Today
Short beach loop
Distance: 4.61 miles
Time: 53:17
Pace: 11:33/mile
I took 3 fairly long walk breaks. The sun was too hot -- I should've done this run about an hour earlier. Also, this was my first long-ish run in quite a while. Due to wildfires conditions have been really smokey here off and on for the last month. I've really lost a lot of what I built up, but hopefully I can get it back quickly with runs a few times a week.
Wednesday 7/6
Did a WOD I got from Angie.
50-40-30-20-10
kb swings (16kg)
AbMat situps (butterfly)
Results: 13:10
Would like to try this one with Russian swings and the 24kg kettlebell sometime.
Tuesday 7/5
"Fran"
21-15-9
thrusters (65#)
pullups
Results: 10:28
Not my fastest (9:10 @ Level I Cert), and not my slowest either, but only barely. The issue this time was just conditioning. My heartrate was off the charts, and that's what slowed me down the most -- catching my breath. I probably could've benefitted from someone getting in my face too. :)
Sunday 7/3
I ran for ~37 minutes and I don't the distance of my route. It felt good to be up early and outside.
Friday 7/1
Yoga, good times as always. I realized that doing the 11am class really makes a difference in how hot it feels in the room. I think it must be the sun coming in or hitting the building. I never start to feel like it's too hot to breathe in the 5pm or 6pm classes that I've taken.
Thursday 6/30
~30 minute run in the morning.
WOD @ 5:30 (only had 1 student in class, so we did the WOD together :))
4 rounds
800m run
50 air squats
then
50 hands-off pushups
Results: 30:09
Monday 6/27
Squat 12-12-12-12 @ 105
That really hurt.
Metcon:
10-1
Pullups
AbMat situps
14:56
Went mental on the pullups, eeek.
Hit yoga that night as well.
Showing posts with label back squat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back squat. Show all posts
Jul 7, 2011
Jun 7, 2011
Clogged sinuses, BS & press, yoga, K2E
When I brought up my blog, I thought, "I must've done something between Murph and today??"
I looked back at the blog for our gym, and yes, I did. :)
--
Wednesday, June 1
First day of our strength cycle, which I'm co-programming with my boss. Has been interesting so far, we'll see what everybody thinks when we get to the end of 5 weeks. :)
Back squat
3-3-3-3-3, working up to 90% 1RM
125-135-145-145-150(f)
No reps on that last set, I just went down, stopped, and bailed the bar behind me. Ugh, my ability to back squat heavy weights SUCKS. I wish I was as good at that as I am at weightlifting movements. The slow lifts just don't seem to make as much sense to me, maybe I have too much time to overthink it?
Press
3-3-3-3-3, working up to 90% 1RM
65-75-80-80-82
Had to go for 82 just to have the highest female numbers on the board for that one. Come one, I need one thing I can brag about. :)
--
After that workout, I pretty much succumbed to a horrible sinus infection / cold. It's actually still hanging on, though I'm at the point where working out is something I need to do to drive the bad stuff out of my body.
--
Monday, June 6
Yesterday night I went to heated power yoga, and it was great, as usual. I'm going to miss this studio and the husband-wife team that owns it and teaches the classes I take. They are great. I almost talked myself out of going, and I'm glad I just did it. It was annoying to have my nose clogged up a lot of the time, but oh well. :)
I'd like to attend this Monday night class regularly, and also Friday afternoon. I think yoga twice a week would be a great addition to the work I'm doing with my chiropractor. Gotta get myself all fixed up before I have to move away from him, too.
--
Today's workout was pretty interesting. It was an AMRAP, and the time actually went by pretty quickly, which is always a good thing. I hate WODs where the time just seems to drag on and on.
WOD:
Wow, I was really running slow for this one. And I need to get faster at knees to elbows.
I kept having these little glimmers of insight into how to string them together, without an extra kipping swing in the middle, but then I would suddenly find myself wildly swinging on the pullup bar with no clue what I was doing. I'll have to search out some videos on that, though maybe I'm on the right track and just not executing properly. I'm trying to bring my knees down as I push forward to start a new swing, and then pop out of that swing into another K2E.
Any tips from anyone reading would be appreciated! :)
I looked back at the blog for our gym, and yes, I did. :)
--
Wednesday, June 1
First day of our strength cycle, which I'm co-programming with my boss. Has been interesting so far, we'll see what everybody thinks when we get to the end of 5 weeks. :)
Back squat
3-3-3-3-3, working up to 90% 1RM
125-135-145-145-150(f)
No reps on that last set, I just went down, stopped, and bailed the bar behind me. Ugh, my ability to back squat heavy weights SUCKS. I wish I was as good at that as I am at weightlifting movements. The slow lifts just don't seem to make as much sense to me, maybe I have too much time to overthink it?
Press
3-3-3-3-3, working up to 90% 1RM
65-75-80-80-82
Had to go for 82 just to have the highest female numbers on the board for that one. Come one, I need one thing I can brag about. :)
--
After that workout, I pretty much succumbed to a horrible sinus infection / cold. It's actually still hanging on, though I'm at the point where working out is something I need to do to drive the bad stuff out of my body.
--
Monday, June 6
Yesterday night I went to heated power yoga, and it was great, as usual. I'm going to miss this studio and the husband-wife team that owns it and teaches the classes I take. They are great. I almost talked myself out of going, and I'm glad I just did it. It was annoying to have my nose clogged up a lot of the time, but oh well. :)
I'd like to attend this Monday night class regularly, and also Friday afternoon. I think yoga twice a week would be a great addition to the work I'm doing with my chiropractor. Gotta get myself all fixed up before I have to move away from him, too.
--
Today's workout was pretty interesting. It was an AMRAP, and the time actually went by pretty quickly, which is always a good thing. I hate WODs where the time just seems to drag on and on.
WOD:
How high up the ladder can you climb in 20 mins:Results: 7 + 6 K2Es of my 8th round
200 m Run
1 Knees-to-elbows
200 m Run
2 Knees-to-elbows
200 m Run
3 Knees-to-elbows
...
Record highest set of knees to elbows completed.
Wow, I was really running slow for this one. And I need to get faster at knees to elbows.
I kept having these little glimmers of insight into how to string them together, without an extra kipping swing in the middle, but then I would suddenly find myself wildly swinging on the pullup bar with no clue what I was doing. I'll have to search out some videos on that, though maybe I'm on the right track and just not executing properly. I'm trying to bring my knees down as I push forward to start a new swing, and then pop out of that swing into another K2E.
Any tips from anyone reading would be appreciated! :)
May 19, 2011
CrossFit Total
This was only the second time I've done this workout. The first time was way back in January 2010, so about a year and a half ago.
Jan 2010 results:
Squat - 155
Press - 80
Deadlift - 185
Total: 420
Those numbers were after 6 months of training the barbell lifts. Not too bad, when you look at it from that perspective. At that point I was Rx-ing or close to Rx-ing the majority of barbell movements in CrossFit WODs, except those with deadlifts. I was just able to do a few unassisted pullups, but still struggled with other gymnastics / body weight movements.
Fast forward to today. 18 more months of training, so a total of (approximately) 2 years of total barbell training.
May 2011 results:
Squat - 160
Press - 90
Deadlift - 190
Total: 440
--
At first glance when I made the comparison between 2010 and today, I was pretty disappointed. Only 20 pounds more after 18 months?
So I wanted to think about the path my training has taken, and reflect a little bit. Feel free to stop reading now, this is mostly for me. :)
Despite only gaining 10 pounds in the press, my upper body strength has absolutely exploded as a whole. On multiple occasions I've completed 100 pullups or more in a single workout. It may have taken me twice as long as others, but I still completed each one. Pushups have been up and down, but on the whole I'm much stronger. Same story with ring dips.
I've fixed my squat. The butt wink that I got called out on during my Level I cert in March 2010 is now gone. I still struggle a little with keeping hamstrings tight in the bottom, especially switching back and forth between low-bar and Olympic high-bar and front squats. But it's all good. Reading Rip's book "Starting Strength" is helping me even more in this area. Knowledge is power.
The back pain I began suffering from in September 2010 led me to perfect chiropractor for me, and has completely changed the alignment of my legs and hips for the better. My posture from the waist down is completely revamped, and now we're working hard on the mid-back and neck. I know these changes are going to allow me to get even stronger in the end, even though my injury prevented me from lifting anything heavier than ~125# between September 2010 and February 2011.
The time taken off due to my back set me back more mentally than anything - obviously since my squat and deadlift both went up by 5, but didn't go down. The experience of lifting a heavy weight isn't just physical, it's mental. My brain is currently used to moving very manageable loads, and I've lost some ground in dealing with the "holy shit this is crazy heavy" feeling when moving a barbell. But I know it's just a matter of time and commitment to getting back my mental focus so that I can finally start getting stronger. Now that my body is ready, I will make my mind ready, and then shit is gonna take off!
So, I guess what I really proving to myself with all of this is that I didn't "waste" 18 months because my CF Total only went up 20 pounds. I accomplished a lot in that time, and learned a lot of really valuable lessons. And I've been learning to become a better coach, which is a super-high priority goal for me.
I don't want to get sucked into that numbers trap, where my numbers absolutely define me. Or where I am only worthwhile as a person if I have amazing numbers. There's more too me than just simple metrics.
Jan 2010 results:
Squat - 155
Press - 80
Deadlift - 185
Total: 420
Those numbers were after 6 months of training the barbell lifts. Not too bad, when you look at it from that perspective. At that point I was Rx-ing or close to Rx-ing the majority of barbell movements in CrossFit WODs, except those with deadlifts. I was just able to do a few unassisted pullups, but still struggled with other gymnastics / body weight movements.
Fast forward to today. 18 more months of training, so a total of (approximately) 2 years of total barbell training.
May 2011 results:
Squat - 160
Press - 90
Deadlift - 190
Total: 440
--
At first glance when I made the comparison between 2010 and today, I was pretty disappointed. Only 20 pounds more after 18 months?
So I wanted to think about the path my training has taken, and reflect a little bit. Feel free to stop reading now, this is mostly for me. :)
Despite only gaining 10 pounds in the press, my upper body strength has absolutely exploded as a whole. On multiple occasions I've completed 100 pullups or more in a single workout. It may have taken me twice as long as others, but I still completed each one. Pushups have been up and down, but on the whole I'm much stronger. Same story with ring dips.
I've fixed my squat. The butt wink that I got called out on during my Level I cert in March 2010 is now gone. I still struggle a little with keeping hamstrings tight in the bottom, especially switching back and forth between low-bar and Olympic high-bar and front squats. But it's all good. Reading Rip's book "Starting Strength" is helping me even more in this area. Knowledge is power.
The back pain I began suffering from in September 2010 led me to perfect chiropractor for me, and has completely changed the alignment of my legs and hips for the better. My posture from the waist down is completely revamped, and now we're working hard on the mid-back and neck. I know these changes are going to allow me to get even stronger in the end, even though my injury prevented me from lifting anything heavier than ~125# between September 2010 and February 2011.
The time taken off due to my back set me back more mentally than anything - obviously since my squat and deadlift both went up by 5, but didn't go down. The experience of lifting a heavy weight isn't just physical, it's mental. My brain is currently used to moving very manageable loads, and I've lost some ground in dealing with the "holy shit this is crazy heavy" feeling when moving a barbell. But I know it's just a matter of time and commitment to getting back my mental focus so that I can finally start getting stronger. Now that my body is ready, I will make my mind ready, and then shit is gonna take off!
So, I guess what I really proving to myself with all of this is that I didn't "waste" 18 months because my CF Total only went up 20 pounds. I accomplished a lot in that time, and learned a lot of really valuable lessons. And I've been learning to become a better coach, which is a super-high priority goal for me.
I don't want to get sucked into that numbers trap, where my numbers absolutely define me. Or where I am only worthwhile as a person if I have amazing numbers. There's more too me than just simple metrics.
May 10, 2011
Back squat, push press
Strength day today. Good way to get back in the groove after vacation.
And yes, Angie, I am going to do your birthday WOD soon! :)
WOD:
Here's a picture of my little section of whiteboard. In orange are the numbers that I looked up from a weightlifting chart, based on my 1RM max. I screwed up, and looked up numbers for 135 on push press, even though my 1RM is 130 -- hence the smaller numbers I wrote in.
And yes, Angie, I am going to do your birthday WOD soon! :)
WOD:
Squat: 5-5-3-3-2-2Results:
Push Press: 5-5-3-3-2-2
Squat: 125-135-145-145-150I didn't perform the second double on either movement, because somebody wrote the WOD on the whiteboard with only 1 "2" in the rep scheme. Oh well! I was pretty much beat on each of the doubles I did, so I didn't need more to make the WOD harder!
Push Press: 95-110-115-115-120(x1)
Here's a picture of my little section of whiteboard. In orange are the numbers that I looked up from a weightlifting chart, based on my 1RM max. I screwed up, and looked up numbers for 135 on push press, even though my 1RM is 130 -- hence the smaller numbers I wrote in.
May 2, 2011
100 back squats
Seriously, that was the first part of the WOD today.
O. M. G. That set of 50 was horrific. Followed closely by the set of 35. But I really really really wanted to finish in 3 sets, so I pushed myself pretty hard.
My most recent back squat 1RM was 155 (which lines up with my 5x3 @ 140 recently). So while I "technically" used the right load, I think I could've gone heavier...
1st: 1:45
2nd: 1:50
3rd: 1:43
Wow, was I really wobbly during the first run! I actually felt decent on the 2nd two runs, just had to push myself more on the breathing side of things, than the "my legs hurt" side of things. But that's pretty typical for me.
Good WOD to start the week. :)
WOD 1:Results: 80#, 3 sets (50, 35, 15)
100 Back Squats @ 50% of 1RM
- Take breaks as needed
- Score is load and # of sets needed to complete 100 total squats
O. M. G. That set of 50 was horrific. Followed closely by the set of 35. But I really really really wanted to finish in 3 sets, so I pushed myself pretty hard.
My most recent back squat 1RM was 155 (which lines up with my 5x3 @ 140 recently). So while I "technically" used the right load, I think I could've gone heavier...
WOD 2:Results:
Run 400m, then rest 2 minutes.
3 rounds.
Score is slowest 400.
1st: 1:45
2nd: 1:50
3rd: 1:43
Wow, was I really wobbly during the first run! I actually felt decent on the 2nd two runs, just had to push myself more on the breathing side of things, than the "my legs hurt" side of things. But that's pretty typical for me.
Good WOD to start the week. :)
Mar 20, 2011
Back squat 5x3
For my warm-up I did a mini-WOD.
15-10-5
knees to elbows
pushups
pullups
AbMat situps
After a week off, I felt like my heart rate spiked up super-fast even with these simple movements, and resting between movements. I'm glad I decided to take advantage of the week-long extension and do my first Games WOD after I take a few days to get back in the groove.
WOD was back squat, 5x3, at 90% of 1RM.
With a 1RM of 155, that's 140. While looking up my 1RM I saw that I struggled on a WOD with 5 rounds and 3 back squats per round at 135, so I wasn't sure if I could use 140 or not...
Warm-up:
45x5
95x3
Working sets:
125x3
135x3
140x3
140x3
140x3
I was very happy to do 140x3 three times. My biggest challenge was the rack position -- I did low-bar squats today, and my arms felt weird and numb? But I didn't know if I could deal with that much weight in the high bar position -- I'll have to experiment to find out.
Yay heavy squats! :)
15-10-5
knees to elbows
pushups
pullups
AbMat situps
After a week off, I felt like my heart rate spiked up super-fast even with these simple movements, and resting between movements. I'm glad I decided to take advantage of the week-long extension and do my first Games WOD after I take a few days to get back in the groove.
WOD was back squat, 5x3, at 90% of 1RM.
With a 1RM of 155, that's 140. While looking up my 1RM I saw that I struggled on a WOD with 5 rounds and 3 back squats per round at 135, so I wasn't sure if I could use 140 or not...
Warm-up:
45x5
95x3
Working sets:
125x3
135x3
140x3
140x3
140x3
I was very happy to do 140x3 three times. My biggest challenge was the rack position -- I did low-bar squats today, and my arms felt weird and numb? But I didn't know if I could deal with that much weight in the high bar position -- I'll have to experiment to find out.
Yay heavy squats! :)
Feb 4, 2011
Back at the base gym
Did Thursday and Friday morning at the base gym with my buddies.
Thursday
5x5 back squats
95-105-115-120-125
4 rounds:
5 1-arm DB power snatch, right
5 1-arm DB OHS, right
5 1-arm DB power snatch, left
5 1-arm DB OHS, left
10 lateral jumps over dumbbell
Results: ~8 minutes, with a 25# dumbbell
If you've never tried a 1-arm DB overhead squat, try it. It is really weird, and definitely exposes weakness in your core.
Friday
Everybody was sleepy and sore, so we skipped the weight room and did two "tabata pairs".
First pair: squats (lowest count 14) and pushups (lowest count 6; games-style w/ hand release)
We alternated between squats and pushups for 16 total rounds of tabata. I like this better for pushups, because I felt like I did more pushups than when I do "straight" tabata pushups.
Second pair: DB push press (20# db's, lowest count 8) and AbMat situps (butterfly; lowest count 10)
I kinda sandbagged the situps -- I have gotten a score of 11 on regular tabata situps.
But the good thing is I got up and got to the gym! Definitely wasn't feeling it this morning...
Thursday
5x5 back squats
95-105-115-120-125
4 rounds:
5 1-arm DB power snatch, right
5 1-arm DB OHS, right
5 1-arm DB power snatch, left
5 1-arm DB OHS, left
10 lateral jumps over dumbbell
Results: ~8 minutes, with a 25# dumbbell
If you've never tried a 1-arm DB overhead squat, try it. It is really weird, and definitely exposes weakness in your core.
Friday
Everybody was sleepy and sore, so we skipped the weight room and did two "tabata pairs".
First pair: squats (lowest count 14) and pushups (lowest count 6; games-style w/ hand release)
We alternated between squats and pushups for 16 total rounds of tabata. I like this better for pushups, because I felt like I did more pushups than when I do "straight" tabata pushups.
Second pair: DB push press (20# db's, lowest count 8) and AbMat situps (butterfly; lowest count 10)
I kinda sandbagged the situps -- I have gotten a score of 11 on regular tabata situps.
But the good thing is I got up and got to the gym! Definitely wasn't feeling it this morning...
Jan 23, 2011
Weightlifting practice
Went to my first weightlifting practice in a billion years. And I arrived late, per usual -- I just can't be on time for Saturday morning at 10am. heh
With the status of my back*, my plan was just to work my speed and bar path at light weights. Coach approved.
2 front squat + 3 back squat + 1 jerk behind the neck4 sets at 70%
I worked up to 65#. The back definitely got a lil "twingey" when I was squatting. Also, I hate jerking b.t.n. at light weights -- love it at heavy weights, though.
Power snatch - 2 reps
4 sets at 80%
Did full snatch, and slowly lowered the barbell through each of the positions to set back up for the 2nd snatch. Worked at 65#.
Power clean - 2 reps
3 sets at 80%
Full clean. Worked at 85#.
--
Get Strict - A
Did 3 sets of 10 strict pullups with the skinny band. They were still broken up: 6-2-2, 7-3, 6-2-2. I was pumped the second set I got 7. Can't wait to get all 10.
I skipped my assistance exercises. Booo on me for that.
I do feel like with these long sets I'm learning the way to fire my muscles at each point in the movement. For me the issue has always been the bottom. I am doing my best to eliminate using any "shoulder pop", and start from a true dead hang. Husband says a tiny pop is OK by Marine Corps standards -- so my ultimate goal will be to do 10 strict with no bands and maybe an itsy bitsy shoulder pop to get out of the hole. :)
--
Here's the deal with my back... It's not that I am in pain in my trouble spot. It's just that I can feel when I'm moving that muscle, in a way that's not normal. For example, if you "felt" your bicep flexing as you sipped from a glass of water, that would be weird. Well, I "feel" my Q.L. "flexing" as I squat, or lean over or put on my socks and shoes.
So while I have had any big "tweaks" -- that is my word for super excruciating muscle spasm things that were happening before I took a ton of rest -- after a few good workouts, I can "feel" my trouble spot.
It's so hard to know how to respond when coach is asking me "how's the back feeling".
With the status of my back*, my plan was just to work my speed and bar path at light weights. Coach approved.
2 front squat + 3 back squat + 1 jerk behind the neck4 sets at 70%
I worked up to 65#. The back definitely got a lil "twingey" when I was squatting. Also, I hate jerking b.t.n. at light weights -- love it at heavy weights, though.
Power snatch - 2 reps
4 sets at 80%
Did full snatch, and slowly lowered the barbell through each of the positions to set back up for the 2nd snatch. Worked at 65#.
Power clean - 2 reps
3 sets at 80%
Full clean. Worked at 85#.
--
Get Strict - A
Did 3 sets of 10 strict pullups with the skinny band. They were still broken up: 6-2-2, 7-3, 6-2-2. I was pumped the second set I got 7. Can't wait to get all 10.
I skipped my assistance exercises. Booo on me for that.
I do feel like with these long sets I'm learning the way to fire my muscles at each point in the movement. For me the issue has always been the bottom. I am doing my best to eliminate using any "shoulder pop", and start from a true dead hang. Husband says a tiny pop is OK by Marine Corps standards -- so my ultimate goal will be to do 10 strict with no bands and maybe an itsy bitsy shoulder pop to get out of the hole. :)
--
Here's the deal with my back... It's not that I am in pain in my trouble spot. It's just that I can feel when I'm moving that muscle, in a way that's not normal. For example, if you "felt" your bicep flexing as you sipped from a glass of water, that would be weird. Well, I "feel" my Q.L. "flexing" as I squat, or lean over or put on my socks and shoes.
So while I have had any big "tweaks" -- that is my word for super excruciating muscle spasm things that were happening before I took a ton of rest -- after a few good workouts, I can "feel" my trouble spot.
It's so hard to know how to respond when coach is asking me "how's the back feeling".
Jan 10, 2011
Back squats and a quick metcon
At the gym on base this morning.
Back squat: 5x5
95
105
115
120
125
Still holding back from anything really heavy, since the back issue hasn't been resolved. Oddly, today it only twinged when I was re-racking the barbell.
2 rounds:
20 OHS (45#)
15 pullups
500m row
Results: ~15mins
Back squat: 5x5
95
105
115
120
125
Still holding back from anything really heavy, since the back issue hasn't been resolved. Oddly, today it only twinged when I was re-racking the barbell.
2 rounds:
20 OHS (45#)
15 pullups
500m row
Results: ~15mins
Aug 30, 2010
Fun and different WOD
Am I getting old if I actually thought about writing about how I think our coach Paul is creative and enthusiastic due to his youth?
I think, maybe, yes. Must be time to just start saying I'm 30 even though I'm only 29. :-p
But seriously, Paul had a cool WOD on tap for us today. It made me kinda nervous looking at it, but now that I've finished it, it was pretty fun!
Sooooo, we did the badass version of the wheelbarrow walk -- instead of holding your partner's feet, you put them up on your shoulders, so they're more inverted. Then the person being held just has to "pike" their body and get as vertical as they can, like in a modified HSPU, to simulate a handstand walk. Crazy, yet fun! I actually "held" two of my peeps before I took my turn, so I got some extra work in. :)
Holy shit 135# was really heavy for me on back squats. And I'm left with sore quads, which tells me that I was rolling up onto my toes a lot. Boooooo. But when I tried to keep my chest high at the bottom, I lost the bar off the back. Urgh. Need to have someone video me doing this so I can assess. But in any case, I still did all the reps, I just had to break them up into 2s and 3's starting in round 3. Thank GOD will was there to clean the bar back up for me the two times I dropped it.
Oh yeah, and that handstand wheelbarrow walk is hard on your abs!
--
I've been following the Primal Blueprint Fitness stuff going on at Mark's Daily Apple, and like what I see so far. Except I'm sad about what I saw in his pushup video.
I was really hoping that after starting off with the wall pushup, he would tell people to just keep lowering their hands until they could finally do pushups on the ground. But instead he instructs you to put your knees down. Boo!
--
Robb Wolf was interviewed on T-Nation about his new book, The Paleo Solution.
He also released a video where he talks about the book. After listening to his Paleolithic Solution podcast, it's kind of weird to "see" him talk.
I've already pre-ordered the book, and I'll post my thoughts here once I read it. If it's even half as good as the podcasts, it's going to be awesome. The only problem I have wit the podcast is I listen to it in the car, and then I can't take notes on the little tidbits that interest me. :)
I hope they didn't edit out his sense of humor from the book, because he's fucking hilarious. This guy seriously needs to join The Daily Show as their health/fitness correspondent. :-D
I think, maybe, yes. Must be time to just start saying I'm 30 even though I'm only 29. :-p
But seriously, Paul had a cool WOD on tap for us today. It made me kinda nervous looking at it, but now that I've finished it, it was pretty fun!
6 rounds:Ok, so for the handstand walk I definitely had to substitute -- if I hadn't, I would've busted my freakin' head open on the rubber mats. Or broken my neck.
5 back squat (185/135)
Handstand walk, 50ft
Results: 24:55, 135# and "on the shoulder" wheelbarrow walk for 100ft
Sooooo, we did the badass version of the wheelbarrow walk -- instead of holding your partner's feet, you put them up on your shoulders, so they're more inverted. Then the person being held just has to "pike" their body and get as vertical as they can, like in a modified HSPU, to simulate a handstand walk. Crazy, yet fun! I actually "held" two of my peeps before I took my turn, so I got some extra work in. :)
Holy shit 135# was really heavy for me on back squats. And I'm left with sore quads, which tells me that I was rolling up onto my toes a lot. Boooooo. But when I tried to keep my chest high at the bottom, I lost the bar off the back. Urgh. Need to have someone video me doing this so I can assess. But in any case, I still did all the reps, I just had to break them up into 2s and 3's starting in round 3. Thank GOD will was there to clean the bar back up for me the two times I dropped it.
Oh yeah, and that handstand wheelbarrow walk is hard on your abs!
--
I've been following the Primal Blueprint Fitness stuff going on at Mark's Daily Apple, and like what I see so far. Except I'm sad about what I saw in his pushup video.
I was really hoping that after starting off with the wall pushup, he would tell people to just keep lowering their hands until they could finally do pushups on the ground. But instead he instructs you to put your knees down. Boo!
--
Robb Wolf was interviewed on T-Nation about his new book, The Paleo Solution.
He also released a video where he talks about the book. After listening to his Paleolithic Solution podcast, it's kind of weird to "see" him talk.
I've already pre-ordered the book, and I'll post my thoughts here once I read it. If it's even half as good as the podcasts, it's going to be awesome. The only problem I have wit the podcast is I listen to it in the car, and then I can't take notes on the little tidbits that interest me. :)
I hope they didn't edit out his sense of humor from the book, because he's fucking hilarious. This guy seriously needs to join The Daily Show as their health/fitness correspondent. :-D
Jul 20, 2010
Fight Gone Bad 5, back squat & metcon
First, some responses to comments.
For weighted pullups, I put the dumbbell handle basically in my crotch, and lock my legs together. I think this is an advantage we females have over guys! :-p However, this will only work up to about 20-25 pounds, at which point you either need to use a weighted vest (this is on my list of equipment I want) or a weight belt that you can hang dumbbells, kettlebells or plates from. I think I'll be good to go using the dumbbells for quite a while. :)
If you want to get involved in a CrossFit event, but aren't quite ready for a competition, you should check out Fight Gone Bad 5. Even if you don't belong to an affiliate, get a group of local CrossFitters to do the workout together. Sara and her husband did this last year, bringing in a few friends, and raising money. This year the beneficiaries for FGB5 are the Wounder Warrior Project, LIVESTRONG and the CrossFit Foundation. I wish I could join Sara this year, but I'm already committed to doing the USMC Mud Run that same Saturday, which is a bummer. Next year, for sure.
--
I considered taking a rest day today to help ease myself back into working out, especially since I felt like I was going to die by the end of work yesterday. But I went this morning at 0830 anyway. We'll see how that decision plays out later today -- lifeguarding isn't super fun when the heat index is 110 degrees.
Push presses were nice and quick, broke the first set at 16, second set at 10, and third set was unbroken.
Pushups were a hot freaking mess. Got them in really variable sets, no more than 5-6 in a row. These will probably continue to be a challenge for me. Side note: If you watch the final event of the CF Games, many of the top 16 ladies had to take breaks during the set of 30 pushups. That made me feel better about my pushups struggles.
Pumped the squats out unbroken in all 3 rounds.
The runs were decent, though I wouldn't call them "sprints". :)
Man, during the first round after the push presses my heart was racing so bad!! It was freaking me out! So I dialed back the intensity a bit, no need to F myself up. The virus is still affecting my respiratory system, and I'm sure other parts of my body, not to mention side effects from the meds I'm taking to deal with the symptoms. Damn Sudafed -- I hate how that stuff makes me feel, but it's nice not to have snot flowing out of your nose 24-7. :-p
For weighted pullups, I put the dumbbell handle basically in my crotch, and lock my legs together. I think this is an advantage we females have over guys! :-p However, this will only work up to about 20-25 pounds, at which point you either need to use a weighted vest (this is on my list of equipment I want) or a weight belt that you can hang dumbbells, kettlebells or plates from. I think I'll be good to go using the dumbbells for quite a while. :)
If you want to get involved in a CrossFit event, but aren't quite ready for a competition, you should check out Fight Gone Bad 5. Even if you don't belong to an affiliate, get a group of local CrossFitters to do the workout together. Sara and her husband did this last year, bringing in a few friends, and raising money. This year the beneficiaries for FGB5 are the Wounder Warrior Project, LIVESTRONG and the CrossFit Foundation. I wish I could join Sara this year, but I'm already committed to doing the USMC Mud Run that same Saturday, which is a bummer. Next year, for sure.
--
I considered taking a rest day today to help ease myself back into working out, especially since I felt like I was going to die by the end of work yesterday. But I went this morning at 0830 anyway. We'll see how that decision plays out later today -- lifeguarding isn't super fun when the heat index is 110 degrees.
Strength: Back squat 5-5-5-5
Results: 95-105-115-115I wasn't feelin' it this morning? You know some days you're amped up to lift heavy shit, and other days you're like 'MEH'. Today was a bit meh for me. And honestly, back squat is my *least* favorite rack position. I know most people hate the front squat rack because it's so awkward, but I love it. Maybe cause I'm good at it. :-p Either way, I got my squats done, so that was a positive. :)
Metcon:Results: 10:46 Rx
21-15-9
Push press (75/55)
Pushups
Squats
150m sprint
Push presses were nice and quick, broke the first set at 16, second set at 10, and third set was unbroken.
Pushups were a hot freaking mess. Got them in really variable sets, no more than 5-6 in a row. These will probably continue to be a challenge for me. Side note: If you watch the final event of the CF Games, many of the top 16 ladies had to take breaks during the set of 30 pushups. That made me feel better about my pushups struggles.
Pumped the squats out unbroken in all 3 rounds.
The runs were decent, though I wouldn't call them "sprints". :)
Man, during the first round after the push presses my heart was racing so bad!! It was freaking me out! So I dialed back the intensity a bit, no need to F myself up. The virus is still affecting my respiratory system, and I'm sure other parts of my body, not to mention side effects from the meds I'm taking to deal with the symptoms. Damn Sudafed -- I hate how that stuff makes me feel, but it's nice not to have snot flowing out of your nose 24-7. :-p
Feb 18, 2010
Feeling run-down
Ever since the 1/2 marathon, things have just not been right with my body... My diet has been off since then, maybe that is the real culprit for the muscle soreness that I am experiencing the last 2-3 days... Why would I be sore today, when I had a rest day yesterday? Frustrating...
I need to write a post about what I've been experiencing with my eating lately. When I start sabotaging myself, those actions deserve some additional inspection...
That said, I felt like crap, but got out and got my WOD on with my peeps. Got to work out with 2 great chicks this AM, Allie and Melissa. Melissa is new, but she is gonna see some fast progress. Her form is strict and movement is excellent -- I predict massive PRs every time she does the Oly lifts.
We did back squat today: 3-3-3-3-3
I did 100-115-120-120-130.
I whined a lil' and said it felt heavy, but nah. It was totally do-able.
Then we did a metcon, which I was so excited about since last night when I read the WOD on the website.
Total reps: 152
Burpees: 19-17-10-9-9
Swings: 19-17-16-16-20
Not as good as I thought I could do... But I'm happy I came out so strong on my burpees, though they went to shit at the end. For the last 2 rounds I was in the middle of my 10th burpee when time was called.
Swings were weak. I think it was my whiny attitude that did me in. I got aggressive and confident on the last minute, and banged out 20. All my scores should have been at least 18.
I need to write a post about what I've been experiencing with my eating lately. When I start sabotaging myself, those actions deserve some additional inspection...
That said, I felt like crap, but got out and got my WOD on with my peeps. Got to work out with 2 great chicks this AM, Allie and Melissa. Melissa is new, but she is gonna see some fast progress. Her form is strict and movement is excellent -- I predict massive PRs every time she does the Oly lifts.
We did back squat today: 3-3-3-3-3
I did 100-115-120-120-130.
I whined a lil' and said it felt heavy, but nah. It was totally do-able.
Then we did a metcon, which I was so excited about since last night when I read the WOD on the website.
10 minutes total, continuosly running clockWe only have 3 16k kettlebells, so I did burpees first and then kb swings -- Allie and I shared a bell.
Alternate between movements, 1 minute each
Score is total reps
- kettlebell swings (24k/16)
- burpees
Total reps: 152
Burpees: 19-17-10-9-9
Swings: 19-17-16-16-20
Not as good as I thought I could do... But I'm happy I came out so strong on my burpees, though they went to shit at the end. For the last 2 rounds I was in the middle of my 10th burpee when time was called.
Swings were weak. I think it was my whiny attitude that did me in. I got aggressive and confident on the last minute, and banged out 20. All my scores should have been at least 18.
Jan 23, 2010
Bear-ish complex in da Burgh
Had an awesome time at CrossFit Pittsburgh this morning. I felt so nostalgic driving around my hometown, and then it was a crazy juxtaposition to go do some CrossFit. Fun times. :)
We did a bear complex kinda thing, with good mornings added at the end. Jenn said it was the CF Football version of the bear. Honestly, the good mornings freaked me out because I've only ever done them with PVC. So I started with a much lower weight - an empty women's bar -- than I would've without that added on.
WOD:
So, not only did I go light, I went really, really SLOW. Disappointing. I know I need to go easy on myself when I haven't done a movement before... But I've been wanting to try the bear complex for a while, so it's a bit of a letdown to have done it with such a light load.
I'll get some next time - heavy, hard and fast. :)
After the WOD we went through a fun little cool down with Jenn. Three static holds per round: handstand, wall sit and plank. 1st round - 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off; 2nd round - 1 minute on, 1 minute off; 3rd round - 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. It was great! That is exactly what I need to do on my own to develop my handstands, and getting comfy upside down.
--
CrossFit Pittsburgh has a great vibe -- I really liked the space they're in (cool climbing hold on one wall!), and I met the owners Jenn and Mike and two other trainers and several members and they were all super-friendly and welcoming.
No group warmup -- this is the first box outside of CF Camden that I've been to that doesn't do the group warmup. I agree with the concept that Mike explained that each person has their own preferred way to warm up... but I also agree with Bryan from Ultimate that sometimes people don't do the best job getting warmed up on their own... Maybe the best strategy is to just go class-by-class, or person by person. Group warm ups for the less experienced, self-directed warm ups for the more experienced.
For some reason I was loving their pull-up bars. The width or the height maybe? I asked, and they're 1 1/2 inches wide. I just felt super stable in my grip -- that's the best way I can describe it. The height was just slightly above my reach, which I love love love love love.
Good news for the day -- I did 2 kips in a row that took me the whole way up over the bar, instead of my usual "most of the way there, then PUUUULLL" style. Woot! Progress!
One more note on their pull-up setup -- they have two bars setup at the height needed to do jumping pull-ups. What a great idea. Jenn explained that for beginners, it's so much easier for them to do the kip-jump from the floor. I totally agree, because I've seen how learning to do pull-ups and also standing on a box that you're afraid you might miss coming back down can complicate the learning process. And she made the point that Filthy Fifty calls for jumping pull-ups, and they're good for that too.
That's a perfect example of why I love my CrossFit fieldtrips -- those cool little adaptations that each affiliate discovers.
Next trip home I will definitely be back in the box for another WOD. For sure! And I will probably be hitting up Jenn with more training questions too. :)
We did a bear complex kinda thing, with good mornings added at the end. Jenn said it was the CF Football version of the bear. Honestly, the good mornings freaked me out because I've only ever done them with PVC. So I started with a much lower weight - an empty women's bar -- than I would've without that added on.
WOD:
Complete 4 rounds of:Results: 17:11 -- 33-43-48-53
Complete the cycle 7 times per round:
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Good Morning
So, not only did I go light, I went really, really SLOW. Disappointing. I know I need to go easy on myself when I haven't done a movement before... But I've been wanting to try the bear complex for a while, so it's a bit of a letdown to have done it with such a light load.
I'll get some next time - heavy, hard and fast. :)
After the WOD we went through a fun little cool down with Jenn. Three static holds per round: handstand, wall sit and plank. 1st round - 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off; 2nd round - 1 minute on, 1 minute off; 3rd round - 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. It was great! That is exactly what I need to do on my own to develop my handstands, and getting comfy upside down.
--
CrossFit Pittsburgh has a great vibe -- I really liked the space they're in (cool climbing hold on one wall!), and I met the owners Jenn and Mike and two other trainers and several members and they were all super-friendly and welcoming.
No group warmup -- this is the first box outside of CF Camden that I've been to that doesn't do the group warmup. I agree with the concept that Mike explained that each person has their own preferred way to warm up... but I also agree with Bryan from Ultimate that sometimes people don't do the best job getting warmed up on their own... Maybe the best strategy is to just go class-by-class, or person by person. Group warm ups for the less experienced, self-directed warm ups for the more experienced.
For some reason I was loving their pull-up bars. The width or the height maybe? I asked, and they're 1 1/2 inches wide. I just felt super stable in my grip -- that's the best way I can describe it. The height was just slightly above my reach, which I love love love love love.
Good news for the day -- I did 2 kips in a row that took me the whole way up over the bar, instead of my usual "most of the way there, then PUUUULLL" style. Woot! Progress!
One more note on their pull-up setup -- they have two bars setup at the height needed to do jumping pull-ups. What a great idea. Jenn explained that for beginners, it's so much easier for them to do the kip-jump from the floor. I totally agree, because I've seen how learning to do pull-ups and also standing on a box that you're afraid you might miss coming back down can complicate the learning process. And she made the point that Filthy Fifty calls for jumping pull-ups, and they're good for that too.
That's a perfect example of why I love my CrossFit fieldtrips -- those cool little adaptations that each affiliate discovers.
Next trip home I will definitely be back in the box for another WOD. For sure! And I will probably be hitting up Jenn with more training questions too. :)
Jan 4, 2010
CrossFit Total @ Ultimate CrossFit
My first CrossFit Total!
When I saw the WOD on the Ultimate CrossFit blog, I was so stoked! Now that I've had a few months to work on my back squat, press and deadlift, I was ready to see how I could perform in this benchmark.
For back squat, I'm happy because my goal was to add 10 pounds to my last PR (145) to make my PR the same as my body weight. Hopefully when I do my weigh-in once I get home from vacation I've lost some more weight, and then I will happily announce I can back squat more than my body weight. :-D
For press, I think I should've started at 75, which was my 3RM at CrossFit KoP the other day. But when I warmed up with 75, I couldn't get it up, and that's why I dropped back to 70. I dunno. But will be aiming for 85-90 next time I go for a 1RM on press. Utilized some great advice from Swine -- keep elbows wide to keep your shoulders engaged in the upward movement; my elbows want to drift forward, which makes it harder to apply force upward on the barbell.
For deadlift, I'm satisfied. My goal was to surpass my current PR of 175, if I could do it while maintaining good form. I accomplished that by 10#, and Brian was kind enough to watch my form, which he said looked good. Hollah! This makes me feel very confident about my 1Q10 goal of a 200# deadlift -- I think it's absolutely achievable.
--
The noon class at Ultimate CrossFit is such a fun group of people, and it fits perfectly into my schedule when I'm helping out my sister. AM classes don't work because of getting the kids on the bus, and PM classes don't work because the kids are already home from school. I really wanted to try to visit CrossFit Charlotte this week, but I don't think it's gonna fit since they don't have a noon class... Bummer...
I'm glad I brought my giant bag of stuff with me, because there was a need for an iPod and I had my new one with me. I chose to play them my "cheri's getting sh** done" playlist, which seemed to please the crowd. I should put it on for my CF Camden peeps soon. :)
Also, I finally got a picture of my favorite CF wall art that I've seen so far:
Yes, that is Kool-Aid man busting through the wall while swinging a kettle bell over his head. LOVE IT. Cheesy, yet motivating. The same description I hope I have as a coach. :-p
There's also another cool piece of art on the other side of the box:
I'll probably be back over there 3-4 times this week. I might do 5 days on (Mon-Fri) since I took a day off yesterday after only 2 (pretty easy) days on.
--
Random note: I rowed my warm-up 500 in less than 2 minutes. Booyeah! :) Also, I love the skinny pull-up bars a UCF. Did 3 kips in a row without dropping off the bar. I think I need to bump that goal up to 10.
When I saw the WOD on the Ultimate CrossFit blog, I was so stoked! Now that I've had a few months to work on my back squat, press and deadlift, I was ready to see how I could perform in this benchmark.
"CrossFit Total"Results:
Squat - 1, 1, 1
Press - 1, 1, 1
Deadlift - 1, 1, 1
There is no time limit for each lift. You can warm up all you like, but you must choose a rep to be your first attempt. You only get three attempts at each lift, so if you fail at any attempt it still counts as one of your reps. Scoring: Take your top completed reps from each category and add them together for your total.
- Back squat - 155, 160m, 155
- Press - 70, 75, 80
- Deadlift - 175, 180, 185
- Total: 420
For back squat, I'm happy because my goal was to add 10 pounds to my last PR (145) to make my PR the same as my body weight. Hopefully when I do my weigh-in once I get home from vacation I've lost some more weight, and then I will happily announce I can back squat more than my body weight. :-D
For press, I think I should've started at 75, which was my 3RM at CrossFit KoP the other day. But when I warmed up with 75, I couldn't get it up, and that's why I dropped back to 70. I dunno. But will be aiming for 85-90 next time I go for a 1RM on press. Utilized some great advice from Swine -- keep elbows wide to keep your shoulders engaged in the upward movement; my elbows want to drift forward, which makes it harder to apply force upward on the barbell.
For deadlift, I'm satisfied. My goal was to surpass my current PR of 175, if I could do it while maintaining good form. I accomplished that by 10#, and Brian was kind enough to watch my form, which he said looked good. Hollah! This makes me feel very confident about my 1Q10 goal of a 200# deadlift -- I think it's absolutely achievable.
--
The noon class at Ultimate CrossFit is such a fun group of people, and it fits perfectly into my schedule when I'm helping out my sister. AM classes don't work because of getting the kids on the bus, and PM classes don't work because the kids are already home from school. I really wanted to try to visit CrossFit Charlotte this week, but I don't think it's gonna fit since they don't have a noon class... Bummer...
I'm glad I brought my giant bag of stuff with me, because there was a need for an iPod and I had my new one with me. I chose to play them my "cheri's getting sh** done" playlist, which seemed to please the crowd. I should put it on for my CF Camden peeps soon. :)
Also, I finally got a picture of my favorite CF wall art that I've seen so far:
Yes, that is Kool-Aid man busting through the wall while swinging a kettle bell over his head. LOVE IT. Cheesy, yet motivating. The same description I hope I have as a coach. :-p
There's also another cool piece of art on the other side of the box:
I'll probably be back over there 3-4 times this week. I might do 5 days on (Mon-Fri) since I took a day off yesterday after only 2 (pretty easy) days on.
--
Random note: I rowed my warm-up 500 in less than 2 minutes. Booyeah! :) Also, I love the skinny pull-up bars a UCF. Did 3 kips in a row without dropping off the bar. I think I need to bump that goal up to 10.
Dec 8, 2009
Ultimate CrossFit
Today I took my second CrossFit "field trip" with a drop-in visit to Ultimate CrossFit, located in Charlotte, NC.
The facility was awesome, tons of pullup stations, barbells and plates. And they had a mural of Kool-Aid Man busting through the wall holding a kettlebell overhead with one arm. Awesome!
All the CrossFitters in attendance were totally welcoming and friendly, as were the coaches. I love a gym with a good positive attitude. I was also digging the hip-hop vibe of the music. It was the first time I got to hear one of the songs on my own CrossFit playlist in the gym -- "Tambourine", Eve.
--
Strength:
WOD:
AMRAP in 15 minutes:
The facility was awesome, tons of pullup stations, barbells and plates. And they had a mural of Kool-Aid Man busting through the wall holding a kettlebell overhead with one arm. Awesome!
All the CrossFitters in attendance were totally welcoming and friendly, as were the coaches. I love a gym with a good positive attitude. I was also digging the hip-hop vibe of the music. It was the first time I got to hear one of the songs on my own CrossFit playlist in the gym -- "Tambourine", Eve.
--
Strength:
Back squat 3-3-1-1
85-95-115-135-145 (did 1 extra 1rep)
WOD:
AMRAP in 15 minutes:
- 10 box jumps (24/20)
- 10 DB walking lunges (35/25 db in each hand)
- 10 knees to elbows
Results: 5 rounds
--
Is it OK that I am still squee-ing a little from getting compliments on my squats? I love hearing that I am a "strong squatter". :-p
That was PR on back squats, again. I seem to PR each time I try them. I think it's just a matter of the fact that this is only the 4th time I've done back squats. Now that I see my potential, next time I'm supposed to go heavy I will really go for it. Kind wish I would've gone for 1 rep at my body weight (155), but it's all good. My legs were plenty tired after the metcon!
Ah, the metcon. As requested, I tried to do the "quicker" version of the box jump where you jump down rather than step down. And as I kind of expected, I got a bit uncoordinated in my quest for speed, and totally smashed my shin. Doh. Oh well, it isn't really that bad, and I think it made me look like a badass. heh
Nov 23, 2009
She's got legs, and she knows how to use them
I predict this will be the week of sore legs. Which is a good thing! That's where I need the most work right now. I've got a pretty nice burn going from my run last night and then back squats this morning. Hopefully the workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday keep the momentum going.
--
WOD:
AMRAP* in 20 minutes:
- 25 burpees
- 15 backsquats (bodyweight)
Results: 4 rounds + 3 burpees (75lb backsquats)
--
I did this workout in my socks.
This is my 3rd time doing back squats in a workout -- I enjoy them more each time I try them. I'm getting much more stable and comfortable in holding the bar in that position. And today I dumped weight for the first time while doing one -- I just let it roll down my back at the bottom of the squat. Wasn't that bad. I'm going to go for it next we go for a 1RM on this one.
Interesting observation -- it was my arm strength that seemed to be the point of failure, especially since the burpees were killing my arms.
After we finished the WOD, I did sets of 3 reps at 85-90-95-100. Wow, 100 felt so damn HEAVY! Hopefully I can keep losing some weight so that it will be easier for me to achieve a bodyweight back squat. :)
Thoughts on burpees -- I have a new approach for these. One, keep the head up and looking forward. This seems to help me stay tense and focused. Two, when bringing the feet back in, get the back straight, and then jump up. I noticed that I was bringing my feet in far enough to be on all fours, but with my back kind of parallel to the ground. This made it harder to jump up. I think now my back and legs are strong enough to get back into a "tuck" position after the pushup. Getting back into "tuck" position really helped me do the burpees faster and more efficiently. Third, stay focused during the jump. I tend to just flail into the jump and clap. I think I lose a lot of energy and focus when I do that. (burpee video if you have no idea what i'm talking about)
I'm happy with 4 rounds -- my goal was at least 3 complete rounds. I'd like to repeat this one in the future and see how I do with heavier back squats. I'd love to stay at 4 rounds but squat something massive, like over 100. That would rock.
--
*AMRAP = as many rounds as possible
Nov 9, 2009
Hotel room Crossfit, Monday morning Crossfit
Yes, you can even do CrossFit in a decent-sized hotel room!
I felt like a slug on Friday because I slept in and skipped my normal morning walk and 8:30am Crossfit. The workout looked really crazy, and I wanted to be able to walk in my high heels that night for the ball.
So when I found myself in my hotel room getting ready to take a shower and get ready, I decided to do a little quickie just to get the heart pumping and muscles moving.
WOD: 10-9-8-7-6... of:
- squats
- pushups
- situps
Result: 7:21
Cooldown / Skill Work: Walking around in heels at the ball. :-p
--
This morning I was soooooo tired -- we didn't get home from our flight until nearly 1am. And then after my morning walk I had some digestive issues from all the crap that I ate this weekend. Which is why I was such a wuss on the strength part of the workout.
WOD:
Strength: back squat 4-4-4-4-4
Metcon: AMRAP in 10 min
- 12 power snatch (75lbs/45)
- 10 push ups
Results:
Back squat: 45-55-65-75-85
Metcon: 5 rounds
--
Obviously I didn't do much with the back squats. I got some better coaching on how to hold the bar than last time, though, and also took off my shoes to improve my heel contact with the ground. I'll go heavier next time.
I think I need to take kd's advice and subscribe to the journal. I need help on squats. When I do heavy loads with the upper body, or with Olympic lifts, I can get into it. But when I squat heavy loads, I feel like I don't know where to concentrate the power, if that makes sense.
The metcon was decent... my heartrate didn't get all that high, even though I kept a pretty steady pace the whole 10 minutes. But my quads were freakin' burning. I think I'm gonna have sore legs tomorrow.
We did knees to elbows for our cooldown, and I was amazed to find out that I can nearly do an actual, honest-to-goodness K2E! Yowzers! I am amazed at how strong my abs and back have gotten in the last 2 months of CrossFitting. Time to get my ass on the track on base and time a mile run...
Oct 30, 2009
Back squats and metcon
WOD:
Back squat -- 5-5-5-5-5 working sets
Metcon: 4 rounds for time
- 6 handstand push ups
- 8 power snatch (95lbs/65)
- 12 star jumps
Results:
Back squat: 55-65-70-75-80
Metcon: 13:09 (55lb power snatch)
--
I took it easy on the back squats for two reasons. One, I haven't actually done that movement in a workout before. And two, it was sets of five. The method of holding the bar felt very awkward to me. I will be doing some research into proper form for that movement.
Side note: I would really like to take an Olympic lifting certification.
Metcon was kind of a grinder. The star jumps killed me, my quads were just giving out as I squatted down to do the next jump. Ack. I rested a little bit too much on the power snatches as well, even though I scaled the weight down a bit so I could get the heart racing with a faster pace.
But I hate to rush myself when I'm doing Oly movements. I don't like to just throw the bar around in a rush to get done, I feel like I'm gonna hurt my back and develop bad habits.
I applied a lot of what I learned my second night at Crossfit KoP, and I was once again glad I had the chance to train with Aimee there. A "tune-up" session, or sessions, with her is definitely on my Christmas list. Side note: It's fun to feel the bar fly up when you get all the little things right on an attempt. :)
Popped out a few pullups post-workout, but not a whole bunch because I was running out of time. Next week I need to get more squeezed in to prep for the Jackie re-test coming up in Nov.
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