Jun 3 WOD: Snatch PR!

A. BBG: Snatch

20 minutes to build up to a heavy snatch

B. Metcon

For time (20 minute cap):

1000m row or 800m run, then

3 rounds of:
15 overhead squats (115/75#)
15 ring dips

From now on, unless the coach says we're supposed to do the power snatch, I will always choose the full snatch during skill sessions. Also, I will always focus on the task at hand. I think those really helped me to finally break my snatch plateau. I can't even remember the last time I attempted heavy snatches.

I chose to row during the metcon, and I did parallette dips. Note to self: start practicing real ring dips!


My score: 70# (snatch); 16:35 (45#)

Nov 29 WOD: Journey

The only thing that makes DNFs suck less is hitting a PR.

A. BBG

In 12 minutes, work up to a heavy power clean and jerk.

B. Metcon

"Journey" (15 minute cap)

100 overhead squats (115/75#)
3 burpees EMOM

It sucked when I was a newbie and it sure sucked now. My quads still hadn't recovered from last Monday's WOD so I had to go slowly with the OHS. My quads are so mad right now. When I sit too long and stand up my legs feel so wooden. On the bright side, I PRed my clean and jerk today! Finally nailed 115# and was really close to getting 120# but my core got wobbly.


My score: 115# (power clean and jerk); 60 (55#)

Oct 29 WOD: PR day and Lift up Luke

A. Skill

Work up to a heavy or 1RM clean and jerk (20 minutes)

B. Metcon

Lift up Luke

5 minutes AMRAP
4 power clean (155/105#)
24 double unders
10 pull ups

After months of being stuck at 105#, I finally added 5 pounds to my clean and jerk PR! I tried 115# twice but could only clean it. Also, I did the workout as prescribed. I don't think I would've done it if the WOD was longer than 5 minutes though.


My score: 110# (clean and jerk); 1 + 3 pull ups Rx (69 reps)

Jun 28 WOD: A PR, a hairy metcon, and a cake

I may need to buy more long socks for these dead lift days.

A. SWOD

Dead lift 1RM (15 minutes)

Partner glute ham raise 4 x 15

B. Metcon

7 minutes AMRAP

100m sprint

20 kettlebell swings (32/24)

I grouped with Trish, Rhona, and Helen for the dead lift. The last time I got my 1RM was when I did the Total sometime late last year, and I did 185 lbs. Today, I got a 5 lb PR and did 190. I attempted to do 200 but I couldn't even get the bar off the ground. But I'm still happy with 190. I know I'll get 200 next time!

For the metcon, I used only 16 kg. Good thing, too, because my legs were feeling heavy after the SWOD. Also, mixing running and KBS is never a good thing. Plus it was sooo hot outside! I know the board said "sprint" but I was doing something that looked more like jogging. Finally, after it was all over, we crowded around the tres leches cake that Albright had made and brought. Yum. I love that I have so many boxmates who are bakers and cooks!

Photo by Albright

But wait, that's not all. Like an afterthought, I joined the bootcamp class's cool down of alternating 1 minute wall squats and planks.

My score: 190 (dead lift); 4 + 15 KBS (16 kg)

May 2 WOD: Olympic Total

Today I attended the first Thursday 10am class. There were only 5 of us -- the usual suspects. The workout is the Olympic Total, which is the sum of the best of 3 attempts at the snatch and clean and jerk.

First 15 minutes: snatch

1 - 1 - 1

Then next 15 minutes: clean and jerk

1 - 1 - 1

My snatch sets:

1 x 45
1 x 55
1 x 65

My clean and jerk sets:

1 x 95
1 x 105
1 x 115

I had mental difficulties getting under the bar with the 115. I resist squatting. As much as possible, if I can snatch or clean it standing up, I would. I was able to pull the 115 bar up just below my shoulders but I didn't want to have to squat clean it.

I also wanted to work on my full snatch, and I was able to do it with the 55 once. Coach Jordan observed that the weight goes forward and he said I mustn't be afraid of pulling my arms a little further back. After that, since time was running out, I used the power snatch for the last set.

After the Total, the others thought that we needed a cash out and I let myself get suckered into doing tabata abs. It wasn't so bad because we agreed to do only 4 rounds of each exercise.

Also, I can now do pull ups using the underhand grip!

Apr 26 WOD: Front squats and clean and jerks

Strength: Front squat

5 x 1 climbing

I shared a bar with Tere, Tricia, and Helen, and we all started with 80 lbs. We were told to work up to a heavy single in 15 minutes, and our last set was 120 lbs. Front squat PR day!


Metcon

EMOM (every minute on the minute) x 10 minutes: Clean and jerk x 1 rep

That means at the start of every minute, we were to do 1 rep clean and jerk. We had the option of starting light then adding weight every minute, but I chose to start with what I'd thought was 75 lbs. I say I'd thought it was 75 lbs because it was only after the WOD that I realized that I'd used a 35 lb bar instead of a 25 lb bar. And since I'd put 2 25 lb plates, the weight of my bar was actually 85 lbs... which later became 95 lbs after some prodding by Raul. Shortly after the metcon, I added 10 lbs to the bar and was able to clean and jerk 105 lbs. Another PR for the day!

I think that if I'd known that I was attempting to break the 100 lb C&J barrier, I'd have been more hesitant and unsure. So, thought for the day: What you don't know will get you a PR. :)

(source)

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. :)

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

Dec 14 WOD: 1RM Clean

It was a 1RM kind of day, and we worked on the clean today. We had 20 minutes to find our 1RM clean. I warmed up with the bar and worked my way up from 55 lbs to 105 lbs. I'll take that 5 lb PR, thank you very much!

The last time I got my 1RM power clean, it took me 3 tries before I was able to clean 105 - it was actually a squat clean - and today I only had to do it once! CrossFit works, yo.

For the cash out, we had a choice between:

A. Any 2 of the following:

- 5 rounds for time: 15 unbroken push press

- For time: 60 ring dips

- For time: 10 rounds of 10-second L-sit holds

- For time: 10 rounds of 6 unbroken toes to bar

B. On the minute 5 x 10 reps overhead squats (70-80% of 1RM)

I went for the OHS using a 45 lb bar. 50 reps is no joke!

May 18 WOD: CrossFit Total and then some

I really wanted to go to the box yesterday because I saw on the website that the WOD was CrossFit Total.

I read up on it and found a simple definition on CrossFit.com. According to Mark Rippetoe, the CrossFit Total reflects an athlete's functional strength capacity more accurately than any other test. It is the sum of the best of three attempts at the squat (back squat), the press (strict, no kipping), and the dead lift.

Since I love lifting, I tweeted my request to CrossFit MNL, asking if I could do it today. Coach Pau responded and set the time (9 am), and so I found myself at the box at 8:45 am. Excited! Tere arrived shortly after, then Pau explained how we should warm up. After the warm up, Tere and I went to work.

Back squat
Attempt 1: 105#
Attempt 2: 115#
Attempt 3: 120#

Press
Attempt 1: 45#
Attempt 2: 55#
Attempt 3: 65# (a fail, so that means my score for the press is 55#)

Dead lift
For this one, I don't know how I got to my final score. I just knew that Pau kept adding weight until he told me that I was doing my last attempt. What was going on in my mind? Shins to the bar, tight hams, tight core, chest up, and pull! When I succeeded, he told me that I did 170#. One hundred seventy pounds (yes, I really have to spell that out). I couldn't help squealing and jumping for joy. A PR!

Our totals. Look at Tere's score! She's a beast! Rawr.

I'm happy with my score, though. I googled the CrossFit Total score chart and found this:

(Source)

Since my body weight is 112 and my score was 345, that means I'm somewhere in between intermediate and advanced. Heck, yeah!

For the "cash out," we did the regular WOD, which wasn't a piece of cake at all. I wanted to quit halfway through it. It was 15 rounds of:

- 30 secs max reps KBS
- 30 secs max reps air squats
- 30 secs rest

You get your score by adding up all the reps you'd done.

My quads were in agony after those 22 mins. To think I only used an 8 kg kettlebell. Anyway, my score: 461.