Tag: Handstand Push-up

A PR Morning

Took a rest day yesterday and walked 18 holes of golf. Woke up today feeling more beat up than I should. In at 10am to test my deadlift.

Warm-up

3:00 Row

Olympic Lifting

Snatches

  • 45# Position Work for 5:00
  • 95# x 2
  • 115# x 2
  • 135# E30S 3:00
  • 155#
  • 165#
  • 175# (PR)

My snatch is feeling really good lately. I was planning to do 135# for 5:00 but it was feeling good so I stopped and started bumping up the weight. That was a 10# PR. Looking forward to trying more.

Strength

Deadlift

  • 185# x 8, rest 2
  • 275# x 5, rest 2
  • 325# x 3, rest 3
  • 375# x 1, rest 3
  • 425# x 1, rest 10
  • 475# x 1 (PR), rest 12
  • 500# x 1 (PR)

My old PR was 455# in April, so this was a big jump. The 425# lift hit me hard for some reason, even though I’ve pulled it for 3 several times before. I saw sweating and light-headed, so took a long rest before the 475# attempt. If Kevin and Matt weren’t there pushing me I was going to go for 485# or so next, so I’m glad they talked me into the 500# attempt.

Back to Survival Fitness at 5pm for a class.

Warm-up

  • 30 Air Squats
  • 20 PVC Pass-thrus
  • 30 PVC OHS

Strength

Front Squats

  • 5 @ 115#
  • 5 @ 145#
  • 5 @ 165#
  • 5 @ 185#
  • 5 @ 185#

Kept it light and fast. Didn’t need any more heavy weights after the morning session.

10:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 5 Strict HSPU
  • Evens: 8 Box Jumps (32″)

The HSPU felt good today. Probably should have done a deficit, but I already put in a lot of work and had an idea of how bad the WOD was going to be, so I backed off a bit.

WOD

  • 30 Hang Squat Cleans (95#)
  • 30 Push-ups
  • 30 Thrusters (95#)
  • 30 T2B
  • 30 OHS (95#)
  • 30 Burpees
  • 30 Shoulder to OH (95#)

The burpees were horrible. Slowest ever! Finished in 19:12.

Grace-Off

Last day of our group’s golf tournament this morning, so I walked 18 holes. With the humidity lately this has been fatiguing me more than expected. Went in around 7:30 for open gym.

Warm-up

3-4:00 of DU practice

I reeled off a nice streak of 71 right off the bat and then got a bunch in the 30s. I need to get better at being able to do long streaks when I lose some breath and I want to hit that 100 so bad!

Strength

5/3/1 Shoulder Press – Cycle 2 Week 3

  • 5 @ 60# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
  • 3 @ 115# (75%)
  • 3 @ 130# (85%)
  • 1+ @ 145# (95%)

I went for it and couldn’t even get one rep. Wow. Took a minute to regroup but was only able to get 2 reps. What the fuck is going on with some of my lifts? Last week I did 6 @ 140# and now this bullshit? Puts my estimated max at 154.5#, well below my 165# PR.

Snatch Press

  • 10 @ 45#
  • 10 @ 75#
  • 10 @ 85#

WOD

Warmed up clean and jerks with 45# x 3, 95# x 3, 115# x 3, and 135# for one.

“Grace”

  • 30 C&J (135#)

I’ve been wanting to Rx this bitch for a long time. Brent came in to throwdown with me. My last “Grace” attempt was 125# back in November, which I did in 4:16. Only took me 3:03 today and I probably lost 10-15 seconds with the damn collars. Somewhere between 15 and 20 I was wondering why it was so hard to get my right arm up. I finally looked at the bar and the 45# bumper was nearly off the bar. Ugh!

Felt pretty good though, I stupidly dropped the bar after 3 reps because something just didn’t feel right and then I started doing singles after 9. I wasn’t resting between reps though, I was actually catching the bar on the bounce and resetting right away. Hanging on and controlling to the ground was just taking too much energy out of me and I knew I couldn’t sustain it. I was predicting a time around 3:00 the other day talking to Matt, so I’m pretty happy with that.

Finisher

3 Rounds NFT

  • 5 Strict Deficit HSPU (15# Bumpers)
  • 5 Strict Chin-ups
  • 1:00 Air Dyne

The HSPU were a struggle to complete, but not surprising seeing how my shoulder press sucked today.

Pack It In

Upper legs are really sore from yesterday. I did a heavy sled drag at night that I’ve updated yesterday’s post with, but Louie Simmons says they don’t make you sore, so I guess it has to be from the squats and snatches I did. It was over a week since my last squatting session so maybe it was all from squats. Went in at 10am this morning and trained with Kevin. We really packed everything in and finished in well under 90 minutes.

Warm-up

  • 5:00 Air Dyne

Strength

5/3/1 Shoulder Press (Cycle 2 Week 1)

  • 5 @ 60# (40% of training max – warm)
  • 5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 100# (65%)
  • 5 @ 115# (75%)
  • 5+ @ 130# (85%)

Felt good today and I was able to get 10 reps for an estimated max of 173#. I was only able to get 8 @ 125# in the first cycle, so that’s a big step up.

3 Sets

  • 20 Pullovers (45# DB)
  • 10/10 Side Bends (62# KB)

WOD #1

10:00 EMOM

  • 10 Burpees

Did the first round in 20 seconds and got a little slower each round until about round 5 and then was able to keep pace at 25 seconds per round. We definitely don’t do enough burpees. They are great for conditioning and this is a fun little interval workout.

WOD #2

  • 100 DU
  • 50 T2B
  • 30 HSPU
  • 30 Over the Box Jumps (24″)
  • 50 Sit-ups
  • 100 DU

My hips held me back after 37 reps on the T2B, having to go to sets of 3s and 2s or I would start failing to get my feet up to the bar. I hit the wall on HSPU even though I never did a set of more than 4. Had to do singles for the last 4 reps, which was super slow. Box jumps and sit-ups were unbroken. Double unders weren’t my greatest today. Took me 18:10 to finish.

Really solid training session.

Sweat & Steel 2013

Went down to CrossFit Deviate in Rochester for a 6 person team competition with Casey, Kevin, Michelle, Breanne, and Katy.

Event 1

Follow the leader style:

  • 25 Burpee Pull-Ups (8’/7′)
  • 500 Meter Row
  • 25 Wall Balls (30#/20#) ball must hit the black line (10′)

Not too bad for us guys since we could all jump most of the way up on the pull-up. The gals really struggled with the wall balls. I did mine in 10-10-5 because I had plenty of time. We finished at exactly 18:00 (the time cap) and were 7th out of 16 teams in the open division.

Event 2

3×3 Min AMRAP

  • 3:00 AMRAP Shoulder-to-Overhead (135#/95#)
  • 1:00 rest to change plates
  • 3:00 AMRAP Clean (185#/115#)
  • 1:00 rest to change plates
  • 3:00 AMRAP Deadlift (275#/185#)

You paired up a guy and a girl for each movement. Kevin and Michelle did out SH to OH, Casey and Breanne on the cleans, and Katy and I on deadlifts. We crushed this one finishing 5th. I did all of my deadlifts in sets of 5s until the end where I did a set of 9. I completed something like 45 reps in the 3 minutes!

Event 3 & 4

Completed as one 16 Min event, but scored independently.

4:00 AMRAP

  • 6 Muscle-Ups (3 each) One male and one female

I did the 3 MU and them Michelle attempted for the next 3 minutes to get her first one. Hurt us not having a girl who could do any. Tied for last with 3 other teams that also didn’t have a female with MU.

12:00 to find Max Weight Front Squat (remaining 4 members)

Everyone set or tied a PR but we finished down in the pack on this one as well in 10th or 11th I think. Somehow despite these two workouts we managed to stay in 9th place and get into event 5 for the top 10 teams.

Event 5

For Time – 12:00 Time cap

  • 90 HSPU
  • 90 C2B Pull-ups
  • 90 Pistols
  • 90 T2B

Teams were divided into 3 men and 3 women, with the men completing 2 of the movements and the women completing the other 2. Our guys did HSPU and pistols, which was different from most teams, but we had to because our girls would have died on HSPU and their pistols would have been way too slow. This hurt us because even though they got through the C2B, they were slow. We were the first team in our heat off of the wall by quite a bit, but quickly fell behind in the C2B. Our ladies got done withe 37 of the T2B before time ran out. We held on to 9th place, even moving up a bit in the points.

It was a really fun team event and I couldn’t believe we were in 6th place after the first two events against some top-level teams. I knew of at least 3 teams that went to Regionals and several other competitors went as individuals.

A Big Retest

My low back isn’t feeling the greatest from yesterday’s deadlift session. Otherwise feeling good though. In at 10am.

Warm-up

  • 5:00 Air Dyne
  • PVC Pass-thrus

Strength

5/3/1 Bench Press – Cycle 1 Week 3

  • 5 @ 85# (40% of Training Max – warm)
  • 5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
  • 3 @ 135# (60% – warm)
  • 5 @ 160# (75%)
  • 3 @ 180# (85%)
  • 1+ @ 200# (95%)

I used the Reactive Slingshot again for the working sets. I got 8 reps on the last set, but had a little issue with my right arm flaring out again. Gives me an estimated max of 253#, down from the 271.5# last lift.

Pullovers

3 x 15 with 60# DB

Olympic Lifting

I loaded up a training bar so it was only 35# to work on my snatch technique. Worked on keeping the bar close on the first pull and then getting to the hips on the second pull. I need to do this type of stuff a lot more often. I think we did 5-10 minutes of work.

WOD

  • 10 -> 1 HSPU
  • 10 -> 1 Ring Dips
  • 30 DU

Kevin had planned out just the first two movements and I remembered an almost identical WOD I did back in Phoenix, so we modified it for a retest. Back in January it took me 24:24 to finish. It’s the only WOD to ever put me in bed for the rest of the day and make me think I had rhabdo. I’d never done that many HSPU in a day before. Today I finished in 17:49 and feel great! Broke the HSPU up into 2 sets each round until I got to 4. Ring dips were 3 sets for most of the way and then some sets of 2 before doing the last 3 sets unbroken. Too many misses on middle rounds of DU. Huge improvement though and shows how far my strength has come.

Some Hills

Lot’s going on today. Headed to Survival Fitness earlier than the normal 10am so I could drag the sled, get in a workout, and be out of there by 11am.

Warm-up

0.56 mile slid drag with 135# in 14:45. Needed this because my ass and hamstrings are beat up from yesterday.

Strength

Weighted Chin-ups

  • 3 @ 20#
  • 3 @ 25#
  • 3 @ 25#
  • 3 @ 30#
  • 3 @ 35#

Probably could have gone up 5# each set instead of spending 2 sets at 25#.

Weighted Push-ups

  • 8 @ 45#
  • 8 @ 55#
  • 8 @ 55#
  • 8 @ 55#

Got really tough on the last reps of the last two sets.

Weighted Planks

  • 30s @ 70#
  • 30s @ 80#
  • 30s @ 90#
  • 30s @ 90#

Had to really fight to keep my core from dropping. Heavy!

WOD

7 Rounds

  • 7 HSPU
  • 7 K2E
  • 21 DU (Unbroken)

I did this one back in February out in Phoenix in a time of 10:48, with some HSPU failing at the end. I hadn’t missed at all on DU then though. Today I missed one set of DU after 14 and another set after 16. Still getting used to the lighter Rx cable I think. My HSPU were much better though, so I finished in 9:55! Solid improvement in 5 months.

I had a 90 minute massage in the afternoon that was great.

In the evening I went out to the soap box derby with Kevin and Ellen to run some hill sprints. Warmed up with a jog around the track which is probably 600-700m.

10 Rounds

  • Hill Sprint (About 150 paces)
  • Slow walk back down to recover

Walked a lap for a cool down. Not too long after, my hamstrings were tightening up already. Deadlifting should be fun in the morning.

Monday Blues

These damn night sweats are killing me. Can’t get a decent night of sleep. Canceled golfing early this morning because of the lack of sleep, but went in at 10am to train. Kevin had to bail for work after the shoulder presses, but Ellen stuck around and did everything with me.

Warm-up

  • 450m Run
  • PVC Pass-thrus

Strength

Shoulder Press

  • 5 x 45% Training Max (1:00 Rest)
  • 5 x 55% (1:00)
  • 5 x 65% (1:00)
  • 5 x 75% (2:00)
  • 3 x 85% (3:00)
  • ME x 95%

* Training Max is 90% of 1RM.

I based my numbers off my 165# shoulder press. The percentages were a bit goofy, but I ended up using 75#, 85#, 95#, 110#, 125#, and then 140#. I managed to get 5 reps on that last set. Tried to get a 6th, but just didn’t have it.

HSPU

10:00 EMOM

  • 5 Hard HSPU

I went with 25# plates for a deficit. Had to switch to kipping in the 5th round and then ran out of gas, only able to get 4-3-3 in the last 3 rounds. Shows how weak I am now because a few weeks ago I did all 10 rounds.

WOD

5 Rounds

  • 20 DU
  • 10 Pull-ups
  • 10 KBS (62# KB)

Don’t have the gas I’m used to having. Way too much resting. Was only able to get the first round of pull-ups unbroken. Finished in 8:12.

Finisher

5 Bent Over Prowler Drags Between Legs, about 25m down and 25m back. I used 225#, 240#, 255#, 270#, and 300#.

Solid session. I can feel myself coming back each day, so hopefully I’m back to normal by the weekend when I’m heading on vacation, because I plan on doing 2-3 workouts a day and becoming a metcon monster for that week.

Low Intensity

Feeling pretty good after the competition yesterday and have a high from the atmosphere, competing, and the win. Little sunburn on my shoulders, but nothing is really sore. In at 10:30 this morning.

Warm-up

Did some mobility work.

Strength

OHS

  • 5 @ 45#
  • 5 @ 95#
  • 5 @ 105#
  • 5 @ 115#
  • 5 @ 125#

This is where not using wrist wraps really gets me. Wrists felt like they were going to break on the last two sets.

HSPU

10:00 EMOM: 5 Reps (all strict)

  • 35# Plate Deficit for 4 sets
  • 25# Plate Deficit for 4 sets
  • No Deficit for 2 sets

A couple of weeks ago I used a 25# plate for all 10 sets, so 35# was a significant jump. I think the OHS fried my shoulders a bit and maybe feeling a little fatigue from yesterday. I’ll take the results though.

Conditioning

Kevin, Michelle, and I rotated for 3 rounds (everyone used a bit different weights) of:

  • Air Dyne at an easy pace
  • Backwards Sled Pull (25# + 90# for 2 rounds, 25# + 135# for 1 round)
  • Prowler Walk (90# + 90#)

Took us about 20 minutes to do this and it was all out in the hot sun. Got a nice sweat on.

Nothing too taxing today, but didn’t want to overdo anything after a long day out in the sun yesterday. Competition zaps you more than you realize too.

Work Your Back Side

Feeling great after the workout yesterday. In at 10am this morning and trained with Michelle and Kevin.

Warm-up

  • 500m Row
  • PVC Pass-thrus
  • 2 x 3/3 Turkish Get-ups (35# KB)
  • 10/10 Leg Swings (F-B, S-S)

Strength

10:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 10 RDL (225#)
  • Evens: 5 Pendlay Rows (145#)

WOD

5 Rounds

  • 3 Deadlifts (345#)
  • 5 Over-the-bar Burpees
  • 7 HSPU

The deadlifts were brutal. Had to drop each rep. Finished in 6:54.

Core

5 Rounds (NFT)

  • 10 Floor Wipers (45# DBs)
  • 10 Hollow Rocks

My upper abs were on fire in those last couple rounds of hollow rocks. Hadn’t done floor wipers in a really long time, so was nice to do them for a change.

Finisher

10:00 Row trying to keep a 20s/m pace.

Unfortunately I was pretty much keeping a 18s/m pace. Good way to finish a good workout.

Central East Regionals Week

Heading down to Columbus on Thursday to watch the Central East Regionals this weekend. It’s going to be so much fun!

Walked 18 holes of golf on Sunday afternoon and yesterday morning. Feeling refreshed today. Went in at 10.

Warm-up

  • 500m Row
  • 10/10 Leg Swings (f-b, s-s)
  • PVC Pass-thrus

Gymnastics

12:00 EMOM

  • Odds: 5 Strict Deficit HSPU on 35# bumpers
  • Evens: 7 Strict Pull-ups

First time doing strict HSPU on 35s and survived all 6 rounds! That might be the most strict pull-ups I’ve ever done in a day too.

Strength

Back Squats

  • 8 @ 45#
  • 5 @ 135#
  • 5 @ 185#
  • 5 sets of 8 @ 225#

Wanted to try something with a little higher volume and this definitely did the trick. 225# is about 70% of my 1RM.

Core

3 Rounds

  • 10 Ab Roll-outs / Evil Wheels (on knees)
  • 10 T2B

Not for time. Aimed for good quality on the roll-outs and did all sets of T2B unbroken.

Conditioning

10 Rounds

  • 50m High Prowler Sprint
  • 50m Low Prowler Sprint

Used the wooden prowler and loaded it up with four 45# bumpers.