Hero WOD: "Del"

For Time:
25 Burpees
Run 400 meters with a 20/14 pound medicine ball
25 Weighted pull-ups with a 20/15 pound dumbbell
Run 400 meters with a 20/14 pound medicine ball
25 Handstand push-ups
Run 400 meters with a 20/14 pound medicine ball
25 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
Run 400 meters with a 20/14 pound medicine ball
25 Burpees


The weighted PLUs were the worst part.

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.

Power Cleans and Burpees

For time, 15-12-9 reps of
Power cleans
Burpees

5:17

12.5: Mutant Fran

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:

3 Barbell Thrusters
3 Chest to bar Pull-ups
6 Barbell Thrusters
6 Chest to bar Pull-ups
9 Barbell Thrusters
9 Chest to bar Pull-ups
12 Barbell Thrusters
12 Chest to bar Pull-ups
15 Barbell Thrusters
15 Chest to bar Pull-ups
18 Barbell Thrusters
18 Chest to bar Pull-ups
21 Barbell Thrusters
21 Chest to bar Pull-ups…
This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 21, go on to 24. If you complete 24, go on to 27, etc.

I got to the rounds of 15 but the clock ran out with two C2B left. My total was 88 reps, which was more than I thought I would do.

Okay, no more wall balls for the rest of 2012

I went to CrossFit Ottawa this morning.

My legs just started sort of working again after a protracted mutiny resulting from Saturday's 12.4 nightmare.
A. Warm-up:
Run 500m then 50 burpees.

6:08


B. Squat cleans 5x3

Ended up with 165. I may have been able to go heavier but that was enough for this morning



C. 7 minute AMRAP

25 wall balls
3 wall climbers

Two rounds plus 25 more fucking wall balls and two wall climbers.

Hitting the wall on 12.4

12 min AMRAP of:

150 Wall Ball
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle-ups

I can't do muscle-ups yet and it wasn't likely I was gonna start on this. But I thought it was a reasonable goal to get to the end of the double unders.

I was right. It was a reasonable goal. But I didn't get there.

The 150 wall balls had kicked the shit out of my legs and I could not get going on the DUs.

Then, it felt like my feet started to swell up so I thought it would be a good idea to kick off my shoes.

Fucking stupid. Every time I failed on a DU, I would whip myself across the top of my toes. Turns out, I also have sissy feet. My gas tank was near empty, my concentration was wrecked and my confidence was gone.

I finished with 150 WB and 70 DUs. I should have been able to do 90 in the more than three minutes I had, but I didn't.

Fuck.

Total Time

This was Thursday's WOD but I di it on Friday.

Start with a 500m row
Then three rounds of:
50 bell swings 55lb
40 sit-ups
30 good mornings 45lb
20 push-ups
10 pull-ups

Finish with 500m row

Total time was 29:19.

Re-kindling my love of Back Squats, plus a fling with Rhiannon

Back Squats and I have had our ups and downs. Back when I was doing Strength, there was a time when all I wanted to do was Squat. It was easy to forsake all other forms of CrossFit. I couldn't get enough.

But then -- and I blame myself for this -- things took a bit of a downturn. The relationship became more like work. Instead of being excited to do Back Squats, I started dreading them.

I let myself go. I didn't just gain strength weight, I gained fatass weight. I was drinking too much (milk), and I stopped appreciating everything Back Squats had done and was still doing for me. Then I got hurt and decided to end the relationship.

Sure, I'd still Back Squat occasionally. I didn't avoid them, but I exactly didn't make an effort to get to the gym when I knew there would be Back Squats there.

However, in the last couple of months, I've been re-establishing my relationship with Back Squats. We're not exclusive -- I'm still doing other WODs -- but I think that's what makes it work. Things are better between us than they've ever been.

A. 20 minutes to a max Back Squat triple 3-3-3-3-3

185-225-255-275-290(PR)

B. Rhiannon – 10 minutes of max double-unders.

317. Not a PR, or even second best, but I'll take it.

Sometimes, just showing up is enough

I stayed up too late last night to go to CrossFit at 6am this morning, but I got up anyway.

However, this was not a morning that I would be setting any PRs. Sometimes, just showing up is enough.


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

Maxed out with a 115lb single. My PR on a squat snatch is 140, but I suspect that was more of a power snatch/overhead squat type of combo. I was trying to get under the bar and catch it in a squat today.


B. 3-5 Rounds for time of:
30 Double-Unders
20 Wallball 20/14lb
10 Pull-Ups

I had intentions of doing five rounds of this when I started. Instead, I called it a morning after three rounds in around 8:30.


I'll take tomorrow off and come back with some actual motivation on Wednesday.

12.3

As many rounds and reps as possible in 18 minutes of:

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


7 rounds plus 8 box jumps.

Judging from earlier results, I was shooting for 6 and change. I am happy with this.

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.

Early morning Ginger Power

A. 15(to 20) minutes to Back Squat Double (~3 attempts) then 85%x3x2

Doubles: 255, 275, 285, 300(PR)
85%: 255x3x2

I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty happy with the 300lb PR. I should have tried 300x1 long ago before, didn't have any confidence I could do it until I managed to do 275x5 about a month ago.

Christian attributed this to "Ginger Power first thing in the morning."

He likes referring to me as a ginger because he thinks it bothers me. I'm not a ginger but -- just to be clear -- it doesn't bother me that he calls me a ginger. Gingers are awesome, whether or not they have souls. It bothers me that he thinks it bothers me, if that makes any sense. I guess I just don't like seeing him derive joy from anything.



B. 4x600M Row, 2-5 minute recoveries

Yeah, this was not fun. 2:05, 2:05, 2:12, 2:24

Me: "I took a nice little rest on the last one. I regret nothing."

Ryan: "Just enjoying a ride down the river."

Me: "Look, there's a deer!"

C. Unbroken Pull-ups M=3x(5 Dead Hang+10 Kipping)

Time was running short and my arms were burnt out so I did one set and not as rx'd. Did the 5 deadhangs plus 2 kipping. Took a nice rest and did the remaining 8 kipping.

Penance for brunch

My parents took us out for brunch today. I tried not to stuff myself too bad, knowing I was going to hit CrossFit in about three hours, but they had perogies, and a chocolate fountain. A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN, Jerry!

A. Find 3 RM Floor Press

My first time doing a floor press. I did 165lb x 3. I got 185x2 but couldn't get that third rep.

B. 10 min Mash Up

Max Pull Ups in 4 mins..................... 61
Max Handstand Push Ups 3 mins .........20
Max Push Ups 2 mins.........................35
Max Double Unders 1 min...................50

Total: 166

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)