2012 Team Games workout #8

With a team (I had Steve and Michelle)

30 GHD or weighted situps
30 DL 225/135lb
30 Double-unders
30 OHS 95/65lb
30 Pullups
Athletes only advance once the station ahead is clear

I thought DUs would provide a nice little respite in the middle of this WOD.  Not for me, though, as I went second behind Steve and, other than a few seconds on the deadlifts,  he didn't leave me a lot of time for waiting around as he blazed through each station and was long gone before I could get there. 

The DLs were the hardest.  I did them in sets of 10, 5,5,5.  I did okay on the OHS, though, with sets of 12, 10, and 8.  

Our team was done in  18:19

Clean and Jerks / American Turkey Burn

A. Clean and Jerk 1-1-1

The WOD actually called for single-rep snatches but I thought better of that.  Did this instead. 

295-205-215F

Aaron reminded me on one of my later lifts to finish my jerk with my shoulders.  It worked so well I kinda nailed myself in the throat on my next lift. 

I actually failed on 215 twice.  I might have got it up the second time if I could have got under the bar better. 

B. “American Turkey Burn”

10 rounds for time:
40 single skips
15 heavy bell swings to shoulder height (70/55)
10 toes to bar
7 pushups

This was in honour of American Thanksgiving.  I didn't feel very thankful for this WOD. 

My goal was just to get through it.  T2Bs and push-ups and I have never gotten along too well.

Actually, when it came down to doing this WOD, the PUs didn't bother me as much as, well, any of the other stuff. 

This took me 31:07 (I think... it was 31:something anyway) and in the end I was just thankful it was over. 

Front Squats, "A Dozen Minutes"

A. Front Squat 1-1-1, heavy single

225, 245, 260F, 260F

This isn't the first time I've failed miserably trying to break my PR of 255.  I've gotta stop thinking that 255 was easy and I should just go up from there.  From this point on, I'm gonna pretend that 245 is my PR. 

B. “A Dozen Minutes”

 

 

AMRAP in 4 mins – wall ball 20/14lb

1 minute rest

AMRAP in 4 mins – row (for calories)

1 minute rest

AMRAP in 4mins – double unders

 

Did fairly well on the WB (77) and the row (64) and then underperformed with my new speed rope on the double-unders  (125) for a mediocre score of 266

I may kind of suck at CrossFit, but I rock (at) paper scissors

A. Rock Paper Scissors Warm-Up

Pick a partner, play rock paper scissors, and the loser of each hand has to do a small amount of exercise

• 5 burpees
• 10 jumping jacks
• 20 mountain climbers
• plus some other shit I can't remember. 

I paired up with Kim Fe, who warned me that she is awesome at RPS.    Then I proceeded to KICK HER ASS.    Well, actually, we tied for the first 5 (or maybe 7... whatever it was, it was amazing) rounds, so we both had to do it.    Kim: "What's disturbing to me is how much my brain works like Tyler's."   Then in the next six rounds, I won 4, she won 1 and we tied once.   And I SUCK at RPS.  

Best warm-up ever. 

B. KB Snatch Ladder 55/35

10-1 10L,10R,9L,9R……..1L,1R

Not for time.  This was tough.  I haven't mastered the KB snatch so that the KB doesn't whip around and smash the back of my forearm.  By the end, I just snatched it so the bell would stay upside down.   Obviously, this resulted in a couple situations that could have resulted in brain trauma.  But, hey, my wrists feel fantastic!


C. Circuit Mania

Three rounds, one minute at each station

(45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest)

1- Med Ball Cleans
2- Sledge Hammers
3- Rope Battle
4- Atomic Push ups  (Do a strict pushup, bring your feet up to your hands like you're doing a burpee, then kick them back out; don't actually stand up, jump or clap)
5- Sandbag transfer /45
6- Ring Support Holds


Points-wise, the big money here was in the rope battle.  I scored 146 in my best round (I think... there was a lot of counting here).  Sandbag transfer, on the other hand, I scored a 5. 

Keenan wasn't concerned about the scoring, but if you were to do this for a competition, you'd want to weight it.  Maybe make each sandbag transfer worth 5 points, and divide the rope battle points by 5.

Assuming I didn't screw up on the counting of the rope battle rounds (that's a big assumption) my total score was 671.  

I liked this WOD in that it incorporated a lot of things that we don't do all the time at CFR.

 

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. 

Fine, Double Unders, be that way. See if I care.

A. Power Clean & Jerks, on the minute, for 15mins


65% x1x5, 70% x1x5, 75% x1x5

Basically, you do one clean and jerk per minute for 15 minutes.  For the first five minutes, you do 65% of your one-rep max C&J.  For the next five minutes, you use 70% and for the last five you do 75%
 

I thought my max clean and jerk was 215, but it's actually 210.  I probably would have ended up using roughly the same weights, though, so whatever. 

140lbs
150lbs
162lbs 

I didn't find this terribly challenging.  I like C&J's. 



B. Modified NW Regional WOD 2010

3 rounds for time:
10 Overhead Squats – 95/65lb
50 Double-Unders

Once upon a time, I considered myself fairly proficient at double-unders.  Now, they seem to kill me, cardio-wise, and really bring down my WOD results even in relatively small numbers like in this WOD.

I'd like to blame it on my fraying rope (which will be replaced before I do another DU WOD) or the fact that I was wearing my flat-soled Airwalk Chuck Taylor knockoffs and not my cross-trainers,* but the fact was that the DUs just sucked the life out of me during this workout. 

*It's a poor carpenter who blames his tools, fucko. 

I actually was more worried about the overhead squats during this workout, due to my bum shoulder.  I actually considered upping the weight and doing front squats or back squats.  I decided to go ahead with the OHS.  I felt them, but did the first two sets unbroken.  I broke up the last set, but that was more due to fatigue than shoulder issues. 

I suppose it's possible I haven't really regressed all that much on DUs (though some recent Rhiannon results would seem to indicate otherwise). Maybe it's just that a bunch of people at CFR are just that much more advanced at them. 

Whatever it was, I was more than two minutes slower than the fastest times of the day, which is a pretty fucking big gap on a short workout.   I mean, this wasn't the worst time of the day, but it was pretty mediocre and below my expectations.

6:57. 

Lost my nerve on Back Squats, found my mojo on "Jackie Lite"

A. Back Squats 3-3-3


I came into the gym thinking I'd try to break my three-rep record of 290, but for whatever reason, as I progressed through the lifts, I decided to stop at 275.   It seemed pretty heavy to me. 


B. “Jackie Lite”

For time:
1000m Row
50 Push Press 65
30 Pullups

Looking at the times earlier in the day, I was a little unsure about what kind of time I should expect to get.  Many of the times ranged between 9:00 and 10:00, with a few in the , but I thought I could break 9:00 if I finished the row in under 4:00, the push press in 3:00 and the pull-ups in 2:00. 

My goal with the rower was to maintain a good pace but not go so hard that it would wreck me for the rest of the WOD.   I managed to strike a good balance there. I was off the rower and started the push press by 3:50 or so. 

As it turned out, the push-press went a lot quicker than I expected.  I did them in sets of 25, 14 and 11, and it took a little over a minute to finish it.  I like doing relatively light push-presses.  I've got a pretty good rapid-fire technique down pat, plus my short arms give me an advantage because the bar has to travel less distances. 

Just don't ask me to get anything off a tall shelf for you.  #Midgetpower

I think I took right around two minutes to do the pull-ups. 

Final time was 7:07, which was briefly good for top EFS* score in the gym until Uncles and Chase beat it in the last session of the day.   Fuckers.  Where do they get off, being all strong and fast and in shape?

*EFS: "Except for Shae."  Shae's time on this was something ridiculous like 5:55.   

CrossFit ClusterF--k largely averted

Yes, it's been five days since I last hit CrossFit for a WOD.  But I've been shovelling a shitload of snow in the last three days, so I should get some credit for that, right?   ANSWER ME, EXERCISE GODS!!!!

“Remember Me” Chipper for time:

11 Deadlifts – 275
11 Burpees
11 KB Swings – 70
11 Burpees
11 Overhead Squats – 115
11 Burpees
11 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
11 Burpees
11 Box Jumps – 24″
11 Burpees
11 DB Squat Cleans – 2×45
500m Row

11 Thruster – 135
11 Double Unders
11 Power Clean – 135
11 Double Unders
11 Handstand Push Ups
11 Double Unders
11 Toes to Bar*
11 Double Unders*
11 Push Press 115
11 Double Unders
11 Snatch – 115
500m Row otherwise


Yes, that is all in one workout.  It's a hefty amount of work, but not insane by CrossFit standards.  As the oldest, crotchetiest CrossFitter in attendence, my biggest concern going into this WOD was finding space to do all the shit we needed to do in a gym that was full for the 4pm class.  There was also separate workout going on for those people doing the Accelerated Competition Training.  This WOD required the following:

• 275lb barbell
• 135lb barbell (which, with a pair of 35s and 10s could be converted to a 115lb)
• Box
• Pair of 45lb dumbells
• Space to do burpees without worrying that someone doing overhead squats is gonna dump a bar on your head

Honestly, I thought this had the potential to be a total CrossFit ClusterFuck. Once we got going, we stagger-started enough that it wasn't so bad, so I think Leya gets some credit for that, as do the other athletes for being patient and considerate.

It would be interesting to do this WOD in a big, empty gym or field with all the equipment laid out in a sequential order.  I doubt it would help my time a huge amount, but it might make a bit of difference. 

I finished at 33:34 and rested for a few minutes and then the Boy wanted to go do some of his Daddy-assisted pull-ups.  (He grabs the bar, and I give him enough of a lift to get his chin over the bar without him having to exert so much energy that he isn't able to brag about how strong he is.) 

It was then that it occurred to me that I had skipped the Toes-to-Bar and the double unders that were supposed to follow it while doing the WOD. 

AAAGH! 

So I did them. If you add the time it took me to do that plus my previous time (and ignore the several minutes I spent resting, which is what I'm going to do for the sake of future comparison purposes) I think my time is more like 35 minutes a a result. 

"20-plus minutes of Tyler hating life"*

We did a group warm-up that was a nice change of pace from my usual wandering around doing random squats and a few sit-ups and pull-ups when the mood strikes.  It was stuff like inchworms, shuffles, bear crawls, butt-kicks, high knees, walking lunges+stretch, etc.

Then it was time for a metcon CFR entitled “Did someone say Cardio?” but that I more accurately described as "20-plus minutes of Tyler hating life."  

This was nasty. 

Five rounds
60seconds at one station, 30 seconds of rest in between
-Burpee suicides
-Row for calories
-Double Unders

I ended up with 324 which was on the low side compared to others I usually match up well with. 

As I said on the CFR site, I did not gameplan this one for maximum scoring at all.  I went balls-out on the burpee suicides and the rowing, so I had very little left in the tank for double-unders, which is where the highest scoring potential was. 

The most DUs I got in any minute was 40

Also, I didn't pace myself very well for a five-round WOD.

Still, at the end of it all, I just wanted to lie in a puddle of my own sweat.  I guess that means it was a good workout. 


*Alternate title for this blog post:

"High scores aren't everything," says the guy with the low score


.

When it comes to band names, "FUN" < "Barski Cleans" or "Burpee Suicides"

A. Barski Cleans: 75% x 3 x 5 sets


It's so weird, the right arm (elbow and shoulder) that have been giving me issues, even when not CrossFitting, feel FANTASTIC after doing cleans of any kind.  I think I will start doing cleans in my warm-up, even if it's just a few reps of 155 or so. 

Anyway, I liked doing these Barski cleans.  They're basically like three hang squat cleans in a row, but only using a really small dip on the clean.  Doing this helps you focus on getting down and catching it in a squat. 

I used 165. 


B. Burpee Suicides

5 yard distance

Start on one side, which is touch side, run to other side burpee side. Complete one burpee and run back to touch line. AMRAP Burpees in 5 minutes.

I did 48 in the 5:00 which I would classify as pretty good, but not great.  I would've been thrilled with 50.  By about 90 seconds in, I was hating life. 


And, just because I've had this song in my head for DAYS now, and sang badly along with it prior to the start of the burpee suicides, here's "Some Nights" by FUN.

     

So apparently, not going to the gym and eating shitloads of candy makes you fat? Why didn't anyone tell me this?

My gym attendance lately has been awful.  It's not that I don't want to do CrossFit, I've just got some stuff going on in my life.  Mainly, my in-laws have moved in with me, and the associated moving, cleaning and organizing that goes along with that took up a bunch of time that would normally be spent at CrossFit.

Even if I ate relatively well, the absence of regular exercise would have me defaulting to fat, but lately I've been living on a diet that consists of between 50 and 80% of Halloween candy, depending on the day.  I've also been a bit sleep-deprived. 

So, yeah, I'm getting dangerously close to "fat fuck" territory again.  

I've got to switch gears.  I went back to the gym Saturday, Nov. 3 and would have gone the following day, except I showed up and they were doing yoga.  I would have joined in but I wasn't in the right frame of mind.  Maybe one of these Sundays I will join in on it, though.

Saturday's group WOD was a re-run of something we did recently, except this time we had to do TWO rounds instead of one. 

Again, I didn't notice until I was almost done the first round.  That sucked.

For time, TWO rounds of:

20 Calorie row
30 Burpees
30 Dumbbell ground-to-overhead (45lb / 35lb)
30 Toes-to-bar
35 Overhead stationary lunges (45lb plate / 25lb)
50 Double Unders

My team, the Superstorm Dandies, got this done in 39:32