CFR: Rockin' Robin

Warm-up 

30-20-10 of:
Bell swings
Sit-ups

Not for time.  I did each set unbroken.



WOD

"Rockin' Robin"

Three rounds for time of:
1 rope climb from seated
10 clean and jerks (135lbs)
100 double unders

I finished in 15:40

Judging from the other times on the board from today, I'm happy with this.     Most times were 20-plus minutes,  I wonder if that was due to some congestion at the climbing ropes? Or maybe they did a different WOD.

I didn't feel like I was going that fast.  Actually, I deliberately didn't blast through my clean and jerks on the first round, not wanting to burn myself out for the DUs and the rope climbs.

I finished the first round in about 4:00.

The second round was tougher.  I almost failed on the rope climb.  The clean and jerks felt like they took forever, and I think I had a couple of premature fuck-ups on the double unders. It took me more than 6:00 to complete the round.

I took a good 30-plus second rest before attempting the third rope climb.  I didn't want to climb halfway up and then fail, wasting energy and time.

The third rope climb went easier than the second.  The clean and jerks seemed to go faster, after Leya told me to not bother with the split jerk and just do a push jerk instead.  She also gave me a good tip about my breathing.  Basically, I was treating the 135lbs like it was 175lbs and it was slowing me down.

The double unders were okay.  I think I did them in sets of 36-34-30.

"Megan"

I did a single muscle-up during the warm-up.  Somehow my technique is getting uglier. 

Complete 3 rounds for quality (not for time) of

TGU x 3 each (increase weight each set)

Dead hang Pull up 6-8 @ 2010 (bands are permitted)
Banded anti rotation press x 10 ea (Banded Anti Rotation Press)
rest 45s
Done.  I got up to 55lb TGUs on my right arm, 45 on the left. 

 

Bench Mark “Megan”21-15-9
Burpees
KBS 55/35
Double unders

 

I may have gone a bit too hard during the first round.  My pace really slowed during the 15s and 9s.  But I finished with 5:07, which was one of the better times in the gym all day. 

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. 

"Nothing good happens in a back alley"

2 rounds for time:

10 Thrusters (115lb)
shuttle run (20m, back, 30m, back)

15 Push Press (115lb)
shuttle run (20m, back, 30m, back)

20 Kettle Bell Swings to Shoulder Height 70lbs
shuttle run (20m, back, 30m, back)

25 burpees
shuttle run (20m, back, 30m, back)

The Rx'd version of this calls for dumbbell thrusters, using 55s.  We had a shortage of those so I volunteered to do a barbell version with a slightly heavier weight.  Even though the weight was heavier, not having to do this with dumbbells means this was an easier version.  Not that it was actually easy, mind you. 

15:26. 



Overheard at the Gym

The Boy accompanied me to the gym, and did the workout in the back alley with the rest of us.  He followed the pace set by Shae, rather than his old man, who was considerably slower.

My son is a very inquisitive little boy. You don't so much have conversations with him as you get interrogated by him.  He just constantly asks questions.  While I love my son as much as one human being can love another, this habit can be somewhat maddening.   I've developed a few coping mechanisms (don't worry, bleeding hearts, none of them involve electroshock training) but have somewhat gotten used to it.

For people who aren't around my kid very much or aren't forced by the laws of nature to love him, his habit might be considered either mildly amusing or insanely annoying. 

Leya, God bless her, seemed to fall in the former camp, and she temporarily immortalized a few of the Boy's questions on the CFR whiteboard.

(To me) "Is she stronger than you?" "Yes, she is."

"Why am I so sweaty?"

(To me) "He's better than you!" He ould've been referring to Lance, Shae, Justin or just about any dude who was there on Sunday, really.  I think he meant "better at CrossFit," but could have been referring to my moral fiber, my contributions to society, or my potential usefulness in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

(To Leya) "Were you born here?" "Yes." "Do you live here?" "Sometimes it feels like it." "Where do you sleep?" "I pull those crash mats up over the bathroom and sleep up there."

Overhead Squats / “May Flowers?” Pyramid

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

95-125-145-165-185(FAIL)-175(FAIL)

Not much to say about this.  On the two fails, I spent too much time trying to stabilize the weight after jerking it above my head.  (Note to self: get under it more on the jerk overhead next time) By the time I got down into the squat, I couldn't hold it anymore.

My shoulders were a bit of an issue, too, but I think the main problem was that I went for a 20lb jump from a weight (165) that was already a challenge.  Then I psyched myself out. 

B. “May Flowers?” Pyramid

2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2

Bell swings (55lbs)
Toes-to-Bar

5:37

I did all the bell swings unbroken.  Not so much with the toes-to-bar

By the time I reached the second set of eight, my grip felt like it was fried. 

Are you ready for some football?

CrossFit Football game

• Touchdown (6pt): 80 Squats, 40 Kettlebell Swings, 30 Pull-Ups, 20 Burpees
• Convert after TD (1pt): 50 Double-Unders (or 125 Single-Unders) 
• Field Goal (3pt): 20 DB Thrusters (2x45lb), 30 Sit-ups, 20 Box Jumps (20″)

Two 15 minute halves with 3 minute half-time. Work is divided between teams of 2, only one person works at a time. Skipping is not divided, both must complete.

 I teamed with Nathan (Team name: "Nat-Ty By Nature") and we split the work evenly. 

First half: FG, TD, FG, FG = 16

Second half: four FGs = 12 

Total score 28. 

We were three box jumps away from another field goal.  We barely fell short, just like the Riders. 

I think the best strategy for this is to go for field goals.  The DB thrusters do suck total donkey scrotum, but you and your partner can do alternating sets of 5 and that makes it bearable. 

You might want to do one TD when you're fresh, but when you're tired, those double unders will be a total time-killer unless you and your partner are total DU ninjas. 

I had done a slightly easier version of this before and scored a 26... but it sounds like I was a bit hungover at the time. 

Burpee/KB Metcon

It's a 10-min AMRAP combined with an every minute on the minute WOD.  Two types of awful for the price of one!
Here's the deal:
We do one burpee on the first min, two on the second, etc.
With the time remaining in each of the minutes, we swing a kettlebell until it feels like our arms are going to fall off. (These are not the official instructions, BTW).

Your score is the number of KB Swings.

Because I am the World's Laziest CrossFitter and not particularly gifted athletically, I usually try to gameplan WODs to maximize my score with minimal effort.   But this one was hard to gameplan. 

I figured I would get tired later, so the smart thing to do was to try to maximize the swings early on, when I had the most time. 

It mostly worked, I think.  

As the number of required burpees got higher,  I went slow during those in an effort to catch my breath to do a quick burst or two of bell swings. 
127, rx'd.

Gotta earn that Serburger

I knew I was going to the Serbian Club for lunch today, so when the alarm went off at 5:30a.m., I got up and went to the gym. 

What do these two things have to do with each other? 

Well, the Serbian Club's specialty is a garlic-laden monstrosity known as the Serburger.  It is so enormous they don't even give you the option of fries on the side.



No, this is not an illusion and I don't have a teeny-tiny face.  That is just one big frickin' burger.  


Obviously, one session of CrossFit wouldn't be enough to counter the total impact of a Serburger, but it's at least putting up an effort. 

Today's WOD was an eye-opener.   

A. “Kettleballs”
50 Wall Ball
15 Kettlebell Swings
35 Wall Ball
30 Bell Swings
20 Wall Ball
45 Bell Swings

Took me 12:32.  That felt like a long time.  I took too many breaks and the breaks were too long.  Please excuse me as I go hang my head in shame for a moment. 

. . .

Okay, I'm back. 


B. 1200m Run (600m x 2)

"Hey, you know what would feel awesome after 100+ wall balls?  Running 1.2km!"
-No one, ever

I kept up with Dana for maybe 100m before my legs were like, "Yeah... that's not happening, pal.  Sorry."

6:05. 

What the hell is a deck squat?

A. Sandbag 800M 65lb

Running with a 65lb sandbag gets old real quick.  I suppose it's a good example of a functional exercise (carrying something awkward and sort of heavy over a medium distance as quickly as you can), but that's not the F-word that was going through my mind as I was doing this.

5:04


B.  Unnamed metcon

6 rounds for time of

10 One Arm Kettlebell Swings (to shoulder height, 5L+5R)

10 Deck Pistols (5L+5R) (sub 10 Deck Squats)
What's a deck pistol, you ask?  This:


Seeing as I can't do regular pistols, I had to sub this for deck squats.  It's the same thing, with two feet.  NOTE TO FUTURE SELF READING THIS FOR TIPS: I found it was easier for me once I took off my shoes.    I also rolled as far back onto my shoulders as I could and helped push myself back up with my hands, sort of like I was kipping up. Y'know, without the athleticism. 



I used a 55lb kettlebell and got done this in 6:53 


C. Sandbag 800M 65lb

The second one was far worse than the first.  I took multiple walking breaks.

5:34


Today was the first time The Boy came to a 6 a.m. workout with me.  He had fallen asleep way early last night and was up at 4:45 this morning.  Because he's a busy kid* and I didn't want him waking the entire house, I thought I would bring him along.

*"Busy kid" being a politically correct term for "refusing to ever just calm the fuck dow and let other people get some sleepn." 

As I noted on the Crossfit Regina blog:  The only thing less fun than a second 800m run carrying a 65lb sandbag at 6am in the morning is doing all of that while your 5-year-old yells “You’re supposed to run faster, Dad! That guy (Dana) is beating you!”

"Try not to hurt yourself, Dumbass"

Back at CFR a week after tweaking my back. 

A. Snatch Balance to moderate heavy single 3-3-3-1-1-1


Triples:
Bar x 3
95lb x 3
95lb x 3

My right shoulder was bothering me every time I tried to bring the bar back down to my shoulders, so I didn't want to go any heavier on the triples.   This could be the lingering effect from the jumping muscle-up debacle a little while ago, or I could just be getting old and broken down. 

Singles
115lb x 1
125lb x 1
135lb x 1 

My listed max for a one-rep squat snatch is 150, but this didn't feel like a "Set a new PR" kinda day.  More like a "Try not to hurt yourself, dumbass" day. 


B. Squat Snatch 3-2-1-1-1

95 x 3
115 x 2
125 x 1
135 x 1 - I actually did this twice.  The first time I caught it way high, and lowered myself into a squat.  Second time, I got under it better.
145 x 1 - I didn't fail on this, but this was basically a power snatch followed by an overhead squat. That doesn't count. 


C. Metcon = “Eight Minutes”

4 rounds, each round starts at 2 minute marks
6L + 6R one-arm Kettlebell Swings to shoulder height, choose KB (I chose 55lbs)
9 Goblet Squats with KB
12 Burpees

Done (untimed). 

I was done all of the rounds with 30 or 40 seconds to spare. 

This was a good, quick little metcon.   In the last round, I had thought I'd blast through the burpees like a man with nothing to lose.  But then, about six in, I got tired and started slacking off.  I had tons of time and no motivation to finish super-quick because I didn't need any time to rest since it was the last round. I got it done, but I got that shit done on MY TIME. 

Honestly, I may be the laziest CrossFitter on Earth, but have no way of empirically determining that.  You don't see that category represented at the "World Series of Exercise (copyright Drywall) do ya?
 

Worked out for 16 min, Ate 3 donuts & chips, drank beer

Four rounds for time of:
10 One-arm dumbbell snatches – 55/35lb (We don’t have 70/55lb)
200m Sprint

6:23


B. AMRAP in 10 min:

5 burpees
10 55lb Kettlebell swings
12 rounds plus one burpee.

Both of these felt more nasty than they looked on paper. Yet, my results were better than I expected for both of them. That is likely a result of going head-to-head with D3.

It was a UFC PPV night, so obviously I stuffed myself with chips and beer later. Oh, and Shae brought a big box of donuts and they were sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME so of course I ate three of them.

.

Back Squats and "Unlucky Sevens"

A. Back Squats  5 5 5 start @ 70% and increase
ended up at 280lbs

B. I don't know what the real name for this one is, but I call it "Unlucky Sevens"

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
7 Box Jumps – 20″
7 Pull-ups
7 Kettlebell Swings – 55/35lb, Int 35/25, Beg 25/15

9 rounds plus an extra box jump.

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.

Upside down at 6 a.m.

A. 10 minutes, on the minute (OTM) of:
3 Handstand Push-ups
10 Kettlebell Swings 55lb overhead

Done, rx'd. Other than the three times I lost my balance while doing the HSPU, I did most of the rounds in the first 30 seconds of the minute. The benefit of that was it allowed me extra time to rest and catch my breath.


B. 75 speed burpees for time

4:54.

My muscle-Up inferiority complex plus a 12.3 sampler

A. 12 minutes of Muscle-up practice (transitions and/or negatives)

Three-plus years of CrossFit and I'm still miles from being able to do a muscle-up. It's not a lack of strength, I just don't have the technique down, yet have not worked seriously on correcting this obvious deficit in my CrossFit abilities. Why? There is only one conceivable answer. I suck. I abso-fucking-lutely suck.


B. Short breathing ladder 1->10->1 kettlebell swings 55/35lb overhead

5:55. Nolan wrote down 5:56, but it was 5:55, dammit. 5:55!


Part C was supposed to be a 1K row but the Games competitors (which I am not one) were told to do three rounds of the 12.3 WOD.


C. 3 rounds of 12.3 for time
(The full 12.3 is an 18-minute AMRAP)

15 Box Jumps – 24/20″
12 Push Press – 115/75lb
9 Toes to Bar

Shit... forgot the time. I think it was 6:29. I did it alongside Thomas, who is much better at box jumps than me.

Family Day "fun" - Dotcom 7-rounder

7 rounds for time of:
1 Rope Climb (sub 10 Pull-ups)
10 Wall Ball – 20/14lb
15 Kettlebell Swings – 55/35lb
20 Double-Unders

Took me 21:48 as rx'd. That is not a great time, but honestly I'm happy just to have done it rx'd. It's the most rope climbs I've ever done in a single WOD.

I may have tweaked my back on a wall ball in the fifth round, but it doesn't seem to be serious.

6 a.m. Sexayness: Back Squat & On the Clock

Made it to another 6 a.m. WOD despite not getting enough sleep last night. It's the Year of the Dragon, so I guess I'll be "dragon" my ass later.

Hey, I'm fucking tired, that's the best I've got right now, humour-wise.



A. Strength: Back Squat 5-5-5

Even the 135lb warm-up squats felt heavy, so I knew I wasn't getting any PRs this morning.

I went 225-245-255, which is only 15lbs off my five-rep PR.

B. Metcon: With a continuously running clock for 12 minutes, each minute do:
15 Kettlebell Swings (shoulder height) 55/35lb
10 Push-Ups

At end of 12 minutes immediately start 5 minutes of max Double-Unders (or once unable to complete work within the 60 seconds allowed).

I actually didn't think I'd get through the full 12 rounds, but I did finish. I think what worked for me was splitting up the sets of 10 push-ups into five-and-five, and then 5-3-2 in the the later rounds, so I didn't burn out my arms. I did all the swings unbroken.

159 double unders.

* * *

Overheard in the Gym:
"You back squat more before 7 a.m. than most people back squat all day."

Tyler gets run over by "Volkswagen"

A. “Volkswagen”
21-15-9
- Bench press (Intermediate weight of 135lb)
- Pullups

The rx'd version of this calls for bodyweight bench press. Well, I can't bench my bodyweight, and I certainly can't do it 45 fucking times. I actually should have swallowed my pride and gone with the beginner's weight of 95lbs, rather than the 135lb weight I used, because the goal of this is to do it fairly fast.

Then again, I generally feel it's best to go as heavy as you can and take a bit longer than blaze through with an easier weight.

This took me 12:51.

Most other people were getting this in the 5-8 minute range, so this shows how deficient I am in the bench press. (I say this, yet I probably won't do much to correct the situation. That's me in a nutshell.)

You hit a wall on the bench for this one really quick. I wasn't even midway through the 15 round when I was doing singles.


B. 30-20-10 of
Wall Ball (20lb) and Bell Swings (55lb).

I did this one on my own, it wasn't part of the day's official curriculum. It was one of several WODs from the CrossFit Ladies of Canada challenge, but I did the men's weights.

After Volkswagen, my shoulders were starting to mutiny. Actually holding the medicine ball was a challenge. Throwing it repeatedly in the air was decidedly unpleasant.

It took me 7:01

Hangover WOD

Hangover WOD – share the work equally with a partner:
5 rounds for time of:
20 Deadlifts – 135/95lb (sub for Tire Flips)
2o Kettlebell Swings – 55/35lb, Int 35/25lb
30 Russian Twists – 35/25lb dumbbell
150m Row each

I partnered with Darren. We did this in 18:53.

Squat Snatch and "Helen on Water"

A. :00 Oly = 3 position Squat Snatch 65% (High Hang, Mid-thigh, floor) x3
Then Squat Snatch heavy single 1-1-1

Used 85lbs for the first part, then went 115, 135, 145(PR)

I didn't catch the 145 in a full squat. I was maybe about halfway there when I caught the weight. I completed the squat and then stood up. I'm fairly sure that I was closer to a pure squat snatch than I would have been during my previous PR.

B. :30 Metcon = “Helen on water” 3 rounds for time of
500m Row
21 Kettlebell Swings 55/35lb
12 Pull-ups

Took me 12:32. I would have liked to do everything without stopping, but that wasn't happening. Still, it's more than a minute better than the last time I did this (though I wasn't at 100% back then).