"When one has made a decision...even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it will not do to think about going at it in a long roundabout way. One's heart may slacken, he may miss his chance, and by and large there will be no success. The Way...is one of immediacy, and it is best to dash in headlong"

'Hagakure," -Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Keeping up with the Big Dawgs

Tuesday 12/14 Workout, 7pm @ CFC:

1RM Back Squat
225-250-275-295(F)

PR is #290, but really didn't want to push it too hard as I was still nursing a sore hip flexor. #275 felt pretty heavy, need to get back on a structured squat/strength program.

Workout
10 power cleans (#165)
20 box jumps ("24)
8 PC
16 BJ
6 PC
12 BJ
4 PC
8 BJ
2 PC
4 BJ

Time: 5:50

About one to two minutes slower than the bigger guys at the gym, but was relatively happy with how this went considering the heavy weight. 30 reps @ 80% of my 1RM power clean was good, and I liked the combination of a heavy lift with a movement that could gas me. Failed one clean. Strung the first five together well, then doubles and singles. Power clean technique can still be improved as I need to drop under instead of leaning back in the catch. Faster elbows!

Post Workout--> Pistol work. Still suck at these. Tried it with holding a weight, it was easier so may work on that as a progression to regular pistols.


Wednesday Workout, 5:45a @ FFC

Strength, 3 rounds for max reps
A1: Bench press @ #135
A2: Ring rows (no rings, did inverted rows from Smith Machine bar)

A1: 20-15-12 (weak! no spotter so didn”t push the last set)
A2: 15-15-15

“Helen On Water”
3 rounds,
500 m row
21 KB swings (1.5 pood)
12 dips

Time: 11:18

Everything unbroken. Made up a harder variation by putting in the row and dips instead of runs and pullups. Rows 1:56-2:05 and some resting during transitions made this a lot longer than my 8:30-9:00 regular Helen.

2x15 Decline Situps

8:30pm--> 1 hour of hot yoga. Kicks my butt every time.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Meet Recap & Recovery Week

Meet Results, Men's 69 kg (#152 weight class:

(In kg.)
Snatch: 61-66-70(F)--> Lbs. conversion (134.5-145.5-154.3)
Best Snatch: 66 (-#5 PR)

Clean & Jerk: 84-88-93(F)-->(184.5-195.5-205.0)
Best C&J: 88 (-#15 PR)

Placed 4th out of 7 in my weight class.

Overall I was relatively happy with my performance. While I could have liked to get some PRs, I tweaked my hip flexor on my last snatch attempt and had to power clean all of my C&J instead of squat clean. I was definitely pretty nervous beforehand, but not so much when I actually got onto the platform. Great experience for future competitions--different from a Crossfit-style event in that we only got three attempts for each lift, so had to make them count. Long day, but definitely worth it.

Did absolutely nothing on Sunday except sit on my couch and lounge. Actually went outside to go over to a friend's house to watch a movie and eat deep-dish, so that was the most productive I got.

Using the next week or so to take a step back and recover--trying to make weight for the meet definitely took a toll on my body, as I had to wake up early every day and increase my workout volume. Will probably continue training, but just at my own pace. Left hip flexor is still tight, so will stretch that out.

Monday Workout, 12/14 @ CFC, 7pm:

Strict Military Press, 5x5 @ #130

Did this at #125 a few weeks ago and it felt much stronger today. All reps went up without sticking points except for the very last one.

Workout, 4 rounds, 5 minute minutes per round
500 m row
10 toes to bar
20 pushups

Finish the round, and use remainder of 5 minutes as rest period

2:25-2:31-2:35-2:34

All rounds unbroken, but row slipped in the later rounds. Tried to go around a 1:50-1:55 for each row. Goal was to be as consistent as possible as well as get everything unbroken. Only person to beat me was Glenn, as he beat me off the rower each time. Good workout to start the week, as it left me tired but didn't completely destroy me.

Post-workout: 2 minute handstand hold, partition as needed. Did this in two sets of 1:00 each.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Game Time

Thursday was my final tune up for the meet on Saturday.

AM Workout, 5:45a @ FFC:
2 mile run (8:00/mi)
20 minutes on the elliptical

PM Workout, 8:00p @ CFC:
Was able to help coach the 7pm class and then lift at 8pm.

Snatch Attempts
115-125-135-145(tie PR)-150(+#5)

C&J Attempts
155-175-185-195-205(+#10 PR)-210(PR)

Feeling pretty tired and worn down after the last two weeks of training, but really happy to PR on both lifts. My last two snatch attempts weren't pretty, but I just need to come up from the squat more slowly and more controlled. #135 is a weight I'm pretty sure I can hit almost every time, so will plan on opening with that on Saturday.

Clean and jerks felt great, and I didn't feel (nor did anyone see) the hitch between the pulls. As long as I can clean it up, I should be able to get the jerk.

Planned Attempts for Saturday (in lbs.)
Snatch: 135-145-155
C&J: 190/195-205-215

A little nervous, but more excited than anything else. Even if I don't hit everything tomorrow I feel like I've improved over a lot during the last few weeks, which should put me in a better position for Games competition in a few months. Am also looking forward to eating a lot of food post-meet.

Weight Friday morning was at #153.6 when I woke up--did some light cardio for 30 minutes at the gym, and was down to #151.6 when I got back home. Cutoff for the 69kg weight class is #151.8, so I plan on trying to just sip a little water and eat lighter foods until tomorrow. Will probably go to the gym for an hour tomorrow morning in some sweats and layers to get the rest of the water weight I've got out.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Commitment

Tuesday AM Workout, 5:30a @ FFC:

Bench Press 5x3 @ #205

No fails, but this didn't feel light. Looking forward to starting up a more structured strength program post-meet.

30 minutes on elliptical

Tuesday PM Workout, 7:00p @ CFC:

1RM Snatch
95-115-125-135-145(+#5 PR)-150(f)

The #145 felt relatively good, wobbled a bit on the way up. Just got tired on the last rep, and didn't have the confidence for a big second pull even before I stepped up to the bar. I think I can get #150-#155 on Saturday. Ripped my hand when we started so my grip was a little shoddy.

Was happy to get the small PR, but more importantly I started to feel better about getting rid of the hitch between the first and second pulls. Really concentrated on getting aggressive and committing myself to drop under the bar. The snatch is a pretty interesting lift, and is one of the more unnatural movements I've done in CF, but I'm staring to feel more comfortable with it.

Metcon:
5 rounds for time,
5 overhead squats (Rx'd #135)
10 hang power cleans
15 box jumps ("24)

Time: 11:09

Tough, heavy workout. Was shooting for 10 minutes but failed two reps on my third and last sets of OHS when I tried to come up too fast and lost my balance. Hang power cleans unbroken only in the first set, then 5-5, then all over. Box jumps were much harder than usual as my legs felt tired, just went steady. Power snatched the first two sets into the OHS but these were ugly, so clean and back racked the rest. Definitely not where I'd like to be in terms of how heavy the weight felt, as I feel that #135 is a weight that competitive athletes can throw around pretty easily.

Post-workout: 30 GHD situps (15-15)

These actually felt pretty good for once, didn't get dizzy. No soreness in the abs today--have been doing more situps in workouts than usual so could be getting better conditioned.

Wednesday AM Workout, 5:45a @ FFC:

Conditioning
5 rounds, 2:00 rest in between:
500 m row
30 double unders
15 kettlebell swings (1.5 pood/#53)

1) 3:02
2) 3:05
3) 3:24 (rope got knotted up and had to untangle it)
4) 3:10
5) 3:12

Maybe should have added 10 burpees on the end of each round or decreased the rest time, but was feeling pretty tired this morning and today is a bit of a rest day. Goal was to limit my breaks transitioning in between movements and get everything unbroken--number of breaths from each movement increased in the later rounds but nothing broken up. Rows all between 1:55-2:05, felt sluggish as I've been doing a lot of pulling movements the last few days.

Strength, weighted dips:
10(unweighted)-6(+#30)-6(+#40)-5(+#45)-10(unweighted)

#155 upon waking up, #153 post-workout--worked up a sweat but nothing crazy, so I'm looking to be in good shape for Saturday. I have a feeling my food binge this weekend post-meet is going to be a sight to see. I am also looking forward to drinking milk again.

Heading to hot yoga tonight for some mobility work. Planning on some cardio tomorrow AM and then a final lifting session at night before the meet. Getting excited for this weekend.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Back in the Saddle

Work has been pretty busy so updating this has taken a back seat, but I've been keeping pretty consistent with my workouts and preparation for the lifting meet on Saturday. I'm still nowhere near where I'd like to be on my Olympic lifts but I'm really just looking forward to competing in front of people, even though I'm a little nervous. Should be fun whatever the outcome, and good experience for the future.

I weighed in Tuesday morning at #155, so ~#3 shy of where I need to be on Saturday. I had a friend in town this weekend so my diet wasn't great, but the number of actual meals I ate was small (burger on Sat. night, Wishbone for brunch and pizza for dinner on Sun.). If I'm still pretty close by Friday then I'll go ahead and try to cut the weight, but if not no biggie and I'll go in the heavier class.

Monday Workout, 7:00pm @ CFC

Wasn't able to wake up early Monday morning to get in my extra cardio workout, rough Saturday night.

Strength--Worked on clean and jerks. Did all squat cleans, just refining my technique and dialing everything in. Still have a habit of pushing the weight forward on the jerk. Worked up to #185, which is what I plan to open at on Saturday.

Planned attempts:
Snatch: #130-#140-#150
Clean & Jerk: #185-#195-#205

Metcon Workout, chipper for time:
500 m row
100 double unders
80 power wall ball (#14)--wall ball w/ partial squat
60 squats
40 situps
20 burpees
500 m row

Time: 11:37

Around a Top 10 time at the box--about what I expected given this workout played to some strengths (double unders, bodyweight movements) but also had some of my weaknesses (wall balls, rowing). Was in a fast heat with some competitive guys (Glenn, Cam, Chris, and Kurt), and finished just behind Glenn and Kurt due to the row. My splits were likely around 1:50-1:55 for both while theirs were around 1:45, which made the difference in the placing. Not too bad of a workout, but could have broken up the wall balls a little less.

Got in bench press and a little cardio this morning, heading to the box for more Olympic work and the workout this evening. Drinking water like there's no tomorrow, and will start to cut down tomorrow or Thursday.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Crunch Time

Stepped on the scale Monday morning to assess the damage of the weekend. Sat at about #158-#159, so I've got about #7 lbs to lose before next Saturday's meet. Going to cut out a meal or two per day, as well as get in some straight cardio to go along with lifting and the regular Crossfit workouts.

Since I've been eating pretty much the same thing each day and the Paleo Challenge is over, I'll only be posting workout notes on here for the time being.

Monday 11/29

5am @ FFC

Got in about 45-50 minutes of steady state cardio--alternated between running on the treadmill and the elliptical. Obviously not conducive to Crossfit training, but need to get the extra work in to drop some weight, as Monday's CFC workout was relatively short.

7pm @ CFC

Sunday: Back Squat, 5-5-5, 225-235-245 (Got this in as I wanted to work on Oly lifts on Monday).

Power Cleans--worked up to 1RM

155-175-185-195-200(PR)-205(f)-205(PR)

+#10 PR, pretty pumped as I've been stuck on #195 for a long time. #195 and #200 felt great, but my form definitely suffered on the #205, although I'll take it. When the weight starts to get heavier I have a tendency to lose my receiving position and lean back instead of drop under the bar. Hitch between the two pulls is still there but continuing to get better. Will be happy to hit anything above #200 at the meet next week, but would like to get my clean up to at least #225 by Sectionals.

Metcon,

2009 Regional Workout #2
3 rounds for time,
10 chest-to-bar pullups
10 front squats @ #165
10 burpees

Time: 4:53

Time (Jan '10 @ #125): 5:16

Did this unbroken, and it's pretty cool to see the improvement that's occurred over the last year or so. I remember my front rack position was terrible when I first started, and although #165 was a pretty heavy weight, I got through without stopping. I should say that I did the first set of squats with #160 on the bar instead of #165--don't think the lighter weight really did any good since the bar was imbalanced and tougher to control. Good workout.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Two by Tuesday

Tuesday Diet:
5:00a: whey protein, water, fish oil, glutamine, flaxseed oil
7:00a: protein shake
8:00a: coffee
9:00a: 1/2 lb. ground beef, salsa, plantain chips, sprinkled cheddar cheese (for fat)
12:30p: office ordered in Chinese for our boss' birthday. Not Paleo by any means but tried to stick to meat for the most part (some was fried). Wanted some fried rice baddd but held off
3:00p: Clif Builder protein bar

Tuesday AM Workout, 6:00a @ CFC:

Was able to roll out of bed a little before 5:00 to make it to the 6am class. Wanted to get my weigh-in for the challenge as well as make up the last challenge workout.

Strength, 1RM Jerk
185-205-225-245(F)x2

#235 is my PR. #225 went up pretty easily and I was starting to get a little tired so went to #245. First attempt was a losing battle, as I let the weight feel heavy in my head and did a fake dip. Second attempt was a little better--bar was certainly high enough but just didn't drop under. Getting under significant weight is always more of a mental battle and really takes a large amount of aggression--going to do this again down the road in the evening when my strength numbers tend to be better.

Metcon, Performance Challenge #1, Trial 2
3 rounds for time,
15 hang power cleans (#135)
15 burpees

Time: 4:17 (-:03 from 4:20 Trial 1)

A little disappointed as I wanted to get sub-4, but I felt a little light-headed this morning--not sure if I was all the way awake yet. Cleans were 15/6-4-5/5-5-5. Burpees felt sluggish. Sub-4 is possible if I can get more cleans unbroken.

Skipped post-WOD of 2 min handstand hold, saving the shoulders for some Olympic lifting tonight if I can make it back in.

Pre-Challenge Weigh-in: #163
"Mid"-Challenge Weigh-in: #156

Called this morning's weigh-in "mid-challenge" since I need to get down to #152 for the Olympic lifting meet on December 11th.