Month: March 2012

Track WOD

CrossFit Full Strength announced this week that they would start doing some workouts at the Phoenix College track on Saturday mornings starting in April. I was bummed that I wouldn’t get to do any since I’m heading back to Michigan on Wednesday, but then they decided to start this week. Since I had a 10:15am tee time with the guys and the track workout was at 7:30am I was able to make it. I got up at 6:30am which I’m not a fan of. I only have a few more days in town so I wanted to make the most of them and squeeze in as much as I can.

We warmed up with some high knees, butt kicks, skipping, 360s, backwards skipping, and a 400m jog.

In teams of 3, one person runs at a time so the others get 2x rest in between intervals. Complete all intervals at 400m before starting the 200m runs, etc.

  • 2x 400m Run
  • 3x 200m Run
  • 4x 100m Run

Just walking out to the track brought back memories of high school track practice. My events were the 110m high hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles in track, so we did a lot of workouts similar to this back in the day. I absolutely loved this workout and felt as good as I could have expected. It was actually a nice way to get the day started.

Upper Body Blast

I had a golf lesson this morning and couldn’t make it to the 9am class, so I attended the 7:15pm. It was the first time I attended one of the night classes so I wasn’t sure how my energy would be.

Warm-up

  • 400m Run
  • 20 reps each of 5 Direction Pitcher Stretch for shoulders (I forgot what it was called on the board)
  • 20 Swimming Superman
  • 25 GHD
  • 10 PVC Pass Over

The pitcher stretch warm-up was a new one. We hold a 2.5# plate in each hand and by the end my shoulders were burning up.

Strength

4 Sets

  • 3-5 Push Presses
  • 90s Rest
  • 3-5 Weighted Chin-ups, 2-1-1-0 tempo
  • 90s Rest

Started off with a warm-up set of 6 with just the bar to get loose. Working sets were 105#, 125#, 135#, and 145# for 5 reps each set. New PR there. It can’t be normal to keep setting a new PR in something every workout, so I’ll keep mentioning them while I can. For the weighted chin-ups I hooked an 18# KB of my foot. On the first 2 sets I got 5 reps, then 4 and 3.

WOD

  • 10-9-8…1 Pull-ups
  • 1-2-3…10 Dips

Ugh, not exactly a WOD for me to “dominate” at being average. All I did was try to survive the pull-ups without ripping my hands to pieces. I was successful by breaking each round up into small sets on 2-3 and then even 1 pull-up at a time. I did the dips on rack dip bars and was able to go unbroken up until the set of 7 I believe when I had to start breaking them up. As I got into the round of 10 it was 1 dip at a time and then rest for a few seconds before hopping back on. I did figure out how to kip which really helped me get through the workout. I think I was the last guy in class to finish, which isn’t a surprise on these movements. My time was 14:49.

After a heavy back squat day, a heavy deadlift day, and now this upper body blast I’m looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

Over on my main blog I wrote about my experience in the 2012 CrossFit Games Open as my first CrossFit competition.

Making Men

I didn’t get the greatest sleep last night, but I’m feeling great. Pretty sore from the back squats, KBS, and walking lunges yesterday, which I think is why I kept tossing and turning early this morning.

Warm-up

3 rounds

  • 2 Turkish Get-ups (each side)
  • 60s Row

I used a 35# KB for the first two rounds and then a 44# for the third one. The warm-up actually called for 60s of DUs, but I’m laying off the jump rope for a few weeks to let my neck heal, so I rowed instead. Did over 250m each round in the 60s.

Strength

4 Sets

  • 4-5 Deadlift, 2-0-X-1 tempo
  • 15-20s Rest
  • MAX HSPU
  • 3m Rest

My previous best deadlift was 5 reps at 275# so I set 290# as my goal for the last set. Warmed up with 6 reps at 135# and then used 225#, 245#, 275#, and 290# for the working sets. Was able to get 5 reps each set and set a 15# PR! I’m curious what my 1 rep max is. For the HSPUs I used 1 AbMat under my head and did 9, 11, 9, and 8 reps. Each set beat my old PR of 7 reps. Three months ago I started by doing pike push-ups (stink bugs). Maybe next time I’ll put plates under my hands so I’m going full depth.

WOD

7 Rounds of 5 Manmakers.
Partner up and alternate rounds so that each person completes 7 rounds for a total of 14.

Holy shit! This WOD will make a man out of any guy or gal. You get a little bit of rest when your partner is doing their round, but after you get through 2 or 3 reps my tank was on E. I used 40# DBs for the entire workout. We finished in 15:38.

PR Twice

Another great night of sleep, so I’m feeling great.

Warm-up

  • 400m Run
  • 2x
    • 10 Groiners (5 each leg)
    • 10 Supermans
    • 10 PVC Sit-ups
    • 10 KBS

I used a 35# KB for the warm-up swings.

Strength

3-2-1-3-2-1 Back Squats with 2-3m rest between sets

Sort of a weird rep/set scheme, but it actually worked out really well. Warmed up with 6 reps of just the bar and then 6 reps at 135#. For working sets I used 185# (3), 195# (2), 205# (1), 195# (3), 215# (2), and 230# (1). The 230# was a PR and we had time left so I went for 240# and got another PR. Squats felt great today. As the weight got heavy I made sure to take a deep breath and hold it until the bottom of the squat. I always forget to focus on that and it really helped to keep everything tight and ready for the way back up.

WOD

10m AMRAP

  • 5 Burpee Pull-ups
  • 10 KBS
  • 15 DB Walking Lunges

No hiding out in this WOD. Everything was pretty intense. The pull-ups weren’t too bad because it was mostly a jump from the burpee. I used a 62# KB for the swings and held 45# DBs for the lunges. I was able to finish 4 rounds plus 5 burpee pull-ups, 10 KBS, and 10 of the DB walking lunges.

Only one week left in Phoenix after today and then it’s back to Michigan. I’m going to miss the 9am crew at CrossFit Full Strength!

Overhead Pushes

I lost track of time last night while doing laundry and cooking up some food for the week, so I got to bed much later than I hoped. As a result I was a little tired this morning. I’ve been eating a banana in the mornings before going in for the workout and I think it’s helping give me an extra boost of energy.

Warm-up

2 rounds

  • 250m Row
  • 10 Push-ups
  • 10 Wall Squats
  • 10 PVC Pass-thrus

Strength

15 minutes of jerk. Build up to a heavy single with jerk or split jerk.

I started out with the bar for a bit to work on the technique. First real weight was 115# and I smacked my chin on the 2nd rep. How? I have no idea. I went to 135#, 155#, and 165# doing 2 reps at each. Final set was 170# once for a PR. The weight felt pretty good. Ten more pounds and I’ll be putting more than my body weight over my head. I did split jerks for all of the reps.

WOD

4 sets for max reps of push press against a 2-minute running clock, with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

  • 200m Run
  • MAX Push Presses

So when the 2m clock starts we head out down the stairs and run 200m, back up the stairs and then do push presses with whatever time is left on the clock. Running splits were pretty consistent with about 1:05 left on the clock each time. I went Rx on the weight with 115# for the push presses and was able to do 14, 12, 10, and 12 reps in the rounds. The weight got heavy but not too heavy. Felt much better than open workout 12.3 which had 12 reps at 115# shoulder to overhead and I did push jerks the entire time.

My biceps were sore right away from this WOD. It’s a struggle to drink a glass of water. No joke.

OLY and Beers

I wanted to get in to the box for the WOD this morning, but it was heavy on the DUs. Since I’m not doing any jump rope for a few weeks, to let my neck heal, I went for a 2.18 mile hike at Piestewa Peak instead. I did make it in for the Olympic lifting class at noon, especially since people were bringing beers and sticking around afterwards. In class we worked on the different steps of the clean and jerk. I worked up to 155# and stopped there because my arms and elbows weren’t feeling very good from yesterday’s Open workout. Then I did 4 sets of RDLs with the same 155#. Hung out for about an hour and a half shooting the shit with everyone. Made it out to walk 18 holes of twilight golf.

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.5

Today was the day. The end of the 2012 CrossFit Games for me. When the workout was announced I wasn’t too excited because I’m not good at thrusters or chest to bar pull-ups. I knew I’d give it my best though.

Open Workout 12.5

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:

  • 3 Thrusters
  • 3 C2B Pull-ups
  • 6 Thrusters
  • 6 C2B Pull-ups
  • 9 Thrusters
  • 9 C2B Pull-ups
  • 12 Thrusters
  • 12 C2B Pull-ups
  • 15 Thrusters
  • 15 C2B Pull-ups
  • …

If you complete the round of 15, go on to 18, increasing the reps by 3 with each new round as far as you can go. Thrusters are done using 100#.

I did a slow 400m row and a bunch of stretching as a warm-up. My goal was to get through the rounds of 12, to give me 60 reps. In the end I managed 58 total reps with some no-reps on the C2B pull-ups otherwise I would have hit my goal. I won’t know my final placing until Tuesday night, but it looks like I’ll beat about 25% of men. That’s a success in my book since I started CrossFit on the last day of October (less than 5 months ago) and my goal was to beat 10% of the guys.

This was my first CrossFit competition and I’m hungry for more. However, I am glad this one is over so I can get back to a regular workout schedule without having to fit in a special workout every week. The CrossFit Games Open have taught me that overall strength is my greatest weakness. When the weights get heavy I struggle and fatigue fast. My endurance is probably better than average, but I hit a point where my muscles don’t have much left in them to crank out reps. I’m already looking forward to the 2013 Open to see how much I can progress in a year.

Now that I’m done with all 5 workouts, I can finally wear the Reebok CrossFit Games Open shirt I bought after I registered. I told myself I wouldn’t put it on until I completed the competition.

More Neck Work

I dropped my brother off at the airport not too long ago. Took him out for a hike this morning. I went about 2 miles.

After I dropped him off I headed back to the chiropractor for my 2nd adjustment. The Doc said it was easier to get things moving, which I guess is good. He wants me to focus an stretching out my upper chest and shoulder area today and keep going with the ice on my neck.

Hopefully I’ll be well rested to do Open workout 12.5 tomorrow morning.

Adjusting My Neck

Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for the first time in my life. After dealing with DU headaches for several weeks I figured it was time to get some help. The Doc loosened me up, cracked my neck and back, and suggested I keep coming in for a couple of weeks. He thinks I probably sprained or strained my neck which has caused swelling. With all of the nerve endings in the spinal area, it can cause headaches and a variety of other problems. He told me to ice the neck and make sure I move my head and neck around throughout the day. He also said that jumping rope or running could cause the most problems because of the repetitive pounding it causes. So, for the most part, everything was as I had predicted. After getting the adjustment, the rest of the day was pretty miserable. I had a slight throbbing headache the entire time I was out playing golf, but it did go away once I got home and was able to ice it. I’m glad to be on track to getting fixed up.

The 5th and last Open workout was announced last night. Thrusters and chest to bar pull-ups are not my strengths, but I’ll do my best. Since today’s WOD at the box involved DUs and some of the same type of movements in 12.5, I decided not to go in. I jumped on the stationary bike at the fitness center in my apartment complex for 30 minutes and went 7.13 miles. I used what the machine called a fat burning workout.

Suicide Sprints

Final scores are in after the 4th workout of the CrossFit Games Open. Thanks to a good showing I made a big jump up to 1,241st out of 1,733 in the South West region and 17,235th out of 24,995 in the world, which puts me right around beating 30% of the mean in each, way above my goal of 10%. One workout remaining. I bet we’ll see deadlifts paired with one other movement.

Warm-up

5m Mini flight simulator (5-10-15-20-25-30-25-20-15-10-5 unbroken DUs)

I was only able to get up to 15 unbroken. My DU headache started about 1:30 in to the 5 minutes and I still have a bit of it 30 minutes after the workout. I may go see a chiropractor about my neck. Since I started having a little soreness there I haven’t been able to crack my neck, which I’ve always done. Maybe (hopefully) I just have a little alignment issue causing these problems.

Strength

5 Sets

  • 8-10 DB Push Press, 2-0-X-1 tempo
  • 45s Rest
  • MAX Dips
  • 3m Rest

I started with 35# DBs for the first two sets, then went 40#, 45#, and 50#, with 10 reps each round. The 50s were definitely my limit at the end. I used the rings for dips and was able to do 8, 7, 8, 7, and 5 dips for a total of 35.

WOD

5 Rounds

  • 20 yard Suicide Sprint (10y down and back)
  • 10 Burpees
  • 1m Rest

My kind of WOD. Splits for each round were within a 1 second difference. The one minute of rest was enough to catch my breath and keep going at full throttle. Finished in 6:32.

Now we wait for the final workout of the CrossFit Games Open to be announced…