Training April 6, 2015

Monday, Monday...

Snatch Technique 15:00
Hang Power Snatch 
Worked up to 155 lbs.

These felt pretty good up to 155.  I wasn't too happy with my footwork at 155.

Back Squat
8-6-4
Rest 3:00
275, 300, 325

325 was a struggle, but I am quite happy with this.

EMOM 10
M1: 1 Power Snatch 165 lbs.
M2: 10 Box Jump Overs 24"

Power snatches started out pretty rough, but 4 and 5 were solid.  Box jump overs went well.  I felt pretty springy.

Airdyne
12 Rounds
0:30 at 90%
0:30 Easy pedal

This went pretty well.  Not nearly as bad as the first time we did this a few months back.

I am opening a new office this week so I may be a little slow posting and uploading video.

Training April 4, 2015

I love Saturday training!

OHS
3 RM from ground
205 lbs.

This was about where I expected to be.  I got 2 reps at 215 before I bailed.  If I had to do this one again, I would make bigger jumps in my warm-ups sets.  By the time I got to 215, my shoulders were pretty smokey!

95, 115, 135, 155,  185, 205, 215(2)

For Time
50 Calorie Row
40 Wall Balls (40)
30 Pull-Ups (15,6,4,5)
20 Alternating KB Snatches 70 lbs.
200m Run
9:44

Well, this was fun, except for the KB snatches.  We only have one 70 lbs. dumbbell in the gym so I took a KB.  SO MUCH HARDER!  Those things ate me up.  If I was able to get my grip just right without it slipping off due to sweat and general body slime, they weren't bad, but the ones where my grip slipped or I was just too smoked to get my grip right were ugly, to say the least!

Also, I subbed a 200m run for the Airdyne because our Airdynes have fallen into a state of disrepair.

Did some goat work.

EMOM 15
M1: 5 Strict HSPU
M2: 10 Alternating Pistols
M3: 40 Double Unders

I am hoping that HSPU come up in the MQ.  I am looking for redemption!  I also hope pistols come up because these are a surprisingly good movement for me.  The double unders were just for fun.

Training April 2, 2015

Clean & Jerk Gauntlet
1 C & J every minute starting at 135 lbs.
Add 20 lbs. every minute up to 225 lbs. and then add 10 lbs. every minute
245 lbs. (135, 155, 175, 195, 215, 235, 245, 255F)

This was fun and pretty challenging just to get the weights figured out and on the bar within the minute.  I was hoping to hit 255 lbs. on this, but I just missed the jerk.  Video starts with the lift at 175 (we got a little off the clock).

EMOM 6
Even: 8 Alternating Pistols
Odd: 2 Burpee Bar Muscle Ups

EMOM 6
Even: 6 HSPU
Odd: 8 CTBPU

EMOM 6
Even: 15 Wall Balls 20 lbs.
Odd: 12 KBS 70 lbs.

All of these felt great and so much better than the day before.

Training April 1, 2015

After two days of business travel, some awful food options (did my best, but exit 152 off of the Florida Turnpike was NOT cooperating) and getting to the gym very late, I probably should have taken a rest day, but today looked so fun (on paper) that I wanted to give it a shot. Uh-oh...

AMRAP 8 (80%)
10 Walking Lunges 110 lbs. (Axle Bar)
10 Burpees
200m Run
3 Rounds

Rest 4:00

AMRAP 8 (80%)
8 Clean & Jerks 95 lbs.
10 KBS 70 lbs.
300m Row
2 Rounds + 8 Clean & Jerks

Rest 4:00

AMRAP 8 (80%)
40 Double Unders
20m Overhead Carry 165 lbs. (Axle Bar)
4 STO 165 lbs. (Axle Bar)
2 Rounds + 40 Double Unders + Overhead Carry

This all felt really, really bad, even at 80%.  During the second AMRAP, I came the closest I have ever come to quitting a workout.

On the bright side, by the third AMRAP, I did start to feel a little better and even had the desire to finish the last 4 STO after the time expired.

Training March 31, 2015

Back Squat
5-5-5 
Rest 3:00
275, 295, 315

Wow!  It has been a long time since I have had any weight on my back so I am really happy I was able to hit 315.

Snatch
Build to a max for the day
176 lbs.

This started out rough.  My body just did not want to get into position, but things started to loosen up. The lift at 176 felt so good that I thought I might hit my dreaded nemesis today (85 kg), but I just missed it.

Push Press 3 x 6 (165 lbs.)
Rest 0:10 
Weighted Pull-Up 3 x 6 (35 lbs.)
Rest 2:00

This felt really good.  Happy about the push press and should have gone a little heavier on the pull-ups.

5 RFT
8 Power Snatches 95 lbs.
8 Burpee Box Jump Overs 24"
7:29

This got rough pretty fast.  By the end of the second round of burpee box jump overs, my quads were screaming.  I guess they haven't quite recovered from 15.5 yet.

Training March 30, 2015

Back to a more normal training schedule, and I couldn't be more excited about it!


CP Power
A. Build to Max Power Clean in 15:00, 245 lbs.
B. For Time: 20 Reps Power Clean at 77% of A, 1:52 with 195 lbs.
C. Clean Pull: 3 x 5, 195 lbs.

I think 245 is a PR for a power clean, and it wasn't bad.  A little wide on the catch, but I got my elbows through really fast, and slow elbows are usually my problem on heavy power cleans.

The 20 reps started out great.  I hit the first 10 reps in about 0:35, and then sh!t got real.  All that lactic acid in my legs from Saturday was just lying in wait because it attacked HARD on those last 10 reps.  Ouch!

I stayed a little bit lighter on the cleans pulls.  Still protecting my SI joint.


Gymnastics 
EMOM 12
M1: 3 Muscle Ups
M2: 8 UB TTB (Perfect form)
M3: 50 Double Unders

This all felt great.  No issues and everything unbroken.

Aerobic Power
2 x 500m High aerobic output
1:36.3, 1:36.0

Rested about 4 minutes between sets.  This hurt really bad, both physically and mentally.  Too soon, if you know what I mean.

Crossfit Open 15.5

Well, that hurt really, really bad!

I can honestly say that I had nerves before this one like I was getting ready to play in the Super Bowl or to give a speech in front of Congress or to meet the man, the myth, the legend Mr. Patrick McCarty himself!  

On paper, this is a workout that I should perform very well on.  If I have two good movements in my skill set, it is thrusters and rowing.  However, I also know how much both can hurt in the right workout.  Well, this was a collision of the two worst worlds for these movements.  I knew it was going to hurt very badly and that there be no excuses between me and a good result, other than being weak minded, and nobody wants to consider themselves weak minded!

Luckily, I was smart enough to follow Pat's warm-up suggestion exactly.  This helped a lot!  I hit a pretty heavy double thruster at 215, did some high paced rowing intervals and then got after it.

For Time

27 Calorie Row

27 Thrusters 95 lbs. (15/12)

21 Calorie Row

21 Thrusters 95 lbs. (12/9)

15 Calorie Row

15 Thrusters 95 lbs. (5/5/5)

9 Calorie Row

9 Thrusters 95 lbs. (3/3/2/F/1)

8:36

My original plan was to split the first rounds of thrusters into 3 sets, but I always say that thrusters are my jam so I decided that, if I was going to make a serious run at this workout, I needed to be able to hit bigger sets on the thrusters.  It may have cost me a little at the end, but I do know that getting those first two big rounds out of the way in the fastest time possible gave me some hope!  

The rows were super consistent.  Kept the pace between 1250-1400 on all four rounds.  Actually, I really don't have any idea what the pace was on the round of 9.  Other than that number at the bottom (calories rowed), the rest of the display looked like kaleidoscope.

I am a LITTLE disappointed about the failed rep in the round of 9, but hey, it tells me that I gave it everything I had!  I am pleased with the result, and I am hoping that it gets back into the top 100. Nevertheless, a top 200 finish should be almost guaranteed so I have something else to look forward to in a few weeks.

The last five weeks have been extremely stressful.  I have a lot going on in my professional and personal life at the moment, and the added stress of the Open put me to the brink a few times.  I am happy that it is done, but I will always have fond memories of the workouts shared with my guys and despite the life challenges, accomplishing something that most wouldn't even attempt.