Back at it: Power Snatch and Running

I think the leg injury is mostly behind me now.  Standing up at my desk at work seemed to accelerate the healing, even if I couldn't go to CrossFit for two weeks due to getting snipped.

I'm not lazy.  I'm just not taking any goddamn chances. 

I wasn't completely inactive during this time, though.  Just this past week, the Boy learned to ride his bike without training wheels, so there was some light jogging beside him, mostly to make sure he didn't crash into a car or a tree while he was bragging about how awesome he was doing.

But, my leg and my junk have now healed to the point where I can go back to CrossFit Regina and give "not taking it easy" a shot. 

A. Power Snatch 3-2-1-1-1


95 x 3, 115 x 2, 125 x 1, 135 x 1, 145 x 1(FAIL), 145 x 1

I could feel a bit of tightness in my leg, but I don't think it really hampered anything. 


B. For times:

Run 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m

800m - 3:25
400m - 1:34
200m - 0:45
100m - 0:19

Running felt good.  I didn't think about my leg at all while I was doing it. 

It was pretty dark in the alley, so I wasn't sure about footing and may have been a bit more tentative because of it.  I don't think it made much of a difference in the times. 

I didn't set any PRs, but it feels pretty good to be back. 

"Nicole"

AMRAP in 20mins:
400m Run
Max Pullups

  My leg was still bothering me a bit but I felt it more on the dismount from the bar rather than the runs.  I wouldn't say I was going 100%, but I was going faster than I thought I would've been able to.     This was my first time doing kipping pull-ups since coming back.  It was fine.      Here's how the rounds looked like for me:    400m, 20 pull-ups 400m, 17  400m, 17 400m, 15 400m, 13 400m, buzzer went before I could get to the bar.      

In Rod We Trust

Second 6 a.m. workout in a row.   'Cuz I'm hardcore like that, yo.

Honestly, it's just convincing myself to roll out of bed when the alarm goes off at 5:30.  Today I hit snooze twice, which took me to 5:40, but I managed to get up.   I like myself so much better when I make it to the 6 a.m. class.   Until I start falling asleep at my desk at 11 a.m.

 

A. For Time: “Run and Swing”

3 Rounds of 400M Run, 21 Heavy Kettlebell Swings 70/55. 

Damn, that 70lb KB isn't getting any lighter.  I broke up my 21 into sets of 14 and 7 for the first two rounds and 13 and 8 in the last two.  I probably spent too much time resting between the swings, especially in the first two rounds.

Finished in 9:41.

B. 5 forward rolls, Hollow Rock to Superman rolls x10, 5 forward rolls

Done.  Awkwardly

C. Challenge: can you navigate the new pull-up bar entirely by hand?

No.  No, I cannot.   Got about a quarter of the way around and my grip started to hurt.  See the name of this blog for an explanation. 

D. Mobility: Up Dog, Down Dog, Plow, Camel.

Rotate 2-3x through these poses spending at least 30 seconds in each.

This was probably the most yoga I've ever done in one sitting.  I should do more of it, and then maybe I wouldn't have the flexibility of an inanimate carbon rod. 

 

Overheard at the Gym  

 "What's Up Dog?"   Yoga humour.  Really, people only laughed because they were up at 6 a.m. 

“One Bite at a Time”

20min AMRAP:

Partner A runs 400m
Partner B does 1 Squat Clean & Jerk (95/65) and 1 pull-up. Add one rep until you reach 5 C&J and 5 pull-ups; then complete 20 burpees.  After the 20 burpees, you do 6&6, 7&7, etc until you do 10.  After 10, start again at 1s. 

When one partner is done the run, he comes in and picks up where the other guy is at.  If a partner finishes the 20 burpees before partner finishes run, start  on the c&j and pull-ups. Score is burpees completed.

Only three of us signed up for this WOD, Nathan, Steve and me.  Nathan and I worked at the same time as Partner A, and Steve was Partner B.  I suspect that meant Steve had to do more work, because we did a bit more running.  It was a nice day for it. 

We finished 60 burpees, plus were into the 9s on the other stuff. 

Cleans / 4x400

A. Hang Power Cleans, then Power Cleans

Hang power cleans 2-2-2-2 
I did 95-155-175-185

Power cleans 2-2-1-1
195-205-215-225 (tied a PR)

B. 4x400

The WOD called for two minutes each at four stations (squats, rowing, pull-ups and push-ups), separated by a minute break.  My shoulder was acting up so I decided to just run a 400m at the start of each three-minute cycle, resting for the remaining time. 

These are approximate times:

1:52
1:40
1:42
1:45.

Not great, but I'm fine with it for numerous reasons. 

• First time running in months. 
• First time running in the Innov-8s, and my calves are feeling it right now, let me tells ya. 
• Running in a muddy alley. 
• The 200m turnaround point is gone, so I estimated where it used to be. 

Oh and I had to dodge or hurdle a dead, smashed up seagull two times each run.  There was only one dead bird, but I passed it twice because our route is a round trip.  I wonder if Usain Bolt ever had to deal with this sort of thing?

Tabata and running

A. “Tabata This”

Don't judge me because of my crappy, mid-WOD penmanship.  Judge me because of my pathetic push-up totals.

(tabata = 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off)

4 mins each of:

Pullups - 62 total

Pushups - 55 total

Situps - 81  total

Squats - 118 Total

Final score was 316.  That's within striking distance of the last time I did this in December (333), but it's still lower across the board.  Well, I am slightly older and fatter since then. 


B. 1km Run, 400m Run, 200m Run


1km - 4:43   Hey, you know what feels great after doing more than 100 squats?  Me neither, but it sure as fuck isn't a 1km run.

400m - 1:29  I was off to a nice lead on this one until the home stretch, when a dude named Frazier (who had destroyed everyone in our group on the 1km) blew past me like I was standing still.  That actually hurt my feelings to the point I slowed down slightly.  He also has a fantastic head of hair, so I am doubly envious.

200m - :51   I did NOT want to run anymore by this point.

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“The Trooper-ish” and Double Unders

“The Trooper-ish”
800m Run

15 Snatches – 135/85lb (Advanced do 155/100lb)

400m Run

30 Front Squats – 155/105 (Advanced do 205/145lb)

*Add your own weight onto bar, must take bar from floor
Time cap =20 minutes


I used the 135 for the snatches, but thought I could handle the 205 front squats. 

Wrong.  After six reps, and two cleans, it was pretty clear I wasn't going to finish if I kept that much weight on the bar.  I lightened the weight to 155, and even with that, it wasn't a sure thing that I could get it done under the time cap.


3 scores:

1. 800m Run time   3:29

2. # of Front Squats in first set   3
3. Overall time (or if unfinished, time cap + 1 second for every unfinished rep)  18:58


B. 3 sets of Max Double-Unders

46, 49, 55 (PR)
I broke my previous DU PR of 53, which was nearly two years old. 

Mauled by "The Bear"

A. “The Bear”:
5 rounds of 7 reps of the barbell complex: Power Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squat, Push Press

Once through the barbell sequence = 1 rep, 7 reps per round. Add weight for the next round. Touch and go on the ground only once you start but you can find spots of rest where you can during the sequence.

My previous best for "The Bear" was 120, but I've felt for a long time I could do a bit more than that.  However, by the fifth set, I'm usually destroyed.  My plan was to go heavy in my third and fourth sets.

I did 95, 115, 125(PR), 130(PR), and finished with 95.  That final set of 95 was pretty damn hard.  I had mentally checked out by then, after getting a 10lb PR. 


B. 400m Run with Sandbag – 45/20lb 2 minute rest, Repeat

After killing myself on the Bear, this was awful, even if the rest between was longer than two minutes. 

1:55 and 1:57

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Partner Manion

Partner “Manion”

Seven rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters together
15 back squats each, working one at a time, 135lb

31:23

I started out with Steve (Team "WOD This Way" reunited) but he pulled out in round 3 due to injury. I finished up with Nathan and Uncles, working the same time as Nathan.

I felt this one for the next couple of days.

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Running after Snatch

It is virtually impossible to write about snatch without the possibility of double entendre, so you kind of have to embrace it. Hence the title of this blogpost. Tonight, we did snatch, then 400m "sprints" A. Snatch 3-2-1-1-1 (full squat snatch from floor)

3x125
3x135 (I only intended to do two, but I didn't like my second rep, so I did a third)
1x150 (PR)

I was having fun with the snatch tonight. Started small, worked my way up, and it felt like my technique was pretty solid. I'd like more days like this. B. 3x400M Run, 3-5 minute recoveries
1:24, 1:24, 1:32
This was five seconds slower than my best, but that isn't so bad. It is so weird how -- when we do three runs of equali lenths, my first two times are always the same and my last one is eight seconds slower. I actually predicted that between the second and thirds runs.

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Good news / bad news

A. Overhead Squats 3-3-3-3-3

185 (PR)


B. Benchmark Girl “Helen”
3 rounds for time of:
400m Run
21 KBS – 55/35lb
12 Pull-ups

10:39. That is about a minute and a half slower than my PR. Shows what 12 extra pounds and a winter without running can do.

Partner Painstorm

With a partner, 5 rounds of:
Row 300m (both partners do this, switching off)
100 feet walking lunges with 75lbs across our backs (split the work)
Run 400m (everyone runs!)
100 feet traveling burpees (split the work, alternate jumps, start from where your partner lands)

I partnered with Jarrett and Darren, with me working the same time as Jarrett.

Maybe it's because I didn't eat more than a spoonful of Nutella beforehand, or maybe it's just a tough-ass WOD, but this FUCKING KILLED ME.

The transitions from the lunges to the 400m run were the worst. I stopped running for a moment at one point during the third round.

It took us 38:03. The individual version of this Painstorm involved 500m rows, half-bodyweight lunges (for me, that would have been 90lbs) and, obviously, no splitting the lunges or travelling burpees. That sounds inhuman.

"Surprisingly Brutal"

That isn't the official name, but it's how Nolan described it.

Three rounds for time of:

20 wall balls
15 hang power snatch (75lbs)
10 ring dips
400m run

Took me 14:42

“Friday Detention”

4 rounds for time:
500m Row
400m Run

I made it to CrossFit at 6am, along with Shawn and Harlan, for this little bit of cardio hell.

Since it took me 16:54, I must have been damn slow on my runs. The reason for that, is that when you're on a rower, you're constantly seeing your pace and time, so you're not going to let yourself go too slow. When you're slogging along by yourself in our back alley 400m course, we have nothing keeping us accountable.

Spring Fling WODs 2 and 3

Spring Fling WOD #2 “Pull Through”
For time: 45 Pull-ups
Then 21-15-9 reps of
Power Snatch – 95/65lb
Row Calories

Time was 12:52


“Rain or Shine”
3 rounds for time:
400m Run
20 Push Press/Jerk – 115/80lb
20 Box Jumps – 20″

Time was 13:53

My times today were slower than they were when I did these in the Spring Fling, (10:28 and 3:20 respectively). That can be attributed to a number of factors, but mostly due to the fact that the competition atmosphere is so crazy that it pushes you to your absolute limit. It's hard to take much of a break when you've got a gym full of people screaming at you to pick up that bar or jump on that box, and you've got a counter right with you keeping track of your results and coaching you through. Plus, if you're chasing someone or trying to stay ahead of someone, it gives you a heck of a push.

Plus, I hadn't eaten. I had woke up about 5:45. I didn't warm up. AND it was 6am in the morning and I didn't even have my pre-morning WOD meal of a spoonful of Nutella (note to self: buy more Nutella). Finally, I knew I'd have only a 10-minute break to do these WODs, not five hours so I paced myself a bit more on the first one.

If I'm being honest with myself, I could and should have pushed myself a little harder. Lesson learned.

Run/Thrusters

5 rounds for time:
400m Run
10 Thrusters – 135/95lb

I harboured illusions of doing these sets of thrusters in two sets of five. It ended up being 4-3-3 for most of them. And to call them thrusters is a bit generous. For the most part, they were a front squat followed by a push press, rather than one fluid motion.

It took me 19:35. I managed to avoid getting lapped by Blair... until near the end, at least. The worst thing about Blair being such an uber-athlete is that he is such a nice and humble guy. If I turned in his results, I would be an insufferable prick. ("Uh... would be an insufferable prick, Tyler?") Real funny.

I convinced Franz to do this one after a nine-day layoff from CrossFit. He was going to do "Helen" instead. There are at least four benchmark WODs that I've missed recently that I would like to make up, but I told myself that I'm doing the Workout OF THE DAY unless I have a really good reason. So I pestered Franz until he agreed just to keep me from annoying him.

"Throw 'n Run"

A. Strength = Hang Power Snatch 3-3-3-1-1-1

Here's what a hang power snatch looks like. I'm pretty sure mine aren't anywhere close to this explosive.

95(3), 115(3), 135(3). Pressed it out on the third rep of the 135.

145(1), 150(F), 150(F). Wish I would have got that one.

B. Metcon – “Throw ‘n Run” for time:
25 Wall Ball – 20/14lb
Run to start of grass and back (100m)
20 Wall Ball – 20/14lb
Run to 2nd power box and back (200m)
15 Wall Ball – 20/14lb
Run to 3rd power box and back (400m)

I wanted to get sub-6:00. I did it in 5:25. It was good having Blair, Franz, John and Danny doing this at the same time, because I think it pushed everyone harder. I was out front until the last set of wall balls. I got back to the wall first, but Blair was right behind, and had the wind to pick his ball up immediately, while I lollygagged a bit. He opened up some distance between us on the run, and finished at 4:58, which is a pretty great time.

C. Skill = 3 sets of 15 Box Jumps unbroken – 20″

Did it. I may have done 16 on one or both of my first two sets. Hey, they don't call it CountFit.

Isabel and 400m "sprints"

Isabel rx'd is 30 135lb snatches for time. A couple warm-up snatches at that weight helped convince me to drop to 115.

With 115, it took me 5:13.

Next time, I will do this with a heavier weight, even if it takes longer.

Afterward, we had to do 3x400m sprints, resting between. The rest was as long as the previous run.

1:22
1:37
1:47

Two-a-day Saturday

A lot of folks were doing two workouts on Saturday. Most of the ComTeam opted for the 9 and 11 a.m. workouts, but I couldn't stay that long, so I did 9 and 10.

9 a.m.: "The Newport Crippler"

For time
30 bodyweight back squats (used 185lbs)
Run one mile.

I did it in 10:03. It's not a bad time at all, but, honestly, that extra three seconds pisses me off SO BAD. And I wouldn't have done even that good, except Leya (who started a full minute after me) was breathing down my neck on the last part of the run.

For the squats, I did them in sets of 15-10-5, although I took a good rest with the bar on my shoulders in the first 15.

10 a.m. "Summer in the City" chipper:

For time
400m run
20 wall ball
30 burpees
40 pull-ups
50 bell swings (35 lbs)
60 sit-ups
70 box jumps 24"
400 m run

I partnered with Nathan. We split the work, except for the runs, which we do together. For the other stuff, only one partner works at a time.

Took us 14:30

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.