Feeling pretty good this morning. My legs are fine and I wasn’t tired getting up at 5:20am. Went in to CrossFit Pacific Beach again for the 6am class.
Warm-up
400m Run
10 Samson Stretches
10 Inchworms
10 Zombie Kicks
10 Air Squats
10 Skater Plyos
We also did a little more stretching. I liked doing a bottom squat hold while putting all of the weight over one heel to stretch out that ankle and calf.
Agility
Ladder drills
These were quick but fun.
WOD #1
800m Run
40-30-20-10
KBS (53# KB)
Box Jumps (24″)
800m Run
As you probably know, I love box jumps. I’m not used to doing that many American KBS, but I tried to keep to big sets and never did less than 10 in a row. Box jumps were nearly all unbroken. The last 800m sucked ass. I finished with a good time of 16:40.
Then it was back to the hotel to lead the last day of the Automattic Bootcamp at 7:30am.
Warm-up #2
50m
High Knees
Bear Crawls
Zombie Kicks
WOD #2
Partners
50 Broad Jumps
80 HR Push-ups
100 Lunges
80 Tuck Jumps
50 V-ups
I was kind of a 3rd partner in this, so it wasn’t bad. Seemed like people really liked the Bootcamp throughout the week.
I’m trying to stay on Eastern time for the most part this week because it allows me to get up in the morning and workout before work stuff starts. I got up at 5am this morning and went to the 6am class at CrossFit PB. There was 7 of is class which I thought was surprising for so early.
Warm-up
2 rounds
5 Front Squats (45#)
10 V-ups
20 DUs
Samson Stretch
We also did some PVC work and stretching before getting started.
Strength
Back Squats
5 @ 45#
3 @ 135#
3 @ 155#
3 @ 175#
3 @ 195#
3 @ 195#
6 @ 215#
The idea here was to warm up for a few sets. Then do 2 sets at about 65% of 1RM. For the last set use 85% of 1RM and do max reps. I didn’t do any strict calculations, but I think my weight choices worked out pretty well.
Thrusters
Do a few sets of 3 to get warm for the WOD. I did 45#, 65#, and 95#.
WOD
12-9-6 Thrusters (115#)
24-18-12 T2B
I picked a pretty perfect weight on the thrusters and broke each round into 2 sets. Did well stringing T2B together in round 1, but my hips were shot in the 2nd and 3rd rounds so it was tough to get a kip going. At the end I was actually only doing 1 or 2 at a time. Finished in 8:02.
I rushed back to the hotel where I was putting on a Bootcamp for my coworkers at 7:30am. I skipped the warm-up, but did the rest with them.
WOD #2
8:00 AMRAP
5 HR Push-ups
10 Sit-ups
15 Air Squats
We did this on the wet grass outside the hotel. Not the greatest of locations, but hey, this is CrossFit and we have to be ready for the unknown. I managed to get 7 rounds plus the 5 push-ups.
Finisher
2 rounds
1m Plank
1m Side Plank (30s each side)
1m Rest
I think the Bootcamp went pretty well and ended almost exactly after 30 minutes like I had planned.
So much for 3 on 1 off. I saw this WOD and really wanted to do it because I need the work with weighted pull-ups and the push-up reps. Tomorrow is a better day to take off for me anyway because I have the 2nd round of a golf tournament in the morning.
Warm-up
10:00 EOMOTM
7 KBS
12 Wall Balls
The goal was to pick a heavier KB each round. I used 48#, 53#, 62#, 71#, and 80#. That’s the first time I’ve ever swung the 80 pounder; hadn’t even done Russian swings that heavy yet. It felt pretty good. The wall balls were a good way to loosen up after all of the squat work yesterday.
Strength
5 Sets
5-8 Weighted Pull-ups
These were one of the reasons I wanted to come in today. Kind of disappointed with how I did.
8 @ 8#
7 @ 10#
5 @ 12#
4 @ 12#
3 @ 15#, plus a long negative on the last rep
WOD #1
5:00 AMRAP
3 Plyo Push-ups
6 Burpees
9 HR Push-ups
This AMRAP was the other reason I wanted to come in. I need to increase my push-up strength and capacity. Lots of push-up movements here, so no break for the arms. I did 4 rounds plus 11 reps in the next round.
We rested 3 minutes before doing another WOD.
WOD #2
7:00 AMRAP
7 Thrusters (35# DBs)
7 Box Jumps (24″)
The Rx for men was 40# DBs and I grabbed them for about 10 seconds. After thinking about the WOD, I realized I would die so I swapped them for the 35 pounders and I’m so glad I did. In the first round I thought the 35# DBs were even going to be too heavy, but I stuck with it and did each round without putting down the weights. I really had to focus on the hip drive to get those suckers up overhead. The thrusters really wiped me out and negated my box jump advantage. I managed to get 6 rounds and 5 more thrusters.
Finisher
10:00
Hold the L-Sit as long as possible
30 Russian Twists (30# KB)
I did the L-Sit on the rings to get that extra work on my upper body and I think it’s harder on the core as well. I was able to hold for about 25-30 seconds each time and surprisingly it was my arms that kept giving out. All of the Russian twists were done unbroken each round. I did 5 total rounds.
I’m glad I went in today because it allowed me to work on some weaknesses. I could tell I wasn’t all-in for today though; definitely not my best effort. Golfing the 2nd round of a tournament with the group of guys I play with in the morning, so it works out better for me to make tomorrow a rest day.
Yesterday morning I walked 18 holes of golf but took a rest day from CrossFit. I really needed it after the hill sprints on Sunday. Went to the 9am class today.
Warm-up
1m DUs
20 1-arm Russian KBS (10 each arm)
1m DUs
20 Russian KBS
1m DUs
20 Goblet Squats
1m DUs
20 KBS
Right out of the gate I nearly set a PR for unbroken DUs. I get 43, just one shy of tying my PR. I think I get in my head and sabotage myself each time that happens. I had some pretty decent streaks throughout, but got worse as I got more tired. I used a 53# KB for everything.
Strength
Matt is starting to put more focus on strength work and shorter WODs finally. That is one of the things I loved about the box out in Phoenix. I was making big improvements each month in my squats and deadlifts. I haven’t even done a 1 rep max back squat since I came back to Michigan!
I grouped up with Brian and Rick for this.
3 sets
Max Reps Right Arm KB Shoulder Press
Max Reps Left Arm KB Shoulder Press
2-3m Rest
Started out with a 35# KB and did 19 and 21 reps. Moved up to a 44# and did 11 reps on each side. For the last set I used a 49# and did 8 reps each.
WOD
50 Box Jumps
250m Run
40 Box Jumps
150m Run
30 Box Jumps
100m Run
20 Box Jumps
100m Run
10 Box Jumps
150m Run
If I didn’t know any better I’d say this WOD was designed for me to crush. We were allowed to rebound off the box and off the ground to work on the skills there. I used a 24″ box and finished in 8:54. I did some double rebounding to speed things up, but it really wears you out so I stuck with rebounding off the box most of the time.
Went in for the 11am this morning. What a beautiful day!
Warm-up
5 rounds
1m Bottom Squat Hold
1m Plank
WOD
I was teamed up with Brett and we destroyed (I think) this WOD.
100 Burpees
100mm Prowler (50m high and 50m low)
100 Air Squats
400m Sand Bag Run (40#)
100 HR Push-ups
5 minutes of Plank
100 Wall Ball Passes
150m Farmer’s Carry (45# DBs)
100 Pull-ups
100mm Prowler (50m high and 50m low)
Both partner could be working on rep counts at the same time, so that’s burpees, air squats, push-ups, and pull-ups. We split the prowler pushes in half so we each had equal time at the high and low pushes. The sand bag run and farmer carry were done together. For the planks we each did a minute twice and then each did 30 seconds. Our total time was 27:56. My time for the 50 burpees at the beginning was 2:33, a new low.
Finisher
I had no idea what weights to grab for the farmer’s carry but found out the girls had more than me when I got out there. So after a couple of minutes off I picked up the 60# DBs and did a 130m walk with them, which was a struggle. Next time I have to do a farmer’s carry I’ll know.
I was up bright and early (before 6am) to head to Gladwin for a golf scramble. Got back to Saginaw around 6pm, relaxed a bit and then did a garage WOD.
20:00
10 Burpees (odd minutes)
5 DB Front Squats (50# DBs, even minutes)
I loved the 10 burpees every minute for 10 minutes so much I thought I’d reuse that. My sweet spot for 10 burpees seems to be around 24 seconds and 21-22 seconds if I push extra hard. I was experimenting with some stuff to increase my turnover. Seems promising, but I’ll have to keep at it to see. I should have done 7 or 8 reps for front squats, because 5 went by pretty fast. Over the 10 minutes that was 100 burpees and 50 front squats.
I took a 5 minute rest before moving on.
10:00
10 AbMat Sit-ups (odd minutes)
10 HR Push-ups (even minutes)
I planned on doing 20 minutes of that, but the reps were going by too fast and it was too easy. For the next 10 minutes I bumped up the rep counts. No extra rest in between; the 20 minute timer kept running.
10:00
15 AbMat Sit-ups (odd minutes)
15 HR Push-ups (even minutes)
In the last 2 sets push-ups after the 10th rep it was a struggle to get the rest, so it workout out perfectly. Over 20 minutes that was 125 reps of each. I took a minute or 2 of rest and then ran a 7:20 mile around the neighborhood.
I’ve been extremely sore from all of the wall balls yesterday. Ass, quads, hamstrings, you name it. I did make it out and walked 18 holes of golf this morning for the first time in nearly two weeks. I think that helped to keep things a little loose.
I’m using my standing desk station for the first time today while working. Hopefully I can get these back issues cleared up and get my spine back to normal.
Warm-up
10:00 EMOM
10 Burpees
I loved this! I went all-out for my burpees in every minute and was done in less than 24 seconds each time. The rest period allowed me to catch by breath and go at it hard again when the next minute started. Pretty cool way to get 100 burpees in 10 minutes. Did I mention how much I loved this? 🙂
Strength
10:00
10 KBS (55#) during the odd minutes
10 Shoulder Press (30# DBs) during the even minutes
When you complete your reps for the minute, the rest of that minute is rest. We were supposed to go heavy for the KBS, but since they are so back intensive I took it easy. I probably should have started with the 35# DBs and had the 30#s handy, but by the end the 30s weren’t super easy either.
WOD
5 rounds
15 Split Cleans (30# DBs)
21 HR Push-ups
When we went to start this one, I was glad to have the 30# DBs, because I would not have been able to keep up the intensity with heavier ones. I had to take a short break around the half-way point of each round. I tried to get 11 reps of push-ups in at the start of each round and then do 5s to finish it off. By the end though, I was doing whatever I could to get them done. Finished in 14:31.
Skill
45s Rack Position Holds
We partnered up and switched off with the bar. I think I got in 3 reps. This was kind of weird, but maybe it’s just because my rack position is pretty good. I’m lucky enough to have good flexibility in my wrists and can keep my elbows up pretty good.
I was able to sleep longer than I expected with the 3 hour time difference and didn’t get out of bed until after 8am. Granted I didn’t go to bed until after midnight, so it was a long day yesterday. The workout center in the Westin was pretty busy today, but I was able to get in a pretty good workout. When traveling you have to make due with what you have. It’s better than doing nothing.
Warm-up
400m run on the treadmill at a 6 mph pace.
Strength
I used a couple of machines.
4 sets
5 Chest Presses
2m Rest
I set the weight to 115#, 115#, 130#, and 145# for my sets.
4 sets
5 Lat Pulldowns
2m Rest
I set the weight to 100#, 115#, 130#, and 145# for my sets.
WOD
5 rounds
10 HR Push-ups
10 Floor Wipers (45# DBs)
5 Bent Rows (45# DBs)
Originally I was going to do 10 push-up renegade rows instead of the HR push-ups and the bent rows, but the DBs are round, so I was rolling all over the place. Sometimes you have to modify due to equipment. Not a bad little workout. I did it in 7:48.
Finisher
20:00 on a stationary bike. The computer said I went 7.14 miles, but I don’t believe it. I got a good sweat on though.
On Saturday night I did the Warrior Dash for the first time. It was a lot of fun doing the obstacles. As I had expected, the run wasn’t bad at all. Now I need to step it up and try a Tough Mudder. Then on Sunday and Monday I went on a little golfing trip up to northern Michigan. It was nice to have a couple of rest days away from the WODs.
Warm-up
5 rounds
1m AbMat Sit-ups
1m Russian Twists (30# KB)
1m Plank
1m V-ups
1m Table Top (30s each side)
1m Rest
I could still feel the GHD work that I did on Friday night. This was the first time doing table tops and wow are they tough.
WOD
1m Wall Balls
3 rounds
100m Run
5 KB Snatches (L)
5 OH KB Lunges (L)
5 KB Snatches (R)
5 OH KB Lunges (R)
100m Run
1m Wall Balls
Kind of a weird WOD with the minute of wall balls at the beginning and at the end of the WOD, especially when everyone had to keep track of their own minute at the end. I got 29 wall balls that first minute and 25 at the end in the last minute. Total time for the WOD was 8:40, using a 53# KB for all of the snatches and lunges.
Finisher
100 HR Push-ups
My push-up endurance sucks. I think I started off with a set of 15 and then a set of 10, but after that it was 5s for a while and then whatever I could do. It took me 7:48 to finish off the 100.
Yesterday, Survival Fitness held the first Summer Open. It was a team event with one male and one female per team. It was a great event with 28 teams competing.
It was the first time I’ve competed in any event like this. The workouts were tough, but fun and rewarding. It was a great experience and very inspiring to watch the top teams. I could barely roll out of bed this morning and it’s a struggle to walk around the house. Even my fingers are sore.
All smiles before WOD #1
WOD #1
10:00 AMRAP (Clean/Deadlift – HR Push-up ladder)
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-?
Men
Clean 135#
HR Push-up
Women
Deadlift 135#
HR Push-up
Man will do 1 clean with 135# and then 1 HR push-up, then…
Woman will do 1 deadlift with 135# and then 1 HR push-up, then…
Man will do 2 cleans with 135# and then 2 HR push-ups, then…
Woman will do 2 deadlifts with 135# and then 2 HR push-ups
etc.
This was going to be our weakest workout because of the weight. If we got to the round of 10 I figured it would be good for us. We completed the 10th round and I got in 3 more cleans before time ran out. We placed 24th in the workout. My back has been wrecked for about a week and it’s even worse after this one. I have some pretty good soreness in the lower part of my back. I need to get myself on video to see if there is something I’m doing wrong with my cleans to cause the lower back issues.
The woman had it relatively easy in this one and you could really tell by the fact that the men immediately collapsed to the ground when the 10 minutes was up.
WOD #2
Partner A: 100 burpees, then tag off and…
Partner B: “Karen”
If you don’t know what “Karen” is, she’s one of the benchmark WODs:
150 Wall Ball Shots for time
Women: 16# ball, 8′ target
Men: 20# ball, 10′ target
The teams decided who is partner A and who is partner B. This workout had a 14 minute time cap and if your team didn’t finish, each rep not completed adds 1 second to your time for scoring.
Both parts of this are gassers. My partner did burpees and I did the wall balls. My PR for “Karen” is 8:51, but I knew I could do much better. As a best case scenario I was hoping my partner would complete her part under 7 minutes, giving me about 7 minutes to take a shot. She finished up just under 7 minutes and I managed to get 141 wall balls in the 7 remaining minutes. Only 9 more reps and we would have finished! The WOD was our best placing (18th) of the day. My quads and glutes are on fire today from all of the wall balls.
WOD #3
“Isometric Chipper”
15:00 AMRAP
Part 1:
60 1 arm d-bell snatch (alternate arms each rep) (45#/30#)
Other partner holds a hand stand against the wall
Part 2:
50 Goblet squats (45#/30#)
Other partner does a bottom squat hold
Part 3:
40 AbMat sit-ups
Other partner must hold a plank
Part 4:
30 K2E
Other partner does a bent knee L-hang
Part 5:
20 ring rows
Other partner holds their chin above the bar
One partner will perform the isometric hold, while the other chips away at the reps. As many switches can be made as needed. No reps are be counted if the partner breaks the isometric hold.
This was one of the most brutal workouts I’ve ever done. The isometric holds crush your soul. I was shooting to get through one round if we could. We got through the circuit once and got done with 40 more snatches, notching us a 22nd place finish in the workout. Nearly every team struggled with the ring row and chin-up hold combination at the end of the circuit because there was nothing left in the tank.
Today I’m feeling a lot of this one in my abs and especially in my upper back and shoulder area from the handstand holds. My partner had a hard time getting up on the wall, so I had to do the majority of the hand stand holds. The goblet squats most definitely contributed to the sore quads and ass I have today.
Overall we finished 25th out of 28 teams and I couldn’t be happier. My partner in the competition only started doing CrossFit about 2 months ago. I didn’t compete with any visions of placing high. I know I can’t stay with the top guys, but I enjoy the challenge and pushing myself.
In addition to these 3 workouts, the top 4 teams then did:
WOD #4
In 7:00:
Flip a 325# tire 50 yards down and 50 yards back in the parking lot.
With the remaining time, each partner then does over the box jumps (at the same time) using their own 24″ box
Score is total number of over the box jumps when you add both teammates reps together.
WOD #5
“Double DB Fran”
42-30-18
Thrusters (45#/30# DBs)
Pull-ups
With only one partner working at a time they have to do 42 thrusters, then 42 pull-ups, then 30 of each, and finally 18 of each. The team can split up the block of reps for a movement however they want but they most be completed before switching movements.
For anyone that doesn’t know, “Fran” is the most well-known CrossFit benchmark. When you ask someone their “Fran” time it’s the equivalent of asking a weightlifter how much he bench presses. In a normal “Fran” you do 21-15-9 using a 95# barbell for guys and a 65# barbell for the gals. Top athletes can finish this in under 3 minutes, but it’s an all-out sprint. My PR for DB “Fran” is 9:05, which is not very good.
Moment of the Day
My favorite moment of the day was during the 5th WOD. The male on the second place team (going into the WOD) hurt his ankle in the 4th WOD so he was only able to do a few of the thrusters. That left his partner doing nearly all of the thrusters and him doing nearly all of the pull-ups. If you’ve ever done thrusters you can already begin to imagine the suck.
Many of us have done “Fran” but we’re talking 42-30-18 here! Not 21-15-9. You could see the woman on the edge of tears each time she had to drop the DBs. The guy’s hands were tore up and bleeding all over. They were several minutes past the times of the other 3 teams in the finals and could have called it quits taking 4th in the WOD no matter what. But they dug deep, we all cheered them on, and they finished. You’ll never see anything like that in another sport. We are CrossFitters.
Judging
Four of us guys that competed ended up judging the final two events to give all of the other volunteers a break. It was kind of stressful to be in such an important role. Luckily it’s pretty easy to judge the most elite of the group because their form in usually dialed in.
After Hours
After the awards ceremony and most people went home, about 10 or 15 of us stuck around cleaning up a bit, finishing off a keg and a bunch of beer in the fridge. A couple of people that didn’t compete actually did some drinking WODs! I think I got home around 10:30. It was a long day, but worth every minute.
Photos
Here are a bunch of photos I’ve downloaded from Facebook. As folks upload more photos I’ll update the gallery here.
Nick Momrik's Fitness Logs 