"Isabel"

The family was in Calgary for a week, which allowed me to do a little CrossFit tourism and sneak in a WOD at one of the local gyms. 

I went to CrossFit Athlete Inside, and did the benchmark girl "Isabel."

30 snatches for time (135lbs)

What I really liked about this was the fact that Coach Kevin led the group through a really extensive warm-up, focusing on the pull from the ground, working up to weights heavier than we'd be using in the WOD. 

Kevin and one of CrossFit AI's firebreather athletes Tim did their best to help me refine my spazzy snatch technique and footwork, but there's only so much you can do in an hour. 

Still I managed to knock 91 seconds off my previous time, even with a shoulder that's been giving me some issues. 

6:45, rx'd. 

Open Workout 12.2 - SNATCHTASTIC!

Spotted on Twitter
"Orthopedic surgeons coast to coast all have the weirdest boner right now & don't know why."
- @WildGorillaMan


Overheard at the Gym
"You've seen my snatch."


Open Workout 12.2
Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

30 Snatch (M 75 / F 45 lbs)
30 Snatch (M 135 / F 75 lbs)
30 Snatch (M 165 / F 100 lbs)
Max Rep Snatch (M 210 / F 120 lbs)

This workout begins from the standing position. The athlete will complete all reps at the first weight before advancing to the next weight. Score is total reps completed in 10min. Athletes use one bar, must change plates as the clock is ticking.

Since I'm a non-committal wuss and didn't sign up for the Open, I didn't do 12.1, but CrossFit Regina made 12.2 today's WOD, so I got a chance to do it this morning.

I'm not particularly strong when it comes to power snatch and 135lb is on the heavy side. I've done "Isabel" (30x135lb power snatches for time), but it took me 8:16 (and that's before doing 30 snatches at 75. So, I figured I'd probably have a tough time getting past the second round. Plus, I've never snatched more than 160, so even if I did reach the third round, I likely wouldn't get one rep.

There were only three people at the morning WOD this morning. Kent and the Janimal did the first heat, with Coach Harlan and me counting reps. Then I went solo.

The first 30 with 75lbs took me less than two minutes, but then I was winded while trying to take off the 15lb plates and put on 45s. That was hard. Actually, catching my breath during this whole WOD was harder than you'd think, considering I was only doing maybe 4-6 snatches per minute during the second round.

The 135lb snatches were tough from the get-go. I tried to concentrate on keeping my chest up and dropping under the bar as best I could, but I still had to press out the weight on most reps.

I was also trying to keep my form decent as a way of self-preservation. As GorillaMan's quote indicates, this WOD would be a good way to fuck up your back if you're not careful. In that respect, it's a benefit that I: a) am not in the competition and b) did this at 6am. I didn't go crazy and sacrifice form in trying to achieve a particular score or beat someone.

On the bright side, I'm pretty sure my pace was a bit better than the last time I did "Isabel". I also had far fewer failed attempts (only two this morning, if I'm remembering right).

Total reps: 57 (30x75lb, 27x135lb)

"Isabel" and Sled Drags

A. "Isabel" 30 power snatches with 135lbs

It was my first time doing it as rx'd. I had done it using 115lbs in 5 minutes plus change, and I vowed that the next time I did it, I would do it rx'd, even if it took me a lot more time. I figured 10:00 was a reasonable time to shoot for. It's only three reps per minute.

I will admit I had some doubts when I first tried the 135lbs. "Fuck, this is harder than I remembered."

I struggled with technique for a good part of this WOD, mostly pressing out my snatches from forehead level rather than doing it right. I missed on a few attempts as early as rep #6 but I kept plugging away. It wasn't until rep #24 that I realized I should have been dropping under the bar more the WHOLE TIME. (Note to self: Tyler, when you are reviewing this post the next time you go to do Isabel, remember to drop under the fucking bar so you won't have to press out on every rep.)

8:16 as rx'd.


B. Three minutes of 180lb sled drags for distance.

Sled drags are no one's idea of fun.


164m.

Strength - Workout A and training for an Isabel rematch

Back squat - Three sets of 5x 210 lbs

Why are these so heavy for me now? Oh, that's right, because I haven't been doing the fucking work.


Shoulder press - Three sets of 5 x 115 lbs

The last time I did these, this was supposed to be my warm-up weight. Then I failed trying it. Time to work my way back up.


Deadlift - One set of 5 x 225 lbs

This was okay.


After not being confident in my ability to do Isabel as rx'd, I kept 135 lbs on the bar and did some snatches. Not for time, just to do them. I did about 15, maybe averaging about three a minute. I think I was helped by the fact that I was pretty warmed up from the strength work.

I want to do a little work on my snatches at least once a week.

Doing 15 tells me that I can definitely do Isabel rx'd, but my time will probably be closer to 10:00 than 5:00.

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