Saturday

AM
3 sets:
1200m row @ 85% effort - moderate, sustainable, high-breathing pace
5:00 walk rest
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

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. Power snatch, 10:00 to build to a heavy single
C. Close-grip bench press, build quickly to heavy single
+
w/partners (comp group has the same training):
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 1
rest as needed
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 2
+
For total time:
250m row
:60 rest w/feet in straps
250m row

AM

5:00.7 (2:05.2/500m)

4:59.8 (2:04.9/500m)

4:59.1 (2:04.6/500m)

PM

shoulder clinic 

+

3 rough singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 135, 140Fx1

C. 180 (PR +6)

+

with Leah 

30 KB snatch + 17 pistols 

(1:00 rest)

18 S2O + 7 BBJ

+

2:41.3
(0:49.7 + 0:51.6)


Oy.  Today was a lot.

Rows at 85% were challenging.  That felt like the upper limit of sustainable, at least for right out of bed... 

Surprised at how cold my shoulders felt on the muscle-ups despite the 2 hour shoulder clinic... not nearly as good as they felt last night, so I called it early.

The snatch at 130 was one of the crispest heavy snatches I've ever done (it even sounded good!).  135 was a little wobbly, but super relieved to get it today (I think only the 3rd time ever?). (Video of both). I wasn't sure if these were actually power snatches or squat snatches, and I still can't tell on video, but after I hit 135, McNaughton said "and it was power, too!", so take that for what it's worth.  I think I'm just good at snatching at exactly parallel.  Had a nice pull at 140, then chickened out.

Kind of surprised that I hit that bench PR today - 170 wasn't as easy as I was hoping, but went for 180 just for the hell of it.  Pretty slow on the way up, and McNaughton had to yell at Leah who was spotting not to touch the bar, I think she was about ready to save me, haha.  That's cool.  180 sounds pretty legit for a chick.

The two 6:00 AMRAPs were tough.  Eeeesh.  Leah suggested that we only take the 1:00 transition like we'll have in the competition, which I wasn't super excited about but went along with because I didn't have a good reason not to.  This was unpleasant.

Leah did all the pistols and I did all the kettlebell snatches.  Through 18 was no big deal.  I don't think I slowed down at all, even in the rounds of 24 and 30, but I was starting to get pretty fatigued, and my back was getting a little blown up.  It doesn't take long for Leah to do 24 pistols, which was sad for me personally but good for us as a team.

My shoulders were wrecked going into the second AMRAP.  This is how we broke it up:
3 S2O: Leah
3 BBJ: me
6 S2O: Leah
6 BBJ: 3 for me, 3 for Leah
9 S2O: 5 for me, 4 for Leah
9 BBJ: alternated 3's
12 S2O: 6 for Leah, 3 for me, 3 for Leah --> not planned, I thought we would do 4's, but she did 6 and I couldn't match her
and we alternated 3's on everything after that
I was a hot mess on this.  I legitimately thought I might fail some reps, which was a strange and unpleasant feeling.  They were all fast, with no re-setting at the shoulders, but got pretty ugly. I even ended up split jerking in the last set.  The BBJ weren't an issue at all, my shoulders were just completely toasted.  We might need to work up a better game plan... 

Did not feel recovered at all before doing the row, but felt pressed for time at this point.  Held back just a hair on the first one, intending to empty the tank on the second, but hit a wall with 100m to go on the second one and completely lost it.  Disappointing.

Monday

AM
800m light/moderate sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
200m Farmer's walk, moderate/tough
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 12 x 2 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols, 5:00-8:00 easy practice, don't accumulate more than 20 total reps
C. Weighted supinated pull-up, build to a max for the day
+
10 rounds for time:
1 rope climb
5 burpees
+
As a cool-down:
500m row
400m run
300m ski-erg
200m run

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. complete with 135 on the bar

B. DNF

C. 235.5 (165.5 + 70, PR+4)

+

7:20

+

complete


Back squats felt AWFUL today.  I don't know what my deal was.  The bar felt so, so heavy when I unracked it each time.  I think depth was still good, but speed was definitely slower than it has been.

Intended to do the same thing with the pistols as last week, where I worked backwards from strongest knee sleeve to bare-kneed, but I was struggling big-time with the bees knees (left only).  I missed a few attempts when I just fell backwards at the bottom, but more concerningly, on my last attempt I felt a very sharp stabbing on the medial side.  Called it.  Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.  Haven't tested an air squat since then, I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.

Weighted pull-up felt great! The 70 was tough but not super slow, so I threw on 75 but only made it half-way.  I was hesitant to weigh myself since I haven't been tracking my food, so I started with the scale at 170 but I had to keep nudging it down, much to my surprise.  Mike was right, relaxing a bit isn't going to completely derail me.  That's a relief.

Didn't feel like moving much faster on the rope climbs.  I think I did a good job of dropping right into a burpee after a climb, but I took a few breaths before each climb.  Nothing was a limiter in particular, I just wasn't in a hurry.

Actually really enjoyed the cool down! 

Monday

AM
800m light/moderate sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
200m Farmer's walk, moderate/tough
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 10 x 2 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols, 5:00-8:00 easy practice, don't accumulate more than 20 total reps
C. Weighted pronated pull-ups, 2-2-1-1, 21X0; :60 rest
+
8:00 @ 80%:
1 rope climb
10m prowler push, moderate grind
30 double-unders
10m prowler push
+
For time:
500m row @ 97%

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM
A. complete with 135 on the bar 

B. complete 

C. 45(2), 50(2), 55.5(1), 60.5(1) @165.5
+

4 + 1 rope climb with 140 on the prowler 

+

DNF, burnt-out headcase


It was pouring this morning, so skipped the outdoor AM session.  Might be able to make this up tomorrow...

Saw Drew Cook this morning - after his clinic, I was intrigued about dry needling and was wondering if it would help knock out this trigger point on my calf that has been bothering me pretty much the entire time my knee has been bad.  Um, that was intense.  I thought I had one trigger point, but turns out I had like 15.  And, I have to go back tomorrow because my hamstring is still jacked up post-op (news to me, I really thought it was back to normal...) and also there's something funky with my foot?  He had me make appointments for 6 weeks, but I guarantee I'm not going to keep them.  I don't have a co-pay, so I'll play along for a while...

Back squats got better as the sets went on.  Didn't really warm up a whole lot.

Pistols started out rough.  Tried a couple with no knee sleeves, and while I could do them on the right, I couldn't reverse direction at the bottom on the left and kept falling backwards.  Put on the bees knees (left only) and did 10 alternating, then put on the thinner black knee sleeve (left only) and did 6 alternating, then finally was able to do 2 or 3 shaky reps on the left with no knee sleeves.  They'll come back.  All in nanos.

Weighted pull-ups felt good.  The last single was very tough, but it's a 7lb PR for a pronated single... that's a PR for a pronated double, as well.

8:00 piece was fine.  All double-unders unbroken.  No issue on the rope climbs.  Took a wild guess on how heavy a moderate grind would be... it wasn't easy, but wasn't all that grindy.

Had absolutely zero motivation to do the 500m row.  I procrastinated for probably 20:00 before starting, and even sat down next to Duprie and asked him if he ever just "didn't want to."  I don't know what my deal is, because I know I'm sitting on a 1:39 PR.  Finally started the row, and it actually felt great - held 1:37-1:38 for approximately 380m, then as soon as it started to get uncomfortable, I stopped rowing.  Let me repeat that.  I had 120m remaining, hadn't fallen off my pace, and I just stopped.  I knew it was going to start to hurt and I just didn't care enough to go there.  I stood up, walked outside, sat down where James pees, and started crying.

I don't like being a headcase.  I need a break.

Monday

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

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 12 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B1. KB weighted pistols to bench/box (same set up as last week), 3 x 2-4/leg, 21X1; :30 between legs, :30 rest
B2. Weighted pronated pull-ups, 3 x 3-4, 21X0; :60 rest
+
1 set:
max unbroken CTB pull-ups
+
4 sets:
500m row @ 1:53.0-1:53.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

skipped; super early morning in lab

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B1. 40, 45, 53

B2. 20, 25(3), 25(3) @166.5

+

17 (PR +3)

+

1:53.5

1:53.6

1:54.1

DNS


Back squats felt excellent today; no issues at all, and the bar felt extremely light.

Box pistols were fine; the 53 was probably a 4RM, not very easy to stand up the last rep (on both legs).

Weighted pull-ups felt really good.  I always like pronated better.

Haven't tested a max set of CTBs since I've gotten more comfortable with butterfly - opened with 10, then kind of panicked in the same way that you panic when approaching a PR of double-unders ("I'm doing it!  I'm really doing it!  Oh... shit.  Nevermind.").  The last 7 were painfully slow, with a very awkward swing/double kip.  I'd like to practice larger sets of butterfly CTBs, the 10 felt really easy.

I let the row pace intimidate me all day, and sure enough, I failed.  The first one today felt like it was the 4th one.  I had to really, really work to maintain the pace, and I knew I was in trouble.  Shocked that I kept pace on the second one, but at this point it felt like the OPTathlon row repeats, with my legs getting lactic and my breathing was completely out of control.  Didn't even want to start the 3rd one, and kind of gave myself permission to give up before I started, but shockingly, I held on for 480m.  The pace drifted up to 1:58 and I just stopped pulling instead of fighting it with less than 20m remaining.  Laid on the ground for a good 5 minutes after this, then went outside because I legitimately thought I was going to puke.  I don't understand how 0:01 makes that much of a difference.

Monday

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

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 10 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. KB weighted pistols to bench/box (same set up as last week), 3 x 3-5/leg, 21X1; :60 between legs
+
AMRAP in 4:00 - do this again w/all singles right out of the gate:
Strict pull-ups, complete the descent of each rep
+
4 sets:
500m row @ 1:54.0-1:54.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B. 20, 35, 40(4)

+

31

+

1:54.6

1:54.5

1:54.5

1:54.1

Back squats felt good; last couple of sets started to feel a little heavy.  Buried all of these, and came up so fast on a couple of them that I almost lost my balance.

Box pistols were fine.

Strict pull-ups were still so pathetic.  Stood on a jerk block so I wouldn't have to jump for each rep.  Used the bar that faces away from the clock, and didn't look at the clock until I had done 20, and it was 2:12 in, which is almost exactly the same as last week when I opened with bigger sets.  The first 10 or so were really quick, then I thought I was pausing between reps just long enough to shake out my arms, but I must have been standing around much more than I thought.  Merrrrrr I feel like I should be able to score closer to 40.

Rows were tough but didn't feel any danger of dropping off.  This is getting weird.

Also, got a nasty headache in between the pull-ups and rows, which was probably a result of improper fuel timing - I ate breakfast and lunch as if I were training at 12-1pm, but didn't get to the gym until closer to 3.  PWO shake cured it.  Lesson learned.

Monday

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

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 8 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols to bench/box just above parallel, 3 x 3-5/leg, 21X1; :60 between legs
+
AMRAP in 4:00:
Strict pull-ups, complete the descent of each rep
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:55.0-1:55.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B. 5 across 

+

28, + 2 fails 

+

1:55.2

1:55.3

1:55.2

1:54.7

1:55.7


Back squats felt really fast today, and the bar felt light.  Videoed the whole thing, and depth was solid on every rep.

Pistols were totally fine, no issues at all.  Stood on a 55lb plate to get the bench right around parallel.

Strict pull-ups were a complete disaster.  I felt really heavy (thanks to the 4 Days of Celebration that concluded yesterday), and I haven't done strict pull-ups in a long time and the movement just felt unnatural.  4/4/3 in the first minute, 2's until 19 in the second minute, then very slow singles in minutes 3 and 4, with the two fails occurring when I tried to rush the next rep.  This is so pathetic.

Wanted to redeem the training day on the rows.  These are getting to be extremely unpleasant.  Tasted a bit of yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner on the last one... 

I like wearing shoes.

Tuesday

AM
shoulder prep
+
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 7 thrusters @ 65

PM
For 12:00:
Evens: 1 muscle-up
Odds: 4 tall box jumps
+
For 12:00:
Evens: 2 strict handstand push-ups
Odds: 6 alternating pistols
+
For 12:00:
Evens: 8 tough kettlebell swings
Odds: 8 wall balls, 20 to 10

AM

complete

PM

complete
30" box
+
complete
+
complete
70lb KB


Solid day! Everything felt great.  

Kind of a rude wake-up call to have thrusters first thing in the morning, but after the first set, these were fine and easy.

No fails on the muscle-ups, and these felt better on the fat rings than they have in a while.  Box jumps were really tall on the first couple of jumps, but got used to it once I got into it.

Strict handstand push-ups continue to improve.  2 sets of 2, and only one fail (trying to go for a 3rd set of 2).  Pistols were mostly great.  Knee continues to behave.

Kettlebell swings were tough but no issues.  Wallballs felt pretty easy for the most part.

Monday

AM:

For 10:00:
Evens: 1 muscle-up
Odds: 4 alternating weighted pistols - start light and add a bit/set if possible
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 2 strict handstand push-ups
Odds: 8 tough overhead kettlebell swings
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 3 unbroken rounds of [1 toes-to-bar + 1 CTB pull-up]
Odds: 8 wall balls, 20 to 10

@ CrossFit Active Performance

complete
no fails
10, 18, 26, 35, 35
+
complete-ish
2, 1-1, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0
70lb
+
complete

PM

2h hike w/ Mom 

Muscle-ups were super easy today - butttttttt, on skinny rings.  I have a much, much easier time of pulling harder/higher on the skinny rings.  Felt like I could have gotten 3 in a row today if my hands weren't in such rough shape.  At least I think I've identified the problem... so I guess it's just figuring out how to translate the same pull onto the fat rings. 

Weighted pistols were surprisingly good, held the KB in the front rack and held my foot with the opposite hand.  Nothing in between 35 and 53, and wasn't feeling that big of a jump...

Strict handstand push-ups are getting better with the continued exposure, but still pretty terrible.

70 is the heaviest KB they have, but it was heavy enough for this today.

TTB/CTB complex was tough on their slippery bars, had to reset my hands and the swing on the 3rd CTB each time.

Heavy/high wallballs are feeling pretty good these days!

Love the hiking out here... Mom says the trail was 8 miles but I think closer to 6. Gorgeous day. 

Wednesday

AM
3 sets @ 70%:
5 ring dips, emphasize the kip
6 alternating pistols
250m row
2:00 walk rest
+
For time @ 70%:
400m run
15m handstand walk
100m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
10 wall walks
30 AirDyne calories

PM
10:00 light scap activation
+
10 sets:
500m row @ 85%
2:00 walk rest

AM
complete
+
12:16

PM
complete
+
2:00.1
2:00.0
1:59.9
2:00.0
2:00.2
2:00.0
2:00.1
2:00.1
2:00.1
2:00.0

Really enjoying the current trend of some different stuff in the AM! 

Trying to figure out how to kip... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Pistols were fine, I keep anticipating my knee hurting but the cortisone is still magic.  It's kind of like the TV is on mute, and you should be hearing the sound but you don't.  It's weird, but I'll take it.

Run felt good.  Handstand walk unbroken.  Farmer's walk felt heavy.  Wall walks were excruciatingly slow.  

Rows are getting pretty challenging.  Eeesh.  I kinda like it, though.  

On another note, I weighed myself this morning, and, for perhaps the first time in my entire life, I was disappointed to see that I had not gained any weight.  I was thinking that the only explanation for my new-found inability to dip out of muscle-ups was that I was up a few lbs, and I was okay with that, because that meant there was an easy explanation and a problem to be solved.  Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case, I've been steady at 163-165 since mid-November (164.6 today).  Sooooo... what the hell is going on?  Bueller?

Wednesday

AM
3 sets @ 70%:
250m row
4 alternating pistols
12 burpees
2:00 walk rest
+
3 sets @ 70%:
200m run
8m handstand walk
25m Farmer's walk
2:00 walk rest

PM
10:00 light scap activation
+
8 sets:
500m row @ 85%
2:00 walk rest

AM

complete

+

complete with 70lb KBs

PM

complete
+
2:01.4
2:01.3
2:01.4
2:01.4
2:01.5
2:01.4
2:01.3
2:01.2

This was the best AM session, ever! So much fun.  Not gonna lie, I was nervous about the pistols.  The first round was a little rough, but got better in round 2 and they were pretty smooth by round 3.  Wore bees knees and nanos.  Also, really enjoyed the running - it's been a while.

Rows felt SO MUCH BETTER than last week.  Felt awesome aerobically and the grip fatigue wasn't nearly as bad as last week.  The 2:00 rest was short but not so short I panicked like last week.  Although - pace was much harder to hold steady, bounced quite a bit from 1:57-2:03 and adjusted as needed in the final 200m to hit a 2:01 average...

Saturday - Gobblers and Gobblettes!

EVENT 1: Squat clean speed ladder

2 minutes to clear as many bars as possible; burpees as a tie-breaker
Men's Ladder: 185/205/225/250/275
Women's Ladder: 115/130/145/160/175

Cleared the ladder twice + 145. Made it to 160 with a lot of time to spare (0:20 or so, which I never got in practice), so I took my time to set up properly, pulled, caught it, and fell backwards with it. I literally don't think I've ever done that before. Somehow had the presence of mind to roll over and do one burpee before time ran out. Very happy with this. Obviously it would have been better to make the 160, but I can't complain. 15th. 

EVENT 2: Thruster/HSPU floater
1 Minute of Thrusters (135#/95#)
1 Minute of Handstand Push-Ups

24 thrusters (14/10)

0 HSPU 

I really wanted to hit the floater between the ladder and the row/jump/snatch workouts, mostly to save Cody's shoulders for the muscle ups. I didn't get as many thrusters as I would have liked. Maybe because I felt like I wasn't quite recovered enough from the ladder. UGH I don't know why I dropped it at 14, I don't think I was even slowing down, I just felt like that was a good place to take a break. Only attempted one HSPU at 1:55 and failed. Shitty. Looking forward to lots of improvement here in the coming year. Bring it. 

EVENT 3: Row, jump and snatch
In 10 Minutes, complete the following:
750m Row Per Person/150 Double Unders Per Person
AMRAP Snatches (155/95#)

21 snatches (I did 18)

We knew as soon as the workouts were announced that this was going to be our weakest score. 155 is right around Cody's 1RM, and he was unable to make it when he practiced on Thursday, so we had pretty low expectations heading in. I started on double unders, hit a big set of 67 to start then chipped away. Had a little bit of a rest before the row. Row pace bounced a bit - the first 250 was at about a 1:57 (adrenaline), the middle 250 slowed to 2:04ish, and the final 250 was 2:01ish. Finally got to the snatches and just felt exhausted. I was moving pretty slowly. I told Cody to basically just rest until he felt like he wanted to try one, and I'd just hit single after single. He failed his first 2 attempts, but then hit 3 throughout the course of the workout. I was so proud of him!! I was really excited that he hit a few, we really weren't expecting that. I kind of mentally checked out of this one because I knew we wouldn't score well. Should have had at LEAST 20 reps on my own, if not 25. I looked at the clock at 2:00 remaining and just groaned because I was so over it. Not my finest moment. 

EVENT 4: Double AMRAP

In 6 Minutes, complete as many reps as possible of:
3 Muscle Ups
9 Deadlifts (275/185#)
6 Muscle Ups
18 Deadlifts (275/185#)
9 Muscle Ups
27 Deadlifts (275/185#)
12 Muscle Ups
36 Deadlifts (275/185#)
etc.

(2:00 rest/transition)

In 6 Minutes, complete as many reps as possible of:
10 Pistol Squats
10 Toes-to-Bar
20 Pistol Squats
20 Toes-to-Bar
30 Pistol Squats
30 Toes-to-Bar
40 Pistol Squats
40 Toes-to-Bar
etc.

Midway through the round of 12 muscle ups 

+

Midway through the round of 30 pistols 

Just like we planned, Cody did all the muscle ups and I did all the deadlifts. Cody's muscle ups have improved so much in the past year! He did 3 and 6 unbroken, then 8/1, then singles on the round of 12 I think. I did 54 fucking deadlifts. Ugh that hurt. Did 5/4, 6/6/6, then the plan fell apart on the round of 27 - wanted to do 5/5/5/5/4/3, but I think I did a single somewhere around 18, and a couple of doubles, then 3 to finish. We didn't think it would be worth it for Cody to grind out a rep or two, and decided that would only hurt him for the muscle ups. 275 was far too heavy, and not on the same scale as 185 for women. Ugh. This felt horrible, like 14.3. High volume deadlifts are not my favorite. 

It was pure torture to watch Cody struggle through the pistols and just stand there, unable to help. I know it was an unfortunate circumstance and it was for the best, but I felt like such a dick for just standing there. Did 10 ttb unbroken, then did 8, Cody did 4, I did 8. Very happy with how these felt, they have come a long way. Not the best end to the day but it is what it is. 

Overall 

This is such a fun competition. I really love that we had so many people from CSC competing!  It was very nice to see both Cody's and my improvement over last year in all areas, especially in strategy and communication. Felt like I never really had a chance to relax throughout the day, I was constantly worrying that we should be warming up or would miss our heat, but it all worked out. Super fun day. My back hurts. My knee hurts. My legs are jello. Competing is an awesome experience but I'm ready to get back to regular training.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Squat clean, build quickly to 175
B. Weighted pronated pull-up, 3 x 1-2, 21X0; 2:00 rest
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 4-6 alternating pistols
Odds: 5-7 toes-to-bar
+
3 sets:
:40 row @ max effort
5:00rest

complete
+
A. complete
B. +25(2), +30(2), +35(1)
+
complete
+
206m; 1:37.0/500m avg
206m; 1:37.0/500m avg
206m; 1:37.0/500m avg

AM weight @ home: 166.9

PM weight @ gym (including belt): 173

Squat cleans felt good today - very happy that 175 is a weight I can hit confidently every time.  Built very quickly: 85, 125, 155, 175.  

Pull-ups did not feel as easy as last week, but I think +35 is a PR (208).

Discovered I could do pistols on my bad knee if I wore both knee sleeves at the same time... did 4 total (alternating) each round, but it was probably a bad idea because, while it didn't hurt much at the time, it's swollen now.  Ughhhhh. Shit.  I know I need to think of the bigger picture and not worry about not contributing to that part of the event this weekend, but it's still frustrating because I've gotten relatively decent at pistols and we could have done fairly well here.  7 TTB across, pretty easy.  I think Cody and I are going to split the TTB in 5s the whole way, and unfortunately he's going to have to be responsible for the pistols.  I hate this.

So, 0:40 is where I started to fall off and/or hit the wall in the last cycle of row sprints, which I did not do today!  Was conscious to pull back the pace just a hair (held 1:35) and pull all the way through the finish.  Very pleased with that!

Monday

@ Next Level

A. Back squat, build quickly to a tough 3

B. 1-arm Waiter's walk, 3 x 50m/side tough; :60 between sides
+

3 sets for even times:

500m row

16 alternating pistols

8 tough med ball or stone-to-shoulders

3:00 rest

A. 280 (video)

B. complete with 53

+

Complete with 115lb stone 

5:27

5:54

6:09

Fun day! Back squats felt heavy but happy to get all 3 @ 280. Hoping for a little PR at Triple Crown in a couple of weeks :)

Rowed at 2:08-2:12. Pistols were challenging today, with a few failed reps on each leg (oly shoes but no knee sleeves). Stone choices at Next Level were 90, 115 or 130 - opted for the 115 for a bit of a challenge. Definitely started to hesitate before picking it up, and the times reflect that... 

Sunday

A. 1-arm Farmer's walk, 3 x 50m/side tough; :60 between sides

+
For time:
600m sandbag run, 60 (3 x 100m out & back)
40 alternating pistols
100m bear crawl
100 double-unders
+
800m sled drag, add a little from last week, alternate forward & backward as desired but stay moving throughout

A. Complete with 100

+

14:54 

+

Complete with 125 on the sled 

Wow, really underestimated the work today. 1-arm FW were tough and felt like I was doing these for an hour (really only 10:00 or so, but still). 

SB run done in 4:00. Pistols were tough today (nanos and knee-sleeveless), and done in a little over 4:00. Bear crawl was steady and double unders were broken but took very short breaks. 

125 on the sled felt like 12,500 today. Debated stripping off the 35lb plate throughout the whole first half, but then realize I was almost done and just sucked it up and finished.  

Looking forward to a change of scenery for the next 2 weeks!

Sunday 13 July

A. Double-unders, 10:00 to establish 3 best unbroken sets in as many attempts as desired (score as 3 best sets; i.e., 55 + 48 + 77)
+
4 rounds for even times:
300m sandbag run, 60
10 alternating pistols
25m bear crawl
2:00 rest
+
800m sled drag, same weight as last week, alternate forward & backward as desired but stay moving throughout

A. 70+65+53
+
3:05
3:07
2:58
2:55
+
shoulder stuff (abbreviated)
+
complete with 120 on the sled

Double unders were hit or miss today - lots of small sets under 30, but 70 is a PR+3.

Very happy to discover I can now do pistols in nanos and without knee sleeves!  They aren't very pretty and are quite slow, but definitely do-able.

Sled drag felt good today, and felt like I was moving quicker than in the past few weeks.

Sunday 6 July

3 rounds not for time:
8 alternating pistols
35 unbroken double-unders
50m bear crawl
+
5 rounds for even times:
200m sandbag run, 60
18 goblet squats, 35
2:00 rest
+
800m sled drag, same weight as last week, alternate forward & backward as desired but stay moving throughout

Complete

+

1:40

1:38

1:36

1:36

1:34

+

Complete with 120 on the sled 

That was a lot of bear crawling...

Sandbag was really awkward on the first run, but got a better and better grip on it with each round. Goblet squats were all fast. I like these. 

Sled felt extra heavy today, but got a cool morning breeze!

Benchmark Bracket Competition

Benchmark Bracket Competition at CrossFit the Tracks with my best bud!

Event 1:
Cindy, 12:00 time cap
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

complete @ 90%
8 rounds + 5 pull-ups + 8 push-ups
Decided ahead of time to not go balls-out on this first event.  I wasn't interested in winning the bracket, so I just plugged along for 12:00.  Their pull-up bars are EXTREMELY slippery, and even with a good tape job, opened up Wednesday's rip early on this.  Push-ups were the limiting factor, by far.  Was doing 5 sets of 2 for the last 3 rounds.

Event 2:
Nancy, 15:00 time cap
5 rounds for time of:
400m run
15 overhead squats, 65

4 + 400m run - finished the run right at the buzzer
Gave this one 100%.  Very happy with my effort, but really disappointed that I couldn't come in under the time cap.  All OHS extremely easy and unbroken, with zero transition or set up time approaching the bar.  Used a men's bar - was unable to hook grip it when snatching it, but it felt more stable than the women's bar does when overhead.  First round done in 2:20, second round done at 5:45, third round done at 9:00, fourth round done at 12:15.  I knew when the 3rd round took a little over 3:00 that it wouldn't be possible to finish in 15:00.  My lower back completely tightened up when I went out for the 4th run, which became very slow and more pathetic than usual.  Projected finish would have been somewhere around 15:30.

Event 3:
Mary, 12:00 time cap
5 handstand pushups
10 alternating pistols
15 pullups

complete @ 60-70%
3 rounds + 5 HSPU + 8 pistols
Didn't want to play anymore, at this point.  Considered it 12:00 of skill work.  HSPU standards were using an abmat but no plates, so they were much easier than usual.  2 of the 4 sets were UB, and the other 2 sets were very fast and efficient even though they were broken.  Pistols were slower than normal (legs were tired!) but no misses.  Did the last 8 in about 0:20, and didn't have time to pull the bees knees back up, so very happy that I'm able to do some pistols without wearing them (I wasn't sure!).  Pull-ups were a DISASTER.  Between the rip in my hand and the slippery bars, and having to step up to a tall bar using a J-hook every time, I wasn't in any particular rush.  Almost all sets of 2-3.  Had zero pulling capacity toward the end, and did a few singles on the last round.  On every one of those last singles, I wasn't sure if I would be no-repped or not... it was a struggle.  I really think my judge gave me a few pity reps.

Overall, this was a very fun day and a well-run event!  It was nice to have a change of scenery and meet some new people.  I'm really looking forward to more local competitions this year!

testing - Wednesday 9 April

A. Rope climbs, max in 2:00
B. Pistols, max alternating in 2:00
C. Handstand walk, 10:00 to establish a max distance
D. Double-unders, max in 5:00

A. 4 - one more than last time; grip was shot on the 4th
B. 40 - slow but never stopped moving
C. 52′ - got the exact same distance twice; not my best
D. 291 - 60/40/40/31/ then chipped away.  60 UB is a PR+3.  291 is 9 more than my last Rhiannon attempt last summer... I like progress.

Breakfast: @ Sleepy Bee - bacon omelette, half serving of potatoes, 3/4 of a GF pancake
+

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Lunch
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats - Rolled Oats, 1/2 cup	150	27g	3g	6g	0mg	0mg	1g	4g
Trader Joe's - Almond Butter Raw Crunchy Unsalted, 32 grams (2 tbsp)	190	6g	17g	8g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Post-WO
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Genr8 Vitargo® S2™ Muscle Fuel and Recovery Unflavored - Supplment, 0.5 scoops	70	18g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Avocado - Californian, Raw, 140 g	225	12g	21g	3g	0mg	5mg	1g	10g
Trader Joe's - White Jasmine Rice, 1/4 cup - Dry	160	35g	0g	3g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Beef - Flank Steak (Usda Round Steak), 6 oz/84g	340	0g	16g	48g	140mg	60mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	1,375	108g	63g	108g	160mg	405mg	6g	19g