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.