Hildago

For my last WOD of 2011, I chose a hero WOD named Hildago.

2 mile run
2 min rest
20 squat clean 135#
20 box jump 24"
20 overhead walking lunges 45#
20 box jump
20 squat clean
2 min rest
2 mile run

This was one of the worst WODs I've ever done!

Happy New Year!

Hitting Some Weaknesses Tonight

Tonight I focused on two of my weak exercises whilst doing my WOD.

3 Rounds of:

15 Overhead Press (Strict) 95#
15 Pistols
15 Burpee Box Jumps 24#

For time.




(These are some hardcore pistols)

I really like doing WODs that are outside my comfort zone. Actually, I hate it, but I do like it for two big reasons: 1) they remind me of being a newbie at Crossfit and 2) every once and a while - during the struggle, amidst the frustration, something clicks - and you get it.

That happened with me tonight with pistols... It makes it a good day.

Hero Wod Wednesday - Erin

I think I'll bring back "Hero WOD Wednesday"!

Erin

5 Rounds of:

15 Dumbbell Split Clean 40#
21 Pullups

For time

I (once again) did this at the local "globo gym" (I'm REALLY missing my gym, by the way). It was somewhat busy, and I had to wait to get any type of pull-up bar along with the proper dumbbells.

The dumbbell split clean is an awkward lift, and one I'm not used to, so I felt a bit shaky with the movement. Also, the "pullup rig" was too low to do butterfly pullups, and were perpendicular, so it was also a strange grip.

On the last round, I was plenty pissed, and quazi-trew the dumbbells when I finished the last rep. The local "meat-heads" all stopped, and stared. It was kinda like on a movie - when somebody says something, and everybody stops talking, and the phones stop ringing... After I got done (and had to use both hands to pick up each dumbbell), the head meat-head came up, and said "That looked pretty tough. We're doing 'super sets' tonight, so it's kinda the same thing, ya know?" I REALLY miss my gym.

All that being said - I got through the WOD, and did it in fairly good time!

Oh, and just noticed five blisters on the ole hands..

An Awesome Link, and Three Gross Pictures

Okay, before you scroll down, there are some GROSS pics below. I'm warning you now - because they really are gross... Really really.

Before we get to that, I wanted to post a LINK to a random WOD generator. This is from a gym down in Australia. I've used their videos several times for demos. I don't know how many fans they have up here in the States, but if I ever go down to Australia, I'm absolutely going to hit up this gym!




Okay, for the grossness.


Several days ago, I received a razor knife for Christmas from my boss. Whilst sitting and pondering many things in life (on the toilet) I rediscovered a cyst on my leg (subsequently, I found that it is called a "Trichilemmal cyst"

So, I(being me)decided to poke it with my brand new knife. It didn't hurt at all... SO I poked it again, and again, and again. None of them hurt. Finally, I pushed hard. I felt a little pinch, and lo and behold, I could see it! It looked like an alien in my leg! I opened the little wound a tad more, and the bloody thing started to fall out!!

At this point, I realized that there was no turning back. I opened it up a bit more, and pulled the entire thing out - which left a "cavern" in my leg..  A bit of anti-infection cream, and butterfly bandages, and I'm as good as new.

I'm telling you - before you go any further - these are really gross. You've been warned.

Mainsite - Slightly Modified

I wanted to do the Mainsite from today, but I still only have access to weights at a Globo Gym - and they only have metal plates. Furthermore, the snatch (let alone the hang snatch) is one of my weaker lifts, and I'm afraid that if I miss - with metal plates - things will get broken. Because of this, I swiped out the snatch for the clean and jerk - it's much more manageable.

5 rds of:

9 Deadlifts 135#
6 Hang Clean and Jerks 135#
3 Overhead Squats 135#

For time

Cash out

Max Rep Ring dips at the top of a muscle-up.

This WOD is deceivingly awful! My arms were on fire, and I was toast! Again, I want bumper plates!!!

Strongman 12 Days of Christmas

Despite fighting a nasty cough and sinus headache, I did a 12 days of Christmas WOD fit for a strongman.

1 atlas stone shoulder 145#
2 push press 75#
3 ring dips
4 toe to bar
5 jerrycan burpees
6 crossfit pushups
7 pullups
8 situps
9 overhead jerrycan lunges
10 double unders
11 thrusters 75#
1,200m run

Done like the 12 days of Christmas song. 

It was tough. Merry Christmas!

Barbara at a Globo

I've done a bit of barbell work the last few WODs, so I decided that I'd do a body weight, named WOD.

Barbara

5 Rounds of:

20 Pullups
30 Pushups
40 Situps
50 Air Squats
90 Second Break

I'll be honest, I almost had a "Code Brown" immediately following this WOD. I wasn't feeling good, and luckily, I made it to the bathroom quickly.



I had to do pullups on the same rig as this dude... But I didn't have to have something hold my feet down..

Friends at the Local "Globo Gym"

Ity's been a few days since I've had access to the internet, but I finally got to McDonalds, thus, have internet access (at least for a few minutes.)

I made friends with a couple people at a local "Globo Gym", which welcomed my "weird shoes", and my "Crossfit ways". In fact, The let me come to their gym for free for the past two nights - and my WODs did NOT dissappoint, oh no, they did not..

Monday

Squat Clean Ladder

Start at 95#. Every minute, on the minute, perform one squat clean, and add 20# (you must add your own weight). Go until you can't do a squat clean.

THEN

8 min AMRAP ladder of:

1 Muscle-Up
2 Squat Clean (50% of your earlier max)
3 Burpees

Add 1,2, and 3 reps per round. (For example, on round 3, do 3,6, and 9 reps.

This was a good two WODs together. The gym (however) has steel plates, and when I failed on the squat cleans, the entire building shook, everybody looked at me, and all I could say was "whoops..."






Tuesday

5 rounds of:

10 Overhead Squats #95#
20 Box Jumps 24#
30 Pushups

For time

This was also a really good WOD. I wanted to do a full-body lift, a lower body exercise, and an upper body exercise. I was surprised to find (however) that the pushups provided little (if any) relief on my quads from the other two exercises.

HSPU / SDLHP / SB Squat / Sprint

Lots of acronyms tonight!

I had to do my WOD outside once again tonight. I'm really happy I made the decision to take some Crossfit equipment with me. It would've been a ROUGH week if I didn't.

5 Handstand Pushups
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 55#
15 Sandbag Squats 25#
100m Sprint

AMRAP 12 mins

It liked the exercises in this WOD, and how they worked together, but the number of reps was off. I probably would have (at the very least) switched the SDLHP and the squats.

Noticeably Absent

I've been noticeably absent for the last few days. After I posted my "Weaknesses" post, I came down with a nasty cold. What made things worse is that I had to travel, and am now on the road - making the challenge a ... well, a challenge.

In fact, my feeble attempt to do a WOD at the local YMCA ended with me getting kicked out before I even got in the gym! Me being an Eagle Scout, and living by the Scout Motto: Be Prepared, I threw a kettlebell, PVC pipe, a speed rope, an abmat, and a jerrycan in the back of the car before I left. This came in extremely handy.

Monday's WOD

21-15-9 kb Swing 1.5p
15-15-15 Jerrycan Burpees
9-15-21 Sandbag Thrusters 25#

The jerrycan burpees is the same idea as a bar facing burpee, but with a jerrycan. you have to face the can as you go to the ground. Your feet must be together, and leave the ground at the same time for the rep to count. (I made this one up!) Oh, and it was 10 degrees outside when I did it.

Try this WOD! You won't regret it!



Tuesday's WOD

Annie
50-40-30-20-10 of

Double unders
Situps

This one, I did not PR. I'm a little upset, but I have to tell myself that I have been traveling, and that I'm just getting over being sick. It still sucks... And now I have A** Rash!

Punishing My Weaknesses

As I have progressed in my training, I'm seeing more and more improvement - pretty much every day. But I'm also starting to see a gap in my strengths and weaknesses. In Crossfit,the victory goes to the the prepared and weaknesses will be punished.

I agree, and realize I am weak in several exercises and lifts, specifically: pistols, snatches, handstand pushups, and to a smaller extent, box jumps and squat clean and presses.

These are the chinks in my armor, and to become strong in these areas, I'm going to do two things over the next month to six weeks. First, I will put together a chipper with each of these movements. I'm going to do this as rx'd - no matter how long it takes. Second, I will incorporate at least one of these movements, or some variation, into every WOD for 4-6 weeks. At the end of this, I'll do the chipper again, and see my progress.

I feel confident in this approach. I struggled with double unders and butterfly pullups. But through work, I became strong - not because the exercise in its own right got easier, but I became better at 'em.

I start tomorrow.

p.s.
I wasn't able to do a WOD tonight.. Too much going on today, and not enough time. I'll try to make it up tomorrow with 2 WODs.

Wood

Mainsite nite! I had a friend that wanted to do the Mainsite, and so did I. It happened to be a hero WOD.

Wood

5 rounds of:

400m run
10 burpee box jump 24"
10 sumo deadlift high pull 95#
10 thrusters
1 min rest

For time.

This one about killed me. We did the run in 16 degree weather, and it's decievingly tough.oh, and yes, I got beat by a girl tonight.. Yup, I'll admit it!

Angie

Angie is one of my favorite WODs - which means that I'd probably do it monthly. However, I have to resist the urge, and only do it on rare occasions. I think it was 6 months since I did it last, and 3 months since I did a modified version. I'm planning on visiting a bunch of benchmarks in the next few weeks, so it's an ideal time to do Angie


Angie

100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

For time.

*you may not move to the next exercise until you complete the full 100 reps.

I PR'd by about 45 seconds this time around. My hands sure paid for it though..

Overhead Squat Ladder / Helen

For some strange reason, I felt like I needed to do two more WODs today, so I doubled up, invited a friend over, and we knocked two WODs out in less than an hour.

WOD 1 - Overhead Squat Ladder

Starting with 75# on the bar, perform 1 overhead squat every 40 seconds, moving up 20# each round. Go until you can't any more. Upon failing on a round, you may try again within 60 seconds. This attempt will be your last round.

This one was pretty good, although, if I were doing this again, I'd probably make the increments10# instead of 20.

WOD 2 - Helen

3 rounds of:
400m run
21 kb swings 1.5 pood
12 pullups

For time.

We were hoping to do this one in the snow, but the snow came about 2 hours too late.. I did this WOD unbroken for the first time, and cut another 70 seconds off my time!

Roy

This WOD has been a thorn in my side. Back in July, in the midst of taking the bar exam, I attempted this WOD, and got one of my only two DNFs since starting Crossfit. I was extremely apprehensive picking this one, and for good reason.

Roy

5 rounds of:

15 deadlifts 225#
20 box jumps 24"
25 pullups

For time

This WOD has the same feeling I get when I do Fran. The heart rate keeps going up, and doesn't stop until you finish. I knew this, and knew that if I rushed too quickly, I'd fail again. Because of that, when I felt I needed a break, I intentionally took a little extra time. But don't get me wrong - this WOD still sucks.

Pullups / Double Unders / Mainsite(modified)

I was fully planning on doing a Mainsite WOD tonight which involved ring extensions, sots presses, and rolls... But during the warmup, i tweaked my shoulder - forcing me to modify. It was actually a full night:

Max Unbroken:

Double Unders
Pullups

(only 2 attempts given)

I crushed my previous pullup record by over 20 reps. I came within 20 of my Double Under record, but couldn't get it - at least tonight.

Then:

5 Rounds of:

5 "Corn Cob" Pullups
5 Forward/Backward Rolls
10 Sots Press 45#

I know, I broke the cardinal rule, and used an exercise from P90X... I couldn't, however, think of another movement similar to ring extensions. Please forgive me. For the Rolls, it was one forward, stand all the way up, one backward, stand all the way up.

After the max rep effort, this WOD was one I just grinded through. I would really like to do it as RX'd one day.

This is the WOD, RX'd




The Corn Cob Pullup (ala P90X)....



Speal Doin' it right! (long video, but so very worth it!)

800m Sprints

I'm still smarting from the week before, so I decided on a running WOD today. After all, how hard could a running WOD be, right? ...riiiight...

4 rounds of:
800m sprints

1 minute rest between sets.

This wouldn't have been so bad, but it was 28 degrees outside, I just ate, and was still hurting from last week. I was happy with my splits!

Ring Pushups / Hang Clean / Pullups

Friday was an extremely long and tiring day. So much so that I passed out before I was able todo a WOD. But today, I had a friend that wanted to do a WOD with me. We haven't done many together, so this one was pretty fun!

For time:

21-15-9 ring pushups
9-15-21 hang cleans 135#
21-15-9 pullups

I flew through the first round, and through the rings on the second round. When I hit the second round of the hang cleans, it was like a brick wall. This WOD was more about fighting muscle exhaustion than running out of steam. My shoulders and firearms were on fire!


Thanks for the WOD, 'Page'!

A Two-WOD Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I decided to do two WODS - one before dinner, and one after.

WOD 1
20 Minute AMRAP of:

150m Jerry Can Farmer Walk (1)
Pullups (3,6,9...)
Box Jump 20" (3,6,9...)
KB Swing 1.5 pood (3,6,9...)

This was good one. The forearms were on fire, and the legs got a tad shaky. It was close to 70 degrees outside (on THANKSGIVING). I liked this one.

WOD 2
G.I. Jane

100 Burpee Pullups

for time

I've been doing burpees a ton lately. This was a bit tough after the morning WOD and a ton of food. I'm glad I did it though. I got over the nasty turkey hangover.

"Wilmont" With Situps

I wanted to break my still rings and abmats in today. I liked Wilmont when I did it 5 months ago, but wanted to change it just a bit

6 rounds of:

25 squats
25 situps
25 ring dips

Great WOD, but my arms were pretty much useless for the rest of the day!

Offutt Chipper

One of those days that I just wanted to be toast at the end. I got some new still rings today, so I grabbed 'em and my speed rope, and went on base for this bad boy:

20 reps of:

Rows (cal)
Power clean 95#
Double under
Sumo DL high pull 95#
Pullup
Oh squat 95#
Ring aadip
Cf pushups
Ttb
Box jump 20"
Kb swing 1.5 pood

*between each exercise, do 4 bar facing burpees. It worked. I was toast

Power Cleans / Triplet

Tonight's WOD was inspired by Crossfit Charlottesville. They are working with a strength development program model, and my friend, who visited there, wanted to do this one.

Strength
3-3-3-3-3

Power Cleans at 60% - 70% of 1rm
60 seconds between sets

Then:

3 Rounds of:

15 Box Jumps 24"
50 Double Unders
15 Toes to Bar

We just did the burpee mile, so we swapped out the burpees for box jumps. This was a good WOD. I felt very smooth on the Double Unders too!

Well Deserved Rest Day

I can hardly move after the Burpee Challenge, so I took a rest day today. I wanted to (however) post two videos. The first is me doing a CFO challenge over a year ago. I was 30+lbs heavier, and my Fran time was 4 minutes slower. I gotta be honest, I'm embarrassed how I looked like back then; however, I don't run from it - I learn from it.



The next clip is of the challenge yesterday. It was cold, and dark, so the video quality isn't the best, but I'm still kinda proud of it!



It sucked! Now, there are four little things to look for: 1) I mumble something right before I start, and I didn't even realize I said it. 2) My Shoes and shirt start reflecting a couple minutes into the video. 3) While Ali is trying to get her time, she basically steps over my sprawled out body. 4) Both of those two were done for AT LEAST a half hour, yet it was me that was doing the math to figure out their times! Ha ha!!

The Burpee Mile

In "celebration" of my 30th birthday, my wife oh so kindly decided that we should do the burpee mile. After all, "a lot of people do it on their 30th birthday!" So me, a) never able to back down from a challenge, and b) being the "birthday boy" agreed to do it. We had a friend over, and he was going to join... Little did I know that I was the ONLY ONE of the three to do the full mile! The other two opted for the half-mile...

The WOD is simple enough (to explain).. It's 1 mile of standing broad jumps, with a burpee in between each jump... 3,2,1.. go!

I normally don't post my times, but I was happy with my time. I did it in 1:26.47. I had a goal of under 90 mins, so I'm happy.. Sore, blistered, achy, and flat-on-my-back worn out, but happy.

The other two? Well, the wifie had a goal of under an hour, and she did it at around 59 mins. Our friend didn't set a goal (that he said), and finished around 39 minutes.

We got parts of it on video, but it's choppy. Sorry about the quality.



Oh, and tomorrow will undoubtably be a rest day.

Transition and Grip Work

Tonight, I wanted to do a WOD that would force me to quickly transition between exercises. I did this one about six months ago, but at ten lbs lighter, and only had a 1 burpee penalty, not 5.

5 rds of:

5 deadlifts 105#
5 hang cleans 105#
5 press 105#
5 overhead squat 105#

For time

* 5 burpee penalty every time you drop the bar in between lifts (to be done at the end of each round)

I made it through each round with out dropping, so I had no burpees, thank heavens. This is a pretty quick WOD. It does, however, smoke your arms. I was pretty happy this time around. Even though I had ten extra pounds on the bar, I still beat my old time by almost 20 seconds. I'm hanging on to this bad boy!

A Story of Inches

I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do for a WOD tonight. I went to mainsite, got this one from a few years ago, and changed a couple things.

7 rounds of:

5 Handstand Pushups
10 "Change Plate" Deatlifts 185#
10 Chest to bar Pullups
1 Stone to Shoulder

For time

The WOD on mainsite called for normal deadlifts, and 20 double unders (instead of the Atlas stone), but I decided to make it a bit heavier on the weights.. I said it was because I've done a ton of double unders in my last few WODs... But maybe because I'm a glutton for punishment?

The "Change Plate" Deadlifts were inspired by the Crossfit Games Event 4. The two extra inches seems menial (as with the 2ish inches with the chest-to-bar pullups), but those few inches turned a tough WOD into a brutal WOD.

I'm also not the best when it comes to handstand pushups. They took me a while, but I did all of them required!

Couplet and Triplet Chipper

I had a friend that wanted to get a WOD in crazy early, so I was up at 4:45 this morning for this one..

3 Rounds of:
6 Back Squats 245#
24 Double Unders

Then .4 mile run (640m)

Then
3 Rounds of:
6 Ground to Overhead 145#
12 Wall Balls 20#
18 Pullups

For time.

I wanted heavy weights in my WOD today, so the weights were roughly 70% of my 1 rep max. It seemed heavy, but doable. My friend went about 60% of his 1 rep max, and he flew through it.

The double unders seemed to get me this time. I actually really liked paring the back squats with the double unders because the transition was fairly difficult. I think I'm definitely going to use this style of WOD again.

Double Unders and Snatches

I did a Mainsite WOD tonight (with a slight modification)

7 rounds of:

35 Double Unders
1 Snatch attempt

Your score is the total amount of weight successfully snatched (only 1 attempt per rounds) and your time.

This is the mainsite's WOD; however I'm not exactly ready to start loading on the snatch weights in the middle of a WOD, but I'm pretty good at a moderate weight. That being said, my WOD was:

7 Rounds of:
35 Double Unders
1 snatch 95#, adding 1 snatch per round

For time.

I this was a good WOD, and I liked the vast difference in the double unders and the snatches.

Veteran's Day Murph

I normally try to give each WOD about 4 months before I revisit them, but Because it's Veteran's Day, and Mainsite posted it, I decided to do Murph again. After all, it's one of my favorite WODs

Murph

1 Mile Run
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

* The Pullups, pushups, and squats can be partitioned in any way you want.

I PR'd This by over 2 minutes from the last time I did it. I really thought I was going to pass out during the last 400m of the last run... Glad I didn't!

Grace

I had very little time today, so I decided on Grace. This was on Mainsite two days ago, and I have been wanting to do it anyways.

Grace

30 clean and jerks 135#

For time.

With this many reps, it could be easy to let your form go in the toilet. I doubled down on my efforts to keep good form. I actually PR'd by about 30 seconds! Which makes me wonder what I was doing for those 30 seconds last time I did this WOD..

Epic Crossfit Day - Jerry Cans Included

Today was one of those days where it was just a good Crossfit day! I'm warning you now, I did many new things, so there will be MANY videos on this post!

Warm-Up:

Max Rex Butterfly Kip Pullups (2 rds)
5 Atlas Stone Ground to Shoulder
15 Sandbag Sit-ups
Slosh Tube Sit-ups
Practice Squat Snatch Form (w/ PVC)






WOD:
12 Minute AMRAP Ladder of:

Jerry Can Row
Jerry Can Overhead Lunges
Jerry Can Overhead Swings
Jerry Can Farmer Walk (x6)

The ladder is 2-4-6...

(Don't mind the tool, or audio in the video - just use it to get an idea of the ROM)



(They only went to eye level in this WOD, I went overhead)



(When watching this, I decided I needed a tree to climb)





Cash Out:

I cashed out with the fat bar loaded with 95#. I then did 5 reps for quality of each standing lift.

This was: Dead lift, hang clean, press, jerk, back squat, overhead squat, power clean, squat clean, thruster, power snatch, and squat snatch.



Today was a REALLY fun WOD day. I really had a good time, and enjoyed working on new things! I'm excited for my new toys!

Road Trip WOD

I had a crazy/fast road trip. 7 hours, little sleep, a bit of a chat, and 7 hours back.. I was smart enough to grab some Crossfit gear before I left, and threw this together..

21-15-9 of:

Double-unders
Crossfit pushups
Kb swings 1.5 pood
Air squats

Then 1 chance for max-rep double-unders

I had very little time, and nowhere do workout, so I did it in a city park.. At 6:45am.. In 28 degree weather. The few locals up that early gave me looks like I'm crazy.. Which, come to think about it - as I type, may be true..

DIY Atlas Stones

Here's a (fairly) easy way to make your own Atlas stones for cheap. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Materials Needed:

• Rubber Toy Ball
• 50# of Plaster of Paris
• 5 Gallon bucket
• Piece of plywood (5'x5' should be big enough)
• A plastic bowl
• Shovel
• Hammer 
• Wood Chisel
• Mixing trough
• 3-5 bags of Concrete Mix

1) Choose the size of your stones. One of the things about Strongman work is that it's not precise. No two items are exactly alike, and won't weigh the same amount. However, to give you an idea, follow the CHART to give you a rough idea of what weights you'll be.

2) Once you choose your weight make sure the toy ball is close to the same diameter. You can either over-inflate, or under-inflate them to get a different dimeter.

3) You will now need to cover the rubber ball with the Plaster of Paris. I was able to cover a 15" and an 8.5" ball with 50lbs. Place the plywood on the floor, and use it as your work surface.  Make sure you only mix 10-15lbs at a time. As soon as the plaster is ready, you only have a few short minutes to work. Place plastic bowl over the nozzle of the ball, and begin covering - with the bowl on the ground, and the ball on top. Cover the ball with approx 1" of plaster. Leave approx 5 lbs of plaster for later.

4) when the plaster dried (8-12 hours), turn the mold over, and remove the bowl. This opening will be where the concrete will fill the mold. Deflate the ball (you can either pop it, or deflate it and use it for later), and remove it from the mold.

5) Check the mold for any holes, or thin walls.Use the remaining plaster to patch it up. Then, leave the mold for around 24 hours to dry.

6) Once you are confident that the molds are dry, mix the concrete. I would recommend on the slightly more runny consistency of the spectrum. Then start shoveling in the concrete to the plaster molding. after every few shovels, tamp down the concrete. Repeat until the mold is full. Do whatever you can to assure that there are minimal cracks, gaps, and bubbles. Mound off the top of the mold with extra concrete. cover the opening with a damp cloth. Re-wet the cloths every day

7) After 4-6 days, grab a garbage can, a wood chisel, and a hammer, and start chipping away the plaster mold. Once the mold is removed, chisel any bumps, or excess concrete. Allow the stone to dry for several hours.

8) Sand the stone to smooth any rough edges, patch any problem area, and seal the surface with something like Cure-Seal! Wait a week before any serious dropping, but from here on, you have an atlas stone!

Notes

• Work outside, in the garage, or the shed. this is a very messy project!
• Avoid using your hands with the concrete!
• If possible, mix the required amount of concrete all at the same time. This avoids different consistancies
• When tamping down the concrete, be careful of not hitting the walls of the plaster molding
• Keep a garbage can, and a broom handy at all times

Parks had fun

Fresh out of the mold!

"Strongman" NOW Begins!

I finished my newest project, and used it in the WOD tonight - and it was AWESOME! I made two Atlas Stones. One at about 150# and the other about 25#. They weren't very difficult to make, and I would highly recommend getting some!

Tonight's WOD:

3 Rounds of:

30 Double Unders
20 Overhead Lunges w/ Small Atlas
15 Sandbag Squats 100#
5 Atlas Cleans
800m Run

For Time.

I really REALLY liked this WOD. I'm absolutely going to use more Strongman lifts in my WODs!

Another "Death By"

My hands still aren't healed up enough to grip - well, anything, so I was going to go for a run... But got caught up with NOT freezing my tail-end off. So, I was going to make it a stretching day... That was boring, so I had an impromptu WOD

Death by Crossfit (hand release) pushups:

1 the first minute, 2 the second... Until you can't complete the required amount.

I was still able to stretch, for about 15ish rounds.

Palindrome Day

In honor of Palindrome Day (Today's date was 11-02-2011), I put this bad boy together:

50-->10 Box Jumps 20"
10-->50 Squats
30x 5 Paralette Dips
10-->50 Lunges
50-->10 Sit ups

For Time


My hands were healing (and would have been fine to use in the WOD tonight), but I got a bit of a concrete burn on my healing blisters from death by pull-ups. My hands look like crap, and I had to stay away from using 'em.

My hands after Death by Pulls (5 blisters)

Which will ALL be explained on one of my upcoming DIYs!

The Carnage from a week or two ago..

Burpee AMRAP

Tonight's WOD was simple, easy to explain, and guaranteed to put you flat on your back.

30 minute AMRAP of:

Burpees

The only thing I added to this WOD was that the first 100 burpees were for time. After you note your time on those, just keep going... and going. I found that i took a few breaks, but because of the nature of the beast, breaks are needed... It's a bear of a WOD!

My next burpee goal is the 500 burpee challenge... Soon(er)- or later..

DIY Fat Bar

I wanted a fat bar, but they are pricy! So, I took that as a challenge. The challenge? Converting a normal oly bar to a 1.5" "fat bar" for less than $10.00.

DIY "Fat Bar

What you need:
An oly bar (preferably one you don't want to use for normal bar work on a regular basis).
5' x 1.5" PVC pipe
A roll of athletic tape
A can of "stone" textured spray paint
A hack saw
A wrench (to take off a sleeve on the oly bar)

What to do:
Measure the entire grip area of the oly bar. Cut the PVC pipe to a shade shorter than the grip area.

Remove one sleeve from the oly bar.

Lightly spray the PVC pipe with the textured paint. This should be minimal - just enough to give the bar a little grip. When I say light, I mean very light.

Wrap the oly bar with the athletic tape in three places, the middle, and about 12" from each end. The thickness of the tape must be equal to the inside width of the PVC pipe. (minor adjustments may be needed).

When the paint dries, take the PVC pipe and slide it onto the grip area of the oly bar. Make any changes to the width of the tape needed.

Put the sleeve back on the oly bar, pick up the bar, and get to work!

I actually had everything lying around, so I pnly paid about $5 for the paint. The pipe is probably about $3, and you can find a cheap roll of tape for $2.

So far, the bar's held up great! If y'all have questions, let me know. I'll be more than happy to help.

5k and Death by Pullups

If there was any doubt I did enough with one WOD, it was completely reaffirmed tonight. I did two WODs today - one in the morning, and one at night:

5k run

This was for a food drive for the Salvation Army. Not my best time, but I can't complain.

Then tonight:

Death by Pullup

Every minute on the minute, perform one pullup. Add a pullup every round until you can't complete the round.

Now, I normally don't post my scores (on purpose), but I got to round 23... And I'm paying for it in the form of 4+ blisters. The butterfly is awesome, but makes blistering so much quicker!

Tabata Something Else

I was thinking about doing Tabata Something Else a few days ago, but didn't, until I saw it on Main Site today.

Tabata Something Else

8 rounds of:

Pull Up
Push Up
Sit Up
Squats

*must complete the eight rounds of each exercise before moving on. This is Max Rep per round. Each round lasts 20 seconds, with a 10 second break.

good luck!




I then had a cash out of a 1mile run. It was a miserable run.

Squat Clean

Today was a crappy lift day.

Squat clean

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

I was hoping tO get my power clean PR, but missed it by 15 pounds.

I then did handstand holds.. Which wasn't that great either..

Old School Mainsite

I really didn't know what I wanted to do tonight, so I randomly picked a WOD from the Mainsite. Lowe and behold, I came across this little gem from 2004...

21-18-15-12-9-6 of:

Pullups
Sit-ups

*start every round with 100' walking lunges

I was feeling good, so I added a final round of 3.
I was able to go through this entire WOD unbroken. I was able to use butterfly kips and gymnastic kips interchangeably - which let me get more reps in.


After I finished, I then worked on my strict handstand pushups. I still have some work to do there.

A Messy Hero WOD

I did a hero WOD today, but not without challenges..

Carse

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of:

Squat cleans 95#
Double unders
Dead lifts 185#
Box jumps 24"

*every round starts with a 50m bear crawl.

Between the second and third round, my nose started bleeding, and didn't stop until I finished. I still did okay - time wise, but definitely would have done better if I didn't have to stop as many times as I did.

Part of the carnage I left behind...

Marine PFT

Marine PFT:

Max dead hang pull-up (up to 20)
Max crunches in 2 min (up to 100)
3 mile run

I PR'd by 3 pts.

Mainsite - Running Angie

I took two days off to recover from last week. I saw this main site WOD, and really wanted to do it. I actually learned two things from this WOD: 1) never underestimate the power of main site, and 2) double check your math

5 rounds of:

200m run
20 pull-ups
200m run
20 push-ups
200m run
20 sit-ups
200m run
20 air squats

For time.

This is the named WOD "Angie" broken into five rounds with a run between each exercise. Angie is one of my favorite WODs, and I enjoy running. I liked this one too- after I shook out the cobwebs from two days of not working out... Which took almost thre rounds.

While this in and of itself would be a difficult WOD, I (in my oh-so-wise ways) calculated what a 200m run would be... Instead of measuring it out. Turns out my 200m was 275m - adding almost a full mile to the WOD. Oops!

Sled Pull with Gear

I went a bit nuts this past week with the WODs and the lift work, so I decided to change it up tonight with a "Strongman" AMRAP

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

Sled pull 40'
10 KB swings 1.5p
Sled pull 40'
10 med ball situps 20# (then dump 45# plate)
Sled Pull 40'
Sandbag Carry 40' (leave sandbag)
40' lunges w/ 45# plate overhead
Sled pull 40'

*This is a shuttle pull. Unless otherwise noted, all the equipment must be in the sled when pulling.

This was a pretty good WOD, and has a lot of potential to be even better. I'd definitely toy with the weights, order, and length of the WOD.


Two ways to do the overhead lunge..

3 Named WODs With a 'Bit' of Running

I had some frustrations to get out tonight, and so did a buddy of mine, so we did this WOD. I have actually been planning something like this for a while and today just seemed to be the perfect day.

1 mile run
WOD 1
1 mile run
WOD 2
1 mile run
WOD 3
1 mile run

For time

*The WODs are the following:

-Light Jeremy
21-15-9 overhead squats @65#, burpees
-Light Grace
30 clean and jerks @95#
-Light Elizabeth
21-15-9 squat cleans @95#, ring dips

*You may choose the order of the WODs.

This one was a toughie. But I wish I would've added a round. I still had some gas on the tank..

Why We Smile

I was watching the 2011 Crossfit Games this past week. While only the men were featured, I was reminded of an interview where "Iceland Annie" explained that she was happy when she was doing Crossfit. During the suckfest, she smiles because it makes it "all go away." She furthermore said that, when she is working the hardest, she is the happiest.

Tonight, in the middle of the second mile of running, I realized exactly what Annie was trying to say. I was struggling to get to the top of a hill, however I refused to stop. I was free and unrestrained. It was my choice to sandbag the run, or to take it to another gear. When I pushed through, I claimed a small victory. This victory belonged to me - this victory is one that many people don't have the capability to claim - this victory made me smile.

Now, I don't claim to be a doctor (of medicine), claim to know the nuances of endorphins, or claim to have read any studies substantiating my theories. However, I can say from my experience that(while there are very few things I can control in life) I can control the effort I put into keeping my self healthy.

To explain this a little better:
Two years ago, I claimed to be in shape. I claimed that I was 225, and honestly thought that I was a tough guy. But this "tough guy" couldn't run a full mile without having to stop and catch his breath. This "tough guy" was really on the heavier end of 235, and this "tough guy" was not happy.

One random day in January (January 16, 2010, to be precise) I decided that I was going to change. I was sleepy, lazy, working out MAYBE once a week. I had no excuse. I had no control, and wanted to gain that back. My goal was to run a 5K in 3 months. If I were to do that, I would in my mind) reach the "pinnacle" of fitness for somebody like me. So... I started P90X, faithfully followed Tony Horton's quirky jokes, and his seemingly egregious workout regimen. I finished the program, and ran that 5K. I paced at 8:20 per mile and it took me three days to recover.

Now that I successfully completed P90X, and that 5K, I realized three things: 1) I didn't reach any pinnacle of fitness. Many people smoked me, and didn't need three days to recover. 2) I needed to continue my fitness journey because 3) the journey of fitness was making me a happier person.

It was now time to take total control. With a little persuasion from my wifie, some coaching, and a lot of mentoring, I drank deep in the Crossfit Kool-Aid. I hated the WODs, but I loved doing them. I dreaded starting a WOD, but was happy I did it. I didn't think I could complete the WODs, but wished I went faster when I finished.

It wasn't because I was becoming a "tough guy". Far from it. There were many people I would never realistically be on their physical level, but I saw small victories in myself. Five more pounds here, two seconds there, one more inch... I became better. I was freeing myself from the shackles I placed on myself from years of menial exercise routines.

While I can't control many things like the economy, the weather, politicians, other people, the job market, I can control me.

Therein lies why Iceland Annie, myself, and thousands of Crossfitters embrace the suck, why we come back for more every day, why we are okay with rips in our hands, why we are chronically sore, why we frequently work ourselves to exhaustion, and why we smile.

Abbate (With a Little CrossFit Kids)

I was only planning on doing one WOD today, and to help Parks with CrossFit Kids. Well, his WOD was 15-12-9 of OH Squat and Burpees. I was doing it along with him, but that kid's quick with his burpees! So, after I caught my breath from that, I did Abbate:

Abbate

1 mile run
21 clean and jerk 155#
800m run
21 clean and jerk
1 mile run

for time.

This was tough - and probably made a bit worse because I did deadlifts and split jerks two days ago. I grinded through, though.


(I'm not all about the treadmills, but use what you got!)

Lifted Heavy Things

Today I lifted heavy things in fact, at one time tonight, I had 650# on 2 bars...

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Dead lifts
Split snatch

For weight.

Alternate lifts until you're done with both.

While I didn't do terrible, I merely tied my PRs, but couldn't pass them - try as I might.




At least I wasn't this guy..

Sandbag Jonas

It was Jonas' birthday yesterday, so I wanted to do the WOD named after him, however it wasn't very long ago since I did this one. So, I decided to change it up a bit.

For Time:

21 KB Swings 1.5p
21 Sandbag Front Squats
21 Pull-Ups
21 Double Unders
21 Sit-Ups
21 Sandbag Back Squats
21 Sandbag Thrusters
21 Sandbag "Rack to Overhead"

* 20' Standing Sled pull with the sandbag in the sled must be done between every exercise
* Sandbag weighs approx 100#

This was a good WOD. I DID, however, smash my face a time or two with the sandbag. I actually really like doing strongman lifts in a WOD - the constant variables of strongman equipment throws an interesting "wowie" in every wod - ergo the higher likelihood of smashing your face with the 100# sandbag.

ALSO:
I did a buy in, and cash out today

BUY IN
Max rep butterfly kipping pull-ups. I'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of reps I'm finally able to string together.

CASH OUT
Sitting (Hands-Only) Rope climb attempts

DNF

DNF - Three letters that cause anxiety in every Crossfitter, who fear and avoid these letters at all cost. The reason the notorious "DNF" on the white board is shunned at all costs is because a of its meaning - Did Not Finish.

DNF is the proverbial scarlet "A" so innocently written in erasable marker - only to be wiped away within the next few hours, yet each and every DNF becomes etched in the minds of that failing Crossfitter - branded in their memory for weeks, months, and even years. Personally, I have two DNFs. They are seared into memory. I remember the WOD, the day, the round, the weather, the clothing I wore, and the specific exercise where these WODs ended prematurely. I also remember the trivial excuses why I quit - which seemed so very valid in the moment of failure.

Crossfit translates into real life. For example, Crossfitters expect the unexpected and prepare for the unknown. Crossfitters must be able to think and reason under stress, and quickly make wise decisions on the fly. Crossfitters must dig deep in the middle of any given suckfest, to finish what they started, and come out on the end better than the day before... All valuable experiences in real life.

I'm just now starting to realizing that I don't really shy away from group workout settings, I shy away from "toxic competition". What I mean by this is best illustrated by something Rory Mckernan stated during the 2011 Crossfit Games:

He stated that Crossfit is different from other sports because competitors cheer for each other. Athletes cheer on their stiffest competition. Crowds cheer for the guy in last-place as loud as the winner - Unlike a Red Sox / Yankees game where fans either cheer, or boo. You are a winner, or a loser.

In Crossfit, the only way you "lose" is if you don't finish, and don't push your own limits. For example, I have a goal to complete Fran in under 3:00. Although I shaved 12 seconds off my last Fran time, I didn't get under that 3:00 mark. But I didn't fail - because I pushed myself, and I finished the WOD. Express failure would be a DNF, personal failure would not be giving it everything I had.

During the 2011 UFC Expo, Katie Hogan and Kristen Clever were paired up as a team. Hogan was asked what was going through her mind during one of the events. She stated that she knew she had to do her best because she kept having the image of Clever tapping her foot - waiting to start - going through her head. That pushed her to do her best.

While these two athletes are "elites", if Hogan decided to sandbag the WOD, or quit, Clever would've only been able to cheer, encourage, yell, and hope. Yet the team's fate was in Hogan's hands, and if she quit, the team gets the DNF.

During every WOD, there comes a point where it hurts, it seems too hard, it's not what you expected, there is muscle fatigue, or you just don't think you can endure. But based on my experience, during those incredibly difficult moments - those times where it would be so easy to take the DNF - a quick breath, a change of pace, switching a grip, or gritting my teeth, and pushing through will get me to break through, to continue, and to be proud of my results. I learn what I'm made of - a quitter? A slacker? A sandbagger? Or a winner?

In Crossfit, and in life, we have a support system. People to coach, help, encourage, and (at times) carry us. Here, my win is your win, my victory is your victory. The improvements made may be credited to all, although many times, manifest in one. But the decision to accept defeat - to accept a DNF rests in the "one"

...And while the scarlet DNF belongs to the "one", the "many" bear the burden of the DNF - etched in their minds for weeks, months, and even years.

"Uncle" Chipper

I did a variation of "Say Uncle" today

400m Run
14 Handstand Push Ups
14 Overhead Squat 115#
14 Power Snatch 115#
14 Box Jumps 24"
400m Run
21 Push Press 115#
21 Double Unders
21 Elevated Parallette Push Ups
21 Pull Ups
400m Run

For time

THEN

After a few minutes of recovery,




I did a couple rounds of the Burgener Warm Up

This is to help in several lifts, but especially in the squat snatch.

Back Squats

Simple day of lifting!

Back Squats

3-3-3-3-3


I haven't done these for about three months. I did pretty well though. I matched my 1 rep max, and actually got two reps at that weight!

Main Site!: Hand Stand Push-Ups, Lunges, Chest-To-Bar Pull-Ups

The Wifie convinced me to do a Main Site WOD with her tonight. It was tough, but I was able to get through it RX'd

5 Rounds of:

6 Handstand Push-Ups
12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
24 Walking Lunges w/ 35# dumbbells (had to use 35# plates)

For time.

While I wasn't close to the "elites'" times, I'm finally getting through WODs that involve HSPUs RX'd (even if I have to kip on them..)

Fran

Only a small handful of WODs actually scare me and Fran scares me the most - and rightly so!

Fran

21-15-9 of:

Thrusters 95#
pull-ups

For time.

I was flat on my back after this WOD for about 20 minutes. I'm getting so very close to the sub 3 club!

"Boot Camp" 5k

I did a "boot camp" 5k.

It was a 5k with the following obstacles:

Hill run
Tire carry 400ish meters
Bear crawl through a sand volleyball court
Three (3) A-frame climbs
A trail run
Perpendicular wall climb
Monkey bars
Rope wall climb
Tire pit
Over-under on rails

And a big cargo net climb

I took 7th on my age group and 19th overall - out of around 180 people. It was fun!



"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo! That's Jacktastic!"

Sumo Dead-Lift High Pull

Tonight was:

Sumo Dead-Lift High Pull

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Then

Handstand Hold

Max time

Nice 'n easy day

Mary

I have a few areas where I still need help. Three of those are handstand pushups, pistols, and butterfly pull-ups. Because of this, "Mary" was a perfect choice for tonight.

Mary

20 min AMRAP of:

5 handstand pushups
10 pistols
15 pull-ups

I did the entire WOD as rx'd. I had to kip on the HSPUs, and I had to struggle through the pistols, but I made it through.

I also decided to throw in butterfly kips half-way through the WOD, and tomy amazement, I was able to string them together!

Tough WOD, but good day. I'll have to revisit this one again soon.

Bear Complexes!

I wanted to do a lift day today, but I couldn't decide what isolated lift I wanted to do. So, I decided to go a bit crazy with it!

1 mile run for time

Take time to gain your composure, then:

7-7-7-7-7 of:

Bear Complex
Power Clean,
Front Squat,
Press (or jerk)
Back Squat
Press (or jerk)

*Each movement must be distinct and completed before moving to the next. The bar can't be dropped throughout the set. There is NOT a thruster in this complex! (Watch the video...)

I completed my fourth set unbroken. I had to break up the last set after the 5th rep.





Just for fun!

Hammer

Hero WOD Monday!

Hammer

5 Rounds of:

5 Power Cleans 135#
10 Front Squats 135#
5 Press 135#
20 Pull-Ups
Rest 90 Seconds


I PR'd this one by about 90 seconds - and it about killed me. Honestly, This was the first Post-WOD writhing session where I thought that I was going to start crying.

yeeeeah...

Tire Flip / Sled Pull / Pull-Ups

This was a Strong Man day.

This was the day after. Got my Kid in the pic..

12 min. AMRAP of:

1 Tire Flip
1 Sled Pull 20' w/ 100# added
3 Dead-Hang Pull-Ups

every round, add 1/1/3 reps.

On the second round (the first turn-around) of the sled pull, the harnass twisted on my shoulder and gave me a gnarly rope burn. Also, if not for the HEAVY WODs this week, I would've done 1 Muscle-Up instead of the pull-ups.. maybe next time..

Murph

Tonight was a Hero WOD night...

Murph:

1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run

*the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats can be done in any order in between each run.

I PR'd on this one - by a lot. This is one of my favorite WODs!

GOALS BEFORE THE OPEN

More and more, I'm seeing the benefits of having goals written down. I've had these goals for a while, and have them on my white board. I look at them daily and work on them frequently. But It's time to share.

My Goals Before the 2012 Crossfit Open:

• TIMES
• Sub 3 "Fran"  
• Sub 35 "Murph"
• Sub 22:00 5K
• WEIGHTS
• 1K# CrossFit Total
• 225# Overhead
• 500# Dead Lift
  
• MOVEMENTS
• 100 Unbroken Double Unders
• 50 Unbroken Pull-Ups
• 10 Unbroken Pistols PER LEG
• 5 Unbroken Muscle-Ups
• MASTER (Rx'd)
• Butterfly Kip
• Handstand Push-Ups (No Kip)
• Pistol
• Snatch

Super Angie

Today was a quick lift, then a grinder.

Hang cleans:
5-5-3-3-1-1-1

I PR'd by 10#!

Then:

Super Angie
100 chest to bar pull-ups
100 crossfit pushups
100 wallball sit-ups 20# med ball
100 overhead squats

*wb sits = either ball sits on the chest while it touches the wall, or the ball touches the ground behind the head, then against the wall.
* oh squats are done with PVC pipe.

It's much much much more difficult than the good ole' fashioned Angie. I highly recommend it!

Oh, and I got my first rx'd handstand pushup tonight!

Sled Pull / Double Unders

I'm still a little beat up from Saturday, so I didn't want to do a WOD that was too terribly long. My answer was to take a WOD off of Main Site, and to make it my own. ergo -

5 Rounds of:

40' harness sled pull (w/ 100# sandbag)
35 double unders
60 second rest

• You can't use help in getting the sled or the harness set up between sets. You have to do it on your own.
• keep track of your splits for your score.

This was actually a really good one. I don't know if it were the WODs from Saturday, or it was this WOD, but my legs were on fire at the end.

FIGHT GONE BAD 6!

This was a GREAT WOD! Thanks for CrossFit Omaha!

Fight Gone Bad

Three rounds of:

Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
Row: calories (Calories)
Rest

In this workout you move from each of five stations after one minute.

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete moves to next station immediately. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

I didn't do as good as I wanted, but as I watched "Phil", "Ricky", "Stacy", and the other elites, I realized that there's a bit-o- gaming to get the best score. I'm sure I can do better next time!

 Also - True to my commitment:

True to my commitment, I committed to, and (true to my word) did the Lumberjack 20. My legs were toast, I didn't have energy, and I just wanted to go and watch some football, but I grinded through.

Lumberjack 20

20 Deadlifts 275#
400m run
20 KB swings 2p
400m run
20 OH Squats 115#
400m run
20 Burpees
400m run
20 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
400m run
20 Box Jump 24"
400m run
20 DB squat Cleans 45#
400m run

Just glad that I made it through!

Skill Day

Today was a skill day. I worked on the butterfly kip, proper power snatch form, and proper split jerk form. I actually got seven butterfly kips, but after about an hour of practice, I think muscle fatigue played a factor.

First WOD After Being Sick

I don't know why I've got this "go big or go home" mindset lately, but (either to my benefit, or more fittingly, to my detriment) I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I've been under the weather for the last few days, and tonight I was finally feeling good enough to do a "light" WOD... Well, that WAS the plan:

800m run

then 3 rds of:
25 Toes To Bar
10 Sandbag Clean and Jerk 100#

then 800m run

then 3 rds of:
5 Handstand Pushups
10 Box Jump Burpees 23"
25 Double Unders

then 800m run

for time

I struggled through this one. I'd like to blame the stomache flu, but It really was a beast of a WOD.

My Commitment (Revised)

After talking to several people,I realized that while commiting to additional Hero WODs, is a "good" idea, I did start fundraising a tad late in the game, and that the donation levels I was asking for were astronomical, thus people didn't see a real incentive to donate. and based on their suggestions, here's my new commitment for Fight Gone Bad:

I will do FGB on Saturday with the rest of the CrossFit community. This is a gimme and I hope as many people as possible will donate to the cause. BUT I'm not going to stop there.

The person that pushes me over $100 gets to choose an additional Hero, or benchmark WOD for me to do after FGB is over. (This makes me the most nervous because I'm only $25.00 away from this goal!)

THEN the person (or people) that push me over any additional $500 benchmark will get to choose YET ANOTHER WOD for me to do per every $500.

If you are the one that makes a "benchmark" donation, just email me, post the WOD you want me to do on my Twitter, Facebook, Comments on this blog, or on Facebook.

*After FGB, I won't have access to rings, dumbbells, a rowing machine, a GHD machine, or a rope. Something to keep in mind when making you choice :) LIST OF WODS

I will post pics, videos, and and account of the "good times"

Please Please Donate!


DONATE HERE

A Bit of a Chipper

I did a bit of a chipper tonight. I have a WOD that I wanted to do, but I really do thing that I messed up my coccyx (aka my tailbone) and that WOD included sit-ups. This was a pretty good one, though.

400m Run
21 Overhead Squats 95#
21 Pull-Ups

Sled Pull*
15 Double Unders
15 KB swings 1.5p

Run
9 OH Squats
9 Pull-Ups

Sled Pull
9 Double Unders
9 KB Swings

Run
15 OH Squats
15 Pull-Ups

Sled Pull
21 Double Unders
21 KB Swings

*The sled pull is with 100# inside the sled and with a 15' rope Your feet must not move when pulling the sled. [See example below]

Clean and Jerk!

For my "active recovery" day, I did some skill work, and:

Clean and Jerk
5-5-3-3-1-1-1

I PR'd my 1rm by 10#!

I also did my skill work with handstands, the slosh tube, and double-unders (83 unbroken!)

Two Quickies

After the big day yesterday, I decided to go (fairly) easy today.

21-15-9 of:

Pull-Ups
Paralette Push-Ups
Squat Jumps 12"



After about 3 mins of recovery, I did a 5 minute total overhead hold with the slosh tube. If the tube touches, or goes below your head, the time stops.

Sounds easy... not so much..

Two Wods!

We did two WODs yesterday

Crossfit Games event 7: Dog Sled

3 rounds of:

30 Double unders
10 Overhead Squats 135#
THEN
3 rounds of:

10 HSPU
40' Sled Pull

The sled pull was 145# with the tire Sled


Helton
3 Rds of:
800m run
30 DB squat cleans 50#
30 Burpees


We didn't have dumbbells, so we did hang squat cleans at 105#

A Couple New Toys!

Today, I finally got around to making a couple new toys - a slosh tube, and a pull sled. I think they will fit quite nicely in the gym!

21-15-9 of:

100m Sandbag Run*
Sandbag Squats
100m Sandbag Run
Parallette Push Ups
Slosh Tube Squats**
Parallette Dips 25# box

For Time

*Sandbag = 100#
**Doesn't matter how you hold the sandbag, or the slosh tube during the WOD


This was a good little WOD. Two people swapped out the sandbag run for a 100m sled pull and 20# sandbag squats

How To make a slosh Tube:

Take a 3" - 4" diameter x 5' - 10' PVC pipe with two end caps
Cap one end - sealing it with PVC pipe glue - let dry
Fill the tube with water - 50-60% full.
Cap and seal the other end - let dry.
THAT'S IT!
The size and length is completely up to you. The bigger, the heaver, but the harder to grip. Play around, and enjoy!

Strict Pull-Ups and Push Jerk

So, I really can't do much more that these, so I made it a WOD. My goal was to get through without re-aggrivating any "ailments", not strictly for time.

10 Rounds of:

Dead Hang Pull-Ups
Push Jerk 95#

For Time.

This could be a REALLY good one - that is IF I was back up to par...

Still Out

I'm still out, and somehow bruised my "glutes" on the leg of a chair (long story, don't ask). Hopefully, I'll be back in the swing of things tomorrow. Until then, I found this video.

I'm not sure if it's funny, or dirty, but I laughed!


Enjoy!

The Ten Domains of Fitness: My View

I was benched today due to an injury and had the rare "opportunity" to sit around the house on a Tuesday evening. Instead of wallowing in my sorrow, and probably due to the fact that I didn't have to plan a WOD, I explored the Ten Domains of Fitness.


A bit of review, the 10 Domains of Fitness are:

1. cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, 2. stamina, 3. strength, 4. flexibility, 5. power, 6. speed, 7. agility, 8. balance, 9. coordination, 10. accuracy.

These domains seem a bit of a nebulous, so I (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) view them more like this:

1. Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance - Heavy Breathing (5k)
2. Stamina - Lasting Through a WOD (Murph)
3. Strength - Force (Max Lift)
4. Flexibility - Range of Motion (Stretching)
5. Power - Hard and Fast (Power Cleans)
6. Speed - (Sprints)
7. Agility - Quick Transition (Burpee Pull-Ups / Moving Between Exercises)
8. Balance - Control (Pistols)
9. Coordination - Multiple Movements at once (Double Unders)
10. Accuracy - Control (Wall Balls)

These domains are frequented by crossfitters - often unknowingly. In fact, if you follow the Main Site, you are getting a great balance of all ten domains of fitness. I occasionally do a Main Site WOD, and often use them as a measuring stick in my own programing.

So, what about those of us that do our own programming? We lift, we run, we do pull-ups, stretch, practice pistols, and are all hitting PR's. End of story, right? Not so much.

Like I said, I was bored and I had a little time on my hands. So, I took the past fifteen days of programming from three different sources: Main Site, my programing, and the programming from "Box X".  I set "The Ladies" and "Hero WODs" aside. I then looked at the remaining WODs - both the exercises individually, and the WOD as a whole. From that, I determined what domains of fitness was covered for that particular day. This is what I got:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	*
Me	8	9	9	3	9	5	7	4	5	3	4
MainSite	8	8	9	4	9	6	5	3	5	3	4
Box "X"	7	6	7	2	10	6	7	3	5	1	3

The top numbers coordinate with each of the ten domains. I set the named WODs aside for two reasons: 1) they tend to naturally reach many of the domains of fitness and 2) benchmarks are (in my mind) important aspect to track progress. I decided to add them as the "11th" domain.

As you can see, my programing is close to main site. (I justify the deficiency in "flexibility" because I stretch during my warm-up.) Based on these numbers, I should focus on adding additional speed components in my WODs.


There is no reason why a box has to merely focus on one or two domains of fitness  a day!

By spending a little extra time, your WODS can be more well-rounded, and effective. For example, after a "lift" day, I try to tie in a small AMRAP that integrates the lift I worked on. Also, by working on domains, such as balance and flexibility before and after a WOD, an athlete can get a more robust workout. that day. Lastly, by choosing exercises that in and of themselves touch multiple domains (take the overhead squat!) you are, in essence, doing more with less.

Why did I do this? Because CrossFit is centered on making an athlete a well-rounded, elite athlete. That's what it's all about! It's not to make an athlete either an exceptional power lifter, gymnasts, or runner; it's to make an athlete a good power lifter, gymnast and runner.  It's to make the athlete ready for the unknown, and to make the athlete excel in ALL domains of  of fitness.

Dead Lifts

Dead Lifts:

3-3-3-3-3

I PR'd my 3rm by 30#!

I had a sweet WOD planned which would've involved my 100# sandbag, some bar work, and a whole lotta reps, but in the middle of my "skill work" (aka my sad attempts to learn the butterfly kip), I felt a crunch-type feeling in my shoulder. I quickly called it a day.



Ah, the legend that is "The Speal".

10K

Just a 10K run. No biggie - but I did it with hills.

Good Times - Good Times...

The "Things I'm Not Good At" AMRAP

I was inspired my the wifie last night. She did a WOD with "pistols" in them. I realized that I'm awful at pistols and a handful of other movements. With that in mind, I came up with this little "gem":


12 minute AMRAP of:

3 Double-Unders
3 Second L-sit
3 Pistols
3 Handstand Push-Ups
3 Dead-Hang Pull-Ups
3 Toes to Bar
3 Double-Unders

Every round, add 3 more reps. (round 1 = 3, Rd 2 = 6, Rd 3 = 9...)

Count total reps for score.

This was a good one. I knew that I'd fatigue, but didn't realize that I'd have muscle failure issues.

There's LOTS of room to improve here!




I've been motivated to make a working checklist of all my goals before the 2012 Crossfit Open. STAY TUNED!

Eva

I did this one in April, but due to a very long story, and a joke gone terribly wrong, I did it again last night


Eva

5 Rounds of:

800m run
30 KB Swings 2 pood
30 Pull-ups

for time.

This has to be one of the single most awful WODS in existence. I didn't PR this time, but I think that anybody that finishes it Rx'd did something impressive.

Presses

Today was a lift day, and it was a "choose your adventure"!

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Of either

Strict press
Push press OR
Military (sitting) press

I chose military press because I hasn't done it since high school.

Annie AND Jeremy

Today was two WODs for the price of one!

Annie

50-40-30-20-10 of:

Double unders
Sit-ups

For time

THEN

Jeremy

21-15-9 of:

Overhead squats 95#
burpees

For time

There was about a 15 minute break between WODs.

I PR'd on both of them, and cut my Annie time in almost half!

CFO Competition

Today was a competition at Crossfit Omaha.

WOD 1:

6 minute AMRAP of:
15 Front Squats 115#
15 Box Jumps 24"
15 Wall Ball Slam Movements w/ 44# Plate*
15 Dead Lifts 115#
15 Overhead Walking Lunges 44#

*Rubber Plate must be lifted over the head, then placed on the ground - flat.

WOD 2:

2 Minutes to find 1rm Dead Lift
Then
2 Minutes max rep Sit-Ups

WOD 3:

50 Burpees **
75 Push-Ups***
1200m Run****
40 Pull-Ups
40 KB Swings 1.5 pood

For Time

** For the burpee to count, you must jump on a bumper plate
*** Feet on the bumper plate, thighs can't touch the ground. Forearms must touch the ground for push-up to count.
**** Mandatory 30 second break after every minute until you finish the Push-Ups.


This was a great/ tiring day. I finished in the top 50 percentile. Not too shabby when several of the competitorshave been to the CrossFit Games!

It's great to occasionally compete head-to-head. Thanks CFO!

Marines PFT - AGAIN

Yes, this is the second time in the last two weeks that I did the Marines PFT. I don't know why they want me to do it so much, but I have a suspicion that I'm "old", "fat", and have kids. (I need an age, weight, and dependent waiver if I want to join).

At any rate, I did it again:

20 dead-hang pull-ups
100 crunches (2 minute time limit)
3 mile run - for time

I PR'd on my run by over a full minute - and have the blisters to prove it!

It doesn't show well, but there are actually "layers" of blisters. The two red spots are the deepest of the blisters, but there were about 7 blisters in that area - many of which were spread throughout 3 layers of skin.

I REALLY hope it heals by Saturday.

Lynne

Lynne:

5 rds of:

Max rep body weight bench press
Max rep pull-up

No time component

I did this one as rx'd for the first time! I actually got the exact same score as I did in December, but I had to scale to about 70% of body weight then.

Run / Squat / Double-Unders (and a Dash of Burpee)

We had some fun tonight! We had six people over, and managed to get everybody started at the same time. It was definitely lower-body heavy, but a good one!

800m run, then:

21-15-9 of:
Front squat 115#
Double-unders*

Then, 800m run

for time.

*at the end of each round, you must perform a 1 burpee penalty per every missed DU, and each dropped bar for that round.

I somehow only had a 1 burpee penalty for the entire WOD. When I took off on that second run though, I thought I was going to die.

Power Cleans / AMRAP

Did Power Cleans today

5-5-3-3-1-1-1

Beat my PR by 10#


Then:

4 rounds, 2min on, 1 min rest of:

3 Power Cleans (75% of 1rm)
5 Burpee Pull-Ups
10 Sit-Ups


Good lift day!

Coe

Yet another Hero!

Coe

10 Rounds of:

10 Thrusters 95#
10 Ring Push-Ups

For time

I got a PR on this one - and it about killed me

Thanks CrossFit Vacaville!

Death By Pull-Ups

I wasn't going to do anything tonight, but after coaching a few people on hang cleans, and while just being in the gym, I got the itch. So, on a whim, I did death by pull-ups!

Death By pull-ups:

Every minute, on the minute, do one pull-up. For each additional round, add another pull-up (2 pulls for round 2, 3 for round 3, etc..) go until you can't successfully complete a round within the minute.

I did 3 more rounds since last time I did this WOD in March, but pretty much destroyed my hands.

Jack

Another Hero WOD

Jack

20 Minutes of:

10 Push Press 115#
10 KB Swings 1.5p
10 Box Jumps 24"

As many rounds as possible

This one was a good one. I did the box jumps on a 25" box

All of this talk about Jack - and listening to the Sox game tonight was AWESOME! Therefore, I think this clip appropriate for the occasion.

Brenton

After three long days off, I'm feeling better, and came back with vengance.

I decided to do Brenton. It's one of those Hero WODs that is obscure, and because of that, people (I think) tend to avoid it.

Brenton

5 Rounds of:

100 feet Bear Crawl
100 feet standing long jump*

*for every five (5) long jumps, you must perform three (3) burpees.


I really liked this one, but I would STRONGLY suggest wearing gloves, or tape the palms of your hands if you are going to do this on asphalt, or concrete.





This dude is tough! I did NOT do it in full firefighter gear.

Marines PFT (physical fitness test)

I did the Marines PFT yesterday morning with a bunch of Marines.

Max rep dead hang pull-ups (max of 20)
Max rep "crunches" in 2min (max of 100)
3 mile run

I maxed out on two of the three.

Thrusters Ladder

This was another regional CF WOD.

Thrusters Ladder

Perform one thruster within 20 seconds. If successful, increase the weight by 10# (you have ten seconds to advance to the next weight). The WOD is over if you either fail on your thruster attempt, or don't perform the thruster within the allotted time.

The starting weight at regionals was 155#, but I wanted a longer WOD, so I started at 115#.

I PR'd my previous 1rm thruster by 10#!

2011 CF Games Masters #4

I saw this chipper over the weekend, and I thought I'd give it a whirl:

10 handstand push-ups
20 wall balls 20#
30 toes to bar
40 power clean 135#
50 burpees
60 sumo dead lift high pull

For time

I liked this one, and can definitely see this one being done again in the future.

The 100s

This one was from the regional competition.

The 100s

100 pull-ups
100 KB Swings 1.5 pood
100 double unders
100 overhead squats 95#

For time

I wasn't happy with my time, but it was hot, humid, and difficult to breathe. All in all, good WOD.

No WOD

No WOD today for two reasons: 1) no desire, and 2) still Going through a nasty caffiene detox. That's it.

Roy, Jackie, and Filthy Fifty

It's been a few days since I posted, but thanks to CrossFit 515 for letting me drop in for the last couple days.  I did a work out with them on Monday and Tuesday. I was traveling on Wednesday and took off Thursday, But did another WOD tonight (Friday)

Roy(Monday)

5 Rounds of:
15 Dead Lifts 225#
20 Box Jumps 24"
25 Pull Ups

For Time.

This one about killed me. I didn't PR since the last time I did it, and I was SPENT. I blame it on the traveling, and the Caffeine.

Jackie(Tuesday)

Row 1K
50 Thrusters 45#
30 Pull Ups

For Time.

I started in between heats at the 515. So, I had everybody watching me. Naturally, I had to kill it. When I got done, a random guy said, "dude! you're dripping!" While I thought he was talking about me sweating, and thinking that it was an especially strange comment, my face must have said what I was thinking. The guy quickly clarified, and said, "no, dude, you're dripping blood!

Yes, I ripped my hand during the WOD - the first time in over 6 months! go figure.. I did, however, beat my previous Jackie time by well over a minute!

Filthy Fifty(Tonight)

50 Box Jumps 24"
50 Jumping Pull-Ups
50 KB Swings 1pood
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Presses 45#
50 Back Extentions (Swapped out for "good mornings")
50 Wall Balls 20#
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

I must have been inspired by the CrossFit Games today to do this silly WOD. I was TOAST, but I also beat my PR by over a minute!

I'm also going much more strict Paleo than I have in the past - which means that it's time to get off of the caffeine. This SUCKS! and I have had a perpetual headache for the last three days!