May 17 WOD: Double chipper

Every once in a while, a WOD comes along and makes you wish you had stayed at home and had a decent breakfast instead. Today is one of those days.

2 RFT (rounds for time), 12 minute time cap:

30 wall balls (20/14)
25 chest to bar pull ups
20 pistol squats
15 kettlebell swings (32/24 kg)

Rest 5 minutes, then

EMOM (every minute on the minute) x 5 minutes:

4 squat cleans (225/135)

Since I am not a WODkilla but a WODscala, I used a 10 lb ball for the wall balls, did ring rows instead of CTB, and used 16 kg for the KBS. Being positioned right beside one of the CFMNL beasts Ken helped a ton in pacing. The last minute was such a struggle, though, and the heat only made it worse.

The 5 minute rest in between the 2 workouts didn't seem to be enough. My legs were still wobbly and my arms were a little numb, and I really didn't want to do squat cleans after 2 rounds of that chipper but I did them anyway. I am a CrossFit sucker like that. I used 65 lbs for the squat cleans and managed to do all 5 sets unbroken. That felt good.

My score: 11:47 / 65 lbs

How cool are these tops?!

Tank top by Life as RX

Tank top by DNF Apparel

May 16 WOD: Squattalotta

I can't decide if I love squat day or not. I just know that I feel great whenever I finish and that I love what it does to my butt. Today's workout:

Against a 30 minute running clock:

First 10 minutes, 3RM overhead squat
Second 10 minutes, 3RM front squat
Third 10 minutes, 3RM back squat

I shared a bar with Trish so we had the same score. We started with an empty 45 lb bar (long bar again, yay!) for the OHS and ended up with 120 for the back squats. Since we used a rack for the OHS, we had to jerk the bar up in a snatch grip, which I couldn't do well. I need to work on that and make sure that my elbows automatically lock out overhead. Coach Jordan also said I need to be conscious about standing tall after coming up from the back squat because I tend to stay hunched over.

Our score: 60 (OHS) / 110 (front squat) / 120 (back squat)

I am so not looking forward to having a sore butt tomorrow.

May 14 WOD: Overhead squats for brunch, anyone?

After 4 long days, I'm back at the box! During warm up, Coach Jordan incorporated some capoeira steps/moves and it was fun. I felt so clumsy, though it warmed us up good.

Today's workout:

OTM (on the minute) x 16

Odd minutes: 3 overhead squats (as heavy as possible)
Even minutes: 5 burpee pull ups

I used 55 lbs for the OHS and did burpee jumping ring pull ups. Also, I used the long bar even though I couldn't add plates yet because the bar is already 45 lbs. The others have been telling me that the women's bar seems too short for me when I'm using the snatch grip, and sure enough, I did feel more comfortable using the long bar earlier.

My score: 16

May 9 WOD: Bar complex

I didn't have work last Thursday and was able to attend the 12:30 pm class. The workout was:

10 mins AMRAP

Dead lift + hang power clean + front squat + push press (115/75)

Then do 5 burpees for every time you readjust your grip while the bar is on the floor or for every time you let the bar rest on the floor.

Note: You can readjust your grip in the hang position.

I used 65 lbs for the complex and did around 4 or 5 sets of burpees. Rhona said I should still be able to get a score of about 20 even with the breaks but I didn't want to rush through the sets (or is that my excuse for getting a low score?). I focused on getting my form right, especially when locking out the elbows during the push press.

On the bright side, doing the burpees, I finally figured out how to jump my feet back before my hands touch the floor. It did feel more efficient.

My score: 16

The King of Lifts

The King of Lifts
by Donnie Shankle
(A free pdf of this article can be found in the CrossFit Journal library)

My favorite parts:

This is what the clean and jerk looks like in training: you go into the gym and put a new personal record on the bar. You begin to pull the thing, and in the back of your mind there is a little fucking gremlin that convinces you it is too heavy. With style points, you just pick it up slowly into your hips, but you are too chickenshit to go under the bar.  

A week goes by, and this time you make up your mind not to look like a nob-head. You get set, pull, finish hard and move under. No chance! The bar shoots your ass back about five feet, sending you crashing into the wall behind you. A few more crashes like this and you are likely to bring the whole damn gym down. 

Another week goes by, and this time you pull it, finish hard, and receive it with your elbows up, but you fail to stand up.  

Two more weeks go by, and this time you pull it, finish hard, receive it and stand up with a struggle. You are so excited at this point you begin to get dizzy, and as you try to jerk you have nothing left in you, so you just dump it off of you and collect yourself as you sit down.  

Another week goes by and this time you clean the weight beautifully. You dip and drive the bar to lockout but fail to gain control in the split.  

Another two weeks go by, and this time you clean it and jerk it like a champion. Your coach says, “Down,” and with a sense of pride you give the air a double fist pump. The last time you felt this good was when your girlfriend whispered vehemently in your ear, "You are an absolute god in bed.”  

Now put on another kilo and do it all over again.

and:

There is something raw about the clean and jerk or just weightlifting in general. There is a great satisfaction in picking something heavy up off the floor and putting it over your head. This satisfaction is intensified if you manage to do it easily. People will come up to you and ask, “How do you make that look so easy?" 

In your mind, you know there were no easy steps.

“Hard work and I am really fuckin’ strong,” is what you say back to them.