Seven-minute AMRAP of
3 clean and jerk (135lbs)
3 toes to bar
6 C&J
6 T2B
9 C&J
9 T2B
(etc...)
I hadn't been to CrossFit since Tuesday, and spent a quick overnight trip to Saskatoon drinking, staying up late, and gorging myself on Fuddruckers and dim sum.
But, while in Saskatoon, I did manage to vist Brainsport and buy a new pair of minimalist Innov-8 shoes.
This seemed like the perfect WOD to start them out with. The flatness is good for Oly lifting and their light weight is ideal for T2B. I'm not sure how much of a difference it really makes, but it can't hurt. So far, I really like them, but I might change my mind when having to run 400m in an alley.
I didn't warm up very much when I got to CFR, but I did a few C&Js just to make sure I remembered what 135lbs felt like.
My goal was to break 60, which would mean completing the round of 12s.
After the 3,2,1 GO I wasn't going super fast, but I did keep up a pretty good pace, without stopping too much for air. In spite of my plan to drop the bar after each C&J to preserve energy, I held onto the bar for the first set of 3.
While other people can string together T2B, I haven't mastered that yet. I can do them without dropping off the bar, but there is a lot of excess flailing and swinging involved, so I typically touch my feet to the ground between each rep to reset my position. It's slower, but the advantage is it hurts my hands less and is not as taxing on my forearms. In a WOD like this, which is really taxing on your grip and forearms, it's an advantage.
I apparently dismounted the bar with some flair a couple of times during the transition from T2B to C&Js. It wasn't intentional, but if it entertained the crowd awaiting the Lance vs. Matt main event, that's cool.
So I kept a steady pace and had lots of time left as I entered the round of 12s. I knew at that point I was going to break 60. I finished the 12 T2B with around a minute left and managed to squeeze in another 10 C&J before time ran out.
Final score: 70.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Weighted PLUs, HSPU clusters, "Venti"
A. Weighted Pullups 3-3-3
20, 30, 35, 40
B. Handstand PushUp clusters:
4 on the minute for 10 minutes (can uber with hands on plates)
I ubered this for six minutes, but in the seventh, my arms, , gave outwith little warning. I could have tried doing normal HSPUs, but I wasn't sure if it was a minor injury or just fatigue. I felt unsafe continuing to go upside down, and took a DNF instead.
C. “Venti”
3 rounds:
500m Row
20 KB high pulls (RX'd was using a 35lb kettlebell, but I grabbed a 45lb KB and didn't realize it until I was well into round one)
20 KB push press (10 per side)
20 Abmat situps
12:45.
The push press, particularly with my left arm, was the hardest part.
20, 30, 35, 40
B. Handstand PushUp clusters:
4 on the minute for 10 minutes (can uber with hands on plates)
I ubered this for six minutes, but in the seventh, my arms, , gave outwith little warning. I could have tried doing normal HSPUs, but I wasn't sure if it was a minor injury or just fatigue. I felt unsafe continuing to go upside down, and took a DNF instead.
C. “Venti”
3 rounds:
500m Row
20 KB high pulls (RX'd was using a 35lb kettlebell, but I grabbed a 45lb KB and didn't realize it until I was well into round one)
20 KB push press (10 per side)
20 Abmat situps
12:45.
The push press, particularly with my left arm, was the hardest part.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Daddy's new toy
We got a C2 rower for the basement.
It's actually mostly for my wife, Tracey. Due to some insanely flat feet, she can't run without getting shin splints. Back when she went to CrossFit, she usually substituted rowing for running, except when she was goaded by a well-intentioned but misguided coach (who no longer works there).
Right now, she doesn't feel like she could commit the time to a gym membership, but she wanted something effective she could do at home without a huge time commitment. So we decided to buy one of these bad boys as a birthday present for each other (our birthdays are pretty close).
I figure even if Tracey loses interest (she's a self-professed "dabbler"), it's something I can use, even if it's once or twice a week. It shouldn't gather dust. Heck, even the Boy hops on the rower when we go to CFR, and sometimes I make him do burpees if he is being a little hyperactive. Every so often, I'll probably make him row a few hundred metres before he plays Wii.
Last night, I rowed my first 2km on it. It took me 7:44.6
There's definitely some room for improvement there. My first 500m took longer than 2:00, because I paused to turn off the space heater that was right next to me (plan better next time, dumbass) and I thought I'd just take it easy on account of my legs not working so good from 13.3.
By the end, though, I was going pretty hard, as I wanted to finish well under 8:00. As normally happens when I row hard, I make some sounds that would be considered a bit bizarre by non-CrossFitters... and also CrossFitters who are non-weirdos.
Did I mention my in-laws live in my basement?
It's actually mostly for my wife, Tracey. Due to some insanely flat feet, she can't run without getting shin splints. Back when she went to CrossFit, she usually substituted rowing for running, except when she was goaded by a well-intentioned but misguided coach (who no longer works there).
Right now, she doesn't feel like she could commit the time to a gym membership, but she wanted something effective she could do at home without a huge time commitment. So we decided to buy one of these bad boys as a birthday present for each other (our birthdays are pretty close).
I figure even if Tracey loses interest (she's a self-professed "dabbler"), it's something I can use, even if it's once or twice a week. It shouldn't gather dust. Heck, even the Boy hops on the rower when we go to CFR, and sometimes I make him do burpees if he is being a little hyperactive. Every so often, I'll probably make him row a few hundred metres before he plays Wii.
Last night, I rowed my first 2km on it. It took me 7:44.6
There's definitely some room for improvement there. My first 500m took longer than 2:00, because I paused to turn off the space heater that was right next to me (plan better next time, dumbass) and I thought I'd just take it easy on account of my legs not working so good from 13.3.
By the end, though, I was going pretty hard, as I wanted to finish well under 8:00. As normally happens when I row hard, I make some sounds that would be considered a bit bizarre by non-CrossFitters... and also CrossFitters who are non-weirdos.
Did I mention my in-laws live in my basement?
Saturday, March 23, 2013
13.3: Dave Castro can kiss my ass
"13.3 is 12.4!" - Dave Castro.
Whatever, dude. Eat a bag of dicks.
I didn't even officially register in the Open last year but I did nearly all of the WODs. And the one that packed the most Gawd-awful suck for your buck was this nightmare.
12 minute AMRAP of:
150 wall balls (aka "Karen")
90 double unders (aka "the part where your legs fucking mutiny")
30 muscle-ups.
Last year, I had one goal: Make it to the MUs.
I failed. I was 20 measly double unders away. I could see it. I was so close. But I ran out of time. Final score: 220
This year was gonna be different, though. I'd pace myself on the WB and I wouldn't let myself get frustrated on the DUs. I sure as hell wouldn't kick off my shoes and whip my toes while failing miserably at double unders.
I knew what to expect. I'd get there. I GOT THIS.
3,2,1 GO!
After an initial set of 20, I did the WB in sets of 10, then 7. I made sure I didn't any no rep calls, throwing that ball well above the line, and getting plenty of depth on the squat. I rested at regular intervals, but not for too long. Still, I got done in 9:35. Not great, and a lot slower than last year, but still a reasonable amount of time to do 90 DUs.
Except my legs were almost useless at this point. First 20 double unders kicked the shit out of me. I think my next set was 14. I may have gotten another set in the double digits, but maybe not. I had nothing in the tank and was well short as the clock ran out
I was pretty sure what my final total was, but I let Thomas (my judge) confirm what I feared.
220. Again. The exact same score.
FUCK.
Friday, March 22, 2013
"The Bear"
Five rounds of 7 reps of the following complex:
Power clean
Front squat
Push press
Back squat
Push press
No dropping the weight during a round, must touch and go. Resting is possible, but the weight needs to be across your shoulders or thighs, in the rack position, or held onto in some other awful way.
I partnered with Lance, which is a terrific way to feel inadequate. He didn't start to use substantially heavier weights than me until the later rounds, though when we were using the same weight, he made it look effortless
I did it 75-95-115-130-95
With the Open WOD tomorrow, I was thinking I'd go lower than my PR of 130, but plans changed once I saw 125 on the bar.
Honestly, this is one of the WODs I dread the most, and that's not gonna change.
Power clean
Front squat
Push press
Back squat
Push press
No dropping the weight during a round, must touch and go. Resting is possible, but the weight needs to be across your shoulders or thighs, in the rack position, or held onto in some other awful way.
I partnered with Lance, which is a terrific way to feel inadequate. He didn't start to use substantially heavier weights than me until the later rounds, though when we were using the same weight, he made it look effortless
I did it 75-95-115-130-95
With the Open WOD tomorrow, I was thinking I'd go lower than my PR of 130, but plans changed once I saw 125 on the bar.
Honestly, this is one of the WODs I dread the most, and that's not gonna change.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Power Snatches and "Pistol-Whipped"
A. 2 Power Snatch on the minute for 10 minutes (20 reps)
The uber weight was 155, but I wasn't feeling that goddamn uber, so I went with the 135. I tried to make my form somewhat less spazzy than when I do this stuff for time, like with Isabel. I'm not sure I succeeded.
B. "Pistol-Whipped"
Not for time, but try for each round unbroken:
3 rounds of:
500M Row
16 Pistols (8 L+R)
16 Sandbag Push Press 45/20
I'm now fairly decent at pistols with my left leg, but the right leg is still a work in progress I can't really stay on my heel, so when I come back up, I'm usually off balance and have to save it by hopping around on one foot until I stabilize.
Fortunately, I make that shit look graceful... sexy, even. Don't worry. It's okay to stare.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
HSPU Clusters / Pull-ups and Wallballs
A. Handstand PushUp Clusters:
3 on the minute for 10 minutes (uber with hands on 25lb plates)
I did it, uber-style.
B. "Nameless Fun"
3 rounds for time:
5 Deadhang Pull-ups
6 Kipping Pull-ups
20 Wallball 20lb
4:21
Overheard at the Gym
"Were you... making fun of someone?"
-Matt, commenting on my somewhat... enthusiastic burpee technique
.
3 on the minute for 10 minutes (uber with hands on 25lb plates)
I did it, uber-style.
B. "Nameless Fun"
3 rounds for time:
5 Deadhang Pull-ups
6 Kipping Pull-ups
20 Wallball 20lb
4:21
Overheard at the Gym
"Were you... making fun of someone?"
-Matt, commenting on my somewhat... enthusiastic burpee technique
.
Josh Golden 13.2
After my last post, I heard about the story of Josh Golden. He posted a score in this WOD of 387, which put him in a three-way tie for first. Awesome, right?
But a controversy arose when a video of this performance was spotted on YouTube, clearly showing him snatching his first rep on the shoulder to overhead, and not opening his hips all the way on a lot of the box jumps. (Granted, the bent-over guy doing box steps behind him was far worse.)
CrossFitters went mental, and CrossFit HQ announced it was rejecting his WOD, thus disqualifying him from eligibility for the Regionals. His affiliate is disallowed from validating scores, so all their CrossFitters will have to continue in the Open via video submission or at other affiliates.
When I first saw the video, I wasn't outraged. The guy would have finished way ahead of me in this WOD even had he met the standards and stopped to eat a stack of pancakes halfway through. But some CrossFitters take this stuff more seriously than me.
Then I read an interview with Josh Golden (copied at the end of this post). I have to say that I think he (and the sympathetic interviewer) make a few valid points.
The stuff about how the CrossFit community is reacting made me think a bit about how CrossFit is evolving. As it grows in popularity and the focus is on competition, is it losing a bit of its soul?
To a lot of people -- me included -- the thing that makes CrossFit so special is the way people support each other, and the fact that you don't have to be the best athlete. The fact that you're doing it is awesome. How many times have you heard the loudest cheers reserved for the last person to finish the WOD?
Sure, Golden isn't that guy, and probably never has been. He calls himself one of the best athletes in the world. Still, I feel a little bad for a guy who claims he's not a cheater -- merely ignorant -- and is having all kinds of people rip him a new one online. People are dicks. People sitting at their keyboards are worse. I suppose it's naive of me to hope that CrossFitters would be exempt from that basic truth.
Obviously, as a coach, and as someone who was trying to qualify for regionals (unlike, say, me) Josh Golden should have ensured he was very aware of the standards. The person judging him, even moreso.
But if you were going to blatantly try to cheat the system, you'd probably want to make sure no one was videotaping you, especially when the system allows for submissions that are not validated by video. I sincerely doubt that Golden is the only one in the world who submitted a score based on movements that were substandard. Is he the only one in the top 50? It's possible, but I think it's unlikely.
I think it would have been a better solution for HQ to offer to have Golden re-do the WOD in front of a judge of their choosing and submit that score, even if it was after the deadline. In the interest of maintaining the integrity of their competion and setting an example, I guess I understand why they wouldn't do that. Logistically, it's a lot easier to DQ someone than give them a do-over. What if all these videos come out of the woodwork of top scores where Mikko or Froning or Annie doesn't lock out their hips?
It will be interesting to see if this results in more videos of top contenders doing the Open WODs or fewer.
INTERVIEW WITH JOSH GOLDEN (from www.bilderz.com)
1. As you know the games website comment section was buzzing with negative posts regarding your 13.2 score. How did you learn about the negative posts?
Josh: People called me and told me people were talking about it negatively.
2. Your score posted to the games website was validated at an affiliate, and that validation did not include a video submission correct?
Josh: True, correct.
3. There was a video posted on YouTube of you performing WOD 13.2. Was that video of the WOD that your 387 score was based on?
Josh: Yes, it was
4. Why was the video removed from YouTube?
Josh: I didn’t post the video myself, it was another person and she wasn’t happy with all the negative feedback that was coming from the video. So she decided to take it off. She basically felt bad that it was getting all this negative feedback and she didn’t like reading it all.
5. The buzz online was that a bunch of your shoulders to overhead didn’t count and that your box jumps should have been no repped each time. What do you have to say about that?
Josh: Um, I do agree on the shoulder to overheads, on that one workout, because I didn’t review the standards and I was led to believe that I was able to clean grip snatch the first rep. I was going further below my chin, pretty much close to my shoulders but the video was from the ground up so it made it look every movement look worse than it was.
As far as the box jumps, I felt that I didn’t have anyone telling me they were not correct. The knees are pretty locked out, and my hips are pretty straight, but I was slightly hunched over.
I don’t know they weren’t far off some of the bad reps that I’ve been seeing. I had done the workout earlier in the week and got a 380 on video and it was much cleaner. I was just trying some new ideas on how to get a higher score and this is the result.
6. Today you learned from HQ that you were being disqualified from competing in the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, Individual Event. How were you notified?
Josh: Through an E-Mail
7. What did they base their disqualification on?
Josh: They said that a few times I went straight from the ground to overhead without making contact with my shoulders. Then some of the box jumps I did, did not show control at the top. They never said anything about being locked out, they said control at the top.
8. If you did not submit a video for validation, what were they basing their analysis on?
Josh: They got wind of the (YouTube) video, so they are basing their analysis on the video. If I hadn’t submitted a video (On YouTube) I would have gotten the score and I would have gotten to compete.
9. Do you think you deserved a better chance to explain your side to HQ before the disqualification?
Josh: Uh, yes. I feel like I should have had a chance to do something. You know as much as CrossFit claims to be a non-corporate thing, they are completely. They didn’t hear my side or anything. They said our job is to review movement standards and your standards were off, good luck training.
So I had no chance to do anything. I offered to do it in front of a judge, I offered to do it against anyone in the world, I offered to do anything.
Obviously I’m one of the better athletes in the Region, if not the world. They didn’t even think twice about it. I think they are trying to set an example.
10. Do you think you were treated fairly?
Josh: No, the thing that makes me most upset is that I don’t think I’m being treated fairly by the CrossFit community. First of all I think HQ is reacting on the community response and their covering themselves by doing this disqualification without any type of human interaction of any kind.
The community is completely unfair to me and I’m really hurt by it. I did not try to steal anyone’s spot or cheat the system. I’m being honest with what is happening and I’m not trying to hurt or take anything away from anybody. I’m a good athlete; I’m a solid athlete. I could do that workout and get a top ten spot with little effort in front of a judge, given a chance.
I posted a video of my first workout 13.1, I post videos of all of my workouts (To YouTube). I’m an honest competitor; I was just an ignorant competitor in this case.
11. How do you think this incident will affect your future with CrossFit and the games in general?
Josh: Well I mean, it’s been emotional, such negativity you know. No matter what happens, I’ll probably be called a cheater forever and this has nothing to do with cheating.
You know it hurt me, in a negative way. I don’t deserve this given my history and background with the sport.
12. Do you have any comments on the overall judging system in the Open?
Josh: Oh man, yes I do. I do not see how HQ can sit there and tell me that they are just trying to uphold a standard by disqualifying me, when there are no videos of the top scores being posted in the whole world.
Why is that happening? Is it because people don’t have a cell phone with a recorder on it? They don’t want people to see what they are doing? Or is it there’s an issue with the judging? I’ve had countless people tell me that in their box they’ve seen way worse form. I’m not judging anyone, but there is no standard if everything is not the same.
Me being disqualified for actually being open with what I’m doing and putting it out there for the world, as the number one competitor for that workout supposedly, what does that say about me?
Does that make me somebody without integrity or does that make me someone with more integrity than all the other people posting their scores (Without videos)? I don’t know, there is no standard as far as I’m concerned.
13 . Would you like to add anything else that you didn’t say already?
Josh: I’m not trying to cheat anybody or trying to take any spot in Regionals. I’m sorry if I offended anybody by just posting some score without really taking into consideration the rest of the community.
I am disappointed in the community for judging me without seeking any information first. The community is supposed to be so supportive of each other and is supposed to be caring.
I feel I am a great coach, a positive member of the community. I do countless outreaches and help the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’m a good athlete, and a good person and for people to sit there on their computers and rant a rave about what a douche bag I am, or whatever I am, is very disappointing.
But a controversy arose when a video of this performance was spotted on YouTube, clearly showing him snatching his first rep on the shoulder to overhead, and not opening his hips all the way on a lot of the box jumps. (Granted, the bent-over guy doing box steps behind him was far worse.)
CrossFitters went mental, and CrossFit HQ announced it was rejecting his WOD, thus disqualifying him from eligibility for the Regionals. His affiliate is disallowed from validating scores, so all their CrossFitters will have to continue in the Open via video submission or at other affiliates.
When I first saw the video, I wasn't outraged. The guy would have finished way ahead of me in this WOD even had he met the standards and stopped to eat a stack of pancakes halfway through. But some CrossFitters take this stuff more seriously than me.
Then I read an interview with Josh Golden (copied at the end of this post). I have to say that I think he (and the sympathetic interviewer) make a few valid points.
Josh Golden: I’m not trying to cheat anybody or trying to take any spot in Regionals. I’m sorry if I offended anybody by just posting some score without really taking into consideration the rest of the community.
I am disappointed in the community for judging me without seeking any information first. The community is supposed to be so supportive of each other and is supposed to be caring.
I feel I am a great coach, a positive member of the community. I do countless outreaches and help the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’m a good athlete, and a good person and for people to sit there on their computers and rant a rave about what a douche bag I am, or whatever I am, is very disappointing.
The stuff about how the CrossFit community is reacting made me think a bit about how CrossFit is evolving. As it grows in popularity and the focus is on competition, is it losing a bit of its soul?
To a lot of people -- me included -- the thing that makes CrossFit so special is the way people support each other, and the fact that you don't have to be the best athlete. The fact that you're doing it is awesome. How many times have you heard the loudest cheers reserved for the last person to finish the WOD?
Sure, Golden isn't that guy, and probably never has been. He calls himself one of the best athletes in the world. Still, I feel a little bad for a guy who claims he's not a cheater -- merely ignorant -- and is having all kinds of people rip him a new one online. People are dicks. People sitting at their keyboards are worse. I suppose it's naive of me to hope that CrossFitters would be exempt from that basic truth.
Obviously, as a coach, and as someone who was trying to qualify for regionals (unlike, say, me) Josh Golden should have ensured he was very aware of the standards. The person judging him, even moreso.
But if you were going to blatantly try to cheat the system, you'd probably want to make sure no one was videotaping you, especially when the system allows for submissions that are not validated by video. I sincerely doubt that Golden is the only one in the world who submitted a score based on movements that were substandard. Is he the only one in the top 50? It's possible, but I think it's unlikely.
I think it would have been a better solution for HQ to offer to have Golden re-do the WOD in front of a judge of their choosing and submit that score, even if it was after the deadline. In the interest of maintaining the integrity of their competion and setting an example, I guess I understand why they wouldn't do that. Logistically, it's a lot easier to DQ someone than give them a do-over. What if all these videos come out of the woodwork of top scores where Mikko or Froning or Annie doesn't lock out their hips?
It will be interesting to see if this results in more videos of top contenders doing the Open WODs or fewer.
INTERVIEW WITH JOSH GOLDEN (from www.bilderz.com)
1. As you know the games website comment section was buzzing with negative posts regarding your 13.2 score. How did you learn about the negative posts?
Josh: People called me and told me people were talking about it negatively.
2. Your score posted to the games website was validated at an affiliate, and that validation did not include a video submission correct?
Josh: True, correct.
3. There was a video posted on YouTube of you performing WOD 13.2. Was that video of the WOD that your 387 score was based on?
Josh: Yes, it was
4. Why was the video removed from YouTube?
Josh: I didn’t post the video myself, it was another person and she wasn’t happy with all the negative feedback that was coming from the video. So she decided to take it off. She basically felt bad that it was getting all this negative feedback and she didn’t like reading it all.
5. The buzz online was that a bunch of your shoulders to overhead didn’t count and that your box jumps should have been no repped each time. What do you have to say about that?
Josh: Um, I do agree on the shoulder to overheads, on that one workout, because I didn’t review the standards and I was led to believe that I was able to clean grip snatch the first rep. I was going further below my chin, pretty much close to my shoulders but the video was from the ground up so it made it look every movement look worse than it was.
As far as the box jumps, I felt that I didn’t have anyone telling me they were not correct. The knees are pretty locked out, and my hips are pretty straight, but I was slightly hunched over.
I don’t know they weren’t far off some of the bad reps that I’ve been seeing. I had done the workout earlier in the week and got a 380 on video and it was much cleaner. I was just trying some new ideas on how to get a higher score and this is the result.
6. Today you learned from HQ that you were being disqualified from competing in the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, Individual Event. How were you notified?
Josh: Through an E-Mail
7. What did they base their disqualification on?
Josh: They said that a few times I went straight from the ground to overhead without making contact with my shoulders. Then some of the box jumps I did, did not show control at the top. They never said anything about being locked out, they said control at the top.
8. If you did not submit a video for validation, what were they basing their analysis on?
Josh: They got wind of the (YouTube) video, so they are basing their analysis on the video. If I hadn’t submitted a video (On YouTube) I would have gotten the score and I would have gotten to compete.
9. Do you think you deserved a better chance to explain your side to HQ before the disqualification?
Josh: Uh, yes. I feel like I should have had a chance to do something. You know as much as CrossFit claims to be a non-corporate thing, they are completely. They didn’t hear my side or anything. They said our job is to review movement standards and your standards were off, good luck training.
So I had no chance to do anything. I offered to do it in front of a judge, I offered to do it against anyone in the world, I offered to do anything.
Obviously I’m one of the better athletes in the Region, if not the world. They didn’t even think twice about it. I think they are trying to set an example.
10. Do you think you were treated fairly?
Josh: No, the thing that makes me most upset is that I don’t think I’m being treated fairly by the CrossFit community. First of all I think HQ is reacting on the community response and their covering themselves by doing this disqualification without any type of human interaction of any kind.
The community is completely unfair to me and I’m really hurt by it. I did not try to steal anyone’s spot or cheat the system. I’m being honest with what is happening and I’m not trying to hurt or take anything away from anybody. I’m a good athlete; I’m a solid athlete. I could do that workout and get a top ten spot with little effort in front of a judge, given a chance.
I posted a video of my first workout 13.1, I post videos of all of my workouts (To YouTube). I’m an honest competitor; I was just an ignorant competitor in this case.
11. How do you think this incident will affect your future with CrossFit and the games in general?
Josh: Well I mean, it’s been emotional, such negativity you know. No matter what happens, I’ll probably be called a cheater forever and this has nothing to do with cheating.
You know it hurt me, in a negative way. I don’t deserve this given my history and background with the sport.
12. Do you have any comments on the overall judging system in the Open?
Josh: Oh man, yes I do. I do not see how HQ can sit there and tell me that they are just trying to uphold a standard by disqualifying me, when there are no videos of the top scores being posted in the whole world.
Why is that happening? Is it because people don’t have a cell phone with a recorder on it? They don’t want people to see what they are doing? Or is it there’s an issue with the judging? I’ve had countless people tell me that in their box they’ve seen way worse form. I’m not judging anyone, but there is no standard if everything is not the same.
Me being disqualified for actually being open with what I’m doing and putting it out there for the world, as the number one competitor for that workout supposedly, what does that say about me?
Does that make me somebody without integrity or does that make me someone with more integrity than all the other people posting their scores (Without videos)? I don’t know, there is no standard as far as I’m concerned.
13 . Would you like to add anything else that you didn’t say already?
Josh: I’m not trying to cheat anybody or trying to take any spot in Regionals. I’m sorry if I offended anybody by just posting some score without really taking into consideration the rest of the community.
I am disappointed in the community for judging me without seeking any information first. The community is supposed to be so supportive of each other and is supposed to be caring.
I feel I am a great coach, a positive member of the community. I do countless outreaches and help the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’m a good athlete, and a good person and for people to sit there on their computers and rant a rave about what a douche bag I am, or whatever I am, is very disappointing.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
CrossFit Open 13.2
10 minute AMRAP of:
5 shoulder to overhead (115lbs)
10 deadlift (115lbs)
15 box jumps or steps (I did steps to maintain a constant pace)
I got 238 reps. That amounts to 7 rounds, plus 5 push press, 10 DL and 13 steps
I was hoping for 7 and change, so this was good. Plus, I had at least a half dozen no-reps called by Aaron (including two in the last round) so I know I had it in me to break 8, which makes me happy. Not quite as happy as if I had officially gotten 8 rounds, but mostly happy.
To be clear, I'm not bitching about the no-rep calls. They were largely from me not completely opening my hips on top of the box and I would expect they were all justified. I'm not sure if I seemed like I was angry about it during the WOD... I was trying to maintain an intensity level and I probably had my "pissed off CrossFit face" going. Plus, I think there was a time when Aaron told me to stand straight and I yelled "Stand straight!" on the top of the box. I was yelling mostly at myself, but it might have come off as backtalk.
I'm such a frickin' spaz sometimes.
The bottom line is that I knowingly went to the station where Aaron had judged the previous heat, and I know Aaron's a strict judge. I might have gotten away with some of those reps with someone else, but in the end I'm glad (well, mostly glad) that he ruled them a no-rep. If I had had my wits about me after the WOD was over, I would have thanked him for making sure I met the standards.
So, if you're reading this: Thanks, Aaron! Your awesome judging embiggens us all.
5 shoulder to overhead (115lbs)
10 deadlift (115lbs)
15 box jumps or steps (I did steps to maintain a constant pace)
I got 238 reps. That amounts to 7 rounds, plus 5 push press, 10 DL and 13 steps
I was hoping for 7 and change, so this was good. Plus, I had at least a half dozen no-reps called by Aaron (including two in the last round) so I know I had it in me to break 8, which makes me happy. Not quite as happy as if I had officially gotten 8 rounds, but mostly happy.
To be clear, I'm not bitching about the no-rep calls. They were largely from me not completely opening my hips on top of the box and I would expect they were all justified. I'm not sure if I seemed like I was angry about it during the WOD... I was trying to maintain an intensity level and I probably had my "pissed off CrossFit face" going. Plus, I think there was a time when Aaron told me to stand straight and I yelled "Stand straight!" on the top of the box. I was yelling mostly at myself, but it might have come off as backtalk.
I'm such a frickin' spaz sometimes.
The bottom line is that I knowingly went to the station where Aaron had judged the previous heat, and I know Aaron's a strict judge. I might have gotten away with some of those reps with someone else, but in the end I'm glad (well, mostly glad) that he ruled them a no-rep. If I had had my wits about me after the WOD was over, I would have thanked him for making sure I met the standards.
So, if you're reading this: Thanks, Aaron! Your awesome judging embiggens us all.
Friday, March 15, 2013
OPT Chipper
“OPT Chipper”
For time:
30 Wall Ball – 20/14lb to 10 feet
80 Double-Unders
20 Bell Swings – 70/55lb
30 Toes to Bar
50 Walking Lunges
50 Pull-ups
20 Burpees
I made it to my first 6am WOD in a long, long time.
It was a great way to start a day off, and I'm not even being sarcastic. It was nice to see the Janimal and Boy Dana, and be coached by my big German CrossFit life partner Harlan.
I went pretty hard on this one, but not balls-out, keeping in mind the fact that I have to do 13.2 tomorrow.
The last recorded instance of me doing this workout doesn't even have a time attached, just the words "This ruined me." That may be because I forgot to put the time or did it in chunks, not for time.
The T2B and the pull-ups were the big time-sucks on this. I didn't rip my sissy hands, though.
I finished it in 15:26, which is nearly identical to a time when I did it two years ago.
And it didn't ruin me.
For time:
30 Wall Ball – 20/14lb to 10 feet
80 Double-Unders
20 Bell Swings – 70/55lb
30 Toes to Bar
50 Walking Lunges
50 Pull-ups
20 Burpees
I made it to my first 6am WOD in a long, long time.
It was a great way to start a day off, and I'm not even being sarcastic. It was nice to see the Janimal and Boy Dana, and be coached by my big German CrossFit life partner Harlan.
I went pretty hard on this one, but not balls-out, keeping in mind the fact that I have to do 13.2 tomorrow.
The last recorded instance of me doing this workout doesn't even have a time attached, just the words "This ruined me." That may be because I forgot to put the time or did it in chunks, not for time.
The T2B and the pull-ups were the big time-sucks on this. I didn't rip my sissy hands, though.
I finished it in 15:26, which is nearly identical to a time when I did it two years ago.
And it didn't ruin me.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Power cleans every 20 seconds
A. 1 Power Clean every 20 seconds for 10 minutes (30 reps) (Rx 185lb)
Done.
185 seemed like a lot for me, so I went to CFR thinking I'd do the intermediate weight of 155.
Leya and Jarvis convinced me to do otherwise. I hedged my bets by using a plate configuration that could have been quickly stripped to 155, but it wasn't necessary.
My form was a little wonky, as my feet went way wide to get under the bar, but I managed to do all 30.
B. Diminishing Rowing Sprints
Row for time500m - 1:37.7
400m - 1:19.8
300m - 57.6
200m - 36.8
100m - 19.7
ACT BONUS = 30 Wall Balls when tired, try for unbroken!
I did 17 unbroken.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Volke Vikings Garage WOD: Squat cleans, Burpee Broad Jumps, Wall Balls
The mascot for Steve's garage gym. I'm not sure if that counts as a hook grip.
"The thought of having to pick that bar up again makes me sad."
-Me, at the start of the second round. Or maybe the third. Whatever.
Steve Volke invited Rankin and me to his garage of discomfort (I can't remember... are we calling it VolkeFit?) for a Monday evening Volke Vikings workout.
The WOD was an adapted team version of the previous day's WOD at CFR. I was acutally sorry I missed out on Sunday, so I was happy to get a chance to do it. (Chalk this up to utter foolishness.)
3 rounds for time:
7 Squat Cleans (165/105)
9 Burpee Broad Jumps (we actually did them like this - broad jump, burpee, jump up to touch Steve's pull-up bar)
40 Wall Balls (20/14)
- 20 minute time cap
We started with a guy at each station and would rotate when the last guy had finished his quota. When this was originally conceived, I thought maybe we should have each guy keep going until the last guy had reached his quota. But Steve and Rankin did some warm-ups on the 165lb squat cleans and Steve informed me that my idea was fucking stupid.
Steve is a very nice guy, so he was more diplomatic about it, but he was right.
This was way tougher than it looks, even with the brief respite you got whenever you were at the burpee broad jump station.
By the time I got to the wall balls each round, I was kind of wrecked so there were plenty of breaks. I don't think I did any group of 40 in fewer than five sets, which is pretty bad. It worked out okay for Steve and Rankin, though, because they got a bit more thanks to my lagging.
We got finished in 19:47. Originally, I didn't think you'd need anything close to 20 min for this workouts, but if I had done this individually, there's a good chance I wouldn't have had the motivation to finish this before the time cap.
Afterward, I stopped by Starbucks to get my lovely wife a vanilla latte on the way home (because I'm sweet like that, yo) and my legs were so messed up I had to sit down while they made the order.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
CrossFit Open 13.1
17 minute AMRAP of:
40 Burpees (touching a target 6" above your reach)
30 Snatch, 75 / 45 lbs
30 Burpees
30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs
10 burpees
Max rep Snatch, 210 / 120 lbs
The stuff in italics was the stuff I knew going in I didn't have to worry about. I've snatched 165 exactly once, and it wasn't at the back end of a cardio nightmare workout. As it turns out, I didn't get to the 20 burpees either. My score was 125, meaning I got done 25 snatches at 135. For the tiebreaker, we're supposed to note what time we finished our last full set of snatches. For me, that would have only been the 75lbs, and I got done that at 4:57 on the clock. It might have been a bit quicker, but I had to put the bar down after grazing my forehead with it after my 15th snatch. It didn't hurt at all, but was distracting. However, when I went to enter the score online (about three minutes before the deadline), I entered it as 5:47. Because I'm a dumbass.* *In my defence, I thought I had already entered it (with the correct information), but something didn't go through, so I had to be alerted by Robin and Aaron to do it again, which I did from my wife's iPhone in a London Drugs. Which means that I didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing the first time around. Which, I guess, makes me a double dumbass. It's not a great score, but not an awful one, either. Realistically, it's almost exactly what I thought I would end up with, but I was really hoping I could get done the 30 snatch and get some burpees in. 'Twas not meant to be.
40 Burpees (touching a target 6" above your reach)
30 Snatch, 75 / 45 lbs
30 Burpees
30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs
10 burpees
Max rep Snatch, 210 / 120 lbs
The stuff in italics was the stuff I knew going in I didn't have to worry about. I've snatched 165 exactly once, and it wasn't at the back end of a cardio nightmare workout. As it turns out, I didn't get to the 20 burpees either. My score was 125, meaning I got done 25 snatches at 135. For the tiebreaker, we're supposed to note what time we finished our last full set of snatches. For me, that would have only been the 75lbs, and I got done that at 4:57 on the clock. It might have been a bit quicker, but I had to put the bar down after grazing my forehead with it after my 15th snatch. It didn't hurt at all, but was distracting. However, when I went to enter the score online (about three minutes before the deadline), I entered it as 5:47. Because I'm a dumbass.* *In my defence, I thought I had already entered it (with the correct information), but something didn't go through, so I had to be alerted by Robin and Aaron to do it again, which I did from my wife's iPhone in a London Drugs. Which means that I didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing the first time around. Which, I guess, makes me a double dumbass. It's not a great score, but not an awful one, either. Realistically, it's almost exactly what I thought I would end up with, but I was really hoping I could get done the 30 snatch and get some burpees in. 'Twas not meant to be.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Open 13.1 Prep
Here's what I'll be doing on Saturday.
CrossFit Open Workout 13.1
17 minute AMRAP of:
30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs
10 burpees
Max rep Snatch, 210 / 120 lbs
For Thursday, I showed up to do a little preview warm-up version of this. Here's the differences:
So, yeah, the practice version.
Doing the 15-snatch sets:
40 burpees
15 snatch 75lb
short break, one minute or so
30 burpees
15 snatch 135lb
20 burpees
I had around a minute left to attempt a 165lb snatch. Uh... yeah... that's my max. I'm tired as hell. I've got to do a shitload of snatch on Saturday. Didn't try it.
CrossFit Open Workout 13.1
40 Burpees
30 Snatch, 75 / 45 lbs
30 Burpees30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs
10 burpees
Max rep Snatch, 210 / 120 lbs
- We only did 15 snatches for each weight.
- Took a little break after the first set of snatches.
- There wasn't a gym full of onlookers yelling at me like there will be on Saturday.
So, yeah, the practice version.
Doing the 15-snatch sets:
40 burpees
15 snatch 75lb
short break, one minute or so
30 burpees
15 snatch 135lb
20 burpees
I had around a minute left to attempt a 165lb snatch. Uh... yeah... that's my max. I'm tired as hell. I've got to do a shitload of snatch on Saturday. Didn't try it.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
"Power Elizabeth"
A. Warmup – Jump Rope Intervals
1min each x 2 rounds: Singles, Running in place, Left/right Jumps, DoublesI sort of half did this. The left/right one -- at least the way I did it -- did not look very manly, I'll put it that way.
B. Skill = Kipping Handstand Push up Practice
1-2-3-4-5This is like the one CrossFit skill that I'm well above average at, so... happy fun times.
C. Metcon = “Power Elizabeth” 21-15-9 reps of:
Power Cleans – 135/95lb
Ring Dips
7:22 rx'd. I like this way better than regular Elizabeth with the squat cleans.
I tried to go at a good, steady pace on the cleans, and get the ring dips done as quickly as possible.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
"WOD Shop Variation"
For time, 30x reps each, use same bar load throughout (95#/65#)
Overhead squat
Squat clean
GHD sit-up
Deadlift
Toes-to-bar
KB swing (72#/53#)
Double Unders
Sumo deadlift high-pull
Pull-ups
OHS - Broke up into 20-6-4. Wanted to do 20-10, but my shoulder had other ideas. Squat cleans - Holy shit, these were surprisingly awful. I could not get into a rhythm and any time I tried to string together 3 or 4, I'd need an immediate break. GHDs - These were okay. Deadlifts - I think I did 15-10-5 T2Bs - Yeah. Sucked. D3 started this WOD five minutes behind me and I kept thinking he was going to catch me and pass me because I am so bloody awful at these. KB swing - Yuck. DUs - OF COURSE, I tripped up on the 29th, so I'd have to do one more. SDHPs - These can go fuck themselves. Pull-ups - Took me about 90 seconds, I think. Note to self: Shorten those breaks, dumbass! Probably could have taken a minute off my time if I had spent less time panting and more time working. 21:48.
Overhead squat
Squat clean
GHD sit-up
Deadlift
Toes-to-bar
KB swing (72#/53#)
Double Unders
Sumo deadlift high-pull
Pull-ups
OHS - Broke up into 20-6-4. Wanted to do 20-10, but my shoulder had other ideas. Squat cleans - Holy shit, these were surprisingly awful. I could not get into a rhythm and any time I tried to string together 3 or 4, I'd need an immediate break. GHDs - These were okay. Deadlifts - I think I did 15-10-5 T2Bs - Yeah. Sucked. D3 started this WOD five minutes behind me and I kept thinking he was going to catch me and pass me because I am so bloody awful at these. KB swing - Yuck. DUs - OF COURSE, I tripped up on the 29th, so I'd have to do one more. SDHPs - These can go fuck themselves. Pull-ups - Took me about 90 seconds, I think. Note to self: Shorten those breaks, dumbass! Probably could have taken a minute off my time if I had spent less time panting and more time working. 21:48.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Team WOD
I teamed with Tricia, Alanna and Alanna's friend Tom.
I dubbed our team "Extra Clean" for reasons that are actually kinda disgusting and inappropriate.
Buy-In: 100 wall balls, one member working at a time
Four stations, each person working at one station, switch when done.
Row 300m
30 box jumps (24" men)
30 bell swings (55lb, but we used 70lb because of a mistake)
30 goblet squats (35lbs)
Row 150m
15 box jumps
15 bell swings
15 goblet squats
Buy-out: 100 pull-ups, one member working at a time.
Here's what I remember:
- We did the wallballs in sets of 15 and 10
- I thought the box jumps would take a lot longer than the rest of the exercises, but it turns out it was any station I was on was the slowest. I was really slow on the goblet squats, surprisingly.
- I couldn't figure out why the bell swings were kicking my ass so hard, then I realized I was using a 70lb bell. I was already 20 swings in, so I decided to keep going with it. But it sucked.
17:28, or something like that.
I dubbed our team "Extra Clean" for reasons that are actually kinda disgusting and inappropriate.
Buy-In: 100 wall balls, one member working at a time
Four stations, each person working at one station, switch when done.
Row 300m
30 box jumps (24" men)
30 bell swings (55lb, but we used 70lb because of a mistake)
30 goblet squats (35lbs)
Row 150m
15 box jumps
15 bell swings
15 goblet squats
Buy-out: 100 pull-ups, one member working at a time.
Here's what I remember:
- We did the wallballs in sets of 15 and 10
- I thought the box jumps would take a lot longer than the rest of the exercises, but it turns out it was any station I was on was the slowest. I was really slow on the goblet squats, surprisingly.
- I couldn't figure out why the bell swings were kicking my ass so hard, then I realized I was using a 70lb bell. I was already 20 swings in, so I decided to keep going with it. But it sucked.
17:28, or something like that.
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