Normal Lunges

Warmed up with some back mobility stuff.

Conditioning

5 Rounds

  • 50 Jump Rope
  • 10 DB Front Raise Squats (8#) / Hang DB C&J (20#)
  • 20 Lunges
  • 8/8 Hang DB Snatch w/ foot up to bench (20/8#)
  • 100m Farmer Carry (40/25# DBs)

I did regular lunges today instead of plyo, which are much slower, so it took me 19:05. Another humid one.

Midline

4 Sets

  • 20/20 Banded Butter Churners (red CS band)
  • 10/10 Banded Rotations (red CS band)
  • 10/10 Half-kneeling DB Chop/Throw (20/15#)
  • 50 DB OH Flutter Kicks (20/15#)

Did a few back stretches.

Early Morning with Rain

Out in the garage around 9am because B had an appointment to get to.

Warm-up

  • 10 Cat Camel
  • 10 Cobra to Down Facing Dog
  • 10 Trunk Rotations
  • 10 PVC Passes
  • 10 Side Bends

Conditioning

5 Rounds

  • 50 Jump Rope
  • 10 DB Front Raise Squats (10#) / Hang DB C&J (20#)
  • 20 Plyo Lunge
  • 8/8 Hang DB Snatch w/ foot up to bench (20/8#)
  • 100m Farmer Carry (40/25# DBs)

I did the C&J because getting down in to a squat was firing up my back. Went perfect on the carry weight because I was about to drop them the last two rounds. Finished in 18:22.

Midline

4 Sets

  • 20/20 Pallof Circles (red CS band)
  • 10/10 Banded Rotations (red CS band)
  • 10/10 Half-kneeling DB Chop/Throw (20/15#)
  • 50 DB OH Flutter Kicks (20/15#)

Another humid day after getting a little bit of morning rain.

Soaked

On Friday B and I were both off from work and had a tee time to play 18 holes. So we did some golf mobility work in the morning. Saturday was really hot again and we watched the CrossFit Games all day (all weekend really!)

Warm-up

  • 10 Cat Camel
  • 5-3-1 McGill Big 3
    • Curl-up
    • Side Planks
    • Bird Dogs

We actually did these inside the house because it was so humid and we didn’t want to spend more time than needed outside.

Conditioning

  • 2 Rounds
    • 400m Run
    • 80 Russian KBS (53/35#)
    • 80 DB Hang Snatch (25/15#)
    • 80 Step-us (20”)
    • 80 DB Sit-ups (25/15#)
  • 400m Run

Felt good even with the brutal humidity, so we did a final run. We split the swings and snatches in 20s and the step-ups and sit-ups in 10s. I went first with the reps in round one and B went first in round two. Took us 31:14 to finish.

Midline

3 Sets

  • 20/20 Pallof Circles
  • 10/10 Hands & Knees Upper Back Rotation
  • 1:00 Plank
  • 10/10 Banded Anti Rotations (purple tubing)

I completely soaked a towel with sweat.

Later in the evening after watching all of the Games we went for a 2.25 mile walk in 39:24.

22.1-ish

Warm-up

  • 80′ Side walks
  • 1,400m BikeErg
  • 20 PVC Passes
  • 10 DB Hang Power Snatches (15#)
  • 6 DB Hang Power Snatches (35#)
  • 1 Wall walk 
  • 8 Box Step Overs (24″)

Conditioning

CrossFit Games Open 22.1-ish – 15:00 AMRAP

  • 3 Wall Walks
  • 12 DB Hang Power Snatches (35#)
  • 15 Box Step Overs (24”)

Over the last two years, fitness priorities have changed a bit. Almost every year I’ve come out of the Open with some type of back injury, so the focus now is on staying healthy for the rest of life; I don’t need to be hobbling around because I wanted to prove myself in some workout. So I scaled back the weight and limited bending over on the snatches to save my back. Also decided on step overs, which give a great workout as well. It was a great workout and I got through 7+5.

Midline

2 Rounds

  • 20 DB Punch Sit-up (10# DBs)
  • 20 Russian Twists (10#)
  • 20 Lying DB Overhead Pullover (knees up, 30#)
  • 20 Renegade Rows (30#)

Tried some new movements.

Changing Time

Warm-up

  • 20 PVC Passes
  • Wrist warm-up
  • 3x30s Wall-facing Handstand Holds
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (15#)
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (30#)

Midline

4 Rounds

  • 10 Hollow Rocks
  • 10 V-ups
  • 25s Rest
  • 10 Tuck-ups
  • 10s Hollow Hold
  • 25s Rest

Took me 5:50.

Conditioning

30:00 AMRAP (Partner)

  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (40#)
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (40#)
  • 10 Burpee
  • 10 Single Arm OH DB Walking Lunge (40#)
  • 12/8 cal Row
  • 40 Jump Rope (singles)

Haven’t done a walking lunge like that in ages. B went first and we alternated back and forth with each thing. I got through 5+5.

On the Rings

Yesterday I walked 18 holes and in the evening I edged and mowed the lawn. Not much time tonight due to dinner plans and watching the CrossFit Games. Warmed up with some ring swings, PVC passes, and a couple of single muscle-ups (which felt odd)

30:00 Partner AMRAP (IGYG per movement)

  • 14/10 cal BikeErg
  • 5 MU / Pull-up
  • 10 Burpees
  • 16 alt DB Hang Power Snatch (50/35#)

It was like riding a bike though, when I got back up on the rings. I did ever round unbroken, but it’s a different swing compared to the higher swing set we used at the park. I had to save some sets and correct my swing several times. We got through 6 rounds and all of the bike calories. There was about 15 seconds left, but I wasn’t getting back on the rings because my sets were starting to get sketchy.

1K Bike & 60s

I used the massage gun on my leg and hip for awhile last night. During lunch I did a bit of work on the area that’ll be my outdoor gym and I don’t think my back was too happy about it. Worked out at 5pm today and could tell right away I was going to have to adjust, so I did.

Conditioning

  • 1,000m BikeErg (1:30.8)
  • @ 10:00
    • 60 T2B
    • 60 alt Hang DB Power Snatches (50#)
    • 60 Box Step Overs (24″)

I guess I haven’t tested any of the typical distances on the bike, so I had no idea what to shoot for. Took me 1:30.8. I kind of hit a wall with my legs with about 300 meters to go. During the rest I got back on the bike for three minutes and went 1,148 meters to help flush. I did the toes to bar in 20×3, which took me just under five minutes. The small set strategy is really paying off when there are huge numbers like this, so I don’t have to resort to singles. I did 6×10 for the snatches, trying to protect my back. Those took a little more than four minutes. I almost couldn’t get on the box for my first step up! I went side to side for them. Those took me about 3:15 and overall the 60s took me 12:27.

We ended up not doing anything else for the day since my back was feeling wrong. Hopefully I wake up and am ok to golf tomorrow.

1:09 Better

Out in the garage after 4pm, late for a Sunday.

Conditioning

15:00 AMRAP – Partner

  • Partner A:
    • 5/5 Single Arm DB Thruster (50#)
    • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch
    • 5/5 Single Arm DB Hang C&J
  • Partner B: BikeErg

I started with the dumbbell first and Brandi was on the bike. I completed 5 rounds with the DB, she had 8 more to go, and we totaled 5,950 meters.

Back

3 Sets

  • 10 Lat pull downs w/two handle (115#)
  • 10 Straight arm, palms forward, arms out incline back flies (15# DBs)

3 Sets

  • 10 Lean back lat pull down (bar, 115#)
  • 10 Reverse grip lat pull down (115#)

Midline

2 Sets of 20s

  • V-ups
  • Plank Knee to Elbow
  • Reverse Crunch
  • Side Plank Pulse
  • Side Plank Pulse
  • alt V-up
  • Big Hollow Flutter Kick (single leg raises)
  • Oblique Heel Touch
  • Russian Twist
  • Lying Leg Lift (w/o hip raise)

First round done in 3:32 and 7:08 overall, which is a huge PR by 1:09!! We decided not to do the round of 10 today.

Wasn’t Happy Going in to 21.2

Each year I update my own spreadsheet with my Open workout rankings and calculate percentiles. If you use the iOS CrossFit Games app they calculate percentiles based on the number of registered athletes in the division, which I think is quite dumb because some people register and never post a score. I’ve always done my calculations based on the number of submitted scores. Here’s how my placing looks after week one.

Open Division
25,571 / 116,559 (78.1%)

Masters 40-44
2,183 / 16,776 (87%)

One of my goals each year is to hit the 90% or in the top 10% of participating athletes. That’s well within reach for the Masters division and all I have to do is stick around that placement to get there. The top 10% move on to the Age Group Online Qualifier. I wasn’t sure how CrossFit would determine the %, but according to a video they posted yesterday, I’m right under the cut line. So their using all registered athletes.

Out in the garage at 4pm.

Warm-up

  • 3:00 SkiErg (630m)
  • 20 PVC Passes
  • 10 Toe Touches
  • 50 Double Overhead Band Tricep Lockouts (red)
  • Double Band Hang Out
  • Hip Openers
  • DB Snatches
    • 10×15
    • 10×25
    • 10×35
    • 6×45

CrossFit Games Open Workout 21.2

  • 10-20-30-40-50 Dumbbell Snatch (50#)
  • 15 Burpee Box Jump-overs (24″)

A repeat of 17.1, which I did twice that year. In my first attempt I got through 215 reps (10 short of finishing)
and then I finished in 19:15. When this was announced as a repeat I wasn’t excited at all; it’s horrible on my back and that’s a lot of dumbbell snatches for a bad shoulder. On the bright side I weighed in at 206 pounds this morning compared to the 214 I was for that redo in 2017.

My plan of attack was pretty simple:

  • With the dumbbell, switch hands from the top, if my shoulder allowed it.
  • Step back and up on the burpees, turn through the jump and on the box, and step down backwards.
  • Tape my thumbs.

I knew my first split was behind that 17.1 redo and felt like I was dying every round of burpees. Turned out I was also behind split after the second round, I started closing the gap in round three, and then really made up ground in rounds four and five. I did all sets of 10 snatches until the 50 where I did 14-12-12-12. Finished in 18:30! Brandi really pushed me through the second half of this workout. Here’s my scorecard as well as comparing my splits between all three times I’ve done this workout.

Analyzed the video for more splits…

Looking at how much time a round of each movement took and then in parens how much of a time difference it was compared to the previous round…

Snatches – 0:25, 1:03 (+0:38), 1:46 (+0:43), 2:16 (+0:30), 2:49 (+0:33)
BBJO – 1:29, 1:48 (+0:19), 1:57 (+0:09), 2:05 (+0:08), 1:31 (-0:34)

I was dead after I finished, but recovered pretty well and was able to do some ab work.

Midline

3 Rounds

  • 30s Stability Plank (on stability platform)
  • 10s Rest
  • 30s Weighted V-ups (20# KB)
  • 10s Rest
  • 30s Heel Touches
  • 10s Rest
  • 30s Hollow Flutter Kicks (20# KB)
  • 10s Rest

This was rough on the upper abs, holding the upper body up so much. B got it and modified a bit from DLB.

Scaled Snatches

My body is tight from an hour of shoveling snow yesterday and probably the workout as well. Rolling solo today since Brandi’s knee is not feeling good. Out in the garage around 3:30.

Warm-up

  • 3 Rounds
    • 1:00 BikeErg (511-520-532m)
    • 30s Dead Hang
    • 10 PVC Passes
  • 10 Toe Touches
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (20#)
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (35#)
  • 10 Toe Touches
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (45#)

Glad I tried the 45 because it convinced me to scale back and use 40 in the workout instead of 50. Before even starting the warm-up I smartly decided I was doing snatches from the hang today with the other back movements in there.

Conditioning

20:00 AMRAP

  • 5 Strict Pull-ups
  • 10 Sumo KB Deadlifts (70#)
  • 10 alt DB Hang Snatch (40#)
  • 10 Step-ups (24″)

Kept a very consistent pace through the rounds and was even able to pick up some time over the last 3-4 rounds. Finished 11+23.

Midline

3 Rounds

  • 12 Half Circle Knee Raises
  • 12 alt Single Leg Lifts (L-sit on parallettes)
  • 24 Plank Hops
  • 12 Seated Leg Lifts

Slight modification to an Ibex workout we’ve done before by doing 24 of the hops instead of 30 seconds. Took me 4:40 to finish.