Push Press and a Bell Swing/Sit-Up ladder

A. Push Press 5-5-5 (75% of 1 RM, sets across)

I did with 150.

Single Leg Deadlift with Dumbbell 3x5each leg with 2 dumbbells – 35/25lb

.
B. KBS/Situp Ladder for time:

2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 reps of KBS to Shoulder Height – 70/55lb

Abmat Situps x2 (double the reps – 4-8-12-16-20-16-12-8-4)

 

5:20ish, I think. My counting on this one got screwed up.  I may have done some extra stuff here. 

Gymnastics Day

A. 3 x max  Towel Pull up, rest 2min between each set.

 

I did 10, 6 and 4.  Lord did this hurt. 

 

 

 

B. Complete 3 rounds with 2 min rest between each.

1 min Hand stand hold (beginners do plank)

1 min Hollow rock

1 min Bottom squat hold

1 min Superman hold

 

Done.  Funny how the two minutes of rest seems way, way shorter than the four minutes of awful. 

6am: Tabata or not Tabata...

A. 2 Position Snatch (Floor, Mid Thigh) 70% x 5

I did this with 115.  I had an issue catching my second snatch on reps 4 and 5.  I wanted to go out on a high note, so I did it one more time.  I had to catch it in a power snatch and go down for the squat, though. 

B. Tabata Mash-up

1 Tabata Round of 4min for max reps. In a series of 20sec on followed by 10sec off x8. Alternate between two movements for a total of 4 sets of each.

a. Wallball  (total of 61)

b. Double unders (Total of 153)

I figured out pretty early on that I should stop at 7 wall balls (not that I had time for any more anyway) so I could catch my breath in time for the DUs.  Trying to get one or two more WB would have severely compromised my ability to get even the small number of DUs that I managed to get. 

(after looking at this chart, I discovered a math error.  10 + 9 = 19, dumbass)

Total score is 214


BONUS: Wait 3 minutes then 20 Unbroken 24″ Burpee Box Jumps, not part of scored time

Did it.  Slowly.  Hey, unbroken just means that you keep moving, but it doesn't say how fast.   It took me 2:29. 

“One Bite at a Time”

20min AMRAP:

Partner A runs 400m
Partner B does 1 Squat Clean & Jerk (95/65) and 1 pull-up. Add one rep until you reach 5 C&J and 5 pull-ups; then complete 20 burpees.  After the 20 burpees, you do 6&6, 7&7, etc until you do 10.  After 10, start again at 1s. 

When one partner is done the run, he comes in and picks up where the other guy is at.  If a partner finishes the 20 burpees before partner finishes run, start  on the c&j and pull-ups. Score is burpees completed.

Only three of us signed up for this WOD, Nathan, Steve and me.  Nathan and I worked at the same time as Partner A, and Steve was Partner B.  I suspect that meant Steve had to do more work, because we did a bit more running.  It was a nice day for it. 

We finished 60 burpees, plus were into the 9s on the other stuff. 

Regional WOD #6

Chipper for time:
100 Double-unders
50 Handstand push-ups (assisted as needed)
40 Toes-to-bar (sub hanging leg raises)
30 Shoulder to overhead with barbell (160/100 lb, Int 115/75, Newer 95/65, Beginners use empty bar)
90 ft. (30 steps) walking lunge with barbell in front rack (160/100 lb, same as above)
*Regionals will require Axle bar, but we will use regular bars.
**Regionals will have 15 minute time cap

I wanted to do this as rx'd... as dumb as that sounds. 

100 DUs: First set was either 46 or 56... because I lost count, I counted it as 46.  I finished this off in just over two minutes.

50 handstand push-ups: This was no fun whatsoever.  I started off doing 5s and was doing 2s and 1s by the end, with lots of breaks and psyching myself up in between.  It took forever to get done... like over 11 minutes.  Another not fun thing about it is that I kinda hurt my neck.  Not from being upside down on my head, but from straining to lock out.  It's nothing major, but it's annoying me as I write this. 

40 Toes-to-bar: I got to 15 by the time the Regional time cap of 15 minutes happened.  But I decided I would impose a personal time cap of 25 min on myself, so I could get to the shoulder to overhead. 

30 shoulder to overhead: I don't know how I only got 12 of these by the time the clock hit 25:00.  I had to clean and jerk each one and drop it after locking out.  So that took a long time.  The first one, I caught awkwardly and hyperextended my back a bit.  But I was okay. 

Final result: 100 DU, 50 HSPU, 40 T2B, 12 S2OH in 25:00.    

Regional WOD #4: "The 100s"

For time:
100 Wall balls, 20/14 lbs to a 10’ target
100 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups
100 Pistols (one-legged squats), alternating
100 One-arm dumbbell snatches, alternating (70/55lb), do not need to squat
Time cap 25mins.

I was dreading this one all day.  Honestly, I was really re-thinking my rule about not cherrypicking WODs. 

Actually, the best thing about it was the time cap.  Knowing that it wouldn't go longer than 25 minutes, and being fairly certain I wouldn't get to the DB snatches, that provided some comfort. 

I was also mildly concerned about my ability to keep track of my reps, no joke.  I decided to do the wall balls in sets of 10 and mark each set on the whiteboard.  This had the added bonus of giving me a little rest in between sets. 

It wasn't the fastest way to do it -- I think it took me over 7:00, which is pretty slow -- but I also wasn't bagged when I moved to the C2B.

Going into this, I knew the C2B pull-ups were gonna be ugly.  My goal was to get through them without tearing my hands... and also just to get through them. 

I did the first set of 10.  Then sets of fives.  Then sets of three and two.  I finished it sometime after 20:00. 

For something I'm not real adept at, the pistols went better than expected.  I'm still much better with my left leg than my right, but the gap seemed closer tonight than any time previously.  Perhaps my legs were good and warmed up after the 100 WB. 

Whatever it was, I got through 33 of them before the time ran out, which is more than I expected.  

Final result: 100 WB +  100 C2B + 33 pistols. 

Father-and-son Jackie

A. Jackie

1,000m row
50 thrusters with a 45lb bar
30 pull-ups

When I got to CFR today, Kim Fly told me that everyone else had already started Jackie, so I'd be in a heat of one. 

The Boy was tagging along with me so I figured I'd make him do the workout alongside me, just modified with PVC thrusters and jumping ring pull-ups.  He wouldn't have to worry about counting reps, he could just switch when I switched. 

It was fun. I figured that I wouldn't PR this today, given that I'd be paying a bit of attention to him and not going up against anyone, but as it turned out I got a 20-second PR. 

7:56 (PR) 

B. 1 km run

Yeah... after doing Jackie, I wasn't going to be setting any records on this.  It was a nice little cool-down, I guess. 

5:04



The Boy didn't join me on the run, but did do a little sprint in the alley.  When I told him it was time to go home, he protested, "But I'm not sweaty yet!"

So he did a bunch of other stuff:
-headstands on an abmat, and handstand push-ups (his head comes up about 2 inches, but still);
-"atlas stone" lifts and carries with a 20lb medicine ball; and
-more jumping pull-ups.

I guess he got sweaty at some point, because he took off his shirt.  As Kim Fly noted, "You can do that here."

Finally, he and I also did a race to 10 burpees. He managed to eke out a win on that one and it was almost completely legit.

I was very proud of him... not just for the burpee win.

Earlier at home, I told him I was heading to CrossFit.  He had had a busy day already playing with some neighbourhood friends and looked like he was ready for a nap.  He told me he wanted to come to CrossFit with me.  I told him I wasn't sure he was up to it, but he insisted.  He said if he needed to nap, he could nap there.  (He's done it before.)

I'm proud that he seems to be grasping the idea that physical fitness is important. 

In the era he's living in, there are so many things that can derail a kid's happiness.  It would be great if one thing he and his little sister didn't have worry about were self-esteem problems stemming from weight, body image and athletic ability. 

It's a lesson I wish I had taken to heart a lot earlier in my life.   As I've noted here before, for most of my life pre-CrossFit,  I was overweight.  Maybe not obese, but ranging from chubby to fat.  It wasn't my parents' fault. They enrolled me in sports and prepared reasonably healthy meals.  But when left to my own devices, I'd spend hours playing video games or watching TV and consuming way too much junk food.  Genetically, I'm not predisposed to being able to eat whatever I want and still be lean. 

The results were predictable.  And I wrongly felt they were inevitable, that this was just the hand that I've been dealt.  I bought into the belief that I didn't have the capacity to change myself, because it was easier than getting off my ass and doing something about it. 

It definitely impacted how I saw myself, and not in a good way.  I'm not saying I spent every waking hour mired in a deep depression because I was carrying 20 or 30 extra pounds, but I wasn't always as happy or as confident in myself as I could have been.  Starting CrossFit five years ago definitely helped change that, though a lifetime of thinking of yourself as the fat kid is hard to completely undo. 

My goal for my kids is to encourage and enable them pursue healthy and active lifestyles.  If they achieve that through CrossFit, great.  I'd be just as happy if they did it through soccer, dancing, swimming, basketball, gymnastics or martial arts... or all of the above. 

Whatever activity they choose, they don't have to be the best.  I just want them to try hard and have fun being active. 

They shouldn't have to go through life thinking of themselves as the fat kid who can't. 

Partner WODS

Saturday at CrossFit Regina featured three separate Partner WODs.

I got Steve as my partner, so we could be Steve 'n' Tyler aka "WOD Looks Like A Lady."

A.  100 Wall balls for time. 

Steve and I did these in sets of 10 each.  After one partner threw his 10th WB, the other caught it so there were no pauses in the action. 

It took us 3:12.

 

B. 10-min AMRAP

Alternating rounds with a partner (each partner does all 20 movements and then switches)

5 burpee pull-ups
5 jumping squats
5 clapping push-ups
5 toes-to-bar

Then, some idiot* suggested that to make this more interesting, the partner not doing the work had to be in a handstand hold. 

(*It was me.  Obviously.)

That made things interesting alright, if you define "interesting" as "exponentially more fucking terrible the longer this goes."

We did 7 rounds plus 4 burpulls. 

 

C. Partner Rhiannon, switching every time someone stops doing double unders.

This was a good WOD to have Steve as a partner.  He did 84 double unders off the hop... which was probably unwise when you consider that 10 min is a long time and I'm not nearly as good as double unders as he is. 

He did the lion's share.  We ended up with 738 and I think I maybe did 200 of them... if that. 

Hang Squat C&J / "Condition This"

A. Hang Squat Clean + Jerk (clean from mid-thigh) 3-2-1-1-1

(Jerk only on last rep of triple and double)
3x135
2x165
1x185
1x195
1x205
Jamie was coaching gave me some good advice about engaging my legs.  I was cleaning it from just below my waist, and Jamie said I had a good shrug and a good pull under the bar, but I was not fully taking advantage of the hips and legs.  I tried to keep that in mind for the final set. 

I am noticing my left shoulder more than I'd like on the jerks.

B. “Condition This”

For time: 800m Run, 50 Speed Burpees, 75 Double-Unders, 25 Speed Burpees… wait 3 minutes then 30 Unbroken 20″ Box Jumps, MUST step down, not part of scored time.

This was fine.  I felt kind of slow on the 800m, and was in the back third of the pack.  I could have been running a bit more tenatively in the Innov-8s. 

Or maybe I just had a better understanding of the need to pace myself on the run, because it's followed by 50 burpees. 

Or maybe I'm just slow.  Yeah... that's probably it. 

After getting back from the run, I started the burpees right away.  I had a pretty good pace on the burpees, though the pauses were a little more frequent once I hit 30. 

With the DUs, I figured I'd try to do them in three sets.  I did 32, 24 and then 14. Screwed up with 5 more to go, which kinda sucks. 

11:18.  I was pretty happy with that time, though if I had been faster on the final 25 burpees, I could have gotten sub-11. 

"Volke Gone Bad" (Alternative title: "Reset, Enter, Enter")

CrossFit Regina was closed on Saturday so Steve hosted a Fight Gone Bad-esque WOD in his garage. 

Three five minute rounds, one minute at each station during the round.  Resting two minutes after the first round and three after the second .

• Battle Ropes (L+R=1)
• Squat Thrusters (go into a push-up position, bring your knees to your chest and your feet under your ass, kick them back out and repeat until you regret being born)
• AirDyne for calories - There's a reason Nolan calls this "The Devil's bicycle."
• Wall Balls
• Kettlebell High Pulls

My score was 399.  Of all the dudes present (Steve, Shae, Nathan, Drew) it was the worst result, which is unsurprising given those guys are a bunch of animals.   Since it was the first time I ever did this WOD, at least I can say I PR'd it. 


Overheard at the Gym Garage;

"When a new person gets on the AirDyne, it's 'Reset.' 'Enter.' 'Enter.'"

"You've also just described my lovemaking technique."

Shoulder Press / Deadlift / "Clean and Jump"

A. Shoulder Press 3-3-3

95-115-125-135(failed)

B. Deadlift 1×5

275lbs

C.“Clean/Jump”

For time:
21-15-9
Power Cleans 135/95
Box Jumps 24/20

6:44.     It felt like longer.  For some reason, I thought it took me 8:45 (I must have read someone else's time on the whiteboard) and originally posted that result, until Steve corrected me. 

First Muscle-Up / Annie-Karen Mash-up

So pumped to see Tyler do his first muscle up tonight! Great job buddy!!! P.S. that one legged eggbeater move was the tits ;)
-Tiff (on Facebook)


The first part of the WOD today at CrossFit Regina had us practicing muscle-ups or muscle-up transitions. 

To be honest, at this point I had become resigned to the idea that I would ever be able to get a muscle-up.   After all, I've been doing CrossFit five years now, and haven't ever gotten close.   I've done jumping muscle-ups, but that's like having your mom tell you how handsome you look.  

I can do pull-ups (kipping, chest-to-bar and strict) and ring dips competently, so problem wasn't physical. 

It is all mental.  On the very sporadic occasions when I've tried, I've gotten frustrated and given up too easily. 

I couldn't wrap my head around the way to transition myself from being under the rings to over them... the whole "headbutt" thing threw me for a loop.  And I was so bad at it that I didn't want to practice.  

It bothered me a bit that muscle-ups came to others so easily.  But obviously it didn't bother me enough to work diligently and intelligently to change.  (This is a longstanding character flaw)  It was easier to fall back to my position of "I just can't do them."  

Tonight, though, Keenan was showing us non-MU-havers how to do transitions.  He gave a tip about looking up at the ceiling as you pull yourself up, then keeping the rings tight to your body.  Also showed how the false grip is supposed to work... which I guess I had never really paid close attention to.  

I did a couple of transitions, and then, decided to head over to the rings hanging from the ceiling. 

My first attempt was close to how they usually go. Not even close.

Leya gave me some tips on the false grip and doing a BIG kip. 

On my next attempt, I did a couple of big kipping swings underneath before attempting to pull myself up.  I got up pretty high.  I think I even surprised myself at how close I got.   At that point, I had a good feeling that I might get a MU tonight. 

After a few minutes, I grabbed the rings again.  False grip.  BIG SWING.  Look up.  GO!  

I got up over the rings... mostly.  My left arm was able to straighten... but my right arm was still bent.... and I was struggling to lock myself out. 

I have no idea how long I was in that position. I later described it as "the muscle-up version of the Dave Castro deadlift." It felt like 20 seconds, but that's doubtful.  However, it was long enough that people who weren't watching could turn and see what was happening. I was doing everything I could to push myself up, which included, as Tiff alluded to, a one-legged eggbeater kind of thing. 

Whatever I was doing, it finally worked and I was able to lock out both arms. 

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty happy to finally get that muscle-up monkey off my back.  I posted the above picture  on Facebook with the caption "Finally, after five years. (It was ugly, but it still counts). I think it took Kyle a month."

I got a bunch of "likes" and congratulations from CrossFitters because they're awesome, supportive people... even though this is like congratulating a 12-year-old for finally getting the training wheels off his bike. 

I guess that would be a pretty big day for the 12-year-old, too. 

I didn't make any fewer attempts because my right shoulder was hurting after the extended time I spent not being locked out. 

On to the metcon...

Annie Karen mash-up

20min AMRAP of:

• 30 Double Unders
• 20 Sit-ups
• 10 Wall Ball

This was hard, but the good thing about it is that it was a reasonable number of each exercise so you were transitioning pretty quickly through it. 

I did 9 rounds plus 30 DU and 11 SU. 

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)

Overhead Squats / “May Flowers?” Pyramid

A. Overhead Squats 3-3-3-3-3

95-125-145-165-185(FAIL)-175(FAIL)

Not much to say about this.  On the two fails, I spent too much time trying to stabilize the weight after jerking it above my head.  (Note to self: get under it more on the jerk overhead next time) By the time I got down into the squat, I couldn't hold it anymore.

My shoulders were a bit of an issue, too, but I think the main problem was that I went for a 20lb jump from a weight (165) that was already a challenge.  Then I psyched myself out. 

B. “May Flowers?” Pyramid

2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2

Bell swings (55lbs)
Toes-to-Bar

5:37

I did all the bell swings unbroken.  Not so much with the toes-to-bar

By the time I reached the second set of eight, my grip felt like it was fried.