Saturday

AM

30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. Snatch gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @ 85 and adding 5 every :60
+
AMRAP in 10:00:
90 double-unders
60 wall balls, 14 to 10'
max rope climbs in remaining time
+
3 sets not for time:
:25 L-sit on parallettes
6 light DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM
45:00 complete, just row, mobility and shoulder prep

PM
A1/A2. complete 

B. 140 (PR +5 for any snatch, and it was power!), 145Fx2

+

8

+

complete, 30/hand 

+

bonus 800m sled drag with Chels, 60

Another solid training day. 

Super happy with the snatch PR!!! I have video, but it's too ugly to post (just kidding, I posted it here: 125-130-135-140-145F-145F).  Everything up to 135 was pretty crisp, all power (this is so weird). Soft elbows on the catch on the 140, and feet were pretty wide, but the pull felt really good. Two nice pulls at 145 to chin level, this will come soon. I love gauntlets. 

10:00 piece was tough. Double-unders cooperated for the most part, tripped at 60 and 79. Wallballs to the 10' target got tough, broken 15/15/10/10/10, and really focused on depth.  Arms/shoulders were pretty tired when I got to the rope (4:30ish), and grip got completely blown up after the first 2 or 3 climbs. Finished the 7th climb with 1:10 to go and completely bitched out and decided that wasn't enough time for 2, so rested until the 9:30 mark then did the 8th climb. Way better than it used to be, but still not satisfied. 

Friday

OFF

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:60 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
10:00 muscle-up tech practice on fat rings
+
A1. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall, 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Split jerk, take your time and build to a heavy single for the day
+
5 sets even - focus on snatch quality:
2 power snatches (drop from the top & reset between reps)
10 bar-facing burpees
30 double-unders
2:00 walk rest
+
3 sets:
:30 row @ 97%
4:30 walk rest

AM

3 sets complete

PM

complete, just a handful of singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 210 (PR+5)

+

1:23 @115

1:20 @115

1:21 @115

1:27 @120

1:16 @120

+

157m

157m

155m

Continuing the trend of the best training week I've had in a long time...

Muscle-ups felt just okay.  Re-ripped a spot on the very first rep, so just did a few singles and decided to spend more time on the split jerks.

Split jerks felt so easy.  This is awesome.  Made bigger jumps than I usually do (125-155-175-190-200-210). Unracked 215 and chickened out, but with how easy 210 felt, I could probably get 215 soon.  Thumbs up.

5 sets went well.  Most of the power snatches felt really crisp; mentally "squat snatched" them, but didn't ride any of them below parallel.  Tricking myself is totally working.  Bar-facing burpees were nice and steady.  Double-unders all unbroken (or tripped at 29...grrrr) except for the 4th set, which had 3 trips and thus explains the time difference.

Row sprints were row sprints.  

Happy birthday to me!  The split jerk PR was definitely fueled by two cupcakes at work. Then, celebrated with dinner (and a margarita!) at Mazunte with Austin, Mark, Conner, Brandie, Emily and Chelsea.  I love these people.

Wednesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat w/no sleeves, 3-3-3-3 adding so that only last set is tough (no slow descent this week); 2:30 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 2-3, 31X0; 2:30 rest
+
5 sets:
1 bar muscle-up
200m easy jog
:60 rest
+
5 sets:
1 rope climb
8 glute-ham sit-ups
25m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
:60 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. 123, 153, 163, 183

B. 25, 30, 35(2) @166
+
complete
+
complete

Another good day!

Front squats felt kinda heavy, and actually had a hard time getting much below parallel without the tempo on the first rep of each set.

Weighted CTBs continue to feel really strong.

Missed the first 3 or 4 attempts at a bar muscle-up, but once I made one, no further misses and, again, each rep got smoother and smoother.  

Rope climbs were nice and fast.  Walked between stations, but otherwise moved pretty steadily through everything.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

15:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

mobility @ CSC

Monday

AM
1600m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, build to a heavy single
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, build to a 10m max
C. CTB pull-ups, 10 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:56.0-1:56.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1 - it was cold

PM

A. 215 (questionable depth), 220F (but depth was good)

B. 153 

C. complete 

+

1:56.8

1:56.5

1:56.4

1:56.3

1:56.1


Today was awesome.  I could get used to always feeling this good.

Back squats felt great; the 215 wasn't much of a struggle, but depth continues to be questionable at heavy weights, so I went for 220 and BURIED it - and got stuck on the way up (for approximately 11 seconds) before dumping the bar.  I don't know what to think about this.  It's annoying.  

Walking front rack reverse lunges were super weird.  The 153 was definitely heavy, but probably could have gone a bit heavier.  Accidentally went a couple of feet past 10m because I couldn't see the chalk mark on the ground.

CTBs all butterflied and in rhythm, despite tearing on the 3rd set.  Getting more comfortable here.  Finally.

Rows are starting to really suck, but I continue to be impressed with how much I've improved.

Sunday

AM
30:00-60:00 easy walk or hike

PM
A. 1 power clean + 2 hang power cleans, build quickly to a tough set
B. Double overhand Romanian deadlift w/straps, 4 x 2-3, 3010; 2:30 rest
+
8:00 @ 80% of [10 kipping handstand push-ups + 10 kettlebell swings @ 53 + 40 double-unders]
4:00 rest
8:00 @ 80% of [21 row calories + 12 burpees over the rower]

AM

45:00 @ Ault Park with Emily and Chelsea

PM

A. 165 (video)

B. 225, 235, 245(2), 245(2)

+

3 + 10 KBS 

+

2 + 6 burpees 


Okay, today was a major breakthrough.  After yesterday's power snatches which were supposed to be squat snatches, I wondered if I could fool myself into doing the same thing with power cleans.  I warmed up as if I was going to be doing squat cleans, then started hitting the complex with a "shallow squat" - so clean it as if it was a squat clean, but then just stand up with it as soon as I caught it instead of riding it to the bottom.  AND IT WORKED! Normally my power cleans are so hideous because "just get under it" doesn't mean anything to me if I'm doing a power clean, so I end up getting super wide and leaving the bar in front, and moving completely differently than I would if I were doing a squat clean.  But, if I just consider a clean a clean, form is a million times better.  This is seriously exciting.  Cleaned 175, but it felt like I caught it very low (right at parallel in video), so I didn't try the hang squat cleans.  Yessssssssssss.

Romanian deadlifts are getting very heavy.  Actually, the first "regular" deadlift is the hardest part, once the bar is off the ground the Romanian deadlifts are comparatively much easier. 

Both 8:00 pieces went well; first two sets of HSPUs unbroken, then 5/5, 5/5.  All KBS and DUs unbroken (yes!).  Took my time between movements, didn't really know how else to make this 80%.  First 21 calories at 950 cal/h, second was at 850 cal/h and third was at 900 cal/h.  Burpees felt nice and fast... I felt like I needed to slow these down to keep this at 80%. 

Also, can I just say that I've never felt better than I do right now?  Knock on wood, I hope I didn't just jinx it.  But seriously, I feel awesome.  Nothing hurts, nothing is bugging me, energy is really good and everything is getting better.  Keep rolling.

Saturday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. 1 hang squat snatch + 1 squat snatch, 1-1-1-1-1 starting moderate and adding a bit each set; :10 between movements, 2:00 rest
+
For time:
5 muscle-ups
15 wall balls, 14 to 9'
4 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
3 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
2 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
1 muscle-up
+
3 sets not for time:
:20 L-sit on parallettes
8 light DB upright rows (both arms at same time

AM

40:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off twice for a few minutes of mobility

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115, 115, 120, 125(1.F), 125 (videos)

+

10:47

+

complete 

20, 25, 25lb dumbbells

+

bonus 800m sled drag with Emily and Chelsea, 45 on the sled 

Today was great. I have some fun stuff this week, this is very exciting. 

Snatches felt off today, I don't really know what the issue was. I videoed all these to watch technique, and noticed that hip extension seems kind of pathetic, and also noticed that every single one of these reps was power. Errrrrr yeah, I have absolutely zero sense of this while I'm snatching, I just try to get under it and then stand up without really paying attention to where parallel is. I knew none of these reps was a super deep catch, but I was really surprised to see how high some of them were. Can I just think of snatching as snatching, and not distinguish between power and squat? 

Muscle-up / wallball thing was really fun. All singles on the muscle-ups, a few really low catches but no misses; toyed with the idea of trying a few doubles, but I wasn't catching any of them high enough to feel confident for a double. Wallballs all unbroken, no issues at all. 

0:20 L-sit is about the limit of making these pretty.

Added the sled drag because I was done early, it was a nice day, and all the cool kids were doing it. 

Friday

OFF

AM 
slept in

PM
90:00 massage

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:60 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
10:00 muscle-up tech practice on fat rings
+
A1. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall, 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Split jerk clusters, 5 x 1.1; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
Every :90 for 9 sets, score as total successful power snatch pounds:
5 burpees + 1 power snatch attempt
+
3 sets:
:25 row @ 97%
4:05 walk rest

AM

4 sets complete

PM

complete, 4 singles and 3 doubles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 155, 165, 175, 185(1.F), 185

+

1035 (115x9)

+

130m

130m

129m


Muscle-ups felt pretty good, all were easy reps except the second on the very last double (low catch).  Almost had a triple on the first double, but no cigar.

Split jerks weren't nearly as crisp as last week, but they still felt pretty good.  Didn't exactly fail that second rep at 185, but I picked up the bar really weird off the blocks and it just felt wrong on the dip so I dumped it.  Wanted to get a bit higher, but between how late it was getting and how less-crisp they were feeling compared to last week, I called it there.

9 sets thing was interesting.  90 seconds was a lot of time, even with very slow burpees and a very deliberate set up at the bar.  I almost put 120 on the bar several times, but the reps at 115 weren't really crisp enough for me to feel confident that I wouldn't miss an attempt at 120.  I couldn't decide if I was being too cautious, or if I was being smart.  I ended up telling myself that if I was in a competition and we're going for max total pounds, an extra 5lbs doesn't make that much of a difference compared to a missed 115lbs.  

Completely out of gas by the time I got to the row sprints - couldn't get below 1:33-1:34.  Had two interruptions to the training, which added about an hour to the time it took me to get through everything, and meant that it had been a very long time since lunch.  

One of those interruptions was Mike Kesthely - we were having a hard time scheduling a Skype call that worked for both of us, so we ended up just talking on the phone.  He's giving me an additional 20g carbs on Fridays :) (150P/60F/260C M/W/Th/S/S, 150P/55F/300C Tues, 150P/55F/320C Fri).  Pancakes for everyone!

Wednesday

AM
4500m row @ Z1
+
15:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat, no sleeves, 2-2-2-2 w/:03 initial descent (quick on the rest of each rep); 2:30 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 3-4, 31X0; 2:30 rest
C. Bar muscle-ups, 5:00-8:00 practice
+
For time:
7 rope climbs
35 glute-ham sit-ups
100m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
+
3 sets:
300m easy jog
2:00 walk rest

AM

complete

PM

A. 163, 173, 183, 193 (video)

B. 20, 25(3), 25(3) @165.5

C. 5/5 (video)

+

6:58 (RC in 2:49)

+

complete 

Felt kind of stiff coming into today's training, but everything actually felt pretty decent.  

Front squats felt heavier than they looked.  Form started to go a little bit at 193.

Weighted CTBs felt really strong, that's cool.  Still not very comfortable in a supinated grip, but the pulling feels easy.

Bar muscle-ups went so much better than last week!  Definitely feels like one of those things that just needs continued exposure.  No misses, and each rep got smoother and smoother.  Would have liked to keep going, but ripped.  Please enjoy Chelsea's cameo.  Spoiler alert: she's dancing.

For time piece went well, I was moving pretty steadily but not really sprinting at any part of this, so maybe I could have gone faster (but I don't really know where - FW, perhaps?).  Rope climbs felt the best they ever have, definitely slowed down on the last two reps but really don't feel like I wasted too much time staring at the rope like I usually do (5 done under 2:00, which is a PR by 1, and one more than the 3:00 tester from a few months ago).  Wanted to break the GHSU into 20/15, ended up doing 20/9/6, with the last 6 being extremely dizzy.  FW was fine, broken 25x4.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

25:00 AirDyne @ Z1

+

10:00 mobility

PM

softball - last game, for real this time canceled

Finally, finally, FINALLY broke into 159 today.  This is officially the hardest anyone has ever worked to lose 5lbs.  I can count the number of occasions I've been off by more than 1g on my macros since July on one hand, and I've become increasingly neurotic about being perfect.  With how slowly I was losing weight, I really felt like perfection was necessary.  This has been really tough, mostly mentally, but also figuring out how much hunger I can tolerate.  Feeling really good right now, and feeling like the numbers and hunger are sustainable (for now).  I'd like to lose another 5lbs by the Open, which seems an appropriate timeline based on how long it took me to get this far.  Let's see what Mike says when we Skype tomorrow!

Monday

AM
1200m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, build to a heavy double
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, 3 x 6-8 total; 2:00 rest
C. CTB pull-ups, 9 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:57.0-1:57.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. 205 (questionable depth)

B. 163, 173(6.5), 173(6)

C. complete 

+

1:57.5

1:57.6

1:57.3

1:57.4

1:57.3


Good day!

Back squats felt great; built quickly (135-165-185-205).  Still having an issue getting well below parallel at heavy weights, but depth on the double at 185 was way better than last week's set at 185 (video).  So, it kind of seems that the first time I get to a new weight, I'm hesitating at parallel, but the second time I get to it, I'm getting below parallel easily.  Am I sub-consciously protecting my knee? It's weird.  Anyway.  That second rep at 205 was s-l-o-w...

Lunges were fine; got stuck at the bottom on the 7th rep on the first set at 173 and had to dump the bar.

CTBs felt the best they have yet; all butterflied and in rhythm.  Hands got really hot, which turned into blisters a few hours later, but no rips.

Rows were tough.  Next week is going to be interesting.

Sunday

AM
30:00-60:00 easy walk or hike

PM
A. 2 power cleans + 2 hang power cleans, build quickly to a tough set
B. Double overhand Romanian deadlift w/straps, 3 x 3-4, 3010; 2:30 rest
+
8:00 @ 80% of [5 strict handstand push-ups + 7 power snatches @ 65 + 35 double-unders]
4:00 rest
8:00 @ 80% of [9 ski erg calories + 9 Russian kettlebell swings @ 70 + 9 burpees]

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. 145

B. 195, 215, 230(3)

+

5

+

3 + 2 burpees


The last two Sundays have been tough, not sure if it's the template for the day or the loneliness.   I'm thinking that after Christmas, I'm going to switch my rest days in preparation for the Open, but mostly so that I'm not alone so much even though I really prefer training on both weekend days.  I wish my friends liked training on Sundays, that would be much nicer for me.  Alas.

Missed the last rep of the complex on the first attempt at 145; I tried to bounce the HPCs, got the first one but the second one was way forward.  On the second attempt, I reset at the hang for both HPCs.  Pretty ugly reps.  Can I say it again?  I hate power cleans.

Romanian deadlifts felt really good.

Felt like I was working harder than 80% on both 8:00 pieces.  The first one was all unbroken with deliberate transitions.  Strict handstand push-ups were fairly easy.  TnG light power snatches continue to be my absolute least favorite movement in all of CrossFit.  Double-unders FINALLY cooperated, no trips.  Second piece was much slower all around, I was breathing pretty hard throughout the whole thing.