Thoughts on the second workout 12.2

Oh man.  Crossfit HQ really wants us to hurt.  The movement of choice is ……..THE SNATCH

WOD 12.2

10 min AMRAP
30 snatches (75/45)
30 snatches (135/75)
30 snatches (165/100)
Remaining time AMRAP 30 snatches (210/125)



Now, once you stop giggling from saying snatch so much you start to realize how insane this workout it.  The good news is that you can do any form of snatch (muscle, power, squat, split) so no worries about getting low enough on the squat.

The bad news is that it is a snatch and it is so technique oriented. So when I’m tired I am going to have to really try and stay focused on the many facets of the movement.  I have gotten 135lbs exactly once.  That is it.  I saw this and immediately went “oh shit” .  Then I watched the standards video and saw what Dan Bailey and Rich Froning did and my jaw was on the floor.  In 10 minutes they got 95 and 98 respectfully.  That.  Is. INSANE.  Good to see they didn’t just let the publicity get to their heads.  I mean really?  Come on guys.  Make us believe we have a chance (and by “we” I mean the other elite guys).

Goals
Gold Goal: 40
Silver Goal: 35
Bronze Goal: 31

Going to push myself to my lifting limits on this guy.

The number to win the world will be…105.  (fun to guess).  What is your guess?

#BEATBOB Update
As you may know, my goal for the open is to beat mega-trainer Bob Harper.  The first week was not good for me with him getting 118 burpees compared to my 98.  This week I may have a chance.  I’m not sure how his oly lifts are but I can’t imagine him getting past 135…let’s hope I’m right.  But I do know one thing..he knows I’m shooting for him (or at least whoever manages his twitter feed knows).

I got to him on Twitter

Recent Wods

2/27

5 rounds
400m run, 25 du’s, 15 HSPU (1 abmat)  [20 min time cap]
4+438 (2 HSPU from finishing)

2/28

21-15-9  pull-ups – row for caloris
5:12  (happy I did the 21 pull-ups unbroken)

ROM and a PERFECT Crossfit Video

ROM

I used to associate this with computers (CD-ROM).  Now it means range of motion.  It is important in many crossfit movements, especially anything that is squat based.  To be counted as a rep, the squat must go below parallel.  So your butt must go below your knee. See image below.

 This is a constant struggle for me.  As I've stated in prior posts, I have no flexibility.  But recently I've been a bit more pro-active about increasing my ROM, through stretches gathered from the mobility WOD blog and asking some other members for help.  One thing I'm noticing is that I need to spread my knees.  Whenever I remember it it helps me a lot, but I need to get more in the habit of doing it.

Gotta keep WORKING.

BEST CROSSFIT VIDEO

My favorite quote:
"We will take something that is inherently challenging and make it a game"




WODS

Friday
"Karen"
Ughhhhhhhh

150 - 20lb wall balls for time
10:05

This workout OWNS me

Saturday

as a team of 4:
10k row
10k lbs dead lift
200 ring push-ups

Time: 22: something
I did 2,500m row and 12- 225  lb deadlifts and 50 ring push-ups.

Monday

Got to gym early so did a double WOD

wod 1: (made up by yours truly)
3 rounds
5 ring dips
10 ring push-ups
15 toes through rings

time: 6:40

wod 2:
10 min amrap
5 wall climbs
10 box jumps
5 pull-ups

6+2

Cash out: 5 min row total calories : 94

Do What You Love

I'm sure everyone has heard the saying "if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life".  Great advice, but if everyone only did what they loved then there would be a lot of poor painters, singers, baseball players... you get the point.  So instead....lets apply it to your exercise and diet.

Exercise

This blog is very very crossfit-centric.  I don't apologize for that, it is my blog and I'll do what I want, but I also like to talk about just being healthy and active.  Crossfit is the perfect workout for me.  I love it.  I love 95% of every second of it...and the 5% that I don't like it (mostly during hard workouts) is canceled out by the double love I feel for it when I finish the workout.

It took me a long time to find crossfit though.  I tried spin classes, just weight lifting, running, swimming...  but none of them kept me coming back.  I know lots of people who LOVE running.  They could run every day and never get bored.  I also know people who swear by spinning.  Great for them.  Then there is Zumba which I've never tried but I know people who teach and are as addicted to it as I am to crossfit.  All of these things are great, they are better than sitting on a couch playing video games all day.

So I hope no one ever takes any of my posts as saying "crossfit is the best and only workout, all the rest are stupid and pointless"  cause I don't feel that way at all.  In fact it really really annoys me when people put down an entire workout regiment and say it's unhealthy or stupid or that what they do is the best thing for everyone.  I occasionally rant about how stupid Yoga is...really I had a humdinger of a rant at a Super Bowl Party ....hippie elastic vegans who only want to feel the curvature of the earth.  Meanwhile in my head all I can think is "damn it, why can't I stretch like that"!

So the moral of this little exercise story is....

SEARCH AND FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND DO IT!

Diet

This one is also a point of contention among a lot of people.  There are people who will say that one diet is so much better than another.  Again, I don't think that is the case at all.  One diet might work for one person while a different diet works for others.

It's really not this cut and dry.  get educated and make smart choices.

Let me use my "diet" as an example.  A true classic paleo diet does not include beans, peanuts, or milk.  Well guess what I eat and drink....  I love Milk.  I love Peanut Butter.   So I eat them.  Now...I eat them in smaller proportions than I once did..but I still eat them.  Another paleo no-no is grains.  Are they healthy..well not in my mind, but Italians have been eating pasta for a long time and it works for them.

Ok...this is not a diet anyone should be on...even if you love it

Again, it is find what works best for you.  If it is balanced..meaning it contains a good proportion of nutrients and non-processed food then go for it.  I choose a semi-paleo diet..you might choose another diet.

So the moral of the diet story is...

BE SMART, CONTROL PORTION SIZES, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE VITAMINS YOU NEED FROM FOOD (not solely vitamin supplements)

Cause it does not fit your lifestyle!  Choose one that you like!

WOD

Thursday:  Much needed rest day

Friday:

Strength: 4 tries at finding total number of OHS reps @ 3/4 body weight:  7+7+6+10=30 @ 125 lbs
WOD
20 min amrap
10 pull-ups
10 DL @ 3/4 body weight
200m row

Score: 8 +10 (if i did this again I would get 10 and go at a higher pace)

Fran is a good thing..maybe the best of things.

Yesterday I did Fran.

As posted on the Crossfit HQ facebook page.

Fran is a hard woman who you have to go at hard and fast she likes it no other way.  Problem is, you feel like you just went toe to toe with Xena Warrior Princess.  For those not in the know, Fran is a classic Crossfit workout that is a great measure of progress.  The actual workout is 21 Thrusters - 21 pull-ups - 15 thrusters - 15 pull-ups - 9 thrusters - 9 pull-ups.  Done.  Easy enough right?

no

Oh god no.

Every time I do this workout (4 times now) I come to the brink of vomiting.  For 5 minutes after the workout I'm useless to society.     But yesterday...yesterday I did something that I didn't think I would be able to do for another 10 months.  I completed Fran, prescribed (95 lbs), in 6 minutes 57 seconds.  Not elite by any stretch of the imagination (Sub 3 is elite) but what an improvement for me.   Two months into Crossfit I did fran at 65 lbs in 14 minutes and some change.  Then 3 months later I did Fran at 85lbs and pulled a 10:12.  This time I took another 3 minutes off the time to be sub-7.

My thoughts exactly

Will this ever become an easy workout?

No.  The answer is a definitive no.

That is what is great about Crossfit.  Whether you are new or Rich Froning, the workouts are hard, but not impossible if you scale it to your level.  Your time and weight will improve, but it will always hurt the same.  You have to keep pushing yourself to improve.  Ask Molly and Evan and they will tell you the same thing.All the workouts are like that. It is you against the clock and in order to win you have to beat that shadow of the past and push your body to the brink.   Then 6 months later you do it again and hopefully, the definition of brink will have changed for you.

It has for me.  And hopefully it will change again on Saturday and I can push myself through what I did yesterday.

New Goals:

Fran 2012: sub 5 minute
Fran at PA's Fittest:  Gold: Sub 6:30  Silver: 7:00 Bronze: 7:30

Release the WOD's!

On saturday (3 days from today)  I will be competing in my first crossfit competition.  That is fun to say.  The organizer of the event (Crossfit Relentless) has released the 4 WOD's that competitors will be "judged" on.  Below are each and I have added my expectations.

WOD #1:

How...what...ugghhh

In 7 minutes ski 750 meters and then as many reps as possible of sandbag throw over bar. Sandbag weights for all divisions are 50lbs for men Score = max reps

Tough to set a goal here because I don't know how high the bar is, and also cause I've never ski erg'd before so who knows how long that will take me!

WOD #2:

In 7 minutes perform 50 meter sprint , 100 meter weighted tire drag ,50 meter OH walking lunge and then remainder of time to establish a max distance shot put throw. score= max distance ( must shot put ..no baseball,underhand type throws)
Shot put- 12lbs men
OH lunge- 35 lbs dumb bell
tire drag weight- 53 lbs men

If all I had to do was look at these, I'd be screwed...Luckily I don't thanks Jake!

My goal here is to get the shot put 25 feet.  Kind of a shot in the dark (get it?) but I practiced a bit last night with a 16lb shot and I think that went about 15-20 feet so a lighter shot should go further...right?

WOD's #3 and #4:

In 10 minutes row 1000 meters ,remainder of time to find a max weight ground to shoulder anyway (clean). Athletes will receive separate scores for both the 1000 meter row and the ground to shoulder .

Finally one where I can set some goals!  Since I know both of these movements well; I am setting gold, silver, and bronze goals.

Row:
Gold: 3:30
Silver 3:35
Bronze:  3:39

Clean:
Gold: 185
Silver 175
Bronze 165

I am really excited to compete and hope I can represent CrossFit610 in a positive light.  I am not making a goal for how I finish, that is completely out of my control, I have zero clue how strong/ fit the other competitors are, but I can go out and give it every ounce I have.


WOD

It's been a few days and I've done a lot of WODs so I'll only post yesterdays.

Strength: 2-2-2-2-2-2 Power Cleans  I did 165 in the last 2 sets with little problem.  I tried and failed messing around with 185, got it high enough just didn't commit to it enough.

WOD Tabata for

Dumb-bell shoulder to over head: Score 5
Pistols:  score 4
double kettle bell swing (1 pood): score 5
GHD sit-up: score 5
Pull-ups: score 5

Total 24

This workout is the most deceiving workout ever.  "oh 20 seconds of work isn't that bad"  psssshhh  and the scores make it look like you've done nothing when in fact you end up doing at LEAST 8 times that number (and more than likely much more than that).  

B-O-O-M Boom

Yesterday was a day I needed.  I have been thinking I have hit a wall in my training and I wasn't making any improvements.  I felt I was not getting any stronger and my endurance was crap.  I thought "Hey, I made progress but ehhh..not much".

As is often the case...I thought wrong.

Let's go back in time.  A time when I was not reformed fatty, but rather was just known as fatty.  It was ~2 weeks into crossfit and I saw Cindy up on the board.  5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats.  Do as much as you can in 20 min.  I thought to myself..ok that's not too bad but I have to use a band to do the pull-ups.  A black band.  A band that almost doesn't stretch cause I'm too light for it.  Essentially, doing a pull-up required very little work.  So the time begins and I go.

First round..ok not too bad.

Second. Again not so bad but have to rest on the push-ups

Third-ninth..I'm resting all the time on the push-ups while the guy next to me is just flying through them.  I'm in awe..what the fuck!  I'm thinking to myself "Should I even be in here?"  Brad (the guy next to me) says to just keep moving..do the WOD scaled..do the push-ups on your knees.  Great advice and helped a lot.   So I do and start to move a little faster but only complete 9 rounds in 20 minutes.  Nine.  For comparison A fantastic score is more than 30.  An average score is prolly in the 12-17 range.  I did 9.  I had the lowest score in the class.  I felt like a complete failure that day.  I thought I was athletic..then I met Cindy and she kicked me in the balls and made me cry.

What's sad is that I found this on a Phillies Blog.  I'm gonna go cry now.

Flash forward to the present day. Where I am reformed (or so I say).

I can do the whole workout RX'd now.  We start.  I get going on the pull-ups.  Do rounds 1-4 before I look at the clock.  Still more than 16 min left.  I'm averaging 1 round a minute!  Then I get done 10 rounds and there are still 9 minutes left!   I keep going and I finish with 16 rounds and 13 reps into my 17th round.

I improved my score by 7.5 rounds!

And the worst part, the part that will keep me coming back to the gym,...is that I'm not satisfied.  At All.   I set a goal for myself of 15 rounds and beat that goal.  Now I have a new goal.  I want 20.  I want to average one round a minute.  I'm not setting a time table for it.  But next time I see Cindy on the white board.  I'm shooting for 20.

Oh..and before even doing the WOD  I PR'd my clean and jerk by 50 pounds.  No Big Deal.


WOD

"Cindy"
20 Min AMRAP
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 Air Squats

16 + 13

Strength:  7 x 1 C+J

I turned this into my attempt at my one rep max.  Went the following:

95-115-135 (x2) - 145 - 155 - 165 - 175(f)

Because this can be broken up into 2 movements I am saying I PR'd 3 things (power clean, push jerk, clean and jerk).   I felt like I could push-jerk a lot more weight though, it was the power clean I failed on.  I may try that later this week if I get the chance.


Skill: 50 push press with PVC after the WOD.

Vegas baby...Vegas

Tomorrow I head to Vegas to celebrate my...Gulp...30th Birthday on Saturday.   The fatty will return for most of the trip but I hope to visit a few crossfit boxes while I am out there.  I can't believe that I'm going on a vacation but still can't bring myself to get away from crossfit.  It is actually kind of fun to visit new boxes, and of course collect their t-shirts.   IT is like a vacation from your home box, where you get to try other equipment that may or may not be as nice as yours.  You can also get a different perspective from the coaches at that box.  I will be sure to recommend the boxes that I visit while I am out there.

I have to get up at 4 in the morning to travel and catch my flight so I'm gonna keep this short and leave you with a scene that will hopefully NOT be me this weekend.




WOD

Today was a Hero WOD

"Josh"

SSG Joshua Hager, United States Army, was killed Thursday February 22 2007 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. 

21 OH Squats (75lb)
42 Pull-Ups
15 OH Squats
30 Pull-Ups
9 OH squats
18 Pull-Ups

Time: 13:09

Followed by a 1500m row

Round 2: Did a 5000m row and a 1 mile run during the 5pm class.


Tomorrow I'm in Vegas.  Unlikely any posts will come while I'm on the trip.  Sorry loyal readers!

Fight Gone Bad?

Why is it named fight gone bad?   What does that even mean?  Below is a video where the crossfit guru himself , Greg Glassman, explains where the WOD originated.



Obviously, fight gone bad has its roots in MMA with the 3 rounds of 5 minutes and a 1 minute break between rounds.  In the video he mentions working with BJ Penn to get ready for one of his first fights and wanting to come up with "a quantifiable metabolic match to the demands of the fight" .  But why not just do one workout for all 5 minutes, well that is because Glassman "did not want stamina to be a factor" .  What this means is that the workout was designed to have NO REST.  Using some scientific mumbo-jumbo that is described better in the video, he comes on that 1 minute per movement is ideal.  If you did one movement for the 5 minutes you would get tired fast and have to rest.  So breaking up the movements and muscle groups and keeping the weight manageable you are able to keep moving.  If you rest in MMA then you get knocked out, so constantly moving is really important in training for that sport.


 He is fun to listen to it so for a true understanding of everything be sure to watch the video.

I am about 10 hours from doing my first FGB and have decided to do the weight prescribed.  I want to have something to compare to in the future.  I set a goal for myself of getting over 200 reps.  I have no idea if this is too high or too low, I guess we'll see tomorrow.


WOD

Strength: 12 minutes to find 1rm front squat
WOD:
"Jackie"
1000m Row
50 45lb thruster
30 pull-ups


Strength: NEW PR!  200lbs
WOD: 9:38

DIET

Breakfast: Eggs, protein shake, apple
Snack:  Special K bar (it was delicious...but not even close to paleo)
Lunch:  Cashews, Snickers, Cookies.   really effed this up.  Work was busy.
Dinner: Wife Surprised me with a Birthday Dinner with my family.  Sushi as an appetizer, chicken and shrimp as the dinner.

Pukie!

When I was in college, and for most of my twenties, the term "puke and rally" meant you drink til you puke...then you start drinking again.  Well, now it means that in the middle of a workout I puke..then I go back and finish the workout.  I have puked from 3 workouts now.  And rally'd in 2 of them.  The third I didn't puke until after the workout was over.

Pukie #1:  Very first day of crossfit.  Elements 1 made me vomit.  After I threw up I had to jump on the rower and do 1000m.

Pukie #2:  Running Filthy Fifty:  this was just disgusting.  Got done and puked my brains out.

Pukie #3:  Hammer.   Dry heaved during round 4.  Got back in it and finished the 4th and 5th rounds.

In some crossfit circles a pukie is a badge of honor and shows you brought yourself to your maximum.  I think it is one badge that I'd like to not have.  Regardless, it is good to know that I gave it everything I had and I know I could not give it any more.  Although, I think that today the reason I was puking was cause of Dehydration.

I should note here that although a lot of cross fitters will be impressed by your pukie, we all know it's not good to do it regularly.  If it happens a lot, there is an underlying cause and you need to find out what it is.  Whether sickness, dehydration, or something I don't know about.

WOD

Today was a HERO WOD

U.S. Army First Sergeant Michael "Hammer" Bordelon, 37, of Morgan City, Louisiana, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), based out of Fort Lewis, Washington, died on May 10, 2005, from injuries sustained when a car bomb exploded near him in Mosul, Iraq on April 23, 2005.

He is survived by his wife Mila; children Mike Jr., Jacob, and Johanna; mother Dolores; and sister Doreen Scioneaux.


Hammer - 


5 Power Cleans (115)
10 Front Squats (115)
5 Jerks(115)
20 Pull-ups


5 rounds with 90 seconds rest between rounds


My time:  28:02


Diet

IT was good for the most part.  Had a bbq to go too and had a few beers and some great food.  Otherwise, I was good with eggs, fruit, and nuts.

One of the Reasons I Love CrossFit

Something happened during the class this morning that just reminded me of one of the reasons that I started to get into the whole crossfit thing.

Competition!

The workout consisted of 21-15-9 of Chest to bar pull ups then 30 inch box jumps.  It is a workout I can do prescribed which is a main ingredient in what happens in my head.  A box member Frank was also at the morning workout.  For workouts workouts that don't involve weights I like to use him as a comparison.  (Note: I have never beat him on any workouts and prolly won't for a while.)  We started the workout on bars next to each other.  As the workout started we were neck and neck.  I found out very quickly that chest to Bar pull ups are a whole lever harder than chin over bar.  We finished 21 around the same time.   Then started the 15 round of box jumps where I got through a bit faster.  I started the pull-ups and  got through 8.  I did the 9th...but did not get my chest high enough.  So instead of moving on and cheating ....I set back up and tried again.  Fail.   Finally, on the third try, I super kipped and got my chest to the bar.  It cost me about  5- 10 seconds.  I started the box jumps at the same time as Frank and he was able to bang out all 9 a full second ahead of me.

Yeah this might be more motivating than competition..but not much!

Now, of course, I was pissed for a second but that was it.  I didn't care that Frank beat me.  Hell, I was proud of him for killing the workout.  I was proud of myself for hanging in there.  Without that little bit of competition I think I would have added 30 seconds, or more, to my time.  It was just the motivation I needed to keep going strong and finish the workout.  When I'm competing the only thing on my mind is the task at hand..never a thought of quitting, or what to have for dinner...just working hard.  That's it.

What motivates you and really helps you kill a workout?

WOD

No strength today..just a dynamic warm up.

WOD:  21-15-9  c2b pull-up - 30" box jump

I had about 6 failed c2b's but I think I redid most of them.  

Time:  7:51

Cash out:  30 reps of goat #1, 30 reps of goat #2, 400 m run.

I did back extensions as my goat 1 because I feel like it will help me with a bunch of workouts.  Then did hanging cleans as goat #2.   I only put 95 lbs on the hanging cleans and I did them pretty well.  Love the hook grip.   

Diet

Killing it!    Have not eaten anything horrible in the past 2 days.  Feeling great!