Kelly Sprints

Back to CFR. 

For a warm-up, we did some upside down stuff (handstand push-ups, shoulder touches, wall shuffles)

Then, on a whim, I did a couple of muscle-ups.  My first ones in months, bringing my lifetime total to 8.  Good to know I'm still capable of doing them.  They were a bit ugly, and I had to work to get locked out, but felt pretty good overall.   I need to remember: One big swing, look up, then go!


“Kelly Sprints”
4 separate rounds:
300m Row
20 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
20 Wall Ball (20/14lb to 10′/9′ line)

Rest two minutes between rounds.

My rounds were  3:00, 3:15, 3:35, 3:38.

I thought that was pretty lousy, but looking on the whiteboard, it wasn't all that bad.  I felt slow on both the jumps and the wallball, though.

CrossFit Open Throwback Tuesday

With the CrossFit Open coming back, CFR decided to revisit a couple of workouts from last year's open for the Tuesday WOD.  And why not?


13.2:
10 minute AMRAP of
-5 shoulder to overhead (115lb)
-10 deadlifts (115lb)
-15 box jumps or steps on a 24" box

Here's how I did on this last year.

A year later, I wasn't quite as proficient.  I got 7 rounds, plus one push press. 

I used push presses for the overhead lifts, and was able to bang them out pretty quick.  The deadlifts started to suck about halfway through, but writing this the next day I have zero back discomfort so I guess the bit of foam rolling I did helped.  I stepped on the box the whole way through.  It allowed me to keep a steady pace and not burn myself out. It's maybe not quite as fast as jumping, but I didn't have to rest during the steps at all.   


We rested for 10 minutes.  Then..



13.5
Four-minute AMRAP of
-15 thrusters (100lbs)
-15 C2B pull-ups

Here's how I did on this last year.

Unlike the Open version of the workout, where you get another four minutes for every three rounds you complete, we were supposed to stop after four minutes.  Not that it mattered to me anyway. 

Again, I did significantly worse than last year, though that can probably be excused by being older, injured and freaking tired from the first WOD.  Plus, the competition atmosphere, with hordes of people cheering me on, was missing. 

I'll settle for a score of 61 (two full rounds, plus one thruster)

Front Squats (3s), Tabata, "Rhiannon"

A. Front squats 3-3-3

I did 185-205-225 (PR)


B. Tabata (Box jumps and push-ups)

112 box jumps and 85 push-ups for a score of 197. Not my best.


C. Rhiannon. Ten minutes of max double unders.

258. I always think I am gonna do better on this than I do. Ah, well, doing it right after Tabata is as good a reason as any for a sub-par showing.

No Foolin'

For time:

21-15-9 of:

Snatch (75lb)

Pull-ups

Then 21-15-9 of:

Power cleans (75lbs)

Fucking toes-to-bar

THEN 21-15-9 of:

Push press (75lbs)

Box jumps (24")

This was going alright... then the first segment was done and my forearms caught on to the fact that I was in the process of doing something really terrible to them.  They started actively resisting on the T2B and even on the power cleans.  At that point, it was just a matter of chipping away at the middle segment like Tim Robbins digging an escape tunnel out of RapenSuck Penitentiary in The Shawshank Redemption. 

On the final segment, I went through the push press pretty fast but the box jumps were about as inspiring as you'd expect. (i.e. not very)

Final time: 21:15

Overheard at the Gym

"I'm doing that Whole Life Challenge."

"How is it?"

"It sucks."

"For something called 'Whole Life Challenge,' it sure seems like you're missing out on a lot of things."

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. 

"Lawless"

For time:


40-30-20-10 reps of:

Wall Ball – 20lb
Box Jumps – 24″
Pull-ups
Double-Unders


So that adds up to 100 reps of each exercise, which is decidedly un-fun.

Thankfully, I didn't tear my sissy hands on the pull-ups.  That's probably because I took way too many breaks. 

D3 blew past me somewhere in the 20s and ended up finishing more than a minute ahead. Considering the 20s and the 10s were supposed to be the quick rounds, that shows just how slow I was moving at that point.  He was pounding out multiples of pull-ups and box-jumps while I was doing singles. 

27:27, rx'd, and I'm not unhappy with that time. 

"Hope"

Same format as Fight Gone Bad, and it's just as awful.  I sure "Hope" I don't have to do this one again anytime soon. 

(Ha! I kill me.)

Three five-minute rounds, with one minute at each station:
-Burpees
-75 lb power snatch
-24" box jump
-75 lb thruster
-Chest to bar Pull-ups

I had a pretty good pace in the first round (88 reps, I think), but dropped off in the second (60) and third (55).  My goal was to maximize my reps on the burpees, snatches and thrusters.

203 total reps.

Weekend of Leg Death, Part 1: Hero WOD "Klepto"

“Klepto”
4 rounds for time:
27 Box Jumps 24″
20 Burpees
11 Squat cleans 145 lbs
26:23 rx'd.
Four rounds doesn't seem like much, but that is a lot of box jumps.

I actually sort of like WODs that have a lot of medium-weight cleans, because it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing a lot. It was sort of humbling to watch Anne-Marie, who is quite petite, busting out those box jumps like they were nothing.

.

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.

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.

Overhead Squats and Metcon

A. Strength = Overhead Squat 3 x 3 at 85% 1RM
I used 155 lbs.

B. Metcon = Squat and Jump on the Minute
For 15 minutes on the Minute
3 Front Squats – 115/75lb
5 Box Jumps – 20″

Done.


Overheard at the Gym
"It's all about my groin."

.

Lunchtime hypocrisy: Front squats and "Every Rep Counts"

Overheard at the Gym

"You should post that rule."
-Dude from Saskatoon, good-naturedly complaining about the 10-burpees-for-swearing rule after saying "Fuck you, OPT" during the course of the OPT metcon.

"Hey, it's not written anywhere that you're not supposed to pee on the floor, but we don't want you to do that, either."
-Tyler the Hypocrite, who actually inspired the burpee punishment for profanity.

A. Front Squat 3-3-3
*Start at 85% of 1RM and increase

I did 205 and 225, then failed at 250. Well, I got one at 250, so I can claim that as my new one-rep max, I guess. It's five pounds more than my current one-rep PR. See, if I had realized that, I would have gone for only 235 for the three-rep PR, but I convinced myself that my three-rep PR was not properly recorded on the sidebar.

It's alright. It's good to fail sometimes. If you never fail, you're probably not challenging yourself enough. I think I am sometimes guilty of that. I have a fragile ego and CrossFit is one of the ways I am able to convince myself that I am utterly awesome despite, yknow, everything else I do.


B. “Every Reps Counts” 2009 Qualifier WOD
As many rounds in 20 minutes of
10 Wall Ball 20/14lb
10 Box Jumps 20″
10 Deadlift 205/145lb
10 Speed Burpees

My score was 221, which equates to 5 rounds, plus 10 WB, 10 BJ, and 1 deadlift. No matter what, I was gonna get that one fucking deadlift.

Holy shit, though, I thought the deadlifts were awful on this. I am weak. WEAK!

"Football Gone Bad"

This is a version of Fight Gone Bad adapted by CrossFit Football and selected by Nolan for the Sunday WOD. It was fitting, given that the AFC and NFC championship games were played today.

3 x 5 Minute Rounds (one minute at each station) for time:

1. DB Thrusters (2x45/25lbs)
2. Box Jumps (20″)
3. Push-ups
4. Double Unders
5. Calorie Row

Rest one minute between rounds.



I got 372, as counted by D3. Looking at the earlier scores, I was hoping to beat 300 but this WOD is filled with stuff I am not great at.

However, double unders were the great equalizer. Someone who is good at double unders is going to do well on this. If you're reasonably competent at DUs, you can do a lot more of them in a minute than DB thrusters or rowing for calories. You could choose which station to start at, so I started with DUs in order to be as fresh as possible for each of the three rounds. I ended up doing 188 total DUs, which is almost half of my total score. Frankly, I'm amazed that it wasn't a greater proportion, considering how hard everything else was for me.

Front Squats and "Christine"

A. Strength = Front Squats heavy single 3-2-1-1-1,
Then 90%x2, 85%x3x3


I did 165x3, 195x2 then singles of 215, 225, 235, and 245(PR)I thought that my previous PR was 225, so I thought I had a 20lb PR there for a little while, then discovered that I actually did 235 for a single in the past. Still, it's always good to get a PR, even if it is *only* 10lbs.

B. Metcon = “Christine” for time
3 rounds of
500m Row,
12 Bodyweight Deadlift (modify to 3/4 or 1/2 bodyweight as needed),
21 Box Jumps – 20”

I used 185 for the deadlifts, though I'm probably around 180. It's what I've used on this in the past.

The deadlifts probably slowed me down the most. I tried not to kill the row so I'd have some energy for the lifts and the jumps.

13:57

About 16 seconds slower than the previous time I've done it as rx'd.

Bench Press and AMRAP

A. Bench Press 5-5-5

135-145-150.

My previous best on bench was 155, but that was a while ago and I haven't done it since. Hell, even getting 145 up was iffy.

B. 15min AMRAP:
8 Mountain Climbers (each leg is 1 rep)
8 Burpees (speed, not strict)
8 Box Jumps – 24/20″

10 rounds, plus 19 (8 climbers, 8 burpees and 3 box jumps)

By the second round, my legs were really feeling yesterday's squats.

Squat Snatch and Dot Com WOD

A. Squat Snatch 3-2-1-1-1


"Keep your friends close and your barbells closer."
-Sage advice for Olympic lifting and life in general.

95-115-135(F)-135-145
The weight went up fine on the failed rep, but I threw it too far back and lost my balance.

On the last two successful reps, it wasn't a true squat snatch, as I didn't catch the weights in a squat, but I did go down into a squat and stand up with them.

B. Today’s Dot Com
AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
10 Wall Ball – 20/14lb
10 Toes to Bar (sub straight leg raises)
10 Box Jumps – 24/20″

8 rounds, even. It wasn't until I was into my second round that I realized it was a 15 minute AMRAP. I had thought it was 10. Not that it made a difference to my game-planning or anything.

Oh, and I've realized that I hate Toes to Bar a bit less than I hate Knees to Elbows. But only slightly.

Pull-ups/54321/Wt. Run

Finally made it to another 6am WOD. It was THE BEST. I seriously need to do that every Friday. Oh, except I'm off from work every second Friday, so there's no need to get up early. Still, THE BEST.

A. Max Kipping Pull-ups
*If you did 50 Pull-ups yesterday, do Max Push-ups instead.

I did 27. I used to be able to do more than 30, but I was also 12-15 lbs lighter.

B. “54321“ for total reps:
5 minutes Rowing for Calories Did 90
4 minutes of Box Jumps – 24/20″ Did 56
3 minutes of Hang Squat Snatch – 75/45lb Did 15
2 minutes of Wall Ball – 20/14lb Did 30
1 minute of Handstand Push-Ups Did 3*Modified (knee on box) count as 1/2 point each

C. Finisher = 400m Run with 45/25lb
*Grab a dumbbell, plate, sandbag, whatever and run to Elliot and back!

Used a sandbag that weighed 40lbs (at least it did when I started, a few ounces ended up down my back, I’m sure) and a 5lb plate. Awkward, yes. 1:52 on the new route.

Team Wod “Hip to be Square”

In teams of 3 or 4, 21-15-9 reps of:
Wall Ball – 20/14lb
Box Jumps – 20″
Burpees
Bell Swings – 35/25lb
*One person at each station, rotate as a team

Team April, Tyler, MichelleK, Rachel 13:42

What's Your Goat?

A. AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
250m row
25 push-ups
25 double unders

Push-ups are my goat, thankyouverymuch. I managed six rounds even, and I had to get my last set of double unders uninterrupted in less than 20 seconds do it. Came down to the last second, but I did it and it felt FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. (I'm not trying to brag and the result isn't a world-beater or anything, but I bitch and moan enough on this blog that I thought I should make a point of noting when I'm pleased about something.)

B. One minute of box jumps, rest one minute, one minute of box jumps.

Got 31 in both minutes. The second minute was better, though, because I did more uninterrupted box jumps in a row.

"Partner Blackjack"

With a partner, do the following. You work at the same time, then switch, each does both exercises.

21 pull-ups, 250m row
21 push-up, 250m row
21 box jumps (24"), 250m row
21 burpulls, 250m row
21 wall balls, 250m row
21 double unders, 125m row

I partnered with James, which was almost unfair to him, and we got done in 15:33 or something.

The burpulls were the hardest part, but I really liked this WOD.