8/20 WOD

"Karen"

For time:
150 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball

Last time I did this back in March I did it in 13:02. So that was my mark. Had a good warmup but still was a little psyched out doing this. I knew as with all the metcon type workouts that this was going to hurt. 3, 2, 1, GO BABY!

Was setting a pretty good pace, did the first 50 in just about three minutes. Was thinking there was a chance I could do sub-10 minutes but it was going to be tough. Second 50 definitely slowed down and I had only about 3 minutes to get under 10. After 100 of these bad boys, there was no way I could do it. I pushed hard but didn't have it in me. Finished at 10:23. Still, a nice PR by 2:39. Finally, some improvement. Maybe the better eating and a little more rest helped. Not to mention 4 more months of CF training. Definitely some good stuff!

8/18 WOD

Push Press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps.

Pressing above the shoulders is a nemesis of mine. Definitely an area where I have much room for improvement. Started out probably too light and then pushed hard at the end. Was not going to finish on a failed rep so I did 8.

120-130-140-155-165(F)-165(F)-160(F)-160*

* Bonus round

Oh and I missed the front squat WOD on 8/14 since I was still trying to recover from Linda so decided to mix some in here too. Couldn't find a comfortable spot to rest the bar after rep 5 and the wrists were killing me, so called it a night.

160-170-180-190-200

8/17 WOD

Double-under for 2 minutes
Sit-up for 2 minutes
Double-under for 90 seconds
Sit-up for 90 seconds
Double-under for 1-minute
Sit-up for 1-minute
Double-under for 30 seconds
Sit-up for 30 seconds

Post numbers of sit-ups and double-unders

This is new to me. I'm waiting on a newer, faster jump rope which will help with the numbers some as mine is an older heavier rope. I'm not good at situps really. Need to do them more often and/or more of them. These were unanchored Abmat situps.

2.0 mins - 64/43 (DU/SU)
1.5 mins - 44/27
1.0 mins - 35/17
0.5 mins - 15/10

158 Double-unders
97 sit-ups
255 total reps

Oh and for the halibut I decided to try a 90# weighted pull-up. And... SUCCESS!!! That is a PR for me by 20#. Sweet!

8/16 WOD

Well, finally felt good enough to get back at it after Linda. Dayamn, quite possibly that was the toughest workout I've ever done. I may try to sneak in the 1RM front squat WOD somewhere soon as I need some squat work.

Today's WOD:

"Ryan"

Five rounds for time of:
7 Muscle-ups
21 Burpees

Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.

So considering the most muscle-ups I have ever done is two, this was going to be near impossible for me. I was looking into scaling and decided after doing a couple of warmup muscle-ups to try the "Pack" scaling on BrandX and do three rounds of each. Still, 21 muscle-ups? When all I did in the past was 2 max? Could be a long night.

Well, I had pretty decent success at them. The false grip IS the key. I managed to wear some skin off of my hand below the palm almost on the wrist area. But I successfully got through the 3 rounds. Just missed sub-14 minutes at 14:01. But I was very thrilled to have done that many. I strung together only 2 at a time, but overall very nice improvement. Yay!

8/13 WOD

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Still feeling the after effects of Linda. Glad a semi-non-arse kicking WOD was up for today. Thanks coach!

I thought I had done this one before, but apparently not. No kipping for me, full dead hangers. No mixed grip and no underhand grip. Just good ol' fashioned pull-ups.

Made it to 8 rounds + 7 additional pull-ups. 43 total pull-ups.

I think next time I'll try my full body dry heave kip pullup and see where that takes me... :)

8/12 WOD

"Linda"

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight

Set up three bars and storm through for time.

I actually have been wanting to do this one for some time now. So I was pretty excited to see this WOD posted. But then I calculated the total load I would be lifting and it kinda spooked me. I weigh 160#, so deadlifts at 240#, bench press at 160#, and squat cleans at 120#, for a total of 28,600# when all was said and done. Yikes. Thought I should probably scale, but then went against that and went for it. Figured this one hasn't shown up for a year plus apparently, so this was my chance.

Dang, that was uber hard. I really wanted to stop after the 8's. But knowing that I was half way through with the reps helped me. I finally dropped my bumpers from a higher position! Those squat cleans were rough, since they were a much more dynamic lift. Few times felt light headed and I was wrecked for about an hour afterwards. The heat probably didn't help either. But I finished as RX'd!!! Not fast by any means, but a significant accomplishment. 41:25

Not looking forward to another Linda anytime soon... unless she's dressed like the one above... ;)

8/10 WOD

I was thinking, sure would be nice now to not have any running for my first cycle back. And since we did a tough metcon yesterday, must be some Olympic lift type stuff right? Wrong.

Four rounds, each for time of:
800 meter run

Rest as needed between efforts.

800's suck donkey. No pacing. Well, just go easy enough so you're not puking your brains out after a pretty darn long sprint. I did 5 minute breaks. My times:

2:41 (PR)
2:58
2:56
2:49

All sub-3 minutes!!! Woohoo! Stoked with that. Great way to end my first cycle back and looking forward to rest day. Dayamn. Plus I sold my Body Solid home gym so now I have the space and some extra spending money to get the GHD (and it paid for my climbing wall stuff too!)

8/9 WOD

"Tabata Something Else"

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Well, after the nice deadlift WOD, figures a lung burner would be next. This was going to be tough (as usual). I tried a different strategery this time to see if I could hit a higher number. Here was my plan:

7 pull-ups per round for 56 total
11 push-ups per round for 88 total
12 sit-ups per round for 96 total
15 squats per round for 320 total
Total reps 360

My previous score was: 318

47 pull-ups
77 push-ups
85 sit-ups
109 squats

I had forgotten my previous score and was shooting for the 360 number. But this would be highly unlikely with my week off after a couple bad weeks of overtraining/not enough rest. But I went with the strategy and here are my scores:

45 pull-ups
84 push-ups
80 sit-ups
109 squats

For a total of... 318. Amazing, eh?

8/8 WOD

Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Alrighty, back at it after a much needed week off. What a difference a week makes. I saw the WOD posted and was excited. I enjoy deadlifting. Started out probably too light but figured I shouldn't go too crazy. Got the last rep of 5th set up and I was a happy dude - should've gone over 7K though had I not started so light.

242.5
262.5
279.5
289.5
300

Total weight lifted = 6,870#

New Addition to the Gym!

Well, taking a much needed week off - tired, not hungry, losing weight, numbers going down, etc. Clearly not good signs. But I couldn't stay idle during that time so meet the newest addition to the gym:



Yup, a climbing/bouldering wall and 16' of monkey bars! I know, I've lost it. But I'm always looking for some variety. Plus the daughter loves it too. Will be able to transition from the wall to the bars and vice versa once I get a few more holds. Cool stuff!

Back to CF on Saturday!

7/29 WOD

Run 10 K

E-gads more running? Yuck. Plus I haven't run 10K for probably over 10 years, possibly longer. This would be a challenge for me. I had spent most of the day working on my climbing wall and wasn't very motivated to run. But I somehow talked myself into it and headed out. First 5K was 23 and change. Decent pace but not so fast that I wouldn't be able to finish. Knee starting feeling a little balky but managed to keep the pain to a very reasonable level. Pushed the last 1.5 miles thinking I was going pretty fast. Second 5K though was nearly 25 minutes. Oh well, still finished it and came in at 47:58. Pretty happy with that time. Calves were very tight afterwards. Cool down in an air conditioned car was probably not a good call...

7/28 WOD

With a continuously running clock do one 135 pound Clean and Jerk the first minute, two 135 pound Clean and Jerks the second minute, three 135 pound Clean and Jerks the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Okay, had to scale to 115# - did 6 rounds + 4 C&J's. Did not do full squat C&J's but power C&J's. Definitely easier than full squat versions. Still a toughie.

7/27 WOD

"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Working on the rock wall and monkey bars for inside the gym. Lost focus but still finished Cindy. 18 complete rounds. Worked hard. Would still like to get to 20.

7/25 WOD

Complete as many rounds as possible 20 minutes of:
10 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
10 GHD Sit-ups
10 Back extensions

Innocent looking one, but as usual, was pretty darn tough. I was checking out the main CF page to see how people were doing. When I first read this WOD, I thought, hmm... maybe 5-6 rounds. But then I saw what people were pulling and I was like, "say what?!"

Did 11 full rounds which I was good with. Got more sleep last night so maybe that helped. Looking forward to the rest day. Better way to end the week.

7/24 WOD

"Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups

Have done this one before, last one posted a total of 104 total reps, which included strong ROM dead hang pull-ups. So was excited in hoping to break that PR. Started off great, doing 15 BPs and 15 PUs. Ahead of the previous pace. But then all hell broke loose and my numbers went down in each round. Finished with a disappointing 93. Rough week this week with posting poor numbers. I think I can safely say the lack of sleep is hurting my performance. Time to get some rest...

7/23 WOD

"DT"

Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

Previous time was 25:58 with 155# DLs, 115# HPC and push jerk. This time I decided to try 125# for all three. Got through the first round, but it was really hard and I don't think I could've made it through the full five rounds. So scaled it back to 115# for all three. So can't do an apples to apples comparison unfortunately. Time this time was 17:49 - definitely a lot less time. I don't know how much that extra 40# in the DL would hurt me. Still would've improved though, I certain of that.

7/21 WOD

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Well, I was looking forward to this one. I feel as though the deadlift is my best lift and I was looking to get a new PR (current one 360). I wish I had reviewed my previous experience though before doing this. I think I jumped up weight too quickly and cooked myself. Not a good night. Disappointing. Quit while I was ahead.

CFWU x 2
135 x 8
225 x 4

315 - 335 - 345(F) - 345(F) - 335(F) - 315

Did not attempt last rep. Things just didn't feel right. I almost decided to try the last one, but I'm glad I didn't - bad days happen. Forcing things on bad days is a quick way to an injury. I will seek redemption next time...

7/20 WOD

Run 5 K

Well, started my run at 10:30pm. It's dark outside and lots of critters are out. Startled a deer which scared the crap out of me and saw a coyote too. Some freaks in a jacked up trucked yelled at me too. Yes, the freaks come out at night...

New PR - 22:09

Pretty certain I could've cracked 22 mins - was trying to see when to stop on my GPS instead of sprinting that last 0.1 miles. I really need to get to a track and see what I can do there in ideal conditions (no pitch black spots, no hopping curbs, no out and back crap). Definitely pleased though. Can't remember the last time I ran that fast (if ever). Still don't like running.

7/19 WOD

Filthy Fifty

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Well, deviated from my normal training routine and did this mid-day since I didn't have anything else planned. Paid dearly for it though in the 90+ degree garage. I quit after 5 burpees because I definitely was going to meet Mr. Pukey. No doubt about it. Still feeling a little funny several hours later. Dang. That was ugly. Lots of breaks and I was at 36+ minutes with lots left to do. Next time when it is cooler I expect to do better (I hope).

7/17 WOD

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

Well, didn't feel like running/leaving the garage tonight, so I substituted rowing. Did a test row and 300m was about equivalent to my 400m run time. Substituted 65# for the overhead squats. Still don't seem to have a ton of strength/flexibility in my hip flexors. I did have some pretty good form this time however and it seemed to go a bit better on the overheads in most cases.

16:15 was the last time I did it. This was 14:27. Last time I ran on a treadmill too.

Also, practiced muscle-ups again and this time I was adequately warmed up. Got another one after several tries - I will have this move mastered soon. Have to keep practicing. The false grip is the key. It certainly doesn't feel great though that grip. Not sure how people do many multiples in a row with it.

7/16 WOD

Five rounds for time of:
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
25 Back extensions

Well, figured I could do this one with my strained bicep. I actually did the CFWU x 2 and felt okay doing the pullups - did them with caution though and didn't do the negative portion.

I have never done the full 5 rounds full ROM. Wasn't happening this time either. Scaled to 3 full rounds with full ROM. 11:41. Happy to get back at it.

7/13 WOD - Muscle Up!!!

Well, skipped the main WOD today - did muscle-up practice instead. After not being able to do muscle-ups for yesterday's WOD, I decided I was going to get this done. I read some more instructions on how to do the transition, the false grip, etc. Tried it a few times with knees on the ground. Thought to myself, "I can do this." So raised the rings and on my second attempt joined the muscle-up club! Very exciting. Had to kip a little but I'll take it. Tried again afterwards but don't think I did an adequate warmup so felt some strain in my left bicep and in the right shoulder area. Dumb. Called it a night. Will keep practicing to ensure it wasn't a fluke...

7/12 WOD

Well, figured in honor of the CF Games, I would go away from the regularly scheduled programming and do the "Chipper" as it was called. The last WOD for the competitors at the CF Games. I chose to do the women's scaling because the scaling for the men was too much for me (turns out the women's scaling was quite brutal too).

15 barbell cleans (100#)
30 toes to bar
30 box jumps (20 inches)
10 muscle-ups
30 push presses (25#)
30 double-unders
15 thrusters (95#)
30 pull-ups
30 burpees
300' Overhead walking lunges (25#)

Now to give one a sense of how bad a$$ the elite CF women are, here is a comparison of my weekend vs. the weekend of the eventual champion, Tanya Wagner:

Saturday
Me - 3 hours of driving, 7 hours of standing, spectating, dehyrdrating, 8:08 Fran that night.

Tanya - 7.1km run through treacherous terrain, big hills, ugly run; deadlift progression starting at 185# increasing 10# every 30 secs - she finished at 325#; 170m sprint up dirt hill gaining 100' carrying 35# sandbag; 500m row, drive 3' stake into ground (had to get it started too), 500m row; three rounds of 30 wall ball shots and 30 squat snatches.

Sunday
Me - woke up late, lolly gagged around, sat at the park while daughter played (I did climb up the play structure fireman style pole starting from a seated position with no legs!), fell asleep on the floor in the garage, ate a load of japanese food. Then did the "Chipper" from Hell. My time was 37:27, but technically I would've DNF'ed since I had to do muscle up progressions. I'm sure it is a technique thing so I just need to keep practicing.

Tanya - 1 RM snatches; as many rounds as possible in eight minutes of four handstand push-ups on paralletes, eight kettlebell swings (1.5/2 pood) and 12 GHD sit-ups; and then the "Chipper". She did it in 29:34. Crushed me after tons more work over the weekend than me. Amazing. The top finisher of the Chipper did it in 18:24!!! Holy chit!

I had a great appreciation for their athletic ability - but now it is ten fold of what it was. Amazing athletes.

Check out Tanya in the Hill Sprint with sandbag (in 3rd place in the video):

7/11 WOD

Well, took a few days off for a mini-vacation to visit the parents and for the daughter to spend some time with her cousins. Drove past the CF Games site and was disappointed to know that I wasn't going to make them. But in a change of events, I found out late Friday night that I could make it. Sweet! Unfortunately because it was so late I couldn't get a friend to come along but oh well... I WAS GOING TO THE FREAKIN' CF GAMES!!!

Amazing, even at bike races, I don't recall being around so many uber-fit people in my life. Some impressive physiques out there, and the elite athletes were amazing. Just like watching the Pros do the bike thing, except these folks don't make a living doing this stuff (for the most part).

So after standing around all day and watching these folks, decided I need to work harder. Soreness from standing around all day, sleep deprived, dehydrated, and after taking three days off, I decide to tackle Fran instead of the regular WOD. I haven't tried Fran for many moons and thought I could post a decent time. Well, throw that out the window. Not the greatest prep for this and I forgot how tough of a WOD it is. 8:08. Certainly not stellar but an improvement of 1:21 from the first time I tried it back in March.

7/7 WOD

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 rep rounds of:
185 pound Front squat
GHD Sit-up

Scaled to 135# front squat. Still feeling the hip flexor, but I think it is getting better. This was not easy. Lots of breaks.

27:37

The newbs did a scaled version of Randy:

35 power snatches
TWay - 15#, 5:27
Unelastigirl - 20# - 3:24

Tough move for them to get, we'll keep practicing...

7/6 WOD

3 Rounds
15 KB Swings
15 Burpees/Squat Thrusts
15 Situps

My off day but the newbs were in da house.

TWay - 9# KB swings, squat thrusters - 11:05 (2 rounds)
Unelastigirl = 18# KB swings, burpees - 10:08

Awesome performance from Unelastigirl - crushed her last time when she did lighter KB swings and squat thrusts instead of burpees. Nearly a 2 minute improvement. Only difference was that Mr. Pukie paid a visit... :)

7/5 WOD

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

105-110-115-120-125(F)
135-140-145-150(2)-150
115-125-135-140(4)-140

Some improvement over last time but shoulders are still a weak lift for me. Kinda irritating as I used to be able to knock out like 15 handstand pushups. But making progress...

7/4 WOD

"Badger"

Complete three rounds for time of:
95 pound Squat clean, 30 reps
30 Pull-ups
Run 800 meters

Scaled to 75#. Again, probably could've done it at 95#, however probably would've been the death of me. This was tough.

39:47

Super late workout - company in town. Didn't actually get out into the gym until 10:30ish. Probably started this at just before 11pm.

7/3 WOD

"Randy"

75 pound Power snatch, 75 reps for time.

Scaled to 65# (although I think I could've done the 75#). Deceptive WOD, as my neighbor said, "Lighter weight, no problem for the first 50..." Um, sure... after watching that Josh Everett video, 50 straight through for mere mortals no way. Dude is a beast.

6:47

I think I had pretty good form doing this - was trying to avoid the "press" style that I watched in some of the videos. Had to skip the 10K yesterday, knee was a little tender so decided to exercise a little caution.

7/1 WOD

"Eva"

Five rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
2 pood Kettlebell swing, 30 reps
30 Pull-ups

Struggled to get motivated for this one. Was tired. Read how much people suffered and that it was the worst WOD they've ever done. Decided I would do it but try to pace myself since I didn't have a ton of energy. Scaled the KB swings to 1.5 pood (53#) since I don't have the 2 pood one (70#). Those actually felt pretty decent. Maybe I'll have to look into a 70#er...

800m splits, KB swings/PU splits

1 - 3:17, 6:18
2 - 3:22, 8:13
3 - 3:23, 7:18
4 - 3:37, 7:55
5 - 3:34, 6:15 (amazing the motivation knowing it is your last round)

Total time 53:08

Could I have gone harder? Probably. Not sure I could crack that 50 minute mark. Maybe next time I'll be feeling better and can be more aggressive with this. My kip is progressing some. Hopefully will have it soon.