B-Squad: Front Squats, Hang Cleans and Metcon

A. Front Squats 3-3-AMRAP.

I used 205.  On the AMRAP, I got up to 7.



B. Hang Squat Clean - work up to a tough double

I got up to 185.

Christian gave me some solid advice here to help me keep my form in check.   I've only worked out at B-Squad twice, but there seems to be a real focus on watching athletes closely and correcting their form on the lifts. That is a good thing.  



C. Metcon

Four rounds of the following:

• 250m row
• 3 burpees
• 6 push-ups
• 12 mountain climbers (L+R=1) 
• Rest two minutes

My times were:
1:22
1:21
1:21
1:25

Even a small amount of mountain climbers can get old quick.  This was a cleverly designed metcon in that it was short enough (and incorporated enough rest) to hit hard and not stop during the working portion, but it was still challenging.



Overheard at the Gym

"Why is my dad the only one signed up to work out?  Is it because nobody else likes this gym?"
-My son (age 7)

Christian laughed hard at that one, but I still made the kid do 10 burpees and gave him a gentle talking-to at home.  

VolkeFit: You down with OPP? (Other People's Pain)

Here's what Steve had me do this time out:

Appetizer:

Ten minutes or so working up to a moderate front squat triple

I ended up at 185, and did four sets of three.


Main Course

9 squat cleans @1351b
5 deadhang pull-ups
6 squat cleans @155lb
4 deadhang pull-ups
4 squat cleans @175lb
3 deadhang pull-ups

(not for time)


Dessert
3km on the AirDyne.

This took around 5:30.  For the last minute or so, I kept the "Watt" metre above 300, so needless to say it was the longest 60 seconds ever.


Songzaa continued to play hit after hit during the workout, including this all-time great:

  

Following the workout, I went and completely destroyed any good I might have done by heading to Five Guys for a burger, fries and pop.  Because Tyler. 

The Lion

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

1 Power Clean
2 Front Squats
3 Push Press
4 Back Squats 75/55lb

As far as I've been able to determine, this was my first time ever doing this WOD.

The number of moderate-weighted squats might not have been a great idea for my leg, but figuring out what I can do without consequences and what I'm going to pay for is a crapshoot these days. 

I was feeling this one for days after, in both legs. 

During the WOD, there were a few times, maybe more than a few, that I did three front squats instead of two.  Dumb.  The sets of four back squats were the hardest at the end.  The push press were still pretty easy, thanks to the fact that I have short arms and the bar doesn't have to travel very far. 

I ended up with 31 rounds, plus 1 clean and 1 front squat.  (31 rounds + 2).

Dread the sled

A. Front squats 3-3-3-3

185-195-205-215



B. Sled Drag Suicides

115lbs on the sled. Three rounds of:
Run to the 10m line and back
Run to the 20m line and back
Run to the 30m line and back

Each round is timed individually. 

Sled drags are always horrible for me.  It's deceptive, though.  On paper, they don't seem so bad.  In fact, I always tell myself I'm going to do a bit extra.  Then I do one and I revise my plans.

They start off okay, and I feel like I'm moving pretty quick to the 10m and back.  On the 20m, I'm still hustling, but my legs are starting to mobilize a protest.  By the the 30m turnaround,, I'm fighting for every step.   After the first round, I really didn't want to do it again.  When I stepped up to the line, I felt this faint sensation of fear mixed with nausea.

I wasn't particularly fast with these, but I was very consistent. Other people had huge time disparities between their first run and subsequent ones. 

Round 1 - 1:10
Round 2 - 1:13
Round 3-  1:12

Front Squat Fives / T2B & KB PP AMRAP

A. Front Squats 5-5-5-5

135-165-195-205

205 seemed plenty heavy too me. I wasn't going to push my back too much, and I always think that I'm capable of front squatting more than I actually am. 

I'm in no way sure about anything I did other than the 205

B. AMRAP - 10 minutes

As many rounds as possible of:

10 kettlebell push-press (left arm) - 35lb
10 kettlebell push press (right arm) - 35lb
10 toes-to-bar

I did seven rounds and one push press

At the start, using the kipping technique Aimee showed me, I was finally able to string together 10 T2B for a couple of rounds, and groups of 4-5 in subsequent rounds.  It made a real difference in time.  However, it hurts the hell out of my hands and I eventually had to go back to my one-at-a-time method. 


Hey, speaking of Aimee, she had a hand in decorating the washrooms at CFR, which have been spruced up a bit with some new paint and a couple of new decor touches.  It's very nice.

One of the decor items is a large sign with a series of tips that seem to be telling couples how they can be in a loving and fullfilling relationship.  

But I noticed something kind of funny about it.  See if you can spot it. 

Scroll down if you want to see what I noticed. 



...




...




...







"Stay in bed all day."  Hey, I like the sound of that!  What comes next?

"Create memories you will tell your grandchildren about."  Whaaa....?

Front Squats (3s), Tabata, "Rhiannon"

A. Front squats 3-3-3

I did 185-205-225 (PR)


B. Tabata (Box jumps and push-ups)

112 box jumps and 85 push-ups for a score of 197. Not my best.


C. Rhiannon. Ten minutes of max double unders.

258. I always think I am gonna do better on this than I do. Ah, well, doing it right after Tabata is as good a reason as any for a sub-par showing.

"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. 

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

Dumbass

A. Bench Press 3-3-3-3


115 - 135 - 145-155- 165


B. Metcon = The “Expendable”

150 Double Unders
5 Front Squats (1/2 Body weight, for me that's 95 lbs)
5 Pull ups
10 Front Squats
10 Pull ups
15 Front Squats
15 Pull ups
20 Front Squats
20 Pull ups

I didn't exactly do it in this order, though.  I missed the rounds of 15, called "Time," then wondered how the hell I passed Jarvis who was way in front of me ("Hmm, he must of been really slow on his front squats.")

Then I looked at the whiteboard and realized I went from the 10s to the 20s. 

Dumbass.

10:58

“The Trooper-ish” and Double Unders

“The Trooper-ish”
800m Run

15 Snatches – 135/85lb (Advanced do 155/100lb)

400m Run

30 Front Squats – 155/105 (Advanced do 205/145lb)

*Add your own weight onto bar, must take bar from floor
Time cap =20 minutes


I used the 135 for the snatches, but thought I could handle the 205 front squats. 

Wrong.  After six reps, and two cleans, it was pretty clear I wasn't going to finish if I kept that much weight on the bar.  I lightened the weight to 155, and even with that, it wasn't a sure thing that I could get it done under the time cap.


3 scores:

1. 800m Run time   3:29

2. # of Front Squats in first set   3
3. Overall time (or if unfinished, time cap + 1 second for every unfinished rep)  18:58


B. 3 sets of Max Double-Unders

46, 49, 55 (PR)
I broke my previous DU PR of 53, which was nearly two years old. 

Front squats are fun!!

This post's title comes from some whiteboard grafitti at CrossFit Regina left by an unknown optimist.

A. Front squats: 3-2-1-1-1

205x3
225x2
235x1
245x1
255x1 (FAIL)


B. Run 1,200m

I didn't feel very fast this morning.  5:10

Spring Fling 2011 WOD

20 ront squats 185 lb (taken from the floor, not the rack)
30 speed burpees
30 pull-ups (chin must break bar's vertical plane)

5:50 rx'd.

I wasn't sure how quickly I would get through the squats, but I did sets of 10, 6 and 4 and it was over sooner than I thought. I managed to avoid having to clean the weight too much.

.

Overhead Squats and Metcon

A. Strength = Overhead Squat 3 x 3 at 85% 1RM
I used 155 lbs.

B. Metcon = Squat and Jump on the Minute
For 15 minutes on the Minute
3 Front Squats – 115/75lb
5 Box Jumps – 20″

Done.


Overheard at the Gym
"It's all about my groin."

.

Lunchtime hypocrisy: Front squats and "Every Rep Counts"

Overheard at the Gym

"You should post that rule."
-Dude from Saskatoon, good-naturedly complaining about the 10-burpees-for-swearing rule after saying "Fuck you, OPT" during the course of the OPT metcon.

"Hey, it's not written anywhere that you're not supposed to pee on the floor, but we don't want you to do that, either."
-Tyler the Hypocrite, who actually inspired the burpee punishment for profanity.

A. Front Squat 3-3-3
*Start at 85% of 1RM and increase

I did 205 and 225, then failed at 250. Well, I got one at 250, so I can claim that as my new one-rep max, I guess. It's five pounds more than my current one-rep PR. See, if I had realized that, I would have gone for only 235 for the three-rep PR, but I convinced myself that my three-rep PR was not properly recorded on the sidebar.

It's alright. It's good to fail sometimes. If you never fail, you're probably not challenging yourself enough. I think I am sometimes guilty of that. I have a fragile ego and CrossFit is one of the ways I am able to convince myself that I am utterly awesome despite, yknow, everything else I do.


B. “Every Reps Counts” 2009 Qualifier WOD
As many rounds in 20 minutes of
10 Wall Ball 20/14lb
10 Box Jumps 20″
10 Deadlift 205/145lb
10 Speed Burpees

My score was 221, which equates to 5 rounds, plus 10 WB, 10 BJ, and 1 deadlift. No matter what, I was gonna get that one fucking deadlift.

Holy shit, though, I thought the deadlifts were awful on this. I am weak. WEAK!

6 a.m. Bedroom Eyes: Turkish Get-Ups and "Oh My"

Second day in a row getting up in time for the 6am WOD. Partial credit goes to my son, who crawled into my bed at 5:14 to ask if he could go downstairs and watch TV.


A. Turkish Get-Ups 3-2-1-1-1

This is only the second time I have ever done Turkish Get-Ups. I like them, but am not that good with them.

3 x 40lb dumbell
2 x 55lb dumbell
1 x 45lb barbell (harder, because of the balancing
1 x 55lb barbell

I then failed three separate times with the 70lb kettlebell. Very close, though.

B. “Oh My!” 7 rounds for time of
7 Hang Power Clean
7 Front Squats
7 Push Press or Push Jerk
20 Double-Unders
Men 75lb/Women 55lb, Intermediate 65/45, Beginners 3-5 rounds with 45/33

11:25 as rx'd. All the DUs were uninterrupted. Not so much for the weight complex after the second round. I should have taped my right wrist, as I was still feeling that injury from a few weeks back on the cleans.

One of the problems with doing the DUs uninterrupted is that it doesn't give you much time for rest.


C. 1km Row for time

4:07. That's an approximate time. I took a break while rowing and the clock read 3:57 when I was done, but I realized at the end that the timer might have stopped when I was resting.

Front Squats and "Deuces"

A. Strength
Front Squat (start at 70% of 1 Rep Max)
5-5-5

I started at 175, which is slightly more than 70% of my one-rep max of 245.

Set 1: 175lb
Set 2: 205(old PR, according to my shoddy recordkeeping anyway)
Set 3: 225 (new PR)

I was actually a bit nervous on the 225, which is my PR for 3's, and almost psyched myself out. But it went up.


B. Metcon
“Deuces” - For Time
- 2 minutes of Lunges
- 2 minutes of Toes 2 Bar
- 2 minutes of Situps
- 2 minutes of Burpees
- 2 minutes of Squats
Coaches Note: Continuous clock with no clock stoppage between exercise transitions. Add up all reps from each exercise for total score.


I scored 257.

I think I got:
78 lunges,
29 T2B
63 sit-ups
27 burpees
60 squats

Those numbers might not be my exact scores, but it does add up to 257.

Front Squats and "Tabata This"

A. Strength = Front Squat 80%x3x5 (3 reps, 5 sets)

I used 195. This was surprisingly not fun.

B. Metcon = “Tabata This” (Tabata = 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off)
4 minutes each of Pull-ups, Push-ups, Situps, Squats
4 minutes of Pull-ups before moving on to Push-ups, etc.
Every rep is a point. Add up all your reps for a total score.

My score was 333.

Front Squats and "Christine"

A. Strength = Front Squats heavy single 3-2-1-1-1,
Then 90%x2, 85%x3x3


I did 165x3, 195x2 then singles of 215, 225, 235, and 245(PR)I thought that my previous PR was 225, so I thought I had a 20lb PR there for a little while, then discovered that I actually did 235 for a single in the past. Still, it's always good to get a PR, even if it is *only* 10lbs.

B. Metcon = “Christine” for time
3 rounds of
500m Row,
12 Bodyweight Deadlift (modify to 3/4 or 1/2 bodyweight as needed),
21 Box Jumps – 20”

I used 185 for the deadlifts, though I'm probably around 180. It's what I've used on this in the past.

The deadlifts probably slowed me down the most. I tried not to kill the row so I'd have some energy for the lifts and the jumps.

13:57

About 16 seconds slower than the previous time I've done it as rx'd.

"Gates of Fire 2"

For time:
50 Situps
50 Pushups
25 Front Squats (65/45)
25 Back Squats (65/45)
25 Overhead Squats (65/45)
25 Front Squats (65/45)
50 Pullups
50 Situps

Took me 15:11, which isn't the fastest I've ever done it, but it's close.

***


Overheard at the Gym:

"I feel weird complimenting a girl on her snatch with her dad RIGHT THERE."

"He likes it, too."

The Bear and Weighted Pull-ups

I had another 5:40am conversation with myself this morning.

"You're awake. Get the fuck up and go to that 6am workout."
"Bed. Comfy. Warm. Tired."
"Don't give me that shit. You know damn well you can get up."
"I could go at noon."
"You always say you want to go at 6am, yet you hardly ever go. It will be a lovely start to your day."
"I was up past midnight last night."
"That's why scientists invented caffiene. Go. You won't regret it."
"But it's cold out there."
"Okay, now you're just being a pussy. Get the fuck up."


A. “The Bear” 5 rounds of 7 reps
1 rep = 1 each of:
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press
Increase weights each round.



75-85-105-115-120(PR)

Christian gave some good advice, which was not to increase our weight too quickly. I've felt for a long time that I could do more than my previous best of 115, but the Bear is really frickin' hard. Today at 6am, I just wanted to beat that mark, but not smash it.


B. Weighted Pull-ups 3-2-1-1-1


15-25-35-45F


***

Overheard at the gym:

"Now my family is me, a Japanese dog, and another dude."
.