02.29.2012 - Training

Today was retest day for both skills and doing some maxes. 

Skill
L-Sit:  60 sec Up from 40 sec. 4 weeks ago
Ring Dips: 9 w/red band Up from 4 w/red band 4 weeks ago

Strength
Strict Press
Warm-Up Sets: 3x35 - 3x55 - 1x65
PR: 1x70 This is DOUBLE what my strict press was when I came to CFMC in Dec.  I had never done strict press before coming here so I had a lot of work to do.

Back Squat:
Warm-up Sets: 3x85 - 3x115 - 2x135 - 1x150
PR: 1x170 Really think I had 180 in me, but lower back still hurting from Garage Games MOD this past Saturday.

02.22.2012 Training

110% was at CrossFit Music City pimping their wears tonight.  Got to try their dual-performance compression calf sleeves.  I'll give them credit for the recovery purposes, but not sure how much I like them for performance.  But that was clearly linked to today's training.  Wednesday is usually a recovery day for me, but the excitement of the Open left me feeling like I couldn't possibly just rest.  Plus going down to MOD this weekend, means I know Thursday & Friday will be active recovery and rest. 

Metcon
100 GHD Situps for Time
Score: 4:31 Pretty happy with this.  Some guys at the box did this a few weeks ago, and tonight Alex and I went head to head.  What can I say?  I love my GHDs - but not looking forward to how I'm going to feel over the next week since Sunday's 100 GHDs & back extenions, plus a load of GHDs in yesterday's wod.  I smell trouble.

Mobility - Superman is also Mr. Mobility.  Great in a training partner.  He's also very sadistic and takes great pleasure out of the contorted faces I make when I have a peanut shoved between my shoulder blades and he's telling me to push deeper into his torture contraption.  I have a new hatred/love affair with resistance bands and all the things you can do with them to push your body to achieve better range of motion.

Hope everyone's looking forward to 7 minutes of burpee fun this week!

02.21.2012 Training

Complete muscle failure.  That's what today was.  Following a great 4 hours of sleep, wodding was not on my "can't wait to do" list.  But a great conversation with Travis Mayer this afternoon ending with "have fun hit it hard", how could I not go into tonight's training session exuberant and excited to see what Stacey had in store? 

But then I looked at the white board.  Here's how that went....

Skill
-Ring Dips: 5x2 w/red band These are getting easier and easier.  Probably can do a few of the sets without the band.  But I think I'm still nervous about that rotator cuff.  Next week - no more band

-L-sit: 3x20 sec.  Quads don't start shaking until the very last seconds of the last set.  Finally feeling ok about little gymnastics stuff.

Strength - Front Squat
Warm Up:  5x85 - 3x 115
Work Set: 4x[3x125] This I was not happy about.  I kept failing at "125" in the warm up and was wondering what was going on.  Was my lack of sleep really throwing me off 10 lbs short of what I was supposed to be working at?  That's when I realized I can't do math without an excel sheet - I was trying to warm up with 135.  My bad.  But after the failed attempts and feeling fried from yesterday's thrusters I ended up working with 125.

Metcon - This is where "I hate Stacey" comes to mind.
3-6-9-12-15-18-21
Ring Rows
Back Squat (95/65)
Strict Press (95/65)
GHD Situp

Let's recall yesterday's post where I was psyched to get 4 sets of 3 at 65.  Do we think it's going to happen at this volume?  No?  Ok good we're not completely crazy.  So I loaded 55# thinking oh that's 80% of my 1 RM, sure I can do that for 84 reps - no problem.  Hey NASA, we have a problem.  Called I'd go up to the bar, be able to hammer out 2 sets of 5, and then MUSCLE FAILURE!  Aaaaannnnd ....we're to singles.  I don't think Bryn has ever heard me curse like that during a wod before.  When you're doing singles, you do not want a no rep.  When you can feel your muscles DYING, you do not want a no rep.  So what bubbles out of your soul when you keep getting no rep?  That would be hateful foul gruesome thoughts toward your coach, his programming, and his unborn children.  Sorry kiddies - had to take it out on someone.  ;)  

But on a lighter happier note.  Superman (Bryn) is the best training partner a girl could ask for on a day like today....Why you ask?

Here's why...

Yes.  My bestest training partner brought me steak and asparagus for post-wod.  I heart my Superman.  Most awesome training partner ever...no matter how much he beats me in a wod.

02.20.2012

Ughh!  Getting back into after 2 weeks of being in and out.  Wasn't expecting the best performance after working 14 hrs straight, BUT....Superman was back so having my training partner there to push me was all I needed to get through it.

Strength - Strict Press
Warm-Up: 5x35 - 4x55
Work Set: 4x[3x65] - Unbelievably psyched to get 65# for all 4 sets.  I've been stuck at this weight for 2 1/2 weeks and it has been frustrating the hell out of me.  I'd be able to go for 2-3 of the sets, but never get all of them, so Stacey hasn't let me bump up the weight.  Next week - tackling that 70#!!!  (maybe)  I really think doing strength before gymanstics drills made all the difference.

Skill -
-60 sec. max kipping pullups

Score:  21 Not sure why I'm having trouble getting into a rhythm.  Probably all the butterfly practice we've been doing has me want to back pedal.

-5 rounds: 3 negative pullups, 5 muscle up transitions into bottom of dip.  Go unbroken, but not for time.  Felt fine though my grip was feeling it at the end.

Bonus
So Kill Cliff has a challenge going on for the next 4 weeks.  This past week's challenge that was due by 8:30 tonight was :30 sec max double unders.  Tried yesterday and of course didn't get the warm up on video when I got 65.  So was stuck with a video of 61 double unders.  Pretty crappy for me, but whatever.  I'll take it.  Think my head was already on how bad the metcon was going to be.

Metcon
15 min AMRAP
15 Thrusters (95/65)
500 m row

Score: 3 Rounds + 15 Thrusters + 214 m row.  Can't say that I'm pleased with this.  I know I could have finished up 4 rounds but the drive wasn't there.  :(

Just happy to be back to wodding and not feeling like a broken down mess.  And going home to make this deliciousness for dinner!!!  Pork chop with sauteed peppers, mushroom, onion and garlic + avocado.  Who says Paleo isn't delicious?

02.14.2012

Happy Valentine's Day!!! It's my favorite holiday and sadly Stacey didn't think I deserved a Valentine's Day free of torment.

Skill
-Dips:  5x2 w/red band This recovery is going so slow.  Why did I wait so long to get back to dips post-rotator cuff????
-L-Sit:  3x20 sec. w/60 sec. rest Using half the amount of time we did from a max L-sit last week, I held in sets until accumulating 1 min.  Felt really comfortable and not shaking until the last few sec of the last set.  Can't wait to redo max.

Strength - Push Press
Warm up: 5x35 - 5x55 strict, 3x75 - 3x85
Working set: [3x90 - 2x90 - 3x90 - 3x90] Lost focus during the second set and missed the last rep

Metcon
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Toe to Bar
Wall Ball (20/14)
Back Extensions
Burpees

Score:  26:41 - Damn I need to get better at toe to bar.

02.13.2012

So at Garage Games One this past weekend, I got reminded that this was supposed to be a training blog, not just a brag about my awesome friends.  With the Open quickly coming, I guess I better start logging in some workouts on here.

PM Training (7:00 pm)

Skill - 5 Rounds
-5 Kipping Pullups
-5 Muscle Up Transitions
-60 Seconds Rest

Strength - Front Squat
Warm up: 5x45 - 5x95 - 3x125
Work Set: [2x135 - 3x130 - 2x130 - 1x130]

This clearly did not go as I would have liked.  Last week I did all 4 sets of 3 at 130 just fine, but something just felt off.  Stacey watching noted that the problem was not in my legs but my upper back.  He's going to take me through some upper back strength movements to fix this.  However, on the uber excited note - that's bodyweight front squat for me!!!

Metcon
-5 min Double Unders
-5 min Clean & Jerk (95/65)
-3 min Double Unders
-3 min Clean & Jerk
-1 min Double Unders
-1 min Clean & Jerk

Score: 523

Clearly, the strategy here would be knock off the double unders like crazy and take the clean & jerks easy.  That would be a GREAT strategy for me who loves me some double unders.  But sadly having Stacey there threw a wrench in my plan.  If I thought I wasn't going to have to go all out on the clean & jerk I was wrong!  He pounded me with them.  What's more is that he required me to actually jerk, to work on that drop instead of just pressing it.  Guess that's what coaches are for...