Mid-Atlantic Hopper Challenge, Part II

So after the first workout, I had to participate in the strength workout: 2 rep deadlift. There was no specific time to do this, but I had to do it before noon. After finishing the first workout at 8:35, I had plenty of time to recoup and snack on some wonderful (paleo?) cookies (Shout out to Laurie who provided all kinds of snacks and wonderful things. She made us feel like sponsored competitors!)

I think it was around ten where I decided to go for the DL. I wasn't worn out from the first workout, but I wasn't cold either.

I warmed up a little with some light weight. The rules concerning the 2 rep deadlift was we could Touch-and-go; meaning we could not let go of the bar, and could use the bounce off the ground to assist with the second repetition. Jerry doesn't really approve of this because the bounce renders the second rep a non-deadlift, so I had to learn how to do a heavy touch-and-go. With like 175, I learned how to breath while standing up straight, hold my breath, and then drop the weight and bounce the weight back up.

I figured I didn't want to really wear myself out, and there was a long line for deadlifts, so I stopped after I figure it out with light weight. Once I got a chance to lift, I decided to use the first set as a get-used-to-heavy-DL (300#), the second to tie my one rep max (345#), and if that worked then go for a PR (365#). Like Chriss always says, if you trying to find your max, then you should try to go for a weight you might fail at.

The first set was easy, the second set was doable, and the third was just right. For the third set, the first rep was fairly easy, but the second rep was very tough. I felt my back bending all kinds of bad ways, but I focused on keeping the core tight and held my breath against my stomach as hard as I could, and I got it.

The judge (who was uber-cool) commented that he was worried when he saw my back, but I told him I just kept the core tight and "although my back did bend, it did not break."

I was very happy with the new PR, even though I knew it wasn't going to get me very far. That's one aspect about these crossfit competitions. It really is all about what you do, and not what others do. There might have been a guy who deadlifted 595 twice, but who cares because I just beat my 1 rep PR by 20#s!

I should also note that Sean was lifting at the same time, and he managed to lift 405 once. Damn, looks like he won the bet and I owe him some Chipotle now. Congrats Sean!

After this there was a definite lull in the CFOT group. Many of us were finished with both workouts early, and just sat around and napped/ate/meditated. It was also at this point in time I learned that Adrienne owns and uses a Snuggee. Pure Awesomeness.

It was also around this time we had the most supporters. Judy, Nikki, Hazen, Patrick, Rachel, Lauri, and a few others were there to see how we were doing. Not only did CFOT had one of the largest showings with regards to athletes, but we also had the largest support group.

I got to see (and record) Harold's first workout, and it was a great performance. I like to try to help the group out in my own way, and that includes being the gym's historian.

By this time the intimidation factor of the hopper had worn off, and I was just wanting to get this thing over with. Again, I just prayed it didn't have muscle ups, hand stand push ups, or double unders.