Month: April 2020

Not a Good One

Yesterday was a rest day. I did do 10-8-6 of the McGill Big 3 though. Second day in a row in the green for WHOOP, which hasn’t happened in weeks! Out in the garage at 4pm today.

Warm-up

Monster Walks

Conditioning

3 Rounds

  • 50 cal Ski/Row/Ski
  • 20 T2B
  • 25 Burpees
  • 5/5/5/5 Hang DB C&J (50/35#)
  • 100 DU

This was supposed to be a 40:00 AMRAP, but I felt a shot of pain in my back while bending over in the third round of double unders. So I finished the set and quit with three rounds in 30:57. I started on ski, so then did the row, and ski once more. I got more comfortable with the toes-to-bars each round and did 4×5 that third time. Burpees were horribly slow. I held on to the dumbbell each set which I was happy with.

This workout is one of my worst creations and definitely too much back flexion this early in the comeback. Hopefully I wake up fine in the morning.

Complex Bears

My shoulders are a little sore and I can feel the evil wheels in my abs. Out in the garage at 4pm.

Warm-up

  • Monster Walks

Increased to 4 times across the garage for both the lateral and front/back walks.

Strength

5 Sets

  • 5 Weighted Pull-ups (25-25-30-35-40#)
  • 25 Banded Tricep Press Downs (red)

Those pull-ups felt good.

Conditioning

10:00 AMRAP

  • 5 Bear Complex (65/45#)
  • 15 Box Jumps (24/20″)

Now here was going to be a real test of the back with all of the squatting and also picking the bar up for cleans. My quads started to light up about halfway through the workout. Was through three rounds at about 5:00 and set a goal to get to six rounds. I had to pick up the pace over the last round and a half but I hit it with about 8 seconds to spare. Didn’t bother rushing over to the bar.

Midline

E90S – 4 Rounds

  • 6 Floor Wipers (25-25-35-35#)
  • 20 Russian Twists (25-25-35-35#)
  • 30s Hollow Hold

This one comes from Tia and we did it last year. I had used a 45# plate then, but wanted to be conservative today. First two rounds felt fine, so I bumped it up. Only doing three wipers per side is kind of a joke and the twists were no issue either. Hollow holds were another story though. I held the full 30 seconds for the first two and then held a bent knee hold for the last two.

Did my floor PT exercises, which were much worse than usual after that metcon! I tried a couple of pistols and those felt good. Also did a toe-to-bar, which was good. The comeback is on!

Take it Overhead

Not feeling sore anywhere. Out in the garage just before 4pm.

Warm-up

  • 10:00 Airdyne (190 cals, 4.9km)
  • Steamboats
  • Shoulder Press
    • 10×45#
    • 10×75
    • 5×95
    • 5×115

Strength

5 Sets

  • 5 Shoulder Press (125#)
  • 10 Lateral Raises (10# plates)

First time lifting a barbell overhead in over two months! Really tightened up my core and the weight felt good. I would have been struggling with 135#.

Conditioning

5:00 AMRAP — 1-2-3-4-5…

  • Burpees
  • HSPU

I’d done this one four times back in 2015 while following a gymnastics program. My best on 2015/12/23 was 6+5. I got through the round of 6s with two 2:09 on the clock, so I smoked it, getting 7+10 today. Unbroken through 6, then 3-2-2 on the set of 7, and I fell off the wall after the first HSPU in 8 and struggled through a second rep. Would like to give it a try without lifting first.

Accessory

4 Sets

  • 8/8 Kroc Rows (53# KB)
  • 6 Evil Wheels
  • 30/30s Single Arm Overhead Hold (53# KB)

I haven’t done any rows like this through the rehab. They felt really good. Evil wheels felt great compared to about a month ago at the gym, when I couldn’t go all the way down. On my final set I was even doing two second pauses all the way at the bottom. The OH holds felt good too! It was a really good session.

I knocked out some banded PT exercises and will get my core work done after finishing up something for work work.

Midline

McGill Big 3

  • 10-8-6 Curl-ups
  • 10-8-6 Side Planks
  • 10-8-6 Bird Dogs

Hello Barbell, my Old Friend

Yesterday my quads and ass were a little tight and sore. I worked the speed bag a couple of times for a few minutes and I’m already getting the hang of it. I took an awesome nap before a late lunch. Didn’t end up doing any PT or core work for the day.

Last night I slept 9.5 hours! Out in the garage at 4pm.

Warm-up

  • 5:00 Airdyne (99 cals, 2.51 km)
  • Monster Walks

Conditioning

“Jackie”

  • 1,000m Row
  • 50 Thrusters (45/35#)
  • 30 Pull-ups

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this girl WOD on my TODO list and didn’t end up doing it. Using an empty bar seemed like a good way to ease back in to the barbell. I rowed in 3:40 with my steady 1:50 metcon pace. Unbroken but way too slow on the thrusters. I was cautious with my back and not knowing how 50 reps would feel. I could have gone much faster. Finished those at 6:20. The pull-ups were much harder than I expected. I started out 7-5-5 I think and then like 3s and 2s. Pathetic. Finished at 7:45.

Accessory

2 Sets

  • 3:00 Banded Bear Hug Marches (30# Slam Ball)
  • 2:00 Rest
  • 3:00
    • 12/12 Lateral Step-ups (24″)
    • 12/12 Banded Bulgarian Split Squats (red, 3 count descent)
  • 2:00 Rest

Got the idea for the banded split squats from Eramo again. The timing of the reps I chose for the two movements in the second three minutes was damn near perfect, giving just a little extra rest before the two minute clock started.

Then I did some of my floor PT exercises. Was hoping to get in my core work later in the evening, but didn’t get to it.

Fundraiser Couplet

Out in the garage around 11:30.

Warm-up

  • Monster Walks
  • 50 Lateral Hops
  • 50 Forward/Back Hops

Conditioning

Support Your Box Fundraiser #2

  • 100-75-50 DU
  • 21-15-9 Burpees

Got through around 70 double unders and then missed like four times. Missed twice in the 75 I think and did the 50 unbroken. Finished in 5:23. Fun little burner workout!

Strength-ish

4 Cycles

  • 3 Sets each – 16 Plyo Lunges (35-35-20-20# DBs)
  • 1:00 Rest

Did this with Brandi. The way it works is you go I Go You Go style, until you each complete three sets. Then you get another minute of rest. So it ends up being 196 lunges each. Originally I had programmed 4 sets per cycle, but that wasn’t going to fly so I changed it during that first cycle. Still had to decrease my weight after two cycles and was having to break on the end of cycles. We finished in 12:56. Nasty!

Going to clean all of the gym stuff and the garage floor today.

A New Speed Bag

Was planned to be a rest day yesterday anyways, but I took the day off work too after my episode on Wednesday night. This morning I hung up a speed bag, which I’ve always wanted.

speed-bag

Out in the garage around 4:30.

Warm-up

  • 3:00 Walking
  • 3:00/3:00 Sideways Walking
  • Banded PT

Conditioning

30:00 Airdyne

Nothing crazy today. Went 726 calories and 16.56 km on my AD2.

A little later I did the core work.

Midline

McGill Big 3

  • 10-8-6 Curl-ups
  • 10-8-6 Side Planks
  • 10-8-6 Bird Dogs

Couldn’t Form Words

Out in the garage at 4pm. Was up to about 65° outside!!

Warm-up

  • 10:00 Airdyne (192 cals – 4.94 km)
  • Monster Walks
  • 20 Air Squats

Strength Conditioning

5 Sets

  • 15/12 cal Row
  • 10 DB Lunges (50/35# DBs)
  • 20 Plyo Lunges
  • 30 Walking Lunges
  • 2:00 Rest

This was based on a squatting version from Kristi Eramo, which she gave as a substitute for heavy back squats. I went unbroken and it was fucking brutal. Took a little over 21 minutes. I got a little light headed after and felt pretty wrecked. Wasn’t sure if I was going to continue.

Conditioning

  • 42-30-18 Air Squats
  • 21-15-9 HR Push-ups
  • Rest 4:00 and repeat

I was really slow on the air squats. Took me 4:28 and 4:22 for a total of 12:50 with the rest. I started to have an episode (similar to something in 2017) where I couldn’t come up with words, which was kind of scary. My friends were really concerned and called one of our Doctor friends over. I had a mountain dew right away and then a bunch of other fluids. I started feeling better after about 90 minutes or so and was able to think properly again and come up with words. Maybe it was the warmer day, lack of recent sleep, or not enough carbs (which is sort of what it initially felt like). 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tri-ing Interference

My quads and ass are barely sore anymore. Still can’t believe I wasn’t destroyed from Saturday. I guess all the other lunges and single leg work is paying off. Out in the garage at 4pm.

Warm-up

10:00 Airdyne

Went 202 cals and 5.01 km.

Strength

5 Sets

  • 5 Deficit Strict HSPU (0, 1.75, 3, 3.75, 4.5“)
  • 15 Front Raises (8#)

The most I’ve ever done for a one rep deficit was 11.5 inches, several years ago. A couple of weeks ago I did 10 reps at about 4 inches, so this was disappointing. I wonder if I don’t have my hands as wide when I’m on stacked plates, which would make it a lot more difficult. I’ll have to play around with it.

Conditioning

  • 30-20-10 Burpees
  • 30-20-10 Push Presses (75#)
  • 60-40-20 DU

In those first few push presses I could feel it was going to be terrible. Triceps were already blown up. I used a rack so I wouldn’t have to pick the bar up off the ground and I managed to stick to all sets of 10, resting the barbell on my back in two of the three breaks. Never missed a double under and finished in 8:39.

Midline

3 Rounds

  • 45s Lying Leg Lifts
  • 45s Turtles (Heel Touches)
  • 45s Hollow Hold
  • 45s Russian Twist
  • 1:30 Rest

I had to do scaled hollow holds after round one and didn’t use any weight for the Russian twists. Been two months since I’ve done any ab work like this!

Damn Sleep Again

On Sunday I woke up at 5am and couldn’t fall back to sleep. My ass and quads were starting to feel sore, as well as my chest. Tried to take a nap in the late morning, but it didn’t work. It was a beautiful day so I raked the front yard in the afternoon, which ended up being a higher WHOOP strain score than most CrossFit workouts! Last night I woke up for two hours in the middle of the night but luckily got back to sleep. Quads and ass aren’t nearly as sore as I expected them to be. Out in the garage at 4.

Warm-up

  • Monster Walks
  • Steamboats

Strength

4 Sets

  • 12/12 Step Downs (15″, 35#)
  • 12/12 Single Leg Calf Raises

Felt rough on the legs starting out, but got easier as I loosened up.

Conditioning

30:00 EMOM (alt)

  • cal Row
  • Pull-ups
  • cal Ski
  • Goblet Squats (35#)
  • Rest

My Black Diamond Bear KompleX grips are much better on my pull-up bar with a little chalk; they stick like they were on the Spealer bar without chalk. On my pull-ups I did 2×5 each time and then finished the rest with a third set. Split most rounds of goblet squats with a short break in the middle except the final set where I went straight through. Those squats burnt a lot more than I was expecting.

2020-04-06-scores

Got in my floor PT exercises later in the evening.

Gonna Feel Those

Feeling good. In the garage at 11.

Warm-up

  • Monster Walks
  • Monster Band Squats

Conditioning

20-18-16-14-12-10-12-14-16-18-20

  • Plyo Lunges (20/35# DBs)

This was done in the I Go You Go style with Brandi. Got it from TeamRichey, but went lighter than them and glad we did. It got terrible real quick. When I got to 16 I started to feel like I was going to fail a rep. I didn’t have to break though until I had 4 left in the final set. Almost made it unbroken! We finished in 13:12. I could barely stand up for a good 10-15 minutes afterwards. Those are going to hurt for 3-4 days.

Strength

Warmed up bench press with eight at 45-95-135.

  • 1 Giant Set
    • 8 Bench Press (165#)
    • 8 DB Flyes (35#)
    • 8 Bench Press (165#)
  • 3 Giant Sets
    • 8 Bench Press (165#)
    • 8 DB Flyes (30#)
    • 8 Bench Press (165#)

Much harder than I expected!

Did my banded PT exercises and then the core work.

Midline

McGill Big 3

  • 10-8-6 Curl-ups
  • 10-8-6 Side Planks
  • 10-8-6 Bird Dogs