6-13-09
Bring a Friend to CrossFit Day

WOD:
as a team of 2
Row 1000m (each partner rowed 500)
75 squats
10x: 3 pull-ups, 6 one-armed thrusters (25#), 12 sit-ups
75 squats
Run 1000m (both partners)

Time: approx 25 mins(?)

6-8-09

Warm-up:
Run 1200m
3x 20 walking lunges, 15 situps, 10 pushups

WOD:  Erin*
3x 15 db split cleans (20#)
21 pull-ups (1.5 rounds no band, 1.5 rounds purple band)

Time: approx 18 mins

First time back in the gym in 5 weeks.  I hurt my back, then my membership expired, then I got crazy busy at work blah blah excuses.  Anyway, I’m so happy to be back and to get back into it.

The * means Stanwyck took pity on me, saw me struggling through round 2 of the pull-ups, and discreetly came over and said “it’s your first time back in over a month.  Why don’t you do 3 rounds?  I don’t want you to get rhabdo.”  Bless him. 

Can’t fully extend my arms today, but they’re not swollen softballs in my biceps either, which is good.  Two rips on my baby-soft hands.  Welcome back to CrossFit!

4-30-09

Warm-up: run 1200m; 3x 10 push-ups, 12 ohs w/ pvc, 15 sit-ups

WOD: 4x 15 OHS
45, 55(13), 55, 65(11)

First workout after the back incident last Monday.  My back is 95% recovered.  I took it slow and went light - felt pretty good.

4-20-09

Warm up: run 1200m

WOD:  5-5-5-5-5 deadlift
5x 30” handstand hold, bent arm hang

So it’s come to this - my first real CF injury.  In my third round of deadlifts, on the second or third rep doing 205#, I lost focus for a moment, rounded my back on the way down, and felt “the twinge.”  My back is f’d up now, although it’s worlds better today (Thursday) than it was late Monday night or Tuesday.  Couldn’t walk or even get out of bed on Tuesday, had to crawl to the bathroom.  Now I can walk (slowly and stiffly, like an old man).  I went on Andy’s recommendation to see Mark Golub (a chiropractor who works out at the gym), and he has helped me a lot.  Going back to him on Friday.  He’s great if anybody gets hurt.

The lessons I’ve learned from this experience (so far):

1.  Form is paramount.  Especially in deadlifts, but I have a feeling in all lifts and all movements we do.  If your concentration wavers for even a moment, something can go wrong.  I think the brain is the part of the body we work the most in our WODs.
2.  Every day is different from every other day.  I tweaked my back doing the same weight as my previous 5RM, which I previously did no problem and without straining or tweaking anything.  But your body is different each day, which leads me to my next lesson:
3.  Listen to your body.  Pay attention to how an exercise feels.  Don’t go big/heavy just because you have before and think you can or should set a new PR.  Feel how each movement feels, and if something’s not working, pay attention and either change it or stop.
4.  Go slow.  When you’re not going for time, go super slow through the lifts and pay attention to your form.  When you are going for time, pick a lower weight and focus on form always.

4-9-09
First WOD at 3201

Warm-up: run 1200m (much harder now with the hills)
3x 10 dumbbell deadlifts (25#), 8 dumbbell thrusters, 6 pull-ups

WOD:
AMRAP 20’
2, 4, 6, 8 ... Turkish get-up-mills (30#), pistols
10 push-ups

Round of 8, plus 8 tgum’s

Awesome, technical workout.  Exhausting, but not in the met-con quivering mess on the floor way. 

The new space is awesome!  I love the wall o’ pull-up bars.

4-1-09

Warm-up: 3x 1 spiderman walk, 5 dips, 10 jump shrugs w/ pvc, 20 arch rocks

WOD:  “The Chief”

5x AMRAP 3’: 3 power cleans (95#), 6 push-ups, 9 squats

3, 3, 3, 2, 2 = 13

This one sucked!  My last two rounds were like 2.5 and 2.9 (seriously, I was on squat 8 when the buzzer sounded on the last round), but close only counts… etc.  Totally gassed at the end.

3-25-09

Warm-up:  Baseline
500m row
40 squats
30 sit-ups
20 push-ups
10 pull-ups

5:15
(previous time 6:05)
(Next time, under 5)

WOD:
Max set pull-ups: 12 (not good; I was gassed from the baseline)
Max sit-ups in 2 mins: 75 (pleased)
Run 5k: 28:49 (pleased that it was under 30, but it still sucked)

3-18-09

Warm-up: run 600m

Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5
175, 185, 205 (previous 5RM), 215, 225 (new 5RM!)

4x 20 pull-ups, 20 push-ups
13:53

I did the first two rounds of pull-ups without a band, then went to a green band for the third, then saw Abe going back to no band and decided to try it for the last round.  Interestingly, the last round with no band was actually easier than the 3d round with a band.  I think it’s because I can’t kip with a band, or just because I was desparate to finish and end the misery.  My hands are shredded.  I can barely wash my hair or shave.  Reminds me of my rowing days.

3-16-09

Warm-up: run 1200m
2x 10 squats, 10 scorpions

WOD:
5-5-5-5-5 front squats
95, 115, 135, 145, 155

Then, in team of 4, complete 180 pull-ups, 360 sit-ups as a team.  I did lots.

3-14-09

“Fran McMurphy”

Run 1 mile
75 thrusters @ 65# (Rx: 100 @ 95#)
50 pull-ups (Rx: 100)
Run 1 mile

44:27

I fully mixed the advanced (run), intermediate (thrusters), and beginner (pull-ups) levels in this one.  The time isn’t as significant for me as the fact that I finished and lived to tell about it.  This workout is just ridiculous.  Thrusters actually felt good; at first I assumed I’d only be able to do 50, but Stanwyck convinced me to go for 75.  Pull-ups felt pretty good too (sans band).  Got a sweet rip in the middle of my palm.  Waited til I got home to pour salt on it so the other xfiters wouldn’t see me cry.

3-7-09

Tabata This! Finals

Row: 7
Squats: 12
Pull-ups: 3
Push-ups: 8
Sit-ups: 10

Total: 40

I improved by 9, which I’m happy about, but I still was hoping to break 50.  I improved by 1 in rowing, but went really hard out of the gate and—of course—got exhausted.  But I improved in every other category except for sit-ups, where I held constant.  This time I was much closer to the “edge” than at the prelims.  It was touch and go from the pull-ups on.  A great, fun day though!

Plus, I went home and found out that my wife is pregnant!!

2-28-09

Warm-up: spider walk the length of the gym
ohs w/ pvc
two other things I can’t remember

WOD:
With tabata clock running, complete 3 rounds of run 400m, 40 pull-ups, 60 push-ups, 120 squats AS A TEAM.

Time: approx 19 mins.

Fun workout.  I was push-up guy for most of it, although we all pitched in and did everything.  Go team!

2-26-09

Warm-up: 15-12-9-6-3
knees to elbows
lateral bridges (x2)
abmat sit-ups
arch rocks (x2)

WOD:
“Nicole”
AMRAP 20
400m run
Max pull-ups

Pull-ups per round: 18, 10, 9, 7, 9, 3 = 56

I love named workouts!  I’m pissed because I misjudged the time left (read, didn’t look at the clock) and wasted time getting chalk and catching my breath, then got caught at 3 pull-ups on the last round when I had more in me.  But what a fun workout!  Next time I’ll break 60!

2-19-09

Warm-up: run 600m, deadlifts working up to 205#

WOD:
Run 1 mile
5 deadlifts (205)
Run 1200m
10 deadlifts (185)
Run 800m
15 deadlifts (165)
Run 400m
20 deadlifts (145)

Time: 31:21

This was a killer, but it felt great, and I feel great today.  I thought I had tweaked my back because it hurt at the end, but no problems today.  I wanted to finish in under 30 minutes, so I was rushing through the final 20 deadlifts and my form sucked in the last round.  The first mile was under 7:30, which was great, but then the remaining runs really slowed down.  A very draining workout.

Also, 205 is a new PR for me for deadlifts!

2-16-09

Warm up: row 1500m, 3x 20 lateral lunges, 10 walking push-ups, 20 arch rocks

WOD: AMRAP 20: Row 250m, 21 sdhp (75#), 15 pull-ups

3.3 rounds (+ about 8 sdhp)

Not that much I know, but I’m still happy I was able to do all the pull-ups sans band and not have useless t-rex arms the next day.  Yay!