Tag: Thruster

Dumbbell Thrusters Suck!

Woke up feeling good and refreshed. Still a little tight in my ass from Friday’s lunges, but not enough to affect any movement.

Warm-up

  • Tabata Bottom Squat Hold
  • Tabata Plank

Strength

5×1 Front Squat

Warmed up with 6 reps using the 45# bar and 3 reps at 135#. For my working sets I used 185#, 205#, 215# (previous PR), 225#, and 235#. Lifts felt great. I remembered to keep a deep breath and keep a tight midline on the way down. Then on the way up I really concentrated on keeping my elbows up so the weight wouldn’t drop forward. It’s been a long time since I did even a back squat PR, which is still at 240# from back in March. Next time I test thought I should see a big jump as well. Really happy with the 235# today.

WOD

12:00 AMRAP of 3-6-9-12-15-18-21…

  • DB Thrusters (35# DBs)
  • Jumping C2B Pull-ups

Since the beginner competition on Sunday is with jumping chest to bar pull-ups I figured today would be a good time to try them out. They really send your heart rate sky-high because it’s pretty much a constant jumping. I had to start breaking them down into sets of 6 or 8. The bar I was using was probably a little higher than it should have been for me, but it was a good test. I got through the round of 18 and then did 14 of the 21 thrusters. Doing thrusters with DBs is so much harder than it is with the bar.

Finisher

Death by Ring Dips (by 2s)

I did 10 + 9.

A Night in the Garage

Brian came over and we did some work in the garage tonight. We’re both doing the beginner competition in two weeks so want to work on some stuff we don’t do much of in our normal WODs at Survival Fitness.

I was thinking to do some EMOTM for 10 minutes but Brian had a good idea to do Death By instead. He did cleans and I did thrusters. I used 115# for my thrusters because I wanted to get in some heavier work. Made it through the round of 7 and then got in my 7th rep of 8 just as the minute expired.

The first WOD in the competition is an 800m run with 25# of weight. They won’t say if it’s a sandbag, plate, DB, KB, or anything else, so I guess it’s a good idea to prepare for anything. I wanted to keep up some intensity, so we did the following:

5 rounds

  • 200m Weighted Run (25# bumper plate)
  • 1m Rest

I finished each run in almost exactly 1 minute and the clock hit exactly 9:00 as I finished my last run. The 200m was a good distance for this. Obviously it’ll be impossible to keep up that kind of intensity, but this word should make the longer run a bit easier. It’s really awkward carrying a plate, but I think a DB and a KB would be even worse. I think I’ll try it with a DB next week.

Front Squats with OLY Shoes

I didn’t sleep very well last night. Was actually up, rolling around in bed at 5:20 and thought about going to the 5:45am class. That didn’t happen though so I went to the 9am. My lower abs have a weird soreness that I can’t really explain. I’m pretty sure it’s from over an hour of back tuck progressions and attempts.

Strength

Front Squats 5×5

It’s been a long time since I front squatted heavy. My 1RM is 215# and it was set way back in May. Since the number was so old I figure I must have improved quite a bit, which made me go higher than I should have in my last set. I’ll know for next weeks sets of 3 though. Here are my warm-up and working sets:

  • 7 @ 45#
  • 7 @ 95#
  • 5 @ 135#
  • 5 @ 155#
  • 5 @ 175#
  • 5 @ 195#
  • 2 @ 215#

I probably could have fought for the 3rd rep on the last set, but I gave in too easily and bailed on the weight. I knew it wasn’t going to a 4th or 5th rep, that’s for sure. Next week I’ll hit that 215# for 3 reps easily. This was the first time wearing Olympic lifting shoes and they felt good with the squats.

Accessory

4 rounds

  • 12 Weighted Step-ups (18″)
  • 30s Rest
  • 45s Plank
  • 30s Rest

For the first 2 sets I held 45# DBs and then used 53# KBs for the last 2 sets.

WOD #1

In 10:00…

  • 21-15-9
    • Thrusters (75#)
    • Burpees
  • AMRAP: 150m Run

This was sort of a new format. The 21-15-9 portion was like a buy-in for the runs. I did all of the burpees unbroken, as well as rounds of 21 and 9 thrusters. In the round of 15 I broke it down into sets of 8 and 7. I finished that first part in about 6:05 and then got through 5 runs with about 10 seconds left on the clock.

Finisher

Wall Facing Hand Stands

Yesterday at Gym Jesters they showed us a way to walk up the wall while facing it. The goal is to get your face, chest, hips, and feet all touching the wall. This works on the hollow body position, which is the foundation of most gymnastics movements. I could really tell a difference in how this felt compared to kicking up the a handstand hold and not facing the wall.

WOD #2

After mowing the lawn I was in the mood for another workout. With the Every Second Counts competition coming up in less than 3 weeks it’s time to start working on the movements in the WODs. One of them is a 95# “Grace” so I want to work on heavier stuff.

10:00 EMOTM

  • 3 Clean & Jerks (135#)

This felt good. I getting them done in about 25 seconds each round. I’m unable to cycle them, so it wastes quite a bit of time when I have to drop the bar from overhead and get it steady again before doing the next rep. In the final minute I did 6 reps instead of 3 and finished with a few seconds to spare. Total of 33 Clean and Jerks in 10 minutes.

WOD at CrossFit PB and an Automattic Bootcamp

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.

San Diego Sunday

I arrived in San Diego last night for our yearly Automattic company meetup. Got up early this morning and hit up the fitness center in the hotel for a workout.

Warm-up

Did an easy 800m run on the treadmill.

WOD

  • 100 DB Hang Squat Clean Thrusters (30# DBs)
  • Every minute on the minute (except for at the beginning), do 5 burpees.

We did this a few months ago at SF from the ground instead of the hang position. Back then I took some rest minutes doing 0 clean thrusters and finished in 23:42. Today I did them from the hang starting position like the video done by Jason Khalipa where this WOD came from. Finished in 15:35 today without taking any “rest” minutes.

Finisher

  • 100 Russian Twists (25# DB)

I did these in sets of 50, 25, and 25, but didn’t time it.

Getting Better at Thrusters

My abs are a little sore today, but not really any more than yesterday, which is surprising. We really blasted them on Monday and Tuesday. I walked 18 holes of golf this morning and went to the 7pm class.

Strength

5 Sets

  • 3 Push Presses
  • 1-2m Rest

I warmed up with a set of 8 at 45# and a set of 5 at 95#. For my working sets I used 115#, 135#, 145#, 160#, and 170#. Had some left in the tank for next time too.

Accessory

3 Sets

  • MAX Ring Push-ups
  • 90s Rest

I knocked out sets of 28, 15, and 9 (I think). Honestly can’t remember the last set.

WOD

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

  • Thrusters (35# DBs)
  • Box Jump (28″)
  • 150m Run (length of run is the same each round)

Thrusters actually felt pretty good today. I think learning to properly scale my weights is really helping out. I did each set without putting down the DBs. The 28″ box was a bigger deal than expected. I finished in 13:50.

Finisher

DU Tabata

I did pretty good with me DUs today. Got quite a few unbroken strings of around 20.

CrossFit Level I Certification

This weekend I was down in Columbus, OH at Rogue headquarters for the CrossFit Level I Trainer Course and Certification. What an amazing experience. Kevin and Brent from Survival Fitness also went down for the weekend. We got to learn from some of the best trainers in the world. Words cannot express what the weekend meant to mean and how much I got out of it. Do one for yourself.

We did two WODs over the weekend. On Saturday, we ended the day with:

“Fran”
21-15-9

  • Thrusters (75#)
  • Pull-ups

We all know this bitch. I’m getting smarter about scaling my weight down and made the right choice here. My time was 5:36.

Then today, we did a triplet:

8:00 AMRAP

  • 8 Chest to Deck Push-ups
  • 10 MB Cleans (20#)
  • 12 Sit-ups

I completed 5 rounds plus 8 more push-ups, 10 cleans, and 1 sit-up as time expired. The MB cleans don’t seem like much but they really add up.

12.5 Retest

I went to bed later than normal last night, so feeling tired today. Knees are a little sore, but otherwise my body feels good. Going in to the chiropractor this afternoon for an adjustment and massage. After only two weeks I got used to the Tuesday massages, so with the scaled back treatment this week I’m really missing it.

Warm-up

5 rounds

  • 1m Bottom Squat Hold
  • 1m Plank

WOD

This was a retest of workout 12.5 from the CrossFit Games Open.

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:

  • 3 Thrusters
  • 3 C2B Pull-ups
  • 6 Thrusters
  • 6 C2B Pull-ups
  • 9 Thrusters
  • 9 C2B Pull-ups
  • 12 Thrusters
  • 12 C2B Pull-ups
  • 15 Thrusters
  • 15 C2B Pull-ups
  • …

If you complete the round of 15, go on to 18, increasing the reps by 3 with each new round as far as you can go. Thrusters are done using 100#.

When I did this back in March I got 58 total reps. Today, under less than idea conditions I got 66 reps. I didn’t think to put on my wrist straps, so my wrists started killing me on the thrusters. I was knocking out C2B pull-ups pretty well today, but 3 different bars started spinning on me, so I had to keep moving to a new spot. Ugh! At least I saw improvement, but should have been better.

Strength

3×20 Weighted Sit-ups

For my sets I held:

  • 30# KBs
  • 80# KB
  • 45# DBs

Those last two sets were a struggle, but I finished all of the reps.

Finisher

Prowler Sprints!

Used the lighter of the two prowlers today, loaded with a couple of 45# plates, and pushed it 40-50 yards with the high handles and then back with the low handles. Did 3 sets of that.

4 In A Row

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.

Testing My Back

I’m feeling good after the rest day yesterday. Matt is out-of-town for the weekend so I offered to help out with the weekend classes. Today was sort of on open gym and I was looking forward to testing out my back as well as trying a few things that are part of a competition I’m doing in October.

Warm-up

  • 400m Run
  • Various stretching, including PVC pass-thrus and around the world’s, PVC OHS, world’s greatest stretch

WOD #1

“Grace”

  • 30 Clean and Jerks (95#)

This one comes straight out of the competition. I’ve been staying away from cleans for the last couple of weeks because of my low back. It felt pretty good doing this today. I finished in 2:42 without too much of a push since I was doing it by myself. A month or so ago I used 125# and did it in 5:10-ish, so I’m confident I can get down around the 2 minute mark.

WOD #2

10:00 EOMOTM

  • 5 Deadlifts (225#)
  • 5 HSPU

I’ve also been staying away from deadlifts because of my low back. These felt really good and easy. All of the HSPUs were strict and unbroken.

WOD #3

10:00 EOMOTM

  • 10 Thrusters (65#)
  • 10 Pull-ups

The competition has “Fran” but the beginner division, which I’m competing in, only uses 65# and does jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups. I figured this was a good way to build up for it. I should have gone heavier with the thrusters and maybe did fewer reps there. Everything here was unbroken as well. I’ve never been able to do that many rounds of pull-ups unbroken like that.

WOD #4

20:00 EMOTM

  • 30s Row

This a great one for conditioning. Go all-out for those 30s and then catch your breath for the next 30s.

I’m really happy with how my back handled the workload today. I wouldn’t have been able to do this 2 weeks ago. I’m in charge of making up the WOD for tomorrow’s classes, so that should be fun. It’s going to be some kind of partner WOD.