"Cindy" makes Tyler forget how to count, again

"Cindy"
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

I didn't see what the workout was going to be before coming in this morning. I think I'm going to do that more often.

I did all the pull-ups uninterrupted and almost all of squats that way, as well. I started partitioning the push-ups (FIXED; thanks, Kurt!)in the third round.

So, as I usually do for this, I set up one of the portable whiteboards near my station and put 20 notches on it. It makes for quicker marking if I just rub out (heh, I said "rub out") a notch with my finger when I complete a round, rather than un-cap a marker and write one.

But, like happened the last time I did this, there was a point in the workout where I wasn't sure if I marked a round down. I wasn't sure, but didn't rub out another notch, so I decided to go with the lesser result.

So, in the end, the whiteboard says I got 17 rounds, plus 5 pull-ups, plus 10 push-ups, plus 4 squats.

If you compare it to my previous Cindy result, I improved by only four squats. But I may have shortchanged myself this time by one round, so I might have improved by one round and four squats. And, if I double-counted a round the last time I did Cindy, I may have improved by as much as two rounds and four squats. I'm going to not give myself the benefit of the doubt here, and just go with the result above.

Robb Wolf

My spotty nutritional habits don't exactly qualify me to be a Robb Wolf disciple (why yes, as a matter of fact I did have two ice cream floats today, thankyouverymuch), but the whole saga of how he got fired from CrossFit HQ is strangely compelling.

My connection and subsequent loyalty to CrossFit has always been to CrossFit Regina, not CrossFit HQ, and I'm not planning on taking any certifications (for my goals I don't see a lot of point in it) so this doesn't really affect me at all.

But it sure sounds like Dave Castro is an asshole. Before today, I wouldn't have known him if I had walked past him on the street, but I even get a dickhead vibe from him just from this video... and I agree with most of what he says.

Anyway, these do-it-yourself cartoons never cease to amuse me.

Tyler almost bails on "Fran-ish" (a.k.a. "C2B Fran") but eventually discovers his testicles

Kind of a weird morning.

When I signed up online for the 6am class, I saw that there was only one other person registered for the class. I figured that at least a couple more people would show up, but when I got there, it was just Franz (who was coaching) and MichelleD.

Then I looked on the board and saw that the WOD was C2B Fran.

21-15-9 of:
95lb thrusters
Chest-to-bar pull-ups.

Fuck.

While this isn't what I consider to be a benchmark WOD, it's close enough that I would have liked to know I was doing it a little more in advance than 15 minutes. With benchmark WODs (basically, the ones with girls names) I usually prefer to do them in the evening so that I can come in, see what people have done, and feed off some of the energy in the gym. This morning, I was going to be doing this one alone because MichelleD was going to be doing yesterday's WOD.

Also contributing to my foul mood was the fact that when I looked on the whiteboard, my results for the first part of yesterday's WOD (skips and pushups/mountain climbers) were in the bottom third of everyone that did it yesterday. It pisses me off because that's the kind of stuff I'm supposed to be good at.

So, during a half-hearted warm-up, I started looking for reasons why I shouldn't do Fran-ish. I thought about maybe trying to improve my score on the first part of yesterday's WOD. I even seriously contemplated just going home and going back to bed.

Basically, I figured I was going to completely tank on this and I really didn't want to have the whiteboard displaying a substandard time under my name for the next week. (When I'm thinking rationally, I know most people couldn't give two shits about my results, but those moments of rational thinking are rare).

While the little devil on my shoulder was telling me, "Go on, bail on Fran-ish... you can go home to your nice warm bed," the little angel on the other side took a break from kettlebell swings to say, "This is what CrossFit is all about: getting you physically prepared for the unexpected. In real life, you don't always get to choose what challenges you will face. Man the fuck up, douchey."

The devil was the reason I got fat and stayed that way for years, so I listened to the angel.

Speaking of angels, Franz provided some good coaching throughout.

The last time I did regular Fran was one of my better days ever at CrossFit. That day, I had the benefit of a cheering crowd, a week's notice of the workout being Fran, and, because I did it in the evening, I had a whole day's worth of results to compare to.

Today, I probably managed to summon up about 85-90 per cent of the intensity and focus I had during Fran last time. There were three or four pull-ups I didn't get all the contact I wanted between my chest and the bar, and the breaks I took were probably too long and too frequent, but I got through it.

Time was 7:00 which is a little under two minutes more than my regular Fran time. I'm not sure if the C2B pull-ups should really have that kind of an impact on my results, but I gave just about everything I had this morning.

One other thing: I was no longer in a pissy mood.

I actually don't know if that 7:00 time is "good" for a person at my level, or how well it will hold up against the people I usually compare my results to. At that point, I didn't really care. I had done it. I didn't listen to the devil on my shoulder who wants me to stay in bed when that alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning, and who tries to talk me out of doing a workout because the result might bruise my fragile ego.

Fuck you, little devil. I refuse to be your bitch.

As I attempted to recover from Fran-ish, I looked at the clock and noticed that it was only 6:40am. So I started looking forward to getting home a bit earlier than normal, and maybe even rousing Tracey for a morning quickie. Then I found out that I wasn't done.

I hadn't noticed the bonus work was to do 75 GHD sit-ups in as few sets as possible.

Fuck.

I was shooting for three sets, but figured I'd probably end up doing it in four.

Turns out it took me five sets: 20-15-9-16-15.


Here's a video of a guy doing C2B Fran a lot quicker than me.

"If Tomorrow Never Comes"

I'm not sure what that WOD name is supposed to mean.

This is a two-part workout.

Part one, at the top of the hour, is two rounds of:
250 single skips
10 x (1 push-up and 4 mountain climbers)

My time was 9:56. I was actually a little faster on the second round than the first. It's probably because I had figured out the skipping a bit better.


Part two, at half past, is two rounds of:
30 wall ball
30 75lb squat snatches

My time was 14:56. I wanted to get sub-15 on this, but with less than 90 seconds to go, I still had to do 8 snatches, which seemed like a ton. I managed to get the last one in just under the wire, though.

"Angie"

For time:

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

I'm sure I've done Angie before, but I can't find when. Last month, we did "Age Adjusted Angie" - which for 33-year-old me was basically two-thirds of the full version - and it took me 14:something.

100 pull-ups in a row isn't fun. It's pretty tough on the hands. I was spending far too much time late in this round just trying to convince myself to grab the fricking bar again. I jumped up to the 8-foot bar for the first 45 or so, then moved to the 7-footer. I wonder if I stepped up like the guys in the video below, if it would allow me to get a better grip and bang more out? Perhaps I will try that the next time I have a WOD that calls for a ton of pull-ups.

100 push-ups reminded me that I need to work on doing push-ups more. I did 20 consecutive off the start, and then the sets quickly became 4s and 3s.

I feel like I've actually gotten worse on sit-ups and squats.

Time was 22:25. I was harbouring delusions of a sub-20 time, but it was not to be.

Here's a video of some guys doing Angie.

Power Snatch and Push-ups, Then 400m Run

As many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:

12 65lb power snatches
10 push-ups

AMRAPs are always tough. Your only reward for getting a bunch of work done quickly is having a bunch of time left to to a bunch more work. How messed up is that?

Anyway, this one starts out easy, but starts to get tough really fast.

I think my technique on the power snatches was getting kind of sloppy, despite repeated corrections from Crystal. Because the weight was light enough to fling it overhead, I did that without focusing on getting under the bar. But doing so may have burned out my arms and shoulders a little more than I needed to.

Push-ups are push-ups. I did pretty good on them, but they suck. They just do.

I did 12 rounds plus 8 snatches.

As a bonus, we did a group 400m race. I would have come in second in my group, but the dude in first place ran way past the turnaround point. That'll teach you for not paying attention, newbie.

Took me 1:17. I would have liked to beat 1:10, but I nearly puked as it was.

Painstorm XXXVI

10-8-6-4-2 front squats, push press, thrusters
10-20-30-40-50 pull-ups
10-15-20-25-30 burpees

I woke up stiff and had a pretty good internal debate with myself this morning about whether to take a rest day, knowing what I was in for with this one.

I mean, that's just a shitload of pull-ups, any way you slice it.

I probably would have elected for a rest day, but I stupidly wrote,"This Painstorm terrifies me" on the CrossFit Regina website, so everyone would have known that I pussied out. See, it's not being a pussy that I'm ashamed of, it's people knowing I'm a pussy.

So I rediscovered my testes and headed to the gym.

Then, just seconds before we started, Robin casually mentioned that when she did this in January, it took her 55 minutes.

What the hell was I supposed to do with that information? Good thing my bowels were empty or I might have shat my pants.

37:54

Cleans/Rope Climbs

Four rounds of

7 x 3/4 bodyweight cleans (I did 135lbs, which is slightly more than 3/4)
2 rope climbs, hands only, from seated

After the four rounds are done, finish with an 800 run

I could only climb the rope three times, then my sissy hands stopped cooperating so I switched to the substitute of pull-ups. With sore hands, those weren't much better.

22:54.

Max Squats / weighted PLUs / "Nancy"

Squats and PLUs were:
1-1-1-1-1

For squats, I did 185-205-215-225-235(f)-235 (PR)

For PLUs, I did 25-35-45-55 (all dumbells) and then got out the chain belt to do 60.


Then, it was time for yesterday's WOD "Nancy."

For time, five rounds of:

400m run
15 95lb overhead squats.

I managed to do all but one round of the OHS without putting the bar on the ground midway through. (I'm not counting the failed snatch to start round three.)

I did it in 15:47 and am pretty happy with that. Doing the max back squats before was a pretty good warm-up for this one.

Here's a video of Nancy. Only difference is these dudes take the weight from the rack, and Harlan and I snatched it from the ground (which is slightly more manly).

"Another Chipper"

For time:

1500m row
50 power cleans (65lbs)
25 ring dips
50 wall ball
25 GHD sit-ups
The rowing and wall balls were the toughest part of this one. I was sort of dreading the dips, but they went okay. I would have liked to string together more cleans in a row, but I was also trying to keep my form good.

Time was 17:02. The last time I did this was back in January, and it took me 20:05 with assisted ring dips.

As I mentioned, I couldn't string together too many wall balls in a row. Harlan was training today and at one point he said, "C'mon, you said yourself [on your blog] you're taking too many breaks."

Well, that'a a good point, actually. Still, there's nothing like someone throwing your own words back in your face at 6:30 in the morning.

If any other trainers or CrossFitters are looking to motivate me mid-workout by reiterating something I've said on either blog, here are some approved suggestions (by putting them here, they have technically been on the blog):

"Tyler, you are both witty and handsome."

"I had heard you were Saskatchewan's sexiest blogger, but I never believed it until now."

"I never realized someone could wear Lululemon gear and still be so uber-manly."

"All those people who finished this quicker than you were probably cheating."

"You are so awesome."

"5K Plus"

Five effing rounds of:

1km run
10 pull-ups
20 push-ups
30 24" boxjumps

The Good:
I ran okay. I never stopped on any of the 1kms

I did all the pull-ups unbroken on the eight-foot bar. It improved my time, and it's something I think I should still be doing when the workouts head into deep water.
The Bad:
Boxjumps just killed me and cost me a ton of momentum. I would pass Blair or Shae on the run, and they'd pass me on the boxjumps. Shae passed me on the last set and it cost me third place. I finish fourth so often it is not even funny.

Push-ups. I need to start doing them at home on rest days.

Breaks. I feel like, midway through the WOD, I was taking too many breaks and for too long.


Time was: 40:23

Tyler does Push Press, is reminded how weak he is

Push Press

3-3-3-1-1-1

At the Saskatchewan CrossFit Challenge, we did "Anyway Overhead" and I got 185lbs overhead once using a push press with barely any warming up and felt I could have gone a bit heavier. So I had visions of improving on that here.

Nope.

3x135, 3x155, 3x165, 1x185(f), 1x185(f), 1x175(f).

Damn.

By this point I was downright pissed. Harlan encouraged me to end on a positive note, so I did 1x165lb and then failed at 170. (I think. It was early.)

Bonus was to run 800m for time. I got it done in 2:57, which felt okay.

Deadlifts and Double Unders

Three rounds of:
15 185lb deadlifts
50 double unders

Time was 10:49.

I'm not a huge fan of "for time" that contain relatively heavy deadlifts, but that's probably because I know I need to be more vigilant about keeping my form strict and less worried about the clock. It's tough, though.

The actual workout was supposed to be using 10 x 275lb DLs, but my single rep max is 305. We had the option go with with a lighter weight and more reps, either 12 x 225lb, 15 x 185, or 18 x 155. My back just started feeling better after the 50 x 200lb DLs on Saturday, so I thought I would go a bit on the light side, though it didn't feel very light to me.

I still need to bring more intensity to my workouts.