3rds for time of:

30 Overhead Squats (95/65) 55#

100 Double Unders

My Time: 44:04

This was very humbling. I definitely went heavy with the OHS. 2nd round was horrible. Somewhere in the middle of the squats I got that lump in my throat and my eyes started to well up with tears... I felt defeated. I had to get a grip. Soon thereafter, I lost a lift, and was spit out from right under the bar, and landed flat on my ass. I got up, cleaned the bar and immediately went right under it again. The thing that kept me going was just that I wanted to finish IT! 

Soooo since my wrists were being soooo taxed under the bar, it really affected my double unders. I was getting upset cause my wrists just would not turn. AT ALL. Like no control over them. I was cursing, getting really frustrated. 

After calling time, i collapsed on my knees. After being stuck in that position for a couple minutes, I had a strong desire to puke. I got up and made beeline outside and fell on my knees again. My stomach just started to cramp and convulse inside. I just dry heaved for the next 15 minutes with intervals of flat on my back. I tasted lunch for the 2nd time in my mouth. I was breathing heavy and sweaty. It was really attractive. 

So I almost cried aaaaaaaaand almost threw up. Ya, this WOD was a winner!

"MURPH"

"MURPH"

For time:

1 mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 squats

1 mile run

On this Memorial Day, I did this WOD in honor of all the service men and women past and present whom give the ultimate sacrifice of their lives on the battlefield. "Murph" is named after Lt. Michael Murphy. Read about his courage under fire. 

I am really really really happy with my work today. I verbalized a goal of 75mins to finish the WOD, which I obviously succeeded. I've never done Full Murph so I don't have a time to compare it to, but let's put into perspective my improvement of fitness in the past year since I did Half Murph on March 17, 2010 . I did more than DOUBLE the work and improved my time over 2 minutes. I say more than double the work because I have progressed to unassisted kipping pull up vs jumping pull up, and my push ups are now on my feet vs knees, though I'm still using a band. 

This is how I broke up the work:

And this is how I tracked my work:

Per usual, the runs really sucked for me. Actually the first 800m was fine. It was the subsequent last three 800m that were yucky. After doing all the pull ups and push ups, I couldn't hold my arms up while running. My body just wouldn't stay upright while I ran. 

I was very impressed with my strict adherence to making sure each rep was perfect and could not be questioned as half ass. Again, that whole eating clean BS came into play with my pull ups. I thought for a second that I maybe wouldn't be able to do all 100 pull ups unassisted, but I felt like the PUs were almost "easy." The push ups were difficult but I made sure that I kept my body tight and all 200 were really nice looking push ups. Squats were squats. 

So ya, I'm pretty happy with my work. Body feels good. Never really felt like death. I think I paced myself really well. Murph is definitely a once a year WOD. It makes it special, holding it with reverence just like Lt. Michael Murphy and his bravery that fateful day Iraq. 

I'm alive!

"Rick"

4 rounds for time:

20 Hand release burpees

400 meter run

30 Sit ups Wall Ball

15'  10' Rope Climb, 5 ascents

Major Rick Crocker, USMCR, was killed while on a tour of duty in Iraq. This WOD is in honor of him. 

Today maybe the first day I genuinely don't care about my time. I am completely happy with just finishing this difficult Hero WOD. I thought of "Rick" often in those 57 mins. Especially on the runs, when I wanted to stop; I thought, I'm alive, not dead, keep moving-- over and over, like a mantra. 

Doing Annie yesterday, really aggravated my hip flexor. So I subbed in with Wall Ball. Not sure why, since it made more difficult, but I'm glad I didn't cop out with a not challenging movement. 

Before starting the WOD, Diso asked if I could climb the rope. I answered, "I haven't tried since I've gotten stronger." I looped the rope around my right leg, anchored my left foot on top of my right, and pulled up; I was climbing the rope. Without difficulty. I mean the anchoring part. I shimmied up the rope and made the mistake of looking down, and I sorta freaked. Diso and I made the arrangement that I would climb as far as I felt comfortable with, taking into account my level of strength and tiredness as the WOD continued. I'll be honest, some attempts I would get about 2 feet away from the top, and some attempts my arms would just not work and I only got up half way... So I'd average my climbs to be about 10'. 

I couldn't be happier that I have another epic gain today--- 2 days in a row!!! 

Really, again, I will admit that eating clean equates to elite performance in the gym. I am the living data to prove it. Just plain crazy. 

This week has been soooo good :)

24 hours of epic

Workout of the Day 5/25/2011

Strength.
Thruster 2-2-2

Met-Con.
“Annie” – 50-40-30-20-10:
Double Unders
Sit-Ups

PR'd Annie by 2:30. Sub 10 mins!!!! yaaaahooooo!

Graduated to a wire/cable jump rope. Finally! And boy do DUs go way faster with a lighter rope. 

GOT MY FIRST STRICT PULL UP. My puny arms are getting stronger. 

The set of numbers before my time are my thrusters... Can I tell you, my 1RM is 75 and my 3RM is 70... and today when I did 2 @ 73#s it felt doable. I could have totally added more weight and went for a 2RM PR. 

Day 25 of the whole 30 and shit is finally starting to come together, make sense... I think I'm done "detoxing." I don't feel crazy and neurotic. I just wish my sleep would get in order. 

I have to admit that these gains are from my clean food intake. I don't think it perchance that I saw so many gains in such a short window. All the strict PU practice came together, all because of eating well I believe. 

I'm sooooo beat... But I have an amazing next few days lined up with a wedding, some "Top" secret stuff, reggaefest, and just plain ole good company...

Life is good. 

Insomnia is back.

Seven rounds of:

35 Double-unders

1 Squat Snatch

Make one snatch attempt per round.

My time- 15:13 (665# @ 35#s)

This WOD just obliterated me. After I called time, I just sat down and felt all heady and loopy. Then I slipped into a fog... I just felt really drowsy. I couldn't believe that I had to get my energies together to coach the kids right afterwards. 

It's 4:33AM in the morning and I'm exhausted but I can't all asleep. I'm anxious to see how I feel for the rest of the day. 

I've been have tummy aches the past couple of days. I don't like it. I have a feeling that I've eaten something that has hidden wheat in it. We'll see. 

Wilmot

"Wilmot"

Six Four rounds for time of:

50 Squats

25 Ring dips (on parallel bars with band)

Just look back at my week. My arms have been dragged through the mud. This was the straw on the camel's back. I'm really really looking forward to my next 2 rest days. Almost ecstatic about it. 

So tired. So tired. 

Having some clarity

3 Pull-ups on the minute for 10 minutes

I started with the 1/2" band for the first 4 minutes. Then on minute 5, I had to go up to the 1" band. I believe I did 11 rounds, just cause I lost count. 

After that I jammed over to SMC to join Frank n Beans for some Pose running- Yay'er! I will have video coming of the improvement of my pull and foot landing. You're excited, aren't you. We did an hour of running drills that included jumping rope. The wod ended up being 12- 100m runs for cadence on the minute; any leftover was rest. Using a metronome, we started off at a pace of 90 beats per minute. After 4 rounds we upped it to 93 beats per minute. The last 4-100m we paced at 96 beats per minute. 

The intention of the metronome is to be mindful of the timing AND HEIGHT of the leg pull off the ground. The faster the beat, higher and quicker you have to pull your foot off the ground. The WOD killed me--- not my lungs but my hamstrings. By the 8th-100m, my legs were not happy. The felt sooooo heavy. The springiness in my "bounce" was lost, but I did my damndest to keep up with the metronome as its speed increased. Frank took video of our pose in rounds 4 and 10. We reviewed the first video between rounds 8 and 9, and it was evident that I was still have a slight heel strike on my right foot. 

The second video shot in round 10, even though my legs were greatly fatigued, showed that I had definitely corrected my heel strike and I was looking "lighter on my feet" on my landing. My pose was a true pose. Yay'er!

I definitely did not eat enough calories today to fuel the amount of work I did. I'm starving and sleepy all at the same time. 

Oh, BTW, seeing myself on the video, I can now totally see the change in my body comp. Not great, but I definitely can see that I leaned out and have more definition. It's bonkers. 

Must eat/sleep now. 

Today, after a week of pretty intense work, my body is WRECKED. I'm sore all over. I love it!

Falling in love all over again

For time:

200 double-unders

100 kb swings, 53/35 100 Squats

* For every missed double-under AND every break in kb swings, row 25 m  do 5 Dumb bell push presses after final kb swing squat. Your time stops when the row  push presses are finished. For example, if you miss 25 double unders and break 5 times in the kb swings squats, you need to row 750m  do 150 push presses (30 x 5) before stopping your clock.

My time:  17:29

I am really really happy with my time. The first 100 DUs, I took 4 breaks. I did 40 straight, then another 10, another 26  straight, then took on last break before hitting 101. The last 100 DUs was another story. I took a total of 7 breaks. And my breaks this time around were longer in time. I was def. tired and was getting a bit discouraged. I was relieved to complete them.

The 100 squats I broke up into 30, 15, 25, 30. In total I took 15 breaks combined during the double unders and squats. That meant I had to do 75 DB Push-presses.

I was really disheartened. The number just sounded insurmountable. The had to break the 75 into smaller increments, lest I get overwhelmed by the work. I did it by 10s. After each set, I shook out my arms and took big breaths. All the jumping was killing my mid-section. I felt pukie by the 50s set. When I had 25 left, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I called time and collapsed on the floor. My body felt like one big heartbeat. I love that feeling.

I'm just happy that even though I have this potentially serious injury that could sideline me for a long time, I'm still getting my dose of high intensity. I have the best coaches.

I want to be unscared

The wall walks are a hand stand against the wall, back facing out so you can get that hollow position, and you lift one hand and smack your chest. They're really difficult. Really, the dips killed me. The last round, I was doing one at a time. The hollow rocks are never pleasant, but they went quick. During round 2, I couldn't get a solid handstand; I fell times, all because of my arms collapsing underneath me. Your arms fail if you're not in a solid hollow position; if you are, then your weight is being evenly distributed and supported by your core, not just your arms. Does that makes sense?

In the second set of wall walks in the third round, I finally figured this out and I was able to do 17 straight.

I really liked the WOD. My arms and shoulders are gonna be sore tomorrow. Yippee!

Injured reserve

Complete as many rounds as possible in five minutes of:

275 pound Deadlift, 3 reps  5 Ring Rows

115 pound Push press, 7 reps @ 35 pounds

I think I need to go to a doctor and get an MRI on my hip. I have been self diagnosing myself with all sorts of conditions that I read up on WebMD. The closest is seems to be is Iliopsoas Tendonitis. Either way, I'm pretty fucked right now. My ROM is pretty limited. Picking anything up off the ground is chore and painful, like an article of clothing. The pain is becoming for apparent in my lower back. 

My insurance does not kick in until August... I need to be mindful. 

I love my new job! yay! 

Not yet healed

"CrossFit Total"

Back squat, 1 rep

Shoulder Press, 1 rep

Deadlift, 1 rep

I lost 8 points since my last CF Total in January. I really should revel in the fact that I did set 2 new PRs. I lost 15pts in the dead lift. My hip was in pain. Not sure if it was because I just did 130# back squat, but it only started to act up when I was warming up with the dead lift, at about 150#s. It is curious that my hip was not hurting during the back squats... 

Anyways, here to the little victories; new PR for Push Press and Back Squat!

Once my hip is all healed, I'm hoping to get my CF Total score to 375. 

I came back to this

In teams of 2 for time: 

Heavy Farmer's Carry 400m while partner...

Wall Ball for as many reps as possible

Row 750m while partner...

Lateral Burpees for as many reps as possible 

Both partners switch off for each couplet. 

Score is time minus the amount of reps. 1 rep=1 sec.

Jamie Gilbert and I were partners in crime. The worse part of the WOD had to be the farmer carry. I took more breaks than I wanted during the 400m. It was my triceps that were killing me. Hot, searing burning in both arms as I took small, hurried steps with 26.5# kettlebells in each hand. I took so long, but thought at least Jamie would be able to do a lot of WBs. I believe she pulled an even 100. 

When I finished, I went into the Wall balls, which weren't so bad. They definitely very taxing on me since I have to use my entire body to get the 6# ball to the 10ft line. I clocked 76 reps by the time Jamie got back from her Farmer's carry. 

Onto the 750m row, it took me 4:00, which isn't that great, being that it takes me 2:30 to row 500m. It only should have taken me a minute longer if I would have kept the 2:30/500m pace. But my legs were completely shot from the wall ball. Jamie was able to accomplish 27 burpees in 4 mins.

My strategy for the burpees was DON'T STOP MOVING. It resulted in a good amount of reps: 30. 

When we called time, I felt dizzy. I'm sure it's a combo if me taking 8 days off and that I'm about half way into my Whole30 cleanse. 

Today, my legs are pretty sore. It feels good. I've missed you Crossfit. 

Let's remember this day

I know that I said that I was going to take a week off from WOD'ing, but after my amazing yoga experience with Mary Beth LaRue at Yogis Anonymous on Friday, I felt my hip was definitely on the mend. If you notice I programmed a WOD that did not use any hip flexion whatsoever. 

So I got my area all set up: box to reach the bar, band for my push ups, jump rope--- all by the pull bar. I did get pull away from the area and when Zeb called 10 seconds, I returned to find my band gone, my box GONE. I had to hurriedly scrap together my "station." I ended up using a thicker band than I wanted. Originally, I was going to do 7 push ups, but since I was using a thicker band I went up to 10. I started late. And then when I got hooked into my band for my push ups, I find that the culprit whom moved all my shit was doing C2B right over me, pretty much kicking me in the head. Zeb had to move her over. Either way, the way my WOD started got me all in a funk. I GUESS I'm satisfied with my work, but I think I could ecked out at least 6 full rounds. 

I rolled out my hip afterwards. Everything feels great. No pain, soreness or tension. I can't wait to jump back in full bore. 

Interlude

I have made a vow to take 7 days of rest. I will resume CF next Thursday at Track Night.

I have isolated my discomfort  to the psoas majora muscle. I will ice and roll daily. I will probably do a couple epsom salt soaks as well. I pray I heal quickly so I can resume my Strength Bias program.

I bid Adieu!

I'm getting stronger

I'm happy with the work I did today. Sad that the past few WODs have been squat heavy, and the outcome is a consistently inflamed hip flexor. I have been icing after every class. It helps relieve the "pain"/tension. 

I think I want to attempt to set a new 1RM Back Squat PR in the very near future. I definitely feel stronger. The 105 set wasn't heavy but not difficult. I wasn't at failure. 

My legs are pretty wrecked. I'm somewhat glad that it's a met-con day tomorrow. 

Jeremy

In honor of "Jeremy"

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps for time of:

95 pound Overhead squats (I used 45#)

Burpees

If you scroll down, you'll see that I did a 3x5 of OHS the night prior. This was a determining factor in the weight I chose for "Jeremy." As well, I wanted to keep the intensity high. I set a goal of sub 10mins, so I was really happy to finish well before. But a day later, after comparing myself to other people's times I feel like 8:30 is slow and I could have down better. I did do the first 21 OHS straight through, without dropping the bar. The last 4 of the 21 were pretty shakey; my legs were cooked at that point. 

The burpees were burpees. My pace was good; good enough that when I set up to the bar for the 15 OHS, I threw up a little bit in my mouth-- LOL! The second round of 15 were a bit more difficult. I dropped the bar after 7 reps. Then, I DROPPED THE BAR WITH ONE REP LEFT! I was sooo pissed. Every time I power snatched the bar up; do you know how much energy that takes? Ugh! I was soooo upset when my mid-section crumbled right after rep #14 and I couldn't keep my arms locked out. This is where I lost time. Today I really feel my time should have been sub 7 mins. 

The 9th set, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just trudged through, never stopping in the overhead squats. I did take a breather after my 7th burpee, but like for a couple of seconds. And then it was done. I definitely had that post wod euphoria/afterglow. It's been awhile since I've had that... 3 weeks? The last time was when I did half-Jack. That got me all heady. 

I remembrance of "jeremy"

With a sense of calm

The last time I attempted OHS 3x5 was about 7 months ago. See here.  I'm happy to PR a 3RM @ 65#s. I would have attempted 70#s but the powers that be were closing up shop for the evening. 

This workout set me up for an interesting time with today's WOD...