
Workout:
12 min AMRAP,
5 toes to bar
7 burpees
9 ball slams
15 double unders
7 full rounds + 2 ball slams
Everything unbroken except for one or two trip-ups on the double unders. Made this one up, was shooting for around 8 rounds but it was a gasser with the burpees in the middle. First round was blazing at around one minute, and fell off from there. I like trying to put together movements that sap energy quickly (burpees) with ones that require some timing and finesse (double unders). Also still hit or miss on doing toes to bar fast without a kip in between.
Wednesday diet was solid, did have 5 or 6 beers at night.
Going to head to the box tonight (Thursday) to make up the Fight Gone Bad trial run. Am not expecting too much since I got less than 6 hours of sleep last night and am feeling it today. Did have a great time at a Glitch Mob concert courtesy of TomW. Had never heard of the band nor is it the type of music I usually listen to, but I ended up liking it a lot. I was thinking the other day how I usually wouldn't be up for going out to see a random band during the week, but I think Crossfit has actually made me more open to stepping outside my comfort level, even in my daily life. I've started taking more advantage of such opportunities even if it's not something I normally do, and almost every time I end up enjoying my decision immensely. Pretty cool.
Strength:
Bench Press (speed), 10×2 @ #160
Legs were feeling tired after all of the running the last few days, so no squatting on Wednesday. Thinking about starting up a 20 rep squat program again, as it got me a +#30 PR back in the spring. Will likely start at a pretty light weight.
Workout:
12 min AMRAP,
5 toes to bar
7 burpees
9 ball slams
15 double unders
7 full rounds + 2 ball slams
Everything unbroken except for one or two trip-ups on the double unders. Made this one up, was shooting for around 8 rounds but it was a gasser with the burpees in the middle. First round was blazing at around one minute, and fell off from there. I like trying to put together movements that sap energy quickly (burpees) with ones that require some timing and finesse (double unders). Also still hit or miss on doing toes to bar fast without a kip in between.
Wednesday diet was solid, did have 5 or 6 beers at night.
Going to head to the box tonight (Thursday) to make up the Fight Gone Bad trial run. Am not expecting too much since I got less than 6 hours of sleep last night and am feeling it today. Did have a great time at a Glitch Mob concert courtesy of TomW. Had never heard of the band nor is it the type of music I usually listen to, but I ended up liking it a lot. I was thinking the other day how I usually wouldn't be up for going out to see a random band during the week, but I think Crossfit has actually made me more open to stepping outside my comfort level, even in my daily life. I've started taking more advantage of such opportunities even if it's not something I normally do, and almost every time I end up enjoying my decision immensely. Pretty cool.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Champions are made when no one's watching
The title of today's post sums up my approach towards training for the first round of the Games next year. Perhaps the best part about CFC is the community aspect--the sport is inherently an individual pursuit, but it is a pursuit that is done along with others who are willing to work just as hard (if not harder) as you. It's pretty easy to get excited/nervous/amped up for a workout when you've got others around you and sets of eye on you--there is a pressure to perform to the best of your ability, and that pressure pushes your effort that much more.
One of the things I've been working on is to do some workouts on my own. I'm not able to make it to CFC everyday, so I do some workouts at a regular gym by my apartment, usually at 5:30 am in the morning. Gone are the "comforts" of one of the coaches yelling out "3, 2, 1...Go!," the thud of bumper plates and barbells slamming to the ground, and the words of encouragement from other athletes and spectators. All of this is replaced by near silence. Coupled with the fact that it's 5:30 am in the morning, the feelings of nervous energy have evaporated and instead I just feel...well, tired.
I've found these solo workouts to be beneficial to my overall improvement. While I don't usually set any PRs so early in the morning, I use the workouts more as a mental exercise. While awesome, the CFC community can be a mental crutch at times, and I've been working on pushing and motivating myself during metcons when no one is there to say anything. Are my reps legit? Am I resting too much? One thing I've been doing is doing a few extra reps on different movements at times, even when I know I've completed them. I feel this should help in a competition setting when a judge may take away some of my reps. I'm sure the mental aspect of expending the energy to do reps have have them not count can be mentally defeating as well as throw off my gameplan, so I'm trying to work on this now.
Anyways, here was Tuesday's workout:
Tuesday AM--5:45a @ FFC:
Press: 5-3-1+ (70/80/90% of #155)
110-125-140(3)
I think my 5RM is #140, but was okay with this since my upper body still had a bit of residual soreness.
I actually "warmed up" for the workout with some front squat work
95(5)-115(4)-135(3)
Workout:
21-15-9
Front Squat (#135)
Burpees
Time: 6:10
Could have gotten closer to around 5:00 min, but was ok with this performance. #135 is about 54% of my 1RM front squat of #250, so it was a decent weight. The burpees were harder than I thought they would be, since 1) I was a little out of breath and 2) my legs felt smoked. Rested a little too much at some points. Also had to take the sets of 15 and 9 from a rack instead of the ground since I couldn't drop the plates--lost some time taking it from the ground to the rack.
Front Squats: 21 unbroken / 8-7 / 9 unbroken
Burpees: Some 5 second rests during the first two sets, set of 9 unbroken
Post-WOD
Weighted step-ups 3x10 (5 per leg): #30 dumbbell / hand, #35, #40
Dips (unweighted): 3x10
Tuesday PM--7:30p--Lake front
30 minute training run for the Urbanathlon. Even after the front squats in the morning my legs felt pretty good, and only had a little bit of lower back tightness. Pushed the pace a little more than normal. Perfect Fall running weather--I've got a feeling I won't have too many more of these chances so took advantage of it.
One of the things I've been working on is to do some workouts on my own. I'm not able to make it to CFC everyday, so I do some workouts at a regular gym by my apartment, usually at 5:30 am in the morning. Gone are the "comforts" of one of the coaches yelling out "3, 2, 1...Go!," the thud of bumper plates and barbells slamming to the ground, and the words of encouragement from other athletes and spectators. All of this is replaced by near silence. Coupled with the fact that it's 5:30 am in the morning, the feelings of nervous energy have evaporated and instead I just feel...well, tired.
I've found these solo workouts to be beneficial to my overall improvement. While I don't usually set any PRs so early in the morning, I use the workouts more as a mental exercise. While awesome, the CFC community can be a mental crutch at times, and I've been working on pushing and motivating myself during metcons when no one is there to say anything. Are my reps legit? Am I resting too much? One thing I've been doing is doing a few extra reps on different movements at times, even when I know I've completed them. I feel this should help in a competition setting when a judge may take away some of my reps. I'm sure the mental aspect of expending the energy to do reps have have them not count can be mentally defeating as well as throw off my gameplan, so I'm trying to work on this now.
Anyways, here was Tuesday's workout:
Tuesday AM--5:45a @ FFC:
Press: 5-3-1+ (70/80/90% of #155)
110-125-140(3)
I think my 5RM is #140, but was okay with this since my upper body still had a bit of residual soreness.
I actually "warmed up" for the workout with some front squat work
95(5)-115(4)-135(3)
Workout:
21-15-9
Front Squat (#135)
Burpees
Time: 6:10
Could have gotten closer to around 5:00 min, but was ok with this performance. #135 is about 54% of my 1RM front squat of #250, so it was a decent weight. The burpees were harder than I thought they would be, since 1) I was a little out of breath and 2) my legs felt smoked. Rested a little too much at some points. Also had to take the sets of 15 and 9 from a rack instead of the ground since I couldn't drop the plates--lost some time taking it from the ground to the rack.
Front Squats: 21 unbroken / 8-7 / 9 unbroken
Burpees: Some 5 second rests during the first two sets, set of 9 unbroken
Post-WOD
Weighted step-ups 3x10 (5 per leg): #30 dumbbell / hand, #35, #40
Dips (unweighted): 3x10
Tuesday PM--7:30p--Lake front
30 minute training run for the Urbanathlon. Even after the front squats in the morning my legs felt pretty good, and only had a little bit of lower back tightness. Pushed the pace a little more than normal. Perfect Fall running weather--I've got a feeling I won't have too many more of these chances so took advantage of it.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Solid Monday
Since I did a CF workout Sunday morning and went for a longer run in the evening, decided to get in some solid rest and sleep in Monday morning until about 6:15a.
CFC--7:00p
My lats and traps felt super sore from the chest-to-bar pullups during Sunday's workout, and I thought I may have strained something as I was warming up, but I think it was just some residual soreness.
Deadlift: 5-3-1+ (70/80/90% off of 1RM of #405)
285-325-365(1)
Wasn't really looking to push it on the strength portion today as I was still pretty sore, but the first two sets of DLs felt good and my form was decent.
Workout,
4 rounds for time, 2:00 min rest in between each round
12 power snatches (Rx'd @ #115--used #105)
400 m run
15 pullups
Round Splits (approximate, from what I remember):
1) 3:10
2) 3:06
3) 3:09
4) 3:14
Final time including rest: 18:39
I really enjoy these types of workouts with a hard effort + recovery period, since they force me to pace a little less and push my pace harder. One of the things I'm working on is learning to maintain an uncomfortable pace. Had a good time in a race with Erin and Geoff.
Rudy and Bryce said I should have gone Rx'd at #115, but I was a little worried about the soreness in my upperbody beforehand and stringing high rep snatches (and snatches in general) isn't one of my strengths. That said, this workout actually felt better as the rounds went on. I really tried to maintain an upright back on the starting position from the start, which deteriorated at the end but I was able to get through the workout.
Snatch Breakdown:
1) All singles
2) 4-3-singles
3) 6-a few doubles and singles
4) 5-a double and singles
Pullups:
All unbroken, pretty much all butterflied. Probably the first time I've butterflied larger sets of more than 10 in a workout--usually have trouble with my rhythm when I'm tired but last night was the best they've ever felt. Also a mental and gas tank challenge coming in from the run to get them unbroken.
Overall:
Pretty happy with the effort, would like to try again at #115 next time. Also pushed runs a little harder than usual--not exactly blazing speed but sometimes I tend to sandbag these a little as rest. Knowing that I had the rest period in between helped there. Can feel the mental intensity and focus starting to come back after a fun summer.
Diet was solid on Sunday and Monday. Soreness Tuesday morning wasn't too bad--still a little tight in upper body but was able to get in Tuesday's CFC workout on my own in the early morning. Didn't exactly crush it but pushed through.
Need to start up a YouTube account to get some videos on here, and add some pictures as well--I know the 4 people who probably read this are getting bored!
CFC--7:00p
My lats and traps felt super sore from the chest-to-bar pullups during Sunday's workout, and I thought I may have strained something as I was warming up, but I think it was just some residual soreness.
Deadlift: 5-3-1+ (70/80/90% off of 1RM of #405)
285-325-365(1)
Wasn't really looking to push it on the strength portion today as I was still pretty sore, but the first two sets of DLs felt good and my form was decent.
Workout,
4 rounds for time, 2:00 min rest in between each round
12 power snatches (Rx'd @ #115--used #105)
400 m run
15 pullups
Round Splits (approximate, from what I remember):
1) 3:10
2) 3:06
3) 3:09
4) 3:14
Final time including rest: 18:39
I really enjoy these types of workouts with a hard effort + recovery period, since they force me to pace a little less and push my pace harder. One of the things I'm working on is learning to maintain an uncomfortable pace. Had a good time in a race with Erin and Geoff.
Rudy and Bryce said I should have gone Rx'd at #115, but I was a little worried about the soreness in my upperbody beforehand and stringing high rep snatches (and snatches in general) isn't one of my strengths. That said, this workout actually felt better as the rounds went on. I really tried to maintain an upright back on the starting position from the start, which deteriorated at the end but I was able to get through the workout.
Snatch Breakdown:
1) All singles
2) 4-3-singles
3) 6-a few doubles and singles
4) 5-a double and singles
Pullups:
All unbroken, pretty much all butterflied. Probably the first time I've butterflied larger sets of more than 10 in a workout--usually have trouble with my rhythm when I'm tired but last night was the best they've ever felt. Also a mental and gas tank challenge coming in from the run to get them unbroken.
Overall:
Pretty happy with the effort, would like to try again at #115 next time. Also pushed runs a little harder than usual--not exactly blazing speed but sometimes I tend to sandbag these a little as rest. Knowing that I had the rest period in between helped there. Can feel the mental intensity and focus starting to come back after a fun summer.
Diet was solid on Sunday and Monday. Soreness Tuesday morning wasn't too bad--still a little tight in upper body but was able to get in Tuesday's CFC workout on my own in the early morning. Didn't exactly crush it but pushed through.
Need to start up a YouTube account to get some videos on here, and add some pictures as well--I know the 4 people who probably read this are getting bored!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Week Recap
Ended last week on a pretty solid note, starting to get the diet dialed in better and also getting my metcon and intensity back.
Thursday 9/9:
AM Workout, 5:30a @ FFC:
Strength was Press--got 135 for 5 on my last set (if I remember correctly)
Metcon:
3 min on / 1:30 off
AMRAP 1 min push press (#95)
AMRAP 1 min ball slams (#25)
AMRAP 1 min sumo deadlift high pull (#95)
After SDHP, walked over to dip station (about a :30 rest) and did 10 strict dips.
3 or 4 rounds, relatively consistent. Have the exact numbers written down in my notebook, so can try to post later. Still struggling on heavier SDHP, although the small plates made it them a bit harder.
PM Workout--7pm--CFC:
Strength--snatch progression up to #65, just working on technique here
Workout:
5 Rounds for time of: (15 min cap)
10 Burpees
15 Box jumps (24″/20″)
20 KB Swings (1.5/1pd)
Time: 8:45
Happy with this, since I've been feeling a lack of focus during some workouts recently and finally starting to get it back. Pretty much unbroken, could have perhaps gotten closer to 8:00 flat. KBS were unbroken, which was my goal. Had to stop to tie my shoe twice.
Friday, 9/10
Mixing up my lighter and heavier training days, so just did a strength and a run on Friday morning at around 6 am.
Strength:
Back Squat: 3-3-3+
190-220-245(5)
Should’ve got more but no spot that morning. Hip flexors were tight, need to start doing more mobility drills. Also going to look at doing yoga maybe once a week.
Conditioning:
25 min run along the lake--sweet weather.
Saturday 9/11:
Rest day--went back up to South Bend for the ND/Michigan game. I used this as my cheat day, but pretty happy I was able to keep it to one day (albeit a pretty bad one) instead of the Fri/Sat/Sun weekend.
Breakfast:
-McDonald's breakfast--2 sausage burritos, hash browns, coffee
Snacked on some tailgating food throughout the day, but actually didn't eat too much. Mostly beers.
Dinner--about 10:30p--Domino's pizza
Sunday, 9/12:
AM Workout--CFC @ 10:00a:
Worked on some OHS--only got up to 155x3. Failed my PR at #175. Have been having some issues with shoulder stabilization, so may just need to practice these more. Good pointers from Rudy though on wrist positioning.
Workout:
10min AMRAP of:
3 Power clean (185#/115#)
5 C2B pullups
7 Wall ball (20#/14#) & 11′ target (bottom of ball above X)
Power cleans @ #165: 7 full rounds + 4 ctb pullups
Would normally use #155 on a workout like this, but wanted to try to up the weight to see how it felt. Certainly didn't feel light, but didn't fail any reps and was able to keep moving. Cycling through the power cleans could have been a little faster, but focused on setting up correctly and keeping my lower back tight. Started butterflying the chest to bar pullups after the second round and 5 was a good rep number to practice these. Had a few mental lapses on the wall balls and 2 rounds were broken up.
PM, 6:15p--Lake Shore
Urbanathlon training run--57 minute run.
This felt pretty solid, again started to get a bit tired at the tail end. Maintained a decent clip.
Thursday 9/9:
AM Workout, 5:30a @ FFC:
Strength was Press--got 135 for 5 on my last set (if I remember correctly)
Metcon:
3 min on / 1:30 off
AMRAP 1 min push press (#95)
AMRAP 1 min ball slams (#25)
AMRAP 1 min sumo deadlift high pull (#95)
After SDHP, walked over to dip station (about a :30 rest) and did 10 strict dips.
3 or 4 rounds, relatively consistent. Have the exact numbers written down in my notebook, so can try to post later. Still struggling on heavier SDHP, although the small plates made it them a bit harder.
PM Workout--7pm--CFC:
Strength--snatch progression up to #65, just working on technique here
Workout:
5 Rounds for time of: (15 min cap)
10 Burpees
15 Box jumps (24″/20″)
20 KB Swings (1.5/1pd)
Time: 8:45
Happy with this, since I've been feeling a lack of focus during some workouts recently and finally starting to get it back. Pretty much unbroken, could have perhaps gotten closer to 8:00 flat. KBS were unbroken, which was my goal. Had to stop to tie my shoe twice.
Friday, 9/10
Mixing up my lighter and heavier training days, so just did a strength and a run on Friday morning at around 6 am.
Strength:
Back Squat: 3-3-3+
190-220-245(5)
Should’ve got more but no spot that morning. Hip flexors were tight, need to start doing more mobility drills. Also going to look at doing yoga maybe once a week.
Conditioning:
25 min run along the lake--sweet weather.
Saturday 9/11:
Rest day--went back up to South Bend for the ND/Michigan game. I used this as my cheat day, but pretty happy I was able to keep it to one day (albeit a pretty bad one) instead of the Fri/Sat/Sun weekend.
Breakfast:
-McDonald's breakfast--2 sausage burritos, hash browns, coffee
Snacked on some tailgating food throughout the day, but actually didn't eat too much. Mostly beers.
Dinner--about 10:30p--Domino's pizza
Sunday, 9/12:
AM Workout--CFC @ 10:00a:
Worked on some OHS--only got up to 155x3. Failed my PR at #175. Have been having some issues with shoulder stabilization, so may just need to practice these more. Good pointers from Rudy though on wrist positioning.
Workout:
10min AMRAP of:
3 Power clean (185#/115#)
5 C2B pullups
7 Wall ball (20#/14#) & 11′ target (bottom of ball above X)
Power cleans @ #165: 7 full rounds + 4 ctb pullups
Would normally use #155 on a workout like this, but wanted to try to up the weight to see how it felt. Certainly didn't feel light, but didn't fail any reps and was able to keep moving. Cycling through the power cleans could have been a little faster, but focused on setting up correctly and keeping my lower back tight. Started butterflying the chest to bar pullups after the second round and 5 was a good rep number to practice these. Had a few mental lapses on the wall balls and 2 rounds were broken up.
PM, 6:15p--Lake Shore
Urbanathlon training run--57 minute run.
This felt pretty solid, again started to get a bit tired at the tail end. Maintained a decent clip.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Labor Day Weekend Hangover
Got back into it on Tuesday with a two-a-day. Hadn't worked out since Friday, probably the most days off I've had in awhile. That said, the weekend consisted of the following (wasn't going to post this but this blog is to hold me accountable in terms of diet):
Friday:
-Pretty good until I got back from work around 5:00p. Went to a bar with one of my buddies and had chicken nachos with a beer
-Went out to dinner with a friend who was visiting at Market Bar and had a burger, fries, popcorn shrimp, and a few beers
-Went out until about 4am.
Saturday:
-Woke up about 10am
-Went to brunch at Ely's Pancake House, had an omelette with bacon and avocado, 2 pancakes, hash browns and fruit
-Layed around all day then went out to watch the ND game and had some beers
-Went out to dinner at Folklore Argentine Grill--had a steak, empanada, 1/2 bottle of wine, and a mojito
-Went out until 4 am
Sunday:
-Woke up about 10 am
-Went for a 20 min jog/trot with my buddy
-Went to brunch with a few friends and the Judge at Luxbar--had a club sandwich and potato chips
-Napped most of the day
-Went to Benchmark for Karen's birthday--had fish tacos w/ tater tots and some drinks
-Went out until 3 am
Monday:
-Woke up at 10 am
-Had a Chipotle burrito for brunch
-Layed around all day
-Had a Subway sandwich, chips, and three cookies for dinner
While it was a very fun weekend, probably one of the worst in terms of diet/sleep. Looking back on it, while I did go out much more than usual, I could have made much better choices when going out to eat. It's pretty easy for me to eat paleo and clean during the week and when I'm at home, but going out to dinner with friends is a completely different story. Going to have to be better about this in the months to come and going with just one bad meal rather than jumping off the wagon.
Gained +#8 by Tuesday morning to #163--woof.
Tuesday AM Workout
Bench Press: 3-3-3+ (65/75/85% of #225)
145-180-195(7)
Saturday's CFC WOD:
15 AMRAP
5 handstand pushups
10 situps
15 double unders
Rx'd: 12 rounds + 5 hspu
I think I could have done closer to 15 rounds but had to walk into a different room to do the handstand pushups. Just kept moving, all rounds of hspu unbroken.
Tuesday PM WOD @ CFC
Wasn't really sure what I was going to do last night, but got convinced by Glenn to do Linda.
Linda,
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
1.5 x bodyweight DL (#235)
1.0 x bodyweight BP (#155)
0.75 x bodyweight Squat Clean (#115)
Time: 28:02
Rough. I think my PR on this is around 26 min, and the squat cleans gave me problems. This time I thought I would get a big PR, but for some reason the deadlifts killed my back by around 8. Rounds 7 and on were all singles for a DL weight that should have been pretty light for me. Nothing like a tough workout to get back into the swing of things.
Wednesday:
Went for a 35 minute run along the lake front this morning. Felt pretty solid, lower back actually wasn't sore but quads were a little tight from the cleans.
Friday:
-Pretty good until I got back from work around 5:00p. Went to a bar with one of my buddies and had chicken nachos with a beer
-Went out to dinner with a friend who was visiting at Market Bar and had a burger, fries, popcorn shrimp, and a few beers
-Went out until about 4am.
Saturday:
-Woke up about 10am
-Went to brunch at Ely's Pancake House, had an omelette with bacon and avocado, 2 pancakes, hash browns and fruit
-Layed around all day then went out to watch the ND game and had some beers
-Went out to dinner at Folklore Argentine Grill--had a steak, empanada, 1/2 bottle of wine, and a mojito
-Went out until 4 am
Sunday:
-Woke up about 10 am
-Went for a 20 min jog/trot with my buddy
-Went to brunch with a few friends and the Judge at Luxbar--had a club sandwich and potato chips
-Napped most of the day
-Went to Benchmark for Karen's birthday--had fish tacos w/ tater tots and some drinks
-Went out until 3 am
Monday:
-Woke up at 10 am
-Had a Chipotle burrito for brunch
-Layed around all day
-Had a Subway sandwich, chips, and three cookies for dinner
While it was a very fun weekend, probably one of the worst in terms of diet/sleep. Looking back on it, while I did go out much more than usual, I could have made much better choices when going out to eat. It's pretty easy for me to eat paleo and clean during the week and when I'm at home, but going out to dinner with friends is a completely different story. Going to have to be better about this in the months to come and going with just one bad meal rather than jumping off the wagon.
Gained +#8 by Tuesday morning to #163--woof.
Tuesday AM Workout
Bench Press: 3-3-3+ (65/75/85% of #225)
145-180-195(7)
Saturday's CFC WOD:
15 AMRAP
5 handstand pushups
10 situps
15 double unders
Rx'd: 12 rounds + 5 hspu
I think I could have done closer to 15 rounds but had to walk into a different room to do the handstand pushups. Just kept moving, all rounds of hspu unbroken.
Tuesday PM WOD @ CFC
Wasn't really sure what I was going to do last night, but got convinced by Glenn to do Linda.
Linda,
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
1.5 x bodyweight DL (#235)
1.0 x bodyweight BP (#155)
0.75 x bodyweight Squat Clean (#115)
Time: 28:02
Rough. I think my PR on this is around 26 min, and the squat cleans gave me problems. This time I thought I would get a big PR, but for some reason the deadlifts killed my back by around 8. Rounds 7 and on were all singles for a DL weight that should have been pretty light for me. Nothing like a tough workout to get back into the swing of things.
Wednesday:
Went for a 35 minute run along the lake front this morning. Felt pretty solid, lower back actually wasn't sore but quads were a little tight from the cleans.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Gas Tank Tests
Going to get caught up here on last Thursday and Friday's workouts. Actually did not workout Saturday-Monday, but a pretty eventful weekend didn't exactly make me feel too recharged and refreshed on Tuesday morning.
Thursday, 9/2--7:30p @ FFC:
CF Football Strength:
5×5 @ 90% of 5 rep max (#185 off of #205)
5 min rest
Metcon:
5 rounds
30 double unders
15 toes to bar
10 regular dips (strict)
Time: 11:45
First round was around 1:20 and got slower from there. DUs unbroken, TTB all over the place. Lost some time waiting for people to finish sets.
5 min rest
CFE Workout, Rower
12×1 min intervals, :30 rest, max meters
High: 277 (last round)
Low: 257
Most intervals were around 258. Good mental test, as the :30 rest felt like nothing.
Friday, 6:00a @ Lake Shore Park track:
CF HQ mainsite WOD:
6 rounds,
400 m run
25 burpees (standard was a jump/touch 1' above reach, but subbed regular burpees)
Time: 23:35
Pretty good test both physically and mentally. This was one of those workouts where the volume of the reps appeared daunting at first, but just had to keep moving and chipping away. First two rounds felt relatively easy, but after the third this got pretty tough.
Thursday, 9/2--7:30p @ FFC:
CF Football Strength:
5×5 @ 90% of 5 rep max (#185 off of #205)
5 min rest
Metcon:
5 rounds
30 double unders
15 toes to bar
10 regular dips (strict)
Time: 11:45
First round was around 1:20 and got slower from there. DUs unbroken, TTB all over the place. Lost some time waiting for people to finish sets.
5 min rest
CFE Workout, Rower
12×1 min intervals, :30 rest, max meters
High: 277 (last round)
Low: 257
Most intervals were around 258. Good mental test, as the :30 rest felt like nothing.
Friday, 6:00a @ Lake Shore Park track:
CF HQ mainsite WOD:
6 rounds,
400 m run
25 burpees (standard was a jump/touch 1' above reach, but subbed regular burpees)
Time: 23:35
Pretty good test both physically and mentally. This was one of those workouts where the volume of the reps appeared daunting at first, but just had to keep moving and chipping away. First two rounds felt relatively easy, but after the third this got pretty tough.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Finding Intensity
Recap of Tuesday and Wednesday:
Tuesday, 8/31--5:45a @ FFC Old Town:
Back Squat (Speed Work), 10×2 @ 65% of #290–#190
These felt pretty good, just working on my speed out of the bottom and focusing on staying in the heels as usual.
Metcon,
4 rounds, AMRAP
1 min on, KB swings (#55)
1 min on, ball slams (#25)
1 min on, burpees
:90 sec rest
Rd 1: 25-23-17
Rd 2: 25-25-15
Rd 3: 25-20-15
Rd 4: 25-20-15
Had been planning on going for a run Tuesday evening, but back was absolutely fried from the heavy deadlifts on Monday.
Diet:
Diet was good all day up until dinner. Went to PJ Clarke's with some friends and had a grilled chicken wrap w/ sweet potato fries and a Blue Moon...
Wednesday, 9/1
AM--6:00a--Lake Shore
25 minute run, easy pace. Just tried to loosen out my lower back. May have to ease up on the heavy deadlifts during Urbanathlon training so that I'm not hurting during my runs.
PM--7:00p--CFC
Press, 5-5-5+ (60/70/80% of 1RM @ #155)
95-110-125(8)
I think I got the 10 on my third set last time, but have been pretty sore from Monday's workout.
Workout--FGB Variation
3 rounds for time
20 wall balls
20 sumo deadlift high pull (#75)
20 box jumps
20 push press
400 m run
Time: 15:37
Another pretty disappointing performance. I would usually be in the 13-14 minute range, but I feel like lately my conditioning has become a liability rather than a strength. This may be due to me focusing more on heavier lifting. First round was 4 minutes and the second wasn't too much slower, but completely fell apart on the sumo deadlifts on the third round and lost any chance I had of hitting my target time. I made up my mind that I would have sets of at least 10 on everything throughout the workout, and had achieved that up until that point. My back started to tighten up and I could only get a few reps per set for a weight that is light for me. Pretty frustrating.
At the beginning of the summer I felt that I was making solid progress, but the last few weeks have been hit or miss during workouts. Not sure if it's a little bit of added pressure during the workouts as I know I'm training for something or something else. I've actually been working out less (not doing as many 2 a days / taking rest days) but my recovery from day to day seems to have worsened, which is odd. Going to try to dial in my diet better starting next week through FGB and the Urbanathlon. Will workout over the weekend but am going to try to recharge over Labor Day weekend and come back into the Fall ready to go.
Wednesday Diet:
Pretty much the same thing I eat everyday, nothing different on this day.
Tuesday, 8/31--5:45a @ FFC Old Town:
Back Squat (Speed Work), 10×2 @ 65% of #290–#190
These felt pretty good, just working on my speed out of the bottom and focusing on staying in the heels as usual.
Metcon,
4 rounds, AMRAP
1 min on, KB swings (#55)
1 min on, ball slams (#25)
1 min on, burpees
:90 sec rest
Rd 1: 25-23-17
Rd 2: 25-25-15
Rd 3: 25-20-15
Rd 4: 25-20-15
Had been planning on going for a run Tuesday evening, but back was absolutely fried from the heavy deadlifts on Monday.
Diet:
Diet was good all day up until dinner. Went to PJ Clarke's with some friends and had a grilled chicken wrap w/ sweet potato fries and a Blue Moon...
Wednesday, 9/1
AM--6:00a--Lake Shore
25 minute run, easy pace. Just tried to loosen out my lower back. May have to ease up on the heavy deadlifts during Urbanathlon training so that I'm not hurting during my runs.
PM--7:00p--CFC
Press, 5-5-5+ (60/70/80% of 1RM @ #155)
95-110-125(8)
I think I got the 10 on my third set last time, but have been pretty sore from Monday's workout.
Workout--FGB Variation
3 rounds for time
20 wall balls
20 sumo deadlift high pull (#75)
20 box jumps
20 push press
400 m run
Time: 15:37
Another pretty disappointing performance. I would usually be in the 13-14 minute range, but I feel like lately my conditioning has become a liability rather than a strength. This may be due to me focusing more on heavier lifting. First round was 4 minutes and the second wasn't too much slower, but completely fell apart on the sumo deadlifts on the third round and lost any chance I had of hitting my target time. I made up my mind that I would have sets of at least 10 on everything throughout the workout, and had achieved that up until that point. My back started to tighten up and I could only get a few reps per set for a weight that is light for me. Pretty frustrating.
At the beginning of the summer I felt that I was making solid progress, but the last few weeks have been hit or miss during workouts. Not sure if it's a little bit of added pressure during the workouts as I know I'm training for something or something else. I've actually been working out less (not doing as many 2 a days / taking rest days) but my recovery from day to day seems to have worsened, which is odd. Going to try to dial in my diet better starting next week through FGB and the Urbanathlon. Will workout over the weekend but am going to try to recharge over Labor Day weekend and come back into the Fall ready to go.
Wednesday Diet:
Pretty much the same thing I eat everyday, nothing different on this day.
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