July 3 WOD: OH lunges

A. BBG

In 15 minutes, work up to a heavy set of:

Snatch pull + Hang snatch + Snatch

B. Metcon

Every 2 minutes on the minute for 5 sets (10 minutes):

16 overhead walking lunges (95/65#)


My score: 55# (snatch complex); 80 reps (45#)

June 26 WOD: Chipper day

A. BBG

Every 2 minutes on the minute for 16 minutes (8 sets):

Hang power snatch + Snatch (65-75%)

B. Metcon (20 minute cap)

30 overhead squats (95/65#)
30 toes to bar
20 power snatch
20 TTB
10 squat snatch
10 TTB


My score: 45# (snatch complex); 17:31 (45#)

January 30 WOD: Bells and burps

A. BBG

Every 2 minutes for 12 minutes:
Clean + Front squat (80-85% across all sets)

B. Metcon

"Tabata" Bells and Burps

6 sets, max reps:
20 seconds KBS (24/16 kg)
10 seconds rest
20 seconds burpees
10 seconds rest

Well, that wasn't so bad. What WAS bad was when I ate pizza and crepe cake after the WOD. Maigirl and Jason were celebrating their birthday and had brought food. And Greg brought one of his cheesecake experiments for us to try. Needless to say, it was to die for, and I can't wait for his shop to open near the box!

My half-eaten slice of coffee cheesecake crepe cake

Anyway, my score: 95# (clean complex); 76 reps Rx

Nov 22 WOD: Cleans

A. BBG

6 sets of clean complex:
High hang clean + power clean + push or split jerk (80%)

B. Metcon

6 minutes AMRAP
10 pull ups
10 ring dips

What is up with the corny metcons? Of course I didn't do the metcon as prescribed. Like yesterday, Coach Jordan said that he didn't want us to rest during the 6 minutes since it was so short. So he told me to scale. I did ring rows instead of pull ups and push ups instead of ring dips.


My score: 90# (clean complex); 6 + 10 ring rows

Nov 15: DNF for lunch

A. BBG

6 sets of the following clean complex:

High hang clean + push press + push/split jerk
Rest 2 minutes after each set

B. Metcon

For time (10 minute cap)

100 double unders
75 kettlebell swings (24/16 kg)
50 push press (75/55#)

I started off with 75# for the complex and stopped at 95# during my fourth set. I was able to do it but I failed in the push press in the fifth AND sixth sets. Weak!

On the bright side, miracle of miracles, my double unders showed up today! I finished the 100 DUs in under 5 minutes but it took me a lot of time to finish the KBS. I also rested a lot while doing the push press.


My score: 95# (clean complex); 196 reps Rx

Nov 7 WOD: Push ups and DUs

A. BBG

5 sets (12 minutes)

Snatch balance + OHS (focus on technique and mechanics)

B. BBG

5 sets (12 minutes)

Power snatch complex: power snatch from high hang + power snatch from mid-thigh + power snatch from mid-shin

C. Metcon

3 RFT (8 minute cap)
25 hand release push ups
50 double unders

I was complaining about the DUs again and was saying how I knew it was going to slow me down when Coach Jordan called me out and basically said I shouldn't start thinking like that. Yes, my head is always messing with me!


My score: 50# (snatch balance); 55# (power snatch complex); 2 + 15 HRPUs

Oct 22 WOD: Yet another bar complex

A. SWOD (15 minutes)

1 RM push press

B. Metcon (20 minute cap)

4 sets of:
9 dead lift
6 front squat
3 shoulder to overhead
Rest 3 minutes in between sets

I PRed my push press! The heaviest I'd done was 95# and today I was able to add 10#! Truthfully though, I would've stopped at 100# if Tere, Rhona, and Coach Jordan weren't egging me on. For the bar complex, we were not to regrip or let go of the bar at any time during a set. We could rest the bar in the hang position or in the clean position but we cannot drop it.


My score: 105# (push press); 65/70/75/85

Sep 17 WOD: Another Fran hybrid

A. BBG

10 minutes to establish a heavy complex of:
1 clean pull + 1 squat clean + 1 jerk

Then: Every 90 seconds x 3 sets:
1 complex at 80% of heaviest weight used in previous exercise

B. Metcon

10 minutes EMOM

5 thrusters (115#/75#)
10 pull ups

First workout after the throwdown so I allowed myself to take it easy. The stress of the throwdown is still vivid in my mind so I just wanted to workout without thinking if I should try going Rx. We told Coach Jordan that we were declaring a "petiks" month, and he said, why a whole month?? Why not? My original goal when I started CrossFit was simply to get fit. Now that I have gotten reasonably fit, should  aim to get strong? And if I do aim to get strong, at what point should I stop? Hmm. Post-throwdown thoughts to ponder.


My score: 100# (heavy complex); 7 rounds (55#; ring rows)

Aug 26 WOD: Snatch complex and OHS couplet

A. BBG: Snatch complex

EMOM x 10 minutes

Snatch dead lift
High hang power snatch
Low hang power snatch
Power snatch

B. Metcon

10 minute ascending ladder (2, 4, 6...)

Overhead squat (95/65)
Lateral burpee

The lateral burpee is when you do a burpee then jump over the bar; that counts as one rep.


My score: 50# (BBG); 10 + 3 lateral burpees (50#)

Jul 29 WOD: Baby Nancy

The 2013 CrossFit Games is in the books and Rich Froning was crowned the fittest man on earth for the third time, while Sam Briggs earned the right to be called the fittest woman on earth. The weekend was a blur of seemingly impossible workouts. One of them involved what was called an iditarod, which the athletes harnessed themselves to and dragged across the field. I'm not sure how much it weighs but I seem to recall hearing the commentators say that it's around 250 lbs. It's almost unreal what these athletes are asked to do, but they still do it, and do it well!

Kaleena Ladeairous on the iditarod
(Photo credit: CrossFit Games)

A. Barbell gymnastics

Snatch complex EMOM x 10 (touch and go)

1 power snatch
2 snatch balance
1 squat snatch

B. Metcon: Baby Nancy

3 RFT (12 minute cap)

400m run
15 overhead squats (95/65)

I used only 45 lbs for the snatch complex. Your score for the complex is the total weight you carried for all the rounds you successfully completed. I failed one round. And I wasn't able to finish all 3 rounds of the metcon within the time cap. Another DNF.

My score: 405 (snatch complex); 2 + 400m run

Garret Fisher (aka Clark Kent) during the log carry portion
of the Burden Run event
(Photo credit: CrossFit Games)

Jul 25 WOD: Throwback Thursday

I was in the box area super early but I decided to while away the time in the office. It was only then that I checked the WOD and saw that we were doing Open workout 12.1 again. As if doing it once in your life isn't enough.

A. SWOD

Clean complex EMOM x 10

Dead lift
Power clean
Front squat
Squat clean

B. Metcon

7 minutes AMRAP burpees

These were my sets for the clean complex: 75 x 3; 85 x 5; 95 x 2. The score is the total weight multiplied by the number of successful sets you did. Lucky me, I was able to complete all 10 sets. For the metcon I aimed to do 10 burpees per minute so I could at least get 70. When I did this last year I only got 54, and we had to touch an overhead target that was 6" away from our fingertips. This time there was no target but we still had to bring our hands together to complete one rep.

Just so you know

My score: 840 (clean complex); 76

Jun 14 WOD: Bar complex

Dead lifts, cleans, and jerks... that's what (CrossFit) girls are made of. Finally, a workout that I liked!

A. SWOD

Power clean EMOM 10 x 2 (85 - 90% of 1RM)

B. Metcon

3 RFT

5 dead lifts (155/95)
5 hang power cleans
5 front squats
5 jerks

The 10 am class was so full, we almost ran out of bars! Trish and I shared a bar for the SWOD. At first, we thought we'd stick to 85 lbs but we eventually added a bit more to make it 95 lbs. For the metcon, I only used 65 lbs - which I later realized was too light because I finished in under 5 minutes.

My score: 95 (power clean); 4:07 (metcon)

After the WOD, we started talking about the team throwdown happening in September. One team is composed of 2 boys and 1 girl, and according to Coach Pau the format of the throwdown will be similar to the one we had in June last year. Meaning, teams go against each other once a week then there will be a final throwdown at the end of the month. I'm thinking about joining but I don't know how I'll be able to handle the stressssss.

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