Closing Thoughts on 12.2

Well it's over.  Finally.  That workout was terrible for me.  I tried a redo at it on Sunday but just could not muster the strength to beat 35..I got 31.  What's worse, for me at least, is that I finished dead last in my box (at least out of people who signed up for the open).  

How do you deal with that kind of ego blow?

you shake it off that's how.  But I do not mean just forget about it.  I mean do not let it affect your future performance.  In fact, I'm going to remember this for a long time and use it as fuel to get better.  I don't like feeling this way.  I feel weak. But I know that's not entirely true.  That workout was just not a strong point for me.  

I hate you 135 lbs.  I hate you so much.

After looking at these pictures I think I might try spreading my arms more.  Might help.

It is kind of cool to know now that I have a specific area that I need to work on more.  And I will.  I think starting next week I might debut a new workout reginemnt that I have been toying with.  It is still crossfit but I want to supplement it to increase my gains.  Still need to chat with my coach about it though.

Let's hope that 12.3 plays into some of my strengths..or  at least isn't a glaring weakness.  Come on double unders!

Standings

WOD 12.2

Worldwide: 24065/31243 (better than 23% of male participants)

Mid-Atlantic:  2008/2572 (Better than 22% of male participants)

Overall

Worldwide 20654/31402 (better than 35% of males)

Mid-Atlantic: 1678/2566  (better than 35% of males)

WOD yesterday

on the minute for ten minutes do 3 pull-ups

then max reps power cleans at 75% 1rm (145 for me)

Score is tabata style.

I got 4 because on the 5th round I screwed up.  rounds 6-10 I was done the 4 with at least 12 seconds to spare.  

First Try at 12.2 "Satan's Snatches"

Pre-Anger.  75lbs over head

This is a perfect name for this workout, thank you reader Chris.  I completed my first go at it last night and it certainly was a bit of hell.  The 75 lb round was easy, was through it in about 2 minutes or so and did not rush at all.  I knew it was the second round of 135 lb snatches that were going to get me…and for once, I was right.

It took me at least 10 tries to get that 135 over my head.  With each failure I could feel my blood pressure going up.  On that 10th fail I finally lost it.  I dropped to my knee, yelled, then punched the floor.  I’m sure you’re asking “why punch the floor?”  and I have no real answer for you.  I just needed to vent.  Luckily for me, my hand didn’t break (but hurt pretty bad).  As I approached the bar for my next attempt, that anger was still there and I just let loose everything I had….and boom…bar was over my head. One.

This is what I think happens to me when I'm angry.  I go Super Saiyan. In reality...I just look kind of stupid.

By the time the clock hit zero I had managed to channel that anger into 5 reps (two in the last 30 seconds).  My final score…35.  Not great at all, but a big moral victory for me.  Big shout out to Fox for coaching me through it a bit, definitely helped get those 5 in. I do plan on completing this a second time on Sunday so we’ll see how that goes for me.

I thought about what others can possibly learn from my experience and I think it comes down to the following

For weight Training (going for PR’s)


- Get angry
- Focus that anger into the bar
- FORM! FORM! FORM!  do whatever you can to keep good form…that includes NOT watching me and my form
- Control Breathing
- DO NOT GIVE UP.  I don’t care if you can barely move the bar..you keep trying until that clock is at zero.
- Music should be angry music, think hardcore rap or heavy metal.

Now, as I wrote this I realized there are times where this is not the answer. (listen to your parents kids..violence is not the answer)

Tips for endurance

- Stay focused
- Be calm with yourself.
- Control your breathing (in a different way than with weight lifting)
- Go to your happy place
- Focus on something other than running/biking/swimming…
- Music should be calming but with a good beat.

In the end, it really comes down to finding what works for you.  But I think I found what works for me.  Good luck to all competitors out there, whether in the crossfit open or elsewhere!

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)

PA's Fittest Competition Overview

I now have my second crossfit competition under my belt.  It was a bit of a wild ride to say the least.  Lots of highs and definitely some lows as well, but overall it was a fantastic day.  Here is an overview.

WOD #1: The emergence of Senor Denos

600m Row, 30 ring rows, 30 ring dips

Journalmenu.com was there to take photos!  More on them soon!

I got a little thrown off mentally for this wod, I thought it would be 30 ring dips then into 30 ring rows…nope.  No excuses though, it is what it is so just go out there and try and kill it.

It started well enough on the row, I was averaging about a 1:43 per 500m so I didn’t kill myself and I felt good going to the rings.  Then it started to go downhill…. I did 7 fast at first, then I could only do about 4 at a time.  But I made it through them before most of the people in my heat.  Ring row time.  This is where everything started to go wrong.  My blood was already boiling from how poorly I did on the ring rows but then when I started to do the ring dips one of the rings started to slip lower than the other one.  It would have been ok if it was just a little bit, but during one of my dips, it slipped all the way down causing a no rep.

This is where senor denos came out.  I started cursing…loudly.  I was just angry.  Not at anyone in particular, more than likely I was just angry at myself.  When time expired, I had only completed 23 of the 30 rings dips and continued to curse loudly and walk away.  You see, when senor denos comes out, I get loud…I just don’t care.  Some people have quiet disappointment…not me or him (how do you type when you talk about an alter ego?), I turn into a foul mouthed 5 year old who didn’t get his way.

I want to note here, I’m not saying that I would have completed if the ring didn’t slip. There was no way I was finishing that wod in time whether or not that ring slipped or not. At the time I needed to channel my anger somewhere and the inanimate object seemed the best choice.

I believe I finished at about 15th in this event.  It goes without saying that I did not come close to my goal.

WOD#2 Victory for Senor Denos

Snatch time.  This is the event I was most looking forward to.  The Snatch Ladder.  I felt great warming up for this event.  When my name was called, I easily made it through 85, 95, 105 and 115 ….now time to hit up 125.  My nemesis the past 2 weeks.  I HATED 125!  I was angry again.  But this time, I was angry at the bar. I channeled that anger and I got 125 up…EASILY.  Woah..ok that was unexpected.  Surely I would fail at 135…nope.  Got 135.  I actually slammed the bar down at this point.  At a weight that was introductory to the rx division, I acted like I was Jake getting 245.

Senor Denos didn’t care.  It was a 20lb PR for me.  Ok time for 140, I was on a high, I could lift a house right now.  Boom.  140 was over my head like it was nothing.  SLAM!   I’m the strongest man on earth!    Bring 145 to me so I can make it look like a paper weight.  3-2-1 go!  Oh shit..this just got real.  Failed on my first attempt (I should note that I was close on this).  Second attempt, not even close.  Third attempt…I hit myself in the face with the bar.

Yes, you read that right.  I lifted and slammed my face into the bar.  Ouch.  Instantly I remember that there are 300 people here that just saw that.  Do’h.  I’m the dumbest man in the world!

Regardless I hit a 25lb PR on the lift.

Here I do have to say thank you to Jake for having his oly lift classes.  It was a huge help in preparing me for this.  His help along with some pointers from Mike and lifter Chris were critical in helping me get that weight.  My form is still a train wreck but it is miles ahead of where it was because of you guys.

Goal of 125 lbs was demolished.

WOD #3: “Fran” : Senor Denos Hates that Fran Bitch

I’m not going to go too much into this other than to say I sucked.  Plain and simple.  I was not mentally prepared for this workout.  Once I was done that snatch ladder I got too cocky or optimistic or something and just completely dropped the ball.  I finished with a time of 7:57, a full minute slower than just 3 days ago.  Terrible.  The only bright spot was doing the final 9 pull-ups unbroken (it was nice having Molly and Evan screaming at me…there was no way I was coming off that bar).  

This would be a silver on my original goal list but a non-medal on the new goals list.

Final Standing

In the end, I came in 15th place out of 36 competitors in my division.

I will have much more on this event in the coming days, including how I saw some athletes react to judging, the overwhelming support from those not competing, and a little bit more on senor denos.

Fitness Routine...or...Sport?

In speaking with some people about crossfit they all think that it is simply a zumba, or Pilates type workout.  They assume that it is popular now but will someday fade away like they always do and someday we'll all laugh at the high socks much like we laugh at Richard Simmons now.  I'm not here to say that Crossfit will be hugely popular forever or not, I really don't have any clue about the long term strategy of the Crossfit label.  What I do know is that it has a lot going for it because of the competition aspect of the sport.  

Olympic Sports.  

That's right, I'm calling it a sport.  And by calling it a sport I am dispelling a lot of nay-sayers of CrossFit.  One of the frequent complaints is that form is sacrificed when doing a long WOD that has a lot of Olympic lifts involved.  This is true, late in a workout proper form may fall to the wayside, but doesn't that happen in all sports?   Does a marathon runner have perfect running form at the end of a race?  Does an offensive lineman always have perfect blocking form late int he 4th quarter?   Is Albert Pujols swing perfect when he is thrown an off speed pitch?  The answer to all of these is NO they are not.  Form is sacrificed during competition.  Competitors will do what it takes to succeed or to at least try and succeed. 

How is crossfit different?  IT'S NOT!   

You practice by going to the gym every day and working on moves without the clock running so you can improve on your form.  Just like Kobe Bryant practices free throws, Crossfitters practice the snatch and the clean.  

That doesn't mean that you you can't use Crossfit as a way to stay in shape, lots of people play basketball, racquetball  tennis, softball..... to stay active and in shape.  Sport is an amazing tool to keep your body strong, your endurance up, and even can keep you in a competitive mindset; whether with yourself or against others.  CrossFit is just another sport that can be used to keep the body healthy.   

It is also worth noting that long hours at a globo-gym can help you succeed more at crossfit too, you don't HAVE to stop one to do the other.  If you want to get stronger, then lifting weights can surely help you out, there is no argument.  

Being strong will not make you a good crossfitter...but being a good crossfitter will make you strong. 

WOD

Did one hour of an Olympic lifting class and the snatch is my second most frustrating movement (very closely behind the muscle-up).  Learned a lot of good stuff, but I have a lot of practicing to do!

Strength:  8 x 1 snatch, increasing weight each time.  Got up to 110 but failed at 115.

WOD

2 rounds for time

20 wall balls (20 #)

20 Ring knees to elbow (on the ground)

20 game standard box jumps (30")

20 HRPU

Time: 8:09

Cash out: 5 minutes to find max double-unders  Score: 64

17 Days Til Festivus Competition!

Between Halloween blizzards, falling trees and work..I've felt like time is something I just don't have so please excuse the lack of posts.  But I have been trying to keep up on my crossfitting, even if my nutrition has been crap.  With my first competition in just 17 days, I feel like I have to try and push myself to gain anything I can between now and then.  With that in mind, today starts my first of trying to go twice a day for 3 days a week.  There is a chance over training could set in, but I'll keep a close eye on that and monitor how I feel to not beat my body up too much.  My plan is to do the daily WOD in the AM and then do something more endurance centric in the evening.

Wish me luck!

buck furpees!

WOD

Strength: 15 min to find 2 rep max full squat
WOD:  15 min amrap 5 power snatch; 5 OHS; 10 burpee pull ups

Strength: NEW 1 rep PR:  115 lbs!  Pretty psyched that I beat my one rep max during a 2 rep movement.
WOD:  4+3  ( I hate burpee pull-ups, damn shortness!)

Yesterday WOD

Strength: 9 rounds of 3 cleans in 20 sec.  I used a light weight because of my hand injury.  115lbs
WOD: 3 rounds, 20 HRPU, 10 KB swings, 30 du's

WOD: 6:26.

 

No Pain..No Gain.

2 words for that statement.

FUCK. THAT.

Seriously, who said that?  I mean, I understand their intentions but if I know my body enough to know what is a "good" pain and what is a "bad" pain shouldn't I know to stop?   If I see a bone sticking through my skin and it hurts should I keep going so that I gain something?  no...no I shouldn't.  I should prolly go to the hospital or call an ambulance.

The reason I bring this up is because I had to quit in the middle of a WOD yesterday.  Yeah.  That almost hurt typing that.  But hear me out.  Even before the WOD began I had some discomfort in my left arm.  Nothing horrible, but it was certainly noticeable.  I started the WOD and the discomfort grew a bit and a few rounds in I started to feel some pretty horrific pain in it.  Again, I tried to fight through the pain and did about 3 more rounds and then it just got unbearable.  My arm went numb.  I tried bending my arm and it felt like there was a 10lb weight at the end.  Not good.  So I told Evan, “I’m Done”.

Unless the pain is chronic..then it's not temporary.

You may be asking…What is wrong with me?  Or you might be going “PAIN IN THE LEFT ARM..OMG YOU HAD A HEART ATTACK!”  no no no , not nearly that serious.  I have felt this pain before…actually I’ve felt this pain a lot..but always in my right arm.  And the pain always came when I tried to throw a ball too hard or too often.   So what did I do to cure that?  I took a day or 2 off from throwing hard.  I would do light tosses just to stay loose but nothing long or hard.  I have been going quite hard with my arms and shoulders the past few days and I think I just over did it. Pretty simple.  I’m going to ice hot my arm, take a day off from anything arm related and then go back on Friday morning and hope that it doesn’t hurt again.

In a way, I’m actually happy to be feeling it in my left arm, it kinda means that I’m working it hard and assuming I didn’t actually injure it, it might get stronger.

So I guess that statement is almost correct.  Let me restate it though.

No (educated) pain.  No Gain.

WOD

30 Minute AMRAP
10 to 1 power snatches
19 double unders
8 ring dips
1 rope climb

I got 10 rounds in with 7 minutes left before I had to shut it down.

Love this.  And as the person on fscebook who posted it mentioned.  You have to have the right diet.  

It Takes The Edge Off

Before I get into the main purpose of this blog, I need to ask for your help.  I will be participating in Fight Gone Bad 6 at the piazza at Schmidts on September 17th.  Fight Gone Bad is a WOD that takes place every year and helps to raise funds for a few charities including one which makes sure that children of special operations soldiers who are killed have a full ride to college.  If you can donate anything please go to this link:  https://fgb6.rapidgiving.com/frp/fundraise.aspx?pk=33E48YY   and help out.  Think of it as the breast cancer walk for crossfiters.


Now for the main event.  This week has been extrememly stressful on me at work and a little bit at home.   My car went kaput, I have a major document to finish before Friday, and my own neurotic thoughts about my job have all left me feeling stressed.  I have found though that CrossFit has really helped relieve some of that stress. (and so has this blog, thanks for that e-mail this morning Chris, I had been at work 3 hours already when you sent it and it put a smile on my face to know that someone I have never met reads this and like what I type)  I assume the good mood from the workout releases those all important endorphines in my brain but I also think there is another reason it helps.

  I don't think about anything while I'm doing hte workout.  My mind goes completly blank when I'm in the zone.  It's like meditating without all the "hmmmmmmm" and insence.

Ooohhhhmmmmmmm....

A blog I frequent talks about this very thing.  Within her post on meditation and the WOD she mentions "I hope you'll be happy to discover that you do not always need to sit quietly in order to unify your body and your mind. "   Those moments of absolute peace as my mind goes blank are my most cherished while doing the WOD.  Of course Michelle lists a few other example of how you meditate during your WOD, so check out her posts.  

oouuuuuuucccchhhhhhh.....

So my advice to you all is...be at peace when you're doing a WOD.  whether it's through silence...or yelling at yourself.  Either way...you won't be thinking about whatever was stressing you out at work or home anymore....and that is peaceful enough.  


WOD
Wednesday:   Strength: 1rm Snatch    WOD:  800m run - 30 power snatches - 800 m run


PR ALERT!  I upped my snatch pr to 105lbs from 95lbs.  I was not super happy with this..but at least I'm going in the right direction.  I really have to work on keeping the bar close to me and getting underneath that bar.  GOTTA BE FAST   I completed the WOD with a weight of 85lbs in 11:30.  After starting the workout I realized I should have used 95lbs.  Who knew a power snatch is a ton easier than a full snatch?  


Thursday:  Rest day.  I have softball tonight but I may also try to run a mile to track a personal best in the 1 mile run.  


DIET


I have been doing great on my diet for 2-3 large meals and on all my snacks recently.  Yesterday I had eggs and fruit in the morning and then some pork and a salad for lunch.  It was delicious.  But then I had to head to Philly and my diet went to hell in a hand basket.  I had some Wawa chicken tenders and cashews for dinner then met my good friend at Rock Bottom in King of Prussia for a drink and baseball.  (Note: the food and beer is delicious at that place..check it out if you're in KoP).  I only had one beer but I did have some wings and picked at a sof pretzel.  Blah.   Gotta keep working!