Tuesday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :10 L-hang w/quads flexed hard
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. Jerk balance, 5:00 tech work w/empty bar, play w/both legs forward on split
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 3 x 1.1.1.1.1 light; :10 between singles, :90 rest
+
3 sets:
10m DB death march heavy right into 10m unweighted walking lunge steps
2:00 rest
+
3 sets:
10 ring dips
10 pull-ups
2:00 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. complete 

B. 65, 75, 85

+

complete with 50/hand 

+

complete

dips 5/5

pull-ups unbroken, butterflied


Today was awesome!  Except for the part where I jammed my thumb trying to steady the bar on the blocks after a weird bounce.

Quads felt like they were firing equally on the L-hang, but Leftie's still only 85%ish when standing or sitting.

Jerk balance was fine on my normal split leg, but soft and tentative on the opposite leg forward (which happens to be left, and maybe I was just hesitant to stomp on it?).  It didn't hurt at all, I was just not as aggressive with that leg forward.

Power snatches felt awesome, except for the mishap with my thumb.  Couldn't hook grip on the last set, but the snatching itself felt crisp and fast.  Knee was fine here, too.

I am not a fan of the death march.  This was super awkward.  Lunges were fine and easy.

Since it wasn't specified, I "kipped" the ring dips.  I don't think you'd call what I did kipping, but it wasn't exactly strict, so... yeah.  I really need to learn how to kip properly.  But those pull-ups!!  Smooth, in rhythm, and 10 wasn't even close to a max set.  Super excited about this.

Errrrrr... SERIOUSLY?!

Monday

AM
shoulder prep
+
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 10 box step-up/step-downs - feel out an actual box jump or 2 once you're warm

PM
A. Power clean, build quickly to a tough single
+
3 rounds for even times:
10 wall balls, 14 to 9'
15 pull-ups
20 push-ups
25 unbroken double-unders
3:00 walk rest
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

AM

complete

PM

A. 175, 185Fx3
+
2:48
2:48
2:41
+
complete

Box jumps actually felt better than step ups... feel a little twinge on the step but absolutely nothing on the jump or impact.

Played with some muscle-ups in the beginning of the PM session - I was anxious to make sure I could still do them on the new set-up.  And also, I just like doing muscle-ups :)

Power cleans felt great today, 175 was almost effortless.  Pulled 185 really high on the first and 3rd attempts, just couldn't commit to catching it.  I didn't want to crunch a wrist.

3 round thing - ughhhh.  First of all, there was no good place to do wall balls and also pull-ups in a timely fashion, partially because the class was on the rig at the same time and I was all the way by the whiteboard, so running to the wall ball wall seemed like a bad plan.  I ended up doing them on the wall by the platforms, but people were lifting and rolling out and it was just a giant obstacle course.  If we could get some wall-ball targets that go on the rig, that would be awesome...  but I digress.  Knee felt pretty good on the wall-balls.  I need to video these or have someone watch to make sure I'm below parallel, I'm having a bad feeling that when I say that something's not hurting my knee it's because I'm flirting with parallel and not going deep enough.  ANYWAY.  All pull-ups broken 5/5/5, and tried to butterfly them all  - some of the sets of 5 were nice and in rhythm, some were not.  It's coming back, though.  Push-ups felt tough again this week, started to fall apart around 14 or so.  All double-unders unbroken on the first shot.

Spent time on hip mobility at the end - I'm ridiculously sore from adding back in the squatting... 

Wednesday

AM
3 sets:
3:00 AirDyne easy
3:00 t-spine/anterior shoulder mobility - switch it up set-to-set
3:00 AirDyne easy
3:00 light scap activation

PM
A. Overhead squat, 3 x 3-5, 4011; 2:00 rest
B. Axle Pendlay row, 3 x 3-5, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
3 rounds for even times:
35 double-unders
25 push-ups
15 pull-ups
3:00 walk rest
+
10:00 rest
+
3 sets for max meters - make it hurt:
:30 row
:30 rest

AM

subbed 30:00 mobility at home

PM

A. 85(5), 115(5), 135(5)

B. 110(5), 120(3), 120(4)

+

2:29

2:28

2:26

+

158m

150m

144m

Elected to stay at home this morning until the roads were cleared...

Very excited to bring my knee sleeves out of retirement!! Absolutely zero pain or discomfort with the knee sleeves on. Tempo got to be real tough on the wrists but the actual squats felt great. I don't want to be overly dependent on knee sleeves, but if it means I can squat pain-free, I might be tempted to just wear them for everything until I can afford to get this thing fixed. 

Child-sized hands were the limiter on the axle pendlay rows... Surprise surprise. 

Tripped on the first round of double-unders, but rounds 2 and 3 were unbroken. Push-ups were surprisingly tough, down to small sets by the end. All pullups broken 5/5/5, and done with a regular kip. I seem to have lost the butterfly... This feels like something I just need to keep practicing on my own whether it's programmed or not. 

Definitely followed directions on the row... That hurt. Held 1:31/500m for most of the first one, down to 1:38/500m on the second one, and couldn't get below 1:40/500m on the third one. It's amazing how 0:30 can feel so long and also so short... 

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A1. Weighted strict pull-up on rings, 1-1-1-1, 21X0; :60 rest
A2. Split jerk, 4 x 1 all heavy; 2:00 rest
+
3 sets:
10m KB walking lunge steps + 1 shoulder-to-overhead @ each step, 35/hand
2:00 rest
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 5-7 kipping pull-ups
Odds: :15 AirDyne @ high effort
+
3 sets:
:25 row @ max effort
4:05 rest

Complete

+

A1. 25, 30, 35, 37.5

A2. 175, 185, 195, 200Fx2, 200! (PR +5)

+

Complete 

+

Complete

+

133m / 1:33.9/500m avg
132m / 1:34.6/500m avg
132m / 1:34.6/500m avg


Solid day!

+37.5 on the ring pull-up was definitely a max.  Took about 9 seconds to finally get my chin over the damned rings, but I got it without kipping.

Very happy with the jerk PR!  195 was super crisp, so I knew I had 200 today.  Pretty cool to be able to throw 200lbs over your head :)

Lunge/S2O wasn't too bad.  Not as bad as I'd heard from others.

Butterfly pull-ups were about the best they've ever been.  Did 6 each round, and first 4 rounds were great! Kip got a little wonky on the last round, but I butterflied 3, then readjusted, then butterflied 3 again without letting go of the bar.  Super excited to see progress here; I don't think I've ever gotten 6 before!

Row sprints were terrible.  I felt like I was running on low by this point... it was definitely max effort, I just could not get the pace any faster.  Slightly worse than June (133/134/134).

Sunday

5:00 kipping pull-ups practice, non-fatigued sets of 3-6 reps
+
10:00-15:00 muscle-up technique work, hips-to-rings + turn-over work from the ground + actual attempts
+
6 rounds for time:
200m run
10 overhead squats, 95
1 rope climb
+
8 sets:
150m run @ 90% aerobic
:30 rest

Complete 

+

Complete 

+

15:37

+

Complete 

Butterfly pull-ups continue to improve, slowly but surely. Kind of thought today might be the day for the muscle up, but no dice. I think I'm getting closer and closer - today, my wrists were trying to turn over but my center of mass is still way too low and behind the rings. Basically I have a nice kip but don't pull or use my arms at all. I feel like I'm just missing one cue...

6 rounder was totally fun. Runs were slow, but tried to make up for it with efficient transitions. All OHS unbroken and snatched the first rep. Confident on the rope. 

Runs felt good. Nice change of pace. 

Thursday

AM
10:00 light scap activation

+
A. Paused front squat, 1-1-1, 21X1; 3:00 rest
B1. Weighted strict pull-up on rings, 4 x 1-2, 21X1; :60 rest
B2. Split jerk clusters, 4 x 1.1 tough; 2:00 rest
+
For 15:00:
1st minute: 3-6 kipping pull-ups
2nd minute: 12 wall balls, 14 to 10
3rd minute: :15 AirDyne @ high effort
+
3 sets:
:20 row @ max effort
3:40 rest

PM
Oly clinic

AM
complete
+
A. 240, 250, 260 (PR +5)
B1. +20(2), +25(2), +30(1), +30(1)
B2. 155, 165, 175(F.1), 175
+
complete
+
106m / 1:34.3/500m avg
107m / 1:33.4/500m avg
106m / 1:34.3/500m avg

PM
Split jerk work 

Happy with the front squat PR!  260 actually felt better than 250.  It was s-l-o-w on the way up, but never felt like I wasn't going to get it, and wasn't too ugly.  Now... if only my clean would catch up...

4 pull-ups each round; all butterflied and in rhythm.  Definitely making progress here, just not very quickly (patience is not my strong suit).  Wallballs were easy.

Basically just pulled the shit out of the rower - took about 0:06 to get started, then was between 1:29-1:31 through the finish.  A couple of meters better than June's 0:20 sprints (104/105/105).

Knee feels much better than it did on Tuesday, but still feel like I'm being stabbed through the knee at the bottom of every squat...

Chelsea Kyle helped me fix a couple of things in my jerk... I wasn't keeping my lats/upper back tight on the dip (UGH it's almost like you need these muscles for everything), which translated into more of a push press set up when the weights got heavier. Now that I'm actually aware of these muscles, it was a fairly easy fix. Also focused on punching the bar to the ceiling, which resulted in a much more aggressive jerk and more stable overhead position.  Worked at 125-145, nailed a bunch of really solid ones at the end... 

Sunday

5:00 kipping pull-ups practice, non-fatigued sets of 3-6 reps
+
A. Hips-to-rings, accumulate 12 solid singles; rest as needed to ensure good height
+
5 rounds for time:
1 rope climb
3 double KB overhead squats, 53/hand
+
Not for time:
400m heavy sled drag

complete

+

A. complete

+

7:48

+

complete with 205 on the sled

Short day today, but it was not easy.

Pull-ups were just okay.  Still practicing butterfly.  Hips to rings were just okay, but maybe a little better than last week.

Those damned kettlebells.  First couple of rounds were really tough (missed the first clean, and the next two were UGLY, like, one side at a time), but got a little smoother as the rounds went on.  The actual OHS (and really, the S2O) were easy, it was just getting them into the front rack that was terrible.  Transitions were slow.  When I saw this written, I assumed I would be somewhere around 5:00 and felt pretty disappointed with the time, especially since it was the only higher intensity piece of the day.

Weird couple of days.  I miss my training buddy.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Paused front squat, 2-1-1, 21X1; 3:00 rest
B1. Weighted strict pull-up on rings, 4 x 2-3, 21X1; :60 rest
B2. 1 push jerk + 1 split jerk (hold on to bar throughout), 4 x 1 building each set; 2:00 rest
+
For 12:00:
1st minute: 3-6 kipping pull-ups
2nd minute: 12 wall balls, 14 to 10
3rd minute: :15 AirDyne @ high effort
+
Not for time:
100m Farmer's walk, 100+/hand

complete
+
A. 235(2), 245(1), 255(1)
B1. +10(3), +15(3), +20(3), +25(1)
B2. 145, 155, 165, 175
+
complete
+
complete with 110/hand


Solid day!

May have been a bit ambitious on the paused front squats, but wanted to match or better last week's numbers (I always assume that I should be adding from week to week, especially if the reps are descending...).  245 was solid but a little sticky on the way up.  255 was effing ugly.  That matches my 1RM though, so pretty cool to hit it again, and with a pause.

Ring pull-ups and jerks felt great.  Split jerks were fantastic today - I credit the new kicks.

Butterfly needs a bit of work - just not consistent yet. 5 each round, but only one round was in rhythm for all 5 reps.  Wall balls were very easy today.

Farmer's walk was no different with the added weights.  In my mind, I thought I had 120/hand, but when I just typed it out, I realized I added 20 total, not 20 per hand.  That was a dumb mistake.  I think I can go significantly heavier.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Paused front squat, 2-2-1, 21X1; 3:00 rest
B1. Unweighted strict pull-up clusters on rings, 4 x 3.3.3; minimal rest between, :60 rest
B2. 1 push jerk + 2 split jerks (hold on to bar throughout), 4 x 1 building each set; 2:00 rest
+
For 12:00:
1st minute: 3-5 kipping pull-ups
2nd minute: 10 wall balls, 20 to 10
3rd minute: :15 AirDyne @ high effort
+
Not for time:
200m heavy Farmer's walk, 100/hand

+

gymnastics clinic

complete
+
A. 225(2), 235(2), 250(1)
B1. complete
B2. 135, 145, 155, 165
+
complete
+
complete

Front squats felt just okay - happy to add a little over last week.

Kept the rest to exactly 0:10 for the most part between clusters, but crept up to 0:15-0:20 after the second cluster in the last two sets...

Jerk complexes didn't feel very crisp, but the bar felt light.  Technique was off.

5 pull-ups each round; had a nice butterfly for the first two rounds, but lost it when I got a little tired.  Encouraged by progress here, though!  Wallballs felt awful when warming up, but  actually did all 10 unbroken each round, and hit the 10' target (almost) every time.  Had maybe 4 reps total that were 9&3/4, which is a big improvement with the 20lb ball.

Gymnastics clinic was fun, but a little frustrating... did several muscle ups with a spot, but none solo.  Finally got a new cue at the end, anxious to try it out in the gym...

Sunday

5:00 kipping pull-ups practice, non-fatigued sets of 2-3 reps
+
A. Deadhang-to-inverted, 6 x 2; begin a set every :45
B. 1-arm KB overhead squat, build to a tough set of 10/arm in just a few sets (lead up sets do not have to be 10s)
+
For time:
10 rope climbs
+
For time:
50 hang squat cleans, 115
+
400m sled drag, heavy grind

Complete 

+

A. Complete 

B. 70

+

7:41

+

6:39

+

Complete with 200 on the sled 

Really great day! 

Kettlebell OHS were not tough at all, but not sure I could have gotten much more overhead... 

Felt more confident on the rope climbs than ever before. 4 done in 2:00 but then slowed down considerably. 

Hang squat cleans went as well as I could have hoped. First 30 weren't bad at all. All sets of 5 until I failed the very last rep. Kept the quick bounce for almost all of them, until the last few reps. 

Sled drag was finally a heavy grind today, but also had a slightly more leg-intensive day... 

Sunday

5:00 kipping pull-ups practice, non-fatigued sets of 2-3 reps
+
A. Deadhang-to-inverted, 4 x 3; begin a set every :60
B. 1 snatch balance + 1 overhead squat, 1-1-1-1, 20X1; 2:00 rest
+
10 sets for even times:
1 rope climb
6 DB thrusters, 30/hand
18 double-unders
:90 rest
+
400m sled drag, heavy grind

complete
+
A. complete
B. 135, 145, 155, 165
+
0:48
0:50 (trip)
0:49 (trip)
0:51
0:48
0:47
0:46
0:45
0:55 (trip)
0:44
+
complete with 190 on the sled

Practiced regular kipping and also butterfly.  Rhythm needs work (on both), but had an easier time keeping rhythm with butterfly, so that's encouraging that I will someday actually be able to do these.  Shoulder feels 100%.

Wasn't dropping under the bar very fast on the snatch balances.  Failed 165 twice before getting it.

10 sets felt good; was happy to feel recovered within the 0:90 and ready for the rope climb again (unlike last week).

Sled drag felt really good today - there's not much of a difference between 170, 180 and 190, so I guess I'll just keep adding?

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!

Sunday 6 April

8:00 @ 90% of: [200m run + 10 pull-ups + 20 pushups]
4:00 rest
8:00 @ 90% of: [15 KBS 70/53 + 10 hspu + 20 double unders]
4:00 rest
8:00 @ 90% of: [250m row + 10 push press 115/75 + 10 ghdsu]

2 rounds + 10 pull-ups - ran slow; pullups 4/3/3, 4/3/3, 5/2/2/1; pushups 4x5, 4x5
+
2 rounds + 9 KBS - all KBS easy and unbroken; HSPU not very easy today; both sets of 20 DUs unbroken
+
3 rounds - rowed at 2:05-2:10/500m

Fun day, and very happy to be training on Sundays again.  

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Trader Joe's - Almond Butter Raw Crunchy Unsalted, 32 grams (2 tbsp)	190	6g	17g	8g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats - Rolled Oats, 1/2 cup	150	27g	3g	6g	0mg	0mg	1g	4g
Lunch
Generic - Grilled Hamburger Patty - 1/4 lb, 1/4 lb	244	0g	14g	24g	62mg	99mg	0g	0g
Johnsonville - Bratwurst Sausage, 1 link	250	2g	21g	14g	50mg	730mg	1g	0g
Generic - French Fries, Side, 1 Serving	365	48g	17g	4g	0mg	246mg	0g	6g
Gelato - Gelato, 0.5 cup	53	11g	1g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
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
Tomatoes - Raw, 1 Medium	25	5g	0g	1g	0mg	20mg	3g	1g
Tessemae - Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing, 2 Tbsp	20	0g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Avocado - Californian, Raw, 140 g	225	12g	21g	3g	0mg	5mg	1g	10g
Kirkland - Wild Alaskan Salmon Filet, 1 filet	300	0g	13g	32g	95mg	85mg	0g	0g
Generic - Spinach - Organic Baby, 2 Cups	20	2g	0g	1g	0mg	1mg	1g	2g
TOTAL:	2,152	141g	113g	133g	227mg	1,526mg	11g	28g