Catch up: Tuesday's workout Front Squat Max

Ok so since coming back from vacay it's taking a while to get back into the rhythm with work, xfit, and blogging. So to catch up, Tuesday's workout:

Front squat:
2-2-2-1-1-1

This one was pretty awesome, I've never found my one rep max before, but my 5 rep max is 185.
I attempted 245, but ended up dropping the bar because I went down too quickly. I scaled it down to 225 and had much better results.

Here's some pics from the day:
The Approach: I know it sounds cheesy, but I try to make my approach the same time every time. It helps me get into a rhythm, places me in the zone and helps me focus. I get my grip, assume this position, take three big breaths, and address the bar.

One thing I am very proud of is my technique with the squat. Torn labrum be damned, my martial arts background has helped tremendously with my squat. For example, the picture here shows me driving through the hole, I've got decent elbow position, I'm not leaning forward at all, keeping core tension, and the crease of the hip is just below the patella. I think I see a slight bend in the bar, but that could just be wishful seeing.





There is an issue with balance of strength. With my right hip in pain, it's a little harder to push my right leg, plus my dominant leg is my left leg (although I'm right handed, go figure) so my left leg is stronger than my right. This imbalance in strength is what is causing the left side of the bar to be higher, as my left leg is extending more than my right. Hopefully Yoga (more on that later) will help make my strength more symmetrical, and maybe the prolotherapy will help as well.

All in all it was a good day, I think if I hadn't jumped from 205 to 245 and failed I would have hit some heavier weight. But now that I'm more familiar with my one rep front squat max, my game plan will be much, much better. Perhaps I'll be able to improve my max as much as I've improved my deadlift. That would be nice.

3 rep front squat max, new pr

After looking online and seeing today's WOD, I looked up my previous 3 rep max workout, which helped me out a lot. Today's WOD:

Front Squat x 3,3,3,3,3

Since I had an idea of my max, 175 last week, I had a better idea of where to start, and that made all the difference. My workout went like this:

155, 165, 175, 175, 185

So I did 10 lbs heavier than last week. I felt good while doing this, it was easier to keep the core tight throughout and keep vertical. ...LTC Dan said I could patent my 165 effort because it was so textbook. To be honest, that type of complement means a lot more to me than lifting the heaviest weight. On a separate note, Dan is as strong as an ox. He did Strict press today, and in racking the weight basically did a 155(+?) reverse curl.

After that we had a Met Con Ninja workout:

7 rounds for time:
11 Wallball
11 Burpee
11 Pullup

Did this in 20:55, Wallballs are getting easier, never had to break up the pullups (they're easy now), and Burpees are the worst exercise Man has ever invented.

Max Effort, third day in a row of Crossfit

Thankfully, there was no press movement today:

5 rounds:

Weighted Chins
Max effort x 5
Front squat x Max reps

My best effort with the chin ups was 5 reps with a 20lb weight vest, and I got 55 reps of 115 lbs. I felt like I've gotten a lot weaker, but I think this is all me expecting more from myself. When I compare this to when we first did this workout about four months ago, I see that I've gotten stronger, albeit only slightly. Back then my best chin was 5 reps with 12lbs, and although I started banging out 10 reps of 135lbs, after the second round I had to drop to 95 lbs. So I have improved, but I am surprised at how little I've increased. But I also know that I've improved in technique as well as conditioning, and those needed more improvement then my outright strength.

Speaking of technique, Jerry made a great point about front squats and keeping one's core tight. The abs, when kept tight, work like a biological weight belt. When you hit the bottom of the squat, you should be able to use your core to start your drive back up. Near the end I just couldn't focus enough on finish out more reps. Again, it's that mental part that's giving me trouble. However, I'm sure with time and practice this stuff will become second nature, and then I can start focus on other things, like getting stronger.

This one was tough. Haven't done the front squat in a long while, it was good to get back to it. The Rx'd weight was 135, which I thought would be easy, but after the first 10 reps my back was just too wobbly, so after that I did 115#s.

The WOD:
Front Squat/ Burbees / Pull ups
10 - 12 - 15
9 - 11 - 14
8 - 10 - 13
7 - 9 - 12
6 - 8 - 11
5 - 7 - 10
4 - 6 - 9
3 - 5 - 8
2 - 4 - 7
1 - 3 - 6

I did it in 43:19 I think, not sure though. Around the 6th round Danny suggested to widen my stance, and those few inches made all the difference in the world. I was approaching the squat with the jumping stance used in all the lifts we've been working on. Turns out it's ok to move your feet out a little wider for squats. After that it was easy, I felt bad only doing 115# near the end, but I wasn't about to re-rack the weight. Burbees are still tough, when I was approaching the pull up bar I just felt really weak in the shoulders.

Feel like I'm starting to turn a corner, like my technique/strength are starting to get to the point where I can work on my strength endurance/conditioning. Of course, I feel like that's happening every other week, but I guess that's a good thing, right?

Rule #76 No excuses, Play like a Champion!

I don't know why, but today I just couldn't get this slogan from wedding crashers out of my head. Rule #76 was pertinent to today's workout because I feel like I did play like a champion, but not before I had to give an excuse and not play.

Confused? Let me explain. Today's workout involved front squats, and although I felt like my legs were definitely strong enough to do the prescribed weight, my shoulder was not up for the challenge. The second time I cleaned 135 lbs, I felt my shoulder scream at me. I think my technique is still imperfect, and my shoulder confirmed this. This is of course bad news, but I'm happy that I had only a little problem telling myself I needed to back off the weight. And when I told Danny, who was helping me with my technique, he was supportive of the decision as well. Upping the reps while lowering the weight allowed me to work out my legs without hurting my shoulder further.

But here's how I ended up playing like a champion: I took the 500 m row challenge. I've used row machines before, and my build lends itself to being a good rower. The other Friday I did 500 m in 1:43, so I figured I could get 1:30. Well, I actually didn't get it down to 1:30, my legs started to give out on me near the end thanks to the squats. Instead I got it in 1:32!!! Very stoked about this, I'm really happy. I figure in a couple of months I'll have it down to 1:26, thinking about making that my 12 week goal.

Today's work out:

5 rounds untimed
Max front squats (prescribed was 135lbs)
Max weighted strict chins

This is how I did:
Round 1- 10 (135)
5 strict chins
Round 2- 10 (135)
5 chins with 12 lbs
Round 3- 15 (95)
4 chins with 20 lbs
Round 4- 15 (95)
3 chins with 20 lbs
Round 5- 15 (95)
3 chins with 20 lbs

500M: 1:32

100 ab mat sit-ups