Tabata WOD

I felt like shit all day yesterday after the workout. I’m not sure what’s going on with me lately. Either my cardio is that bad that the workouts are killing me or I’m learning to push myself harder and that’s draining everything I have. Went to the 9am today.

Warm-up

  • 50 Butt Kicks
  • 50 Jumping Jacks
  • 50 High Knees
  • 50 Zombie Kicks
  • 50 Lateral Hops
  • 50s Plank
  • 50 Bicycles
  • 50 Hip Thrusts

Really felt the hip thrusts in my ass and hamstrings.

WOD

  • Tabata – Lateral Over the Bar Burpees
  • 1m Rest
  • Tabata AbMat Sit-ups
  • 1m Rest
  • Tabata Pistols
  • 1m Rest
  • Tabata Ring Dips
  • 1m Rest
  • Tabata Ring Rows

Much harder than it looks on the board. I listed them here in the order I did the WOD. I think it was good to start with the burpees and then sit-ups because I was freshest at that point. Managed 49 over the bar burpees and 91 sit-ups. Tried to do strict pistols but just wasn’t happening, so after a couple of reps I started holding a post for balance and support. Alternated legs each round and ended up with 60 reps. I went strict for the first 4 rounds of ring dips and then used a purple band the rest of the way to get a total of 49 reps. Started with straight leg ring rows and moved my feet in as they got harder. 55 reps there for a total of 304 in all.

Finisher

12:00 AMRAP

  • 10 Side Bends on each side (53# KB)
  • 10 V-ups

Once again, the WOD killed me and I was ready to be sick. Went kind of slow, but managed to get 7 rounds in.

Barbell Complex

Up and at ’em for the 9am today. I’m sore from Saturday’s death by pull-ups and from bench pressing yesterday. We are stepping away from strength for the week to recover and confuse the body. Good timing since it’s Thanksgiving week. My cardio and endurance has been a bit lacking, so this is a good chance to kick it back up a notch.

Warm-up

21-15-9

  • Squat Jumps
  • HR Push-ups
  • Leg Raises

WOD

30:00 Partner AMRAP (alternating rounds)

  • 5 Deadlifts
  • 5 Bent Rows
  • 5 Hang Power Cleans
  • 5 Back Squats
  • 5 Good Mornings

I was paired up with Kevin and we had 115# on the bar. He had to bow out, switching to a lighter bar and slowing down around 10 minutes, so I switched to doing a round every other minute on the minute. I think I had 4 rounds in during the partner portion and then I worked the last two minutes in a row to end up with a total of 14 rounds plus 5 deadlifts, 5 bent rows, and 5 hang power cleans. It may have only been 13 full rounds because I’m not sure where we made the switch.

After the first couple of rounds I fell into a rhythm and was consistently getting 55 second rounds. I had never done a good morning in my life so that took some time getting used to. I smoked through the hang power cleans early on, but in those last few rounds it was a struggle to get that bar up. I’m left feeling sick after this WOD, that’s for sure.

Finisher

3:00 AMRAP of Burpees

I got 48 of them, with 16 in each minute I think, so pretty consistent. Not bad with only a few minutes of rest after the WOD.

Back Tuck and Bench Press

Went to gymnastics at 2pm again this week. We did some tumbling stuff to warm up, then I worked on my back tucks.

We also did some work swinging on the bar for the first time, as preparation for doing giants. Finally at the end, we worked on muscle-ups.

Went over to Kevin’s place afterwards to bench press.

  • 5 @ 135#
  • 3 @ 165#
  • 1 @ 185#
  • 1 @ 205#
  • 1 @ 225#
  • 1 @ 235#
  • Fail @ 245#

The 235# went up really easy even though it was a 20# PR, so went for 245, but just didn’t have it. Probably could have gotten 240#. Not disappointed with a 20# PR though. Then we did 4 Tabata rounds with 115#. I got 10, 10, 10, and 12 reps in my rounds.

Garage Cleans

I’ve wanted to do some cleans for the last week or so. We planned to do some after the class today but we were all feeling pretty shitty and too hung over after a tough WOD. I sat around all afternoon watching the Michigan game and then decided to head out to the garage. Mind you, I hadn’t eaten anything all day except for a couple of bars and my protein shakes, so I was a little weak and fucking starving.

  • 2 @ 135#
  • 2 @ 165#
  • 2 @ 185#
  • 1 @ 205#
  • 1 @ 215#

New PR by 10 pounds!

Here are videos of all the lifts…





Kevin’s First Class

Went out to the Michigan Tap Room at Stardust last night with some of the Survival Fitness crew. Not feeling the greatest today because of the beer, but I hoped a workout would fix that. Kevin was doing the programming and teaching, so wanted to support him as well. Went in for the 11am.

Warm-up

3 Rounds

  • 50 Russian Twists (30# KB)
  • 40 Bicycles
  • 30s Plank
  • 20 AbMat Sit-ups
  • 10 Inch Worms

Took between 14 and 15 minutes for me to finish this off. Good work for the midline.

WOD

3 Rounds

  • 1m Russian KBS (53#)
  • 1m Over the Shoulder Sandbags
  • 1m Wall Balls (20# MB, 10′ target)
  • 1m Thrusters (75#)
  • 1m Jingle Jangles
  • 1m Rest

This was a good Fight Gone Bad style WOD. My rep counts for each round were 107, 111, and 107 for a 325 total. Staying consistent is a key in a WOD like this. The bulk of my reps came in the KBS and jingle jangles, with thrusters definitely having the lowest counts.

Finisher

Death by Pull-ups (by 2s)

I finished the round of 16 and then got 17 of 18. Total of 89 pull-ups. Last time doing a “death by” for pull-ups was back in May by 3s and I got through the round of 15, which was a total of 45, so that’s quite an improvement. Really happy with how far my pull-ups have come.

400 Club

I had a deep tissue massage today at 1 and then worked out at 5 to get a good chunk of rest before our 1RM deadlifts.

Warm-up

5:00 Jump Rope Singles

After always doing DUs it’s hard to switch over and do singles with a speed rope. Seems so slow. I lost count around 70 and figured it didn’t really matter how many anyways.

Strength

Find 1RM Deadlift

My goal was to hit 400# today. A month ago I pulled 385#, but couldn’t get 395# moving at all. Warmed up with 6 at 225#, 3 at 275# and then started on my singles. Did 315#, 345#, and 365#. Kevin did 405# on his attempt so I said why the hell not and got it easily. Went one more time and got 415# too. That’s a 30# increase in a month and 100# in the last 7 months!

WOD

20:00 AMRAP

1-2-3-4…

  • Deadlifts (115#)
  • Front Squats (115#)
  • Over the Bar Burpees

Around the 7th or 8th minute this really hits you and I had to start breaking things up a bit. Completed 11 full rounds plus 12 deadlifts and 5 front squats. I didn’t expect the deadlifts to get so hard at that weight. Fully expected the front squats to be difficult as the rep counts increased and they were.

No way I was staying for the 6pm Olympic lifting class after this one. My lower back is wiped out.

Shoulders!

Up for the 9am today. My hamstrings started to get sore last night. I think from back squat Monday. My abs are still sore and the GHD sit-ups last night are probably contributing to that.

Warm-up

  • 30 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 10 HR Push-ups
  • 20 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 10 HR Push-ups
  • 10 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 10 HR Push-ups

Great warm-up for the shoulders. I mixed in some around-the-worlds with the PVC too.

Strength

Find 1RM Shoulder Press

  • 10 @ 45#
  • 4 @ 95#
  • 1 @ 125#
  • 1 @ 135#
  • 1 @ 145#
  • 1 @ 155#
  • 1 @ 160#

Just over a month ago, on October 3rd, I missed 150# once and then barely squeezed it out on the 2nd attempt. Going into today I was shooting to match that PR and see if I had anything left in the tank. I was feeling good, so didn’t even make at attempt at it and went right for a PR at 155#. Got it without much trouble so went for 160# and had to fight hard for it.

WOD

2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-20

  • Push Presses (40# DBs)
  • Burpees

Went unbroken with the push presses through the set of 12 and then broke the last 4 sets up, always getting just over half in the first go and then finishing off the rest after a break. Tried not to stop at all during the burpees and just keep going no matter how slow they felt. It was a struggle to push up off the ground for the last 5 reps. Finished in 16:15.

Finisher

5 Sets

  • MAX L-Sit
  • 60s Rest

I did these with my knees up, using the rings and got right around 30 seconds each round except for the 4th, where it was closer to 20 seconds. Good way to finish off the shoulders and get in the abs as well.

More Box Jump Stupidity

My abs are sore from the massive number of back squats yesterday and probably the finisher as well. My legs aren’t really sore at all though. A bit fatigued.

Went to the 6pm Olympic lifting class and worked on snatches.

  • Snatch
  • Hang Snatch
  • Snatch Balance

Worked on these one round at a time without putting the bar down. Took a rest after each time through and added some weight. I started with the bar for a few rounds, then went 75#, 95#, 105#, and 115#. I missed the snatch balance on my first attempt at 105# so I did that one again. I’ve never done a hang snatch before. It’s a lot tougher than starting from the floor.

  • Snatch Grip Deadlift
  • Snatch Pull

I started with 125# for a couple of sets, then went 145# for a couple of sets, and finally some at 165#. Not sure how many sets I did at each but it was probably 2 or 3.

After class I headed over to Kevin’s for some garage work.

5×5 Weighted Chin-ups

We almost always do pull-ups weighted at the gym so we figured we’d switch it up a little. I used 10# for the first 2 sets and then 15# for the last 3 sets.

5×3 Weighted Dips

I went 10#, 15#, 20#, 25#, and 35#. Had a few more pounds left in the gas tank too.

Then, the geniuses that we are, we decided to do some high box jumps. After each doing 1-2 jumps at 34″ and 40″, we decided on the 44″. This was a bad idea after so many back squats yesterday. I landed my first jump, but the second one was bad news. My right foot got up, by my left nailed the box and it tumbled off to the right. Scraped up my leg in two places and got a nice bruise that instantly swelled up. Ouch! At least I didn’t get scraped up a ton with this spill.

Finally, did some ab work.

8 Rounds

  • 10 GHD Sit-ups
  • 10 Pullovers (40# DB)

Back That Squat Up, and Let Me See What You Got

My neck and upper back are a little sore from the back tuck spill I took yesterday. Chest a bit sore from bench pressing last night too. Feeling kind of refreshed after taking a couple of days off from CrossFit though. Went in to the 5:30pm class.

Warm-up

4 Rounds

  • 15s Jumping Jacks
  • 15s Air Squats
  • 15s Mountain Climbers
  • 15s Jump Squats

Strength

1RM Back Squat

I was pretty excited for this since I haven’t done it since March. It was 235# back then. A couple of weeks ago I did 255# on 14″ box squats so was confident I could smash that today. Mission accomplished.

  • 8 @ 135#
  • 5 @ 185#
  • 1 @ 225#
  • 1 @ 255#
  • 1 @ 275#
  • 1 @ 285#

WOD

100 Back Squats at 40% of 1RM (115#)
* Each time you drop the bar add 10 more reps.

I dropped the bar after 62 reps because my left hand was going numb. I was holding the bar with my arms wrapped around it and resting on the plates. I think I cut off blood flood or a nerve was pinched. My hand is actually still tingling. I dropped the bar again after my 90th rep. So that put me at needing 120 reps in total. I got the last 30 without dropping the bar to finish them off. Total time was 10:52 for 120 reps.

I’ve never felt like I was going to pass out during a WOD until this one. I think it was probably because of holding the bar on my back for so long it was restricting blood flow up or something. Not the greatest feeling, but a hell of a WOD to finish.

Finisher

50-40-30-20-10

  • Russian Twists (35# KB)
  • AbMat Sit-ups

Another first was feeling like I was going to throw up while doing sit-ups. You don’t think about how much your abs have to work to do those heavy back squats and then 120 more back squats. Great way to finish though.