April 14 WOD: Annie

A. Strength/Skill

3 sets:

8-12 Barbell Bulgarian split squat
Rest 30 seconds
1 minute handstand hold (unbroken or accumulated)
Rest 3 minutes

B. Metcon

Annie

50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit ups

I used a 35 lb bar for the split squats. They were weird and a little bit hard for someone who's had zero workout for 2 weeks. I did the handstand holds unbroken, since I thought it would be a hassle to come down and then go back up again. As for the metcon, I have yet to do Annie in under 15 minutes.


My score: 20 DUs + 8 sit ups

Jun 18 WOD: Of snatch grip dead lifts and hang power cleans

After the disappointing result of yesterday's WOD, I didn't feel like working out today. But my rest days are planned for Wednesdays, and my OC self just couldn't allow for a messed-up schedule so I still went.

A. Skill

Snatch grip dead lift 8 x 3 (using the hook grip)

B. Metcon

13 minute time cap

13, 12, 11, 10... 1 hang power clean (115/75)

1, 2, 3, 4... 13 handstand push ups

I taped my thumbs for the hook grip (see simple demo video below).

Tere (she's back!) and I shared a bar for the dead lift, and we used 110 lbs. For the metcon, she managed to convince me to use the prescribed weight and I'm glad I let myself be convinced. It turns out 75 lbs isn't so heavy after you've done heavier dead lifts. Also, I did handstand holds instead of HSPU (1 rep HSPU = 3 second hold). I felt my arms getting wobbly during my last handstand hold, which was 18 seconds long. But I had to keep holding because I didn't want to waste effort on getting my feet back up.

My score: 110 (snatch grip dead lift); 91 reps (up to the set of 7 HPC)

Jun 7 WOD: Upside-down fun

We did another SWOD before the metcon, and today it was the strict press.

A. SWOD: Shoulder press

4 x 12 (40 - 50% of 1RM)

B. Metcon

12 minutes AMRAP

3 thrusters (135/95)
6 handstand push ups
9 toes to bar

Helen and I shared a bar for the SWOD, and for the first 3 sets we used 35 lbs; for the last set we used 40 lbs. There must be something special about those 12 reps. By the time you get to the 10th rep, the last 2 reps is all about getting through the mental difficulty of knowing you're not yet done. For the metcon I used 55 lbs for the thrusters (it felt heavier than that, especially after SWOD), did 10-second handstand holds instead of HSPUs, and did knee tucks on the rings.

My score: 40 (shoulder press); 6 + 10-sec hold

May 30 WOD: Upper body stuff + Wendler

Strength: Shoulder press

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

I was supposed to do back squats today but the WOD already includes those so I did presses instead.


WOD

A. Strength: Back squat

In 20 minutes, work up to a 3RM.

B. Metcon

3 RFT

8 thrusters (135/95)
6 muscle ups

Coach Jordan wanted us to focus on the timing of our squats. He said we should start by bending our hips and then slowly going down, and then just before breaking parallel we should go faster and bounce to help with coming up. Trish and I shared a bar for the back squats and we worked our way up to 120 lbs. Well, it was actually 122.5 because she'd mistakenly put a 2.5 lb plate on one end of the bar. Tee hee.

For the metcon, I used 55 lbs for the thrusters, and instead of 6 muscle ups, I did 12 seated muscle ups.

My score: 120 (3RM back squat); 10:03 (metcon)

After the workout, most of us stayed around. I tried working on my pull ups, which are still a fail. But I have to admit that I'm often too lazy to practice. It's just so much more fun to hang around and talk with boxmates! Anyway, I did get around to working on my handstand. It turns out, you're supposed to let your left leg lead, and after that it's like taking a leap of faith that your feet will find the wall. Coach Jordan spotted me and I was able to do handstand holds in order to get comfortable with the upside-down position.

Thanks to Smacky and Dingdong for the photo

And here's what most of the 10 am class looks like upside down (that's me in the lower left corner!).