I missed a few times on the 85#, falling on my ass and throwing the bar away from me, but I did some extra reps to satisfy my pride. My shrug wasn’t quite as explosive at the end of the workout as it was at the beginning, but I did get a few extra good lifts in at the 85# level.
Glad we didn’t do the full on Snatch since I think it may have required a bit more hamstring and I’m still trying to take it easy on it (though it feels great).
Monday April 21, 2008 7:30pm Beginner Class with Andy
Warm-Up
500m Row - all legs
400m Row - all back
300m Row - all arms
500m Row - all everything
5-5-5-5-5 Shoulder Press
65 - 95 - 105 - 110 -110(4 good; missed on last rep)
Workout
AMRAP in 15 min
150m row
20 squats
150m row
KB Swings - 16kg
Score: 3 rounds plus 150m row
Nice small class with Turi and Devin. Good to work on rowing technique by breaking down the move to legs, back and arms. I tend to get a bit spastic with my rowing with my heels hitting my ass and hands going all over the place. I need to focus on steady form and steady power. I think I’m getting the concept.
Very happy with my shoulder press. My shoulder are certainly much stronger than when I started CrossFit in February. Missed on the very last rep. I pushed and pushed and even got up on my toes. After about 5 seconds I realized that getting on my tippy toes really doesn’t help. Andy confirmed this. He also mentioned that it doesn’t look too cool either. And I’m all about looking cool.
Anyhow, I really enjoy all of the barbell/Olympic lifts- I feel an immediate rush in my body every time I complete a lift. It’s like the lifts trigger some endorphin or something. Not sure what it is, but I’m happily addicted.
The workout was tough, especially on my quads. (My hamstring felt fine throughout and I think it’s healing pretty well.) Doing squats after sprinting on the rower is tough. Same with Kettlebells. Devin pointed out that the row, squat, and KB swings are basically the same exercise. Andy said he was waiting for someone to figure that out, and then laughed an evil little laugh.
My KB Swing form is getting better, and even though I still don’t like this particular exercise because it kicks my ass so hard, I think I am getting better at it. By the time “Helen” rolls around again, I should be better prepared to take her on.
Felt my pose was getting better. I focused a lot on pulling so that my steps were light and quick. I could feel the pulling in my bad hamstring a bit, but it didn’t bother me too badly.
My cadence rhythm was getting more consistent today, which felt great. That was the hardest part of the seminar for me-keeping step with the tempo trainer.
It still takes a lot of concentration for me to keep up a strict pose, but the concentration is making running a bit more fun, since I’m not thinking about how hard running is or how tired I’m getting.
Pull-ups are bit better, but still tough. I got 3/4 of the way to completing a kipping pullup (got my chin just below the bar - but the rhythm was definitely there and felt the momentum). I got one complete, chin-over-the-bar, dead-hang pull-up in each grip. This is better than before, but a ways from where I want to be with pull-ups.
My rope skills are getting better. I still can’t get 2 double-unders in a row, but I’m getting better at getting them when I want to. Also I’m able to bang out more single-step rope-skips (about 50-60 at a time) without stopping.
Notes/Thoughts
Each week brings new surprises. I wasn’t feeling up to this workout and was worried about aggravating the hamstring, which has been feeling much better but is still slightly tight and sore. But the results are starting to speak for themselves: this shit works and I’m getting stronger!
I was certain throughout that my numbers were lower than last week. It’s funny how the “cliff” keeps moving. 8 weeks ago these numbers would have had me plummeting off that cliff. Now this level feels tough, but manageable.
This workout is based on the 12 Week Tabata Project I read about on the CrossFit message boards. I’m interested to see how this improves my strength in these basic exercises. If I had a pull-up bar at home, I’d add pull-ups to the routine. And if you buy that, I’ve also got some Midwest Earthquake Insurance for sale…(oh wait, people might actually need that...) Anyway, it’s cool stuff, and I look forward to seeing the results.
My protocol: 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest, 8 rounds. I do this workout once a week. All exercises on the same day, in one session. I rest several minutes between exercises. I record the numbers on a small digital recorder (the audio sounds like the soundtrack to some weird adult film where every 20 seconds the guy shouts out some random number in between a bunch of heavy breathing). I am counting total reps.
Wednesday April 16, 2008 7:30pm Basic Weightlifting Class with Becca
Warmup
1200m Run
3X
10 pushups
10 OH Squats with PVC
Workout
10 Pressing Snatch Balance - 45#
10 Pull-ups (purple band)
15 DB Front Squats 20#
20 Step Ups
Time 25:47
Notes: Tonight was a “working wounded” night for me. Had visions of Zeb’s blade, Becca’s nub, and Janine’s club foot during each sweaty minute - thanks for the inspiration guys.
The hamstring felt better all day, but was still slightly sore before I got to the gym. Took the warm-up run super slow (though, honestly, probably not much slower than I run during a workout!).
I was a bit afraid of all the squats up on the board, but the warm-up OH Squats felt good, so I took all the squat variations at a very deliberate pace focusing very hard on the form. Tried a box jump or two but the landing aggravated the hamstring a bit so I went with step ups, which still winded me quite a bit. I finished the workout with a big, beautiful box jump - ‘cause what good is all this suffering if you can’t create a little beauty?
Pull-ups are still tough. They really slowed me down, and I need to work on getting the rhythm of the kip down so I can blow through them. Becca says I was doing some sort of bicycle-pedal kip - like I was trying to run up to the top of the pull-up. I did feel a bit spastic at moments. Also, the box was in the way a lot of the time so my attempt at the kip was a bit hindered. My kip still has a way to go, but my arms are getting stronger, so pullups will soon be mine!
My hamstring feels OK now, thankfully. Back to the RICE (the carb-less kind of course…)
Warm up 1000m run
3x
5 pull ups (purple band)
20 Hollow Rocks
10 Wall Squats
Parallel Bar Walk (2x - I didn’t do the backward walk)
Workout
800m run
20 pullups (purple band)
600m run
40 push ups
400m run
60 Bird Pickers
200m run
80 Squats
Note: Didn’t finish. During the Bird Pickers my right hamstring made a snapping sound and I felt an immediate, but not terrible pain. I had to sit down for a moment. I tried to continue, but I couldn’t do anymore, as my hamstring felt pretty sore and strained. I’m icing it now and will elevate it before going to bed. (Thanks for the RICE advice, Jonesy).
I had never done bird pickers before and I didn’t quite have my balance down on the movement. When Andy announced that there were only 6 minutes left before he shut down the workout, I started to push hard and then…snap! Good lesson: get the form right before pushing so hard.
Also, I noticed that yesterday’s Pose seminar, which was great, tired out my hamstrings quite a bit (after all of that pulling up the foot), so I was probably a bit prone to hurt myself when pushing too hard.
My running felt better tonight. Most of it was spent thinking hard about the Pose. Had to still walk on the 600 and 400m runs. Got to get the cardio endurance up. My warm-up run felt great and much easier and more effortless (less thud, thud, thud).
My pullups felt stronger, though I’m going to stick with the purple band a bit longer. Pushups felt good and strong. Tried one clapping pushup at the end of the pushup section for good measure.
It was fun to workout with some of the Level 2/3 folk like Burch, Jennifer S, and Naz. Keeps one motivated (and humble).
I’m a bit surprised by these results, cause I felt like hell when I did these. I got little sleep last night, and I’ve been dragging ass all day. But wow. This CrossFit thing continues to impress me.
Looking forward to the Pose Running seminar this weekend…
This workout is based on the 12 Week Tabata Project I read about on the CrossFit message boards. I’m interested to see how this improves my strength in these basic exercises. If I had a pull-up bar at home, I’d add pull-ups to the routine. And if you buy that, I’ve also got a bunch of American Airline tickets for sale… Anyway, it’s cool stuff, and I look forward to seeing the results.
My protocol: 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest, 8 rounds. I do this workout once a week. All exercises on the same day, in one session. I rest several minutes between exercises. I record the numbers on a small digital recorder (the audio sounds like the soundtrack to some weird adult film where every 20 seconds the guy shouts out some random number in between a bunch of heavy breathing). I am counting total reps.
Shoulder Press - 5-3-2-1-1-1 Max effort: 115#
Push Press: 5-3-3-3-3 Max effort: 135#
Push Jerk: 5-5-5-5 Max effort: 105#
Notes:
Crossfit works.
Even though I was a bit distracted by The Burch’s color coordinated outfit as he worked out in the other room, I saw vast improvement tonight. Last time I did max effort shoulder press my max attempt was 80#, and I missed! Tonight I did 115# and I could definitely have done more.
I also could have done more on the push press, but my timing was a bit off on the jump and I was muscling it a bit too much.
I went down on the push jerk to work on the form, since I’ve never done those with a barbell. I really like the Jerk (that’s what she said!). I like to stomp.
Ask and ye shall receive. Andy’s coaching finally got my brain to wrap itself around the concept of the double under, and I got it! Wow. Boo-ya! It was kind of a quasi-religious experience for me to feel that rope go under two times at lightning speed. Now I need to work on doing them consecutively. I’d get one double under and most of the time had to stop and start over. But a few times I was able to continue and do one double under, one regular skip, then another double under. Loved it.
From the heaven of getting the double-under to the hell of getting the KB Swing. Andy corrected my form (I was moving my hips back and forth too much instead of squatting down and exploding up). Unfortunately the correct form knocked the crap out of me. The KB Swings slowed me down so much! Ug! But I’m glad I got the form down so I don’t kill my back, but man I need to work on these.
Jumping pull-ups winded me, but I was able to bang out 10-12 at a time, which felt quasi-religious too.
A good workout. I was pretty wrecked at the end. I ate a snack at 6pm (apple and almonds), but probably ate too many almonds. I felt a bit full during the workout and this may have slowed me down some too. Usually I eat a snack at 4:30, and now I know that I need to keep to that schedule if possible.
The saving grace of the whole evening was Andy sparing us from the lunge workout I watched the 6:30pm class suffer through and that I’ve been reading about on the boards. When I walked up to class, Monica warned me to turn around and go home, but I said a little prayer and got double unders and KB swings instead of the dreaded walking lunge. Ask and ye shall receive…
Saturday April 5, 2008 At Home/Lincoln Middle School Mini-Workout/Goofing around with Emily
late afternoon/early evening
At home:
3X
10 pushups
10 squats
10 ab-mat situps
short run to Lincoln Middle School
Pullups. Two attempts at a dead hang. No success. Worked on kipping. Little success. I can’t quite get the timing down. I also think I need to put more power into the second swing, the one going forward…I’m still finding myself relying too much on my arm strength, which is minimal in the pullup.
Then worked on pullup negatives: jumping to top, holding 5 seconds at the top, descending 5 seconds. Did 3 rounds of 5 reps, various grips. Found it hard to hold at the very top. I’d often descend a few inches so that my chin was parallel to or just below the bar. I could rarely hold myself higher. I may try some resistance bands to work up that higher hold, so I’m not short-changing myself on range of motion.
In between rounds, I worked on skipping rope, shooting for skipping 100 consecutive times. My best effort today was 83. Total skipping was somewhere between 250 and 300 singles skips. I felt better about my rhythm with the rope. Tried for a few double unders, but I think those are still a ways off. I think I need some coaching in that area, because I still can’t really conceive of how they are accomplished. The kip makes sense, the double-under doesn’t yet compute.
Then did 4 cartwheels (2 each side) on the grass and showed Emily the overhead squat using the jump rope as the bar. Squatted 2 -3 times.
Hmm. Situps improved. And I did 4 rounds of pushups from my toes. So I’m getting stronger there. Perhaps the squat-heavy workouts this week tired my legs out for the squats. Don’t know. Regardless, Tabatas are fun and I really enjoy this mini-workout.
This workout is based on the 12 Week Tabata Project I read about on the CrossFit message boards. I’m interested to see how this improves my strength in these basic exercises. If I had a pull-up bar at home, I’d add pull-ups to the routine. And if you buy that, I’ve also got this great water-filtration system for sale… Anyway, it’s cool stuff, and I look forward to seeing the results.
My protocol: 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest, 8 rounds. I do this workout once a week. All exercises on the same day, in one session. I rest several minutes between exercises. I record the numbers on a small digital recorder (the audio sounds like the soundtrack to some weird adult film where every 20 seconds the guy shouts out some random number in between a bunch of heavy breathing). I am counting total reps.
Wednesday April 2, 2008 7:30 Beginner Weightlifting Class with Becca
Warm Up 600m run
2x
10 Pushups
15 situps
16 Walking lunges
Colleen & Jerk - 15# dumbells 1 clean, 3 jerks
AMRAP in 7 mins - 13 rounds plus 1 clean and two jerks
“Nancy” - modified 4 rounds
400m run (in the sweet, glorious driving rain)
15 OH Squats - 22#
time: 15:51
Notes:
Small class, which was great for working on form. But I do miss the energy of working with a big group and being able to watch the fire breathers breathing their flames. I can still barely breathe air, but I’m making some small sparks here and there. My breath will catch flame!
The warm up felt great. I feel so much stronger in the basics: pushups, situps and squats. Now I need to work on getting some pullups going.
The “Colleen & Jerk” was a surprisingly tough met-con-like workout for me. I definitely know I can up the weights, but since I’d never done the Jerk before I thought I’d work on form. I thought I’d get more rounds in, but I was winded pretty quickly by the Cleans. I need to keep reminding myself to stomp on the Jerk. I like the stomping.
The “Nancy” was tough, but I liked it a lot. Andy’s class on Monday really helped me to focus on the OH Squat form for this higher rep workout. Becca said everyone’s form looked great. I was focusing a lot on keeping my shoulders and core active as I descended. I also focused on pushing my knees out on both the descent and ascent. My running is getting a bit better, but I still had moments where I had to walk. My lower back would stiffen up as I started the runs and I’d have to walk a few steps to loosen it up again.
The rain felt great. Perhaps Andy’s next installation should be a rain machine along Broadway and 14th street…of course it would only use ceramic-filtered water…
Monday March 31, 2008 7:30pm Beginner Class with Andy
Warm Up 1500m Row
3x
5 Shoulder dislocates
5 OH Squats (round 1 with dowel; rounds 2 -3 :15#)
5 power squat clears (I think that’s what they are call) (round 1 with dowel; rounds 2 -3 :15#)
5 squat press (?? I need to learn the names; squat while pressing up)(round 1 with dowel; rounds 2 -3 :15#)
5 (squat, hold at bottom and press 5 times) (round 1 with dowel; rounds 2 -3 :15#)
Workout
OH Squats
8 - 6 - 6 - 4 - 4 - 2 - 2 - 1
45#-55-45-55-65-65-85(one good;miss on one)-85
Then:
2 minutes Air Squats for time: 61 squats
Notes;
Fun class. A lot of work on my form. I need to concentrate on keeping my feed wide and pushing my knees out as I descend. My knees tend to collapse during the lift which makes me look like I’m doing the funky chicken (which is a lot of fun with 85 pounds hanging over your head!). I had to go back down to 45# on round three to work on the form. It got better as I went and the last 85# lift felt great and strong. I can definitely up the weights, but I need to still focus on that base: keep my stance wide and my knees out.
A bit disappointed on the 2 minute squats results. I thought I could get to 80 or 90. But those OH squats took their toll.
Saturday March 29, 2008 At home and at Lincoln Middle School mini-workout/goofing around
At home:
3x
10 Ab-Mat situps
10 pushups
Then:
Ran a couple blocks to Lincoln Middle School where I worked on pullups, which are one of the weakest links in my personal fitness chain. Did 3 rounds of 5 negatives (jumped to top, held for count of 5, descended on a count of 5; I was successful in maintaining the count for the first two rounds. Then my counting suspiciously picked up speed…).
Also jumped some rope in between rounds, trying to go for a double-under, but mainly learning how to jump rope again. I think it’s literally been 30 years since I last jumped rope. Weird to be able to say that. I need to work on the timing on the jumping and swinging. At this stage, I’m not even sure how to approach the double-under. So there is another goal: learn how to approach the double-under.
Then:
Worked on kipping for the pullup; it wasn’t happening at all. The swing was there but my arms were pretty tired from the negatives.
Then:
Ran home while thinking about Pose running, which I know very little about except for what I’ve seen on the CrossFit site. I think I was striking some sort of pose, but most likely not The Pose. Probably more like The Vogue. I definitely need that seminar coming up next month…
This workout is based on the 12 Week Tabata Project I read about on the CrossFit message boards. I’m interested to see how this improves my strength in these basic exercises. If I had a pull-up bar at home, I’d add pull-ups to the routine. And if you buy that, I’ve also got this great mortgage-backed security I’d like to speak with you about… Anyway, it’s cool stuff, and I look forward to seeing the results.
I am counting total reps. And I rest between exercises. I record the numbers on a small digital recorder (the audio sounds like the soundtrack to some weird adult film where every 20 seconds the guy shouts out some random number in between a bunch of heavy breathing).
Notes/Thoughts
Well, the squats are improving. My quads were burning most of the way through. Not sure why the pushups and situps took a slight decline this week. This workout felt good and I felt strong. Perhaps Wednesday’s workout tired me for pushups and situps. Not sure. Or perhaps Monday’s Tabata workout did it. Or maybe it was the moon. Any excuse I can find.
Loving the Tabatas actually. They give me a great boost of energy when I’m done, even though they hurt like hell when I’m doing them.
