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. Squat snatch, build to a tough single, then take off 15 and accumulate 5 more singles @ that weight; rest as needed
+
Every :60 for 10 sets:
1 muscle-up + 1 squat clean @ 125 + 1 front squat @ 125
+
1 time through, goal is no breaks:
:60/side plank
:40/side plank
:20/side plank

AM

32:00 of row, GHD sit-ups, run

+

15:00 of shoulder and calf pre/rehab

+

15:00 mobility @ home 

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 125, 110x5

+

complete 

+

complete 

Well, today was the first day in a week that I didn't leave the gym close to (or in) tears, so that's already a success. Three more days. 

My shoulders are FRIED from Thursday. Holy shit. I don't know if it's from trying to do the muscle-ups and snatches cold, or the heavy benching, but they are so stiff and sore. 

I think I'm going to start using knee sleeves again for snatching and cleaning. My knee doesn't hurt but I'm babying it and being hesitant on explosive movements. I don't know if I'm just subconsciously protecting it because I'm expecting it to hurt, or I know it's going to pop (it does with every single squat), but I'm not lifting well and it's getting annoying. 

Technique felt better that it has in a while on the snatches, but the bar felt very heavy. 

I was worried about the muscle-ups considering how sore my shoulders are, but they were fine. Mostly pretty low catches, but never in danger of failing. Squat cleans went better than last week, but it felt like I was catching high and riding into the bottom. Metcons, no wrist wraps, no belt. 

Shoulders complained on the side planks, but no issues going unbroken straight through. 

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. Squat snatch clusters, 5 x 1.1; :10-:15 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
AMRAP in 8:00:
1 muscle-up
1 front squat from the ground, 145
2 muscle-ups
2 front squats from the ground, 145
3 muscle-ups
3 front squats from the ground, 145
and so on...
+
3 sets not for time:
:10-:15 L hang from bar accumulation
:10-:15 L sit on parallettes
5 moderate DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM

35:00 of row, wallballs, run, FLR

+

shoulder pre-hab

PM

A1/A2. complete 

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

+

4 + 4 MUs

+

complete
0:15 across for both
35/hand


Snatches felt better than last week, but still not crisp at all.  There was a couple of weeks where they were feeling great, I don't know what happened to that.  

Muscle-ups felt awesome again today!  I did the set of 2 unbroken, otherwise all singles with reasonably high catches.  Attempted a double on the very last set at the buzzer to close out the round of 5, but it wasn't even close.  Probably took just a hair too much rest between singles, I could probably push the pace a bit without risking failure.  But, here's why I didn't push it:

First time squat cleaning since pre-surgery, and it went terribly.  Warming up, 125 felt like 175 and I just lost all motivation to do this entire workout.  I just got really sad thinking that something that I have classically been good at is now a huge weakness and I don't have anything that stands out as a strength anymore.  Only squat cleaned the first 145, and I could barely stand up with it, so I ended up power cleaning then front squatting.  In metcons, no belt, and no wrist wraps (which was also challenging, I rely on those a lot but I didn't want to wear them on muscle-ups).  This blows.

Didn't even want to do the not for time stuff, I just wanted to go home.  

Thursday

AM
A. Shoulder press, build to a max
+
AMRAP in 15:00:
Muscle-ups

PM
A. Squat clean, build to a max
+
For time:
30 squat cleans, 155

AM

A. 105, 110Fx2

+

20

PM

A. 185, 195Fx2, 190Fx1

+

7:41

Shoulder press felt really heavy today - disappointed with this. I kind of thought with all the strict handstand push-ups this would have translated over a little, but apparently not. I've hit 110 for 2 before, so this was stupid. 

Muscle-ups, on the other hand, were fantastic!! All singles, no misses. Wanted to hit 20 and I did! Only had one low catch, and the dip is getting much better overall. Tried to just go as soon as I felt confident I could get one without watching the clock, but I know I slowed down a bit in the middle and rushed the last 3 in under 0:90 because I really wanted to hit 20. Pretty cool. Time to start stringing some together consistently. 

Squat cleans felt terrible today - kept catching them really soft, even when warming up with light weight. Nothing felt crisp. The 185 was one of the uglier 185s I've ever made. Almost every single rep of the 30 at 155 was super ugly, with low elbows, soft catch, and rounded back when standing up the squat. Beat last year's time by just a couple of seconds, but last year was at 145, so I guess I should consider this a win. It just didn't feel good or look pretty. 

Monday - 15.1

AM
shoulder prep
+
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 5 box jump w/step-down, 20

PM
15.1/15.1a
+
10:00 @ very easy pace:
30 AirDyne calories
10 wall balls
1 rope climb
3 wall walks
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

AM

complete, subbed 10 step-ups/step-downs

PM
15.1: 106
15.1a: 201
+
complete
+
complete

Definitely pissed off my knee a bit on the heavy cleans from Friday... it's not terrible, but it did not like the box jumps today, and I figured there was no point aggravating it further, especially with the 15.1 redo.  It's not that bad, if box jumps come up this week I'll be fine, just would rather be safe than sorry.

I was really nervous going into the 15.1 redo... I really, really wanted to hit 201 again.  Broke all the deadlifts 5/5 and all singles on the snatches, with quite a bit of transition time.  I started off doing singles on the toes to bar, but I actually felt less fatigued doing sets of 5 with a longer break in between sets, so after the first 10 that's what I did.  Clean and jerked 156, 186, 196, 201.  I've never made such a large jump going to 185 before (I jumped 145 to 175 while warming up, and that was a first as well), but I almost always will take 10lb jumps once I'm around 165.  So that's the first cool thing about this, knowing that I can hit 185 solidly and after a large jump. I hit 196 with about 2:30 left (also I've never skipped 190 before, so that's cool), and opted to take the extra rest and make one good attempt at 201 instead of rushing the 201 and going for a 5th attempt.  None of my reps were nearly as crisp as they felt on Friday, but obviously I'm super happy with matching Friday's PR.  I'd kinda like to test a clean and jerk max under less stressful conditions!  I know I've got 205 for sure, maybe even a little more.

Got through one round + 20something calories on the 10:00 piece.  Mobility complete, hip and ankle.

Great start to the Open!  Ready for week 2.  I wouldn't mind some CTBs.

Friday - 15.1

Workout 15.1
9-minute AMRAP:
15 toes-to-bars
10 deadlifts
5 snatches
(M 115 lb. / F 75 lb.)

Workout 15.1a
1-rep-max clean and jerk
6-minute time cap

15.1

1

15.1a

201 (PR +1)

Really happy with how easily I hit heavier cleans without having done any since November... Caught 206 but it was a little forward, I totally surprised myself.

Saturday

AM
24 sets:
:30 AirDyne easy
:30 AirDyne easier
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab + muscle-up play time

PM
A. Front squat, 3 x 3-5 moderate, 20X1; :60-2:00 rest
B. Squat clean, 5:00-8:00 light practice
+
5 rounds for even times:
10 CTB pull-ups
10 wall balls, 14 to 9 in 2 sets of 5
:90 rest
+
3-5 sets:
2:00 AirDyne @ 90% aerobic
2:00 AirDyne @ 50%
2:00 hip & ankle mobility

AM
subbed 30:00 trek through the snow
+
complete as the warm up to the PM

PM
A. 105(5), 135(5), 165(5)
B. 105-125
+
1:03
1:01
1:01
1:01
1:05
+
3 sets complete


The 1 mile trek in 6" of snow took 30:00 today.. figured that was a close enough swap for the easy AirDyne.

Muscle-ups continue to feel really, really good.  Strung 2 together for the first time!  Tried a few more times for the double, and came close but only got it the once.  It all depends on how much the rings are swinging as I come down from the first.

Happy to put a little weight on the bar for front squats.  Knee feels okay with the knee sleeves on, but I still have to really focus on driving my knees out.

I was nervous that I would hesitate to drop into a full squat on an explosive movement like a clean, but I had no issues here whatsoever.  That's a relief.  Did probably 10 or so easy singles.

CTBs broken 5/5 until the last set (5/3/1/1).  Wore knee sleeves for the wallballs.  I tried a few with and without knee sleeves as I was warming up, and there's such a clear difference with them on that it seemed worth it.  I ordered a pair of the single-ply black ones, it would be nice to have a pair to wear for things like wallballs or thrusters that don't cut off circulation but still help my knee...

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!

Saturday

AM

10:00 @ 70% of [250m row + 3 kipping handstand push-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [15 AirDyne calories + 7-10 toes-to-bar]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Speed squat clean ladder from Gobblers
B1. Snatch pull clusters, 4 x 1.1.1 starting @ 110% 1RM snatch; :15 between reps, :60 rest
B2. Hand-release push-ups, 4 x 16 fast; 2:00 rest
C1. Deadlift clusters 3 x 5.4.3 touch-and-go; minimal rest within each cluster, 2:00 rest
+
Not for time:
400m sled drag, heavy grind outside

AM

Complete; did the shoulder stuff first 

PM

A. Through twice + 145 

B1. 145, 150, 155, 160

B2. Complete 

C. 195, 205, 215

+

Complete with 135 on the sled 

+
gymnastics clinic


HSPU and TTB felt good this morning - all sets of 10 TTB.

Squat clean speed ladder felt very different than it did 2 weeks ago.  When warming up, cleared all of them easily, and 175 felt effortless.  When going through the first round, I think I just didn't respect how much heavier it would feel when a little fatigued, and didn't really focus for the first 175.  Also, I was moving pretty slowly, compared to last time.  I kind of realized that I wasn't going very fast, but didn't do anything about it until the beginning of the 3rd round.  I think stepping over the bars (instead of having them diagonally) made a little difference, but not much.  Also, last time felt like breathing got really high, and didn't even notice it today.  Overall, happy with the score and confident I will do well next weekend on this event.

Snatch pulls felt good, but can't ever imagine actually snatching that.  HR pushups were fast and easy.

Deadlifts got heavy, but I think I did a very good job of minimizing rest between clusters.  Basically just dropped from the top and immediately reset.  A little concerned that 215 felt as heavy as it did...

Sled drag wasn't nearly as rough as last time, but still felt heavy considering legs were very tired from the cleans and deadlifts.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Squat clean & jerk, 3 x 1 @ 165-175; rest as needed
B. Weighted pronated pull-up, 3 x 2-3, 21X0; 2:00 rest
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 1 rope climb
Odds: :30 AirDyne @ 90% aerobic
+
3 sets:
:35 row @ max effort
4:45 rest

Complete

+

A. 165, 175, 175

B. +10(3), +20(3), +30(2)

+

Complete 

+

182m; 1:36.1/500m avg 

182m; 1:36.1/500m avg 

182m; 1:36.1/500m avg 

+

Oly class - clean and jerk

AM weight @ home: 166.3

PM weight @ gym (including belt): 171

Clean and jerks felt sloppy today - not heavy, but technique was lacking. Kept catching the cleans soft and with slow elbows, and pressed out all the jerks.  Hence the CJ work with Chelsea Kyle - worked at 135 for the whole hour, cleans were generally decent, but jerks need work.  I'm not using my legs at all and am hesitating to drop under the bar, which is why I end up doing my weird hybrid push press thing.

Weighted pull-ups and rope climbs both felt excellent today.

Lacking a little bit of power on the rower - never felt like I was hitting a wall, but just couldn't pull any faster or harder than 1:33-1:34.  Worse than June (185/185/181).  At least I'm consistent?

Saturday - OPTathlon

Event 1: Ground-to-overhead

• October 2012: 145
• November 2014: 200 (PR +5) (video)
• 180, 190, 200, 205F
• SUPER happy to cross off a major goal for the year!  Video reveals that it was pretty ugly, but it actually felt fairly easy.  Jerk wouldn't have counted in a weightlifting meet, but I'm just happy to get 200lbs overhead!  205 was WAY out front, like probably 6" away from my body.  Looking forward to hitting some bigger numbers here if I continue to clean up technique with Chelsea Kyle.

Event 2: Standing triple jump

• October 2012: 17’1″
• November 2014: 18'3" 
• a couple of inches off a best 18'7" from June.  Don't really care about not hitting a PR, just happy noting the significant improvement from 2012.

Event 3: Row repeats

• October 2012: 1:50.6 + 1:53.6
• November 2014: 1:49.9 + 1:49.9 (PR by 0:04.4)
• This was the one event that I was dreading all week, because I knew how much it was going to hurt.  I'm very happy with the outcome, but played it a little safe on the first half of the second interval, because I really didn't want to hit the wall.  Held 1:50-1:51 the entire way, got down to 1:45ish in the final 100m but it wasn't enough to drop the total time.  Wish I started pushing just a little earlier, because it would have hurt just as much either way.

Event 4: Unknown circuit

• October 2012: Thruster/pull-up/burpee: 4 rounds (one of the worst scores)
• November 2014: 5:05 (competitive time!)
• For time:
  21 PS (95/65#)
  9 burpees over bar (vertical torso)
  15 PC&J
  9 burpees over bar
  9 thrusters
  9 burpees over bar
• Very happy to throw down a competitive time on an Open-style event like this, especially since I've done absolutely no light weight, high rep barbell work since the Open.  Broke the snatches 8/7/6 and the CJ 5/5/5, with thrusters unbroken (but slow).  Snatches and first round of burpees were great, slowed down considerably on the CJ and second round of burpees.  Surprised by how heavy 65 felt, initially had planned to break these 8/7 but on the first rep I knew that would be a struggle.  Grip and quads were toasted, but happy that breathing wasn't the limiter.  Could definitely be under 5:00 if I re-tested this, with slightly faster burpees on round 2.

Event 5: Overhead shot toss

• October 2012: 25’1″
• November 2014: 29'9" (PR by 3'0")
• Wow, I have no idea where that came from!  But I'll take it!  I still have zero idea on proper technique.

Event 6: 3000m run

• October 2012: 20:35 (zero points, exceeded time cap)
• November 2014: 17:38 (PR by 0:45)
• This was the event I was most looking forward to re-testing.  I knew I'd crush my time from 2012, but I also ran a 3k on the track last summer as part of the SHE program, and I wasn't sure if I was going to beat that or not, especially after the long day.  I wanted to run each lap around 2:05-2:10, but I was off that pace almost immediately, closer to 2:20 per 400.  Breathing was TOTALLY fine on the run, my legs just felt very tired.  I'm happy that I seem to have developed a nice middle aerobic pace, which is new (it used to be either Z1 or sprint, nothing in the middle).  I can't believe Cody ran the last lap with me! I was planning to nudge up the pace in the final lap anyway, but I'm certain that I finished a good 0:20 faster with him helping to pace.

Body Weight

• October 2012: 166
• November 2014: 168
• I think it's pretty cool that I've gotten much stronger and fitter and faster and basically weigh the same as I did 2 years ago (errrr I'm 99% sure I lied on my weight 2 years ago to be 163ish because I was embarrassed to be closer in weight to the guys than the girls.  Not that 3lbs even makes a difference, but I'm a chick and was a very self-conscious of being more than 20lbs heavier than any other girl, so I knocked off a few lbs... something I would never do at this point).

Overall 

• Honestly, I don't even know what to say.  I'm so, so pleased with my performance today, and very proud of my improvements, and extremely satisfied to see hard work pay off, and tremendously excited for the future.  Onward!

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Squat clean & jerk, build quickly to your anticipated OPTathlon opener (heavy weight you KNOW will hit)
B. Weighted strict pull-up on rings, build to a max
+
For 8:00:
Evens: 5-7 kipping pull-ups
Odds: :30 AirDyne @ 90% aerobic
+
3 sets:
:30 row @ max effort
4:30 rest

complete
+
A. 175
B. 218 (173+45)
+
complete; 7 across
+
159m, 1:34.3/500m
159m, 1:34.3/500m

159m, 1:34.3/500m

AM weight @ home: 168.2

PM weight @ gym (including belt): 173

Really good day.  Clean and jerks were crisp and solid... thinking 175 is a good opening weight, as it's heavy but something I don't stress over and am always confident to hit it.  Would like to hit 175, 185, 195, 200 on Saturday... 

Strict pull-ups felt great!  +40 was easy, +45 was reeeeeeeally slow, but got it.

Butterfly pull-ups were the best they've ever been today.  7 each time, and did some CTB accidentally on the first round (advantage: boobs).  But then after the EMOM was over, I tried doing some butterfly CTBs on purpose and couldn't find the rhythm.  That's okay though, they will come - super happy with progress here!  

Row sprints felt good.  Was holding 1:31-1:32 for the majority, and very consistent today.  Almost identical to June (159/160/158).  

Then did about 30:00 of muscle-up work.  Holy shit.  Soon.  I'm making it through about half a turn over - my wrists are turning over, but I'm not throwing my head through or getting my hands back, so I'm still falling out of it before I'm in the bottom of the dip.  Today was the closest I've been, though... and legitimately the first time that I felt like it's possible.

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5-7 kipping pull-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [250m row + 2-3 kipping handstand push-ups]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM (mostly w/Chelsea):
A. Squat clean speed ladder from Gobblers
B1. Snatch pull clusters, 4 x 1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :60 rest
B2. Ring push-ups, 4 x max in :30; 2:00 rest
+
3 sets @ high effort:
500m row
21 box jumps w/step-down, 20
12 deadlifts, 155
3:00 rest
+
Not for time:
400m sled drag, heavy grind outside

AM

complete; did the shoulder stuff first

PM

A. through twice + 145

B1. 130, 140, 150, 160

B2. 23, 20, 17, 16

+

3:34

3:41

3:48

+

complete with 135 on the sled

Fun day!  I typically enjoy doing my own thing, but it was really nice to work with Chels :)  I wouldn't mind doing something together every week, if it works out... especially if we're doing Open style workouts where I need to just suck it up and go... (see below)

Pull-ups and HSPUs continue to improve.  Pull-ups butterflied, one set of 5, the rest 6's.  All HSPUs in sets of 3.  I moved my hands a little bit and it made a huge difference - I think by adjusting my hands I'm using better muscles for these now (kind of like I am on regular pushups...)

Clean speed ladder was super fun.  I think maybe I could get the third 160 on game day...

23 and 20 ring push-ups were unbroken (23 is a PR, pretty sure), but then broke the third and 4th sets somewhere around 14-15.  Snatch pulls were great through 150, but 160 wasn't nearly as high.

Ouch - row/box jump/deadlift thing.  Low back was LIT UP, almost as bad as it was on 14.3.  Did the first round of deadlifts unbroken, then broke 6/6 for the second and third rounds.  By the third round, my low back was so fatigued that I was having a hard time controlling my legs on the box jumps, so I took a few extra seconds a couple of times just to make sure I wasn't going to fail a rep.  Rowed at 2:07ish for each round, which actually felt good.  I think it was really good for me to do this one with Chelsea, because I felt like slowing down many, many times, which I definitely would have if I was alone.  I beat her by like 2 seconds on the first round, which was a huge confidence booster and was the motivation I needed to not slow down in rounds 2 and 3.

Went much lighter than previous weeks on the sled drag... 135 today felt like 205.  Miserable.

Oh, and I have Fran lung.  Sexy.

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 3 kipping handstand push-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [250m row + 7 glute-ham sit-ups]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk, build to a heavy single
B1. Snatch pull clusters, 3 x 1.1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :15 between reps, :60 rest
B2. Hand-release push-ups, 3 x 20 fast; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
2000m row

AM
complete

PM

A. 195 (PR +10); cleaned 200! (PR +5)

B1. 135, 145, 155

B2. Complete 

+

8:22.8 (PR by 0:23) 

Did the shoulder stuff before the Z1 this morning - warm shoulders really helped with the HSPUs.  Three sets of 3 unbroken! Happy that these are coming back. 

Very happy with the clean and jerk!!  That was cool. 

Don't know how much better I could have done on the row. Planned to hold 2:05-2:10 for the first 1500m then increase in the last 500, but I was feeling really tired and felt like if I started pushing too early I wouldn't be able to finish strong. So I edged down to 2:05ish for a couple hundred meters but didn't push the pace to sub-2:00 until 250m left, and got down to 1:46 at the end. I probably could have started pushing around 350m and been fine, but overall I'm pretty happy with the effort and progress here. Great day! 

Oh, and knee feels way better. Not perfect, but much, much better. Hooray! That's a relief. 

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 7 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [3 kipping handstand push-ups + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk, build to a heavy single
B1. 1 segmented snatch-grip deadlift (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh) + 1 snatch pull, 4 x 1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :15 between all reps, :60 rest
B2. Hand-release push-ups, 4 x 15 fast; 2:00 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
10m handstand walk
8 stone-over-shoulder, 95
50 double-unders
+
1200m row w/increasing effort every 300m (2:10-2:05-2:00-very hard)

AM

Complete

PM

A. 185, failed jerk @ 190 (video)

B1. 135, 145, 155, 165

B2. Complete 

+

8:15

+

Complete 

Handstand push-ups were AWFUL.  I feel like I've lost all the progress I made on these in the spring.  Never made a set of 3 unbroken, lots of singles with a couple doubles and a couple fails.

Clean and jerk @ 175 was crisp and beautiful. Clean was easy @ 185 but jerk was a little soft. Cleaned 190 without an issue but failed the jerk. Video revealed that elbows dropped to point down at the floor on the jerk dip - never had a chance to save it. Didn't film any of the successful jerks, not sure if my elbows always do that or if that was one of my classic "oh it's getting heavy, let's change everything!" fails. Tried to clean 190 again but lost it forward and moved on. 

Snatch pulls at 135 and 145 were excellent; didn't get quite as high at 155 or 165. Hand-release push-ups were all very fast and easy. Also had an easier time keeping elbows tucked in - I feel like that's a result of all the scap work. 

All handstand walks and all double unders unbroken!! Transitions were a little slow because I was really wanting to recover enough to do each piece unbroken, even though that wasn't necessarily the goal. First round done in 2:00 flat, but then second and third rounds took just over 3:00 each. Stones got a little tough by the 3rd round, which surprised me. 

The row was really challenging. Never held exactly the pace I was supposed to. Bounced up and down a lot in the first 300m (2:07 to 2:15). Then was solidly 2-3 seconds slower at 2:05 and 2:00. Final 300 was awful - I built pace a little more slowly than last week to make sure I didn't flame out, but then couldn't get under 1:50 in the final 150m. 

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [1-2 freestanding handstand push-up + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk gauntlet, 1-1-1-1-1 80-90% 1RM; 2:00 rest
B1. 1 segmented snatch-grip deadlift (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh) + 2 snatch pulls, 3 x 1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :15 between all reps, :60 rest
B2. Ring push-ups, 3 x 15 unbroken; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
50 double-unders
10 stone-over-shoulder
10m handstand walk
50 double-unders
10m handstand walk
10 stone-over-shoulder
50 double-unders
+
1000m row w/increasing effort every 200m (2:15-2:10-2:05-2:00-very hard)

AM

complete

PM

A. 155, 165x4

B1. 135, 145, 155

B2. Complete 

+

7:07

+

Complete

Kind of an off day; upper body is really sore (guessing from gymnastics?) and needed an extra hour of sleep and an extra cup of coffee to get moving this morning.

Freestanding HSPUs were awful today - successfully got 1 each round, but usually not on the first try.

Clean and jerks felt harder than they should have at that weight.  (I ignored the "gauntlet" part - thought that was a typo from last week?)

Snatch work and ring push-ups felt really good!  SSGDLs felt really light, and snatch pulls were really high at 135 and 145 (less so at 155, but still solid).  Ring push-ups were easy.

Stone/DU/handstand walk thing was AWESOME.  Super fun.  All double unders unbroken!!! 

Another successful week ending with the row, but it was really difficult today.  Couldn't find 2:15 in the beginning - took almost the whole 200m to finally settle in at that pace.  Started to get really tired with 300m left (half-way through the 2:00 pace) but held on.  Finished holding 1:44 and was in the mid-1:40s much earlier than last week.  Really happy that I was able to stick to each pace pretty much spot on.  That's a new talent!

Saturday

AM

10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [max freestanding handstand hold + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @ 145 and adding 5 every :60
B1. Segmented snatch-grip deadlift clusters (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh), 2 x 1.1 very heavy; :30 between singles, 2:30 rest
B2. Ring push-ups, 2 x 20 unbroken; 2:00 rest
+
5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Stone-over-shoulder
Wall walks
20 double-unders after every movement
+
1000m row w/increasing effort every 200m so that last 200m is near all-out

AM
complete

PM
A. 180, failed jerk at 185

B1. 205, 215

B2. Complete 

+

9:37

+

Complete 

Handstand holds weren't 100% static (moved hands around a bit), but was upside-down for 0:25-0:40 each time. 

Gauntlet was tough - I was pretty tired by the bar @ 175. Cleans all felt solid, but none of the jerks were crisp. Failed jerk at 185 was way forward. 

It was harder to keep my hook grip on the ssgdl than usual... 

Ring push-ups felt good and easy!

Stones and wall walks were totally easy, but effing double unders were all over the place today. I think every set following the wall walks was unbroken, but every set following the stones was broken at least once or twice. 

Very happy with the row. I started out extremely conservatively, but I LOVED breaking this into 200m chunks. It helped me with pacing and gauging effort (and not going out too hot!), which I always struggle with. Probably should have started around 2:15 and had the second to last chunk around 1:55. Down to 1:43 for the last 5-7 pulls and felt really strong through the finish. Hooray for not ending a Saturday with failure on the erg! 

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5 strict knees-to-elbows]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [1 freestanding handstand push-up + 10 row calories]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean, build quickly to a tough single
B. Segmented snatch-grip deadlift (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh), 3 x 1 heavy; 2:30 rest
C. Ring push-ups, 3 x 16, 20X1; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
15 hang power cleans, 115
15 wall walks
+
2 sets:
500m row @ hard - goal is faster total time than last week
8:00

AM
complete

PM
A. 195 (PR+5) (video)
B. 215, 225, 235F
C. complete
+
4:25
+
1:49.0 (0:00.4 faster than last week)
1:54.1 (big fat fail)

Freestanding HSPUs are still hit-or-miss.  Nailed probably 4 of them on the first try, then had a couple of mishaps on the other 3-4.  Just needs practice.

Yay!  Super happy for the clean PR.  195 didn't feel that tough at all, but elbows have got to be faster.  Got under 200 once, but it was way forward.  

Hook grip slipped on the 235 ssgdl at the pause at mid-thigh.  Sigh.

Ring push-ups felt great with the easier tempo this week.

Broke the HPCs into 5/5/5, but was only able to do the quick bounce at the bottom for the first set of 5, then the first 2-3 reps of the second and third sets of 5.  I kept catching the bar super off balance (like the left side was way higher than the right, or vice versa).  That was stupid, I really should be able to do these better at this weight.  Finished these at 0:90.  Felt like I was taking a long time on the wall walks, but I guess it wasn't that bad (just under 3:00).

First row felt great, and was confident going into the second one.  Held 1:45-1:47 for the first 300m, then all of a sudden went from fine to dead with 177m left.  Didn't even fade, just went from 1:45 to 2:00 in the span of one pull.  Fuck.  It felt like someone came over and poured concrete over my legs while I was rowing.  Ughhhhhhhh.  

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 7 toes-to-bar]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [15 row calories + 3-5m handstand walk]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean, build quickly to a tough single
B. Segmented snatch-grip deadlift clusters (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh), 3 x 1.1 heavy; :10 between reps, 2:30 rest
C. Ring push-ups, 3 x 15, 30X1; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
30 wall walks
+
2 sets:
500m row @ hard - goal is faster total time than last week
8:00

AM

complete

PM

A, 185, 195Fx4
B. 195, 205, 215
C. complete
+
5:48 (PR by 6:15)
+
1:49.4
1:47.4
(0:01.5 faster total time than last week)

Another solid training day!

First time kipping since April... happy to report no shoulder pain whatsoever!  5m easily unbroken on each handstand walk.

Clean @ 185 was the best/crispest it's ever been, so jumped to 195 to try for a PR.  First two attempts were just pulls, but on video review, it was definitely high enough.  Got under it on the last two attempts, but it was really forward and elbows weren't fast enough.  Next time!

Thumbs/grip continue to be the limiting factor on the ssgdl.

Last set of the ring push ups got a little tough, but all unbroken and stuck to tempo.

Last time I did 30 wall walks for time was June 2012 (still in the class), with a time of 12:03.  Considered a couple of ways of doing this... decided to do a set of 6 every minute, to finish just under 5:00.  That worked for the first 15 reps (done at 2:30), but arms got really fatigued really quickly at that point.  Then it became just about not resting, and making myself go a second or two before I was ready.  Very cool to have another measure to see how far I've come in 2 years.

Rows were much better this week - was able to hold pace more consistently than last week.  First row was 0:00.4 faster than last week, holding a steady 1:48-1:50.  Second row was 0:01.1 faster than last week, and was holding 1:45-1:48 for about 200m in the middle, but faded to 1:49-1:50 in the last 200m.  Breathing was high but not out of control - it was totally muscle fatigue.  Quads are super sore from Thursday, and arms felt trashed after the ring push-ups and wall walks, so considering that, very happy to improve over last week.

Sunday

A. Squat clean, build quickly to a heavy single
+
3 sets for even times:
500m row
14 back squats from the ground, 115
7 bar-facing burpees
7 strict pull-up
35 double-unders
+
800m sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired

A. 185

+

5:40

6:12

6:16

+

complete with 90 on the sled

Cut the extension short on the clean at 185 (typical) so I caught it kind of forward (typical), but 165 and 175 were very crisp.

Worked harder on that 3 sets thing than I have in a long time.  Rows were consistent at about 2:21.  Backsquats and double unders all unbroken; pull-ups all broken 3/2/2; burpees started slow and got slower.  Took about 0:30 to transition from finishing the double unders to re-setting the rower and getting back on - not included in the round times above.

I don't know how I ever pulled 125 on that sled.  Really struggled with 90 today.