Year: 2018

Mostly Healthy for the Open

I’m still surprised at how good 18.1 felt yesterday, considering I haven’t been doing many metcons. Twenty minute workouts are not in my wheelhouse, but I was able to fall into a pace and keep at it. The triplet stacked up pretty well for me, so it’ll be interesting to see how the next 4 weeks go. Maybe not being overtrained and/or injured going into the Open is a good thing. Who would have thought?

Last night I started to feel some fatigue in my right shoulder, which is the one where I typically feel a bit of impingement when I overdue something. This morning both shoulders are sore as are my abs.

Active Life – Hips

Warm-up

  • 15/15 Lateral Leg Swings
  • 20 Groiners
  • 1:00/1:00 Samson Stretch

Workout

  • Romanian Deadlifts
    • 10×45#
    • 10×95
    • 10×135
    • 2x10x185
  • 35 Sumo Deadlifts (185#)

I did the 35 in 2 sets of 20-15.

Active Life – Back Max

4 Rounds

  • 30s Front Rack Hold (185#)
  • 30m/30m One Arm Farmer Carry (70#)

Decided to skip conditioning after yesterday’s workout, but did this back work without rest. I go 5m across the garage at a time for the Farmer Carry. Took me 6:48.

18.1

Last night my ankles and shins started getting a little sore. I think it was too long after the ankle dorsiflexions so maybe it was the broad jumps?

It’s a different Open for me this year, which I wrote about yesterday on nick.blog. I didn’t watch a single strategy video today (other than the official one CrossFit showed during the live announcement). I did see this recommended warm-up come through in the Active Life private Facebook group.

18-1-warm-up.jpg

Every year I have a laugh at shit like this. What gyms have enough rowers for people warming up and people doing the workout? You don’t need anything near a 15 minute warm-up for a 20 minute workout and certainly don’t need to fatigue the movements you’re about to do. Maybe the elite athletes, but not the average Joe like me. GTFO!

Warm-up

  • 23 cal Row
  • 5/5 Single Arm DB Hang Clean & Jerk (35#)
  • Ring Hang
  • 3/3 Single Arm DB Hang Clean & Jerk (50#)
  • 8 T2B

CrossFit Open 18.1

20:00 AMRAP

  • 8 T2B
  • 5/5 Single Arm DB Hang Clean & Jerk (50#)
  • 14 cal Row

First round was a little fast, but I fell into a great rhythm after that and was almost dead-on a 2:00 per round pace the whole way. I was doing 4-4 toes to bars, clean right into a push press, and switched hands in the air. Could have got up to speed on the rower quicker but was averaging about 1,125-1,150 cal/hr. I’d take a quick breath or two coming off the bar before picking up the dumbbell but didn’t really rest other than that. Was a good mix of movements for me. I did die out at the end and reset my feet for every T2B at the end without letting go of the bar to finish with 10+6 or 326 total reps.

I think this might be my favorite Open workout. Maybe they’ll all be like this!

Back Over 3

My calves aren’t sore yet, knock on wood. Went to the 4:30 class.

Warm-up – 4 Sets

  • 8 Strict Chin-ups
  • 20s HS Hold
  • 10 Pause Squat + Broad Jump
  • Deadlift
    • 10×45#
    • 5×135
    • 5×185
    • 5×225

I think I did 5-3 on every set of chin-ups.

Strength

10:00 EMOM

  • 2 Deadlifts
    • 2 Sets 255#
    • 2 Sets 275
    • 2 Sets 285
    • 2 Sets 295
    • 2 Sets 305

It’s been almost a year since I pulled 300+. Felt ok.

Conditioning

24:00 EMOM (alt)

  • 200m Row
  • 15 American KBS (24kg)
  • 10 Thrusters (95#)
  • 6 Strict Pull-ups

Much worse than it looks. I did all singles for the pull-ups and kept the swings and thrusters unbroken.

Heavy Overhead

Busy day yesterday. I didn’t have/make time to workout.

Active Life – Hips

Warm-up

  • 20 Side Shuffles (5m)
  • 2:00/2:00 Banded Posterior Hip Distraction
  • 10/10 Lateral Leg Swings

Workout – 6 Sets (3x each side for the step-ups)

  • 10 Lateral Box Step-ups (30″)
  • 5/5 Eccentric Ankle Dorsiflexion

Shit! I haven’t had these ankle dorsiflexions in weeks so I’m probably going to get really sore calves.

Active Life – Back Max

5 Rounds

  • 10s Supinated Deadlift Hold (225#)
  • 10 Alternating Push Up Shoulder Taps (3s hold)
  • 30s/30s 1 Arm Overhead Hold (70#)
  • 5/5 Kroc Rows (70#)

After round 1 I didn’t think I was going to make it with the holds. Helps to breath and remain calm.

Switching Programs

Feeling pretty good this morning.

Active Life – Single Leg Bias

Warm-up

  • 10 Kossacks
  • 10 Reverse Lunges
  • 10 Jumping Lunges

Workout – 3 Rounds

  • 10/10 Kossacks (35#, 3s pause)
  • 10 Jumping Lunges

When will these start getting easier? May not find out because this is the end of the 40 workout Single Leg Bias program. Active Life recommended I move to their Hips program next.

Conditioning

5 Rounds

  • 20 KB Snatch (44#)
  • 10 Ring Dips

I’ve had this on my idea list for weeks. I guess it’s similar to 2017 Regional Event 2, so glad I didn’t end up with a pec tear. Broke the snatches up to 10 each arm and did 2×5 on the dips. Finished in 8:18.

Active Life – Back Max

5 Sets

  • 14 Sumo Deadlift (165#)
  • 30s Bent Knee Hollow Hold

I’m into the second 40 workouts of Back Max, which I guess puts the focus on postural stamina. They told me that may be a weakness that caused my most recent tweak a few weeks ago.

Chin Meet Bar

Almost bailed on working out at the last minute, but the garage was already warm and I want to have the day tomorrow to do other stuff.

Active Life – Single Leg Bias

Warm-up

  • 10 Sumo Inchworms
  • 10 Sumo Stance Good Mornings (45#)
  • 10 Sumo Deadlifts (45#)
  • 10 Sumo Deadlifts (135#)

Workout – 3 Sets

  • 15 Sumo Deadlifts (165#)
  • 10/10 Sciatic Nerve Flossing

Conditioning

10:00 AMRAP

  • 2 Strict Chin-ups
  • 4 HR Push-ups
  • 6 Squat Jumps

I’ve done some similar variations of this but think they are usually 3-4-5 reps. My triceps and general upper body are sore from Wednesday. Smacked my chin on the descent in the second to last round. Ended up with exactly 17 rounds.

Active Life – Back Max

  • 1:00/1:00 KB Psoas Mobilization (35#)
  • 10:00
    • 10 Glute Bridges (3s hold)
    • 10 Curl Ups

Made it through 4 sets plus the glute bridges.

Music of the day was the Black Panther soundtrack.

Backdate

I noticed I had an unpublished draft for my January 26th workout and then I accidentally published it for yesterday instead of backdating it. Fixed the date now.

Active Life – Single Leg Bias

  • 8 Tabata Side Shuffles (5m)
  • 3:00 Bottom Squat Hold
  • 10s L Hang
  • 10/10 Leg Abducted Rocking
  • 10/10 Lateral Leg Swings

Made it 52 lengths for the shuffles.

Conditioning

15:00 Airdyne

Just something low impact for today after going pretty heavy with the power cleans yesterday. Went 4.8 miles.

Active Life – Back Max

3 Rounds

  • 5 Cat Camel
  • 5/5 Thoracic Extension Rotation
  • 10 Alternating Bird Dog

3 Rounds

  • 10 Alternating Double DB Walking Lunge (50# DBs)
  • 10 Strict T2B
  • 10 Double DB Front Squat (50# DBs)

Wasn’t getting my feel all the way up to the bar.

Jump and Push

Felt roughed up when I woke up on Monday. It could be my lack of sleep lately. I need to stop staying up so late. Tuesday I was just tired from the sleep thing so I rested again. Get to bed earlier last night, but still later than I wanted. Went to the 4:30 class today.

Warm-up

5 Sets

  • 4 Tall Cleans
  • 4 Hang Power Cleans
  • 50 Jump Rope
  • 10 DU

Used 45-45-75-95-115. Then warmed up with power clean doubles at 135-165-185.

Weightlifting

12:00 EMOM

  • 1 Power Clean

Every 2 minutes I increased weight, so it was 205-215-225-235-245-255.

Conditioning

24:00 EMOM (alt)

  • 30s DU
  • 30s HSPU
  • 30s Box Jumps (30″)
  • 30s Push-ups

The thirty seconds of rest was nice to let me keep putting up good numbers and gave me time to record my scores after everything. Never missed a double under and never came off the wall on handstand push-ups. I got into a nice rhythm with step down, step down + back, step in, and jump on the box. Push-ups were mostly in 3 decreasing sets.

Just When I Get Confident

Had to rush and shovel the driveway before getting ready for the gym. If I had more time I would have snow blowed, but I was already cutting it close.

Active Life – Single Leg Bias

Warm-up

  • 10 Eccentric Knee Flexion
  • 10 Paused Wall Balls (3s, 20#, 10′)

Workout – 2 Sets each side

  • 100m Single Arm Farmer Carry (32kg)
  • 1:00 Rest

I was losing my grip the first time through already. Right hand was giving out more than the left today.

Conditioning

3 Rounds

  • 55 Double Unders
  • 25 Row cals
  • 15 T2B

In round 2 and 3 I was really thinking it wasn’t too bad. Then after getting the first 40 toes to bars in sets of 5 I had to finish with 2-1-1-1. When I hit that wall I smack it. Missed a double under in both the 2nd and 3rd set. Finished in 9:20. Probably should have pushed the rowing pace more. My average was probably close to 1,100 cal/hr.

Active Life – Back Max

5 Sets

  • 14 Sumo Deadlifts (135#)
  • 30s Bent Knee Hollow Hold

Hard for me to stop at a number like 14 reps. I actually did 15 in the second round.