CrossFit Swell in Dorado, Puerto Rico

Had a couple of rest days since I came down to Puerto Rico for a work trip. Hit up CrossFit Swell in Dorado this morning for the 7:30am class. It’s just a place in someone’s back yard that has slowly grown into a cool little box. They started as two guys in this little space.

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Warm-up

  • 3:00 Jump Rope (5 burpees each time you miss)
  • 20 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 10/10 PVC Around the Worlds
  • 20 PVC OHS
  • 10 PVC Good Mornings w/ side to side twist

Luckily I’m pretty damn good at jump rope singles when I concentrate. Went the entire 3 minutes without a miss.

Back Squats

  • 5 @ 45#
  • 3 @ 135#
  • 3 @ 205#
  • 3 @ 235#
  • 3 @ 275#
  • 3 @ 305#

We were supposed to go 60%-70%-80%-90% and I came pretty damn close by winging it. Squats felt really good!

WOD

15:00 AMRAP

  • 20 Goblet Squats
  • 15 KBS
  • 10/10 One-arm KB OHS
  • 5/5 Turkish Get-ups

I went with a 53# KB for everything since they didn’t have a ton and didn’t want to hog two of them. The OHS and Turkish Get-ups with 53# were rough! I went 3/3/2 in the second round of Turkish Get-up, so was 2 reps shy of completing a 2nd round. Did the 2 extra after the clock was done to even out the sides. 🙂 The humidity adds another element to the workout. I’m just soaked to the bone with sweat. Very friendly and welcoming community of people.

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Making Use of the Hotel Dumbbells

Up early again. Usually works better for me not completely changing over to the 3 hour time difference as long as I can get to bed at a reasonable time.

Warm-up

4:00 of fast walking and slow running on the treadmill

Strength

3 Sets

  • 10/10 Curls
  • 10 Shoulder Presses
  • 10 Front Squats

I used 30s, 35s, and 40s.

3 Sets

  • 10/10 Kroc Rows
  • 10 Incline Bench Press
  • 10 Weighted Lunges (holding each DB at sides)

Used 45s, 50s, and 50s.

WOD

5 Rounds

  • 20s Sprint on treadmill @ 3.0 incline & 8.5 speed
  • 10 Goblet Squats (50# DB)

Probably could have pushed the pace up on the treadmill. Good little WOD though. I was going to head outside for some hill sprints on the little hill in front of the hotel but then I realized I could use the incline on the treadmill and get it done sooner.

Double Day

Feeling good this morning. Hamstrings a little tight from squats on Tuesday, but body feels good. In at 10am.

Warm-up

1/2 Mile Sled Drag (115#)

Olympic Lifting

Every 1:30 to 2:00

  • Snatch
  • Hang Snatch
  • High Hang Snatch

I did it with 95#, 105#, 115#, 125#, 135#, and 125#. No misses on any of the lifts. I think 135# in a new high for the high hang, by 10#. Getting better!

Strength

5/3/1 Deadlifts – Cycle 2 Week 3

  • 5 @ 165# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 210# (50%)
  • 3 @ 250# (60%)
  • 5 @ 315# (75%)
  • 3 @ 355# (85%)
  • 1+ @ 400# (95%)

Pulled 8 reps @ 400# for an estimated max of 505.5#. Booyah! Looking forward to testing 1RM next week. It won’t be close to 500# but I should see a nice improvement over 455#.

WOD

5 Rounds

  • 10 OH Lunges (45# empty bar)
  • 10 Goblet Squats (53#)
  • 5 C2B Pull-ups

I used a clean grip on the OH Lunges. First time doing those with a barbell. Did everything unbroken and finished in 5:56. Not a killer WOD, but did make my legs shaky when I was done.

Core

  • 100 Sit-ups

Was hoping for a sub three and was on pace, but died a bit in the 3rd minute to finish at 3:06, 4 seconds off my best. I need to figure out how to stop moving backwards because I have to adjust the AbMat every 10-15 reps.

3 Rounds NFT

  • 10 T2B
  • 5/5 Side Bends (80# KB)

Grip may have been the toughest here after deadlifts and C2B pull-ups.

Went back at 8pm. Warmed up with 3:00 on the Air Dyne.

Conditioning

6 Rounds

  • 40 yard Prowler Sprint (High, 210# total)
  • 60s Rest
  • 40 yard Prowler Sprint (Low, 210# total)
  • 60s Rest

We took this from a challenge posted by Jim Wendler, but 3 rounds (6 sprints) was too easy so we doubled it. Ended up being pretty perfect.

I also did 3 sets of 10 wall squats to work on my vertical torso.

300 FY

Legs are tired from the last couple of days.

Got on the Air Dyne around 9am. There is a test to see if you can do 300 calories in less than 10 minutes called 300 FY (“Fuck You”) and since I was already planning to do a steady 10:00 @ 76-78rpm I figured I’d give it a shot. I hit 299 calories early in the week without even trying.

I kept above 76rpm 99% of the time and even got up in the low 80s here and there. Totaled 319 calories and 3.9 miles.

Out in the garage around noon because it was raining out. I didn’t find out until yesterday that the garage was unlocked or I would have been lifting in there on the flat floor all week. Oh well, I guess I was preparing for the unknown.

Push Press

  • 5 @ 95#
  • 5 @ 105#
  • 5 @ 135#
  • 5 @ 145#
  • ME @ 165# (got 8)
  • 3 x 10 @ 105#

They felt pretty solid today. Not much, if anything, left in the tank on the max effort set.

More Strength

5 Rounds NFT 135# (don’t drop the bar)

  • 6 hang power cleans
  • 4 front squats
  • 8 back loaded walking lunges

Wow was I breathing hard after each round of this. Forgot how bad barbell complexes can be. I’d actually planned higher reps and some good mornings too but it was scary trying the first rep with my back so sweaty so I canceled them and adjusted everything.

4 Rounds NFT 53#KB

  • 10/10 side bends
  • 12 Goblet squats
  • 10/10 single leg RDLs

When you concentrate on doing the side bends correctly they really burn! I don’t ever remember goblet squats being so easy.

Solid week of workouts on vacation and a great way to come back after being sick for two weeks. I’m just going to relax the rest of the day and then I head back home in the morning.

Thursday Before Regionals Road Trip

Legs are still feeling those back squats from Tuesday. In at 10am with Brad and Kevin for a quick workout. May hit up a box in Columbus later today.

Warm-up

  • 500m Row
  • PVC pass-thrus
  • Stretching

Strength

12:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 8 Ring Dips
  • Evens: 8 Ring Rows

Bench Press (Close Grip)

  • 10 @ 45#
  • 5 @ 135#
  • 5×5 @ 185#

This felt so much better for me than my benching has been lately. Kind of surprising considering the ring dips and rows we had just done before it.

WOD

  • 50 American KBS (53#)
  • 30 Burpees
  • 50 Goblet Squats (53#)

Nice little burner. Finished in 5:56, going unbroken in the KBS and burpees, then breaking up the goblet squats quite a bit due to quads burning up.

Now off to Columbus for the weekend to watch the beasts of the Central East.

Heavy Duty

Feeling pretty good after the 30 minute AMRAP yesterday. Went in at 8pm for Open Gym to do the following gem I concocted. Brent did it all with me and then Kevin joined us for the WOD when he was done coaching the class.

Warm-up

  • 400m Run
  • PVC Pass-thrus

Strength

Back Squats

Week #5 of the squat program. Things are getting heavy! I warmed up with 5@95#, 5@135#, and 3@185#.

  • 6 @ 220#
  • 6 @ 235#
  • 6 @ 250#
  • 4 @ 265#
  • 3 @ 280#
  • 6 @ 235#

The 6 reps at 250# might have been the toughest part of this and I was wondering how in the world I was going to get the next two sets done, but they were actually easier.

Push Press

5×5 @ 165# and then did MAX reps on the 5th set, getting 7.

These felt really heavy, especially with my calves getting more sore from 153 box jumps yesterday. Glad we picked this weight though.

WOD

21-15-9

  • Row calories
  • Goblet Squats (53# KB)
  • T2B

Went out a little too hot on the rower and had to back off. Never set the KB done during my goblet squats. Kept my T2B around sets of 6 so I didn’t rip. Finished in 6:57. Pretty good WOD where you could keep pushing the whole way. Got a little rest during the T2B before jumping back up.

Forearms on Fire

I was up late setting up my new TV and everything along with it. Michelle was coaching and had me help her out with the programming with some movements she had in mind. Went in for the 11am class.

Warm-up

We did a bunch of dynamic movements going back and forth the length of the gym, including jogging, high knees, butt kicks, carioca, skipping, Samson stretch, hip flexor stretch, Sumo stretch, etc. Something new and fresh.

Then we did time through the Partner MB Pass Complex with 10 reps each of pass, overhead, left side, right side, and straight up.

WOD

30:00 Running Clock
Each part has a 10:00 cut-off. Part B starts at exactly 10:00 and Part C starts at exactly 20:00. If you finish a part early, rest until the next begins.

Part A, 3 Rounds

  • 15 Goblet Squats (53# KB)
  • 15 Ring Push-ups

This one was fast, but we were also the freshest here. I did it in 2:58.

Part B, 3 Rounds

  • 15 Burpees
  • 15 Ring Rows

I tried to pace myself on the burpees out of the gate, which allowed me to push on them a little more in the 3rd round. Ring rows are a big weakness for me. Took me 5:38 to finish.

Part C, 3 Rounds

  • 15 K2E
  • 15 Sandbag Clean & Toss Over Shoulder

I owned this one. Did the K2E in 15, 10-5, and 10-5 and never stopped with the sandbag. Took me 4:26 to get done.

My total working time was 13:02. About 10 minutes after we were done I could feel the burn in my arms and especially in my forearms. I didn’t see that coming when I whipped this up. Michelle had picked the first 4 movements, so I just plugged them in to my format and picked two more. The grip work in that last couplet was a real treat.

Double Trouble

I was itching for a WOD all day yesterday since I’d taken Wednesday off and won’t be doing a WOD tomorrow since we are doing a 4.7 mile Spartan Race. The hike helped, but it’s not the same as being in the box. In at 8am this morning for the competitors WOD and stayed for the regular class as well.

Warm-up

  • PVC Pass-thrus
  • 500m Row
  • Thrusters

Strength

Find 1 RM Thruster with 1 attempt EMOM. No rack, so must do a power clean and a thruster or a squat clean thruster. Keep increasing weight each minute until failure.

I started at 115# and added 10# every minute. Got 195# and then failed at 205# because I was too slow coming out of the squat clean and couldn’t get any momentum on the bar. That’s a 30# PR for my thruster when I last did it back in April. Having to go every minute is pretty tough once the weight gets heavy. I did power cleans up through 175# and then switched to squat cleans. So that ended up being 10 attempts in total.

Competitors WOD

This was WOD #6 of the 2011 Regionals.

  • 20 cal Row
  • 30 Burpees
  • 40 Two-arm DB ground-to-overhead (45/35# DBs)
  • 50 T2B
  • 100′ Overhead walking lunge (45/25# plate)
  • 150′ Sprint

I used 40# DBs for the ground-to-overhead and I’m glad I did. I still had to split them up into sets of 5 (pretty much doing a clean and jerk) and it took the most time by far. I should have worn some wrist sweat bands because I could barely hold the bar for the T2B making those take a lot longer than they should have since I had to do 2 or 3 at a time most of the way. Everything else was kind of easy. Took me 15:52 to finish.

Stuck around and let my heart rate come down while the 9am class did a warm-up.

Regular WOD

25:00 AMRAP with a partner

  • Partner 1 – 400m Run
  • Partner 2 – AMRAP:
    • 5 HSPU
    • 10 KBS (53/35)
    • 15 Goblet Squats (53/35)

* Both partners work the entire time, but keep switching off and continuing where the last guy left off in the AMRAP so total rounds can be counted.

Brian was the only other person in at 8am and stuck around too, so we paired up for this WOD. We finished 14 rounds of the AMRAP doing everything Rx. I picked up a nice little tip from the CrossFit Journal to make the HSPU easier and didn’t really have any issues until my last 5 when they started to get a little tough. My arms were shaky after the first WOD today so I’m thrilled I was able to hold on that long. The goblet squats were by far the roughest part of the circuit, but I pushed myself to always do 15 unbroken because squat stamina is one of my weaknesses.

Great 2 hours of work! Think I’ll try to get out for some golf this afternoon.

Wednesday in Hawaii

Hawaii is really nice! 🙂 Needed to get my sweat on this morning though. Warmed up with about a 400m run up a hill, back down, and in a little loop.

WOD

“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10

  • DUs
  • Sit-ups

Started out shaky with my DUs so I was worried this would take ages. Found my groove in the round of 40 and then did 30-20-10 all unbroken. Total time was 7:41, a PR by 45 seconds.

Strength

10:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 15 Goblet Squats (40# DB)
  • Evens: 15 Push Presses (40# DBs)

Did this in the little fitness center they have here in the resort where we’re staying. Did everything unbroken and although neither was easy or completely difficult, it was a nice challenge. I tried to go for speed along with quality in the goblet squats because I really need that quickness for my air squats.

Short and sweet, but a nice little workout. Just what I needed.

My 33rd

The left side of my back is still swollen from landing on it in a basketball game on Sunday. Doesn’t exactly feel the greatest either. Today is my 33rd birthday and Matt decided to start a new tradition at Survival Fitness for birthdays instead of doing birthday WODs. You have to do your age in burpees at the beginning of class while everyone else watches. I knocked out my 33 in 1:10. Booyah! I even got the first 10 in 18 seconds which is a new best as far as I know. Got to skip the warm-up because I couldn’t breathe and was pretty warmed up. 🙂

Strength

5×3 Zercher Squats

I used 135#, 155#, 175#, 195#, and 225#. Last set didn’t feel the greatest with my back issue, but got it done.

WOD

EMOM do 5 Burpees (except the first minute, where you got to do reps of the WOD)

  • 100 Russian KBS (53#)
  • 100 Box Jumps (24″)
  • 100 Goblet Squats (53#)

I was flying until I got to the goblet squats. Was a minute ahead of the best pace of the day after box jumps and was done in less than 9 minutes with enough time to get 3 goblet squats in. From there I just died. It was a struggle to finish and I got done in 17:56. It was taking me around 22 or 23 seconds to knock out the burpees towards the end, that’s how dead I was. We were allowed to take an entire minute off if we wanted and I probably should have to rest up and come back strong, but I really wanted to keep going. I didn’t feel very good (sicky) after this one was over.

Lot’s of stuff that did some work on the back, so it’ll be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow.