January 31, 2012

A. Back Squat Cluster @ 20x1 - 1.1.1.1.1 x 3; rest 5 min
B. Squat Clean - build to heavy double
+
10 min amrap
3 pullups
3 HSPU

Notes:
A. 135, 145, 155#
These felt good. I was a little slow coming out of the bottom of the squat on the last set. Still need to concentrate on keeping my chest up.
B. Got 115# but back was arched on 2nd rep. I tried 120#, but I was scared to drop under it. I got one rep and never could get the 2nd rep.
+
It was either 13 or 14 rounds + 3 pullups
The pullups felt great. I was really focusing on getting my chin over the bar. I got all but one round of the HSPU unbroken, but they became slow very quickly. Biceps were cramping, so I'd pause at the bottom and shake out my arms. Kipped on all of them.

January 29 - GG Crossroads Competition

Day 2
I was VERY upset with myself after WOD 5. I left and went home because I didn't want to be ugly to anyone when they were just trying to be encouraging, and I didn't want to cry in front of everyone. I almost didn't come back for WOD 6, but I knew I'd be pissed at myself for it tomorrow. I came back and was surprised to see that I didn't get a DNF, I just got a last place finish for the workout. I went into the last WOD with very low expectations and ended up doing a decent job. I ended the weekend in 7th place out of 11. With 2 last place finishes its not too shabby.
I realize that if I don't do well in a competition it isn't the end of the world, and that in the end its not a big deal. I just put so much pressure on myself to do well. I don't like losing. I don't like admitting that I can't do something. After a lack luster day on Day 1, failing on the first workout of Day 2 just sent me over the edge. Hopefully I'll become more experienced with Crossfit competitions and just better in general...physically and mentally.

WOD 5
20 overhead squats 75#
run 800m
10 rope climbs, 15ft
run 800m
20 ground to overhead 75#
(time cap of 30min)

Place: 11th
completed 1 rope climb

WOD 6
7 rounds
10 pullups
25 DU

Time: 8:30
Place: 5th

January 28 - Garage Games Crossroads Competition

Today was Day 1 of the Garage Games Crossroads Competition at Mississippi Crossfit. There were only 11 girls signed up for RX. I had hoped there would be more. I woke up feeling good and well rested, and  I showed up to the competition somewhat optimistic. That quickly changed...

WOD 1
10 min AMRAP
250m row
15 hand release pushups

5 Rounds + 7 pushups
Place: dead last (11th)
When I first finished the workout I felt ok about it. Minus a few mishaps getting on and off the rower I thought I had done well. Mike had told me to pace my rows to around 2:00. I kept every round between 1:55 - 2:05. My pushups were a little slow, but I didn't take any long breaks. My last round was rough. Where I was working out I couldn't see any of the competition minus the girl to my right.  After leaving the floor I started hearing everyone else's scores and my heart sunk. Dead last...not a good way to start the day.

WOD 2
21-15-9
95# cleans
bar facing burpees

7:02
Place: 6th
Despite my rough start I was feeling hopeful about this workout. I have done several workout with cleans lately and they have been going very well. I went in with the plan of getting 8-7-6, 6-5-4, 3-3-3 on the cleans and keeping a decent pace on the burpees. My first set of cleans felt good, but I could tell I was taxed from the first workout. I got the 8-7-6. The set of 21 burpees was awful. Every time I jumped over the bar it felt like it was getting higher and higher. My pace was very slow. When I finally got back to the cleans I went to singles. I know this slowed me down some, but I was getting to the bar fairly quickly after dropping it. Burpees were awful again. Set of 9 I did singles, and the final 9 burpees were ridiculously slow. I was very disappointed with my performance. I just don't have the gas tank that I need for this type workout.

WOD 3 and 4
3 min to find 1RM bench press
run 1 mile
3 min to find 1RM deadlift

Bench - 140# (PR)
mile - 7:35
Deadlift - 255#
Place: WOD 3 - 2nd
WOD 4 - 4th
WOD 3 consisted of the bench press and deadlift and WOD 4 was the mile run. I have been working some on bench press lately. I got a 1RM of 135# one day when I was messing around. As tired as my arms were I didn't think I'd get that. I was shooting for 125#. For some reason I was on and somehow pushed up 140#. Hooray! When it came to the run I wasn't planning on going all out. I didn't want to come into the deadlift panting and not able to breath. I figured I had a better shot at beating the other girls at deadlift than the run. When they said go everyone took off in a dead sprint. I surprisingly hung back and started at a pace I knew I was comfortable with. Sure enough, everyone died, I passed them all and came into the deadlifts first. My back had been acting up, so I wasn't planning on going all out on the deadlifts. I was shooting for 235. Knowing its only 1 rep makes a huge difference. I started with 205, scared to start pulling at 225.  I got 205 easily, then bumped to 225, then 245, then 255. I attempted 265 which is my PR, but decided against it.

After a very disappointing WOD 1 and 2, doing well on WOD 3 and 4 boosted my spirits. That is short lived knowing that I'm facing 10 rope climbs tomorrow and there is a very good chance I'll get a DNF. I'm hoping that whatever got into me on the bench press and deadlifts will show up again when its time to climb that stupid rope. Stay tuned...

January 26, 2012

A. Power Clean- build to 120 resting as needed; focus on fast pull once you get above the knees and good foot positioning in landing
+
5 sets of 20 unbroken double unders
*goal is 0 failed attempts, NOT TIME

Notes:
A. 3x75#, 3x85#, 3x95, 2x105, 2x115, 2x125# ( I had the weights out for 125, so I just did that)
These felt great. The first few sets I  getting on my toes, but the last few sets I stayed on my heals. I felt like my elbows were moving quickly under the bar.
+
Got all 5 sets unbroken. Woo! Focused on when the rope was hitting the floor. For some reason when I look down I do better than when I look up, so I looked down.  

January 25, 2012

10 min Row @ Z1 focus on technique

10 min @ Z1 moving through the following:
wall ball
hs holds away from wall
hand release push ups
butterfly pull ups

10 min AirDybe @ Z1

*limit movements to 1-5 reps staying completely away from failure or real high breathing

January 24, 2012

A. Bench Press @ 85#  9x3 EMOM
+
5 sets; rest 3 min
3 Heavy power clean and jerk TnG
7 bar facing burpees

Notes:
Bench Press felt great
+
105, 105, 105, 115, 115#
35sec, 31s, 30s, 31s, 33s
Cleans felt good. I was rushing, so the jerks got a little sloppy. The new floor definitely helped my burpees. My feet slip which made them easier.

1/23/12

A. Back Squat 3, 2, 1; rest 4 min
B. OHS 3x3; rest 2 min @ 80%
C. Rope climb practice
+
Row Sprints
5 x 20 sec @100%
rest 1:40

Notes:
A. 130, 150, 170#
     These felt good. My back arched a little on 170, but not bad.
B. 105, 105, 110#
     These felt good. I had a little trouble keeping the bar stable, but other than that it was good.
C. Did 3 climbs only to the ceiling. Sunday is going to be awful...
+
The sprints felt good. Just had trouble staying on the seat. I was averaging about 1:40 and getting around 100m.

January 21, 2012

4 sets; rest 7x work
3 ring dips
9 russian KB swings 70#
20 sec airdyne @ 100%
+
run 20 min at Z1

Notes:
47sec, 50sec, 47sec, 47sec
Everything felt good. My back was a little tight on the KB swings, but not too bad. Even the airdynes felt good.
My hips were tight on the run, but other than that it went well.

I know this wasn't on the agenda, but I was curious to see what I could bench press. I got up to 135#. I tried 145#, but I failed.

January 20, 2012

A. Snatch Dead Lift @155#; 20x1; 3x5; rest 2 min

B. Snatch Balance; build to a heavy single in 10 min

+

5 min amrap @80%

1-5 Hang Squat Snatch - 65#

+ 

5 min amrap rope climbs

Notes:

A. Round 1 - the grip hurt my hands, my back felt tight and the weight felt heavy

     Round 2 - Mike gave me wrist wraps to use. These made a huge difference! The lifts felt good and I was able to do all 5 without letting go. 

     Round 3 - these felt really good. 

B. Started at 65#. When I got to 95# I was scared to let myself drop under the weight. It was very slow, more like an OHS. I almost stopped there, but I got over my fear, tried 95 again and it felt good and smooth. I continued up to 115#. 115 was a little slow on the way down, but it felt good. 

+

1 round +4

I went ahead and did the 5 even though time was up. The weight wasn't heavy, but I felt sloppy. I didn't fail on any reps, but if the weight had been heavier I probably would have. I kept ending up on my toes. 

+

I've about decided that climbing a rope using my feet is a lost cause. I've tried every way that people have showed me and all the ways I've found on the internet and none of them work for me. I am seriously dreading the rope climb workout next weekend. 

January 19, 2012

Rest Day

I know rest days are there for a reason. I know my body needs the rest. There are some days my body screams for it, but it is so hard not to work out when there is an awesome WOD on the board and all your friends are giving it their all. I've never liked sitting on the bench and having to watch the game. I want to be in the game, in the WOD. Back in the day, my basketball coach always pulled me with a minute left in the first quarter. She'd say, "Good job. Take a rest." Then, as soon as the quarter buzzer sounded she'd tell me to check back in. I always hated it, but I understood why she was doing it. I have to look at rest days like that. I don't have to like it, but I'll be rested and ready the next day to jump back in the thick of it.

January 18, 2012

Run 800m @ 8 min mile pace; rest 3 min x4
+
A1. Bench Press @ 32x2; 5x5; rest 10 sec
A2. Back ext. @ 4022; 5x10; rest 3 min

Notes:
The cold weather tightened my back and hamstrings up, but other than that the runs felt good.

A1. 85, 95, 100, 105, 105#
These felt good. I only got 4 reps on 105# last week, so small improvement. I just need to keep concentrating on my form.
A2. These got hard around rep 7-8 again. I could feel it in my back and hamstrings from the run.

January 17, 2012

WOD:
3 sets; rest 10 min
30sec Cl/J 75#
30sec Box Jump
30sec KB 53#
30sec burpees

Notes:
Round 1:
11, 12, 10, 6
I went too fast on the Cl/J. Breathing was bad. My hips/upper thighs were crazy tight up on the first box jump.
Round 2:
10, 15, 12, 8
This round felt better. I tried to pace the Cl/J. Box jumps felt good. KB were heavy and had trouble balancing. Burpees were slow. I couldn't  jump my feet up, I had to climb up.
Round 3:
10, 15, 12, 8
This round felt good. I probably needed to warm up better. KB were still heavy and burpees were still slow.

January 16, 2012

Part 1:
A. High bar Back Squat cluster; 1.1.1.1.1 x 3; rest 5 min
B. Hang Squat Clean - build to tough single
C1. Step ups on 20" box  3x7/leg; rest 30 sec
C2. Strict pullups on rings  3x amrap; rest 3 min
D. 30 kipping HSPU for time

Notes:
A. 135, 145, 155#  These felt good. Need to concentrate on keeping chest up.
B. Got 115#, failed on 125# 115 felt good. 125 I couldn't throw my elbows under fast enough
C1. These felt good. I was concentrating on a being controlled on the way down, too.
C2. 6, 5, 5  These felt good, but my arms got tired quickly.  
D. 5:30 - started off with 16 unbroken, but then they were very sporadic. 1, then 3, then 2, etc. I was having trouble staying on the wall to get a good kip.

Part 2:
6 rounds; numbers shouldn't drop
30 sec Wall Balls 14#
30 sec rest
30 sec DU
30 sec rest
30 sec box jumps, 20" step down
30 sec rest
30 sec row
2 min rest

Notes:
Wall Balls - 15 every round, these felt good. I like the new wall!
Double Unders - rounds 1-3 were very sporadic, rounds 4-6 I really concentrated on when the rope was hitting the floor and where my feet were. I got 39, 48, then 42 unbroken on rounds 4-6.
Box Jumps -  9 first round, then 10 every other round
Rows - I kept around a 2:05-2:10 pace
Breathing was good.

January 14, 2012

Part 1:
A. Snatch Grip Deadlift @31x1; 3x3; rest 2 min
B. Snatch pull @125#; 3x3
C. Power Snatch - heavy single; not 1RM

Part 2:
"Helen"
3 rounds
run 400m
21 KB 35#
12 pullups
+
3 sets; not for time
10 back extensions@4022
10 T2B

Notes:
Part 1:
A. 135, 155, 175# hips and back felt good; the cold hurt my hands and made it hard to grip
B. These felt ok, just awkward as usual
C. 65, 85, 95#  The 95# snatch was ugly, but I got it up

Part 2:
Time: 11:00
This is a really slow time for me. I was NOT happy with my performance. The first run felt good, but runs 2 and 3 were rough. The cold and heavy wind definitely were a factor. My breathing was bad and my lungs/throat were burning. I got all the KB unbroken and they felt good, but my forearms were tight when I finished. When I got to the pullups my grip was shot. Round 1 was 6, 6, round 2 was 3, 3, 3, 3, round 3 was 3, 3, 2, 2, 2. Breathing and grip need lots of work.
+
Back extensions felt good. My back didn't get tired til reps 7-8. T2B felt good. Got them all unbroken. My grip started to go towards the end, but I was able to adjust my grip and hold on.

I realized after the fact that I hadn't had anything to drink all day. I had eaten breakfast that morning, but didn't have a drink. I'm used to having 4-6 bottles of water at work before my workouts. I don't know if that hurt my performance, but I'm sure it didn't help.

January 13, 2012

Warm up:
10 min hip mobility

WOD:
A. Front Squats @11x1; 10x2 every minute on the minute
B1. Ring Dips @22x2; 4 x max reps; rest 1 min
B2. Goblet Squats @22x2; 4x10; 53#; rest 1 min
+
5 sets
20 sec airdyne sprint @ 100%
rest 2:40

Notes:
A1. 95# - These felt really good. I felt like I was getting great depth. The hardest part was getting up out of the lowest point of the squat. Once I got up about an inch it felt smooth and easy.
B1. reps: 7, 5, 5, 5 (strict); First set felt good. My shoulders got tired very quickly.
B2. These felt really good. I felt like I was getting great depth and wasn't having a problem staying at the bottom for the 2 seconds. Towards the end I started leaning forward a little when I came up out of the squat.
+
The sprints felt as bad as airdyne sprints always do.

January 11, 2012

Part 1:
10 sets
30 sec AirDyne @85%
30 sec rest
30 sec DU
30 sec rest
30 sec row @85%
30 sec rest

Part 2:
Warm up: row 5 min @Z1
Hip mobility 5-10 min

A. OHS @ 32x0; 3x5; rest 2 min
B. Hang Snatch 3x3; rest 90 sec
C. Bulgarian Split Squat @3222; 3x7/leg; rest 60 sec
D. Practice butterfly pullups; 5 min

Notes:
Part 1: AirDyne felt good. Last few set my upper quads/hips started getting tight
DU were VERY sporadic
row felt great. All rounds felt smooth and form was good.

Part 2:
A. OHS  75, 85, 95, 105, 115 (4 reps)
The squats felt really good. I felt like I was getting good depth. On the last set I only got 4 reps. It wasn't too heavy, I just lost it due to arm balance and tired shoulders.
B. 65, 75, 85 (2 reps)
These felt good, but very choppy. Couldn't get the 3rd rep on the last set. I could snatch it, but couldnt get my balance to squat snatch it.
C. 2   26# kb
These were difficult, but felt good. My upper quads/hips felt tight on reps 5-7.
D. Shoulder were tired. Rhythm was good, but getting height and rhythm together causes me problems.

January 10, 2012

Run 800m @8 min mile pace; rest 3 min x 3 (4 min work, 3 min rest x 3)

A1. Bench Press @ 32x1; 5x5; rest 10 sec
A2. KB 5x20 @ 53#; rest 3 min

Notes:
Runs felt good. Legs were a little tight.

A1. 85, 95, 105, 105, 115
85# and 95# felt good. 105# felt good, but reps 4 and 5 were tough. 115# only got 4 reps.
Clovis corrected my form which helped. Remember to keep elbows under the bar.
A2. Reps 1-10 felt good each round, but 11-20 were tough. Forearms were cramping and grip wasn't very good after rep 10. I had to concentrate and try very hard to make sure the bell was directly overhead. I flipped it over my head on rep 17 of one round and rep 16 of another. Very winded when I finished. I need to work on these.

January 9, 2012

This week starts the first week of my personal programming with Mike. I'm really excited to start this and hopefully improve on some of my weaknesses!

Warm up:
row 5 min @ Z1
hip mobility 5-10 minutes

WOD:
A1. Front Squat @13x1; 5x5; rest 10 sec (start at 95lb)
A2. False grip ring pullups; 5x5; rest 3 min
B. Step ups on 14" box; 3x8/leg; rest 1 min b/w legs (raise box height if possible)
C. HSPU; 3x max reps; rest 2 min (do max strict into kipping)

Row 10 min @Z1 focus on keeping heels planted on foot pedals, tall chest and smooth strokes

Notes:
A1. 95,95,105,115,115
These started off feeling awful. Having to come up after the 3 sec hold was difficult. On set 3 I really tried to push my knees out as soon as I started squatting. That seemed to help a lot.
A2. I did each of these as 3 unbroken, then 1 and 1. These felt ok. I was having trouble getting my chest all the way to the rings.
B. 16", 20", 20"
These felt good. Around rep 6 I would get tired, but not too terrible. I think these will really help not only with pistols, but with my squats, too.
C. 2 strict +6 kipping, 2+10, 2+6
My hspu have disappeared lately. I really need to work on getting these back to at least where they were.

January 6, 2012

"Elizabeth"
21-15-9
Power Clean - 95#
Ring dips

Time: 8:10

This was about 40 seconds slower than the last time I did it, but I was crazy sore this time. The cleans weren't too bad. Mike told me to go all out on the first 21. I ended up doing them 11 and 10. Ring dips felt awful. I was doing 1, maybe 2 at a time. The set of 15 cleans weren't too bad. I did them in sets of 3s. Ring dips were the same. Got a few more 2s in there. Set of 9 cleans went 4-3-2. Last set of ring dips felt awful. Very slow moving and hard to lock out at the top. Despite the slow ring dips I felt like it was a decent time. Hopefully a rest day tomorrow will help with all of this soreness.

January 5, 2012

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
DU
situps

Time: 6:54*

*PR by about 50sec. The double unders didn't go very well. Tripped up on every round. Abs were sore, but got all the situps unbroken. Can't be unhappy with a PR.

January 4, 2012

"Nancy"
5 rounds
400m run
15 OHS, 65#

Time: 18:48

This was not a good time for me. I suffered a cramp in my side during the 3rd run. I had to stop/walk most of the 3rd and 4th run. The OHS felt great despite being as sore as I was. I did all 5 rounds of OHS unbroken. I think the hip stretches Mike has me doing are really helping.

January 3, 2012

"Randy"

75 Power Snatches, 55#

Time 6:06
I was very sore and tired from Monday's workout, but I felt ok with my performance. I'm pretty sure I broke it up into 15, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5. Breathing was hard due to the cold and the dust from the construction. I feel like this was a decent time for my first attempt at this WOD, but I think next time will go better.  

January 2, 2012

"Angie"
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 air squats

Time: 21:44 (PR by almost a minute)

This WOD started off terribly. The last time I did "Angie" (which was exactly 1 year ago) I finished my pullups in under 8 minutes. This time my forearms cramped up and I was doing 1 pullup at a time for about the last 40. I just couldn't hold my grip. It took me about 9:30 to finish the pullups. At this point I figured I wouldn't come close to my time from last year. As I approached the pushups my forearms were cramping so bad that I couldn't get my hands into the pushup position. I somehow got my hands on the floor and powered through the pushups. The situps weren't too bad. Starting off the air squats weren't too bad, but then my hips did what they do best...started hurting like crazy. Once you get to the squats you just have to keep telling yourself, "I'm almost done, I'm almost done..." I had made a point not to look at the clock after I got done with the pullups. As I fell on the floor after my last squat and looked up at the clock, I couldn't believe it...21:44 beating my last time of 22:37. I'm hoping to do this one again in about 6 months and maybe I won't be full of Christmas/NY carbs.

Starting 2012 off with a Bang!

Well, I got out of the habit of posting my Crossfit workouts or even writing them down in my book. This isn't really a New Years resolution, but I'm going to try and do better this year with keeping up with my performance. I know I get frustrated with myself so easily, but when I look back to where I started I can't believe the progress that I've made. I look forward to 2012 holding many accomplishments, competitions and PR's. 3...2...1...GO!