CrossFit 321 this morning.
Bench Press 5 @ 40% – 5 @ 50% – 5 @ 60%
Ring dips 10-10-10 (weighted if possible)
MetCon
“Helen”
3 rounds for time of.
Run 400 meters
21 Kettle Bell Swings 53/35
12 Pull-ups
For bench press - 120,150,180
Ring Dips were done BW only for the first 2 rounds, and then the last one was done with a 10# vest.
First time Helen. I knew it was going to be tough, because it's very similar to Claudia, which wrecked me for a week. I finished 3rd in the class today with 10:55. Gotta drop like 3 minutes to catch up with the average CrossFit competitors this year!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
3/28/2012
Today I made it to the 7AM class. The WOD:
Strength
Shoulder Press 5 @ 40% – 5 @ 50% – 5 @ 60%
Ring rows 10-10-10 (weighted if possible)
MetCon
15 min. AMRAP
Row 300 meters
10 push press 115/85
For the Press, I did 65, 85, 95.. nice and easy, I liked it :)
The Ring Rows I used a weighted vest - though I'm not sure how much, I'm thinking 20#.
The metcon was great. I managed to stay at the front of the pack, finishing 6 rounds, and completing the 300m row on the 7th round - as RX'd. Everyone in the 7AM class got 6 rounds - and everyone beat the 5AM class, so we were pretty stoked :D
Nothing wrong with some healthy competition! But the group definitely pushed me, I was just inches ahead the whole time.
Strength
Shoulder Press 5 @ 40% – 5 @ 50% – 5 @ 60%
Ring rows 10-10-10 (weighted if possible)
MetCon
15 min. AMRAP
Row 300 meters
10 push press 115/85
For the Press, I did 65, 85, 95.. nice and easy, I liked it :)
The Ring Rows I used a weighted vest - though I'm not sure how much, I'm thinking 20#.
The metcon was great. I managed to stay at the front of the pack, finishing 6 rounds, and completing the 300m row on the 7th round - as RX'd. Everyone in the 7AM class got 6 rounds - and everyone beat the 5AM class, so we were pretty stoked :D
Nothing wrong with some healthy competition! But the group definitely pushed me, I was just inches ahead the whole time.
3/26/2012
Today I missed the 6PM class and went at 7PM.
I didn't realize they typically only had the Women's class at 7.
As "Luck" would have it, it's competition season, and the competitors for the open/regionals were doing their workouts today - so I got to pick which group I wanted to be an outsider in :)
I think I chose incorrectly, because the competitors kicked my ass.
The WOD:
Run 400m
3 Rounds:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
Run 400mm
2 Rounds:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
Run 400m
1 Round:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
100 Double Unders
It is as bad as it sounds, except, probably a little worse. I ended up using 115#, and probably could have gone lighter (how humbling CrossFit can be!).
All was said and done in about 23 minutes - I didn't completely catch my final time, as I was too delirious.
Before this we had done snatch work - something I definitely needed to do.
After was:
3 rounds
Turkish Get-Ups, 5 per arm; rest 45 seconds
20 toes to bar
I'm not going to lie, I only did one round. I started the TGU with my right arm with a 53# KB. I ended with my left hand with a 30# DB. Still iced from Friday - and still gassed from the WOD. Brutal!
I didn't realize they typically only had the Women's class at 7.
As "Luck" would have it, it's competition season, and the competitors for the open/regionals were doing their workouts today - so I got to pick which group I wanted to be an outsider in :)
I think I chose incorrectly, because the competitors kicked my ass.
The WOD:
Run 400m
3 Rounds:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
Run 400mm
2 Rounds:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
Run 400m
1 Round:
Deadlift x5
Hang Clean x5
Jerk x5
100 Double Unders
It is as bad as it sounds, except, probably a little worse. I ended up using 115#, and probably could have gone lighter (how humbling CrossFit can be!).
All was said and done in about 23 minutes - I didn't completely catch my final time, as I was too delirious.
Before this we had done snatch work - something I definitely needed to do.
After was:
3 rounds
Turkish Get-Ups, 5 per arm; rest 45 seconds
20 toes to bar
I'm not going to lie, I only did one round. I started the TGU with my right arm with a 53# KB. I ended with my left hand with a 30# DB. Still iced from Friday - and still gassed from the WOD. Brutal!
3/24/2012
15 hours elapsed since my last workout at CrossFit 321 - and I'm sore. But, today is the free class, and I hadn't done that before, so I went.
The WOD was:
AMRAP 15 minutes
2 Squats
2 Sit-Ups
2 Burpees
...
4 Squats
4 Sit-ups
4 Burpees
...
Continue increasing by two each round until time is called.
I finished my round of 16, and then got 18 squats in before time was called. Total reps: 234.
Breakdown:
Squats: 90
Sit-Ups: 72
Burpees: 72
This was a gasser - but really the pain came the next day, when dropping into burpees with already sore triceps killed them even more!
The WOD was:
AMRAP 15 minutes
2 Squats
2 Sit-Ups
2 Burpees
...
4 Squats
4 Sit-ups
4 Burpees
...
Continue increasing by two each round until time is called.
I finished my round of 16, and then got 18 squats in before time was called. Total reps: 234.
Breakdown:
Squats: 90
Sit-Ups: 72
Burpees: 72
This was a gasser - but really the pain came the next day, when dropping into burpees with already sore triceps killed them even more!
3/23/2012
So 10 days since Claudia. However, I did spend 5 of those days at 5000+ feet; mostly between 9000-12000 feet. I took a ski trip to Colorado, 2 days in Denver, with the rest in the mountains. I got to do some hiking and a lot of skiing, so I have not been slacking. I'll call it Low Oxygen training, since I was staying just around the corner from CrossFit Low Oxygen.
The WOD for 3/23/2012 at CrossFit 321 was:
MetCon
5 rounds for time of
400 meter Run
5 Barbell Split Jerks 135/95
10 Ring Dips
15 push-ups
I was a little late, so I had to skip the strength workout. I finished in 22:32.
This was a workout. To illustrate just how much of a workout: on my APFT, I can do 90-100 push-ups in a minute, consistently. By the last round of 15 push-ups on this workout, I was doing sets of 3. Ring dips are killer, and especially after you have done Jerks with 135#, which fries your arms during the lockout (and push). I am writing this 5 days later, and my triceps still hurt!
The WOD for 3/23/2012 at CrossFit 321 was:
MetCon
5 rounds for time of
400 meter Run
5 Barbell Split Jerks 135/95
10 Ring Dips
15 push-ups
I was a little late, so I had to skip the strength workout. I finished in 22:32.
This was a workout. To illustrate just how much of a workout: on my APFT, I can do 90-100 push-ups in a minute, consistently. By the last round of 15 push-ups on this workout, I was doing sets of 3. Ring dips are killer, and especially after you have done Jerks with 135#, which fries your arms during the lockout (and push). I am writing this 5 days later, and my triceps still hurt!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
3/13/2012 - Claudia
I've been out for a few days, with a respiratory cold/sore throat, but back at it today.
Went to CrossFit 321 and did today's workout:
3-13-12 WOD
Deadlift 3 @ 70% – 3 @ 80% – AMRAP @ 90%
“Claudia”
5 rounds for time of
20 Kettle bell Swings 53/35
400 meter Run
Let me just say, if you plan on really attacking Claudia for a PR time, don't do heavy deadlifts first. Probably a no-brainer, but thought I'd mention it.
Did this as Rx'd. For Deadlifts, went up to 415x7.
By the end of Claudia, my lower back and quads were burning. On the last round, my legs didn't want to lift off the ground and my back didn't want to support my torso, but I muscled through and finished in 19:32. Ouch!
Went to CrossFit 321 and did today's workout:
3-13-12 WOD
Deadlift 3 @ 70% – 3 @ 80% – AMRAP @ 90%
“Claudia”
5 rounds for time of
20 Kettle bell Swings 53/35
400 meter Run
Let me just say, if you plan on really attacking Claudia for a PR time, don't do heavy deadlifts first. Probably a no-brainer, but thought I'd mention it.
Did this as Rx'd. For Deadlifts, went up to 415x7.
By the end of Claudia, my lower back and quads were burning. On the last round, my legs didn't want to lift off the ground and my back didn't want to support my torso, but I muscled through and finished in 19:32. Ouch!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March 7, 2012 - "Half Small"
Went to CrossFit 321 this morning:
3-7-12 WOD
Strength
Back Squat 5 @ 65% – 5 @ 75% – AMRAP @ 85%
MetCon
3 rounds for time of
500 meter Row
25 Burpees
25 Box Jumps 24/20
400 meter run
For squats, worked my way up: 305x5, 355x5, 405x7
Then I got into the MetCon, which is a Half Small (1000m Row, 50 burpees, 50 box jump, 800m run).
This was even harder than it sounded - especially after heavy squats!
First row was right around 1:55, easy pace. Burpees were not unbroken, and box-jumps were even more broken still. The run seemed like a recovery. First round was just around 9 minutes, and I finished the whole ordeal in about 29:50.
Smoked!
3-7-12 WOD
Strength
Back Squat 5 @ 65% – 5 @ 75% – AMRAP @ 85%
MetCon
3 rounds for time of
500 meter Row
25 Burpees
25 Box Jumps 24/20
400 meter run
For squats, worked my way up: 305x5, 355x5, 405x7
Then I got into the MetCon, which is a Half Small (1000m Row, 50 burpees, 50 box jump, 800m run).
This was even harder than it sounded - especially after heavy squats!
First row was right around 1:55, easy pace. Burpees were not unbroken, and box-jumps were even more broken still. The run seemed like a recovery. First round was just around 9 minutes, and I finished the whole ordeal in about 29:50.
Smoked!
Monday, March 5, 2012
March 5, 2012
Crossfit321 for breakfast :)
3-5-12 WOD
A.
Shoulder Press 5 @ 65% – 5 @ 75% – AMRAP 85%
B.
Push Press 3-3-3
C.
5 min AMRAP:
10 pull-ups
10 ring dips
Rest exactly 3 minutes, and then . . .
D.
7 min AMRAP:
300 meter Row
30 Double-unders
10 Toes to bar
For my shoulder press I went: 115x5, 145x5, 175x1
Not sure if I didn't rest enough between sets, or if my shoulders were still shot from Friday - either way, this is far less than my usual 1RM (185#). Maybe I just need some more pressing work! Also just realizing my math was wrong - whoops.. I thought it had been 115x5, 135x5, 155x1 - but just realized I used 15# plates after the 35# plates... and re-did my math and found I was using 10# for my math.
Push press was done at 145, 145, 155.
For Met-Con 1 (C), I had the (so far) best performance of the day, getting through 4 rounds and 16 reps (10 pull-ups + 6 dips. For the pull-ups I used the fat bar, which I don't think is intended for pull-ups typically, but I want to work on my grip for DeadLifts, to eliminate that as my failure point for my 1RM. I was a little weary at first, as this was my first pull-up workout since I strained my bicep a week and a half ago (did I mention that?). But there were no worries needed, it held up just fine, and no pain several hours later.
For Met Con 2 (D) I didn't have quite the same success; being the only one doing double-unders (30) instead of 90 single unders. I was a little slow, as my double-unders were neither pretty nor efficient. I ended up only completing 1 round, and getting through about 24 double unders in the second round, where everyone else was just moving into the 3rd round. Granted, we also had lots of people scaling the TTB as well as the double unders. Either way, my performance was among the worst of the day so far.
Good news is, I just recently purchased my own speed rope, so hopefully I will be getting better there - maybe I should bring my own next time, as the one I was using was rather badly kinked up, and may have contributed somewhat.
3-5-12 WOD
A.
Shoulder Press 5 @ 65% – 5 @ 75% – AMRAP 85%
B.
Push Press 3-3-3
C.
5 min AMRAP:
10 pull-ups
10 ring dips
Rest exactly 3 minutes, and then . . .
D.
7 min AMRAP:
300 meter Row
30 Double-unders
10 Toes to bar
For my shoulder press I went: 115x5, 145x5, 175x1
Not sure if I didn't rest enough between sets, or if my shoulders were still shot from Friday - either way, this is far less than my usual 1RM (185#). Maybe I just need some more pressing work! Also just realizing my math was wrong - whoops.. I thought it had been 115x5, 135x5, 155x1 - but just realized I used 15# plates after the 35# plates... and re-did my math and found I was using 10# for my math.
Push press was done at 145, 145, 155.
For Met-Con 1 (C), I had the (so far) best performance of the day, getting through 4 rounds and 16 reps (10 pull-ups + 6 dips. For the pull-ups I used the fat bar, which I don't think is intended for pull-ups typically, but I want to work on my grip for DeadLifts, to eliminate that as my failure point for my 1RM. I was a little weary at first, as this was my first pull-up workout since I strained my bicep a week and a half ago (did I mention that?). But there were no worries needed, it held up just fine, and no pain several hours later.
For Met Con 2 (D) I didn't have quite the same success; being the only one doing double-unders (30) instead of 90 single unders. I was a little slow, as my double-unders were neither pretty nor efficient. I ended up only completing 1 round, and getting through about 24 double unders in the second round, where everyone else was just moving into the 3rd round. Granted, we also had lots of people scaling the TTB as well as the double unders. Either way, my performance was among the worst of the day so far.
Good news is, I just recently purchased my own speed rope, so hopefully I will be getting better there - maybe I should bring my own next time, as the one I was using was rather badly kinked up, and may have contributed somewhat.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
March 2, 2012 - CrossFit 321
Went into CrossFit 321 (www.crossfit321.com) and signed up for a monthly membership.
WOD:
Warm-Up (I did 500m row, some ring dips, pull-ups, shoulder dislocates, Samson Stretch, then some foam rolls)
Strength:
Squats 5@65%, 5@75%, AMRAP@85%
This looked a little daunting, having done squats the day before, but luckily I only went up to 315x5 :). I used 475# for my calculations, being that this is the most I have done for one rep, so my weights were 305#, 355#, and 405#. My strength ended up looking like this:
305x5, 355x5, 405x9
This is by far the most reps I have done with this type of weight on my back - and actually, the 1RM calculators out there suggest that my max for squat might actually be 515-525#. This is exciting, because this means if I can cut to 175# without losing strength, I can get a 300% body weight squat - but that's 20# away, and it's unlikely that I will maintain my strength.
For the metcon we did:
10 rounds, every minute on the minute:
95# push press x5
20# wall ball x10
I ended up making it 8 rounds, in the 9th I only got through 5 wall-balls.
This workout left me sore - having done squats the day before, and more today; then with deadlifts/double unders yesterday; with push press + wall ball today - my legs and shoulders/upper back are pretty shot!
Now it's time for a weekend of rest, and back to the gym on Monday.
WOD:
Warm-Up (I did 500m row, some ring dips, pull-ups, shoulder dislocates, Samson Stretch, then some foam rolls)
Strength:
Squats 5@65%, 5@75%, AMRAP@85%
This looked a little daunting, having done squats the day before, but luckily I only went up to 315x5 :). I used 475# for my calculations, being that this is the most I have done for one rep, so my weights were 305#, 355#, and 405#. My strength ended up looking like this:
305x5, 355x5, 405x9
This is by far the most reps I have done with this type of weight on my back - and actually, the 1RM calculators out there suggest that my max for squat might actually be 515-525#. This is exciting, because this means if I can cut to 175# without losing strength, I can get a 300% body weight squat - but that's 20# away, and it's unlikely that I will maintain my strength.
For the metcon we did:
10 rounds, every minute on the minute:
95# push press x5
20# wall ball x10
I ended up making it 8 rounds, in the 9th I only got through 5 wall-balls.
This workout left me sore - having done squats the day before, and more today; then with deadlifts/double unders yesterday; with push press + wall ball today - my legs and shoulders/upper back are pretty shot!
Now it's time for a weekend of rest, and back to the gym on Monday.
March 1, 2012 - New Format
So my new format for workouts comes from my gym - CrossFit 321 (www.crossfit321.com). I'm trying to use the same format for my own workouts:
Warm-Up
Strength
Met-Con
The warm-up for March 1 was:
1000m row (3:55)
10 Over-Head Squats (OHS) w/ 45# bar
10 Hand Release Push-Ups
3 pistols per leg
For my strength, I made it a squat day, 4 sets of 5 reps:
135#, 225#, 275#, 315#
These were all "ass-to-grass" variety, meaning, I went down as low as I could, basically to where your butt is in-line with your ankles. I don't go this low with my heaviest lifts - for those I go just below parallel, but with my lighter weights I try to go as low as possible, so that as my max weight improves, I can do my previous maxes with this type of depth.
I would typically do (for MadCow) 5x5 starting at 225#, and working up to, e.g. 435# (on my last workout) - but although I have had some great success, I am breaking from that format in favor of a metcon based workout, as that is my current weakness.
My metcon was as follows:
21 Double Unders
21 DeadLifts (225#)
3/4 mile run
15 Double Unders
15 DeadLifts (225#)
1/2 mile run
9 Double Unders
9 DeadLifts (225#)
1/4 mile run
I don't have my times currently, but the first round was ~9 minutes even, and the second was pretty close to the same. My full time ended up being just over 23 minutes, right in the range of 5 minutes. This workout was pretty brutal. I ended up spending 1 minute just trying to get air back into my lungs at one point. I went pretty aggressively - my 3/4 mile (all treadmill, btw) was 5:55. My 1/2 mile was 3:55, and my 1/4 mile was about 1:37.
I'll definitely do this again. I dub this workout "Nasty Nate", not to be confused to the CrossFit hero "Nate" workout.
Warm-Up
Strength
Met-Con
The warm-up for March 1 was:
1000m row (3:55)
10 Over-Head Squats (OHS) w/ 45# bar
10 Hand Release Push-Ups
3 pistols per leg
For my strength, I made it a squat day, 4 sets of 5 reps:
135#, 225#, 275#, 315#
These were all "ass-to-grass" variety, meaning, I went down as low as I could, basically to where your butt is in-line with your ankles. I don't go this low with my heaviest lifts - for those I go just below parallel, but with my lighter weights I try to go as low as possible, so that as my max weight improves, I can do my previous maxes with this type of depth.
I would typically do (for MadCow) 5x5 starting at 225#, and working up to, e.g. 435# (on my last workout) - but although I have had some great success, I am breaking from that format in favor of a metcon based workout, as that is my current weakness.
My metcon was as follows:
21 Double Unders
21 DeadLifts (225#)
3/4 mile run
15 Double Unders
15 DeadLifts (225#)
1/2 mile run
9 Double Unders
9 DeadLifts (225#)
1/4 mile run
I don't have my times currently, but the first round was ~9 minutes even, and the second was pretty close to the same. My full time ended up being just over 23 minutes, right in the range of 5 minutes. This workout was pretty brutal. I ended up spending 1 minute just trying to get air back into my lungs at one point. I went pretty aggressively - my 3/4 mile (all treadmill, btw) was 5:55. My 1/2 mile was 3:55, and my 1/4 mile was about 1:37.
I'll definitely do this again. I dub this workout "Nasty Nate", not to be confused to the CrossFit hero "Nate" workout.
Progress
Alright, so I lied. I haven't made any posts in nearly a year and a half now.
Now that the bad news is over, the good news is, one of my goals has been met in this time - I have achieved a 300# Bench Press.
Unfortunately I have not also hit the 300 APFT Score (just yet). In October my score was 295, with my missing points on the sit-ups. I've decided to target abs pretty substantially, and since then, I have started doing the P90X ab-ripper X routine to increase my abdominal endurance, to hopefully increase my sit-up score on the APFT. However, since then I have also put off my running, and before my next APFT test, I think I need to do some work there. I actually have 2 300 goals to work toward right now.
#1 300 APFT Score
#2 300% bodyweight squat
I think these goals will actually work out well together, more on that soon.
So what have I been doing? Well, largely, StrongLifts 5x5 (http://stronglifts.com) although, once I realized I was already doing well above what I should be for this program (I used it as an opportunity to really work on my from), I have since switched to Madcow 5x5 (http://stronglifts.com/madcow-5x5-training-programs/). I got some really good results of this, including increasing my Bench Press to 300+ (I know I can do 300, but I'm not sure how much more). Based on last week's workout where I benched 275 for 4 reps, theoretically I have hit 305-309.
Anyway, now that I've updated I'll post my last two workouts.
Now that the bad news is over, the good news is, one of my goals has been met in this time - I have achieved a 300# Bench Press.
Unfortunately I have not also hit the 300 APFT Score (just yet). In October my score was 295, with my missing points on the sit-ups. I've decided to target abs pretty substantially, and since then, I have started doing the P90X ab-ripper X routine to increase my abdominal endurance, to hopefully increase my sit-up score on the APFT. However, since then I have also put off my running, and before my next APFT test, I think I need to do some work there. I actually have 2 300 goals to work toward right now.
#1 300 APFT Score
#2 300% bodyweight squat
I think these goals will actually work out well together, more on that soon.
So what have I been doing? Well, largely, StrongLifts 5x5 (http://stronglifts.com) although, once I realized I was already doing well above what I should be for this program (I used it as an opportunity to really work on my from), I have since switched to Madcow 5x5 (http://stronglifts.com/madcow-5x5-training-programs/). I got some really good results of this, including increasing my Bench Press to 300+ (I know I can do 300, but I'm not sure how much more). Based on last week's workout where I benched 275 for 4 reps, theoretically I have hit 305-309.
Anyway, now that I've updated I'll post my last two workouts.
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