So today's workout was 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 of Snatch.
I have never done a Snatch before, and I'm using metal plates, so I decided to change my workout plan to: 4-3-2-1 of Clean, Overhead Squat and Dead Lift.
I warmed up with:
1000m row
20 Push-Ups
15 GHD sit-ups
15 kipping pull-ups
20 squats
I then moved into my workout. I did these one exercise at a time, completing all reps before moving to the next exercise. Here were the results:
Clean - 115-135-155-175
Overhead Squat - 135-135-135-135
Dead Lift - 225-275-305-345
I'm quite sure I could have done more on both the clean and the Dead Lift - they both felt good. I'll definitely go heavier on the dead lift next time. I did 1 rep of the 305 without using an alternate grip - which I believe is the most I weight I have done that with. The last 2 reps (1 of 305 and 1 of 345) I had to do with one over and one under hand grip.
I thought this was a good substitute for the snatch, because a snatch is basically a clean into an overhead squat - so I did both movements.
Still sore!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
300 - Day 62 - 1 day until rest...
Today's WOD -
Complete as many rounds as possible 20 minutes of:
95 pound Thruster, 5 reps
95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps
That doesn't sound too bad... but of course, I'm wrong.
Warm-up:
1/2 mile jog (5:05)
20 push-ups
15 GHD sit-ups
15 Dips (no pull-ups today!)
20 Squats
My abs, forearms, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and traps are already sore from the week's workouts. Okay - 2 days of working out. Either way, I'm sore.
I ended up completing 6 rounds of this, with only 15 seconds to spare.
I didn't record all my rounds - but I was done round 2 at 4:45 - still ahead of pace for 8 rounds. Round 3 - 8:45 - about on pace for 7 rounds.
By the time I finished round 5 I was at 16:10 and had less time to do round 6 than I had taken for round 3. I gave it all I had and managed to pull through with 15 seconds on the clock. I didn't even bother seeing if I could pull off 5 more thrusters in the 15 remaining seconds.
As tired as my body already was, this was BRUTAL. Looking forward to rest!
Complete as many rounds as possible 20 minutes of:
95 pound Thruster, 5 reps
95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps
That doesn't sound too bad... but of course, I'm wrong.
Warm-up:
1/2 mile jog (5:05)
20 push-ups
15 GHD sit-ups
15 Dips (no pull-ups today!)
20 Squats
My abs, forearms, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and traps are already sore from the week's workouts. Okay - 2 days of working out. Either way, I'm sore.
I ended up completing 6 rounds of this, with only 15 seconds to spare.
I didn't record all my rounds - but I was done round 2 at 4:45 - still ahead of pace for 8 rounds. Round 3 - 8:45 - about on pace for 7 rounds.
By the time I finished round 5 I was at 16:10 and had less time to do round 6 than I had taken for round 3. I gave it all I had and managed to pull through with 15 seconds on the clock. I didn't even bother seeing if I could pull off 5 more thrusters in the 15 remaining seconds.
As tired as my body already was, this was BRUTAL. Looking forward to rest!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
300 - Day 61 - More WOD torture
Today's workout - Angie.
I've been actually quite excited about this workout - but simultaneously thinking I'm not ready.
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
Crossfit knows how to punish you. My abs are still burning from the GHDs yesterday and now I have 100 more sit-ups to do as quickly as possible after using my abs to steady myself in the prone (push-up) position. Not to mention, I haven't even come near mastering kipping yet - I can hardly even do it well enough to gain any type of advantage from it - so with that in mind, 100 pull-ups is a lot of pull-ups.
Also, its a weekend - so I don't have a gym or chin-up bar available - which means I had to find a make-shift alternative.
So, I went to the local park to do my pull-ups on the swing set and jungle gym. The jungle gym is a little too low so that I have to pick my feet up - and the swing, high enough so that I can barely catch the bar jumping - which of course causes extra work.
I warmed up with a 1/3 mile or so jog (unmeasured), 8 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and a lot of stretching and rotations.
I did my first 23 pull-ups in one go on the swing. I rested a little and jumped up and got out 10 more. 1/3 of the way there and only a little over a minute in. But that was about the end of my pull-up speed. It took me over 14 minutes to complete my pull-ups. I alternated between the jungle gym and the swing set.. it was hard to get anything but an overhand grip on the swing - so I used the jungle gym to try underhand, neutral grip, etc. But nothing allowed me to knock out any more than 5 or so at a time after the first 33. In fact, my last 3 pull-ups were all sets of 1. However, I did them all either strict or kipping - no jumping pull-ups.
Once I finally finished these, I dropped and knocked out 40 push-ups. Rested about 10 seconds and knocked out 20 more. The first 60 took me just over a minute, rest included. After that was a little bit slower though - taking about 3 minutes to do all 100.
The sit-ups slowed me down dramatically though - only being able to get 25 out before my first rest - I knew that was going to be a long, hard journey. In groups of between 5 and 15 I finished out the rest of the sit-ups at around 24 minutes. I knocked out 25 squats in a go, followed by a short break and 15 more, another short rest and 10 more. 1 more set of those like that and I'm done.
I ended up finishing in 27:36. Slow compared to regular crossfitters - but I finished - though I know I'll regret it tomorrow. Just driving after this workout was brutal. My forearms are iced.
I've been actually quite excited about this workout - but simultaneously thinking I'm not ready.
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
Crossfit knows how to punish you. My abs are still burning from the GHDs yesterday and now I have 100 more sit-ups to do as quickly as possible after using my abs to steady myself in the prone (push-up) position. Not to mention, I haven't even come near mastering kipping yet - I can hardly even do it well enough to gain any type of advantage from it - so with that in mind, 100 pull-ups is a lot of pull-ups.
Also, its a weekend - so I don't have a gym or chin-up bar available - which means I had to find a make-shift alternative.
So, I went to the local park to do my pull-ups on the swing set and jungle gym. The jungle gym is a little too low so that I have to pick my feet up - and the swing, high enough so that I can barely catch the bar jumping - which of course causes extra work.
I warmed up with a 1/3 mile or so jog (unmeasured), 8 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and a lot of stretching and rotations.
I did my first 23 pull-ups in one go on the swing. I rested a little and jumped up and got out 10 more. 1/3 of the way there and only a little over a minute in. But that was about the end of my pull-up speed. It took me over 14 minutes to complete my pull-ups. I alternated between the jungle gym and the swing set.. it was hard to get anything but an overhand grip on the swing - so I used the jungle gym to try underhand, neutral grip, etc. But nothing allowed me to knock out any more than 5 or so at a time after the first 33. In fact, my last 3 pull-ups were all sets of 1. However, I did them all either strict or kipping - no jumping pull-ups.
Once I finally finished these, I dropped and knocked out 40 push-ups. Rested about 10 seconds and knocked out 20 more. The first 60 took me just over a minute, rest included. After that was a little bit slower though - taking about 3 minutes to do all 100.
The sit-ups slowed me down dramatically though - only being able to get 25 out before my first rest - I knew that was going to be a long, hard journey. In groups of between 5 and 15 I finished out the rest of the sit-ups at around 24 minutes. I knocked out 25 squats in a go, followed by a short break and 15 more, another short rest and 10 more. 1 more set of those like that and I'm done.
I ended up finishing in 27:36. Slow compared to regular crossfitters - but I finished - though I know I'll regret it tomorrow. Just driving after this workout was brutal. My forearms are iced.
Friday, September 25, 2009
300 - Day 60 - Hello Glute Ham Developer Sit-ups
Glute Ham Developer (GHD) Sit-ups or "Romain Chair" sit-ups as they are more commonly known have kind of fell out of use in most gyms, because a lot of people suggested that (like the regular sit-up) it puts a lot of unnecessary tension on the spine. However, like most exercises in Crossfit - if done properly, this is not true. So the Crossfit community still uses this.
So basically the GHD sit-up consists of using a back extension or GHD station to do even more full range sit-ups than regular sit-ups. Almost kind of like the ab-lounge, except unsupported and much, much harder and more effective.
So the WOD for Day 60 as per the main site was:
For time:
135 lb Squat clean, 10 reps
50 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 8 reps
40 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 6 reps
30 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 4 reps
20 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 2 reps
10 GHD Sit-ups
Of course, my gym doesn't have a GHD station but I wanted to try these, so I made a make-shift station. I took the bench that I was moving away from the Bench Press rack anyway (so I could do my squat cleans) and placed it perpendicular in front of the leg extension station. I then took the leg extension and put the foot pads in the upright-most position. I was able to place my legs over this with my feat tucked under the seat to do GHD sit-ups. I worked 10 of these into my warm-up to make sure the concept worked.
I warmed up as follows:
1000m row (nice and easy - 4:59.9)
20 push-ups
10 GHD sit-ups
10 pull-ups (strict)
20 squats
The improvised GHD station worked. However, I had been cautioned via the comments section on the main site to avoid doing too many GHD sit-ups your first time - so I heeded the advice and made a mat available in my usual sit-up spot for when the GHD sit-ups starting getting hard. It didn't take long.
The squat cleans (first 10) didn't take me too long, but I did have to rest for a second after 8 reps before I could get the last two in. This ended up being basically a theme for the rest of these.
I moved into my 50 GHD sit-ups and got 20 in before the burn kicked in and I had to rest. I realized these were tough. Real tough. I rested a few seconds and started off again getting 10 more in.. then 5 more... 5 more etc. until I finished. Those are tough - and I can see why people caution against them. These are the only 50 GHDs that I did. I did the last 100 as regular sit-ups.
My final posted time was 22:09. The only set I did in completion without rest were the two in the last round - 2 squat cleans and 10 regular sit-ups. Even before leaving the gym, my abs were already as sore as any day-after before now.
So basically the GHD sit-up consists of using a back extension or GHD station to do even more full range sit-ups than regular sit-ups. Almost kind of like the ab-lounge, except unsupported and much, much harder and more effective.
So the WOD for Day 60 as per the main site was:
For time:
135 lb Squat clean, 10 reps
50 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 8 reps
40 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 6 reps
30 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 4 reps
20 GHD Sit-ups
135 lb Squat clean, 2 reps
10 GHD Sit-ups
Of course, my gym doesn't have a GHD station but I wanted to try these, so I made a make-shift station. I took the bench that I was moving away from the Bench Press rack anyway (so I could do my squat cleans) and placed it perpendicular in front of the leg extension station. I then took the leg extension and put the foot pads in the upright-most position. I was able to place my legs over this with my feat tucked under the seat to do GHD sit-ups. I worked 10 of these into my warm-up to make sure the concept worked.
I warmed up as follows:
1000m row (nice and easy - 4:59.9)
20 push-ups
10 GHD sit-ups
10 pull-ups (strict)
20 squats
The improvised GHD station worked. However, I had been cautioned via the comments section on the main site to avoid doing too many GHD sit-ups your first time - so I heeded the advice and made a mat available in my usual sit-up spot for when the GHD sit-ups starting getting hard. It didn't take long.
The squat cleans (first 10) didn't take me too long, but I did have to rest for a second after 8 reps before I could get the last two in. This ended up being basically a theme for the rest of these.
I moved into my 50 GHD sit-ups and got 20 in before the burn kicked in and I had to rest. I realized these were tough. Real tough. I rested a few seconds and started off again getting 10 more in.. then 5 more... 5 more etc. until I finished. Those are tough - and I can see why people caution against them. These are the only 50 GHDs that I did. I did the last 100 as regular sit-ups.
My final posted time was 22:09. The only set I did in completion without rest were the two in the last round - 2 squat cleans and 10 regular sit-ups. Even before leaving the gym, my abs were already as sore as any day-after before now.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
300 - Day 58 - MR Bench, Pull-Up, Squat
The WOD of the main site today was five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat
Which is great - I've been looking to do some bench and squats.
My shoulders and wrists were already sore from the last two days - shoulders fatigued and wrists being stretched beyond their usual capacity in the front squat rack position from the presses two days ago and even the front squats on day 53.
I warmed up with a nice slow 1000m at 4:26 and then completed 3 rounds of the following:
10 push-ups
15 sit-ups
10 dips
15 squats
I then did a good amount of stretching, as I knew I had a good workout ahead of me. I stacked 185 on the bar in the bench press rack, because I usually weigh in between 180 and 185. My previous MR (max reps) for this weight was 12 reps.
I completed the following
Bench Press - 13(PR)-10-8-8-6
Pull-ups - 16-13-11-10-10
Squats - 25-25-24-20-20
In case you can't tell by the reps on the squats for the first 3 sets, I probably could have done more during the first two - but I was flying blind getting the bar back to the rack and working without a spotter. Of course, the squat also presented a problem, having only one bar available, I had to complete the BP and then remove the weights so I could get the bar up to the squat starting position and re-load the weight - and then repeat in the opposite direction. This gave me some rest, but was a pain. I could have opted to use the smith machine for the squats, but I didn't think that seemed ideal. So I waded through.
I tried to get the bar during the squat in the correct position, which from what I can tell is lower down on the back than actually on the shoulders. This created some extremely uncomfortable wrist positioning for me - enough that on my last set, I put the bar back up on my shoulders and used a squatting pad.
Either way - my totals were 45 body weight bench presses, 60 pull-ups and 114 squats - total 219. Thats pretty good - again, from what I can tell - though, judging by the score posts in response to this WOD on the site, it looks like I need to work on my pull-ups, which what I thought I was pretty good at. I might have to start upping my pull-ups during my warm-up.
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat
Which is great - I've been looking to do some bench and squats.
My shoulders and wrists were already sore from the last two days - shoulders fatigued and wrists being stretched beyond their usual capacity in the front squat rack position from the presses two days ago and even the front squats on day 53.
I warmed up with a nice slow 1000m at 4:26 and then completed 3 rounds of the following:
10 push-ups
15 sit-ups
10 dips
15 squats
I then did a good amount of stretching, as I knew I had a good workout ahead of me. I stacked 185 on the bar in the bench press rack, because I usually weigh in between 180 and 185. My previous MR (max reps) for this weight was 12 reps.
I completed the following
Bench Press - 13(PR)-10-8-8-6
Pull-ups - 16-13-11-10-10
Squats - 25-25-24-20-20
In case you can't tell by the reps on the squats for the first 3 sets, I probably could have done more during the first two - but I was flying blind getting the bar back to the rack and working without a spotter. Of course, the squat also presented a problem, having only one bar available, I had to complete the BP and then remove the weights so I could get the bar up to the squat starting position and re-load the weight - and then repeat in the opposite direction. This gave me some rest, but was a pain. I could have opted to use the smith machine for the squats, but I didn't think that seemed ideal. So I waded through.
I tried to get the bar during the squat in the correct position, which from what I can tell is lower down on the back than actually on the shoulders. This created some extremely uncomfortable wrist positioning for me - enough that on my last set, I put the bar back up on my shoulders and used a squatting pad.
Either way - my totals were 45 body weight bench presses, 60 pull-ups and 114 squats - total 219. Thats pretty good - again, from what I can tell - though, judging by the score posts in response to this WOD on the site, it looks like I need to work on my pull-ups, which what I thought I was pretty good at. I might have to start upping my pull-ups during my warm-up.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
300 - Day 57 - WOD + CFE WOD
The main site WOD was yet again a routine that I could do - Dead Lifts: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Crossfit Endurance (CFE) had a rest day, but since this was a simple WOD, I decided to throw in yesterday's CFE WOD, since today's WOD was short enough that I could go into work a 1/2 hour early and get it out of the way and then toss in the CFE WOD at lunch.
So I left for work a 1/2 hour early today and hit the gym for some Dead Lifts. I had a light warm-up, since it was a short workout and since I would do another later in the day. I warmed up with:
500m row
10 push ups
10 sit ups
10 pull ups
10 squats
I then moved into my Dead Lifts and progressed as follows:
225-255-275-295-315-325(PR)-335(PR)
My previous max dead lift was 315 - so I gained 20 on that today.
I then took about a 6 hour break and went to work. Took my lunch break and went into the CFE WOD.
The Rx'd workout was the concept 2 rower, 10x250m all out, resting 5 times as long as it takes to row the 250m.
I only ended up doing 8 reps, because the workout was taking too long. I warmed up with:
800m run (4:53)
10 push ups
10 sit ups
5 pull ups
10 squats
10 dips
My times were as follows:
Time: Rest:
----- -----
43.2s 3:35
44.2s 3:40
45.4s 3:45
47.6s 3:55
48.7s 4:00
48.6s 4:00
47.6s 3:55
48.0s 4:00
Total for 2000m: 6m 13.3s
I cut most of my rest times down to 3:30 or so, because as I mentioned, I was running short on time - so the rest column was more like the calculated rest time.
My shoulders and upper back are burning now - between a 100% shoulder routine yesterday and these two workouts. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Crossfit Endurance (CFE) had a rest day, but since this was a simple WOD, I decided to throw in yesterday's CFE WOD, since today's WOD was short enough that I could go into work a 1/2 hour early and get it out of the way and then toss in the CFE WOD at lunch.
So I left for work a 1/2 hour early today and hit the gym for some Dead Lifts. I had a light warm-up, since it was a short workout and since I would do another later in the day. I warmed up with:
500m row
10 push ups
10 sit ups
10 pull ups
10 squats
I then moved into my Dead Lifts and progressed as follows:
225-255-275-295-315-325(PR)-335(PR)
My previous max dead lift was 315 - so I gained 20 on that today.
I then took about a 6 hour break and went to work. Took my lunch break and went into the CFE WOD.
The Rx'd workout was the concept 2 rower, 10x250m all out, resting 5 times as long as it takes to row the 250m.
I only ended up doing 8 reps, because the workout was taking too long. I warmed up with:
800m run (4:53)
10 push ups
10 sit ups
5 pull ups
10 squats
10 dips
My times were as follows:
Time: Rest:
----- -----
43.2s 3:35
44.2s 3:40
45.4s 3:45
47.6s 3:55
48.7s 4:00
48.6s 4:00
47.6s 3:55
48.0s 4:00
Total for 2000m: 6m 13.3s
I cut most of my rest times down to 3:30 or so, because as I mentioned, I was running short on time - so the rest column was more like the calculated rest time.
My shoulders and upper back are burning now - between a 100% shoulder routine yesterday and these two workouts. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Monday, September 21, 2009
300 - Day 56 - WOD
So the main site finally had a WOD that I could participate in.
Today's workout:
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps
I had not ever done the Push Jerk before, so I went to crossfit.com in the videos section and watched a couple of videos on it.
They didn't really specify how close to your PR you should get for each of these, so I decided to work my way up and try and find my PR for each - as I honestly just don't know for any of them. My shoulders have never been particularly strong - and I figure a 135 shoulder press was pretty good for me previously. Looking through my logs, I never really used more than 115 for a shoulder press - and then it looks like 10 reps was about all I had (last logged in March - I have done dumbbell presses since then).
I warmed up with the following:
1000m row (3:52)
20 push-ups
25 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
15 squats
I then started light on my shoulder presses, starting with 95. Rather than racking at shoulder level, I racked the bar at knee level for loading - un-racked and then hang-cleaned to the starting position. Here's what I ended up doing:
95-105-125-135-155
Even the last 155 felt pretty good - and I am pretty confident I could have pushed out 165 - but either way, so far as I have recollection that is a pretty big jump in my PR. So anyway, I dropped the weight back down to 115 for the push-press and started over again - accidentally knocking out 5 on the first set. So for the push press I used the following:
115(5),125,135,155,165
Now, I don't do much for push-press, usually opting for the barbell thruster, which is still similar - so I would say this is also a PR - and since I knocked all 3 out, I know I could have gone higher if it was only 1 rep for a PR. Even for the thrusters, I don't know that I have ever done over 135 - though I was doing higher reps.
Now, of course the Push Jerk was a PR as I have never done it before. I used the following weights:
115,135,145,155(3f),135
I knocked out 3 reps of 155 and failed on rep 4. Dropped the weight back to 135 and finished off. I can already tell my shoulders will be sore tomorrow.
I decided to cool down with 12 good full range dips to stretch my shoulders out.
So anyway, 3 new PRs:
Shoulder Press: 155
Push Press: 165
Push Jerk: 155
I had planned on finding some PRs today if the WOD didn't fit my gym, or couldn't be reasonably modded - shoulder press, squat and deadlift. So i got one of these out of the way anyway.
Today's workout:
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps
I had not ever done the Push Jerk before, so I went to crossfit.com in the videos section and watched a couple of videos on it.
They didn't really specify how close to your PR you should get for each of these, so I decided to work my way up and try and find my PR for each - as I honestly just don't know for any of them. My shoulders have never been particularly strong - and I figure a 135 shoulder press was pretty good for me previously. Looking through my logs, I never really used more than 115 for a shoulder press - and then it looks like 10 reps was about all I had (last logged in March - I have done dumbbell presses since then).
I warmed up with the following:
1000m row (3:52)
20 push-ups
25 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
15 squats
I then started light on my shoulder presses, starting with 95. Rather than racking at shoulder level, I racked the bar at knee level for loading - un-racked and then hang-cleaned to the starting position. Here's what I ended up doing:
95-105-125-135-155
Even the last 155 felt pretty good - and I am pretty confident I could have pushed out 165 - but either way, so far as I have recollection that is a pretty big jump in my PR. So anyway, I dropped the weight back down to 115 for the push-press and started over again - accidentally knocking out 5 on the first set. So for the push press I used the following:
115(5),125,135,155,165
Now, I don't do much for push-press, usually opting for the barbell thruster, which is still similar - so I would say this is also a PR - and since I knocked all 3 out, I know I could have gone higher if it was only 1 rep for a PR. Even for the thrusters, I don't know that I have ever done over 135 - though I was doing higher reps.
Now, of course the Push Jerk was a PR as I have never done it before. I used the following weights:
115,135,145,155(3f),135
I knocked out 3 reps of 155 and failed on rep 4. Dropped the weight back to 135 and finished off. I can already tell my shoulders will be sore tomorrow.
I decided to cool down with 12 good full range dips to stretch my shoulders out.
So anyway, 3 new PRs:
Shoulder Press: 155
Push Press: 165
Push Jerk: 155
I had planned on finding some PRs today if the WOD didn't fit my gym, or couldn't be reasonably modded - shoulder press, squat and deadlift. So i got one of these out of the way anyway.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
300 - Day 54 - Rest
A day of rest is needed. I'm sore all over. Tomorrow, I'm going to start 4 days on, followed with a day of rest - going to throw an extra day in to try and align my workouts with the main site. I'll let you know what I do tomorrow - probably just a run, or I may make a trip to crossfit321.
Friday, September 18, 2009
300 - Day 53 Part II - 1 mile TT + 3x400m
When I was done, I laid down on the grass and stayed there for about 3 minutes. Actually, I might not call it laying down, because the action was more of a flop or a collapse. Having done legs both yesterday (thrusters) and earlier today (squats/lunges), this was rough. Especially considering two days before today I did rows, which are also a decent leg workout.
I decided not to do my planned workout that I was making up - which would have been 1 mile TT + 4x400m with 25 KB swings between 1/4 miles. Instead, I swapped that out for the crossfit endurance workout that had been scheduled for the same day that was very similar - 1600m TT + 3x400m; 3 minutes rest after the 1600m & 30 second rest between 400m; 400m @ same pace as the 1600 - deviate +/- 2 seconds and foul - 1 minute of max burpees.
I decided to swap out because I figured my workout had been designed to be its own workout - whereas the crossfit endurance plan was supposed to be supplemental to the WOD. So anyway, I warmed up with just a light 1/2 mile jog, followed by a good amount of stretching. I could already feel the muscles in my legs ready to give up before I started.
I decided to try and keep a more even pace than I usually do on my 1 mile TT - usually I go out too fast and lose a lot of time on my second half. So I decided to try to keep an even 1:30 per 1/4 mile all the way through - since my legs were already jello, but I still didn't want to drop much time off my mile time (6 minutes pretty near even).
I hit the first 1/4 mile at 1:18 - too fast. I slowed it down a bit and hit the half mile at 2:48 - right on pace. I hit the 3/4 mile at about 4:27 - my pace had slowed, no doubt due to my faster than planned start - but either way, I was still good on time, I just had to step it up to a 1:30 for the last 1/4 mile. So I spread it out - the problem is that in the last 1/4 mile I have 2 90 degree turns that tend to slow me down - especially coming out the other side slowed down. I gave it all I had and finished up in 6:02.
I was happy - considering my legs were aching before I started. Of course, the problem was that now I had to finish each of my 1/4 miles in 1:30 or suffer the consequences. I reset my watch and started walking to my 1/4 mile starting line about 100 yards away. As 3 minutes neared I reset my watch again and then started. I tried to keep a nice even pace, guessing that I was using the right stride and turnover to be between 1:28 and 1:32 - but already being tired, it was hard to tell.
I finished in 1:30. Nice. Problem was, my breath was all but gone. I rested - not 30 seconds, but one minute. I know, I know - but I wouldn't have been able to get on pace at 30 seconds. So I took an extra 30 and started. Even with the extra rest, I was a little behind pace around the half. I tried to pick it up - but at the end, I hit 1:44. Ouch - thats 1 minute of burpees I really didn't want to do. And again I was beat.
30 seconds on the clock. More breath than at the end of the previous 1/4 mile - but still pretty dead. 3 seconds to go.. reset my stopwatch to 0 and started. I felt pretty good. Well, I didn't, but I thought I was on pace. But it turns out I wasn't. 1:40. Damn. Thats another minute of burpees. But at least the runs are over.
I walked the 1/8th mile or so back to my house and rested about 2 minutes and started the clock again for the burpees. I only managed to get 15 burpees in in the first minute - and it hurt almost more than the runs. Another minute on the clock, which is all I get to rest - and then I started again. This time only 13.
No cool-down, just back to where I started this post - collapsing to the grass for about 3 minutes, before gathering the energy to come inside.
I decided not to do my planned workout that I was making up - which would have been 1 mile TT + 4x400m with 25 KB swings between 1/4 miles. Instead, I swapped that out for the crossfit endurance workout that had been scheduled for the same day that was very similar - 1600m TT + 3x400m; 3 minutes rest after the 1600m & 30 second rest between 400m; 400m @ same pace as the 1600 - deviate +/- 2 seconds and foul - 1 minute of max burpees.
I decided to swap out because I figured my workout had been designed to be its own workout - whereas the crossfit endurance plan was supposed to be supplemental to the WOD. So anyway, I warmed up with just a light 1/2 mile jog, followed by a good amount of stretching. I could already feel the muscles in my legs ready to give up before I started.
I decided to try and keep a more even pace than I usually do on my 1 mile TT - usually I go out too fast and lose a lot of time on my second half. So I decided to try to keep an even 1:30 per 1/4 mile all the way through - since my legs were already jello, but I still didn't want to drop much time off my mile time (6 minutes pretty near even).
I hit the first 1/4 mile at 1:18 - too fast. I slowed it down a bit and hit the half mile at 2:48 - right on pace. I hit the 3/4 mile at about 4:27 - my pace had slowed, no doubt due to my faster than planned start - but either way, I was still good on time, I just had to step it up to a 1:30 for the last 1/4 mile. So I spread it out - the problem is that in the last 1/4 mile I have 2 90 degree turns that tend to slow me down - especially coming out the other side slowed down. I gave it all I had and finished up in 6:02.
I was happy - considering my legs were aching before I started. Of course, the problem was that now I had to finish each of my 1/4 miles in 1:30 or suffer the consequences. I reset my watch and started walking to my 1/4 mile starting line about 100 yards away. As 3 minutes neared I reset my watch again and then started. I tried to keep a nice even pace, guessing that I was using the right stride and turnover to be between 1:28 and 1:32 - but already being tired, it was hard to tell.
I finished in 1:30. Nice. Problem was, my breath was all but gone. I rested - not 30 seconds, but one minute. I know, I know - but I wouldn't have been able to get on pace at 30 seconds. So I took an extra 30 and started. Even with the extra rest, I was a little behind pace around the half. I tried to pick it up - but at the end, I hit 1:44. Ouch - thats 1 minute of burpees I really didn't want to do. And again I was beat.
30 seconds on the clock. More breath than at the end of the previous 1/4 mile - but still pretty dead. 3 seconds to go.. reset my stopwatch to 0 and started. I felt pretty good. Well, I didn't, but I thought I was on pace. But it turns out I wasn't. 1:40. Damn. Thats another minute of burpees. But at least the runs are over.
I walked the 1/8th mile or so back to my house and rested about 2 minutes and started the clock again for the burpees. I only managed to get 15 burpees in in the first minute - and it hurt almost more than the runs. Another minute on the clock, which is all I get to rest - and then I started again. This time only 13.
No cool-down, just back to where I started this post - collapsing to the grass for about 3 minutes, before gathering the energy to come inside.
300 - Day 53 - Front Squat PR
Well, it wasn't hard to get a PR in the front squat - this is the first time I have done them. I learned that I am extremely unflexible. It should be that during a front squat that your humerus (upper arm) is about parallel with the floor, with your forearm at an angle. Instead, my forearms were about perpendicular to the ground, with my upper arm hardly breaking an angle from perpendicular. I guess thats one of the benefits of the front squat is that it should help with that (eventually).
My workout today couldn't come from the main site, because they decided on Glute-Ham sit-ups and back extensions - and I don't have a station available for these exercises. So instead I browsed back through the archives and finally decided on the 3-3-3-3-3 front squats - after carefully eyeing the 1 squat, 1 shoulder press, 1 deadlift - I eventually decided that since I am rather unsure of what my 1 rep max weights are for these exercises - and I wasn't working out with a buddy if I picked too much weight, it was best to avoid for now.
So I warmed up as follows:
1000m row (3:56.1)
2 sets of the following:
10 push-ups
10 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
10 squats
10 dips
I then racked the bar and started loading weights for the front squats. I spent some time on StrongLifts.com the other day looking at the proper technique for the front squat, so I felt pretty comfortable.
I started pretty light for a squat - I don't know if this was really the goal for this workout or not - or perhaps I should have loaded them on relatively heavy and creeped up from there. However, I thought it better to start light and work on my form before going heavy - and then I could work my way up in leaps.
So I stacked 2x45# for a 135# Front Squat - and accidentally knocked out 4 of those before stopping myself. I guess its good to spend a little more time familiarizing with a light weight - but I'll have to get used to these low rep sets.
So here is what I ended up doing:
135 - 4
185 - 3
205 - 3
225 - 3
250 - 3
I think on the 250 one of my reps could have been a bit lower (the first one), but made sure to correct that on the subsequent 2 reps - though, really I think I was only going to about parallel - and from the reading I had done on these (and the pictures I had looked at), it looks like you would generally go lower. Front squats are not particularly comfortable - causing discomfort in my wrists, forearm and clavicles. I imagine this improves as you get used to it (and especially as your arm flexibilty increases).
After I finished these, I decided I wanted to do some lunges - I really haven't done these since starting crossfit. So I grabbed a 45# plate and held it over my head and did stationary alternating lunges - 3 sets of 10 per leg. I ought to feel that later if I can get to my run make-up tonight!
My workout today couldn't come from the main site, because they decided on Glute-Ham sit-ups and back extensions - and I don't have a station available for these exercises. So instead I browsed back through the archives and finally decided on the 3-3-3-3-3 front squats - after carefully eyeing the 1 squat, 1 shoulder press, 1 deadlift - I eventually decided that since I am rather unsure of what my 1 rep max weights are for these exercises - and I wasn't working out with a buddy if I picked too much weight, it was best to avoid for now.
So I warmed up as follows:
1000m row (3:56.1)
2 sets of the following:
10 push-ups
10 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
10 squats
10 dips
I then racked the bar and started loading weights for the front squats. I spent some time on StrongLifts.com the other day looking at the proper technique for the front squat, so I felt pretty comfortable.
I started pretty light for a squat - I don't know if this was really the goal for this workout or not - or perhaps I should have loaded them on relatively heavy and creeped up from there. However, I thought it better to start light and work on my form before going heavy - and then I could work my way up in leaps.
So I stacked 2x45# for a 135# Front Squat - and accidentally knocked out 4 of those before stopping myself. I guess its good to spend a little more time familiarizing with a light weight - but I'll have to get used to these low rep sets.
So here is what I ended up doing:
135 - 4
185 - 3
205 - 3
225 - 3
250 - 3
I think on the 250 one of my reps could have been a bit lower (the first one), but made sure to correct that on the subsequent 2 reps - though, really I think I was only going to about parallel - and from the reading I had done on these (and the pictures I had looked at), it looks like you would generally go lower. Front squats are not particularly comfortable - causing discomfort in my wrists, forearm and clavicles. I imagine this improves as you get used to it (and especially as your arm flexibilty increases).
After I finished these, I decided I wanted to do some lunges - I really haven't done these since starting crossfit. So I grabbed a 45# plate and held it over my head and did stationary alternating lunges - 3 sets of 10 per leg. I ought to feel that later if I can get to my run make-up tonight!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
300 - Day 52 - Fran
I warmed up for Fran as follows:
1000m Row
And then 2 sets of the following:
10 Squats
15 Sit-ups
15 push-ups
10 Dips
10 second Samson stretch
I then did some additional light stretching and started the clock.
I had 95 pounds loaded on the bar, racked at shoulder height, so I didn't need to clean it up to the front squats position. The pull-up bar is about 10 feet away from the rack, and requires about an 8 inch jump for me.
I finished the first 21 Thursters and 21 pull-ups in 1:52. I was cruising. But I was also very tired. I did all the 21 thrusters without resting, but needed 3 sets to get through the pull-ups (14 + 4 + 3).
Despite that I was breathing heavily and my arms already felt like jello, I only took about 15-20 seconds before moving back into the thrusters. I managed to get 9 thrusters in before needing to rest. I rested what seemed to be only 20 seconds or so and then moved in to finish out the last 6. I moved to the pull-up station (taking a sip off my pre-filled cup along the way) and only knocked out 5 pull-ups. After resting for a few seconds, I managed two more sets of 5. I checked the clock - 5:10 - the 30 repetitions of the second set had taken 3:18, including any rest I had taken.
Another drink of water and maybe 10-15 seconds of rest and I was back at the thruster bar, unloading to the front squat position. I managed to muscle out all 9 - toward the end I depended on my legs to get me through the motion, without their assistance there is no way the bar would have peaked over my head. Back to the chin-up bar. I tried my best to kip these out - but I'm still not terribly proficient at it and so only got 5 pull-ups in before dropping to the ground. I switched to the neutral grip pull-up and managed 3 more. At the bottom of the third, I stopped for a moment and tried to knock out one more - with no luck. I dropped and rested a few seconds and moved back to the over-hand position and knocked out the last pull-up.
I stopped the clock at 7:37 and immediately caught my hands on my knees, hunching over to catch my breath. The sweat was pouring. Fran looked innocent, but she tore me apart. This was a brutal 7 minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I wandered over to the bench that I had moved from the rack where I had been doing my thrusters and sat down for about 10 seconds before remembering that its best to stay standing and walk it off. I stood and put my hands behind my head, trying to catch my breath.
The thing that amazes me about crossfit workouts is just how much they can sneak up on you. Only 2 exercises, with less repetitions and no change in weight between the 3 sets of each. It sounds like a cake walk. And the workout takes less than 10 minutes - so even more cake. But no - Fran chewed me up and spit me out.
Unfortunately, I don't think I will get my make-up run in tonight as I have plans for the evening. Maybe I'll work it in tomorrow. crossfit.com just had a rest day yesterday, so tomorrow should be a good day to get my workout from the main site - and I can make up the run in the afternoon - I shouldn't have any reason not to tomorrow. Perhaps though I'll get up early and check the site - if it's something I can do at home, I'll do it at home before my shower and then do my run during my lunch break, instead of hoping I have time in the evening.
1000m Row
And then 2 sets of the following:
10 Squats
15 Sit-ups
15 push-ups
10 Dips
10 second Samson stretch
I then did some additional light stretching and started the clock.
I had 95 pounds loaded on the bar, racked at shoulder height, so I didn't need to clean it up to the front squats position. The pull-up bar is about 10 feet away from the rack, and requires about an 8 inch jump for me.
I finished the first 21 Thursters and 21 pull-ups in 1:52. I was cruising. But I was also very tired. I did all the 21 thrusters without resting, but needed 3 sets to get through the pull-ups (14 + 4 + 3).
Despite that I was breathing heavily and my arms already felt like jello, I only took about 15-20 seconds before moving back into the thrusters. I managed to get 9 thrusters in before needing to rest. I rested what seemed to be only 20 seconds or so and then moved in to finish out the last 6. I moved to the pull-up station (taking a sip off my pre-filled cup along the way) and only knocked out 5 pull-ups. After resting for a few seconds, I managed two more sets of 5. I checked the clock - 5:10 - the 30 repetitions of the second set had taken 3:18, including any rest I had taken.
Another drink of water and maybe 10-15 seconds of rest and I was back at the thruster bar, unloading to the front squat position. I managed to muscle out all 9 - toward the end I depended on my legs to get me through the motion, without their assistance there is no way the bar would have peaked over my head. Back to the chin-up bar. I tried my best to kip these out - but I'm still not terribly proficient at it and so only got 5 pull-ups in before dropping to the ground. I switched to the neutral grip pull-up and managed 3 more. At the bottom of the third, I stopped for a moment and tried to knock out one more - with no luck. I dropped and rested a few seconds and moved back to the over-hand position and knocked out the last pull-up.
I stopped the clock at 7:37 and immediately caught my hands on my knees, hunching over to catch my breath. The sweat was pouring. Fran looked innocent, but she tore me apart. This was a brutal 7 minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I wandered over to the bench that I had moved from the rack where I had been doing my thrusters and sat down for about 10 seconds before remembering that its best to stay standing and walk it off. I stood and put my hands behind my head, trying to catch my breath.
The thing that amazes me about crossfit workouts is just how much they can sneak up on you. Only 2 exercises, with less repetitions and no change in weight between the 3 sets of each. It sounds like a cake walk. And the workout takes less than 10 minutes - so even more cake. But no - Fran chewed me up and spit me out.
Unfortunately, I don't think I will get my make-up run in tonight as I have plans for the evening. Maybe I'll work it in tomorrow. crossfit.com just had a rest day yesterday, so tomorrow should be a good day to get my workout from the main site - and I can make up the run in the afternoon - I shouldn't have any reason not to tomorrow. Perhaps though I'll get up early and check the site - if it's something I can do at home, I'll do it at home before my shower and then do my run during my lunch break, instead of hoping I have time in the evening.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
300 - Day 51
So the main site didn't have a workout that invloves the back at all today. But that's only because it didn't have a workout at all.
My back was just sore enough (along with my glutes - but thats a good sore, indicating progress!) that I decided not to do Fran today. So instead I decided to use a modification on a WOD from the main site that had intrigued me.
For my upcoming APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test), I know that my weak event is the sit-up. The main site had sets of 50,40,30,20,10 of Sit-ups and Double-Unders for time.
If I was going to do a workout like that, I might as well do it at home, since I have all the equipment (jump rope and a place to stick my feet). So I modified and changed out the double unders for 500m Rows for time. This ended up being a gut wrenching little workout. It's nice, because it didn't take a real long time (I didn't time it, but it was fairly short), but I could really feel it.
The warm-up:
1/2 mile run - 5:03 (nice and easy)
20 push-ups
10 sit-ups
15 dips
15 squats
10 pull-ups
The workout:
50 sit-ups
500m row - 1:57
40 sit-ups
500m row - 1:58.8
30 sit-ups
500m row - 1:55
20 sit-ups
500m row - 1:47.7
10 sit-ups
500m row - 1:48
I paced myself on the row at first because my abs were on fire and didn't want to over-do it - but getting toward the end, I knew that I could push it more, so I did. My abs are still burning from this workout - and I finished about 1hr 45min ago.
The back doesn't hurt much at all now - so tomorrow its Fran. I'll make up my run tonight or tomorrow after Fran - though, I'm thinking probably tomorrow, as Fran should be a short workout. I may also supplement with some rowing, or something else.
My back was just sore enough (along with my glutes - but thats a good sore, indicating progress!) that I decided not to do Fran today. So instead I decided to use a modification on a WOD from the main site that had intrigued me.
For my upcoming APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test), I know that my weak event is the sit-up. The main site had sets of 50,40,30,20,10 of Sit-ups and Double-Unders for time.
If I was going to do a workout like that, I might as well do it at home, since I have all the equipment (jump rope and a place to stick my feet). So I modified and changed out the double unders for 500m Rows for time. This ended up being a gut wrenching little workout. It's nice, because it didn't take a real long time (I didn't time it, but it was fairly short), but I could really feel it.
The warm-up:
1/2 mile run - 5:03 (nice and easy)
20 push-ups
10 sit-ups
15 dips
15 squats
10 pull-ups
The workout:
50 sit-ups
500m row - 1:57
40 sit-ups
500m row - 1:58.8
30 sit-ups
500m row - 1:55
20 sit-ups
500m row - 1:47.7
10 sit-ups
500m row - 1:48
I paced myself on the row at first because my abs were on fire and didn't want to over-do it - but getting toward the end, I knew that I could push it more, so I did. My abs are still burning from this workout - and I finished about 1hr 45min ago.
The back doesn't hurt much at all now - so tomorrow its Fran. I'll make up my run tonight or tomorrow after Fran - though, I'm thinking probably tomorrow, as Fran should be a short workout. I may also supplement with some rowing, or something else.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
30 - Days 46 to 50 - Slacking
So I was away for the weekend (starting Friday) for reserve drill - and since we were in the field all weekend, as suspected, I didn't get in my planned workouts. Luckily, I did have a couple rest days planned (46 & 48) and only 2 workouts planned for the weekend that I missed.
The original plan to make them up was that on Monday (day 49) I would make up both workouts and then I would do Fran today (day 50). Unfortunately, I did hurt my back just a little bit - no doubt some bad form on the sumo dead lift high pulls. Just some soreness with certain movements - think I arched my back instead of popping my hips on the last set of sumos, but did finish off my workout.
So for day 49, I warmed up as follows:
800m run
20 push-ups
35 sit-ups
20 dips
20 squats
I then did my 12, 9, 6 as follows:
Sumo - 95#
Thruster - 95#
Pull-ups
Sumo - 115#
Thruster - 115#
Pull-ups
Sumo - 135#
Thruster - 135#
Pull-ups
And finally a 800m jog cool down.
I didn't end up doing the run in the evening, because I got home a bit later than usual.
I also didn't do Fran today, for one because of the sore back - for two because Fran consists of thrusters and pull-ups - just like the workout I had done yesterday - so either way, I figured it was a good workout to skip (for now). If my back is still sore tomorrow I'll take a look at the WOD on the main site and see if the WOD skips the back (rare - but it happens!). If so, I'll do that tomorrow and then do Fran on Thursday (day 52). Otherwise, I'll make something up tomorrow. If the back feels good, I'll do Fran and then catch up on my mile TT + 1/4 mile repeats.
On that note, I thought it was funny that the day I had my 1 mile TT + 1/4 mile repeats planned, the crossfitendurance.com site had basically the same workout on their site.
I had planned: 1600m TT, followed by 4X400m repeats, with 25 KB swings between repeats.
They had: 1600m TT, a 3 minute rest, then 3x400m repeats on pace with the 1600m TT with 30 second rest between - deviate more than 2 seconds off the pace and do max burpees for a minute for each foul at the end of the workout, 2 minute rest between.
Not exactly identical, but pretty similar. I think they stole my idea. Or at least that's what I'll tell myself, despite that the visitor stats on this blog essentially prove otherwise.
The original plan to make them up was that on Monday (day 49) I would make up both workouts and then I would do Fran today (day 50). Unfortunately, I did hurt my back just a little bit - no doubt some bad form on the sumo dead lift high pulls. Just some soreness with certain movements - think I arched my back instead of popping my hips on the last set of sumos, but did finish off my workout.
So for day 49, I warmed up as follows:
800m run
20 push-ups
35 sit-ups
20 dips
20 squats
I then did my 12, 9, 6 as follows:
Sumo - 95#
Thruster - 95#
Pull-ups
Sumo - 115#
Thruster - 115#
Pull-ups
Sumo - 135#
Thruster - 135#
Pull-ups
And finally a 800m jog cool down.
I didn't end up doing the run in the evening, because I got home a bit later than usual.
I also didn't do Fran today, for one because of the sore back - for two because Fran consists of thrusters and pull-ups - just like the workout I had done yesterday - so either way, I figured it was a good workout to skip (for now). If my back is still sore tomorrow I'll take a look at the WOD on the main site and see if the WOD skips the back (rare - but it happens!). If so, I'll do that tomorrow and then do Fran on Thursday (day 52). Otherwise, I'll make something up tomorrow. If the back feels good, I'll do Fran and then catch up on my mile TT + 1/4 mile repeats.
On that note, I thought it was funny that the day I had my 1 mile TT + 1/4 mile repeats planned, the crossfitendurance.com site had basically the same workout on their site.
I had planned: 1600m TT, followed by 4X400m repeats, with 25 KB swings between repeats.
They had: 1600m TT, a 3 minute rest, then 3x400m repeats on pace with the 1600m TT with 30 second rest between - deviate more than 2 seconds off the pace and do max burpees for a minute for each foul at the end of the workout, 2 minute rest between.
Not exactly identical, but pretty similar. I think they stole my idea. Or at least that's what I'll tell myself, despite that the visitor stats on this blog essentially prove otherwise.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
300 - Day 45 - Core (ab) workout
Today I laid down a pretty nasy abdominal routine - though really every exercise I complete targeted both abs and shoulders.
The plan:
L-Pull-ups, Floor Wipers, Captain's Chairs
As I have been doing a lot lately, I modified this just slightly. I realized that the L pull-ups targeted the shoulders as well as the abs, so I wanted to get another shoulder exercise in there. I decided on the shoulder press, as I already had a pull exercise and decided to complement it with a push exercise.
Likewise with the abdominal considerations, the Floor Wipers work your obliques (side to side movement), whereas everything else hits the rectus abdominis (the visible 6-pack muscles). The Captain's Chair is a series of contraction and release, similar to the floor wipers. The L Pull-ups are a static hold for the abs that cause basically full contraction of the rectus abdominis. So the other reason that I picked the shoulder press is that your abs are again in a contracted state - but this time, rather than to prevent your legs from falling, the purpose is to stabilize your core as you lift a heavy weight over your head, so it also complements the L Sit-up well for that reason.
I had also originally only intended 3 sets, but I wanted to get 50 wipers in and didn't pull it off in 3, so I did 4 sets, doing each exercise in sequence for max reps - and called that 1 set.
So here is how I fared:
L Pull-ups - 10, 8, 8, 8 (34 total)
Floor Wipers (135) - 15, 10, 15, 20 (55 total)
Shoulder Press (95) - 10, 10, 10, 10 (40 total)
Captain's Chair - 15, 15, 15, 20 (65 total)
On my 3rd set of floor wipers, I discovered just how important breathing is for the exercise. By breathing in while my legs are dropping, and exhaling while I was pulling my legs up, there was virtually no resistance in my abs. This showed in set 4, where I completed 20 reps. I'm taking that tip to the bank.
Before starting this, I wamed up as follows:
1000m row (4:04)
20 Push-Ups
20 Sit-Ups
15 Dips
20 Squats
I may delay tomorrow's workout with the new 3 on 1 off philosophy. I'll let you know.
The plan:
L-Pull-ups, Floor Wipers, Captain's Chairs
As I have been doing a lot lately, I modified this just slightly. I realized that the L pull-ups targeted the shoulders as well as the abs, so I wanted to get another shoulder exercise in there. I decided on the shoulder press, as I already had a pull exercise and decided to complement it with a push exercise.
Likewise with the abdominal considerations, the Floor Wipers work your obliques (side to side movement), whereas everything else hits the rectus abdominis (the visible 6-pack muscles). The Captain's Chair is a series of contraction and release, similar to the floor wipers. The L Pull-ups are a static hold for the abs that cause basically full contraction of the rectus abdominis. So the other reason that I picked the shoulder press is that your abs are again in a contracted state - but this time, rather than to prevent your legs from falling, the purpose is to stabilize your core as you lift a heavy weight over your head, so it also complements the L Sit-up well for that reason.
I had also originally only intended 3 sets, but I wanted to get 50 wipers in and didn't pull it off in 3, so I did 4 sets, doing each exercise in sequence for max reps - and called that 1 set.
So here is how I fared:
L Pull-ups - 10, 8, 8, 8 (34 total)
Floor Wipers (135) - 15, 10, 15, 20 (55 total)
Shoulder Press (95) - 10, 10, 10, 10 (40 total)
Captain's Chair - 15, 15, 15, 20 (65 total)
On my 3rd set of floor wipers, I discovered just how important breathing is for the exercise. By breathing in while my legs are dropping, and exhaling while I was pulling my legs up, there was virtually no resistance in my abs. This showed in set 4, where I completed 20 reps. I'm taking that tip to the bank.
Before starting this, I wamed up as follows:
1000m row (4:04)
20 Push-Ups
20 Sit-Ups
15 Dips
20 Squats
I may delay tomorrow's workout with the new 3 on 1 off philosophy. I'll let you know.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
300 - Day 43 - 12-9-6, Squat, DB Bench, Dead Lift
So for today's workout, the plan was 12,9,6 of Squat, Dumbbell Bench Press and Dead Lift.
I decided to do one workout, complete all sets/reps and then move to the next exercise, only because I didn't want to have to take the one Olympic bar that I had available on and off the rack between the squats and the dead lifts.
I started off with:
1000m C2 Row (4:25.1)
20 Push-Ups
25 Sit-Ups
10 Dips
15 Squats
I then moved into my squats.
For my 12, 9, 6 I did:
175, 225, 275 respectively.
After completing, I wanted to go heavier - I had wanted to go heavier for the 6, but wasn't sure how I would handle it. But I felt good after the 6 on 275 so I decided to add an additional set of 3 on each my exercises. So I stacked on 305 and did 3 reps.
For the Dumbbell Bench Press, I used the following weights:
35, 45, 55, 70 (weight for one hand).
This was pretty nice. When I was at the gym in KY this summer that got me turned on to crossfit, I remember sitting on the bench there with dumbbell bench press, trying to get 2x75 up and being unable to. These 70s felt pretty easy and I am quite sure I could have hit 80 (I have no 75s available or I may have tried).
Dead Lifts:
145, 185, 275, 275
I didn't get any heavier for my last set, because my forearms were giving out and I was unable to keep the bar in my grip for a heavier weight - I even had to use an alternating grip on this. Please comment if you have a suggestion on how to help with this (other than bar straps - obvious, but also undesired). If I were to do Linda as Rx'd, I would have to use 275 for the DL - and I really don't think I could complete 55 reps of this weight at this time. Granted, when I did the DB Bench, the bench immediately next to the DB rack was occupied, so I was farmer carrying them across the room to the bench at the barbell rack - but mixing the DL with a BB Bench (okay - not much grip involved) and a Clean would wreak havoc on my forearms - especially with a 135 clean (as Rx'd). I have some work to do before I can attempt that one. Maybe on my next attempt I can hit Rx for BB Bench and Clean and maybe go 125% BW for the DL (83.3% of the Rx'd load) at 225.
I cooled down with 1/4 run and called it a day - though I had considered a regular press to even out my upper and lower body - but my workout was already nearing an hour and my lunch time was about up.
I decided to do one workout, complete all sets/reps and then move to the next exercise, only because I didn't want to have to take the one Olympic bar that I had available on and off the rack between the squats and the dead lifts.
I started off with:
1000m C2 Row (4:25.1)
20 Push-Ups
25 Sit-Ups
10 Dips
15 Squats
I then moved into my squats.
For my 12, 9, 6 I did:
175, 225, 275 respectively.
After completing, I wanted to go heavier - I had wanted to go heavier for the 6, but wasn't sure how I would handle it. But I felt good after the 6 on 275 so I decided to add an additional set of 3 on each my exercises. So I stacked on 305 and did 3 reps.
For the Dumbbell Bench Press, I used the following weights:
35, 45, 55, 70 (weight for one hand).
This was pretty nice. When I was at the gym in KY this summer that got me turned on to crossfit, I remember sitting on the bench there with dumbbell bench press, trying to get 2x75 up and being unable to. These 70s felt pretty easy and I am quite sure I could have hit 80 (I have no 75s available or I may have tried).
Dead Lifts:
145, 185, 275, 275
I didn't get any heavier for my last set, because my forearms were giving out and I was unable to keep the bar in my grip for a heavier weight - I even had to use an alternating grip on this. Please comment if you have a suggestion on how to help with this (other than bar straps - obvious, but also undesired). If I were to do Linda as Rx'd, I would have to use 275 for the DL - and I really don't think I could complete 55 reps of this weight at this time. Granted, when I did the DB Bench, the bench immediately next to the DB rack was occupied, so I was farmer carrying them across the room to the bench at the barbell rack - but mixing the DL with a BB Bench (okay - not much grip involved) and a Clean would wreak havoc on my forearms - especially with a 135 clean (as Rx'd). I have some work to do before I can attempt that one. Maybe on my next attempt I can hit Rx for BB Bench and Clean and maybe go 125% BW for the DL (83.3% of the Rx'd load) at 225.
I cooled down with 1/4 run and called it a day - though I had considered a regular press to even out my upper and lower body - but my workout was already nearing an hour and my lunch time was about up.
300 - Days 40, 41 & 42
I was going to swap around days 40 and 41 - rest on 40 and run on 41 - however, due to being busy on the holiday weekend (too much driving), I didn't get my bike ride/run in. I was visiting my dad on Monday and had a feeling I wouldn't have time to run that night - so instead I did 5 pull-ups each time I passed the chin-up bar. I probably totaled around 50 pull-ups or so - but still not what I was looking for.
Day 42 was my 2000m TT on the C2 Rower, followed by kipping pull-up practice and some dips.
I started with my warm-up:
800m Run (4:46)
25 push-ups
30 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
20 squats
My original plan for the 2000m was to keep on about a 2:00 (500m) pace for the first 1500 and then give it all I had for the last 500m. I got going faster than I had planned - about a 1:55, so I decided to try to keep with it - and I did.
I finished the 2000m in 7:40.1. I was a little slower on the second half - so next time I might keep slower in the first half so I have more energy for a strong finish - but instead I might just try to increase my endurance/stamina and make that an easier pace.
According to the concept2 online ranking system, this makes me about #153 in the world for my "class" (age 19-29, men heavyweight (165+ lb) with the average reported time being 7:35.8. The number 1 guy finished in 5:56.7. I guess I have some work to do - that's a quick pace to shoot for, at just under 1:39.2 for a 500m pace. I think I'll have to seriously step up my game to hope to do that. 500m and 1000m repeats, here I come!
After my row (I was pretty near dead...) I worked on my kipping pull-up, but with-out much progress. I used a bench to immobilize my feet while I worked on the swinging motion, akin to a video I had seen on youtube where someone was teaching this movement. I then tried to remove the bench and duplicate, but it didn't work so well. This reminds me I want to get a 10-day pass to crossfit321 - maybe I can find someone there that can help see what I am doing wrong.
I finished off with 2 sets of 10 dips.
Day 42 was my 2000m TT on the C2 Rower, followed by kipping pull-up practice and some dips.
I started with my warm-up:
800m Run (4:46)
25 push-ups
30 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
20 squats
My original plan for the 2000m was to keep on about a 2:00 (500m) pace for the first 1500 and then give it all I had for the last 500m. I got going faster than I had planned - about a 1:55, so I decided to try to keep with it - and I did.
I finished the 2000m in 7:40.1. I was a little slower on the second half - so next time I might keep slower in the first half so I have more energy for a strong finish - but instead I might just try to increase my endurance/stamina and make that an easier pace.
According to the concept2 online ranking system, this makes me about #153 in the world for my "class" (age 19-29, men heavyweight (165+ lb) with the average reported time being 7:35.8. The number 1 guy finished in 5:56.7. I guess I have some work to do - that's a quick pace to shoot for, at just under 1:39.2 for a 500m pace. I think I'll have to seriously step up my game to hope to do that. 500m and 1000m repeats, here I come!
After my row (I was pretty near dead...) I worked on my kipping pull-up, but with-out much progress. I used a bench to immobilize my feet while I worked on the swinging motion, akin to a video I had seen on youtube where someone was teaching this movement. I then tried to remove the bench and duplicate, but it didn't work so well. This reminds me I want to get a 10-day pass to crossfit321 - maybe I can find someone there that can help see what I am doing wrong.
I finished off with 2 sets of 10 dips.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
300 - Day 39 - Home Circuit
The plan:
Home workout - Static holds, Pistol Squats, Box Jumps, Hand stand push-ups
I ended up setting up a circuit as follows:
Handstand push-ups
Pistol Squats
Frog Stance
Box Jumps
KB Swings
Thrusters (w/dumbbell)
My original intent was 25, 15, 10 of each with only the first 4 stations. However, the plan was to do half of the pistol squats on each leg - and 25 and 15 don't divide well.
I ended up adjusting originally to 20, 16, 12 and adding the two events.
On the first set of handstand push-ups I only pulled off 7 (I was using my dumbbells to elevate myself a little more than I otherwise would have been and bracing myself on the wall, as I can't do even an unassisted hand-stand). So I used 2 more sets to finish 10 (I fell over after #8).
My final change-up was as follows:
20, 14, 10
Handstand Push-ups I only do 1/2 of the designated number
Pistol-squats are done 1/2 on each leg.
Frog stance is done in seconds
I warmed up as follows:
2000m run
20 push-ups
20 squats
20 back-extensions (swiss ball)
I then completed the above prescribed workout. Other than needing 3 sets to complete my first set of handstand push-ups, I also had to use 2 sets to hit my second frog stance duration, losing balance after about 11 seconds.
This was a good workout, though next time I might do 20, 16, 12. I was already more confident on the handstand push-ups toward the end of the exercise, as I was starting to find my balance.
Home workout - Static holds, Pistol Squats, Box Jumps, Hand stand push-ups
I ended up setting up a circuit as follows:
Handstand push-ups
Pistol Squats
Frog Stance
Box Jumps
KB Swings
Thrusters (w/dumbbell)
My original intent was 25, 15, 10 of each with only the first 4 stations. However, the plan was to do half of the pistol squats on each leg - and 25 and 15 don't divide well.
I ended up adjusting originally to 20, 16, 12 and adding the two events.
On the first set of handstand push-ups I only pulled off 7 (I was using my dumbbells to elevate myself a little more than I otherwise would have been and bracing myself on the wall, as I can't do even an unassisted hand-stand). So I used 2 more sets to finish 10 (I fell over after #8).
My final change-up was as follows:
20, 14, 10
Handstand Push-ups I only do 1/2 of the designated number
Pistol-squats are done 1/2 on each leg.
Frog stance is done in seconds
I warmed up as follows:
2000m run
20 push-ups
20 squats
20 back-extensions (swiss ball)
I then completed the above prescribed workout. Other than needing 3 sets to complete my first set of handstand push-ups, I also had to use 2 sets to hit my second frog stance duration, losing balance after about 11 seconds.
This was a good workout, though next time I might do 20, 16, 12. I was already more confident on the handstand push-ups toward the end of the exercise, as I was starting to find my balance.
Friday, September 4, 2009
300 - Day 38 - Mile TT
Mile time trial. Very slight improvement only. 6:00.75 or so. So about a 2 second improvement over Day 13. I've started looking at the Crossfit endurance site which is aimed at distance athletes who want to train using Crossfit principles. In addition to the WOD posted at www.crossfit.com, they prescribe short exercises aimed at your particular sport. The philosophies they follow are very in line with the ideas that turned me on to Crossfit in the first place, so I am going to start doing some of their exercises as well.
Before I start doing that, I am going to finish my current schedule - but also switch to what I have found is the standard Crossfit split of 3 on 1 off. I may even start following the main site WOD as often as I have the proper equipment available.
So after finishing my 1 mile TT, I had 2 more 800s to do. Well, I only finished 1 and it took me 3:26. Man was I tired after that mile. The first 1/2 of the 800 was right on the dot 1:30 - which is the same pace I ran my mile at and what I was aiming for. That makes the second half near 2 minutes. The good news is that at 3:26, I would still have been on pace to pass my 2 mile run in 13 minutes or less (less by 8 seconds). However, bad news is that if my performance in the second half of the 800 was a good indicator of what the rest of my time would have looked like, my last 800 would have been 4 minutes, and I would have missed my goal by about 56 seconds.
Granted, if I can control myself I like to run the first mile a but slower than that to conserve my energy - so I guess we'll see where I stand another day.
The warm-up for this had been:
1 mile bike ride + 1/4 mile jog
No additional exercises.
Before I start doing that, I am going to finish my current schedule - but also switch to what I have found is the standard Crossfit split of 3 on 1 off. I may even start following the main site WOD as often as I have the proper equipment available.
So after finishing my 1 mile TT, I had 2 more 800s to do. Well, I only finished 1 and it took me 3:26. Man was I tired after that mile. The first 1/2 of the 800 was right on the dot 1:30 - which is the same pace I ran my mile at and what I was aiming for. That makes the second half near 2 minutes. The good news is that at 3:26, I would still have been on pace to pass my 2 mile run in 13 minutes or less (less by 8 seconds). However, bad news is that if my performance in the second half of the 800 was a good indicator of what the rest of my time would have looked like, my last 800 would have been 4 minutes, and I would have missed my goal by about 56 seconds.
Granted, if I can control myself I like to run the first mile a but slower than that to conserve my energy - so I guess we'll see where I stand another day.
The warm-up for this had been:
1 mile bike ride + 1/4 mile jog
No additional exercises.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
300 Day 37 - Bench Work
So for day 37, when I went to actually do the workout, I thought that 1) the workout seemed a little too isolated and that 2) it really didn't sound that hard. Here is what I had in mind at the time:
12, 9, 6 of the following:
Bench Press (bodyweight - 185)
Dips
Push-ups
So when I got to the gym, I made the last minute decision to add pull-ups just after the bench. Now I'm thinking this should have been a substitute exercise.
At the end of my first "set", when I was on about my 11th push-up and wondering if I was going to get the 12th in or not, I realized it had probably been a bad idea.
So I took a slightly longer rest than I otherwise would during a Crossfit workout, maybe 2-3 minutes or so. But still, I didn't get the 4th rep up on the bench. I had to rack it, drop the weight down to 135 and pick up where I left off. Even with the weight change, it was still difficult to finish.
I think this just goes to show that too much isolation work makes it impossible to train effectively and efficiently. When I did Linda using bodyweight bench, I was able to complete a total 55 repetitions by alternating a chest workout with full-body movements. Isolating my work to the specific region, I was only able to complete 15 repetitions with the same weight.
I'm going to try avoiding the same mistake in future workouts. If I really want to do a "chest" workout, then I will do the classical gym style workout, with x reps of y weight, followed by z minutes of rest. Complete b sets of a single exercise and then move to another exercise. However, I probably won't work that in any time soon - but for isolation exercises, I would say you can get more out of it that way.
12, 9, 6 of the following:
Bench Press (bodyweight - 185)
Dips
Push-ups
So when I got to the gym, I made the last minute decision to add pull-ups just after the bench. Now I'm thinking this should have been a substitute exercise.
At the end of my first "set", when I was on about my 11th push-up and wondering if I was going to get the 12th in or not, I realized it had probably been a bad idea.
So I took a slightly longer rest than I otherwise would during a Crossfit workout, maybe 2-3 minutes or so. But still, I didn't get the 4th rep up on the bench. I had to rack it, drop the weight down to 135 and pick up where I left off. Even with the weight change, it was still difficult to finish.
I think this just goes to show that too much isolation work makes it impossible to train effectively and efficiently. When I did Linda using bodyweight bench, I was able to complete a total 55 repetitions by alternating a chest workout with full-body movements. Isolating my work to the specific region, I was only able to complete 15 repetitions with the same weight.
I'm going to try avoiding the same mistake in future workouts. If I really want to do a "chest" workout, then I will do the classical gym style workout, with x reps of y weight, followed by z minutes of rest. Complete b sets of a single exercise and then move to another exercise. However, I probably won't work that in any time soon - but for isolation exercises, I would say you can get more out of it that way.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day 35 - 5 weeks down (schedule)
Today's workout: Jackie.
I warmed up with:
800m jog
20 Push-ups
20 sit-ups
15 squats
10 dips
Followed by some light stretching. Jackie really doesn't sound tough - 1000m row, 50x45# Thrusters, 30 Pull-ups. Jackie is deceiving though. I didn't realize it until I looked it up afterward, but to do Jackie as Rx'd, you should complete the pull-ups "CTB". I thought this meant "Chin-to-bar", but it actually meant "Chest-To-Bar". Had I done this, I probably would have been a bit slower - but I probably also would have wanted to do kipping pull-ups.
Anyway, here is how I weighed in:
Exercise - Completion time (total) - Reps for each set
1000m Row - 3:37 - N/A
50 45# Thrusters - 7:03 - 20, 15, 15
30 Pull-ups - 9:54 - 10, 7, 5, 4, 3
So my finish time was 9:54 - but not quite as rx'd. That reminds me that I have to work on kipping pull-up form. I'll have to work that in.
Week 6 schedule:
Day 36 - REST
Day 37 - Bench Press (bodyweight), Dips, Push-ups - 12,9,6
Day 38 - 1 mile time trial, 2x800m run
Day 39 - Home workout - Static holds, Pistol Squats, Box Jumps, Hand stand push-ups
Day 40 - Bike/Run (longer distance)
Day 41 - REST
Day 42 - 2000m Row Time trial; Kipping pull-up practice; dips
Week 7 schedule:
Day 43 - Squats, Dead Lifts, Dumbbell Bench Press - 12, 9, 6
Day 44 - L-Pull-ups, Floor Wipers, Captain's Chairs
Day 45 - Sumo Dead lift High Pull, Thrusters, Pull-ups (kipping) - 12, 9, 6
Day 46 - REST
Day 47 - 1 mile Run Time Trail; 4x400m alternated with 25 KB swings (30#)
Day 48 - REST
Day 49 - Fran
I warmed up with:
800m jog
20 Push-ups
20 sit-ups
15 squats
10 dips
Followed by some light stretching. Jackie really doesn't sound tough - 1000m row, 50x45# Thrusters, 30 Pull-ups. Jackie is deceiving though. I didn't realize it until I looked it up afterward, but to do Jackie as Rx'd, you should complete the pull-ups "CTB". I thought this meant "Chin-to-bar", but it actually meant "Chest-To-Bar". Had I done this, I probably would have been a bit slower - but I probably also would have wanted to do kipping pull-ups.
Anyway, here is how I weighed in:
Exercise - Completion time (total) - Reps for each set
1000m Row - 3:37 - N/A
50 45# Thrusters - 7:03 - 20, 15, 15
30 Pull-ups - 9:54 - 10, 7, 5, 4, 3
So my finish time was 9:54 - but not quite as rx'd. That reminds me that I have to work on kipping pull-up form. I'll have to work that in.
Week 6 schedule:
Day 36 - REST
Day 37 - Bench Press (bodyweight), Dips, Push-ups - 12,9,6
Day 38 - 1 mile time trial, 2x800m run
Day 39 - Home workout - Static holds, Pistol Squats, Box Jumps, Hand stand push-ups
Day 40 - Bike/Run (longer distance)
Day 41 - REST
Day 42 - 2000m Row Time trial; Kipping pull-up practice; dips
Week 7 schedule:
Day 43 - Squats, Dead Lifts, Dumbbell Bench Press - 12, 9, 6
Day 44 - L-Pull-ups, Floor Wipers, Captain's Chairs
Day 45 - Sumo Dead lift High Pull, Thrusters, Pull-ups (kipping) - 12, 9, 6
Day 46 - REST
Day 47 - 1 mile Run Time Trail; 4x400m alternated with 25 KB swings (30#)
Day 48 - REST
Day 49 - Fran
300 - Day 34 - Revenge of the Floor Wipers
So I went down to the gym with the following workout in mind:
50 Floor Wipers
50 Burpees
50 Hanging Leg Raises
50 Push-ups
My goal of course is to strengthen my floor wipers, as they were noted as one of my weak movements in the 300 workout. I had put these at the beginning, because I know they are relatively daunting and I didn't want to be too fatigued, as I am still working on these.
However, I got to the gym and performed my warm-up - and finished just after someone started their squats. No biggie - to prevent delaying my workout and wasting precious time, I swapped around the Hanging Leg Raises and the Floor Wipers.
Really, I think this ended up being a good thing, as during 300, the Floor Wipers are toward the beginning of the second half of the workout.
I ended up completing this exercise as follows:
HLR - 16, 9, 10, 10, 5 reps (5 sets)
B - 16, 10, 12, 8, 4 reps (5 sets)
FW - 15, 15, 12, 8 reps (4 sets!!)
PU - 50 (1 set)
Obviously, push-up is still a strong suit for me - though I must admit, that last push-up was tough.
I learned that Burpees are killer. Really killer. I want to start incorporating these more often - especially into my home/bodyweight exercises. I may even work them in with my box jumps (Burpee w/ jump onto 24" box.. Impossible? We'll see!)
Before this workout, I warmed up with the following:
1000m row
10 push-ups
20 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
20 squats
This one was sweat inducing for sure.
Just for my own personal note, I would like to have the following exercises worked into my at-home routine:
Burpees
Box jumps
Handstand push-ups
Static holds (Hand Stands, Frog Stance, L-sits (one legged until I strengthen this), etc. - I think I should invest in some PVC piping to build some paralettes)
V-Ups
Pistol Squats
400m sprints
50 Floor Wipers
50 Burpees
50 Hanging Leg Raises
50 Push-ups
My goal of course is to strengthen my floor wipers, as they were noted as one of my weak movements in the 300 workout. I had put these at the beginning, because I know they are relatively daunting and I didn't want to be too fatigued, as I am still working on these.
However, I got to the gym and performed my warm-up - and finished just after someone started their squats. No biggie - to prevent delaying my workout and wasting precious time, I swapped around the Hanging Leg Raises and the Floor Wipers.
Really, I think this ended up being a good thing, as during 300, the Floor Wipers are toward the beginning of the second half of the workout.
I ended up completing this exercise as follows:
HLR - 16, 9, 10, 10, 5 reps (5 sets)
B - 16, 10, 12, 8, 4 reps (5 sets)
FW - 15, 15, 12, 8 reps (4 sets!!)
PU - 50 (1 set)
Obviously, push-up is still a strong suit for me - though I must admit, that last push-up was tough.
I learned that Burpees are killer. Really killer. I want to start incorporating these more often - especially into my home/bodyweight exercises. I may even work them in with my box jumps (Burpee w/ jump onto 24" box.. Impossible? We'll see!)
Before this workout, I warmed up with the following:
1000m row
10 push-ups
20 sit-ups
10 pull-ups
20 squats
This one was sweat inducing for sure.
Just for my own personal note, I would like to have the following exercises worked into my at-home routine:
Burpees
Box jumps
Handstand push-ups
Static holds (Hand Stands, Frog Stance, L-sits (one legged until I strengthen this), etc. - I think I should invest in some PVC piping to build some paralettes)
V-Ups
Pistol Squats
400m sprints
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