Pages

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Jan 31 WOD: More cleaning

I think I'm prioritizing CrossFit too much. I make sure that my mornings are free because I don't want to run the risk of missing the WOD. How sick is that? Must. Get. A. Life.

I don't know what it is with the workouts this week, but most involve the clean. It's one of my favorite exercises but I always end up with slightly bruised shoulders. Today's WOD was 15 minutes AMRAP:

- 1 chest to bar pull up + 1 toes to bar
- 10 hang squat cleans (95/65)
- 1 chest to bar pull up + 1 toes to bar
- 10 ring dips


I used 55 lbs for the hang squat cleans and parallettes for the ring dips. For the CTB, I used the blue band. I'm so jealous that Amie can do no-band pull ups already!

My score: 4 rounds + 6 hang squat cleans

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Jan 29 WOD: Squat cleans and another DNF

For the first part of the workout, we did OTM (on the minute) 10 x 2 heavy squat cleans. That means every minute, we were to do 2 squat cleans. I used 65 lbs the first 5 minutes then added 20 lbs more. It was challenging but doable.

For the metcon, we had to do the following within a 15 minute time cap:

- 15 dead lifts (Rx: 95)
- 15 push ups

I did the WOD as Rx'd -- yes, even the push ups -- but I wasn't able to finish. I only managed to eke out 7 rounds + 8 dead lifts. I can't believe I've gotten my butt kicked and DNF-ed 2 days in a row!

(source)

Monday, January 28, 2013

Jan 28 WOD: 3RM Front squat + Wendler

Strength: Dead lift

It was time to get back on the Wendler 5/3/1 program again since I'd recalibrated my 1RM for the dead lift, back squat, and shoulder press. Cycle 4, here we go!

Warm up: 5 x 65; 5 x 85; 5 x 105

65% x 5 = 5 x 110
75% x 5 = 5 x 125
85% x 5+ = 7 x 140

I didn't have time to do assistance lifts anymore so I think I should go earlier next time.


SWOD: Front squat

There was 15 minutes for us to get our 3RM front squat. Rach and I shared a bar and we worked our way up to 105 lbs. PR for me since my 1RM last year was 100!

We used racks for the front squats

Metcon

We were given 14 minutes to do:

100 double unders (yep)
30 pull ups
30 front squats (Rx: 95 lbs)
30 pull ups
100 double unders


The WOD was obviously challenging as only 2 people in the previous 3 classes were able to finish it. I used 65 lbs for the front squats and the blue band for the pull ups. I was able to do a total of 173 reps (only until 13 of the second set of pull ups).

The second heat going at it (don't mind the shoe)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Jan 25 WOD: Kipping skill

I rushed to catch the 12:30 PM class, and I'd barely arrived when Coach Jordan asked if I wanted to do the paleo challengers' WOD as warm up. I said yes without knowing that it was 12 x 30 seconds max reps burpees - gulp! I did them at an easy pace though and got a total of 85.

After that, we worked on kips. We learned that we should swing from the hips and not the legs or the arms. Then we were taught how to use our legs as if we were jumping up so we could bend our arms and then pull our chins over the bar. I think I'll need to work on this before every WOD.

For the metcon, we did OTM x 12 minutes:
- 1st minute: 3 power cleans
- 2nd minute: 40 double unders
- 3rd minute: 3 power cleans
- 4th minute: 40 DUs... and so on

I gots fresh calluses on my CrossFit man-hands

I used 55 lbs for the cleans and was able to complete the 40 DUs only once. Boo, me!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Jan 24 WOD: CrossFit Total

I got excited when I checked the site and saw that we're doing the Total again today. The first time we did it was way back in May and I'd been wanting to get my new 1RMs so I can continue doing the Wendler 5/3/1.

This is what the CrossFit Total looks like:

Back squat 1-1-1
Shoulder press 1-1-1
Dead lift 1-1-1

Similar to Olympic lifting, your score is the sum of the best of 3 attempts.

Isabelle, Amie, and I shared a bar and for the back squat we reached 130 lbs. For the press, Amie and I did 60 lbs while Isabelle did 70. For the dead lift, Amie did 165 while Isabelle and I did 180. We thought that was the end but Coach Pau suggested that we try 185. I was able to do it and decided to stop there because I already felt lightheaded and dizzy. Isabelle kept going, though, and finally she stopped at 225. She's a fembot!

Grabbed from Isabelle's tweet
My Total score: 375 - a 30-point increase from my last one! My goal is to breach 400 next time. :)

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Jan 22 WOD: 1RM Push jerk

After some months, we got to work on our push jerk again today. For the first part of the WOD, we had 15 minutes to get our 1RM push jerk. I shared a bar with Rach and was able to work my way up to 90 lbs -- a 5 lb PR! :) Rach set a PR too, with 100 lbs!

The metcon was 15 minutes AMRAP:
- 200m run
- 12 box jumps (24/18)
- 12 chest to bar pull ups


I used an 18" box for the box jumps and a blue band for the pull ups. My score: 4 rounds.

Before the WOD, I noticed this posted beside the board. I know a lot of girls are disappointed because of Rule #4 (Keep your shirts on!).

CFMNL house rules

Monday, January 21, 2013

Jan 21 WOD: The Chief

Another day, another benchmark WOD. And today, it was The Chief. It looked like this:

5 rounds of 3 minutes AMRAP with 1 minute rest in between rounds:
- 3 power cleans (135/95)
- 6 push ups
- 9 squats


Coach Jordan said that if we weren't able to do a complete round at the end of 3 minutes, we could pick up where we left off at the start of the next round. Then Coach Pau said that if we're slow at one exercise, we should make up for it with the next one. And he said that we should aim to do 4 rounds during the 3 minutes. While he was talking I kept nodding yes, but inside I was like, "WHUT." Anyway, I used 65 lbs for the power cleans and did "girl" push ups. My score: 20 rounds. I did it!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Jan 18 WOD: Filthy Friday at the box

We did the benchmark WOD called Filthy Fifty today. It was the second time for me to do it, although when I did it the first time last year, I'd scaled and did the "Dirty 30" instead.

So this is the Filthy Fifty:

50 box jumps (Rx: 18")
50 jumping pull ups
50 kettlebell swings (Rx: 12 kg)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbow
50 push presses (Rx: 35 lbs)
50 good mornings (Rx: 35 lbs)
50 wall balls (Rx: 14 lbs)
50 burpees
50 double unders


I did everything except the wall balls as prescribed -- you know how attached I am to those 10 lb balls. Anyway, it started out well and I was making good time until I reached the wall balls. It was all downhill from there. I had a hard time with the burpees more than anything else. If it weren't for Amie who kept count for me and cheered me on, I would've given up then and there. And even though I DNFed I still did the 50 DUs and finished in about 37 minutes.

The thing I love about long workouts like this is it makes me feel so alive after! Good way to kick off the weekend.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Jan 17 WOD: 21

So I finally bought a gym bag yesterday. I was actually looking to buy a sports bra in the Reebok store but they disappointingly didn't have any in their Eastwood branch. Then I remembered what my friend told me about the cute and not-so-expensive gym bags that Reebok has so I checked them out and ended up getting one!

Here it is, ready for its first WOD
I like the neon yellow lining and the compartments it has. It's big enough to double as a travel bag too (though I personally prefer using backpacks).

Before the WOD, I worked on my favorite goat, the double unders. I got the idea of targeting a certain number everyday from Amie. She said she makes it a point to do 100 DUs a day; I decided to do 50 DUs a day. I should probably do something like add 10 everyday or every week for a challenge.

Anyway. We did 3 different exercises today. We were to do 7 rounds of the following for 21 minutes:

1st min: 2 to 3 towel pull ups
2nd min: 10 kettlebell push press per arm (total of 20 reps)
3rd min: 3 dead lifts


I partnered with Rach and we used an 8 kg kettlebell for the push press and a 135 lb bar for the dead lifts. We had initially used a 105 lb bar but Miggy added 2 15 lb plates in between sets. This is probably the 3rd or 4th time that the coaches have done this (they do it to almost everyone, actually). I guess I should be glad that they know what I'm capable of more than I do.

We completed all 7 rounds and felt great afterward. I got light bruises on my forearms because of the KB press though.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Jan 15 WOD: Wild

Today, we did 10 RFT:

- 6 burpee pull ups
- 6 front squats (Rx: 95 lbs)
- 6 box jumps (Rx: 18")


I scaled and did burpee jumping ring pull ups, and used just 65 lbs for the front squats. But I did use an 18" box. Ten rounds seemed a lot but it was doable. As expected, we hadn't even reached halftime and people were already groaning and shouting and grunting. It wasn't a pretty sight. And it took a lot of concentration to keep the form as good as possible (especially when doing the front squats). My time: 21:14.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Jan 14 WOD: Hello again, snatch

Thankfully, I didn't get bitten by the lazy bug today and I didn't have such a difficult time getting my butt to the box.

I did my first snatch workout of the year! Today's WOD was 3 RFT (rounds for time):

- 4 power snatch (Rx: 95 lbs)
- 12 pistol squats
- 20 toes to bar

I set up a 55 lb bar and this time it was Coach Jordan who said I should add weight, so for the first time I used 60 lbs in a snatch workout. Halfway through, he remarked that it still seemed too light for me but I didn't add any more weight. I still can't do toes to bar, so I did my best to do knees to elbow instead. No such luck. My knees couldn't get anywhere near my elbows. Maybe just a little more practice will get me there.

For the cash out, we again did 4 x 400m runs every 3 minutes. The score for the run is your fastest and slowest times. My calves felt so stiff and heavy I thought I was going to get cramps.

My scores: 11:41 (60 lbs) for the metcon; 2:06 and 2:30 for the cash out.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Jan 11 WOD: Dead lifts and box jumps

It took a while, but I think I'm finally getting my groove back. I was actually excited to do the WOD today because it involves one of my favorite lifts, the dead lift.

There was a 12 minute cap and we had to do 21-15-9 (yes, the magic numbers) of:

- Dead lifts (Rx: 155 lbs)
- Box jumps (Rx: 24")


I used an 18" box, and since Coach Pau recommended using 60-65% of our 1RM for the dead lift, I set up a 110 lb bar. The challenge was for us to finish the WOD in under 10 minutes, so I thought that 110 was the right weight for me. It had been so long since we'd had a workout that involved dead lifts and I'd kinda forgotten what it's like to do high rep DLs. On hindsight, though, I think I could've gone a bit heavier.

According to Urban Dictionary, to sandbag is to purposely choose not to play your best. And at the box, when the coach tells you not to sandbag, it means you shouldn't take the easy way out just for the sake of finishing fast. I just love how the coaches push us. :)

Anyway. I finished in 6:11.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Jan 10 WOD: Ring rows, squat clean to thruster

My aching butt...

The warm up in itself was tiring. We started with a 400m run, then did a lot of dynamic stretches, then barbell warm ups. I was already drenched in sweat and the workout hadn't even started!

So, today we did:

35 horizontal ring rows
15 squat clean to thruster (Rx: 95 lbs)
25 horizontal ring rows
10 squat clean to thruster
15 horizontal ring rows
5 squat clean to thruster

It's all a blur
I set up a 45 lb bar, but Miggy spotted me just after I did my first squat clean to thruster and told me to add weight so I ended up with a 55 lb bar. I died. I did finish under the time cap of 18 minutes though. My time: 14:32.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Jan 8 WOD: Back squats

Pre-WOD, I worked on getting my new 1RM shoulder press so I can get back on the Wendler saddle. I'm quite happy to say that I got a 10 lb increase so my 1RM is now 65 lbs.

For the first part of the WOD, we were given 15 minutes to do heavy singles of back squats. The first 5 minutes were for warming up, and for the last 10 minutes we were to work up to 95% of our 1RM. Tin and I shared a bar, and whereas I worked my way up to 115 lbs, she worked her way up to 135.

For the metcon, it was:

3 minutes max reps back squats (Rx: 3/4 of body weight)

1 minute rest

3 minutes calorie row

1 minute rest

3 minutes max reps burpees


I did the workout as Rx'd! Woot! My scores: 115 (back squat A); 85 (3/4 BW) - 23 back squats / 36 calories / 21 burpees. Looks like the rowers are finally getting some exercise!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Jan 4 WOD: Double AMRAP

At the end of the WOD, Coach Jordan remarked that I still didn't seem in the mood to workout. Sooo that should give you an idea of how the workout went.

We had a total of 20 minutes to do 2 workouts:

8 minute AMRAP
- 20 kettlebell swings (Rx: 16 kg)
- 30 walking lunges (1 lunge = 1 rep)
- 40 double unders

4 minutes rest

8 minute AMRAP
- 10 burpees
- 20 push ups
- 30 sit ups


Who knew doing burpees after 30 sit ups would be so hard? I didn't. Hence the scores: 1 + 23 DUs; 1 + 26 sit ups.

I promise promise promise to do much better next week.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Jan 3 WOD: Clean and Jerk

Hello, barbell. I've missed you so.

We did 5 sets of 1 rep clean and jerk. I worked my way up to 85 lbs, and methinks it's time to set a new PR for the year.

For the metcon, we had to do 3 rounds of:

- 12 thrusters (Rx: 75 lbs)
- 12 chest to bar pull ups


I usually use only 50 lbs for workouts that involve thrusters, but it was written on the board that we should go about 5 lbs heavier on the thrusters today so I decided to use 55 lbs. As the WOD was being explained, I had like a deja vu - I was sure we'd done something similar before. And I realized it's a different kind of Fran. Anyway, my scores: 85 lbs (C&J); 7:33 (55 lbs).

When I got to work, I started on a SYTYCD season 8 marathon and this happened:


Our family must have received something like 6 or 7 bags of chestnuts, and since nobody seemed to be eating them I took a couple of handfuls with me to the office.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Jan 2 WOD: Welcome back WOD

After 10 days of feasting on all things non-paleo, it was initially a struggle for me to drag my butt to the box this morning. But I had to. Just had to.

It was 4 rounds of:

- 45 seconds calorie row
- 15 seconds rest
- 45 seconds hand release push ups
- 15 seconds rest
- 45 seconds kettlebell swings (Rx: 16 kgs)
- 15 seconds rest
- 45 seconds wall balls (Rx: 14 lbs)


I didn't push too hard today, and good thing too, because at certain points during the WOD I felt all the cake, cookies, and sweet treats fighting to come out from my tummy. Blechhh.

I did "girl" push ups, used 16 kgs for the KBS, and 10 lbs for the wall balls. My score: 194.