Let's try this blog thing again

Whoa whoa whoa... my last post was last year? Before the CF Games?! And now it's Open season again?!?

So this is my 4th time to experience the Open. That doesn't mean that I signed up (I'm too much of a cheapskate), but I do look forward to the Open workout announcements and occasionally the workouts themselves.

I did 16.1 last week. It was 9 am here when the workout was announced and our 10 am class was the first one in the box to do it. It was hell.

(source)

I used the prescribed weight but did kipping pull-ups instead of CTBs since I can't do those yet.

My score: 105 reps, which is 4 full rounds (one round is 26 reps) and a 5-foot lunge (which counts as one rep)

However surprisingly bad 16.1 was, I'm sure 16.2 will be as surprisingly bad. Because Dave always programs the worst Open workouts. But I'm ready to take it on tomorrow!

June 30 WOD: Bergeron beep test

A. Strength: Front Squat

5 sets of 2 reps:

Set 1 - 65%
Set 2 - 75%
Set 3 - 85%
Set 4 - 90%
Set 5 - 90%

B. Metcon

Bergeron Beep Test

EMOM as long as possible:

7 thrusters (75/55#)
7 pull ups
7 burpees

We'd already done this last February, and I remember it being super bad. I used the same scale I did last time (35# bar, jumping pull ups) and I did a wee bit better than last time.


My score: 100# (front squat); 2 + 4 burpees (35#; jumping pull ups)

April 24 WOD: Chelsea

Chelsea is one of the mean girls.

EMOM x 30 minutes

5 pull ups

10 push ups

15 squats

I did the first three rounds as prescribed, but after that I scaled my pull ups down to ring rows.

My score: 19

March 24 WOD: 4 x 7

We warmed up with some handstand holds and Coach Jordan had us practice shifting our weight from hand to hand, as if doing a handstand walk. He also had us practice strict mini-handstand push ups where we were to try to touch the top of our head on a stack of plates. I think I'm getting there.

Metcon

14 minutes AMRAP

7 HSPU
7 burpees
7 ring dips
7 pull ups

I did pike push ups and parallette dips.


My score: 5 + 4 pike push ups

March 7 WOD: Open 14.2 and bootcamp

For 14.2, it was Talayna Fortunato and CLB who went head-to-head. It wasn't as fun as 14.1.

I already did OHS yesterday using the same weight, and since I wasn't signed up for the throwdown anyway, Coach Jordan let me scale. I still can't do chest to bar pull ups anyway. It was a super short workout since I only made it to the rounds of 12 so I decided -- for what may be the 2nd time in my CF career -- to do the bootcamp WOD. It sucked (translation: I sucked), and I got a big, fat DNF.

This is what we did for bootcamp:

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 (25 minute cap)

Medicine ball clean (9/7 kg)
Double unders
Kettlebell dead lift (32/24 kg)
Box jumps
10m bear crawl


My score: 70 reps (45#; green band)

March 4 WOD: Double AMRAP

A. Skill/SWOD

4 sets of:

2-3 Strict pull ups/chest to bar pull ups/ring rows

Rest 90 seconds

Front squat + jerk

B. Metcon

5 minutes AMRAP

10 pull ups

10 pistol squats (5 per leg) or goblet squats

Rest 5 minutes, then:

5 minutes AMRAP

10 toes to bar

20 double unders

I can't do strict pull ups yet so I did 3 weighted ring rows (10# plate on the chest). Now I know how it feels to be 10 lbs heavier. For the front squat + jerk combo, Coach Jordan emphasized that these must be done as 2 separate movements. For the metcon I chose to do pistol squats since I really need to work on them.

My score: 95# (front squat + jerk); 3 rounds; 2 rounds + 10 DUs

February 11 WOD: Bergeron Beep Test

One of those WTH workouts they make us do from time to time.

A. Metcon

"Bergeron Beep Test"

EMOM until failure
7 thrusters (75/55#)
7 pull ups
7 burpees

B. BBG

In 12 minutes, work on snatch technique.

I did a super scaled version of the WOD (35# thrusters and jumping pull ups) and it was still hard. Imagine doing all those 21 reps in one minute?! You know you have to sprint it but you also want to pace yourself so you don't burn out too soon. According to the creator of the workout, Ben Bergeron, this is his test for pure conditioning and mental toughness. Kinda reminiscent of 13.5.


My score: 2 + 1 burpee (35#; jumping pull ups); 70# (power snatch)

February 6 WOD: Of jerks, lunges, and not DNF-ing

It is such a good day.

A. BBG

EMOM x 12 minutes

Clean and jerk x 1

Loads per minute (%): 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 80-85, 85, 85-90, 90, 90+

B. Metcon

For time (18 minute cap):

400m run
20 front rack lunges (135/95#)
40 chest to bar pullups
20 front rack lunges
80 double unders

Even though the jerks didn't feel so good, I still loved doing the C&Js. My triceps are still sore from last Tuesday (because of the push ups? or the pull ups? I don't know anything anymore). But in other news, I actually finished the WOD! I thought that the pull ups would do me in but they weren't so bad today. I just kept chipping away at the reps. One at a time. Also, my DUs didn't abandon me today.


My score: 100# (clean and jerk); 17:03 (65#)

February 4 WOD: BS and Mini Cindy

A. SWOD

Back squats

Set 1: 6 x 60% x 75#
Set 2: 4 x 70% x 85#
Set 3: 2 x 80% x 100#
Set 4: Max reps x 85% x 105#

Rest 3 minutes in between sets.

B. Metcon

Mini Cindy

8 minutes AMRAP:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

You know that brief period of amnesia when your mind is a total blank and you can't remember what the WOD was the day before and why you feel sore? I don't know if it's an age thing or I'm just really forgetful. Sometimes I can't tell anymore which movement made whichever part of my body sore. Or maybe it's just a CrossFit thing.

I feel like my pull ups are finally coming together. But I need to remind myself to keep my feet together the whole time when I'm hanging on to the bar, even when kipping (maybe especially when kipping).


My score: 105# (8 reps back squat); 5 + 8 push ups Rx

January 28 WOD: Leg killer

A. Skill

3 rounds (not for time; focus on technique)

10 box jumps
10 toes to bar
10 alternating pistols (5 per leg)

B. Metcon

4 RFT (10 minute cap)

5 squat cleans (155/105#)
10 chest to bar pull ups
20 double unders

Rest 5 minutes

4 RFT (10 minute cap)

10 dead lifts (155/105#)
20 wall balls (9/7 kg)

You know I rarely lie on the floor after a WOD but this... this had me on my back a good few minutes. It absolutely owned me. The 7 kg ball played a particularly cruel staring game with me.


My score: 3 + 1 pull up (65#); 3 + 3 dead lifts (95#)

January 23 WOD: Another why-do-I-do-this-to-myself WOD

A. BBG

In 10 minutes, work up to a heavy hang clean and jerk (85-90%)

B. Metcon

6 RFT (20 minutes cap)

20 double unders
15 wall balls (9/7 kg)
10 pull ups
Rest 1 minute

Coach Jordan had us do 1 set of hang clean and jerk every 2 minutes. I started with 65#, then 75#, then 85#, then 95# for the last 2 sets.

Wall balls are mean. You feel good the first round but you die in the second round. On the bright side, I did my first set of DUs unbroken today!


My score: 95# (hang clean and jerk); DNF - 5 rounds (19:43)

January 17 WOD: What-to-bar pull ups?

A. SWOD

In 10 minutes, work up to a heavy complex of:
Snatch + Overhead squat

B. Metcon

AMRAP 20 minutes

100m sprint
2 belly to bar pull ups
4 push press (115/75#)
8 burpees over bar
4 push press (115/75#)
4 ring dips
Rest 1 minute

For the SWOD, on my last attempt I was able to power snatch 70# but I failed at the OHS. Oh, and if you didn't know, the gold standard in pull ups nowadays is the "belly to bar" pull up. I used a blue band for the pull ups, but even then I could only do chest to bar pull ups. Sheesh. Next thing you know they'll be asking us to do groin to bar pull ups.


My score: 65# (snatch complex); 5 rounds (blue band, 55#, parallette dips)

January 16 WOD: Clean complex and an EMOM WOD

A. BBG

5 sets of the following complex:
Halting clean dead lift + Hang clean + Power clean + Jerk

* What is a halting clean dead lift, you ask? According to the site, this is what you're supposed to do: Pull barbell from floor to just above the knees, pause 2 seconds, stand tall, then clean from the high hang position.

B. Metcon

EMOM x 10 minutes

Odd: 12-15 wall balls (9/7 kg)
Even: 6-10 chest to bar pull ups

I did a combination of 12 wall balls and 9 kipping pull ups.

And I'm leaving you now with this.

Dmitry Klokov's best lifts
(source)

Something to aspire for (???).


My score: 95# (clean complex)

January 2 WOD: Tabata Something Else

I'm glad today's workout wasn't as punishing as usual. The duration and intensity was just right for people like me who had been eating and being fat the past two weeks.

Tabata Something Else (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 8 minutes)

Pull ups
Push ups
Sit ups
Squats

We'd already done this last year and I did ring rows instead of pull ups. Well this time I did semi-real pull ups (semi-real because some of my reps were semi-reps). And now I feel like dozing off.


My score: 255

December 17 WOD: Bookend

I had no plans of working out today because I'd slept late last night helping my sister out with her baking and I had an errand to run this morning after my meeting with my son's teacher (yes, it's that PTC time of the year). But my schedule got messed up and I ended up having to work out. Just when I thought I could escape running for the third time in a row!

For time (20 minute cap if scaled, no cap if Rx):

800m run

Then 5 rounds:
5 burpee over bar
7 front squats (155/105#)
9 chest to bar pull ups

Then 800m run

Ideally, we should spend a total of only 8 minutes for the runs. That's an 8-minute mile. Um, I don't think so. I scaled the front squats because we couldn't use racks. Also, Coach Jordan allowed me to do ring rows instead of pull ups.


My score: 4 + 2 front squats (85#)

Dec 12 WOD: Olys and pull ups

A. BBG/Skill

8 minutes: Warm up to 70% of 1RM snatch
5 minutes EMOM snatch 1 rep at 70-75%

Rest 2 minutes

8 minutes: Warm up to 75% of 1RM clean and jerk
5 minutes EMOM clean and jerk 1 rep at 75-80%

B. Cash out

2 sets for time:
25 pull ups

Only four people attended the 11 am class, including myself. Judging from pictures and chat conversations, the others are probably still wasted from last night's box Christmas party.

Anyway, I did real pull ups today! We were given 12 minutes to complete the two sets, so that was a lot of time. I was fretting about the pull ups and had asked Coach Jordan for advice. He told me to do pull ups for the first set, then ring rows for the second set. I agreed, but I knew that if I started with the pull ups I would most likely stick to it till the end. Success! And look, ma, no tears (on my hands, that is)!


My score: 55# (snatch); 90# (C&J); 9:39 Rx

Dec 10 WOD: Jerk balance

A. Skill

3 x 3 jerk balance

B. Metcon

3 RFT
10 dead lifts (245/165#)
15 clapping push ups
20 pull ups
25 double unders

The 12:30 pm class was overflowing so Coach Jordan had to do 2 heats. I scaled down again today. I've had no drive lately. Maybe (I hope) it's just a case of holiday-related laziness.


My score: 70# (jerk balance); 14:10 (125#; kneeling clapping push ups; ring rows)

Dec 5 WOD: Push and pull

A. SWOD and Skill

4 sets:

5 strict press
Rest 90 seconds
3 weighted strict pull ups
Rest 90 seconds

B. Metcon

6 minutes AMRAP

5 pull ups
10 burpees

Just my luck that on the day I decided that my torn palms could take on WODs again, there had to be pull ups. I did the strict pull ups with a blue band for the first part of the WOD but did ring rows instead of pull ups during the metcon.


My score: 65# (strict press); 5 + 1 burpee

Dec 2 WOD: Clean and jerk rewind

A. BBG

In 15 minutes, work up to a heavy (submaximal) clean and jerk.

B. Metcon

5 RFT (15 minute cap)

5 clean and jerk (155/105#)
10 pull ups

The good news is, this week didn't start with a DNF. My clean and jerks felt a little iffy today so I didn't attempt to go for a PR. I wanted to negotiate with Coach Jordan about doing ring rows instead of pull ups, but he said I should do them Rx'd because I should work on them. Fine!


My score: 105# (clean and jerk); 13:48 (75#)

Nov 25 WOD: Cindy's mistress

As a way of celebrating CFMNL's third year of spreading the CrossFit love in the Philippines, we did a throwback WOD that first appeared in September 2011.

60 burpee to squat clean (95/65)
Every 2 minutes do 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats (1 round of Cindy)

I did pull ups the first 3 or 4 rounds but had to scale down to ring rows when my pull ups started looking pathetic. I also used only 55# for the squat cleans. I know... sandbaggerrrr. And I still DNFed! Who scales and still DNFs? Me, that's who.


My score: 43 (55#)