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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Oct 31 Team WOD: Trick or Treat! + Wendler

Strength: Shoulder press

Today ends Week 1 of Cycle 3.

5 x 65% = 5 x 40
5 x 75% = 5 x 45
5+ x 85% = 10 x 50


I thought I'd have some difficulty with the last set, but it wasn't bad at all. At least my shoulder press is getting somewhere - I can't say the same for my squats!


Team WOD

Got my *ss kicked today. We were grouped into teams of 3, and the workout had two parts:

A. 15 minutes AMRAP of:
- 10 wall balls
- 10 push ups

Rest 5 minutes, then:

B. 15 minutes AMRAP of:
- 5 pull ups
- 10 burpees

Only one team member was to work, and he had to finish a round before the next one could start. The team score is the total number of rounds completed.


There's nothing like getting teamed with two super fit guys that pushes you more, and I also definitely didn't want to do the weighted burpees penalty (the team with the lowest score had to do 5 minutes AMRAP). On my very last set, for the first time since I started CrossFit, I felt like hurling. Blech, blech, blechhh! We got a good score, though:


Yayyy!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Oct 30 WOD: Cleans

My shift starts one hour later now, so I was able to catch the 12:30 pm class today -- hoo-to-the-ray! We did one of my favorite things: the cleans. We were given 24 minutes to do 6 sets of the following complex:

- High hang squat clean
- Hang squat clean
- Power squat clean
- Push press
- High hang squat clean
- Hang squat clean
- Power squat clean
- Push jerk
- High hang squat clean
- Hang squat clean
- Power squat clean
- Split jerk

We were not allowed to reset once we begin a set, and we were encouraged to add weight for every set.


What made it really challenging was not being allowed to put down the bar and reset once you get started on a set. We were also told to start getting used to the hook grip, which feels so strange and uncomfortable. My sets: 25, 45, 45, 50, 50, 55.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Oct 29 WOD: 1RM Snatch + Wendler

Strength: Back squats

Warm up: 5 x 45; 5 x 65

5 x 65% = 5 x 80
5 x 75% = 5 x 95
5+ x 85% = 5 x 105

Assistance (post-WOD): 5 x 10 sit ups; 5 x 10 good mornings (65 lbs)


I hate to admit it, but I've gotten a wee bit scared of back squats ever since I accidentally let the bar roll down my back some days ago. So when it was time to do the last set (105 lbs), I made sure to keep in mind 2 things I've learnt from reading up on back squats: 1) I kept my core tight by inhaling before going down and holding my breath until I was up again; 2) I pushed my back up against the bar. I also used the low bar position, which hurts my shoulders, but does help when the load is heavier.


WOD

We worked on the snatch today. We had 20 mins to find our 1RM, then the metcon was a 5-minute ascending ladder workout of:

- Thruster
- Muscle up


The score for the 5-min workout is the total number of reps completed. My scores: 55 lbs (1RM snatch), 30 reps (50 lbs for thrusters, jumping muscle ups).

Friday, October 26, 2012

Oct 26 WOD: Burpee sets from hell

The box is on holiday schedule today, so I was expecting an especially challenging WOD. What I didn't expect was having to do more body weight exercises. When I looked at the board and saw the WOD, I couldn't help exclaiming, "What!?" It was like looking at the evil twin of last Wednesday's workout. There was a 30 min time cap to do:

- 50 burpees
- 100 double unders
- 200m run
- 40 burpees
- 80 double unders
- 200m run
- 30 burpees
- 60 double unders
- 200m run
- 20 burpees
- 40 double unders
- 200m run
- 10 burpees
- 20 double unders
- 200m run


Okay, it's not that difficult, but doing all that within 30 minutes?? But we did it anyway. The first set's 100 DUs frustrated me, and I asked for permission from Coach Jordan to do singles instead. Even so, I was still not able to finish (made it up to 20 burpees), and now I've gotten 2 DNFs in a row!

(source)
Fortunately (or unfortunately, if that's how you wanna look at it), there were no deaths at the box today, even if a few of us had DNFed. I will make burpees my b*tch one day.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

CrossFit MNL + Brave Mudders = Muddy Fun!

Pictures grabbed from Lala's, Joanna's, Isabelle's, and Brave Mudders' facebook albums.

CFMNL peeps before the race (photo thanks to Isabelle)

"Break the Wall" obstacle

Net Crawl: one of the first obstacles in the course
Just like doing bear crawls, but muddy.
Almost there...
Team Jordan, aka Team Bacon at the finish line!
Getting hosed like dirty dogs!
Us girls had a nice view from here.
I think I like trail running more than regular running. The weather was cloudy and it was nice for running.

Gun time: 1:24:21
I can't believe it took us one and a half bloody hours to finish! We were the 35th out of 47 teams to finish but we all had fun!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Oct 24 WOD: Push up sets from hell + Wendler

I wasn't able to workout last Monday because of mommy duties, and I was so happy to be back at the box today. Ahh, I love breathing in the smell of rubber whenever I come in.


Strength: Dead lifts

I kicked off my third cycle of the Wendler 5/3/1 today by doing one of my favorite lifts -- dead lifts! My sets:

Warm up: 5 x 65; 5 x 85; 5 x 95

5 x 65% = 5 x 110
5 x 75% = 5 x 130
5+ x 85% = 7 x 145



WOD

My first workout after Brave Mudders and I had to DNF it. Today, we had to do sets of 50-40-30-20-10 hand release push ups. But that's not all. Before each round, we had to do 40 double unders and 30 walking lunges.


There was a 20 min time cap and I made it up to 6 walking lunges after the third set (30 HRPUs) when time ran out. In our class of 4, only Pao finished within the time cap -- I guess doing plyo does have its benefits!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Oct 19 WOD: 1RM Back squat + Wendler

WOD

Today's workout was simple: we had to find our 1RM back squat. Then, cash out was 1000m row.


So, I tried to break my 120 lbs 1RM and used 125 lbs. The first time I failed, I'd totally forgotten how to bail and I let the bar roll down my back. How dumb. The second time I tried, Coach Jordan helped me rebalance the bar while I was in the hole, and I was eventually able to come up. Which is why I don't consider that rep. And yes, my 1RM is still stuck at 115 lbs. Boo.

The good news is I PRed my 1000m row! The last time I did it, I finished in 5:08. Today, I finished in 4:41, with no stops! But my legs felt like logs after that.

(source)


Strength: Shoulder press

Today's the last day of the second cycle.

40% x 5 = 5 x 25
50% x 5 = 5 x 30
60% x 5+ = 10 x 35

My back squat sets on top
After that, I did some assistance work:

2 x 10 pull ups (blue band)
4 x 10 good mornings (35 lbs)

The recommended number of sets is 5 x 10, but I got lazy again. I suppose this laziness is the reason why I'm not improving.

Brave Mudders on Sunday and I'm so not ready!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Oct 17 WOD: Brave Mudders prep?

Um, I should have concluded my second cycle of the Wendler 5/3/1 but I got lazy, so that will have to wait till Friday.

Pre-WOD, Tin and I ran 1 km outside. My mind was resistant to the idea, but I knew I needed it. I'm sure my pace was like a super slow jog for her (she is an ultramarathoner, after all!), but she didn't leave me behind.

Today's workout felt suspiciously like preparatory work for the Brave Mudders happening on Sunday. We did several AMRAP workouts.

6 min AMRAP of:
- 20 wall balls (Rx: 14 lbs)
- 3 ball-facing burpees

1 minute rest, then:
2 mins AMRAP jumping lunges (1 lunge = 1 rep)

1 minute rest, then:
2 mins AMRAP bear crawls (count the number of laps from end to end of the box)

1 minute rest, then:
2 mins double unders


My score: 3 rds / 44 jumping lunges / 5 bear crawl laps / 27 DU.

Post-WOD, Coach Jordan gave us tips for some of the obstacles that we were to expect on Sunday. He taught us how to do the fireman's carry, how to swing through monkey bars, and how to climb ropes. General physical preparedness, baby!

After that, Tin suggested that we run 1 km again, and it was her turn to give me running tips. I know -- I have the awesomest boxmates, right?

Monday, October 15, 2012

Oct 15 WOD: Freakin' KBS + Wendler

Strength: Back squats

40% x 5 = 5 x 45
50% x 5 = 5 x 60
60% x 5+ = 10 x 70



WOD

A. On the minute for 3 minutes: 2 reps snatches (70 - 80% of 1RM)

B. 3 rounds of:

- 10 overhead squats (Rx: 55 lbs)
- 20 double unders
- 30 kettlebell swings (Rx: 16 kg)


I was able to go up to 55 lbs for the snatches. We were instructed to "go heavy" but of course, form comes first, so I didn't want to go too heavy.

Those OHS were darn hard. Funny that I couldn't use the same weight for my OHS as I could for my snatch -- I went down to 40 lbs. I found it difficult to stabilize my torso while squatting. I did all 3 sets for the OHS unbroken, though! For the double unders, I was just glad that we weren't required to do them unbroken. And finally, for the KBS, I was tempted to use 12 kg because I did the math and thought 16 kg would be too difficult for 90 KBS (and that is why this article strongly advises against it). But I stuck with my 16 kg friend and thankfully finished in 11:36.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Oct 12 WOD: 3-in-1 + Wendler

Strength: Dead lifts

Today is the start of deload week.

Warm up: 3 x 55

40% x 5 = 5 x 65
50% x 5 = 5 x 80
60% x 5+ = 15 x 100


After that, I practiced doing double unders since the WOD involved doing 20 unbroken DUs. Yeah. Just when I thought I could move on from obsessing over DUs, it comes back to haunt me.



WOD

We got to do 3 workouts today! There's a running clock, and for the first 10 mins we had to do 3 rounds of:

- 10 snatches (Rx: 65 lbs)
- 10 hand stand push ups

On the 10th minute, we had to do 3 rounds of:

- 10 thrusters (Rx: 65 lbs)
- 10 chest-to-bar pull ups

On the 20th minute, we had to do 3 rounds of:

- 20 unbroken double unders
- 10 toes to bar


I used 50 lbs for both the snatch and the thrusters, did pike push ups instead of HSPUs, and used the blue band for the pull ups. I finished the first workout in 6:38; I finished the 2nd in 7:37; and I DNFed the last one. Boo hoo. But it was still a great WOD because I got to work on my DUs for 10 minutes. I couldn't get past 12 unbroken DUs and it was so frustrating. Arrgghhh!

After the workout, I told myself I deserved a drink -- a recovery drink, that is -- so I finally tried out SFH's chocolate flavored recovery protein powder.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Oct 10 WOD: Fat Tabata + Wendler

Strength: Shoulder press

Last day of Week 3 - hurrah!

Warm up: 3 x 35

75% x 5 = 5 x 40
85% x 3 = 3 x 45
95% x 1+ = 3 x 55


My 1RM is now my 3RM. Yayyy! I'm starting to love them shoulder presses.


WOD: Fat Tabata

So called because instead of doing 8 sets of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, we did 3 sets of 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off. Brilliant. There were 4 exercises to do:

- Ring dips
- Box jumps (Rx: 20")
- Hand release push ups
- Chest-to-bar pull ups


I did jumping ring dips and used a blue band for the pull ups; the other 2 exercises I did as prescribed. The score is the total number of reps for all 4 exercises. My score: 167.

After the WOD, Rachelle, Lady and I did a crazy ab routine that Coach Jordan gave. It made my whole mid-section hurt.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Oct 8 WOD: Push ups + Wendler

Strength: Back squats

I'm halfway through my 2nd Wendler cycle -- woohoo!

Warm up: 3 x 65; 3 x 75

75% x 5 = 5 x 90
85% x 3 = 3 x 100
95% x 1+ = 2 x 110


I have to say, I'm a little frustrated with my numbers. I know that 110 lbs is my back squat 3RM, so I'm sad that I was only able to do 3 reps today. Or maybe I got scurred again and didn't wanna try for one more rep?


WOD

Coach Jordan took more time than usual to explain today's workout because it looked complicated on the board. The workout is broken down into 2 parts:

A. Max reps push ups: we were given 9 minutes, and every 3 minutes we had to do as many unbroken push ups as we could. I did girl push ups (on my knees) and completed a total of 85 reps.

B. The workout is only for 12 minutes, and on odd minutes we were to do 5 strict shoulder presses. On even minutes we were to do 1 to 3 muscle ups. I did kneeling muscle ups (as did most of the others), so I had to do 6 of those plus 6 paralette dips.


It was recommended that we use 70-75% of our 1RM for the press, so I used 40 lbs for mine. The penalty for every strict press that is missed was x5 bar-facing burpees. So you can be sure I did my darnedest to get every rep.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Oct 5 WOD: 5 rounds + Wendler

Strength: Dead lifts

So I was finally able to work on strength today. I was lucky that traffic wasn't so bad even though it's a Friday.

Warm up: 3 x 65; 3 x 80; 3 x 100

75% x 5 = 5 x 120
85% x 3 = 3 x 140
95% x 1+ = 3 x 155


To think that a few months ago, my dead lift 1RM was 155. I should seriously stop being surprised whenever I see proof that CrossFit works.


WOD

My heart sank when I saw the WOD. After last Wednesday's burpee-KBS combo, I'd hoped that I wouldn't see them again for some time, but it wasn't to be. Today, we had to do 5 rounds of:

- 5 hand stand push ups
- 10 burpee box jumps (Rx: 18")
- 15 kettlebell swings (Rx: 16 kg)
- 20 medicine ball sit ups (Rx: 14 lbs)


I did pike push ups on a box, used an 18" box for the box jumps, used the prescribed 16 kg kettlebell for the KBS, and a 10 lb ball for the sit ups. It was 20+ minutes of pure agony. During last few reps, Tere kept telling me, "Keep going. Don't stop." Then afterward, while basking in the glow of post-WOD glory, she shared that when she works out, she never stops even though she's freakin' tired. She said she'd slow down, but she doesn't stop. And I think that's one thing I absolutely need to train myself to do.


My time: 21:47.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Oct 3 WOD: Burpee-KBS combo

Yayyyy, burpees!!!

source

And burpees plus kettlebell swings? Double yayyyy!!!

Seriously, I had a more difficult time today compared to last Monday. We had to do 5 rounds of:

- 20 burpees
- 20 kettlebell swings (Rx: 16 kg)


My time: 16:16.

No matter how many burpees I've done, they never get easier. They never suck less, either. You just learn not to fear them and, as they say, "embrace the suck". But this workout made me happy because it's my first Rx'd WOD! Woohoo!


I'm so happy to see that tiny "Rx" beside my name. :)

Monday, October 1, 2012

Oct 1 WOD: Monday madness!

Wait, what? It's already October??

I put off strength training today because we were doing back squats. I was told to aim to do the same weight I did for my last 3RM. My sets:

3 x 45
3 x 65
3 x 80
3 x 95
3 x 110


It helped that Miggy had us work on mobility before we started working on our back squats. He explained that working on our mobility will help us get stronger, and we did several stretches to help open our hips. It hurt (it's supposed to hurt) but it did help with our squats!

After the back squats, we did one minute max rep thrusters. Rx weight was 65 but I stuck with 45.


And then, we had to do 6 mins AMRAP of:

- 5 pull ups
- 10 power cleans (Rx: 65 lbs)
- 15 double unders

After almost one year, I think I'm finally getting the hang of those thrusters. And I finally might be ready to add some weight to my empty 45 lb bar! My scores: 110 3RM; 20 thrusters; 3 rounds.