Strength - Workout B: Taking the "progression" out of "linear progression"

Back squats - Three sets of 5 x 205 lbs

After the last time out, I figured I should start a little farther back from my max than I did since this reboot. 205 was challenging but doable.


Bench press - Three sets of 5 x 135 lbs One set of 5 x 135 and two sets of 5 x 140 lbs.

Kat was spotting for me and said that 135 looked too easy. It really wasn't, but she threw five more pounds on there anyway and I know better than to say no to Kat. Hopefully Christian does, too.


Power clean - Five sets of 3 x 150 lbs.

I've been trying to use the hook grip for these. It seems to be going well.

European Regional WOD (Partnered) / 1km Run

With a partner (mine was Harlan), taking turns, do 20 reps each of:

Pull-ups (managed to do 20 straight)
Box Jumps – 24″
Situps (I did toes-to-bar because that's how the 9AMers did it.
6×10m overhead carry together – 135/95lb (The height difference between Harlan and I was good for a few laughs on this one)
Situps (no toes to bar this time)
Box Jumps
Pull-ups (No 20 straight this time; probably 10-5-5)

Took us 13:33


Then the group did a 1km run. Took me 4:17.

Strength - Workout A (sort of)

Back squats - Four sets of 5 x 255 lbs.

The extra set was because Aaron said I didn't get low enough on a couple of reps in the third set.

Shoulder press - FAIL. It took me three attempts to get five reps on my WARM-UP weight of 115 lbs. I did three reps of 130 before failing.

Deadlift. Three reps of 275lbs. I wanted to do five reps, but my back was sending me some warning signals.

Strength - Workout B - Here I go again

Let's try this again.

My plan is to hit CrossFit Regina four times a week. Two of those days will be Stength work, two will be the scheduled WOD.

I've also got Ultimate Frisbee at least one day a week, so that should keep me pretty busy.

With the Strength stuff, I'm starting a bit below where I was before I hurt myself in mid-March. I should be back in the swing of things in a couple of weeks.

Here's what I did today:


Back Squats - Three sets of 5 x 250 lbs

That's 20 lbs under my max. And it still sucked.


Bench Press - Three sets of 5 x 135 lbs

Five pounds under my max. Plenty heavy.


Power Clean - Five sets of 3 x 145 lbs

Ten pounds under my max. These weren't exactly light for me, but they weren't as concerning as the other two.

Shoulder Press / OPT WOD

Shoulder press 5-5-5:

115, 125 (old PR), 130 (PR)


Then, instead of the scheduled metcon, the sadistic deadlift and clean & jerk-filled “Heavy Duty,” I did the OPT WOD from 11am Saturday alongside Blair, because I believe it’s important to stay humble and there are few things more humbling than working out alonside Blair.

For time, three rounds of
12 115-lb power snatches
12 speed burpees (or "lazy burpees" as Robin likes to call them)
12 30-inch box jumps

Blair got 6:30-something, I think. I got 11:39.

Two-a-day Saturday

A lot of folks were doing two workouts on Saturday. Most of the ComTeam opted for the 9 and 11 a.m. workouts, but I couldn't stay that long, so I did 9 and 10.

9 a.m.: "The Newport Crippler"

For time
30 bodyweight back squats (used 185lbs)
Run one mile.

I did it in 10:03. It's not a bad time at all, but, honestly, that extra three seconds pisses me off SO BAD. And I wouldn't have done even that good, except Leya (who started a full minute after me) was breathing down my neck on the last part of the run.

For the squats, I did them in sets of 15-10-5, although I took a good rest with the bar on my shoulders in the first 15.

10 a.m. "Summer in the City" chipper:

For time
400m run
20 wall ball
30 burpees
40 pull-ups
50 bell swings (35 lbs)
60 sit-ups
70 box jumps 24"
400 m run

I partnered with Nathan. We split the work, except for the runs, which we do together. For the other stuff, only one partner works at a time.

Took us 14:30

Back Squats

I woke up at 5:42 this morning and made a spur of the moment decision to go to CrossFit. I was very glad I did. Not only was my big German CrossFit life-partner Harlan coaching, the WOD was back squats (5x5)

I haven't done heavy back squats since hurting my back warming up for strength work a while ago. I also failed to do much in the way of high-rep, low-weight squats to rehab, because I am a moron.

So today, I decided it was time to get back on the squatty horse, but to do so with caution.

So my sets of five looked like this:

135-205-225-245-255.

My max is 270, but 255 was plenty heavy and I thought I would quit while I was ahead.

Overheard at the Gym:
Janimal: "Hi Dan. I'm Jan. I rhyme with you."

Pull-up Cluster / Wall Ball Run

Part 1:
1 minute max Pull-ups, 1 minute rest
45 seconds max Pull-ups, 45 seconds rest
30 seconds max Pull-ups, 30 seconds rest
15 seconds max Pull-ups.

I got 34, 15, 12, 7

I consider this to be good, though I suppose I should have gotten a few more in the 45-second round. That's a pretty significant drop-off. I was going for a PR in consecutive pull-ups in the first round, and I got it (33), then I added one more before the minute was up.

The pull-ups were supposed to be strict gymnastic pull-ups (this sort of stuff happens whenever Robin gets back from a certification, and she just went to a gymnastics cert). I didn't realize until I had to change that I do more of a frog kick, with my own spazzy flair.

Part 2:
As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:
200 m Run
20 Wall Ball – 20/14lb

Blair got 7 rounds and something, so I was hoping to get within sniffing distance of that. My runs were pretty damn slow from round 2 on.

I got 6 rounds, plus 200m, plus 2 WB.

Kelly Overboard

Five rounds, for time, of:

500m row
30 24" box jumps
30 wall balls

Today at 6am, I got to do the Kelly WOD with CFR firebreather chick Kelly, among others.

I did this last December in 33:16. Today, I got 33:33. Obviously, I would have liked to improve, but I did it today without remembering my previous mark and was happy with what I got, so I'm not going to bitch about it now.

The good: I kept a good pace in rounds 2-5 and broke the work into reasonable sets. Jumps in sets of 10, WB in a 12-10-8 pattern.

The bad: I missed my very first box jump. That was embarrassing.

Squat Snatches

3-3-3-1-1-1

I hadn't done these for a while, and wasn't sure where to start.

Sets of three:

105, 115, 125


Sets of one

135, 140(f), 140.

The success at 140 felt good, so I thought I'd try a single 145. FAIL.