Today I woke up and got out of bed, and flexed my quads.
They were still sore.
No way I'm going to find my 1 rep front squat max and then do fran on sore legs.
Really wish I hadn't done the extra on Tuesday.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Are You Ready?
...Cause my body wasn't. My quads/hams/glutes were still sore from back squat day. Well, they're sore because I back squatted and did the extra jumping slamballs and lunges. Doing the extra was a big no-no, and believe me I've learned my lesson.
Despite the soreness, I wanted to workout today. Jerry came up with a workout called "Are you ready", and my legs were def not ready:
4 min max reps cl&J: 105w – 165M,
1min rest,
4min max rounds (every rep counts) 3 Pullups (C-2-B) + 3 burpees,
1min rest,
4min time limit 500m row followed by max double-unders. Total double-unders is your score.
For the clean and jerk, my first rep was off technique-wise. Because it is so heavy, my inclination was to pull it up with my arms. However, my shoulder said "Uh-uh you ain't doing that". Knowing the problem, for the second rep I had full hip extention and really didn't use the arms at all. The clean then became easy, but the jerk still does not come naturally for me. I have no rack whatsoever right now, I just hold it out next to my neck. This really started to wear me out, so on the last two attempts I tried to rack the bar on my shoulders before I jerked it. This wasn't a great idea, as I failed the last two attempts. ...Today I also used the push jerk instead of a split jerk, I think next time I'll just stick to the split. My total was 8.
Concerning the Pull ups/burbees, I've finally figured out how to do chest to the bar. I've had the strength, but not the technique. I think it was because I couldn't find the right grip, but I've finally figured it out now. I was so excited I think it slowed me down a bit, wanted to revel in the glory that was my success. I didn't just get one or two, but every pull up I got was chest to bar, and I had no failed attempt. However, I didn't get many rounds in, only 6 plus one pull up. Still, I'm happy with the success with the pull ups.
I started to find some sort of rhythm with the double unders, but I could only get 22.
All in all, I don't think this was a very good showing, but that's how crossfit works, it is what it is. I imagine my "bad" days were a lot worse a year ago, and I'm going to continue to improve, get stronger, and get faster.
And get better at double unders. Damnit.
Despite the soreness, I wanted to workout today. Jerry came up with a workout called "Are you ready", and my legs were def not ready:
4 min max reps cl&J: 105w – 165M,
1min rest,
4min max rounds (every rep counts) 3 Pullups (C-2-B) + 3 burpees,
1min rest,
4min time limit 500m row followed by max double-unders. Total double-unders is your score.
For the clean and jerk, my first rep was off technique-wise. Because it is so heavy, my inclination was to pull it up with my arms. However, my shoulder said "Uh-uh you ain't doing that". Knowing the problem, for the second rep I had full hip extention and really didn't use the arms at all. The clean then became easy, but the jerk still does not come naturally for me. I have no rack whatsoever right now, I just hold it out next to my neck. This really started to wear me out, so on the last two attempts I tried to rack the bar on my shoulders before I jerked it. This wasn't a great idea, as I failed the last two attempts. ...Today I also used the push jerk instead of a split jerk, I think next time I'll just stick to the split. My total was 8.
Concerning the Pull ups/burbees, I've finally figured out how to do chest to the bar. I've had the strength, but not the technique. I think it was because I couldn't find the right grip, but I've finally figured it out now. I was so excited I think it slowed me down a bit, wanted to revel in the glory that was my success. I didn't just get one or two, but every pull up I got was chest to bar, and I had no failed attempt. However, I didn't get many rounds in, only 6 plus one pull up. Still, I'm happy with the success with the pull ups.
I started to find some sort of rhythm with the double unders, but I could only get 22.
All in all, I don't think this was a very good showing, but that's how crossfit works, it is what it is. I imagine my "bad" days were a lot worse a year ago, and I'm going to continue to improve, get stronger, and get faster.
And get better at double unders. Damnit.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
2k row and some Strict press work
So, here I am expecting to see an upper body workout, and it's a 2k row. My legs were not happy with the wod, but I told them to shut the hell up and do it.
What really helped was a gameplan. Mellissa said to aim for around 1:50/500m for the first 1700m, and then sprint for the last 300m. I tried to keep with that game plan, but near the end I was consistently finding myself at 1:58-2:02/500. However, when I hit that 300m mark I hit it into overdrive:
1:50m....
1:45m...
1:37m...
1:33m...
and I tried my hardest to keep it there. I saw it climb back up for a bit, but I wasn't really paying attention at that point. I really did want to give up when I saw the 20m mark, but I knew I couldn't, and rowed until it read 0m.
My time was 7:32.4
I'm ok with it. I think I did a good job with pushing myself, albeit it's 7 seconds slower than when we did it last February. ...Perhaps my pace should've been faster, I don't know.
Also worked on some strict press, got up to 125, but that was it, I was done for the day.
What really helped was a gameplan. Mellissa said to aim for around 1:50/500m for the first 1700m, and then sprint for the last 300m. I tried to keep with that game plan, but near the end I was consistently finding myself at 1:58-2:02/500. However, when I hit that 300m mark I hit it into overdrive:
1:50m....
1:45m...
1:37m...
1:33m...
and I tried my hardest to keep it there. I saw it climb back up for a bit, but I wasn't really paying attention at that point. I really did want to give up when I saw the 20m mark, but I knew I couldn't, and rowed until it read 0m.
My time was 7:32.4
I'm ok with it. I think I did a good job with pushing myself, albeit it's 7 seconds slower than when we did it last February. ...Perhaps my pace should've been faster, I don't know.
Also worked on some strict press, got up to 125, but that was it, I was done for the day.
Back Squat 1 rep max
Can't post much now, but I finally played it right and got a PR of 285, ten pounds more than last time. I had 300 in my mind, but it just wasn't in the cards today. I still don't feel my glutes engage when I do the back squat, but it might be because I'm thinking about other stuff (racking the weight, keeping the knees out, etc.)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Metcon wtih GHD, DU's and other stuff
So I saw a nurse at a minute clinic, and after seeing if I had a sinus infection (something that happens about once a year with my allergies), she determined that I merely had a cold. I haven't had a cold in a long, long time, but she seemed to think that it is related to my living with my roommate's two cats (of which I'm allergic to). Thankfully the lease ends in April, so I only have like two more months to deal with them.
She said Sudafed would do the trick, and that I could exercise. She asked what type of exercise I do, and I told her crossfit. She responded with "oh you do the crossfit?" Apparently she was the same nurse I saw back in June when I had bronchitis (again allergies), and remembered me evangelising the cause (She notived my vibrams, and that led into the whole crossfit spiel). She said she had checked out Crossfit Alexandria, but it looked like they had closed. I told her they had in fact moved, but CFOT is still relatively nearby. ...Maybe someday she'll stop by.
Moving on, she said take Sudafed and then I could crossfit. Perhaps I should've taken one more rest day, because this met-con was not for the sick (I made sure to sanatize my hands before and during the workout whenever I touched my face):
5 rounds
40 DU's
30 GHD's
20 KB swings (@70#s)
10 Lou Burpees (damn you Lou)
This one took a long time, once again I was one of the last to finish at 40:43. I think there was a problem focusing in on this again, since it did take so much time. That and I have a cold.
DU's are suddenly very difficult for me. Once I get two in a row I can usually bang out a few more, but for the last three rounds I really couldn't get one. I used to use a big donkey kick, but now I'm trying to simply jump up more. For the last round I subbed out box jumps for DU's after trying three times to get one and failing. I don't know if it's because I'm rusty or what, but I'm now going to try doing DU's before or after class.
There is so much that I want to work on, but I can't work on them all. Here is what I've decided to do, and I will note on this blog each day if I reached my goal or not:
1) Stay Hydrated (this isn't very easy for me)
2) random sets of Push ups (this will help me later in geting muscle ups)
3) Stretch/self massage (this is important in keeping my hips loose)
4) Practice DU's
If I can work on these every day, I will get to where I want to be that much faster. Wish me luck, I'm going to go do some push ups now.
She said Sudafed would do the trick, and that I could exercise. She asked what type of exercise I do, and I told her crossfit. She responded with "oh you do the crossfit?" Apparently she was the same nurse I saw back in June when I had bronchitis (again allergies), and remembered me evangelising the cause (She notived my vibrams, and that led into the whole crossfit spiel). She said she had checked out Crossfit Alexandria, but it looked like they had closed. I told her they had in fact moved, but CFOT is still relatively nearby. ...Maybe someday she'll stop by.
Moving on, she said take Sudafed and then I could crossfit. Perhaps I should've taken one more rest day, because this met-con was not for the sick (I made sure to sanatize my hands before and during the workout whenever I touched my face):
5 rounds
40 DU's
30 GHD's
20 KB swings (@70#s)
10 Lou Burpees (damn you Lou)
This one took a long time, once again I was one of the last to finish at 40:43. I think there was a problem focusing in on this again, since it did take so much time. That and I have a cold.
DU's are suddenly very difficult for me. Once I get two in a row I can usually bang out a few more, but for the last three rounds I really couldn't get one. I used to use a big donkey kick, but now I'm trying to simply jump up more. For the last round I subbed out box jumps for DU's after trying three times to get one and failing. I don't know if it's because I'm rusty or what, but I'm now going to try doing DU's before or after class.
There is so much that I want to work on, but I can't work on them all. Here is what I've decided to do, and I will note on this blog each day if I reached my goal or not:
1) Stay Hydrated (this isn't very easy for me)
2) random sets of Push ups (this will help me later in geting muscle ups)
3) Stretch/self massage (this is important in keeping my hips loose)
4) Practice DU's
If I can work on these every day, I will get to where I want to be that much faster. Wish me luck, I'm going to go do some push ups now.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rest day, again
Woke up in time for the early-bird special that is the Saturday class, but my head felt like crap. Had all kinds of congestion, sinus pressure, and drainage. When I saw that the wod was running intensive, I decided to take the day off.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
1 rep clean & jerk max
An Awesome day.
My top successful load was 185, but I was THIS CLOSE to getting 205. I cleaned it with minimal difficulty, but I missed the jerk park. The difficulty laid not in the lifting of the weight up, but in getting under the bar (typical, I know).
Today I tried the split jerk, and although I've been using the push jerk for a while, split has always come more natural to me. It seems like some people have trust issues with their body, that they'll be able to catch the bar in that position. For me, I have absolute faith in my legs, I find a strong position and I keep it there. My arms, however, are not as near as strong. On my last attempt, I tried to make up for the lack of getting under by pressing it out, and the bar hung there for a second, but I just couldn't do it. ....I just realised that if I could C&J 205, I'd be doing my bodyweight. That would be really cool.
My top successful load was 185, but I was THIS CLOSE to getting 205. I cleaned it with minimal difficulty, but I missed the jerk park. The difficulty laid not in the lifting of the weight up, but in getting under the bar (typical, I know).
Today I tried the split jerk, and although I've been using the push jerk for a while, split has always come more natural to me. It seems like some people have trust issues with their body, that they'll be able to catch the bar in that position. For me, I have absolute faith in my legs, I find a strong position and I keep it there. My arms, however, are not as near as strong. On my last attempt, I tried to make up for the lack of getting under by pressing it out, and the bar hung there for a second, but I just couldn't do it. ....I just realised that if I could C&J 205, I'd be doing my bodyweight. That would be really cool.
Friday, January 22, 2010
OHS 1 rep max, metcon
Well, due to some stuff that I can't remember anymore, I was like 20 min late to Tuesday's 6:45 class. This sucked because I couldn't properly warm up, but at least I showed up. The workout:
20 min to find your 1 rep OHS max (I had 7 minutes)
I got up to 155 no problem, not surprising since that's my 5 rep max. However, I didn't feel like jump up in big chunks since I wasn't really warmed up. There was a finisher afterwards, and I did pretty well on that:
3 rounds
34 reverse lunges with a bumper plate overhead
400m run
I felt good, although I w
asn't the first out the door in the first round I was the first one back. However, that was probably because others paced themselves, and I didn't. I did this in 13:03, but in the last two rounds my lunges were ugly. Although the knee for my rear leg always hit ground, my front leg was getting really wobbly, with the knee sometimes bending in or out or both. I decided the important thing here was ok form with high intensity, so I just ignored it and kept going.
This was the first week I didn't see Olga, and after the OHS's I could feel my hip tightening up. I'm trying to do stretches on my own, and they seem to help, but I still feel my body going back to the way it used to be.
I'm not sure if I want to call up Olga and try to meet before the scheduled appointement. I guess I'll just try toughing it out and see what happens.
20 min to find your 1 rep OHS max (I had 7 minutes)
I got up to 155 no problem, not surprising since that's my 5 rep max. However, I didn't feel like jump up in big chunks since I wasn't really warmed up. There was a finisher afterwards, and I did pretty well on that:
3 rounds
34 reverse lunges with a bumper plate overhead
400m run
I felt good, although I w
asn't the first out the door in the first round I was the first one back. However, that was probably because others paced themselves, and I didn't. I did this in 13:03, but in the last two rounds my lunges were ugly. Although the knee for my rear leg always hit ground, my front leg was getting really wobbly, with the knee sometimes bending in or out or both. I decided the important thing here was ok form with high intensity, so I just ignored it and kept going.This was the first week I didn't see Olga, and after the OHS's I could feel my hip tightening up. I'm trying to do stretches on my own, and they seem to help, but I still feel my body going back to the way it used to be.
I'm not sure if I want to call up Olga and try to meet before the scheduled appointement. I guess I'll just try toughing it out and see what happens.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Interval training of GHD's, DU's and rowing
Tuesday was an interval workout, and I think I did much better than in the past. This was my score:
5 rounds
1 minute GHD
1 min rest
1 min Row
1 min rest
1 min Double Unders
1 min rest
Here's my score:
GHD: 25, 25, 22, 21, 20
Row: 290, 295, 275, 280, 294
DUs: 27, 22, 12 (Pain), 7, 21
Total: 113, 1434, 89
I'm happy about the consistency I had during this workout. Except for the DU's, there was a minimal fall off from the first round to the last round. Of course, this makes me question if I paced myself or if I really did give it my all for each round.
...Double Unders were tricky today, guess I'm rusty. I had a good run in the beginning, but then I kept whipping the top of my feet as well as my knuckles. The pain really slowed me down, as I had to stop and recover from a couple really good lashings I gave myself. For the last 3 rounds, I couldn't really string more than two or three together, and it didn't feel like it was from fatigue, but from lack of rhythm.
Melissa mentioned that the longer the rope, the more forgiving it can be. If you have a rope that barely clears your feet, then there's a small margin for error. Lucky me, the ropes at their longest seem to barely clear my feet. This might explain the rough learning curve: I've had to have great form from the get-go because of my height. I'm thinking about getting my own jump rope, but personally I'd rather just get really good technique :)
5 rounds
1 minute GHD
1 min rest
1 min Row
1 min rest
1 min Double Unders
1 min rest
Here's my score:
GHD: 25, 25, 22, 21, 20
Row: 290, 295, 275, 280, 294
DUs: 27, 22, 12 (Pain), 7, 21
Total: 113, 1434, 89
I'm happy about the consistency I had during this workout. Except for the DU's, there was a minimal fall off from the first round to the last round. Of course, this makes me question if I paced myself or if I really did give it my all for each round.
...Double Unders were tricky today, guess I'm rusty. I had a good run in the beginning, but then I kept whipping the top of my feet as well as my knuckles. The pain really slowed me down, as I had to stop and recover from a couple really good lashings I gave myself. For the last 3 rounds, I couldn't really string more than two or three together, and it didn't feel like it was from fatigue, but from lack of rhythm.
Melissa mentioned that the longer the rope, the more forgiving it can be. If you have a rope that barely clears your feet, then there's a small margin for error. Lucky me, the ropes at their longest seem to barely clear my feet. This might explain the rough learning curve: I've had to have great form from the get-go because of my height. I'm thinking about getting my own jump rope, but personally I'd rather just get really good technique :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, Power cleans and Pull ups
Was excited to see my good ol' friend Mr. Power Clean, Mr. Squat Clean's kinder brother:
5 rounds
5 power cleans (17 @ 185, 8 @ 165)
10 pull ups
The twist here was when doing the pull ups if your feet touched the ground you had a funishment of 6 burbees. This was a great idea, and it certainly motivated me to do each set unbroken, which I did.
The power cleans were almost fun at 185, but near the end of the fourth round I failed twice in a row so I dropped down to 165, which was still tough but not to the point where I had to pause after each rep. Near the end with the 185 weight I started to use my arms to try to pull the bar up, and that started to agitate my shoulder. But after lowering the weight, everything went back to normal.
5 rounds
5 power cleans (17 @ 185, 8 @ 165)
10 pull ups
The twist here was when doing the pull ups if your feet touched the ground you had a funishment of 6 burbees. This was a great idea, and it certainly motivated me to do each set unbroken, which I did.
The power cleans were almost fun at 185, but near the end of the fourth round I failed twice in a row so I dropped down to 165, which was still tough but not to the point where I had to pause after each rep. Near the end with the 185 weight I started to use my arms to try to pull the bar up, and that started to agitate my shoulder. But after lowering the weight, everything went back to normal.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday met con, chest intensive
Just as my chest is no longer sore from Tuesday's wod, today was really chest intensive.
30 dips
400m run
30 push ups
600m run
30 burbees
800m run
30 wall balls
600m run
30 push ups
400m run
Total time a very long 36:39 (I think) This was a rough one, and it keeps bringing home the fact that I need to improve my chest strength. For the past month I've stopped doing pushups throughout the day because of my shoulder, but now that it's feeling back up to normal I am going to start it back up again.
The runs also sucked, I just couldn't kick it into high gear. Gotta keep working on it.
30 dips
400m run
30 push ups
600m run
30 burbees
800m run
30 wall balls
600m run
30 push ups
400m run
Total time a very long 36:39 (I think) This was a rough one, and it keeps bringing home the fact that I need to improve my chest strength. For the past month I've stopped doing pushups throughout the day because of my shoulder, but now that it's feeling back up to normal I am going to start it back up again.
The runs also sucked, I just couldn't kick it into high gear. Gotta keep working on it.
Back Squat 3 rep max
Last week working on the back squat was about racking the weight properly. Today, I really wanted to work on reaching proper depth. Unlike most people, for me that means not going as far down as I've been doing.
I was somewhat successful, a couple of times I nailed it, but it felt like I was cheating I was going so high. When I did hit proper depth, not three inches below parallel, the weight was easy to put up. However, when I did drop down to three inches below parallel it took all my strength out of me. I got up to 245, hitting 255 once a couple of times.
On the second to last attempt of 255 I hit proper depth the first rep (which is why I hit it) , but on the second rep I went too far down and got stuck. After racking the weight, I thought I was done. I felt tired, and simply had a hard time pushing myself. But as I stood there, I thought about how I need to make each day count. I can't take a day for granted, or mail it in, because I'll never get that day back. Wanting to make today count, to not look back and wish I made another attempt, I got the desire to give it one more try.
I waited a bit, racked the weight again, sucked in a huge breath and thought "shallow squat" and according to Jerry I nailed it. It still feels way too shallow, but obviously I'll take it because it is soooo much easier. On the second rep, I lost the focus and went back to my old habit of too deep and couldn't get back up.
So concerning the back squat, it's partially about my strength, but a lot of it is finding the correct depth. I talked to Jerry about this, and he said that finding the right depth is a life long pursuit. As the weight changes, you have to figure out how low is proper depth. I'm glad I tried it one more time, and I'm happy that 255, when done properly, is fairly easy.
I was somewhat successful, a couple of times I nailed it, but it felt like I was cheating I was going so high. When I did hit proper depth, not three inches below parallel, the weight was easy to put up. However, when I did drop down to three inches below parallel it took all my strength out of me. I got up to 245, hitting 255 once a couple of times.
On the second to last attempt of 255 I hit proper depth the first rep (which is why I hit it) , but on the second rep I went too far down and got stuck. After racking the weight, I thought I was done. I felt tired, and simply had a hard time pushing myself. But as I stood there, I thought about how I need to make each day count. I can't take a day for granted, or mail it in, because I'll never get that day back. Wanting to make today count, to not look back and wish I made another attempt, I got the desire to give it one more try.
I waited a bit, racked the weight again, sucked in a huge breath and thought "shallow squat" and according to Jerry I nailed it. It still feels way too shallow, but obviously I'll take it because it is soooo much easier. On the second rep, I lost the focus and went back to my old habit of too deep and couldn't get back up.
So concerning the back squat, it's partially about my strength, but a lot of it is finding the correct depth. I talked to Jerry about this, and he said that finding the right depth is a life long pursuit. As the weight changes, you have to figure out how low is proper depth. I'm glad I tried it one more time, and I'm happy that 255, when done properly, is fairly easy.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Snatch push press, chipper
The return to the snatch grip push press was welcomed, but after the shoulder-destroyer yesterday I should've known I wouldn't get a PR.
1 rep Snatch grip push press:
155#
Today, like last week, I had issues figuring out the dip and drive. I was dipping too far down, to the point I was really losing power. I feel like the more I dip the more I engage my legs, and my legs are the strongest muscle group so that's a good thing, right?
Well, turns out there is a point where if you dip too much you will lose power, stemming from the large distance you have to travel to get that low dip. It doesn't seem intuitive to me, so I will have to work on finding my sweet spot where I engage the legs just enough to generate maximum power.
The chipper was pretty fun, got to do some more GHD's
1k row
40 GHD situps
200' walking lunges with bumper plate
My time here was 12:08, which was around the normal time, a vast improvement to usually being the last one in the group. I feel like this month has been good for me met-con wise, like everything is getting to be easier. I don't know if it's the programming or the hip muscles relaxing, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth right?
Saw Olga, and she's noticing a vast improvement in my muscles, they are all starting to release now. With the improvement I've decided to start seeing her everyother week, but if it gets bad I won't hesitate to call her up before the scheduled appointment.
1 rep Snatch grip push press:
155#
Today, like last week, I had issues figuring out the dip and drive. I was dipping too far down, to the point I was really losing power. I feel like the more I dip the more I engage my legs, and my legs are the strongest muscle group so that's a good thing, right?
Well, turns out there is a point where if you dip too much you will lose power, stemming from the large distance you have to travel to get that low dip. It doesn't seem intuitive to me, so I will have to work on finding my sweet spot where I engage the legs just enough to generate maximum power.
The chipper was pretty fun, got to do some more GHD's
1k row
40 GHD situps
200' walking lunges with bumper plate
My time here was 12:08, which was around the normal time, a vast improvement to usually being the last one in the group. I feel like this month has been good for me met-con wise, like everything is getting to be easier. I don't know if it's the programming or the hip muscles relaxing, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth right?
Saw Olga, and she's noticing a vast improvement in my muscles, they are all starting to release now. With the improvement I've decided to start seeing her everyother week, but if it gets bad I won't hesitate to call her up before the scheduled appointment.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
An awesome met-con
So after a day of intense leg work, we have a met-con that is upper-body intensive. This workout was a little hard to figure out, but thankfully Chriss was always telling us what to do next, so you started to figure it out:3 rounds of
5 cycles
20 seconds AMRAP pull ups
20 second rest
20 seconds AMRAP push ups
20 second rest
90 seconds rest
90 second AMRAP double unders
90 seconds rest
Confused? Just read it as "really long workout with lots of pull ups and push ups with double unders sprinkled in." Here was my score:
Pull ups 9 8 7 8 8
Push ups 16 11 12 6 5
DU 37
Pull ups 7 7 7 7 5
Push ups 8 6 5 5 5
DU 43
Pull ups 7 7 7 7 7
Push ups 7 6 4 4 4
DU 23
for a grand total of 103-108-104 DU's, Pulls, and Pushes, respectively. The pushups were extremely hard near the end, I simply do not have a lot of strength in my chest/shoulders. I'm also ok with my pull ups, as it's been a while since doing pull ups. I still find a bit of a hitch in my left shoulder when I pull, but I believe this to stem from working out with tendonitis then the tendonitis itself. In otherwords, my body is used to doing it a certain way because of the tendonitis, but now that it's under control I just need to focus on form and it'll work properly.
My shoulder feels fine, which is fantastic. I know there is at least one trigger point in there that need some attention, but I'm attacking it with a tennis ball and hopefully it will go away.
The DU's were interesting in that this was the first time that I've had issues with DU's not because of technique, but because of fatigue. I need to work on this, but it was awesome to see that my consistensy with 10+ DU's in a row is improving. At this rate I'll be able to get 15 off at will, whenever I need to.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Squat clean workout
Good thing that my hip is starting to feel better, because today was squat intensive.
WOD #1:
2 squat cleans every minute for ten minutes (Heavy)
Wod #2
4 rounds
20 back extentions
30 PVC OHS
40 Sit ups
I had a tough time keeping core tension, so I only went up to 135# but I was hitting it strongly enough to warrant upping it to 145# midway through. This was a good, tough workout, hip felt pushed but nothing like it used to be.
The second wod was hard to push myself really hard, the back extensions weren't really something I could do quickly, but the OHS were real easy up to the last round. Doing sit-ups with my hip flexors is strange, I miss my GHD sit ups.
WOD #1:
2 squat cleans every minute for ten minutes (Heavy)
Wod #2
4 rounds
20 back extentions
30 PVC OHS
40 Sit ups
I had a tough time keeping core tension, so I only went up to 135# but I was hitting it strongly enough to warrant upping it to 145# midway through. This was a good, tough workout, hip felt pushed but nothing like it used to be.
The second wod was hard to push myself really hard, the back extensions weren't really something I could do quickly, but the OHS were real easy up to the last round. Doing sit-ups with my hip flexors is strange, I miss my GHD sit ups.
HIP HIP HOORAY!!
So I saw Dr. Bill's today to work on my hips, and I walked away feeling I just wasted my time.
Why did I feel this way, you ask? I'll tell you why: he didn't need to do anything to them! When he tested the flexibility on my hip, he said it was "perfect". When he worked on the muscles, what used to bring so much pain now feels like, "eh."
I haven't really noticed it since the change has been so gradual, but I'm no longer in pain. It's gone, went away. Not going to come back again some other day. I've spent a year and a half searching for a way to stop the pain, and now it's finally gone. I'm still going to see Olga, albeit not on the weekly basis. I'm thinking I'll do every other week and see how that goes and take it from there. Doing squats still feels wierd, but it's not the pain I used to feel. I'm really looking forward to today's WOD, and we'll see how far I've come along.
When I first joined crossfit everything was new and exciting and I was making gains in form and strength by leaps and bounds. Now that my hip is no longer hurting, it feels like everything is new and exciting again. What used to detract from my mental focus and physical ability is no more, so I should have no excuse now to really improve in metcon. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a 300+ FGB score this year.
So excited.
Why did I feel this way, you ask? I'll tell you why: he didn't need to do anything to them! When he tested the flexibility on my hip, he said it was "perfect". When he worked on the muscles, what used to bring so much pain now feels like, "eh."
I haven't really noticed it since the change has been so gradual, but I'm no longer in pain. It's gone, went away. Not going to come back again some other day. I've spent a year and a half searching for a way to stop the pain, and now it's finally gone. I'm still going to see Olga, albeit not on the weekly basis. I'm thinking I'll do every other week and see how that goes and take it from there. Doing squats still feels wierd, but it's not the pain I used to feel. I'm really looking forward to today's WOD, and we'll see how far I've come along.
When I first joined crossfit everything was new and exciting and I was making gains in form and strength by leaps and bounds. Now that my hip is no longer hurting, it feels like everything is new and exciting again. What used to detract from my mental focus and physical ability is no more, so I should have no excuse now to really improve in metcon. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a 300+ FGB score this year.
So excited.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Snatch grip push press and Met-Con
Saw Dr. Bills today about the shoulder, and he said it was back to normal; seems Dr. Craddock's adjustment on Wednesday was what I really needed. I really wish there was a medical version of BraveStarr: the trigger point skills of a Chiro, the fascia-manipulating abilities of a D.O., and the elbows/fingers of a masseuse. (if you don't get the reference, click here).So I decided to test out the shoulder today, and it didn't disappoint. Today we found our 1 rep max snatch grip push press. This was the first time I've ever done it, so I was a little cautious as I tried to figure out the movement.
As the weight got heavier, I thought it would help to dip down more so I could engage my legs more. However, Jerry commented that I was going too slow, that I needed to go "Bam-BAM!" So I tried to focus on quick explosiveness.
For the last rep, of 165, I figured it out, and nailed it, felt good. Then on to the met-con:
4 rounds
50 feet 45# overhead lunges
12 pull ups
This met-con felt fantastic, got it done in 7:39. I really felt like I was pushing myself as hard as I could. I never really stopped, but near the end I was just gasping for breath on the pull-ups. Keeping the Weight over my head was really easy, never even bothered my shoulder.
I don't know why, but I feel very, very satisfied with this one. I never really stopped, but I really gotta work on my pull-ups. Guess I just have to stop hurting my shoulder.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Three workouts day
Today was special in that there were not one, not two, but three WOD's!:
WOD#1
3 rounds
60sec max reps Pullups, 30sec rest, (I used ring rows instead)
60sec max double-unders, 30sec rest
WOD#2
Sprint 800 meters for time
WOD#3
3 rounds
60sec max reps of Situps, 30sec rest,
60sec max rep box jump, 30sec rest
my score went like this:
#1
RR: 18, 10, 14
DU: 29, 25, 31
#2
4:35
#3
Situps: 35, 28, 27
BJ: 24, 25, 24
Not surprisingly, my DU's got better with time as the rust came off. Each round I had at least one long stretch of uninterrupted DU's, but I also had a lot of one-and-done's. I need to work on my consistency, but I figure that will only come with practice.
The ring rows were a lot harder than I thought they'd be, my rhomboids seem to be a lot weaker than my lats and traps. However, this is one exercise I know I can do that won't aggravate my shoulder, and clearly I need to work on this movement.
For the 800m sprint, my legs were just not that with it today. Going in I thought I was going to fly by everyone like I did the first round of Monday's workout, given that it was only one round. I had the positive image, but when the time came I had a hard time pushing myself. I don't know why I have such a weak will, I just can't figure out how to push myself and maintain focus without music. Next time I will try to bring the iPod and see how that works out.
The sit up/box jump combo was irritating in that I wasn't really exhausted cardio wise, but I was having issues pushing myself, just like with the run.
I think I need to join some sport, where there is direct competition to get me going. I've thought of doing Jujitsu and swimming. One seems like an injury waiting to happen, the other looks like a distinct possibility, but will be difficult to schedule in.
Whatever the case, I figure I should wait until my hip becomes more normal and ready for action before I start doing two-a-days.
Speaking of, yesterday I saw Olga and this massage was a bit different than the previous ones. It felt different in that there was major improvement in my hip muscles releasing, as well as new muscles were being worked. According to Olga, my hip is like an onion with all kinds of muscles wrapped around it. Like peeling off the skin of an onion, she first works on the outer muscles until they release and feel more relaxed, then moves on to the more internal muscles. Apparently she's getting closer to the center, and yesterday she made significant progress.
My hip still feels odd, but it's no longer painful, thank God. I don't know how long it will take for it to fully recover, but given that this is a chronic situation it'll take quite a while for my hip muscles to relearn how to work.
WOD#1
3 rounds
60sec max reps Pullups, 30sec rest, (I used ring rows instead)
60sec max double-unders, 30sec rest
WOD#2
Sprint 800 meters for time
WOD#3
3 rounds
60sec max reps of Situps, 30sec rest,
60sec max rep box jump, 30sec rest
my score went like this:
#1
RR: 18, 10, 14
DU: 29, 25, 31
#2
4:35
#3
Situps: 35, 28, 27
BJ: 24, 25, 24
Not surprisingly, my DU's got better with time as the rust came off. Each round I had at least one long stretch of uninterrupted DU's, but I also had a lot of one-and-done's. I need to work on my consistency, but I figure that will only come with practice.
The ring rows were a lot harder than I thought they'd be, my rhomboids seem to be a lot weaker than my lats and traps. However, this is one exercise I know I can do that won't aggravate my shoulder, and clearly I need to work on this movement.
For the 800m sprint, my legs were just not that with it today. Going in I thought I was going to fly by everyone like I did the first round of Monday's workout, given that it was only one round. I had the positive image, but when the time came I had a hard time pushing myself. I don't know why I have such a weak will, I just can't figure out how to push myself and maintain focus without music. Next time I will try to bring the iPod and see how that works out.
The sit up/box jump combo was irritating in that I wasn't really exhausted cardio wise, but I was having issues pushing myself, just like with the run.
I think I need to join some sport, where there is direct competition to get me going. I've thought of doing Jujitsu and swimming. One seems like an injury waiting to happen, the other looks like a distinct possibility, but will be difficult to schedule in.
Whatever the case, I figure I should wait until my hip becomes more normal and ready for action before I start doing two-a-days.
Speaking of, yesterday I saw Olga and this massage was a bit different than the previous ones. It felt different in that there was major improvement in my hip muscles releasing, as well as new muscles were being worked. According to Olga, my hip is like an onion with all kinds of muscles wrapped around it. Like peeling off the skin of an onion, she first works on the outer muscles until they release and feel more relaxed, then moves on to the more internal muscles. Apparently she's getting closer to the center, and yesterday she made significant progress.
My hip still feels odd, but it's no longer painful, thank God. I don't know how long it will take for it to fully recover, but given that this is a chronic situation it'll take quite a while for my hip muscles to relearn how to work.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
5 rep Back Squat
Today was find your 5 rep back squat max, and surprisingly enough it turned out to be a bit of a technique day for me. My 5 rep max is 250 from back in August, so I figured my goal would be 275. I really wanted to come in today focused and with a goal that I believed to be reasonable.
Historically, I have problems descending too quickly, and I lower my hips about three inches below parallel, which is hard to recover from (unless your Danya). This time, I made sure to lower myself slowly (relatively speaking) and I felt strong with each rep. The massage therapy is proving to be very helpful as my muscles learn to relax. I can definitely feel a difference in my hip, it's hard to describe. It feels really sore, but it's not pain. It feels like rust falling off, not exactly a pleasant feeling, but one that indicates better times ahead.
The first set was 225, and I handled it easily, I was doing a good job on squatting to depth and driving out of the hole, but I was squatting in a jerky motion, like one body part moved, then another, then another, as opposed to one fluid motion. Jerry said this stemmed from having issues with my core.
Speaking of core muscles, I should take this time to say that I don't know if I've really recovered from the 110 GHD situps I did last week. Sunday my abs were still sore to the touch, and when I was running yesterday it felt like I had found a new layer of ab muscle to contract while running. We did some GHD's in the warm up, and the stretch caused the soreness to re-appear. Just when you think there isn't an exercise that will render you sore for days, Crossfit finds one (like ring push ups). I consider this great news, because I feel like one of my biggest issues is learning, and keeping, my core tight.
Anyway, back to the squats. For the next set (of 255). I remembered to keep my core tight, but now I was having issues with racking the weight. As I started to come off the rack the bar rolled down my back (have the bruises to prove it), which really through me off.
However, I re-racked it, really focused on keeping my elbows up so that there was a shelf of muscle for the bar to sit on, and hit out the first rep. It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't too hard either. Then the second rep. Getting harder to keep proper form. As I descend, my legs start barking a lot louder, but I manage to ignore them and focus on the rack and making sure my core tension doesn't give out. I know my legs are strong enough to push the weight without me really having to pay attention to them. They're like the older child who you won't have to worry about touching a hot stove or eating poison. You keep an eye on them, but you focus on the toddler who just learned to walk.
I hit the bottom of the squat, my hip/leg muscles, which instantly recognize what position I'm in, kick it into overdrive to drive myself back up. Combining this with the core tension, I bounce back up a couple of inches. Now I pay attention to my legs, and command my glutes to contract while pushing my knees apart so they track my feet. I feel my hamstrings curling, and it feels like they are just two huge knots behind my femur. I reach the top, exhale, inhale, exhale, and then suck air down my throat like I'm about to be pulled under water and punched in the stomach at the same time. (At least, that's what it felt like. It probably wasn't as big of a breath as I could've made, but I'm not sure.)
I started to descend for the third time, but this time I started to focus more on my legs, as they had started to really get my attention. I bounce out of the hole, go up a couple of inches, and then freeze. Time stops, and I order my muscles to help me stand up. I feel my hamstrings bulge, my quads start to try to help, and I can't even tell if my glutes are working. Sadly, I stay in that position for just a second, and then gravity starts to win out an the weight goes back down.
I rest for a long while, and then try it again. This time Jerry recommends a narrower grip to tighten up the rack, and I try it out. It does feel infinitely more secure, albeit more uncomfortable as well. This time I do not even bounce, I just lower myself to the bottom and can't get up.
Even though I did not reach my goal, I feel like I learned a lot today about the back squat, and I plan to use it in the near future. I know my legs are stronger than this, I just need to get the form down so I may focus on pushing my legs, and not worry about my core and rack. I also hope the massage treatments will continue to loosen up my hip so that I may push it even harder.
We had a conditioner after that:
10 min AMRAP
15 pvc OHS
5 Lou burbees.
Having experienced a workout that made fun of how small my "gas tank" is, I figured doing this was essential to improving my cardiac conditioning and lactic threshold. I had to change out the Lou burbees with something that would not bother my shoulder, and Jerry suggested Jumping slamballs. Jerry commented that the goal was ten rounds, and when time had expired I was 9 OHS's into my eleventh round. Given that 5 slam balls take much less time than Lou burbees, I'm not surprised. But I am pleased with how I pushed through the burn and never stopped.
Historically, I have problems descending too quickly, and I lower my hips about three inches below parallel, which is hard to recover from (unless your Danya). This time, I made sure to lower myself slowly (relatively speaking) and I felt strong with each rep. The massage therapy is proving to be very helpful as my muscles learn to relax. I can definitely feel a difference in my hip, it's hard to describe. It feels really sore, but it's not pain. It feels like rust falling off, not exactly a pleasant feeling, but one that indicates better times ahead.
The first set was 225, and I handled it easily, I was doing a good job on squatting to depth and driving out of the hole, but I was squatting in a jerky motion, like one body part moved, then another, then another, as opposed to one fluid motion. Jerry said this stemmed from having issues with my core.
Speaking of core muscles, I should take this time to say that I don't know if I've really recovered from the 110 GHD situps I did last week. Sunday my abs were still sore to the touch, and when I was running yesterday it felt like I had found a new layer of ab muscle to contract while running. We did some GHD's in the warm up, and the stretch caused the soreness to re-appear. Just when you think there isn't an exercise that will render you sore for days, Crossfit finds one (like ring push ups). I consider this great news, because I feel like one of my biggest issues is learning, and keeping, my core tight.
Anyway, back to the squats. For the next set (of 255). I remembered to keep my core tight, but now I was having issues with racking the weight. As I started to come off the rack the bar rolled down my back (have the bruises to prove it), which really through me off.
However, I re-racked it, really focused on keeping my elbows up so that there was a shelf of muscle for the bar to sit on, and hit out the first rep. It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't too hard either. Then the second rep. Getting harder to keep proper form. As I descend, my legs start barking a lot louder, but I manage to ignore them and focus on the rack and making sure my core tension doesn't give out. I know my legs are strong enough to push the weight without me really having to pay attention to them. They're like the older child who you won't have to worry about touching a hot stove or eating poison. You keep an eye on them, but you focus on the toddler who just learned to walk.
I hit the bottom of the squat, my hip/leg muscles, which instantly recognize what position I'm in, kick it into overdrive to drive myself back up. Combining this with the core tension, I bounce back up a couple of inches. Now I pay attention to my legs, and command my glutes to contract while pushing my knees apart so they track my feet. I feel my hamstrings curling, and it feels like they are just two huge knots behind my femur. I reach the top, exhale, inhale, exhale, and then suck air down my throat like I'm about to be pulled under water and punched in the stomach at the same time. (At least, that's what it felt like. It probably wasn't as big of a breath as I could've made, but I'm not sure.)
I started to descend for the third time, but this time I started to focus more on my legs, as they had started to really get my attention. I bounce out of the hole, go up a couple of inches, and then freeze. Time stops, and I order my muscles to help me stand up. I feel my hamstrings bulge, my quads start to try to help, and I can't even tell if my glutes are working. Sadly, I stay in that position for just a second, and then gravity starts to win out an the weight goes back down.
I rest for a long while, and then try it again. This time Jerry recommends a narrower grip to tighten up the rack, and I try it out. It does feel infinitely more secure, albeit more uncomfortable as well. This time I do not even bounce, I just lower myself to the bottom and can't get up.
Even though I did not reach my goal, I feel like I learned a lot today about the back squat, and I plan to use it in the near future. I know my legs are stronger than this, I just need to get the form down so I may focus on pushing my legs, and not worry about my core and rack. I also hope the massage treatments will continue to loosen up my hip so that I may push it even harder.
We had a conditioner after that:
10 min AMRAP
15 pvc OHS
5 Lou burbees.
Having experienced a workout that made fun of how small my "gas tank" is, I figured doing this was essential to improving my cardiac conditioning and lactic threshold. I had to change out the Lou burbees with something that would not bother my shoulder, and Jerry suggested Jumping slamballs. Jerry commented that the goal was ten rounds, and when time had expired I was 9 OHS's into my eleventh round. Given that 5 slam balls take much less time than Lou burbees, I'm not surprised. But I am pleased with how I pushed through the burn and never stopped.
Monday, a test day with Dry heaves
So yesterday was a day to test our abilities as athletes. It was suppose to test our 1) cardiac power output training and 2) lactate capacity training.
WOD (as Rx'd)
5 rounds
90 seconds clean and jerk (max reps) @ 155#
90 seconds rest
3 minutes to run 400m sprint (rest remainder)
I could not do the C+J because of my shoulder, so Jerry suggested I do KB swings. After the first round though, Jerry suggested I do box jumps so as to save my lower back. I felt absolutely fine, so I wanted to continue with the swings. Sadly, Jerry was right, my back tightened up as my form degraded as I got tired. So for the last three rounds I did box jumps. Here are my results:
27 KB swings, 1:33
33 KB Swings 2:08
26 Box Jumps 2:20
23 Box Jumps 2:23
21 Box Jumps 1:49
Not sure what these results mean with regards to my cardiac power output training and lactate capacity training, but hopefully I'll find out. The times on the running show a pretty drastic slow down. I mean, the third round was 50 seconds slower than the first one. It makes me feel like a Mustang GT with a .5 gallon tank: Really fast, but can't go very far.
Also, right before the last run I actually had a case of Daryl dry heaves, Pukie's less messy brother. I felt much better afterwards, so that might be why I ran 30 seconds faster than the previous round
Saw Dr. Bills yesterday, he felt around my shoulder and booya, found a ridiculously huge knot in my shoulder, one in the back that has escaped my attention. That spot is super sore this morning, which is in keeping with treating tendonitis (the massage breaks up the scar tissue, causes inflammation, which causes soreness). He said two more treatments and I should be able to get back into the mix next week.
WOD (as Rx'd)
5 rounds
90 seconds clean and jerk (max reps) @ 155#
90 seconds rest
3 minutes to run 400m sprint (rest remainder)
I could not do the C+J because of my shoulder, so Jerry suggested I do KB swings. After the first round though, Jerry suggested I do box jumps so as to save my lower back. I felt absolutely fine, so I wanted to continue with the swings. Sadly, Jerry was right, my back tightened up as my form degraded as I got tired. So for the last three rounds I did box jumps. Here are my results:
27 KB swings, 1:33
33 KB Swings 2:08
26 Box Jumps 2:20
23 Box Jumps 2:23
21 Box Jumps 1:49
Not sure what these results mean with regards to my cardiac power output training and lactate capacity training, but hopefully I'll find out. The times on the running show a pretty drastic slow down. I mean, the third round was 50 seconds slower than the first one. It makes me feel like a Mustang GT with a .5 gallon tank: Really fast, but can't go very far.
Also, right before the last run I actually had a case of Daryl dry heaves, Pukie's less messy brother. I felt much better afterwards, so that might be why I ran 30 seconds faster than the previous round
Saw Dr. Bills yesterday, he felt around my shoulder and booya, found a ridiculously huge knot in my shoulder, one in the back that has escaped my attention. That spot is super sore this morning, which is in keeping with treating tendonitis (the massage breaks up the scar tissue, causes inflammation, which causes soreness). He said two more treatments and I should be able to get back into the mix next week.
You snooze you lose
Well, yesterday I found out there was a Level I Cert at Herdon, right near by. I decided I would sign up for it, but dropping $1k so suddenly was pretty intimidating. While I was mulling it over, I got distracted with other chores and forgot about it.
This morning I awoke jumping out of bed exclaiming "The cert!" Ran down and fired up the computer. Checked the website, and sure enough, it's sold out. I then emailed crossfit asking to be put on the waitlist.
Super frustrating missing it this close. However, maybe some one else won't be able to make it, and then I can join in.
I feel the same way I felt after losing out on my bid for a pair of h streets on eBay. Even though I know better, my desire for instant gratification makes me feel like I missed my one chance to have a local cert.
Sigh. There will be other certs, and now I will try hard to keep a lookout for a cert in the area.
This morning I awoke jumping out of bed exclaiming "The cert!" Ran down and fired up the computer. Checked the website, and sure enough, it's sold out. I then emailed crossfit asking to be put on the waitlist.
Super frustrating missing it this close. However, maybe some one else won't be able to make it, and then I can join in.
I feel the same way I felt after losing out on my bid for a pair of h streets on eBay. Even though I know better, my desire for instant gratification makes me feel like I missed my one chance to have a local cert.
Sigh. There will be other certs, and now I will try hard to keep a lookout for a cert in the area.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Fourth Treatment from Olga
So I saw Olga on Wednesday, and although she's noticed a big improvement there is still a long way to go. My left hip is the "good" hip, and we called the right hip the "bad" hip. However, we now joke that it's not bad, it's just misguided. It does what it does because it knows nothing else, it doesn't know any better. However, she's going to get those muscles to release, no matter what. I will just have to keep seeing her every week, until we get this straightened out.
Last WOD of 2009
Well, my Abs were SORE from Wednesday's workout combined with the massage received from Olga. regardless, I wasn't going to miss another workout this week.
So it was pick your poison, and I went with good ol' DT. I fear I'm becoming one dimensional focusing on only one hero workout. However, I really do love it, so why not?
5 rounds @155#
12 deadlifts
9 hang cleans
6 push jerk
This was the first time I have done DT with the prescribed weight, as my last attempt two months ago was at 135#. I was doing pretty well with the deadlifts, but the hang cleans were killing me. The jerks felt ok, but I wasn't doing the best form under that weight.
I was moving pretty quickly because I didn't feel any tightness in my back, which is what usually slows me down. But the hang cleans were really difficult, I failed a couple of times. I've worked on cleans from the ground so much that hang cleans just didn't feel right, felt rusty.
I realized it would be easier to just clean the weight from the ground, so for the fourth round I made every clean from the ground. And you know what it was faster that way than the previous round.
However, my stupid shoulder tendonitis reared its ugly head and I knew starting the fifth round would only hurt me in the long run. However, my four rounds took 23:00 flat.
I was talking to Mellissa about it after wards, and she mentioned that I had a very high hang. I didn't wind up enough to really use the hips, so I was using more arm/traps.
You live and you learn. Looks like I will have to start treating/rest the shoulder. Not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do about it.
So it was pick your poison, and I went with good ol' DT. I fear I'm becoming one dimensional focusing on only one hero workout. However, I really do love it, so why not?
5 rounds @155#
12 deadlifts
9 hang cleans
6 push jerk
This was the first time I have done DT with the prescribed weight, as my last attempt two months ago was at 135#. I was doing pretty well with the deadlifts, but the hang cleans were killing me. The jerks felt ok, but I wasn't doing the best form under that weight.
I was moving pretty quickly because I didn't feel any tightness in my back, which is what usually slows me down. But the hang cleans were really difficult, I failed a couple of times. I've worked on cleans from the ground so much that hang cleans just didn't feel right, felt rusty.
I realized it would be easier to just clean the weight from the ground, so for the fourth round I made every clean from the ground. And you know what it was faster that way than the previous round.
However, my stupid shoulder tendonitis reared its ugly head and I knew starting the fifth round would only hurt me in the long run. However, my four rounds took 23:00 flat.
I was talking to Mellissa about it after wards, and she mentioned that I had a very high hang. I didn't wind up enough to really use the hips, so I was using more arm/traps.
You live and you learn. Looks like I will have to start treating/rest the shoulder. Not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do about it.
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