Month: July 2013

A Big Retest

My low back isn’t feeling the greatest from yesterday’s deadlift session. Otherwise feeling good though. In at 10am.

Warm-up

  • 5:00 Air Dyne
  • PVC Pass-thrus

Strength

5/3/1 Bench Press – Cycle 1 Week 3

  • 5 @ 85# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 135# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 160# (75%)
  • 3 @ 180# (85%)
  • 1+ @ 200# (95%)

I used the Reactive Slingshot again for the working sets. I got 8 reps on the last set, but had a little issue with my right arm flaring out again. Gives me an estimated max of 253#, down from the 271.5# last lift.

Pullovers

3 x 15 with 60# DB

Olympic Lifting

I loaded up a training bar so it was only 35# to work on my snatch technique. Worked on keeping the bar close on the first pull and then getting to the hips on the second pull. I need to do this type of stuff a lot more often. I think we did 5-10 minutes of work.

WOD

  • 10 -> 1 HSPU
  • 10 -> 1 Ring Dips
  • 30 DU

Kevin had planned out just the first two movements and I remembered an almost identical WOD I did back in Phoenix, so we modified it for a retest. Back in January it took me 24:24 to finish. It’s the only WOD to ever put me in bed for the rest of the day and make me think I had rhabdo. I’d never done that many HSPU in a day before. Today I finished in 17:49 and feel great! Broke the HSPU up into 2 sets each round until I got to 4. Ring dips were 3 sets for most of the way and then some sets of 2 before doing the last 3 sets unbroken. Too many misses on middle rounds of DU. Huge improvement though and shows how far my strength has come.

Too Much?

I walked 18 holes of golf yesterday morning and was pretty exhausted most of the rest of the day. No idea why. I got in an hour nap and was in bed early to get 9 hours of sleep. In at 10am this morning.

Warm-up

  • 450m Run
  • 100m Sled Drag (160#)
  • 25/25 Band Walks (Red)
  • 10/10 Flamingos
  • 10/10 Leg Swings (F-B, S-S)

Strength

5/3/1 Deadlifts – Cycle 1 Week 3

  • 5 @ 165# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 205# (50%)
  • 3 @ 245# (60%)
  • 5 @ 305# (75%)
  • 3 @ 350# (85%)
  • 1+ @ 390# (95%)

To beat my previous best estimated 1RM I needed 7 reps and I ended up getting 8 for a new estimate of 493#!! Probably still quite a bit higher than my real max, but I’ll take it. I might have pushed a little too much though, because I felt something in rep 5 or 6 and then in rep 8. Hopefully it was nothing, but low back was pretty sore almost immediately, although it did hold up in the WOD.

Kroc Rows

3 Sets of 15/15 with a 53# KB

Actually did these after the WOD, but wanted to group them up here in the strength section.

WOD

3 Rounds

  • 20 Deadlifts (135#)
  • 15 Back Squats (135#)
  • 10 Push Jerks (135#)

First longer barbell complex in a while and it showed. Took me 11:37 to finish. I went 19-1, 10-9-1, and 14-5-1 on the deadlifts, back squats all “unbroken” (never dropped the bar), and 5-5, 6-4, and 6-4 on the push jerks. If we hadn’t just done heavy deadlifts I would have been able to get them all unbroken each round I think. I was starting to feel pretty rough trying to recover after this.

Finisher

“Air Dyne Hell”
10 Rounds

  • 15s at 100% (20s at 100% on the last round)
  • 1:45 Rest

Kevin and I got 273 calories, down from our last time with 287. No idea how we managed that before!

I got home and thought I was going to pass out for the next 20-30 minutes. Slamming a lemonade helped right away though. I think that might have been too much intensity after the heavy deadlifts.

I went back at 6 since my legs were already feeling the morning session and my back was pretty lit up. Figured it would be good to flush things out a bit.

0.5 Mile Sled Drag (forward) with 115#

“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10

  • DU
  • Sit-ups

Smashed my old PR of 7:41 with a 7:08. I missed my first DU on the sets of 50 and 40, but otherwise did them with 50, 2-38, 30, 20, 10. Could have been sub 7 without those misses, but I have no idea how people do sit-ups so damn fast. I never stopped moving.

0.5 Mile Sled Drag (backwards) with 115#

Ugh, backwards is so hard on the hip flexors. I wanted to stop after 2 of 6 laps, but kept on truckin’.

Long and Brutal

Legs still pretty sore. In at 9am to get lifts done before doing a long team WOD in class at 10.

I warmed up with a 500m row and some PVC pass-thrus.

5/3/1 Shoulder Press – Cycle 1 Week 2

  • 5 @ 60# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
  • 3 @ 105# (70%)
  • 3 @ 120# (80%)
  • 3+ @ 135# (90%)

Felt better than the first “wee”. I managed to get 7 reps at 135#, which puts my estimated max at 166#, over my current PR.

5/3/1 Back Squat – Cycle 1 Week 2

  • 5 @ 115# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 145# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 175# (60% – warm)
  • 3 @ 205# (70%)
  • 3 @ 235# (80%)
  • 3+ @ 265# (90%)

Oh boy! I felt horrible going down on that first warm-up set. Only managed to get 4 reps at 265# before dumping the bar. Too much leg work packed into 8 days to get in 2 5/3/1 cycles and it showed. Won’t be hitting strength again until Tuesday and only one strength lift per day, so it should be a better week next week for the 3rd week and then a deload after.

In class, we did a brutal teams WOD in honor of the CrossFit games going on. I teamed up with Brent and Kevin. The events were one right after the other, so keep moving.

Event 1: “Road Grater”

Barbell/Plate carry one mile (Guys: 45# bar, two 45# plates; Ladies 30# bar, two 35# plates)
One member must carry the bar and the other two must carry a plate. Members can switch implements at any time.

We took about 13:10 (forgot to look at the clock) and got smoked by Ron, Matt, and Ryan who did it in 10:35.

Event 2: “Hippie Hop”

Load weights on barbell. Each member must complete 50 lateral hops over the bar while the other two members hold the bar. The holders can hold the bar at any height but cannot set it down until the 50 hops are completed. Penalty for letting the bar touch the ground was 10 reps.

This was easy. We had 2 guys lay on their side on the ground and set the bar on our hips. The 50 hops were like a rest period for me and I knocked them out like nothing. We started our comeback here, crushing it in 2:42 to finish at an overall time of 15:52.

Event 3: “Rack of Ribs”

Unload the barbell and complete as a team: 200 Burpee plate jumps and 100 front rack empty bar lunges. Here’s how it works: Two members do the burpee plate jumps, while the 3rd member does the front rack lunges. Every member has to go rep for rep, so one lunge, two burpee plate jumps (one each member with the plate) at a time. Teams can switch out the lungers and the burpee plate jumpers whenever they feel like it with no penalty.

We switched out the lunger every 11 reps, which worked well because it still meant doing 22 burpees in a row. We almost complete caught up here, finishing in 8:46 for an overall time of 24:38.

Event 4: “Ron Morse Mile”

Stop at each turn and complete the following, every member must do this:

  • Turn 1: 50 Air Squats
  • Turn 2: 75 Air squats
  • Turn 3: 50 Push-ups (chest to deck)
  • Turn 4: 75 Push-ups

Suck fest, especially that many push-ups at the end of this WOD. We did 5 at a time with breaks and it worked well. Took us 20:17 to finish the mile for a total time of 44:55 to take down the best time in the last 3 events and the overall. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

I did a really slow 10:00 on the Air Dyne after for a cool down to flush things out.

Randomness

Feeling beat up today after 3 big strength lifts yesterday. No golf this morning, so I went in at 10am for some low intensity, low impact recovery work.

Rowed a 500m, did 3:00 on the Air Dyne, and did some mobility stuff.

We set up a circuit with 285# on the sled, 180# on the prowler, and an 80# sandbag. For 30 minutes rotated around doing various sled drags (forward, forward low with straps between legs, and backwards with ass low), rope pull the prowler while sitting on the ground and then push the prowler back, and a shoulder carry walk with the sandbag. The sled and prowler were about 50 feet each direction and the weighted walk was about 50m down and back.

2 Rounds of the MB Passes

  • 10 Passes
  • 10 OH Passes
  • 10/10 Side passes
  • 10 Straight up passes

Feeling better after moving around.

Feeling Wrecked in the Morning

Feeling pretty beat up this morning, especially in the posterior chain. Went in at 10 with Kevin and Ellen for strength lifts though.

Warm-up

5:00 Air Dyne

Strength

Bench Press – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 2

  • 5 @ 85# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 125# (60% – warm)
  • 3 @ 150# (70%)
  • 3 @ 170# (80%)
  • 3+ @ 190# (90%)

* Working sets completed using the Reactive Sling Shot

In the set with 170# I realized if I came a little lower on my chest I could keep my right elbow in a lot better. I think I was benching too high on my chest, which makes it hard to keep that elbow in. Went on to knock out 13 reps at 190, which is the same number I hit at 180# on Sunday! And I didn’t have a single issue with the right elbow flaring out to cause that arm to lack behind. Estimates my max at 271.5#, which is a joke, but I’m improving!

Deadlift – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 2

  • 5 @ 165# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 205# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 245# (60% – warm)
  • 3 @ 285# (70%)
  • 3 @ 330# (80%)
  • 3+ @ 370# (90%)

Felt good. Pulled 8 reps at 370# and it actually felt better than the 9 at 350# I did on Saturday. New estimated max of 467.5#.

Maybe I should lift more often when I’m not feeling great! Cut the session after those lifts because I’m going to a class this afternoon with a friend who wants to try out CrossFit. Went in at 4pm to a pretty big class.

Warm-up

  • 30 Air Squats
  • 20 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 10 Burpees
  • 300m Run

Strength

Wasn’t too big on doing another big strength lift with 2 already this morning, but I can always use an extra squat session. Front squats on the menu today.

  • 5 @ 135#
  • 3 @ 185#
  • 3 @ 225#
  • 3 @ 245#
  • 3 @ 255#

Fuck it, go big! Matches my best 3RM, but the two sets before were higher than I’ve gone before, and legs got some solid work with the hill sprints last night and deadlifts this morning. When I last did this a couple of months ago I used 155-175-195-225-255, so this is a nice improvement in overall weight moved.

3 Rounds NFT

  • 8 Ring Dips
  • 8 Ring Rows

I still suck at ring rows. Did all of my dips strict and unbroken though.

WOD

12 Rounds

  • 1:00 AMRAP (continue next AMRAP where you leave off)
    • 5 Pull-ups
    • 10 Hand Release Push-ups
    • 15 Air Squats
  • 1:00 Rest

I was getting over a round per minute the entire way. In the 10th round I thought my hand felt a little funny on the bar. I got stuck to some old tap glue and it ripped it right open because I couldn’t slide around the bar on my butterfly. Ugh, just what I needed a few days before the Warrior Dash. I finished with 14+1 rounds, with the push-ups being my limiting factor. Probably could have gone a little faster on the air squats too, but all pull-ups were unbroken.

Some Hills

Lot’s going on today. Headed to Survival Fitness earlier than the normal 10am so I could drag the sled, get in a workout, and be out of there by 11am.

Warm-up

0.56 mile slid drag with 135# in 14:45. Needed this because my ass and hamstrings are beat up from yesterday.

Strength

Weighted Chin-ups

  • 3 @ 20#
  • 3 @ 25#
  • 3 @ 25#
  • 3 @ 30#
  • 3 @ 35#

Probably could have gone up 5# each set instead of spending 2 sets at 25#.

Weighted Push-ups

  • 8 @ 45#
  • 8 @ 55#
  • 8 @ 55#
  • 8 @ 55#

Got really tough on the last reps of the last two sets.

Weighted Planks

  • 30s @ 70#
  • 30s @ 80#
  • 30s @ 90#
  • 30s @ 90#

Had to really fight to keep my core from dropping. Heavy!

WOD

7 Rounds

  • 7 HSPU
  • 7 K2E
  • 21 DU (Unbroken)

I did this one back in February out in Phoenix in a time of 10:48, with some HSPU failing at the end. I hadn’t missed at all on DU then though. Today I missed one set of DU after 14 and another set after 16. Still getting used to the lighter Rx cable I think. My HSPU were much better though, so I finished in 9:55! Solid improvement in 5 months.

I had a 90 minute massage in the afternoon that was great.

In the evening I went out to the soap box derby with Kevin and Ellen to run some hill sprints. Warmed up with a jog around the track which is probably 600-700m.

10 Rounds

  • Hill Sprint (About 150 paces)
  • Slow walk back down to recover

Walked a lap for a cool down. Not too long after, my hamstrings were tightening up already. Deadlifting should be fun in the morning.

Double 5/3/1 Day

Yesterday I walked 18 holes of golf in the morning and took the rest of the day off. Really needed it. In at 10am this morning to train with Kevin and Ellen.

Warm-up

Ran 450m and felt really good.

Strength

Doubling up on the 5/3/1. Going to try and squeeze 3 weeks into 2, since I’m heading out of town the next week and can use that as my deload.

5/3/1 Shoulder Press (cycle 1 week 1)

  • 5 @ 60# (40% of training max – warm)
  • 5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 95# (65%)
  • 5 @ 110# (75%)
  • 5+ @ 125# (85%)

I got 8 reps on the last set, which is kind of disappointing. It estimates my max at 158#, which is below my PR of 165#.

5/3/1 Back Squats (cycle 1 week 1)

  • 5 @ 115# (40% of training max – warm)
  • 5 @ 145# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 175# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 190# (65#)
  • 5 @ 220# (75%)
  • 5+ @ 250# (85%)

I was thinking about trying to hit it as Super Squats and go for 20 reps since I’d done 245# for 20 before I got sick. Went by feel though and cut it off at 12 reps because I could feel my form getting ugly. It estimates my max at 349#, which I think is high since I haven’t put 25# on my back squat in the last 6-8 weeks. Once you get past 8 or so reps, the max rep calculators seem to be off. Happy with the work though.

Accessory

4 Rounds NFT

  • 10 Front Rack Lunges (135#)
  • 5 Strict T2B
  • 10 Pullovers (60# DB)

I did everything unbroken and went from one lunge right into the next one without putting my feet together. Our T2B weren’t exactly strict, but we weren’t kipping was the key point I guess.

WOD

4 Rounds

  • 10 Push Presses (35# DBs)
  • 90s Air Dyne
  • 2:00 Rest

I sped through the push presses each round. My calories were 35-30-30-33. The AD6 is so much different (harder) than the AD2 I have. World’s of difference. There is no way I could do 300 FY on the AD6 and it was easy on the AD2.

PR Fails

My left calf is tight, either from push presses on Friday or all of the double unders yesterday. Went to the gym at 2 with Kevin and Ellen.

Warm-up

  • DU
  • 3:00 Air Dyne

Knocked out a streak of 81 DU in a row. Thought maybe it was the day I finally join the century club, but it was not to be.

Strength

Bench Press – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 1

  • 5 @ 85# (40% of training max – warm)
  • 5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 125# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 135# (65%)
  • 5 @ 160# (75%)
  • 5+ @ 180# (85%)

* Used the Reactive Sling Shot for the working sets.

Still trying to force that right elbow to stay in, but in the last set it still kept leaking out. The Sling Shot is a pretty weird feeling. I got 13 reps with 180#, which I’m pretty damn happy about.

Weighted Dips

Did 3 sets of 8 with 30# hanging from a belt.

Olympic Lifting

Snatch

Kevin helped me with my setup and some drilling to work on meeting the bar with my hips. Worked on this for awhile with a 45# loaded training bar. Then started going at snatches.

  • 2 @ 95# (power snatches)
  • 115#
  • 135#
  • 145#
  • 155#
  • 165#
  • 3 Failed attempts @ 175# (PR)

I had 175 on my first two. Just didn’t lock out my arms when I received it, but get under it and down to the bottom of the squat without a problem. On the 2nd attempt I had the weight there and in the hole, but then started losing it backwards, saved it, then lost it forward. Third attempt was pretty poor. Hit 165# easy though, which is only the 2nd time I’ve made it. I’ll get 175# next time.

Clean & Jerk

  • 155# (power clean)
  • 185#
  • 215#
  • 245#
  • 2 Failed attempts @ 260# (PR)

I got the weight much higher than needed and got my right elbow under the bar really fast. My left just didn’t want to get under for some reason and so I lost it in the hole. It was pretty scary too since one arm was under and one wasn’t, I couldn’t bail on it safely. Bounced off my right knee a bit, which is sore and stiff now. My second attempt I didn’t commit because the first was in my head too much. Glad I got the 245# without much trouble though, which is only 5# below my max.

Conditioning

0.5 Mile Sled Drag (135#)

Felt really good. I put the sled straps through the belt I use for weighted dips and pull-ups, which was much better than looping the thing over or through my shoulders.

5/3/1 Begins

Was up early and got back to Saginaw around 11am. In to the gym this afternoon with Kevin to train. I read 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (2nd Edition) last week and loved it. Decided to start my first cycle of 5/3/1 today. Really looking forward to see how it works. I like having a program where I don’t have to guess what weights to lift; give me percentages and reps and I’ll do the work and trust the program.

Warm-up

I got a new, lighter/thinner cable for my Rx Jump Rope and tried it out as the warm-up for today. Got a streak of 73 in a row right off the bat. I was hitting the ground a lot with the cable though, which I haven’t been doing with the cable that is one step higher. This would prove to be a big difference when fatigued.

Strength

5/3/1 Deadlifts – Cycle 1 Week 1

  • 5 @ 165# (40% of training max – warm)
  • 5 @ 205# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 245# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 265# (65%)
  • 5 @ 305# (75%)
  • 5+ @ 350# (85%)

I got 9 reps at 350 before stopping because my grip had been failing since the 5th rep and I could start to feel my low back giving out. Wendler says leave a little in the tank, so I did.

10:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 7 Strict Chin-ups
  • Evens: Snatch Grip Deadlifts (135#)

I should have had the straps on right away, but didn’t until the 2nd round of snatch grip deadlifts. So I only got 4 in the first round, then 6 in the 2nd, and 8 in the last 3 rounds. Was really a struggle in the last two rounds of chin-ups. Working on the snatch grip deadlifts and hitting the hips hopefully will help me out with my full snatches.

WOD

30:00 AMRAP

  • 500m Row
  • 400m Run
  • 100 DU
  • 10 Ring Rows
  • 10 Ring Push-ups
  • 20 Air Squats

Figured we’d do a long WOD, which I haven’t done in at least a month. Kevin smoked me right out of the gate because he kicks my ass on the rower. I couldn’t catch back up. My DU kind of sucked and I think the new cable got me. Felt like it was hitting the ground so much it would either bounce up or lose shape. I could rarely recover from nicking it and I actually got whipped quite a few times, which hasn’t happened to me in who knows how long. Tried Kevin’s cable which looks to be 2 inches shorter after the WOD and I seemed to do better with it. So maybe with the lighter weight it just spins that much different that I need to chop off that much length. Or maybe I just need to get used to it.

Anyway…I finished 3 full rounds and was about 100m through the run in the 4th when the time ran out. I kept going though and completed everything in the round, so it was about a 35 or 36 minute AMRAP for me. 🙂 Had to split up every set of ring rows, but got all of the ring push-ups and air squats unbroken.