T2B Cindy; Turning the corner on muscle-ups

I arrived at CrossFit Regina way early for the 7pm WOD last night, so I spent some time doing muscle-ups.  Five, to be precise, which brings my lifetime total to 14. I'm averaging 2 MUs per year, for each year I've been doing CrossFit. Yay, Tyler!  

The muscle-ups in question were ugly as hell.  I'm barely getting the bottom of the ring armpit height, so there's always a brief, mini-struggle to bring my right elbow closer to my body so I can lock it out.  Shae gave me some advice on gripping the ring that I'm going to try out.

Still, I think I've almost reached the point where I can go up to a set of rings and be totally confident that I could do a muscle-up.  Almost.

WOD of the day

"T2B Cindy":
-5 toes-to-bar
-10 push-ups
-15 squats

I did 16 rounds plus 5 T2B.



Beforehand, I was a little unsure about this because the last time I did Cindy, I developed that hamstring injury that still lingers to this day.  I'm not sure if the injury was a result of Cindy or the sprints I had done two days earlier in Edmonton, but I sure as hell didn't want it to flare up again.  I was also unsure how good the T2B would be for my shoulder.

14.4 was announced yesterday right before I got to the gym.  I thought maybe I'd to that instead.  Then I found out it was a chipper with 50 consecutive T2B, which sounded like a recipe for hand tearing or shoulder fuckage.  Screw that, I thought.  T2B Cindy it is.

Sure I ended up doing more T2B with the Cindy WOD, but they're done in smaller sets, and separated by however long it takes to do the push-ups and squats.

Now that I've had some time to think about it, I may end up doing 14.4 at some point.  There's a fine line between injury avoidance and just being a pussy.    

"The Chief"

A minor illness, sick kid and other real-life stuff kept me out of the gym for close to two weeks.  First WOD back is a classic. 

"The Chief"

Five three minute rounds (one minute rest between) with an AMRAP:
3 Squat cleans (135lbs)
6 Push ups
9 Squats

At the start of each round, you start with the 3 squat cleans.  I think we've done the "pick up where you left off" version in the past, too but since Aaron was the coach today, I'm going to assume without looking it up, that starting at the start of the sequence is the correct way to do it. 

Round 1: 5 rounds even.
Round 2: 3 rounds +3+6+7
Round 3: 3 rounds +2
Round 4: 3 rounds +2
Round 5: 3 rounds +2

The Bad:

• This is quite bit lower than my better results on this 
• My push-ups continue to suck, both in form and my ability to perform them.
• My score was the lowest of all the dudes. 

The Good:

• At least I'm back in the gym.
• There's something about doing 135lb squat cleans that just make me feel fucking awesome.

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. 

Cleaning my CLOC

A. Power Clean 3-3-3, Squat Clean 3-3-3


Power clean 155-185-205 (3-rep PR)

Leya did her best to correct my suspect form and shoddy footwork, and I actually had a couple of decent lifts at 185.  Then the weight got heavy and I started spreading my feet way wide on the 205s.  Got 'em up, though. 
Squat clean 135-155-175 (3-rep PR)


B. CLOC#1* 

*This WOD is part of the 2012 CrossFit Ladies of Canada challenge. 

2 rounds for time of:
1000m Row
30 Air Squats
15 Burpees onto a 45lb plate (guys)

We could have done a bonus third round, but I opted out, like most people.  This was plenty. 

I wanted to keep both my rows under 4:00.  I was well under that for the first one, probably 3:35 or 3:40ish but was just over for the second one.  Because the end was near, I think I completed the squats and burpees quicker in the second round, though. 

12:51

Weekend of Leg Death, Part 2: "The Chief"

“The Chief”

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

I got a total of 18 complete rounds, but had enough left-over reps to bring the total up to 20 rounds, plus 5 reps.

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.

"Deck of Cards"

We did the traditional version of Deck of Cards for the Saturday group WOD:

-Push-ups (Diamonds)
-Pull-ups (Hearts)
-Situps (Clubs)
-Squats (Spades)

Jokers were burpees, and you double the value of the following card after a joker.

There were enough pull-ups in this WOD to make my sissy hands pissed at me for a bit.

My team, "Canadian Western Sexhibition" finished this in 22:50.

"The Chief"

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135/95lb Power Cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats
Rest 1 minute. Start from where you left off.
Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

I got 21 rounds, plus one power clean. The last time I did this WOD more than two years ago, I got 16 and change, so I'm pretty happy with that.

"Angie"

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 air squats

Took me 25:55. That's more than three minutes worse than my best ever time, but I'm not going to piss and moan about it. I was just happy to have gotten to CrossFit for 6 a.m.

Afterwards, in the shower, my body decided to have little talk with me:

"Okay, you dumb bastard, listen up. Do you notice that you're having difficulty raising your arms above your head to shampoo? Yeah, well, that's only the start of what I've got in store for you. By this afternoon, you won't be able to walk stairs without whimpering. Payback's a bitch, asshole. You have been feeding me crap for the last couple of weeks, you're still getting over a cold, you skip the gym for a week and you haven't been giving me enough sleep. You stayed up past two fucking a.m. the other night playing Plants Vs. Zombies, for fuck's sake. And then, THEN, you expect me to go to the gym at 6am and do fucking ANGIE? You dumb shit."

Back Squats and Half Chelsea

A. Strength = Back Squats
5-5-5 (start at 75% 1RM and increase)

I want to start doing Strength stuff again, maybe at least a couple times a week. Doing back squats didn't feel as comfortable as I want it to.

225-245-255

B. “Half Chelsea”
One round of Cindy each minute for 15 minutes
Cindy = 5 Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Squats (no doubling for modifications, going for speed)
If your round goes over the minute, go again at the start of a new minute. Everyone goes for 15 minutes total.

I did 7 rounds on the minute and 12 rounds + 5 PLU + 8 PU. Unless I counted wrong, in which case I only did 11 + 5 + 8.

Overhead Squats and 10 Minute Cindy

A. Overhead Squats 5-5-5-3-3-3

135-145-155(PR)-160-165(FAIL)-165(PR)


B. 10 Minute Cindy
As many rounds as you can in 10 minutes of:
5 Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Squats

I got 10 rounds, plus five pull-ups and three push-ups.

Push-ups continue to slow me down.

"Power Cindy"

AMRAP in 15 minutes

1 Power Clean – 135 lbs
1 Round of Cindy
2 Power Cleans
1 Round of Cindy
and so it goes for 15 minutes, adding one Power Clean each round.

I actually prefer this WOD to regular Cindy. Power cleans may be my favourite lift, and the fact that you have to do them in this WOD slows things down enough that it somewhat hides my true weakness when it comes to Cindy: push-ups.

This time out, I got 9 rounds + 2 power cleans.

I desperately wanted to beat my score of 9 rounds even from last time, but wondered if I'd even be able to come close. At the end, I had about 10 seconds left after finishing the 9th round, so I hustled over to the bar and got it up. I looked at the clock and still had 4 seconds left, so I did it again.

And then it was time to lie down.

.

"Angie"

100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats

The last time I did this, it took me 22:20-something. Today, I was about a minute slower with a time of 23:24. It's sort of disappointing, but could be chalked up to a number of things:

-I'm heavier than in November, which is more weight to pull over the band or push off the ground
-decreased metcon capacity due to strength training focus
-less-than-ideal nutrition over the last couple of days
-a shitty night's sleep last night
-stress

I actually don't feel bad about my efforts today. I don't think I took a lot of breaks or half-assed it, and I got a new PR for consecutive pull-ups (32). Although, now that I think about it, I should have held on and done a couple more, since it's my 34th birthday. Dumbass.

Chelsea "DAMMIT!!"

Benchmark Girl “Chelsea”:
“Cindy” on the minute for up to 30 minutes
Cindy = 5 Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Squats


Start a round of Cindy on the minute and keep going until you can’t complete the round within the minute. Continue doing rounds of “Cindy” until 30 minutes is up.

The problem with Cindy has always been the push-ups. They burn out your arms FAST. I didn't participate in the push-up challenge that CFR is doing this month, but I may do one on my own starting April 1.


I only got 7 rounds on the minute. The "DAMMIT!!" in the blog post title quotes my reaction upon falling two squats short of eight rounds. It was really ignorant of me to do, because there were CrossFit Kids in the gym. I was extremely pissed off and disappointed in myself, but that's no excuse. I've reigned in my swearing at home and at the gym a fair bit, but I still have work to do.

Then, I wallowed in self-pity for a good minute and ended up with 14 rounds at 20 minutes, which I don't regard as a real Cindy score because of so much resting during the early part, when you're fresh. For example, BrianB did Cindy on the minute for the entire 30 minutes, but his real Cindy score would be higher than 20 if he didn't spend 30 seconds of every minute resting.

After 30 minutes, I got 19 rounds, plus 5 pull-ups, plus 4 push-ups.

Deck of Cards Saturday

The one thing about doing this Strength programming is that I "miss out" on all the "fun" of doing the WODs that everyone else at CrossFit Regina are doing. And there have been some nasty looking WODs lately.

It's weird, but after a month of not suffering in the same way as everyone else at CrossFit Regina - even though it's my choice to do my own thing for a little while - I kind of feel left out.

(This is the part where Tracey would tell me that I'm being such a girl. Good thing she doesn't read this blog.)

Anyway, to alleviate my feelings of CrossFit loner-ism (can you tell I write things for a living?), I'm trying to hit at least one WOD a week and it's probably going to be Saturdays for the most part. Hopefully, I'll be able to retain a bit of metcon capacity, too. This past Saturday, the 10a.m. WOD was the good ol' "Deck of Cards."

Pretty simple:

Do the number of reps that the card's value represents. (Aces = 11, duh)
Hearts = Pull-ups
Diamonds = Push-ups
Spades = Squats
Clubs = Sit-ups
Jokers = 20 Burpees, and you double the reps on the card that comes next.

I was invited into a group of four with the Competition Team members Christian, Kim F., and Kat. They had all just finished the 9a.m. workout involving some kind of Tabata-related torture, so I had nothing to complain about. But Christian still was the first one done on every rep.

I can still feel it in my shoulders a couple of days later.

"Cindy" makes Tyler forget how to count, again

"Cindy"
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

I didn't see what the workout was going to be before coming in this morning. I think I'm going to do that more often.

I did all the pull-ups uninterrupted and almost all of squats that way, as well. I started partitioning the push-ups (FIXED; thanks, Kurt!)in the third round.

So, as I usually do for this, I set up one of the portable whiteboards near my station and put 20 notches on it. It makes for quicker marking if I just rub out (heh, I said "rub out") a notch with my finger when I complete a round, rather than un-cap a marker and write one.

But, like happened the last time I did this, there was a point in the workout where I wasn't sure if I marked a round down. I wasn't sure, but didn't rub out another notch, so I decided to go with the lesser result.

So, in the end, the whiteboard says I got 17 rounds, plus 5 pull-ups, plus 10 push-ups, plus 4 squats.

If you compare it to my previous Cindy result, I improved by only four squats. But I may have shortchanged myself this time by one round, so I might have improved by one round and four squats. And, if I double-counted a round the last time I did Cindy, I may have improved by as much as two rounds and four squats. I'm going to not give myself the benefit of the doubt here, and just go with the result above.

"Angie"

For time:

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

I'm sure I've done Angie before, but I can't find when. Last month, we did "Age Adjusted Angie" - which for 33-year-old me was basically two-thirds of the full version - and it took me 14:something.

100 pull-ups in a row isn't fun. It's pretty tough on the hands. I was spending far too much time late in this round just trying to convince myself to grab the fricking bar again. I jumped up to the 8-foot bar for the first 45 or so, then moved to the 7-footer. I wonder if I stepped up like the guys in the video below, if it would allow me to get a better grip and bang more out? Perhaps I will try that the next time I have a WOD that calls for a ton of pull-ups.

100 push-ups reminded me that I need to work on doing push-ups more. I did 20 consecutive off the start, and then the sets quickly became 4s and 3s.

I feel like I've actually gotten worse on sit-ups and squats.

Time was 22:25. I was harbouring delusions of a sub-20 time, but it was not to be.

Here's a video of some guys doing Angie.

"Grindy"

10 clean and jerks (135lbs, and the cleans are full squat cleans)
5 rounds of Cindy (5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats)
10 clean and jerks
5 rounds of Cindy
10 clean and jerks

The last time I did Grindy, it was back in June of 2008, about a month after I joined CrossFit. Back then, I did it with 95lbs and it took me 34:29, and I'm pretty sure I wanted to die afterward.

As it turns out, that was the first day I was able to do unassissted pull-ups (I always thought it took me a few months to get those) and that was also the day I tore my hands to shit... which led to me wearing gloves and mummy-taping my fingers for a long time, which is the reason for the title of this blog.

Today, my time was 24:33.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little disappointed in myself on this one. I really lacked some intensity this morning. I spent more time trying to figure out which shoes to wear than I did warming up and getting comfortable with the C&Js, and it showed in my shitty form. I'm not saying I should be getting a sub-15 minute time on this, but I could have shaved two or three minutes off of this.

Basically, from almost the beginning, I was in the "Let's just plod through this mode" rather than saying "I'm gonna attack this fucking workout like a pack of crazed dogs." I'm not going to blame the music this time, even though Taylor Swift was playing at one point, because Franz quickly addressed that situation.

Other ways I sucked:

-Resting too much in between reps on the C&Js. BrianB flew through his and actually looked back at me as he was going through his first round of five Cindys and said, "You only have to do 10." Yeah, I know. I just suck, alright?

-My squat cleans came around toward the end, when I remembered to hold my breath and keep my core tight. But there was a point earlier in the workout where I basically did a power clean, front squat, ugly push press/half-jerk hybrid.

-I apparently have forgotten how to do a split jerk. My push jerks felt and probably looked completely amateur.

-I took breaks during the squats in Cindy. I took a break during fucking squats.

Anyway, enough of me whining like a little bitch. Everyone's entitled to a less than stellar workout once in a while... the key is to figure out what made it shitty and fix that for next time.

I'm gonna take a rest day tomorrow and come back with a big fucking smile on my face on Friday.

Here's a video of some guys doing a Grindy, but with 3 x 5 rounds of Cindy, and only 2 x 10 C&J. They also only do a power clean, which makes me think that maybe we didn't have to do squat cleans. Oh well, a little more hard work never killed anyone. Check out the nice butterfly kips they're using, and notice that they're basically doing push presses.

"Age-Adjusted Angie" and a new Pull-up PR

Take your age, subract it from 100 and that's how many reps you have to do of:

Pull-ups
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Squats

I'm 33, so I had to do 67 of each, so it was basically "Two-thirds Angie".

Took me 14:00.

Since we started with pull-ups, I thought I'd see if I could beat my personal record of 25. Today, I got 30. The downside was that hanging on as long as I could hurt my sissy hands, so the last 37 took a while.

"Barbara"

For time, five rounds of:

20 pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 squats

Rest three minutes in between rounds.

Total time, including the 12:00 in breaks was 38:44. My round times were:
4:23
5:14
5:39
6:04
5:24
_____
26:44 total work time.

The problem with this one is the math. If you think about the total number of reps you have to do, it's pretty daunting. Of course, since looking on the CrossFit Regina website last night, it's pretty much all I could think about.

During the workout, my pull-ups were fairly bad and my push-ups were atrocious. By the third round, sit-ups were like torture.

AngDesj was chasing me the entire time, and she kept letting me know about it. The last round, despite my head start, she made up a lot of time on the pull-ups and then passed me on the push-ups. But she's got an issue with sit-ups, so I thought I could catch her.

It was weird, something came over me during the sit-ups. It wasn't really a second wind, but more like I was suddenly filled with an inner peace that relaxed me and let me just do the work without feeling a lot of pain from my abs. I just closed my eyes, went to work, and was able to do 25 straight, and finish the rest pretty quickly. I also did better on the squats in the final round than any other round, doing 30 straight, quick breather, then two sets of 10.

Afterward, I felt like death. I was semi-concerned that I was going to pass out on the drive home.

Michele and BrianB kicked ass on this one.

I found a video of a "Babara" workout on YouTube. I particularly enjoyed how the dude in the muscle shirt isn't doing full pull-ups. Full extension on the arms, fucker!

Oh, are they anchoring their feet for the sit-ups? Yes they are. Are they sitting all the way up? No they are not. Someone needs to yank this gym's affiliation.