Pr's galore

Ok well Wed's workout was finding your max push jerk, so here goes:
135. 155, 155, 155, 155, 165, 175

I felt really strong starting out on this one, but that bar got heavy quick. I wasn't getting that speed, that violent action that I needed on those 155's. On my failed attempts, I'd get the bar up there, but I couldn't stick it. Jerry told me that I should be able to keep everything tight, that I should be able to look around the room with the bar overhead because everything is on such a tight lockdown. I turned that piece of advice into the mantra of "smile and wave". Obviously, I shouldn't try to wave since that would require use of my hand, but you get the point.

One the 165 I did press it a bit, but after I locked it out I was able to hold it there for quite a while, called out to Jerry to get his attention and show him I took his advice to heart. ...It really was easy to keep that weight up there once it was in the right place.

Same thing with the 175, except I definitely pressed it, I'm not even sure if that last rep counted as a push jerk, but I think if I were a little less fatigued I could do it. Again I looked around after getting the bar up. I got a little cocky and thought "I've got everything so locked down, I'll look up at the bar." That's when I discovered looking up really does change the alignment of your spine, and I quickly recovered/dropped the bar. Nothing was hurt, did feel a little sheepish though.

175 push jerk is a PR, a 25lb improvement from my 150 three rep max on 9/13. I think my max's are slowly going up, but more importantly I think my technique is getting much, much better. I've still got a long way to go, but I'd rather be able to push press 135 with perfect technique than a sloppy 175. I think my movements are making me less and less prone to injury. I've already torn a rotator cuff on push press, I'd rather not do that again.

Speaking of injuries, my knee pain is pretty constant now, which worries me. I'll be seeing my DO tomorrow, so he might be able to help. It's like it will hurt because my knee is supporting weight just standing. I'm looking forward to the thanksgiving holidays to take some time off for the knee, but until then I plan on continuing every day. I would also like to report that hip pain is a thing of the past, thanks to the DO. At some point during this week when I did squats, even air squats, I could feel soreness in my right hip flexors, probably because they weren't used to working in the correct manner. Regardless, I can tell that I'm getting stronger, not just in the meaty muscle way, but also in the core muscle way, and that is way more important.

On to Today's workout, Nicole. Because of the stairs and taking on/off shoes, we did our Nicole in 25 min, when the standard is 20

Nicole:
ARAP 25 min
400m sprint
max pullups

My results were 5.5 rounds, with my pull ups being 24, 14, 11, 9, 11. I accomplished my goals with this workout. My goals were 1) hit a pull up PR, and 2) beat everyone else in the first 400m sprint. I was pretty gassed with the run near the end. For the last two laps I ran backwards for part of the way just so I could use fresher muscles. I mean, there's no CF standard for running, is there?

Concerning Nicole, today was the first day I seriously considered not coming in. My knee was hurting, felt some strain in my lower back, I needed to get work done, etc. But I knew that I would regret not going, and I had a blast today. My reason for why I keep coming back really is the people of CFOT, it is one strong community.

Mental note, I have two blog post ideas, one is the crossfit effect, the other is on having your zone meals deliverd to you.

Nicole, of sorts

Today's workout was a longer Nicole:

AMRAP in 22min
max pull ups
400m sprint

Last time we did this my score was 5.5 rounds, with a total of 69 pull ups. This time my score was 6.5 rounds, with 12, 11, 13, 9, 8, 9, 7 pullups, that's 69 pull ups again. Although I hit a new pr on the fixed bar, it's not like my sway bar pr of 27.

The transition from the sway bar to the fixed bar has been a bit rough. My form isn't as consistent as I'd like it to be, and my hands are the first to go. There have been days where I am able to nail chest to the bar, and others where just getting the chin over feels tough. Jerry pointed out that I today I didn't engage my shoulders at the bottom of the swing, my kip's range of motion wasn't as full as it could have been. Instead, I was relying more on my lats. I think with the greater swing I should be able to finally start getting back up into the 20's for pull ups.

Nicole plus 4

So we did yet another variant of Nicole:

20 min AMRAP
Max Pull ups
400m run

I got 15, 10, 12, 12, 12, 12, 10 for a total of 83. This is a 14 point improvement over last time and I broke my PR on the fixed bar, if only by 3. I used the re-gripping technique I found a few months ago and that helped greatly. I still haven't mastered a rhythm on the fixed bar though, every once in a while I feel it and everything falls into place, but most of the time I find myself resetting while hanging on the bar, wasting valuable grip time.

I was very happy with the running, I seem to have found a faster sprint/pace with pose style. So glad to be back. Also, very glad to report that there is no discomfort in my shoulder. What. So. Ever.

Wednesday, rest day

So I saw the wod was a Nicole variant, and my legs were just a little too sore for me to feel like running was a good idea. Felt bad at missing an opportunity to work on the butterfly, but there will be more along the way.