Into to the sumo deadlift highpull

Well, it was good to be back. The WOD:

10 rounds or 30 min
100#s
5 squat thruster
7 hang power clean
9 sumo deadlift high pull

I did 7 or 8 rounds before time ran out. This wod made me feel really rusty, like nothing felt very natural. In addition, what slowed me down wasn't really me being weak, but having improper technique causing my lower back to start hurting.

Haven't done thrusters in a while, so it took a bit on an adjustment to go from the rack position to the overhead position. The hang power clean was definitely the easiest, but I couldn't really figure out how to engage my hips, at least it felt that way.

The sumo dlhp was what got me. I mean, just look at this picture: I'm uneven, looks like I'm not keeping my core tight, I only have one of my scapula back, looks like I'm curling my feet inwards, and I'm pulling with my arms before my legs are straight and have engaged my hips. I just couldn't get it to feel like one of my favorite exercises, the kettlebell high pull. I kept front squatting it. I started to feel the strain on my back, which slowed me down a lot. That part was really frustrating, my first round time was like 1:50, but after like the second round my back started to tighten up, slowing me down a lot. I felt like I could do the rx'd weight without hurting my back, as long as I had proper form, so I didn't lighten the load. I also felt like I was capable of doing correct form, I just had to "get it".

Concerning form, with thrusters I really feel something going on with my right hip. It wasn't really pain, it felt more like now that my hips are balanced, some muscles aren't used to working correctly. When I was at the bottom of a squat, I took apicture in my mind of what my body looked like. What I saw was the slight weakness in my right hip causing me to have some bad posture, which engaged my lower right back, emphasizing the strain.

After reading crossfit virtuosity's entry about breathing, I really focused on keeping my core tight while exhaling during the workout. I think helped a lot when I got it right. It's hard to use your back if you're keeping your core tight :)

I think after doing some more sumo dlhps, I'll be ok.