Happy Fun Ball

I am not particularly good at this game, yet I usually end up on winning teams.  

We played in front of the Leg today, and Team "TomKat" (in honour of the end of the Cruise-Holmes marriage) dominated the "Late Bloomers." 

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!”

Back Squats / "Another Seven"

A. Strength = Back Squats 5-5-5


225
255
280 (PR)
The first four felt pretty good.  The last one was a bit of a fight, but I've struggled more squatting. 

B. Metcon = “Another Seven”
7 rounds for time – 75lb
7 Pendlay Rows
7 Power Cleans
7 Push Press/Jerk
20 Double-Unders

10:14

I wanted to get this done in sub-10 because if you do that, you do it with 95lbs next time.  Wait, that doesn't seem like much of a reward... 

Anyway, this WOD got real tough by the third round  Luckily, there were a relatively small number of reps, but it seemed like it took forever to get through those seven rounds. 

I'm much better at "Turkish Stay-Downs"

A. Turkish Get-Up practice 3-2-1-1-1

3x35
2x45

I successfully did 55 with my right arm, but couldn't get it with the left after two attempts. 

I like to believe my lack of competence at TGUs is endearing. 




B. 4 x 500m Row plus HSPU or DHPLU

Round 1 & 3 end with max strict Handstand Push-ups

Round 2 & 4 end with max Deadhang Pull-ups

Each round is scored separately. 

1. 1:47, 7 HSPU
2. 1:41, 3 DHPLU
3. 1:43, 8 HSPU
4. 1:45, 2 DHPLU

Hey, look, Project Deadhang is already paying dividends!

Actually, I was trying really hard on the rowing, so obviously that's going to affect one's ability to do deadhang pull-ups. 

Yeah, that's gotta be it. 

"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?
 

Project Deadhang

I want to be able to do more consecutive dead hang pull-ups, yet I don't want to spend very much time doing so.

For the next month or so I am going to go out to my garage each day (usually in the evening) and do one max set of deadhang pull-ups.  This will be in addition to any other CrossFit WODs I'm doing. 

I'll keep track of my results here to see if this small amount of effort results in any progress whatsoever. If I do get better at DHPLU, I would expect it would also help my kipping PLU. 

Day 1:   9 - Clearly, I have a lot of room for improvement.
Day 2: 10
Day 3: 10
Day 4: 11 - I was only wearing underwear and a T-shirt.  I wonder if that helped?
Day 5: 11 Barely. Day 6: 11
Day 7: 12

"I should just quit CrossFit & make an appointment to get vajazzled"

A. Squat Cleans 3-2-1-1-1  then two sets of 2x85% of your one rep max

3x135
2x155
1x175
1x195
1x205 PR

I felt like there was maybe a bit more room at 205, but I'm really happy to get it. 

I used 175 for the two sets of doubles at the end.  My back was still a little stiff from the high-rep snatches on Saturday, and this movement aggravated that a bit on the first set. 

Even though there was a little imaginary birdie on my shoulder telling me I should just skip the last set and avoid any chance of injury, I stupidly decided I needed to do it. 

In fact, I would have to be a colossal pussy to NOT do it, wouldn't I?  I mean, I should just quit CrossFit and make an appointment to get vajazzled.



Obviously, I failed on the second attempt and tweaked my back even further to boot. I'll probably have to sit out CrossFit until Thursday at the earliest, Because I'm a dumbass who doesn't pay attention to the warning signs his body is sending him. 

But at least I'm not a pussy, right? 


B. Handstand Push-Ups: 5-4-3-2-1

Done.  I did them all strict, except for the set of three.  I did those kipping, but I did extra to compensate.


C. Run 1km carrying a 20 lb medicine ball

5:25.  That sucked some pretty serious ass.

"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.

A unique but effective coaching style

Shae told me about this video. 



I'm really glad this guy wasn't around when we took that field trip to Shae's boxing club.  Given my ineptitude, Coach Kelly would have subjected me to a tirade that I'd probably be in therapy for. 

Beware black cats

As I was driving to the gym today, I saw a black cat cross the street about a block ahead of me.  I could have turned around and gone a different route to the gym. Even though I would like to avoid any bad luck at the moment, I was already short on time and I figured it was just a superstition.

Clearly I'm a dumbass...

A. Muscle-up practice

Yup, still can't do muscle-ups.  So I decided to practice jumping MUs, and it was going okay, until I lowered the box by -- I'm not exaggerating -- about two inches. 

Then, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts and one successful one, I had a bit of a mishap.  My right arm basically lost control and twisted behind my back and up toward my head, as I was still holding onto the ring. 

I freaked out a bit, not knowing how serious it was.  After the initial flash of pain and my subsequent profanity, it didn't appear to be all that bad, and I finished the other two parts of the workout. 

As I write this, the shoulder is a little stiff but I seem to have the full range of motion.  I'm icing it and taking it easy.


B. 250 double unders in as few sets as possible in under (10-minute time cap)

Since the clock was less of a factor in this one, as long as you can get under the 10-minute time cap, I decided to take good breaks between the sets and regain my breath so I could maximize the number of DUs in each set.  It seemed to work out well.  Consistently getting sets of 30+ double unders is better than I would typically expect.

7 sets.

Set # -> Total reps (including previous)
1.  48
2.  80
3.  116
5.  151
5.  186
6.  220
7.  250


C. 10-minute AMRAP - 20 sandbag lunges and 10 push-ups

The sandbags were held across the back. 

I completed the first round in under a minute and things slowed way down after that.

7 rounds exactly.  I wanted to get one extra lunge in at the end, but couldn't get the sandbag up in time.

Weighted Pull-ups and Breathing Ladder

A. Weighted pull-ups:  3-3-3
25, 30, 35(f)


B 1->15->1

Breathing ladder bell swings.

17:01

"Liz Like"

1 -> 10 reps of:
Burpees
Front squats (135lbs)
Ring Dips
 
14:14.  Started out fast, but slowed down considerably around the 6's or so. 
 
Later on in the WOD, the Boy decided he was going to join in on the burpees.  By that point, he was going considerably faster than me.  Still, it was fun to see.
 
Later, as we were heading out the door, he noticed the CrossFitter of the Year trophy and declared:
 
"I'mma turn five and win that shit."
 
 
I don't think he actually meant to say "shit," but he stumbled over a word and it came out sounding like it.  Still, Nolan and I found that hilarious.

“Understudy”

For total time, as a team of 3:

3 rounds of

8 Unbroken Power Cleans per person 

400M Run (run together as a team)

Rest 2 minutes

3 rounds of
8 Unbroken Thrusters per person
400M run (as a team)

Rest 2 minutes

By sled, move a total per team of 2000lb for 100M (men) or 1500lb for 100M (women).

I was a member of a reverse Three's Company team (two dudes, one gal).

Tristan and I used 135lbs for the cleans in Round 1, 95lbs for the thrusters in Round 2 and 100lbs for the sled drags in Round 3, which we quickly dropped down to 50, and started doing 50m relays rather than 100m round trips. 

Took us 54:25

Afterward,  the Boy (age 4.75) got to play around in the gym a bit.  He even busted out some sled drags...

But he prefers riding on the sled to dragging it. 

.

Isabel & Karen had a kid nobody likes

"Karabel": 10 rounds of 3 power snatch (135 lb) and 15 wall balls. 20 minute time cap. 18:32 rx'd.