12 Days of Christmas

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Coach Amy

(9AM) Gymnastics about 12 of us including Rich, Andrew, Kat and me

Warm Up

100 single under skips, 25 double under attempts, walking lunges, walking reverse lunges, crab walk backwards, crab walk forwards, bear crawl hopping feet, leg swings forward/back and side/side then set up for WOD.

WOD

1 Rope climb (14 foot rope)
2 High box jumps (24" box)
3 GHD (ab mat sit ups)
4 Toes to bar (kipping leg raises)
5 Hollow rock
6 Pull up
7 Ring dip (Parallel bar dip)
8 Knee to elbow (kipping knee raises)
9 Push ups
10 Pistols (to 16" + 45# plate)
11 Foot Handstand walk (wall walk up and hold)
12 Muscle ups (low transitions)

Even with the extensive scaling, this was still a brutal workout that I finished in 39:48.  Rich finished in 25:00 using a weighted vest for a large portion of the workout.  He was also jumping to a 44" box!

Overall it ends up being 12 rope climbs, 22 box jumps, 30 sit ups, 36 toes to bar, 40 hollow rocks, 42 pull ups, 42 dips, 40 knees to elbow, 36 push ups, 30 pistols, 2 handstand holds, and 12 muscle up transitions.  I gave all of them a solid effort except for the muscle up transitions.

Mobility - Finished with banded shoulders and foam roller on back.

Squat Snatch

Wednesday, December 24, 2015

Coach Jeremy

(11:30 AM) at the Deuce, 5 of us including Doreen and Me

Warm Up

Banded Hip Crease in squat stance bent forward and in staggered stance with lead leg in band and reaching for toes.  Relax to let the band do the work.

Then leg swings forward back and left right.  Lunge with PVC overhead and pass through from overhead to butt.

Long time with PVC starting in OH Squat position and then working up from ground knees back, pass over knee, bring to hip crease, keep the bar close, flip wrists over and get in bottom of squat, set bar and push knees out and contract glutes to get the bar moving.  We probably did 10 from ground to above knee, 10 to hip crease, 10 shrugs, 10 high pulls, 10 dropping into quarter squat, 10 dropping into half squat and 10 dropping into full squat.

We spent a lot of time assessing our position with the bar overhead.  Elbows pointed down, torque generated from stacking shoulders onto back muscles.  It was kind of squeezing shoulders together, but not exactly.  This was easier to wrap my head around by holding the PVC with an open palm.  With the elbows locked, your back should be supporting the weight.

WOD

Snatch

Find your 1 rep max.

Spend 20-30 min working on the squat snatch, or power snatch + OHS

This was a great workout.  We were encourages to spend 15 minutes really getting dialed in at 60% of expected 1RM and then moving up EMOM.  I should have taken this to heart as I went up quickly and had to back down.  I started at 35#, then went up to 55#, 65# and 70#.  Struggling at 70#, I dropped back down to 55# and got dialed in and then went on to 65#, 70# and 75# for a PR!

then

30 Squat snatch for time
Use around 60% of 1RM.
The goal time is between 4-7 min to complete

This was decidedly less great.  I used the 35# bar with training plates for 45#.  The first 10 were OK, but I still did a couple of power snatch and OHS.  Even at 45#, the OHS felt pretty lousy.  Dropping into a squat and then standing up felt decidedly better.  Then I started breaking down into 3's and 2's.  The last 10 were singles, but I felt a lot better, walking for 3 seconds and then setting for the bar again.  I finished in 7:14

Mobility - Finished with couch stretch, squat against wall and flared legs against wall.

Back Squat

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Coach Patrick

(11AM) about 12 of us including Daryl, Naige, Mandy, Erika, Britt, Dan, and me

Warm Up

600m Row followed by 30 yard banded monster walk, 20 Cossack Squats, 30 yard banded monster walk, 20 Cossack Squats, 10 Back Squats (45#), 30 yard banded monster walk, 10 Back Squats (45#), and 10 Back Squats (65#)

WOD

OTM x 12min:
3 Back squats to a parallel or just above box

I worked out with Dan.  I used 135# for the first 9 rounds and then bumped it up to 155# for the last 3 rounds.  We used a 20" box and I started to get pretty comfortable powering up from my glutes and hamstrings while keeping my core tight.

then

5 Rounds:
:30 KB swings
:30 rest
:30 Abmat situps
:30 rest

This was pretty reasonable.  We were banded at the hips and I used a 44# kb.  I got a total of 146 reps for the 5 rounds.

then

Kettlebell farmers carry:
3x 3:00 sets for max load and distance

I partnered with Dan for this, but rather than be concerned with time we both went the length of the rig and back (~60 yards) 5 times.  I rested while he walked, and vice-versa.  We used 70# kb or 140# total.  I felt pretty good about my form on this.

Power Snatch

Friday, December 18, 2015

Coach Ben

(11AM) Dan, Erik, Blair, Anke, a few others and me

Warm Up

500m ski erg followed by 3 rounds of pull-up progression (5 kip swings, kip higher, strict pullups), 10 push ups, 15 air squats.  I did about 75-80%.  Then pass throughs, muscle snatch, snatch to 2" drop, snatch to 4" drop, snatch to just above knee crease.  Sots press down  (all with PVC)

WOD

In teams of 2 for max rounds and reps:
AMRAP 25:
30 Power snatch
30 Wall balls, 20/14 to 10/9′
30 Burpees

Dan, Erik and I partnered together but still treated it as a single partner workout.  I used 65# for the snatches and a 14# wall ball.  We broke it down into 15 reps and then switched.  As a team we got 3 rounds + 30 reps.  Which means I did 60 power snatches, 45 wall balls and 45 burpees.

Mobility - Finished with wall squat, banded shoulders, and couch stretch.

Overhead Squat

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) just me

Warm Up

Rowed for a little bit then warmed up for lifting.  Pass throughs, good mornings, shrugs, high pulls and a few other motions

Workout

Focused on overhead squat, getting in good position and moving precisely.  Started with PVC, 15# training barbell, 25#, 35#, 45#, 55# and finally 65# (30kg).

I am hitting a sticking point where I have a tendency to round my back and force a butt wink to keep the weight stacked overhead.  Right arm is still tending to collapse, unless I focus on really rotating my shoulders to develop torque.

Finished with some back squat and front squat.  Have similar range of motion issues, but they are not as obvious.  Coach Meriah suggested mobility work for low back and hamstrings.  She also suggested squatting against the wall and really earning it by staying in the tough spots and trying to push through them.

Mobility - Did a light "Lokte" session on calves.  With test retest, got an extra inch of flexion towards the wall before heel starts to lift.  Really impressive.

Mobility Archetypes

Overhead:  thumbs back, elbows locked out, ears visible, spine neutral

Common Faults - elbows flared out, shoulder rolled forward, lumbar overextension

Press:  shoulders back, elbows behind body, spine neutral, elbows and wrist aligned

Common Faults - shoulders rolled forward, elbows flared out

Hang:  shoulders neutral, elbows at chest level, wrists behind torso

Common Faults - shoulders rolled forward, wrists in front of body

Front Rack:  palms up, elbows at shoulder level, shoulders neutral and externally rotated

Common Faults - palms down, shoulders forward, elbows flared out

Front Rack 2:  palms up, elbows at shoulder level

Common Faults - shoulders forward, elbows flared out

Squat:  head and shoulders neutral, spine neutral, hips below knee crease, knees out, feet neutral

Common Faults - head up, shoulders forward, lumbar overextenstion, hips above knee crease, knees forward (no torque), ankles collapsed

Squat 2:  back flat, head neutral, shoulders neutral, shins vertical

Common Faults - back rounded, head up, shoulders rounded forward

Pistol:  knee neutral, ankle stable, upper back neutral (I could not even get into this position)

Common Faults - knee positioned inside the ankle, ankle collapsed, heel off the ground

Cleans

Monday, December 14, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Steve C, Steve, B, Bill, Tom, Ben, Mary, Blair, Dan, a couple of others and me

Warm Up

800m Row, 150m Ski Erg, 200m jog followed by leg swings (forward/back & side/side), butt busters, and deep squats.

Technique

With 45# bar, Good Mornings, Back Squat with hands behind head, Strict Press Overhead, Hang Muscle Clean, Clean to 25% squat, Clean to 50% squat, Clean to Full Squat with and without pause at knee.

Workout of the Day

For time (25 min cap):
2 Rounds of Cindy
15 Squat cleans
2 Rounds of Cindy
15 Push press
2 Rounds of Cindy
15 Power cleans
2 Rounds of Cindy
15 Front squats

L3+ – 185/125 lb. If you can do 20/15+ rounds of the benchmark, do 3 rounds.
L3 – Use 155/95 lb.
L2 – Use 115/75 lb.
L1 – Use 95/65 lb.

I used 75# for the workout.  1 round of Cindy is 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats.  The first 3 rounds I did pull-ups, but felt my left biceps tighten on the first rep of round 4 and switched to Ring Rows.  My push-ups and air squats were on point.  I did break down the sets pretty quickly (3-3-2-2 for push-ups and 5-5-5 for air squats).

Getting position for the lifting was much harder (even at L1-) due to fatigue).  I had a hard time setting and maintaining my shoulders and I bled off energy for the squat cleans and power cleans.  The push press kept turning into a push jerk.  Also on the power cleans, I was not dropping down at all, instead driving my hips forward.  The front squats were pretty good.  Overall I finished in 25:42, above the time cap, but pretty close.

Mobility - finished with biceps/pectoral stretches, runner's lunge,  and pigeon

My biceps continues to feel tight, but being a small muscle, I hope it heals quickly

Gymnastics - Annie

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Coach Amy

(9AM) about 10 of us including Anke, Andrew, Garet, Brian, Kendra and me

Warm Up

700m mix of Row and Ski Erg followed by floor stretches for shoulders and hamstrings

Strength/Skill:

5×5 Tempo ball-up (5 seconds up 5 seconds down)
5×4 Ring pull up negative
5×4 1 minute handstand holds
General Gymnastics Skills - USGA Level 1 demos of Rings/Floor

I had a tough time with the ball-ups.  Even with a spot, I was lowering really quick.  The ring pull ups were a little better.  I got through 3 of the 5 rounds.  With the 1 minute handstand holds, I was pretty far from the wall, but still struggled to hold 60, 45, 30 and 15 seconds.

Rings Level 1 skills were hang, pull up, 3 swings, tuck, straighten legs, skin the cat and drop.  I got into the tuck, but would could not straighten my legs.

Floor Level 1 skills were forward roll, backwards roll, cartwheel, split jump, and 3/4 handstand.  I could do the forward roll and that was about it.  My split jump came nowhere near 30 degrees.

Gymnastics Wod of the Day:

Annie:

50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders
Sit-ups

This WOD did not play to my strengths.  I did single unders 100-80-60-40-20 and half sit-ups 25-20-15-10-5 and it still took me 7:07.  I tried using a beaded rope and a speed rope and neither one was getting me there.

Mobility - Finished with wall squat, banded hamstring and banded wrist distraction

Deadlift

Friday, December 11, 2015

Coach Ben

(11AM) around 10 of us including Steve B, Britt, Ericka and me

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back followed by 3 rounds of 10 banded Good Mornings, 10 Push-ups, and 10 box jumps (12”).  Round 1, jump to box, round 2, jump high and land soft, round 3, lateral jumps.

WOD

Do two rounds of deadlifts at reps of 5-4-3-2-1.  The first round will be easier.  Then, the second time you go through, make them a bit harder.  Get it done in the 20 minutes.

Round 1:  135#, 185#, 205#, 225#, 235#

Round 2:  155#, 195#, 215#, 235#, 255# (PR!)

I spent a lot of time thinking about form, getting a neutral spine and developing torque before starting the lift.  Ben pointed out that raising my hips was throwing off my spinal alignment and suggested bending my knees more to stay aligned.  Also on the return, it is important to keep the bar close when resetting.

then

2 Rounds for time:  30 Sumo Deadlift High Pull, 20 Chest to bar pull-ups, 10 Burpees.  L3 – 95/65, L2 – 75/55.

For a short intense workout, this delivered.  I used 75# for the SDHP, jumping C2B, and burpees as described.  It took me 11:08, higher than the 10 minute ballpark, but not bad.  First round got done in 5 minutes, the second round was slower.

My shoulder felt fine through the workout, warming up, it felt worse, specifically on forward and reverse arm circles.

Mobility – Squat against wall (2 minutes), fist against wall rotate torso (30 seconds each side), banded shoulder, hooking band around elbow and leaning forward (2 minutes each side)

Becoming a Supple Leopard

I have really been enjoying Dr. Kelly Starrett's Becoming a Supple Leopard.  I have been involved in CrossFit for about 6 months and want to get better.  I felt like my limited mobility was contributing to my slow improvement and tendency towards injury.  In the past 4 months I have tweaked my groin, low back and most recently shoulder.

I carefully read through Principles & Theory and Movement Categories.  Starrett's presentation of the material was excellent.  Although I have heard "bend the bar" or "screw your feet into the ground," I had trouble internalizing the cues.  Further although I know that rounding or arching your back is a bad thing, I never had a "formula" for midline stabilization.

Most importantly, I have a better idea of the hierarchy of movements.  An air squat is a category 1 movement during which I start and end in the same position.  A wall ball is a category 2 movement which starts as a squat and then includes a push press.  A clean is a category 3 movement as it incorporates multiple archetypes and the athlete is disconnected from the ground.  If during my air squat my hips do not go below my knee crease, I will struggle even more with category 2 & 3 movements.

I flipped through Mobilization Techniques and Mobility Prescription much quicker.  As of yesterday, I started my mobility program with 4 minutes of couch stretch, 2 minutes of thoracic mobility, and 4 minutes of anterior shoulder mobility.  I will spend 10-15 minutes per day on mobility.

I want to continue my training specific reading with Rippetoe's Starting Strength and am also considering Paoli's Free+Style.

My long term goals to execute a Cartwheel, Snatch and Clean & Jerk still remain, but I have added the baby steps of improving mobility to get into the 7 archetypes and then work through categories of movement.  I must check my ego at the door and remember the tenants of position, then movement, then speed, then load.

Bench Press

Monday, December 7, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) 15 of us including Steve C, Steve B, Bill, Tom, Charlie, Elian, Ben, Mandy, and me

Warm Up

Run out to the fence and back.  At 200 yards do 10 squats, at 400 yards do 10 lunges, at fence do 10 squats, at 400 do 10 lunges, and at 200 do 10 squats.

Then warm up with kip progression, inch worm progression and lunges.  Between 5-10 reps each round for 3 rounds.

Workout of the Day

OTM x 10 minutes: 3 Bench press.
Keep the same weight across.
Use 60-70% and push the bar fast.

I worked out with Steve B and Julien.  We started at 95#, but Pat inched up up to 125# by the third minute.  Around minute 7, I felt my right shoulder start to go, but I finished the workout reducing my speed for the last 3 rounds.

then

AMRAP 20:
Row 200
10 Kipping HSPU
12 Toes to bar
30 Double unders

As it was a full class, I used the ski erg for the first 2 rounds.  Instead of Kipping HSPU, I did attempts to stand for the first 4 rounds and then a walk up hold for the last round.  On toes to bar, I worked on a smooth kip which ended up being knee raises.  Instead of double unders, I did 50 single unders plus 10 double under attempts per round.

I finished with 4 + 2 rounds (the 2 being the 200m row and a handstand hold).

Finished with some banded shoulder stretching and ice when getting back to my desk.

Shoulder feels more thrown out than pulled, strained, etc.  I iced it Monday and took an Advil.  Little improved I did not work out Tuesday and followed the same regimen.  Somewhat improved, I am planning on running today.  Pain is most evident doing a lateral raise between 15 and 30 degrees.  It also occurs during the lowering phase of a lateral raise.

I had the chiropractor look at my shoulder on Wednesday and he did not suspect rotator cuff involvement.  Most likely a deltoid sprain.

Gymnastics

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Coach Amy

(11AM) Ben, Rich, Andrew, Emily and me

Warm Up

Follow the leader - Straight legged bear crawl, Ski Erg, Toe drag into roll, Forward rolls, Toe drag on box, Cartwheels, shuffling in both directions, butt kicks, stretch hamstrings, rolling onto back touch toes behind you, etc.

Strength/Skill

5x max handstand hold - I worked on kick up into a handstand.  I got up twice, once really good.

10 Rounds of headstand lower into straddle, toe drag on box, toe drag into a forward roll.  I did 5 or 6 rounds. but unfortunately on the last roll I came down awkwardly on my neck.

Gymnastics Workout of the Day

12 Minute AMRAP
250m Row
20 Ring Dip (alternate strict/kipping)
20′ HS Walk
20 Tuck ups

I rowed the first round and ski erg'd the next two rounds.  I used the purple band for ring dips.  I did 20' Bear Crawls.  Finally I did the tuck ups as prescribed.  I finished with 2 + 3 rounds, which I felt really good about.

Stretched arms a little bit, foam rolled back and neck, and was in child's pose for a little bit.

Clean Complex

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11 AM) Dan, Britt, Amy, Ashley and me

Warm Up

800m Row followed by 3 rounds of 5 deadlifts, 5 hang muscle clean, 5 front squat, and 5 bent over row with 45# bar.  Between rounds stretch for mobility.  I did hamstrings and shoulders with a band.

WOD

20 minutes to work up to a heavy complex of 1 Power Clean, 2 Hang Power Clean and 2 Front Squats.

I liked this workout.  After we dialed in the motions at 65#, I went up to 95#, 115#, 125# and my goal weight of 135#.  I was feeling pretty strong so I went for 145# and got it, but my form fell off and I was pulling more than driving the weight up.  I tried a couple of more times at 145#, but was missing on hang power cleans.  I dropped to 95# so that I could end on a successful lift.

then

4 Rounds of 15 partner assisted eccentric hamstring curls and 15 flag raises.

We had about 10 minutes for this and obviously did not do the full workout.  I did two rounds of 8 and 5 reps of hamstring curls.  For the flag raises, we started with progression moves.  I could not do the planche, which were done with hands rotated backwards and balancing your body horizontally.  It was recommended to check out Coach Carl Paoli’s gymnastics wod progressions.  I did manage the candlestick lowers while holding onto a rig.  I did two rounds of 3 reps. 

We were shown the rig for the flag raises and instructed to open the pushing shoulder (typically the lower shoulder) and pull with the upper arm to straighten torso.  None of us had any success.

Filthy Fifty

Thursday, December 2, 2015

Coach Emily (shadowing Pat)

(4PM) about 15 of us including Steve, Chris and me

Warm Up

3 Rounds of 10 Air Squats, 10 kip swings, 10 kb swings (25#), 10 leg sit ups, and 30 single unders

Workout of the Day

“Filthy Fifty”

For Time:
50 Box Jumps 24/20″” with step downs
50 Jumping Pull-ups
50 Kettlebell Swings, 35/25 lb.
50 Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Presses, 45/35#
50 Hip Extensions
50 Wallball Shots, 20/14# to 10/9′
50 Burpees
50 Double-Unders

I was 100%  expecting this to be scaled to 30 reps per movement or even 25 reps per movement.  You can imagine my surprise when it was not.  I finished in 37:15 reducing the weight whenever possible.

I did the box jumps to 20" and finished in just under 4 minutes.  The jumping pull ups were done Rx.  For the kb swings I used 25#, Emily pointed out that the end spot should be directly overhead.  The lunges were Rx.  For the knees to elbows, I really managed kipping knee raises.  On the push presses I used 35#.  For the hip extensions, I did Good Mornings with a 35# bar.  These were the only two exercises where I could have gone heavier.  I did the wall ball shots with 14# and even breaking them up into 5's, my torso started to collapse.  Several were short of 10 feet as well.  The burpees were absolutely brutal and took me over 6 minutes to get through (with Emily counting down the last 6 reps as I was the last man standing).  As I did not have double unders, I did not protest an iota when she suggested I do 75 single unders.  Even with singles, I was missing roughly every 20 reps.

This was a true grinder, but did boost my confidence for future wods.  I was amazed people were finishing in under 25 minutes.

Finishing with mobility, I squatted against the wall, flared legs, did some banded shoulder stretches and finally used the foam roller on my back.

Front Squat

Monday, November 30, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) 12 of us including Cookie, Charlie, Tom, Bob, Dan, Steve C, and me

Warm Up

~750m Row followed by 4 rounds of Plank Hold, Superman, Hold at Bottom of Squat (20 seconds work/ 10 seconds rest)

WOD

20 min:

Front squat to a box (box set to parallel with normal foot stance). Work up to several heavy singles.

Dan and I worked out together warming up with 45#, 95#, 115# and 135# before heavy singles at 155#, 165# and finally 175#.  Pat pointed out to reach back more with butt and keep shins vertical.

then

AMRAP 12, alternating each exercise with a partner:

7 Deadlift

7 Hang power clean

7 Front squat

L3 – 135/95

L2 – 115/75

L1 – 95/65

Dan and I partnered up and he talked me up to L2.  He started with deadlifts, then I did the hang power cleans, then he did front squats, then I did deadlifts.  We completed 3 + 28 rounds with me finishing with deadlifts.  This was a tough workout and my form was really off for the hang power cleans.  Ben gave me the best tip of pushing my butt towards the back wall when receiving the clean in a quarter squat.  That got my back more upright instead of hyperextending with my hips forward.

The Ghost

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Coach ??

(11AM) 7 of us including Steve B, Stacey, Tom and me

Warm Up

3 Rounds with a beaded rope
20 Side Straddles
20 Forward Straddles
20 Skier
20 2 jumps on the foot alternating

WOD

“The Ghost”
6 rounds of:
1 minute of rowing (for calories)
1 minute of burpees
1 minute of double-unders
1 minute rest

Try for as many reps as possible of EACH exercise, not just total score. Post separate totals of calories rowed, burpee reps and double-under reps completed to comments.

I was pretty balanced on this workout, but my scores didn't weren't very impressive.  On the row I managed 13+14+15+14+14+13 = 83 calories.  Going into the burpees was tough after the arms are spent and I managed 10+10+8+8+8+9 = 53 burpees.  Then the double unders were even worse, I could rarely string two together and counting double under attempts, I had 16+12+16+13+11+12 = 80.

Gymnastics

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Coach Amy

(9AM) 10 of us including, Matt, Matt, Kat, Steve C, and me

Warm Up

4 Rounds of walk up massage room stairs, run normal stairs, and 10 reps of ATYT, rows, y's or rounds

Then leg swings in two planes, when rotating make sure to point toe up.  Then with lacrosse ball massage foot, top of quadriceps, and glute one minute each place, each side.  With band, flex glute, then quadriceps, then pull foot forward with band and pause before lowering

Strength/Skill

4 rounds with a partner do hamstring push-ups, pike sit-ups, bar ice cream makers and strict toes to bar.  I partnered with Steve C and instead of doing 5-10 of each motion, we did 3-5 of each.

Gymnastics Workout of the Day

12 Minute AMRAP:
10 Candlestick Handstand Push-up
10 Pike Heel (Hell) Taps
10 Candlestick Jumps
10 Jumping Lunges

I did Candlestick to Handstand attempt against wall or Headstand.  On the Pike Heel taps, my shoulders were pretty far back.  I did well on the Candlestick jumps but used a folded over mat.  I could do the jumping lunges properly.  I completed 2 + 1 rounds.

Clean from Blocks

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Coach Meriah

(9AM) Emily, Samantha, Matt, Anke and me

Warm Up

On your own, I did some arm circles and "Burgener" style warm up with PVC.

Clean from Blocks

Set up the blocks and with plates, bar should be low on thighs ready for the second pull.  I did a few sets at 40kg and then starting adding weight.  Drive from legs and direct bar up as you drop into a squat and then lift to standing (no jerk).

I went from 40kg to 45kg, 50kg, 55kg, 58kg and finally 60kg.  I felt pretty good and as soon as I stopped pulling with my arms and instead focused on my legs and a jump it became significantly easier.  Meriah was kind enough to send some video from one of my attempts.  I need to work on bringing my elbows around, dropping faster and relaxing my hook grip sooner as I get under.  Matt put up 120kg today.

Spent about 30 minutes on this and cooled off with squat against wall and flared legs against wall.

CrossFit

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Tom, Steve B, Tim, Michael, a couple of others and me

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back.  Then 3 rounds of a lap around the rig 5 ring rows, 5 burpees, 5 inch worms with dive bomber, 5 kips/leg raises and 10 Overhead squats with PVC.  We changed it up a little bit by shuffling around the rig.  I cut the reps short on nearly all of the rounds and still felt warm and ready to go for the workout.

WOD

For time 400m Run, 50 Pull ups, 400m Run, 50 Push-ups, 400m Run, 50 Sit-ups, 400m Run, 50 Air Squats.

I scaled this workout to 35 reps and finished in 18:22.  My first run was under 1:50, my last run was on the order of 2:30.  The pull ups were the toughest and took nearly four minutes.  I did 4 then 2, 2, 2, and then quickly went to singles.  Meriah tried to improve my form to focus on a kip from shoulders and engaging lats when “weightless.”  I was wildly swinging my legs and not maintaining a good hollow body.  For the push-ups I did sets of 5 to 20 and then sets of 3 to 32, before going 2 reps and 1 final rep.  I did the sit-ups in 3 sets and the air squats in 2 sets.

Finished with mobility – couch stretch.

Back Squat

Monday, November 23, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) 7 of us including Charlie, Daryl, Steve B and me

Warm Up

Run to the fence, 20 air squats, run back.  Then 3 rounds of 10 goblet squats, 10 RKBS, 10 one-legged deadlift, followed by jog down and back, shuffle/swing arms down and back, jog backwards, high knees back, butt kickers down, singing in the rain back.

WOD

20 minutes to work up to 3 heavy 5 rep back squats.

I started with the bar, went to 95#, 135# and then did my first heavy set at 155#.  I went up again to 165#, but was not getting low enough.  I did another set at 165# trying to get lower, but Meriah confirmed I need to get 1-2 inches lower.

then

Workout from 2015 Turkey Challenge – 21 calorie row, 3 eleven foot rope climbs, 15 cal row, 2 rope climbs, 9 cal row, 1 rope climb and finish with 20 box jumps (24”/20”).  The pros were finishing in 4 minutes using ski ergs instead of a rower.

It took me 8:03, but I paced well and felt comfortable through the entire workout.  I opted for a 20” box and am glad that I did.  My back felt fine throughout the whole workout.  I tried to do a legless rope climb, but did not get very far.

Finished with mobility, squat against wall and flared legs.

Lower Back Pain

From Friday November 6 to Thursday November 12 I went to CrossFit 7 days in a row and was understandably feeling a little beat down.  I took Friday off and then went for swim Saturday morning.  I felt some lingering tightness, but nothing horrible so I did some strength work on Saturday as well.  On Sunday, I did the gymnastics WOD and it crushed me.  I was working on kipping pull-ups and the explosive nature combined with fatigue forced me to really scale back the last 5 minutes of “Mary”

The net-net is that my back felt pretty bad.  Sunday, I did the usual foam rolling, vibration massage and stretching with no relief.  I took a Vicoden and was still up periodically through the night.

Monday morning I popped a 325mg Tylenol and another 500mg around 9:00 AM and the pain subsided significantly.  I took another 500mg around 2:00 PM and then left work early to get some professional help.

I went by The Joint in Arvada and was warmly greeted by Dr. Sean and his receptionist Sierra.  After filling out a lot of paperwork, providing an oral history and an evaluation, Dr. Sean went to work.  He treated two spots in my middle and upper back and then worked L5 in two directions.  His post assessment showed that my pelvis was more evened out and that I should come back on Wednesday.

That night I took 325mg of Tylenol which was pretty useless, but I supplemented that with a heat pad on my lower back which felt really good.

Tuesday morning felt as bad as Monday morning so I took 650mg of Tylenol which really kicked in around 10:00 AM.  Hopefully rest and stretching continues to help.  I intend to go to my appointment on Wednesday and can hopefully return to training on Friday.

After Wednesday’s session, the majority of the left lower back pain resolved, but the center of my back was now experiencing point tenderness that I had not previously noted.  I tolerated it the best I could and visited the chiropractor on Friday.  He did some adjustments but avoided L4 (where the point tenderness was isolated to).  He recommended no more heat and to ice it to reduce inflammation.

Starting Friday night I used ice and an Advil and my back felt substantially better.  It was pretty good on Saturday and I took another Advil Saturday night prophylactically.  This seemed to do the trick.  I ended up going to yoga Sunday morning without issue.  

Mary

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Coach Amy

(9AM Gymnastics) – about 12 of us including Andrew, Ben, Randy, Kat, several judges, and me

Warm Up

400m Run followed by shoulder circles, rolling shoulders forwards and backwards, rolling wrists, lightly stretching neck, series on gymnastics mat including straight leg bear crawl, forward crab, reverse crab, seals, cartwheels, 1 armed cartwheel, forward rolls, forward roll into a pistol.  I did pretty good on this except for cartwheels.  After a shoulder roll, Coach Amy explained the forward roll:  Start with arms above head, touching ears, squat down very low, place hands on mat in front of you, place head on mat in front of you, keep chin tucked and push off.  I did my first ever forward roll!!

4 rounds of 30 second handstand holds facing the wall.  I did not get very close to the wall, but got closer than usual (~3 feet away).  I was able to hold 30 seconds for the first two.  On the last two, I managed about 20 seconds.

Squat warm up, regular, narrow stance, wide stance.  Pistol warm up by holding leg out.  Kips on pull up bar.

Handstand Push-up Ladder starting going from 3 abmats, 2 abmats, 1 abmat, flat, 45# plates deficit, 8” box deficit, 12” box deficit.  I successfully kicked up, but did not hold very well on the first station before getting in line.

WOD

“Mary” – 20 Minute AMRAP of 5 Handstand push-ups, 10 Pistols (alternating legs), 15 pullups. 

The last time, I did Mary was on August 21^st with Coach Rich (5 + 29).  That time I did headstand holds, pistols to 20” box and pull-ups.  This time I opted for handstand holds and with fatigue that turned into attempts to get into handstand position.  This time, I only managed 5 + 2, but my quality of movement was much better.  Amy explained a little about kipping pull-ups and was emphasizing the extension after bending your knees to explode over the bar.

She told me to work on kick-ups at home by getting low, going forward about a foot further than your instinctive aim point and lifting one foot off the ground as vertical as possible and only lifting the second foot off the ground a few inches.

I cooled down with some banded shoulder stretches and foam rolling.

MBS Strength - Clean, Front Squat, Jerk

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Coach Meriah

(9AM Strength) – about 8 of us including Anke and me

Warm Up

Self designed, I did some Burgener style stuff with shoulder shrugs and high elbows and then went through a clean sequence with an empty barbell

Workout

Clean-Front Squat-Split Jerk, work up to heavy.  I did two sets at 40kg, 45kg, 50kg and finally 3 sets at 60kg.  This took about 30 minutes.  I felt pretty good about the sequence, even though I wasn’t going very heavy.  I need to focus on really punching down during the jerk.

Snatch Lift off:  Starting in a snatch grip raise bar to about knee level focusing on shoulders back, neutral back.  I felt pretty good about this as well and Coach Meriah confirmed that I was not hyperextending my back.  I do 2 sets of 3 reps at 40kg and 2 sets of 3 reps at 50kg.  This took about 15 minutes.

Finished with mobility, squat against wall, flared legs against wall, foam roller on back.

Strength on Saturday is kind of loose.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, strength is slightly more formal with a recommended workout.  I am glad I checked it out and should try to attend more often.

Michael

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Bill, Tom, Dan, Ilian, Amy, Sam and me

Warm Up

Run or Row then EMOM for 10 min

Even – Jump Rope (singles, front/back, wide/narrow, 2/2 on one foot, crossovers)

Odd – 3 strict pull ups + 10 lunges (5 each leg)

Workout of the Day

“Michael”

3 rounds for time of:

Run 800 meters

50 Back Extensions

50 Sit-ups

In honor of Navy Lieutenant Michael McGreevy, 30, of Portville, NY, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28.With heavy hearts we offer our prayers and condolences to his wife, Laura, and 14-month-old daughter, Molly.  The price of freedom, and it’s worth, is found in Michael’s passing. The debt owed to Michael and his family can never be repaid but only honored by remembering Michael and remaining free.

This was a long workout that I made a point of just grinding through.  I did scale to 35 hip extensions and 35 sit-ups.  On the first round, I did good mornings with a 35# kb, but after that the GHD’s were free for hip extensions.  I finished in 26:21.

I finished with some child’s pose and foam rolling.  Despite reasonable form, the fatigue caused me to feel the hip extensions in my low back.

Three Wise Men

Veteran’s Day - Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Coach Pat

(11AM) – 15 of us including Ilian, Charlie, Tom, Bill, AJ, Mandy, Ericka (husband was a SEAL) and me

Warm Up

Run around rig several times, then shuffle around rig, then sweep around rig, high knees, butt kicks, quick high knees, Samson stretches, Samson twists, Squats, Bound into Squat, Inch worms, Lunges, maybe a few others.

Burgener warm up with PVC then 10 minutes to work up weights for the WOD

WOD

Three Wise Men Tribute WOD

“Jeremy”

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:

5 Hang Squat Snatch

10 Burpees Over the Barbell

Rest 2 minutes, and then…

“Ben”

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:

10 Power Cleans

20 Pull-Ups

Rest 2 minutes, and then…

“Beau”

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:

15 Box Jump-Overs

30 Wall Ball Shots

L3: 185/125 lbs, 24”/20”, 20/14 lbs

L2: 135/95 lbs, 24”/20”, 20/14 lbs

L1: 95/65 lbs, 24”/20” Step-Overs Allowed, 14/8 lbs

I used 65# for ”Jeremy” and completed 2 rounds in 4 minutes.  I could snatch the weight, but had poor range of motion on the overhead squat.

I used 95# for “Ben” and finished 1 + 8 rounds in 4 minutes.  After the first 5 pull-ups, I was doing them 1 at a time.

For “Beau” I used a 20” box and 14# wall ball.  I again got through 1 + 8 rounds in 4 minutes.

It was a good workout and a good way to recognize Veteran’s Day and the sacrifices of our military.

Finished with 500m cool down row and 2 minutes couch stretch each leg.  I did some foam rolling on my back as well.

Wall Balls

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11 AM) Tim K, Dan, Erika and me

Warm Up

Run 200m, 10 lunges, run 200m, 10 squats, run 200m 10 lunges, run 200m, 10 squats.  With band at top of quad pigeon pose center and turning torso out and in, with band at ankle move around, with band wrapped around hamstring move around doing air squats in between movements to get a feel for mobility.  Also did some banded shoulders and lats.

Technique

Wall ball shots using light (10#), medium (14#) and heavy (20#) wall balls try feet normal, wide, narrow and jumping.  Think about toes forward.  Other tips included trying to round arms/follow through and resting with ball on head or chest.  For speed try launching wall ball, cycling the squat and then catching the wall ball.  Work on virtuosity of movement!

WOD

4 Rounds for time: (15 min cap)

35 Wall balls, 20/14 lb. to 10/9′ target

15 Ball slams, 40/30 lb.

L3 – Rx

L2 – 30/20 lb. slam ball

L1 – 25/10 reps w/ modified weight

This was a deceptively tough WOD.  I used a 14# wall ball and 25# slam ball.  On the upside, I had very few no reps which I counted (not hitting the target or hitting the bottom of the target), however I did break them up into 7’s and 5’s.  The slam balls were better, but I broke those into 5’s as well.  I finished in 14:50, just below the time cap and felt really good about the effort.  My form was better on all of the motions, but my speed left a lot to be desired on the slam balls.

Mobility – finished with couch stretch and foam roller on back.

Deadlift

Monday, November 9, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) – Steve B, Bill, Tom, Dan, Charlie, Mark a couple of others and me

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back.  Then floor stretches.  Then 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest of plank walk ups, kettlebell swings (26#), Goblet Squats (26#).  2 rounds with rest, then 2 rounds no rest and then squats and hold squat at the bottom during rest.

WOD

15-20 min:  4-5 sets of 3-4 reps, working up to over your workout weight.  Do 4-5 pushups/dips between sets, finding a good movement for workout.

I started with 95# and then went to 135#, 185#, 205# and 205#.  I tried ring dips, push-ups and parallel bar dips between sets.

then

5 Rounds for time:  7 deadlift (275#), 10 dips, rest 60 seconds.  L2:  225#; L1:  185#.

We want this to move quickly through deadlifts and the upper body press. Scale the weight and dips to jumping to allow yourself to move ”unblocked” through the wod.

I used 185# and a mix of parallel bar dips and jumping bar dips for the workout.  The deadlifts went pretty smooth.  The dips were exhausting.  I went from 6 on the first round to 3 on the final round before switching to jumping.  I finished in 8:48.

Finished with mobility, flared legs against wall, squat against wall, rotate legs in each direction on the floor.

Rope Climbs

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Coach Amy

(9 AM) Kat, Ben, Andrew, Matt, a couple of others and me (7 total)

Warm Up

Sequence of loosening the wrists up, prayer position pointed up and down, triceps extensions with band to loosen up the elbows, hug yourself with palms pointed out, plank with wrists pointed forward.

Relay with KB at shoulders, 5 wall balls, 20 single unders, 2 rope jumps.

Strength

10 Rope Climbs.  These were supposed to be legless up and down, I used my legs and a Spanish Wrap

7 Pull-up Rope Holds.  Most folks were managing 10 plus seconds.  I was managing 3-4 seconds.

WOD

7 Min AMRAP of 20 double unders and 10 v-ups.  I counted double under attempts and did tucks instead of v's from the hollow body position.  I completed 3 + 12 which I was pretty pleased with.  Afterwards I played around with a speed rope and was able to string together 3 double unders.

Hero - Glen

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Coach Rich

(7:45 AM) about 8 of us including me

Warm Up

I got there about 7 minutes late and got in a half rope climb, downward dogs, push-ups pivoting into cobra, floor stretches.  Then we loosened up the shoulders with a barbell and did a light clean sequence.

Workout of the Day

“Glen”
For time:
135 pound Clean and jerk, 30 reps
Run 1 mile
15 foot Rope climb, 10 ascents
Run 1 mile
100 Burpees

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, 42, of Winchester, Massachusetts, assigned to a State Department security detail in Benghazi, Libya, died in an attack on a U.S. consulate on September 11, 2012. He is survived by his parents, Ben and Barbara, sister Katie, and brother Greg.

I did a few sets at 75# and decided to stay there.  The 30 Clean and jerks went pretty quick and I was done in about 4 minutes.  I did the first 10 straight through before breaking up the set.  The mile run was OK but slow.  The rope climbs were quickly exhausting.  I did 3 and then on the 4th only went up about 10 feet.  I did another 10 foot rope climb and decided to call it at 5 rope climbs.  The second mile run I was walking for stretches back up the hill.  I started the burpees in sets of 5 and quickly felt the strain.  I was committed to getting through 50 and finished in 46:18.  I was very impressed by how many people Rx'd the workout.

CrossFit Tabata

Friday, November 6, 2015

Coach Jeremy

MBS II (6AM) – Taylor, Chris, 3 others and me

Warm Up

5 rounds of 15 seconds on 10 seconds off of Russian KB Swings (12kg), Goblet Squats (12kg), Kip Practice, Ring Rows

WOD

“Tabata This” – Air Squats, Row (for calories), Pull-ups, Sit-ups, Push-ups.  Tabata intervals are 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times.  Each exercise is scored by the weakest number of reps in each of the 8 intervals.  Rest 1 minute between rotating exercises.

I enjoyed this workout.  We did Air Squats to a med ball and I was able to get between 9 and 10 on all of the rounds (score=9).  Rowing was also pretty good and I got between 5-7 calories per 20 second work period (score=5).  Pull-ups were hard.  I started with 6, but quickly fell to 3 reps (score=3).  Sit-ups were OK.  I started strong at 9 and dropped to 7 by the middle rounds (score=7).  Push-ups were the worst.  I got 8 on the first round before quickly decaying to 3-4 per round (score=3).  Total = 9+5+3+7+3=27.

I did enjoy the body weight stuff and finished with banded shoulder stretches and squat against wall.

Deadlift

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Coach Meriah

MBS II (6AM) - Taylor, Chris, about 4 others and me

Warm Up

Run 100m, 10 air squats, Run 100m 10 walking lunges, Run 100m, 10 air squats, Run 100m, 10 walking lunges.  Tabata (20/10) with PVC Good Mornings, Overhead Press, Squat, Bent Over Row.  3 rounds.

WOD

7-7-7-7-7 Deadlift.  Work up to a 7 rep max.

I worked out with Taylor and after warming up with 95#, did my first set at 135#.  I then went up progressively to 155#, 185#, 205# and 225#.  I felt really good about 225#, but Taylor was still going up.  I tagged along at 245#, expecting to bail after 2-4 reps, but made it through 7.  Feeling spent, I did not grab the 265#.

I felt much better about my form and getting set with a neutral back.  Considering the last time I looked for a max deadlift, I only put up 235#, I felt even better about this effort.

We finished with mobility sitting on the floor with legs flared, overhead reach to 1 foot and then the other,folding toward one foot and then the other, figure 4 stretch and rotating both legs together in either direction.

Push Press

Monday, November 2, 2015

Coach Artu & Scott

(5:30 PM) NorCal CrossFit ~25 people

Warm Up

Shuffle 50m, Jog 50m, Jog Backwards 50m, Jog 50m, High Skip 25m, Jog 75m, Burpee Broad Jump 25m, Jog 25m, Sprint 25m, Jog 25m, Sprint 50m, Jog 50m.  With PVC stretch shoulders with PVC wrapped around behind triceps, grab with opposite hand and bring forward.  10 pass throughs.  Power Clean sequence with PVC bring to hip, high pull, clean, squat.

WOD

3-3-3 Push Press @ 85% of 1RM.

I worked out with Shohib and built up the weight from 45#, 75#, 95# and finally 115#.  I stayed at 115# for my second set and did 125# for my third set.  Lifting keys were to push from heals and engage quads to maintain bar over head.  It should be a push press rather than a push jerk.

then

10 min EMOM of 1 Power Clean, 2 Squats, 6 lunges alternating legs.

Rx was 155# (which Shohib was able to do).  I used 95# for my first two and then went up to 105#.  This felt really good and I was able to consistently finish in 20 seconds.  I possibly could have done 115#, but decided to take it easy.  I felt really confident with the neutral back stuff I have been reading in Kelly Starrett's book.

I finished with squat against wall and flared legs.  Before class started, I did some jump rope drills.

The staff is really friendly and the gym is huge.  They have two rigs, a huge open space, 15 rowers, a strength training area and a yoga room.  I got a Work & Sweat t-shirt that was on sale for $10.  I will be proud to wear it.

Handstands

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Coach Amy

(9 AM) - Ben, Rich, Steve C, a few others and me (8 of us)

Warm Up

Jump Rope:  50 singles, 50 right leg, 50 left leg, 50 singles.  Banded stretch of triceps, stretch wrists in all four directions.  Stretch fingers and thumb 1 by 1.

Push against wall in hollow position 20 seconds on 10 second.s off for 3 rounds.  Handstand hold against wall 30 seconds on 30 seconds off for 4 rounds.  Neutral back on gymnastics mats.  Neutral back while partner lifts your feet off the ground.  Pivot into a handstand position.  Hand further than you think you need to, arms close to ears, get very low.

WOD

8 min AMRAP;  1 muscle up, 1 box jump, 2 mu, 2bj, .. etc.

I did 1 pull-up, 1 ring dip and 1 box jump (24") and was able to get through the round of 3 before kipping and switching to parallel bars.

Working up the box, I did a 28" box jump and was really pleased with myself (12" + 8" + 8").  Rich was using a 48" box with a weighted vest for the workout.  I got 5 Rounds + 9 reps.  I did 3 box jumps on the last round.

To work up the box we did a few rounds of 3 transitions, 3 pull ups, 3 dips, and 1 box jump.

CrossFit

Friday, October 30, 2015

Coach Matt

(11AM) Ashley, DW, Bill, Tom, Dan, Clay, Ilian, and me

Warm Up

75m High Knees, 75m Butt Kicks, 150 shuffling, 75m skipping for height, 75m skipping for distance, then 3 rounds of 15 Slam Balls (25#), 6 Pushups alternating on Slam Ball, and 15 Slam Ball Front Squats

WOD

6 Rounds For time (25min cap) 9 Toes to Bar, 18 Burpees to 6” reach, 27 Wallball 20/14# @10/9’, L2:  KTE and lighter ball, L1:  6-12-18 Reps for 6 Rounds

This was another sufferfest workout similar to yesterday.  I did the L1 workout.  I was doing 6 leg raises in place of T2B and nearly getting KTE on several rounds.  I was preceding the first rep with a few kips.  The 12 burpees were really tough.  I quickly switched to 6+6 and by the last round it was 3+3+3+3.  The Wallballs were much better today.  I was making a point of setting myself in a neutral spine for the catch.  I still split up the 18 shots, but I felt like my form and accuracy were much better.  I still counted several under 10’.  I finished the 6 rounds in 24:41.

Mobility – Finished with banded shoulder stretches, squat on wall and flared legs on wall.

Wall Walk Ups

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Ashley, Sam, Mandy, Jeff and me

Warm Up

500m Row; then 3 Rounds of 40 seconds on 10 seconds off of Bear Crawl forward and backwards, Jump Rope, Candlestick to Pancake

WOD

EMOM 10:  Min 0-3:  30 sec wall holds  Min 4-9:  2-4 Strict HSPU with as much deficit as you can handle..increasing if you’d like.

During this session I focused on trying to kick up.  After crumbling a few times, Meriah supported my legs to get me in position.  I then tried diving in and stepping in and was able to get myself up very shakily.  The wrist wraps helped a lot.  I had more confidence and will hopefully be less sore.

then

For time:  20-2 Kipping HSPU, 2-20 Box Jumps (step downs) 24/20”, 150 meter KB farmers carry, 53/35+ in each hand.

We all started on the round of 14.  I did 1 wall walk up per 2 kipping HSPU, used a 20” box, and used 44# KB in each hand after the first couple of rounds.

7 WWU/8 BoxJ/35#

6 WWU/10 BoxJ/35#

5 WWU/12 BoxJ/44#

4 WWU/14BoxJ/44#

3 WWU/16 BoxJ/44#

2 WWU/18 BoxJ/44#

1 WWU/20 BoxJ/44#

This was still a really tough workout and my wall walk ups were really taxing my wrists and shoulders.  I was a far cry from parallel, but made a point of pressing my head through and stabilizing my midline.  The Box Jumps were OK, until 14 and then I started breaking them down.  The farmer carry was new to me and really reinforced everything I read in Starrett’s book on neutral spine.  I finished in 27:03

Bench Press

Coach Meriah

(12:15 PM) – About 10 of us

Warm Up

Sandbag (45#) run to the fence, 20 squats and run back.  Then 3 rounds of 20 lunges (10 each leg), 3 inch worm pushups and 10 hollow rocks.  First round was wide lunges, second round was backwards lunges and 5 inch worms, last round was jumping lunges and 7 inch worms.  I did not complete the last round.

WOD

Bench Press Every 2 minutes:  5-5-3-3-1-1-1-1-1.  Start the set of 5 around 60%, increase as needed, then go for a 1 Rep Max.

I worked out with Adam and started with 95#-115#-125#-135#.  Then for the 1 Reps I did 155#-185#-195#-failed at 205#-made 205#!

then

5 Sets not for time (NFT) but moving though:  5 Weighted Strict Dips, 10 Back Rack Lunges (5/side)  Rest 2-3 minutes after each round.

I did strict ring dips un-weighted.  I made the first two sets OK and then broke them down to maintain form.  My left shoulder felt crunchy but no pain.

For the back rack lunges I did 45#-45#-55#-55#-45#.  My right hamstring started to sing and my left groin was a little anxious.  Moving out to a wider lunge helped a lot.

Mobility – Finished with squat against wall, flared legs against wall, shoulder stretches with band.

Overhead Squats

Monday, October 26, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) – 7 guys (Steve B, Rusty, Ben, Charlie, Darryl, other guy and me), 1 girl (Sam)

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back (~500m) then 3 rounds of 7 Behind the Neck Snatch Grip Push Press, 7 Overhead Squat, 7 Hang Muscle Snatch, 7 Hang Power Snatch (35#) and 15 lateral jumps over bar.

WOD

EMOM 12 min of 1 Power Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats, increase as able

I continue to struggle with overhead squats and likely need to work on my mobility as they were nowhere near 90 degrees.  I did start at 55# and went up every other round to 55#, 60#, 60#, 65#, 65#, 70#, 70#, 75#, 75#, 80#, 80#, and a bonus round at 80#.  I wore lifting shoes for all of the rounds and wrist wraps for the last 3 rounds.

then

CrossFit Games Open Workout 11.1/14.1 Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:  30 Double-unders and 15 Power Snatches (75#/55#).  L3:  Rx, L2:  65/45# & half double-unders, L1:  Modified to get 6+ Rounds.

I modified to 30 single-unders + 5 double-under attempts per round and used 55# for the power snatches.  I only managed 4 rounds and was really working to finish off the power snatches in the final round.  Getting set it was important for me to keep my butt up higher and push the ground away to lift my back and butt as a unit.

Finished with mobility calf stretches and squat against wall.

Banded Deadlifts

Friday, October 23, 2015

Coach Jeremy

(6AM, MBS II) Brian and me

Warm Up

Using 2.5# plates, 3 rounds of 5 reps of Rows/Pushups, Reverse Fly/Situps, Pull Through/Air Squats, ATYT/Burpees.  I did not care for this warm up, but it did get my shoulders loose.

WOD

Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes, 3 Banded deadlifts, Use 50-60% of 3 rep max weight and focus on speed.  *No Dropping

I did this with 75# and felt pretty good about the effort.  My shoulders seemed to be slipping forward instead of keeping my shoulder blades pinched together.

then

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes:  10 Sumo Deadlift High Pull and 10 Ring Dips.  L3:  95#, L2: 75# and 5 ring dips, L1:  Modified to keep intensity.

I used 65# and only started breaking them up after 3 rounds.  The ring dips were another story.  I did 3 on the first round before switching to having my toes on the ground for the remaining rounds.  I managed 6 rounds + 6 SDHP.

Rope Climb – Double Unders

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Coach Stacey

(6AM, MBS II) – 5 of us, 2 girls, 3 guys

Warm Up

3 Rounds of Jump n Rope Drills - 20 straddle jumps, 20 front back, 20 skier, 20 twice on one foot then switch feet.  I could make a go at all of them, except front back.  Stacey suggested doing the drills without a rope and even trying double unders without a rope.  The hurdle is to separate hand movements from feet movement.  Once they are mentally separated, double unders will be much easier

WOD

15 minutes to practice rope climbs and drills.  Check out Carl Paoli’s Gymnastics WOD Rope Climbing Videos.  He offers tons of advice for various ways to climb the rope:  Russian wrap, Spanish wrap, Minimizing Rope Burn, How to come down quickly, Legless progressions and more!

I feel most comfortable with Spanish wrap, but did experiment with Russian wrap.

then

5 Rounds at the top of each minute, Min 1:  max rope climbs, Min 2:  max burpee box jump overs 24/20” (feet can touch box), Min 3:  max double unders, Min 4:  rest

This was a tough workout.  On the 5 rounds I scored 22 + 19 + 19 + 19 + 20 = 99.  I got 2 rope climbs on the first round and then 1 rope climb + modifications like half way up or raises and lowers.  For the burpee box jumps I did step ups and step downs on a 20” box and was getting between 8 and 9 reps.  On the double unders I was managing 10-11 double unders/attempts which I have no shame in counting.

Overhead Press

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Erika, Mandy, Tim, me, Julien and Doug

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back.  3 rounds of pull-ups/ring rows and shuttle run or lunges and dips/pushups.  On the zero, I did 5 pull-ups and then the 90 yard shuttle run.  On the 1, I did 5 lunges and 6 push-ups.  On the next round I did ring-rows and push-ups.  On the final round, I finished the lunges, but did not start the push-ups.

WOD

In 20 minutes.  Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps, Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps, Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps.  Increase weight as needed

I worked out with Tim and we started the Shoulder press at 75# and went up to 85#, 95#, 105# and finally 115#.

For the Push presses I stayed at 115# for the first 3 rounds and went up to 120# on the last 2 rounds.

For the Push Jerks, I dropped down to 95# for the two rounds and went up to 105# for the next 3.  I did use wrist wraps for the very last round and they helped a lot.

then

10 rounds every 45 seconds, 10 seconds for max pushups, 60 yards shuttle sprint (15 yards out and 15 back x 2 touching the ground, rest the remaining time.

For pushups, I managed 7-7-6-5-5-5-5-5-5-5 for a total of 55 reps.  I really dogged the shuttle runs as sprinting still forces my groin to start singing.

Finished with shoulder mobility and foam rolling

Hero WOD Andy

Monday, October 19, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Mary, Clay, Daryl, Angelica, Tim, Ben, Grant, James and myself

Warm Up

Run to the fence, 20 air squats and run back.  Then with 45# barbell 10 straight leg deadlifts, 10 hang muscle clean, 10 thrusters, and 10 hang muscle snatch.  Muscle clean and snatch refers to just using extending and landing the clean on your collar bones or snatch overhead (you can finish on toes).  Then 2 more rounds of 5 repetitions of each motion at our own pace

WOD

“Andy”

4 Rounds for time:  21 Calorie row, 11 Power clean, 85#, 28 Wallball shots, 20#, 8 Power snatch, 85#

I did the workout with a 65# barbell and 14# wallball and it was still a tremendous effort to finish in 25:47.  I was breaking the power cleans in 2 sets, the wallballs into 4-5 sets and the power snatches into 2 sets.

Mobility – finish with couch stretch, legs flared against wall, squat against wall and foam roller on back.

Today’s workout is to honor someone from our Colorado CrossFit Family.  Andy Schwiesow had been a member of CrossFit Verve since April 2011 and regularly came to classes with a barbell focus.  Andy’s first workout as a member of Verve was 4-21-11 and his birthday is 8-28-85.  They designed this workout for a tall man with an enjoyment for throwing around a barbell.  Andy unfortunately passed away after a tragic accident last month leaving behind a young family. A scholarship fund has been created for Andy’s children, Bella (3) and Charlie (1), donations can be made out to LUMC and the memo line needs to state “Bella and Charlie Schwiesow fund”.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email courtney@crossfitverve.com.

Pendlay Rows

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11 AM) Angelica, Sam, Naige, Conner, Zur, Ilian, and me

Warm Up

800m Run followed by 3 rounds of run variations (karaoke, high knees, etc) or 5 wall balls and 1 rope climb trade off with partner.

WOD

Every 2 minutes 8 Pendlay Rows, 4 Round of increasing weight

Ilian and I worked out together and did 95#, 100#, 105# and 110#

then

AMRAP in 10 minutes, 4 person team 10 Ball Slam 40/30, 30 yard Sled Sprint (25#), 30 yard sprint back.  Person 2 goes in reverse.  We knocked out 16 rounds in 10 minutes and I was really hurting afterwards.  It is one thing to go 100%, it is another to go 100% with 3 guys looking on.  I went fourth and was all in trying to finish my final ball slams.  My form broke down and my lower back is pretty tender.  I will definitely spend some time on the foam roller the next few days.

Finished with mobility

Bench Press

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Val, Ericka, Mandy, Anya, Tom, Bill, Steve B, Conner, Matt, and me

Warm Up

Run to the fence and back, at bus stop do 10 air squats, at 400m do 5 lunges each leg, at fence do 10 air squats, repeat lunges and squats on the way back.  Then 3 rounds of 5 bent over rows (2.5# plates), 5 push-ups, 5 bent over flys,5 straight leg sit ups, 5 A’s, 5 air squats, 5 ATYT’s, 5 burpees, run door to door

WOD

For Time 800m Run, 21 Bench Press, 800m Run, 15 Bench Press, 800m Run, 9 Bench Press.  L3: Body Weight, L2 > 75% BW, L1:  < 75% BW.

I warmed up with 45#, 95#, 135# before settling on 125# (67% of 185# BW) for the workout.  The first run was really good, I came through at 4:15 and was able to do the bench press in sets of 10-6-5.  The next rounds were slower.  I did the second round in 9-6 and the final round unbroken.  I finished in 16:59 and opted for the add on 800m for a total time of 21:48.  The hill got grueling at the end, but it was nice to get some blood flow to my hamstrings.

Mobility – Finished with arm stretch against rig, squat against wall, flared legs and foam rolling.

Back Squats

Monday, October 12, 2015

Coach Meriah

(11AM) Clay, Mary, Luke, Jeff, Sam and Me

Warm Up

500 yard sandbag (45#) run followed by 3 rounds of 15 reps Plate (15#) Straight Leg Deadlift, Ground to Overhead, Thruster and Bent Over Row.

Then we stretched from Downward Dog, to raised leg opening up hips, to pigeon to runners lunge

WOD

Back Squat Party:  Starting at 135#/75# perform 2 back squats at the top of every minute.  Add 10# per minute up to 225#/135#.  Then add 5# per minute until you cannot complete the 2 reps.  (Shoot for 20 rounds +/- 2-5 rounds, capped at 25 minutes).  L2: starting weight was 95#.  L1: starting weight was 65#.

I went with the recommended progression for L3 women.  75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135# then 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175, 180#  On the 17th round at 185#, I felt my left hamstring tighten and did not go to a full squat.  I stripped the weight to 135# and did the last 3 rounds at 135#.  I felt pretty good on form.  I was dropping nice and slow, but not accelerating very well up.  The lifting shoes and belt gave me a lot of confidence.

Mobility – finished with couch stretch, squat on wall, flared legs on wall and calf stretch

Olympic Weightlifting

This weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in an Olympic Weightlifting workshop hosted by MBS II CrossFit in Arvada.  There were 15 participants (half guys, half girls) and 1 coach.  Our coach has competed nationally and is passionate about Olympic lifting.  After a 15 minute warm up we started to talk about lifting in general.  Olympic lifting at its core is a jump and a land.  A statistic thrown around was that 90% of missed lifts could be traced to the feet.

We started with the Snatch and foot drills, going from a deadlift position to a squat position.  We did drills moving from hang position to hip drive position.  We did drills going from ground to hang position focusing on pivoting the knees back and out of the way.  Even in the deadlift position vertical shins was the goal.  We eventually got to high elbows and dropping under the bar.  We worked exclusively with PVC and spent about 45 minutes on the snatch.

The next 20-30 minutes we spent on the clean.  A lot of the technique is similar, except for obviously catching the bar in the rack position.  We then spent another 15 minute on the jerk.  I determined that my dominant forward foot is my left foot.  We again spent the majority of time on foot position.

Finally we wrapped up with 20-30 minutes of light barbells.  James and I worked out with 55# which felt good and reinforced all of the technique work we had done to that point.  It was a lot of information to take in, but every pearl of wisdom will pay dividends in my performance and safety.