2014/08/28

So, it's been a while. I've been moving and that has literally taken over all of my time. Finally found a spare hour to get to the gym last night, right in time for a chipper class. 

400m run

24 hand stand push ups

24 ball slams @ 20#

24 lateral bar burpees

24 power cleans @ 135#

24 pendlay rows @ 95

400m run

This was actually really fun, except for the hspu portion. That took about half the time. I finished in 13:41, take about a minute or so for each run, about 5 minutes of that was just the push ups. Worst part is that before class I hit a few sets of 5-6 and figured I'd be fine. Something was just missing during the actual workout, they all seemed tougher and I had to switch to kipping after the first ten.

The rest was easy. Should have stuck with 135 for the rows(they were supposed to be ring rows, but we didn't have enough rings so  I subbed). But, the thought of 135 for reps seemed daunting. 95 was too easy though. 

2014/08/13

Went in to the gym to try out the workouts from this weekend's competitions. Took everything at about 80%, just figuring out the movements. 

Quick super set of 30 pull ups and 30 box jump overs @ 24". Sadly, the workout actually calls for 30" box jump overs, I missed that. Each movement took just under a minute. 

Went and did a couple interval rowing sprints at 250m. Finished in 51.9, 54.6, and 53 seconds. Should be able to hold on to that 53 second finish if I row intelligently. 

Afterwards, tried out the barbell complex. 3 hang cleans, forward lunge, into a thruster. Can't let go of the barbell the whole time, so you're pretty much in front rack for a while. 

Worked up to 205, which sucks for those lunges. Worried that some competitors are going to roll their knees on this one. My biggest problem is going to be my body's prediliction to jerking at the top of my thruster. If I don't get no repped at 205, I'll probably try at 225 as well. 

Wanted to get some CNS action going on afterwards, so I jumped into the squat rack for some heavy squats. 

225 x5
275 x4
315 x3
335 x2
365 x1
385 x1
405 x1

That's a longtime goal for me. I've been searching for 405 since I switched over from low bar to high bar. Pretty pumped. Need to keep track of my maxes... I haven't been logging in my CF book for a while, time to start a page here for maxes. 

2014/08/12

Back from a weekend holiday, feeling pretty fat. 

Gym session was one of the departures from normal CrossFit programming that I've become a big fan of. A while back I discussed why I'm not a fan of high rep complex movements for time. My strength coach is apparently of the same mind. We've been approaching workouts like Grace(30 C&J for time) and Isabelle(30 Snatches for time) without the clock running. 

This gives you all the time you need to choose a weight that you can finish 30 reps at. Meaning, the athlete gets to just hunker down and go to town on a movement to figure out the kinks. You get to train your muscle memory as a coach walks around and picks at your weaknesses. 

I actually didn't finish the 30 reps. We had about 20-25 minutes and that just wasn't enough time for me.. I'm slow. Did hit 20 reps at 155 with only two misses forward. Each miss was just a timing thing, felt rushed and let the bar float in front. The rest all felt great. 20 reps at 75% was a good day. 

Went for a short run afterwards, cause cardio.

2014/08/07

In for a quick strength session at the gym tonight. 

3 Deadlifts every 90 seconds for 12 minutes. Went from 275 - 350, going up by 30# every couple of sets. 
then...
3 Z Presses every 90 seconds for 12 minutes. Went from 75 - 135, going up by.. whatever.. every couple of sets. 

Pretty sure I almost rolled backwards on a couple of those seated presses. Core is extremely sore from the GHD situps yesterday. Deadlifts felt pretty good though. 350 felt heavy, but no squat fairies afterwards, so that's always a plus. 

2014/08/06

Really sore, those ten rep front squats always kill me as burner sets. Really tired, slept about 4 hours last night. But, the gym calls and I have to respond. 

Luckily, this workout looked simple enough. Whole bunch of bodyweight stuff, which is a particular weak spot for me. Not so luckily, the workout was not easy. I pretty much wanted to die afterwards. Haven't been that light headed in a while. Good times using legs that do not want to respond. 

Running Clock
1st workout
 10 Rounds
  5 C2B Pull Ups
  10 HandRelease Push Ups
2nd workout
 5 Rounds
  10 GHD Situps
  10 GHD Back Extensions
3rd workout
 2 Rounds
  25 20# wall balls
  25 24" box jumps

Hands didn't rip, that's a good thing. Push ups had to get broken up starting with the third round. Situps and extenions is a great way to get super dizzy. Went through the first set of wallballs unbroken, then laughed at how hard the first five box jumps were. Just ridiculous how hard it was to get my legs to cooperate with them being so sore.

But, getting the blood flowing is the best way to beat out these DOMS. Will probably get in again tomorrow. 

2014/08/04

Back at it, after a week off, starting with a bang. The past week has been an off week for me due to both personal and professional obligations. I really started missing my time in the gym about halfway through the week, the love for Barbella is real. 

Today was the last day of a 5x5 squat cycle. I only made it to 3 of the 5 weeks for this, so my numbers have been all over the place. Hit 295 for 3 sets pretty easily, then stepped up to 305 and 315. All felt pretty good, so can't complain. 

Next up were some fast cardio front squats. 2 sets of 10 reps at 205. These always burn. 

Cash out was bodyweight goats. Did 20 strict handstand push ups and then a few toes to rings. Almost got a bar muscle up too... just trying that one out. I haven't figured out that movement yet, so it's still a learning process.