VolkeFit - Group workout

This blog needs fewer pictures of me...





... and more pictures of chicks lifting stuff...

  



... and epic workout faces.

  

                

Spring has finally sprung, which meant some nice weather for another group workout at Chez Volke. 

There were six people in total: Steve, Nathan, Nolan, Mandy, Laura and me.  We were going to go in two teams of three, but decided it was simpler if we just did it all as a group with two people going at the same time on most of the exercises, with everyone contributing toward the quota.  I don't think we timed it. 

I'm actually writing this on Tuesday, so I might be forgetting something here:

-Run around the soccer field behind Steve's place (approx 500m)

-160 burpees over bar (in sets of ten) - I did at least four sets  (40)

-120 shoulder to overhead - Guys used 135.  All the other dudes, especially Nolan, made this look far easier than I did.  I think I did four sets of five.  (20)

-120 hand release push-ups. I did two sets of 10.  (20)

-120 weighted sit-ups.  I think I did two sets of 10 (20)

-40 Handstand Push-ups. I did sets of 7, 6, and 4. (17)

-Another run around the soccer field, but we took a detour to avoid some mud (approx 600m)

Here comes the PAINSTORM

AMRAP 40 mins:
Run 200m
5 thrusters

The workout says to start at 30kg/20kg and add 5kg after each successful round. However, we were all like "FUCK THE METRIC SYSTEM! WE AIN'T FANCY!" and used pounds instead.

Started at 65lbs and added 10lbs each round.

12 rounds plus 3, which meansI got to 185lbs and did three thrusters at that weight. I wouldn't have got any at that weight, but Nolan gave me a tip. He told me to accelerate upward on the thruster NOT from the bottom, but once my hips broke parallel on the way up.

.

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.

Monday restfulness: Pre-Valentine's Day Snatch

The Boy accompanied me to the gym... sort of. He fell asleep in the car and spent my entire workout snoozing on the futon in CFR's front entrance.

A. Snatch Deadlift + Snatch from just below knee 1x3 with 75-80%1RM
Then, 3 snatch attempts to a heavy single

Did the DL + Snatch with 125.

Then did 135 and 145. The 145 felt really good going up, so I thought I'd put 160 on the bar, since my listed PR is 155. I utterly failed on the first one.

I tried a couple more times. It went up, with a fairly significant press-out on the first. Then it went up a bit better on the second. A bit of a press-out but Nolan still counted it, so I will too.
160

Still, there's a bit of an asterisk there. I think I'll make sure that I can confidently and consistently snatch 160 before looking to add to that number. I just need to remember to drop a bit lower.



B. 3 rounds with 10 minute limit of 50 Double-Unders and Max Pull-Ups

The deal here was that it wasn't for time, just for max pull-ups. As long as you could get all three rounds in under the 10:00. It allowed for a bit of rest between the DUs and each set of max pull-ups.

First set: 22
Second set: 16
Third set: 12
______________
Total: 51


C. 1 set Max Push-Ups

29. Ugh, that is not good.

"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.

"Prison Yard"

Nolan came up with this workout in the shower. I know this because he told me, not because I was there with him or anything.

Moving on...

Part A: 10 minutes of sandbag burpee (pushup) to overhead into 2 walking lunges, repeat. Score is # of meters accumulated.

Part B: Immediately after into 5 minutes of max Wall Balls (20/14lb).


I did four laps around the pull-up station, plus another couple of steps, so we calculated it was about 98m. Then I got 72 wall balls.

"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

Man-Up Birthday WOD

I turned 35 on Thursday and this WOD made me feel every fucking second of those three and a half decades.

Using two 20-lb dumbells, do 1-10 reps of

Man-makers (I hate these)
Weighted sit-ups

If I didn't have Nolan counting for me, there's no way I could have kept the man-maker sequence straight. I actually started and had to stop after three reps because I was completely confused.

I guess senility is setting in.

14:26 as rx'd.

Bench Press / "Karen"

Part A: Bench press 3-3-3-1-1-1

The good thing about bench press is that it keeps my self-esteem from getting out of hand.

3's - 135-155-165(1)
1's - 175(f)-170-175(f)


Part B: "Karen"

150 wall balls for time.

Karen: 8:15 (PR)

That's actually a hell of an improvement since the last time I did Karen. Of course, before I start puffing my chest out too much, I should keep in mind that Nolan finished two minutes faster