Rowing and core

I don't usually train on Sundays, but I didn't have time to do as much as I wanted yesterday, plus I was bored so I went to the Stonecroft gym for a short workout.

Rowing - 2k; damper setting @ 6
Time = 10:27

I used to think that the higher the damper setting, the harder it is to row. However, I recently stumbled across a CrossFit article - which, quite frankly, I didn't understand - that says this isn't the case. It's just... different. Anyway, this 2k with the damper at 6 felt tougher on my arms than my recent 5k set at 10.

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Some core work, all separate and untimed.

100 sit-ups
Push-up/Swiss ball crunches - 7, 6, 6, 7
Leg/hip raises - 5 x 10 reps

Legs

Yep, that about sums it up...

I trained after lunch today. Straight after, which was a big mistake. I took Mum to Blue Orchid hair salon on the Kiwanis bus, which picked us up about 20 minutes earlier than we expected. I'd only just finished a plate of sweet potato, bacon and chicken when the bus arrived, so by the time I'd walked to the gym after dropping off Mum, only about 45 minutes had passed. I should have rested a while because I had plenty of time and didn't need to rush my workout, but I started warming up almost straight away. Anyway, eating a full meal three-quarters of an hour before doing a2g squats put more pressure on my stomach than I wanted and I felt sure I would be losing my lunch pretty soon. I took longish rests between sets of my first routine, which helped the food settle a bit, but still...

Front squats
135 x 5, 145 x 4, 4, 150 x 3, 3

Not my best performance with front squats by any means. My wrists felt a bit sore, perhaps because of all the cleans yesterday. That was the cause of my failures, rather than the squats themselves.

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Deadlifts - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
225, 245, 255, 265, 270 (4)

Better...

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Back squats
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 3

This was going really well and my technique was really good - core contracted, knees out, chest up - but in the third rep of the last set I felt like I was going to topple forward, so I decided to rack the bar and leave it at that.

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Leg extensions @ 110lb - 9, 9, 9

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50 sit-ups
50 ab roll-outs

Not a great performance today, but at least I had enough time to fit a lot of reps in, so not a complete bust.

Conditioning

I haven't used a picture of a male athlete for nearly a month.
Oh, well...

For time:
50 skips (x 2)
50 burpees
50 thrusters @ 20s
50 sit-ups
50 push presses @ 20s
50 leg raises/hip raises
50 traveling lunges (50 steps)
50 dumbbell swings @ 30
50 dumbbell snatches @ 25
50 jump squats

Time = 32:41

Real life got in the way of my planned pushing workout today and I didn't have time to go to ABsolute Fitness this morning. It wasn't until 6:00pm that I was able to take a break from work, but I was only able to get to the Stonecroft gym. I spent a good 15 minutes stretching and warming up, especially as my right calf is still hurting from my cramp spasm after Saturday's PT session.

I adapted today's main site WOD by substituting some movements for the RXed ones; for example, thrusters with dumbbells instead of wall balls, and leg/hip raises instead of knees to elbows. Some of the changes were due to the equipment that was available, and some were because I don't have the skills (100 single skips instead of 50 double-unders).

Perhaps because it was later in the day, but I felt pretty lethargic at the start of this routine. However, I gradually felt mentally more energized as I progressed, although I was obviously becoming more fatigued. I was alone in the gym until the dumbbell swings, and I think I scared the crap out of the geezer who came in to use the machines. I was grunting and sweating my ass off, then I managed to gasp "Enjoy your evening" when I left. I'm probably the first person at Stonecroft who's done metcon training!

Full body

Alternate sets; 5 x relative max reps
Bench press @ 125lb: 6, 5, 5, 5, 4

Weighted pull-ups @ 35lb: 5, 5, 5, 4, 4

Exactly 60 seconds rest between sets.

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3 rft:
15 dumbbell snatches @ 30lb, left arm
15 sit-ups
15 dumbbell snatches @ 30lb, right arm
15 toes to bar
Time = 18:15

This is a modified version of yesterday's WoD. I tried a light db squat snatch - 20lb - but I didn't have enough external rotation to allow me to squat at a reasonable depth. My arm was too far forward, which meant I couldn't get enough weight in my heels and I felt like I was going to topple over. I decide to go with a straight db snatch at 30lb, but, in retrospect, I could have gone at least 5lb heavier. The level of difficulty for each of these movements was exactly as expected - sit-ups were easiest, all unbroken; snatches were okay, with the first set unbroken for each arm, then with one break in the other two rounds. Toes to bar, however, included quite a few no-reps and several breaks in each set. That cost me a tremendous amount of time.

Full body: Conditioning

Personal training with Paul.

Bloody hell, I've got to stop suggesting workouts to Paul. Today's was a killer. I stumbled across a metcon on a Guelph box's website and sent it to Paul because I thought he might like to try it. But no; he made me do it instead (I'll be bloody pissed if he doesn't give it a go!)

2 rounds of max reps:

Burpees: 40 + 29 = 69
Chin-ups: 37 + 27 = 64

Push presses @ 95lb: 27 + 23 = 50
Back squat @ 45 lb: 52 + 40 = 92
Knees to elbows: 27 + 27 = 54

3 minutes per station; 30 seconds of "rest" to transition to the next station.

3 minutes of rest between rounds.

Total reps = 324

Score = 383

There's an option of doing knees to elbows or sit-ups instead, but the k2e reps count double, hence my total score is higher than the total reps.

The presses were the toughest, simply because of the weight. I was pleasantly surprised that my second set was only four reps fewer than the first. The back squats were surprisingly hard because they took my breath away. I took some long breaks during the second set because my head was spinning so much. There was only one failed rep in the whole routine - a chin-up - and the k2es, which were the last movement of each round, were done on auto-pilot. I shut off my mind and just concentrated on getting through the next rep. I've never know 30 seconds pass so quickly nor 3 minutes go so slowly.

I finished off with some sit-ups, none of which was timed.

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

I've been feeling the symptoms of overtraining the past couple of days, and even a bit this morning when I got up. As before, it manifests itself with a flu-like ache in my chest, arms and shoulders. To be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to today's session because I didn't have much energy. However, I thought I might start to feel better once I got warmed up. I actually felt much better after this workout than at the start, and I barely have any of that aching feeling now.

For the record, it's well established that Paul's memory is better than mine, and I did actually train on Wednesday, contrary to what I'd suggested. However, he can't count for shit. Rather than paying attention to the reps I was doing, I think he was picking his lotto numbers.

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Supersets

Incline bench press - 35s x 10, 40s x 10, 8, 8
Push-ups - 16, 12, 8, 6

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Pull downs - 100 x 10, 10, 8, 7
Straight arm pull downs - 70 x 10, 7, 7, 6

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Lateral raises - 20s x 10, 9, 7
Military presses - 20s x 11, 8, 5

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Chest supported row - 100 x 10, 10, 10
Reverse lateral raise - 40 x 10, 7, 5

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For time:
50 sit-ups (strict)
50 Russian twists with 25lb plate (total)
25 sit-ups
25 Russian twists
Time = 7:53

Conditioning

My hamstrings are pretty much back to normal, but my glutes are still sore as hell. I didn't want to resort to just an upper body workout again, so I decided to do some conditioning that would work my whole body. I started by doing about 10-15 minutes of warming up - especially my legs, obviously - and then did a version of The 540, which is named after the CrossFit box that devised it. The reps are as RXed, but I couldn't find a reference to what weight I should be using. I think it's up to the individual how much to put on the bar, so I guess-timated how much would be a challenge for me. I think I got it about right.

The 540
50 overhead lunges (total reps; 25lb bumper plate)
40 pull-ups
30 thrusters @ 85lb
20 burpees
10 cleans @ 115lb
Time = 18:06

I narrowly missed Rich Froning's world record time. By about 12 and a half minutes. Frig, this took my breath away, especially the thrusters. I think they took the longest time out of everything, just because of the time I spent resting. The burpees were in slow motion, but I only needed one break right in the middle.

For time:
50 sit-ups (strict)
50 push-ups
Time = 4:35

Short workout today, but still felt challenging.

Full body conditioning

Personal training with Paul

Amrap 10
1 deadlift @ 225lb, 1 burpee, 2/2, 3/3 etc.
Score = 9 rounds exactly

Edit: I only just checked back to see my score when I did something similar but easier a few weeks ago. Back then I did jump squats instead of the RXed burpees, which I did today. Even though my lungs burned like hell this morning, I did much better.

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"Ensign"
3 x 3 minute rounds of:
3 power cleans @ 115lb
6 push-ups
9 air squats

Scores:
3 rounds + 3 power cleans
3 rounds + 6 squats
3 rounds + 6 push-ups

I'm not surprised that the second round was better than the first. I deliberately moved slower, which allowed me to breathe slower. I slowed down in the third round just because I was fatigued.

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3 rounds:
10 ab rollouts
20 sit-ups (strict)

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It's two hours later, and my lower back is already seizing up from the deadlifts! Great workout, though. I'm used to one of the routines in my PT session knocking me on my ass, but not two at the beginning!

Full body

Clever advertising campaign by Nike

Supersets:
Bench presses, max reps @ 125lb - 5, 4, 4, 4, 4
Cable rows, max reps @ 125lb - 8, 7, 7, 7, 7

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For time:
30 x hang clean and presses @ 95lb
10 x burpees whenever I drop the bar (not at the end)
Time = 10:57 (5 breaks/sets of burpees)

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50 strict sit-ups
30 leg raises/hip raises
40 straight leg raises
20 decline sit-ups

A couple of things: I did the leg raises/hip raises before the straight leg raises because the dip station where I do the former was being used. Also, I didn't do any toes-to-bar because all the benches were occupied, so I couldn't get up there! Stoopid short legs...

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Trap bar deadlifts
1 minute @ 170lb - 27, 25, 23

Dumbbell military press
1 minute @ 25s - 20, 16, 15

Neutral grip pull-ups
1 minute - 14, 10, 9

Plate push-ups
1 minute - 26, 19, 19

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30 decline sit-ups

Barbara

I don't usually train on Friday, but (a) I had a rest day on Wednesday, and (b) I won't have my regular personal training session tomorrow, only a gentle 3k run with Madi.

Barbara - 5 rft:
20 kipping pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 air squats
Time = 38:56

Okay, this is 19 seconds slower than last time, which was over a year ago. A couple of things to note, neither of which I'm offering as excuses, only observations.

1. This time, I did strict sit-ups, not the old "hands-over-head" that gave me some momentum. That may or may not have slowed me down, but, on the other hand, I hope I'm stronger than I was in September 2011. Also, the air squats were a2g; I can't remember if I only broke parallel last year.

2. Usually when I do a significant number of pull-ups in a metcon, I start with strict pull-ups rather than the kipping version. This is to enable my shoulders to warm up a bit before I start resorting to kipping. This morning, however, I went into straight into kipping because I wanted to move as quickly as possible from the beginning. My form was fucking awful; I lacked control and although I managed 12 consecutive reps before I had to rest, I was already out of breath. From that point onward I was struggling with breathing too hard, and that meant I needed to take too many breaks throughout the rest of the routine, just so I could catch my breath. Not a smart start by any means.

Regardless of whether or not I could/should have done better, this was still a good workout. I'm typing this a couple of hours after I left the gym, and I'm already seizing up. My moobs are sore as hell! Thankfully, tomorrow's Santa Pur-Suit won't be too taxing.

Full body: Heavy weight and conditioning

I decided to revisit a whole workout from about a year ago. This was originally done as a personal training session on November 26, 2011. Yeah, I know yesterday would have been more symmetrical, but I didn't think of doing this until this morning.

Clean and push press (t&g; 2 second lockout)
95 x 3
105 x 3 (only did 2 last time)
110 x 2
115 x 1
120 x 1 (but not a full 2 second lockout)

I only just checked out the video from last time and realized I did squat cleans back then. However, today I only did power cleans. A year ago I failed the press at 115lb several times, but I managed a single at both 115lb and 120lb today. The heavier lift stayed up for about a second before I had to drop the bar. Coincidentally and bizarrely, looking back on that video I noticed I wore exactly the same shorts and shirt today!

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Cindy on Steroids: Amrap 20
5 wide grip pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
15 jump squats
Score = 10 + 1 pull-up

That's significantly better than last year, when my score was 9 rounds and 5 pull-ups. I can't remember if I used any type of strategy back then, but today I did a kind of "death by" technique. I would complete a round - which always took over a minute - then rest for the remainder of the two minutes. I would only get into position for the pull-ups when my watch approached the end of the second minute. This seemed to work quite well, hence the improvement. All of the pull-ups were unbroken, except for the 10th round, which was 3 and 2. The first round of all three moves was completed without any breaks.

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Each for time: 15 sit-ups (strict) and 30 bicycle crunches per side
59, 1:15

These were tougher crunches than a year ago, but I still beat both times, which were 1:05 and 1:25.

Overall, a decent workout today.

Full body

A bit more elegant than me

Personal training with Paul

Alternating sets
Bench press
95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 2, 135 x 3 (fourth rep was assisted)

Dumbbell rows
70 x 5, 75 x 5, 75 x 5, 80 x 5, 80 x 5

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For time:
50 hang power cleans and push presses @ 75lb
Every break (bar on the ground) do 10 pushups and 15 jump squats
Time = 10:57

I think I took breaks after the following reps: 14, 10, 8, 5, 5, 8. Edit: 14-10-10-8-8.

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50 strict sit-ups
40 straight leg raises
30 leg raises/hip raises
20 decline sit-ups
10 toes to bars

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At the end of today's workout I weighed myself on the gym's scale. According to that, I'm now 148lb, which is 6lb more than the last time I weighed on my home scale. There may or may not be a discrepancy between the two scales, but I think Paul might be exaggerating when he said I'm getting fat! The evidence in my favour...

Flexin' time

Looking back at all these photos, I can't see too much difference between them, although I do look a bit lighter in the early ones. Other than that, everything looks pretty consistent.

Upper body and conditioning

Well, it worked for deadlifts...

Bench press
5 x 30% = 45lb
5 x 40% = 60lb
3 x 50% = 75lb
3 x 60% = 90lb
2 x 70% = 105lb
2 x 80% = 120lb
1 x 90% = 135lb
1 x 95% = 140lb
1 x 100% = 150lb (F)
1 x 145lb

But not quite for bench presses. I managed to get the bar halfway up at 150lb, but couldn't get near a lock out. Still, that's the heaviest bench I've ever attempted, and at least I was able to move it! I took off 5lb, rested a couple of minutes, then did a single lift at 145lb, so at least I matched my existing PR.

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Alternate sets:
Preacher curls @ 65lb - 7, 6, 6, 5, 5
Push-downs @ 45lb - 8, 7, 8, 7, 7

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For 20 minutes:
Every minute on the minute do
7 Push-ups
7 Box jumps @ 22"

Rest for 5 minutes

75 strict sit-ups for time = 3:50

This was based on a workout I found online this morning, but the original finishes with burpees, not sit-ups. Yeah, I know sit-ups are nowhere near as tough as burpees, but this was a matter of running out of time - honest! I knew the burpees would take me more than 15 minutes, but I couldn't stay that long, so I did a move I knew I could get through quickly. I don't think the original stated the height for the box jumps, but in retrospect I could have added a couple of inches. Despite my recent problems with these, the 22" jumps were no problem, and all 20 rounds were unbroken. In fact, none of the rounds took me longer than 32 seconds to complete both movements. Still, this was fun, and I was a puddle of stinky sweat at the end.

21-15-9

Lindsey Valenzuela

This morning I started with the aborted lunges and snatches from yesterday. 

21-15-9 rft
Traveling lunges @ 35s (per leg)
Dumbbell snatches @ 35s (per side)
Time = 14:51

Yesterday I attempted this with 25s, but I decided to go a bit heavier because I was starting my workout with the routine, which meant I was much fresher. I spent plenty of time stretching out my glutes and quads beforehand, which was especially important because (a) my legs were quite stiff from Wednesday's exercises and (b) I went for an early morning bike ride and really pushed myself for speed. It was so damn cold when I set off to McD's (-5!) so I needed to pedal hard just to get warmed up! 

Anyway, I'm glad I was able to actually complete this today. The lunges were tough, but not as bad as I expected. The snatches, on the other hand, left me gasping for breath.

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I did something that was pure weight, just to allow myself to feel fresh again before my final routine.

Barbell curls @ 60lb; relative max reps - 12, 8, 6, 6, 5

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21-15-9 rft
Wide grip strict pull-ups
Strict sit-ups
Time = 9:18

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I was going to do some box jumps, too, but I realised that I only had nine steps for one side, with 10 on the other. There was a yoga class in session, so I didn't want to disturb them. Of course, it only occurred to me later that I could have simply done a routine with a lower height for the jumps. D'oh!

Full body

Personal training with Paul

A lot of relative maxes to start...

Squat cleans
95lb x 8, 8, 5, 7

I lost concentration during the first set and my grip failed, causing me to drop the bar. That pissed me off; there was no reason for me to fail.

Military press
65lb x 10, 8, 6, 7

Neutral alternating pull-ups
10, 8, 6, 5

Dips
12, 8, 9, 7

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Amrap 10
10 x traveling lunges @ 20s (per leg)
10 x burpees
10 x sit-ups (strict)
Score = 4 rounds + 3 burpees

After a disappointing first set of squat cleans to start the day, I was quite pleased with how I finished with this short amrap. The lunges burned my quads, but I kept going and never broke them up. The burpees burned my lungs and I had to take a rest during the first three sets, but not the fourth. I wanted to, but I kept telling myself that this was only a short metcon, so just keep going! The sit ups weren't too bad. They started to hurt, but not enough to force me to take a break, other than a couple of breaths in the final set.

Full body

Lots of supersets today.

Front squats - 135 x 5, 145 x 5, 150 x 5, 5
Jump squats - 4 x 15

The first two sets of jump squats were unbroken, but my quads burned like feck!

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Incline dumbbell bench press - 40s x 6, 45s x 6, 47s x 6, 50s x 5
Dips - 4 x 8

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Pull-downs - 100 x 8, 8, 8, 8
Wide pull-ups - 4 x 5

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And to finish...

50 sit-ups
Time = 2:26

Death by...

I felt a bit meh today - no idea why. I'd planned on doing either Angie or Barbara today, or even Cindy Max, but when I got to the gym, the pull-up rack was being used. I must admit I was secretly pleased because it meant I couldn't do kipping pull-ups. Yeah, I know I was being damn lazy, but hey, I'm being honest here. I did a few shorter routines instead.

Alternate sets
Incline dumbbell curls - 25s x 10, 27s x 5, 5, 5, 4
Skull crushers - 22s x 12, 25s x 9, 7, 7, 8

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Death by military press @ 65lb
Score = 8 rounds + 7 reps
1 round increase.

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Death by chin-ups (strict)
Score = 8 rounds + 5 reps

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Death by sit-ups x 2
Score = 12 rounds (24 sit-ups) + 14 reps
Another 1 round increase.

I got to the end of the 12th round and immediately started the next one, as there wasn't even time for one second's rest.

Conditioning

A quick session at the Stonecroft gym.

50-40-30-20-10 rft:
Burpees
Skips (single unders)
Time = 19:45

I. Hate. Burpees. Bloody hell. I was totally alone in the gym, with no noise from a tv nor any music. I never realised how loudly I breathe when I'm doing a fast-paced routine like this! 150 burpees - what was I thinking.

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Sit-ups

I did the same sit-up routine I did with Paul a couple of weeks ago. It felt easier today, and all sets of 10 reps were unbroken, perhaps because I did more of a workout beforehand last time.

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200m rowing sprints x 3 (Concept 2 at maximum resistance)
52 seconds, 51, 50

I dropped a second each time! My arms felt like shit at the end.

I don't know if it was due to the heavy breathing or the unusually warm weather, but when I got back home my sinuses flared up. My whole head was throbbing and I thought I was going to heave. Not pleasant.

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

Clean and press - 10 minutes to find 1RM
Final weight = 125lb (?)

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Rack bench press (7 holes, small bench)
95 x 5 then 20 push ups
115 x 5 then 20 push ups
125 x 5 then 20 push ups
135 x 5 then 20 push ups

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Cable row
100 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups

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Working on strict sit ups, 10 rep sets