Today's WOD called for 3 rounds for time of the following:
15 - Hanging Power Clean (75#)
15 - Burpees
This is yet another case where, in print, this WOD doesn't look like much. I mean, really, we just did 45 of the cleans and 45 burpees. But in reality that means we did FORTY FIVE cleans and FORTY FIVE burpees.
I submit that anything over 10 burpees is excessive (and arguments could be made for a threshold of 5 burpees).
This effort took me a total of 8 minutes and 11 seconds (8:11.4). And it completely sapped me of all energy. Even though today is noticeably cooler (thanks to a day of rain! whoop!), I was absolutely wiped out! I don't know how dinner is going to make it to the table because all I want to do is go lie down now.
Maybe I can find some moral victory in the fact that we did a tough workout on a Monday. That alone deserves some kudos, if you ask me.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
July 13 - ORM day
Today's WOD was a pure strength workout. The goal today was to find our one rep max (ORM) on 3 different exercises: Back Squat, Shoulder Press, and Dead Lift.
I managed the following weights in each exercise:
Back Squat: 115 * 5, 165, 185, 205, 215 (ORM)
Shoulder Press: 65 * 5, 85, 90 (ORM)
Dead Lift: 185 * 5, 205, 235, 255, 265 (ORM)
I don't mind (regular) back squats. Once I learned how to do them (some 20+ years ago), they were one of my favorites. But oddly enough, we don't do a whole lot of them in these crossfit workouts. It had been a while since we did them and on the whole, I'm pretty happy with the weights I was able to correctly lift. I could probably have gone a little heavier, but I could feel my form slipping, so I figured that I had better stop and move on to the next exercise.
The shoulder presses were a pretty big disappointment, but I guess there is no real surprise there. I know that my shoulders are probably the weakest muscle group in my body. Luckily (I guess you can say that), a lot of crossfit workouts utilize the shoulders and I *am* getting stronger. I didn't realize how much I was using at least a little bit of a bounce in my knees to get the weight up though. These were done pretty strictly without the leg assist and I really struggled with them. I guess I just have to build from here.
Then there were the dead lifts. This is the one exercise that we do that I feel like my body was made to do. I am ... how do you say .... "vertically challenged." In other words, I'm short. And I have a nice, low center of gravity (it's one of the reasons I do fairly well in judo/jujitsu). So dead lifts, for me, are a guaranteed mood booster. Today's ORM was by far one of my best performances in the dead lift ever! Again, I probably could have pushed my body a bit further and lifted a slightly higher weight (I failed at 275, but I might have been able to do 270), but my form was starting to slip and I really didn't want to risk injury. There are a lot of ways you can get hurt with the dead lift. But I was still SUPER STOKED to knock out the 265# lift.
And sure, I'm going to be super sore tomorrow from all of this, but at least I have an emotional high to carry me through the pain.
We finished with 5 pistols on each side (band assisted) and 35 knees to elbows. When we can do 50 with ease it's time to start weighting these. And I guess we're going to have to try the toes to bar again soon. My hands are not looking forward to that though. They're torn up enough as it is.
I managed the following weights in each exercise:
Back Squat: 115 * 5, 165, 185, 205, 215 (ORM)
Shoulder Press: 65 * 5, 85, 90 (ORM)
Dead Lift: 185 * 5, 205, 235, 255, 265 (ORM)
I don't mind (regular) back squats. Once I learned how to do them (some 20+ years ago), they were one of my favorites. But oddly enough, we don't do a whole lot of them in these crossfit workouts. It had been a while since we did them and on the whole, I'm pretty happy with the weights I was able to correctly lift. I could probably have gone a little heavier, but I could feel my form slipping, so I figured that I had better stop and move on to the next exercise.
The shoulder presses were a pretty big disappointment, but I guess there is no real surprise there. I know that my shoulders are probably the weakest muscle group in my body. Luckily (I guess you can say that), a lot of crossfit workouts utilize the shoulders and I *am* getting stronger. I didn't realize how much I was using at least a little bit of a bounce in my knees to get the weight up though. These were done pretty strictly without the leg assist and I really struggled with them. I guess I just have to build from here.
Then there were the dead lifts. This is the one exercise that we do that I feel like my body was made to do. I am ... how do you say .... "vertically challenged." In other words, I'm short. And I have a nice, low center of gravity (it's one of the reasons I do fairly well in judo/jujitsu). So dead lifts, for me, are a guaranteed mood booster. Today's ORM was by far one of my best performances in the dead lift ever! Again, I probably could have pushed my body a bit further and lifted a slightly higher weight (I failed at 275, but I might have been able to do 270), but my form was starting to slip and I really didn't want to risk injury. There are a lot of ways you can get hurt with the dead lift. But I was still SUPER STOKED to knock out the 265# lift.
And sure, I'm going to be super sore tomorrow from all of this, but at least I have an emotional high to carry me through the pain.
We finished with 5 pistols on each side (band assisted) and 35 knees to elbows. When we can do 50 with ease it's time to start weighting these. And I guess we're going to have to try the toes to bar again soon. My hands are not looking forward to that though. They're torn up enough as it is.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
July 10 - Diane
Today we did "Diane," which is:
21 - Dead Lifts (155#)
21 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65#)
15 - Dead Lifts (155#)
15 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65)
9 - Dead Lifts (155#)
9 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65#)
It took me 9:23 to finish. And I should have been finished quicker, but my shoulders just completely gave out on the last few reps.
Technically, you are supposed to do handstand push ups, but we are just not up to that yet, so we did the shoulder presses. We kept the range of motion really short - from the top of our head to full extension and back again - so that it would more closely resemble the hand stand push ups. I *really* felt the exercise this way. I even felt all of my core muscles trying to maintain the proper form. I never realized how much I was resting the bar on my chest for a regular shoulder press.
The dead lifts were a breeze. I'll up the weight next time even though this is about the right weight for women (it's 225# for men and women typically use about 70% of the weight prescribed for men). I was able to do each set unbroken. It's nice to know that there is at least ONE EXERCISE that works well for my odd body type!
We finished up with 35 knees to elbows and now I'm ready for a shower and a nap! This Texas heat is wiping me out!
21 - Dead Lifts (155#)
21 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65#)
15 - Dead Lifts (155#)
15 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65)
9 - Dead Lifts (155#)
9 - Standing Shoulder Presses (65#)
It took me 9:23 to finish. And I should have been finished quicker, but my shoulders just completely gave out on the last few reps.
Technically, you are supposed to do handstand push ups, but we are just not up to that yet, so we did the shoulder presses. We kept the range of motion really short - from the top of our head to full extension and back again - so that it would more closely resemble the hand stand push ups. I *really* felt the exercise this way. I even felt all of my core muscles trying to maintain the proper form. I never realized how much I was resting the bar on my chest for a regular shoulder press.
The dead lifts were a breeze. I'll up the weight next time even though this is about the right weight for women (it's 225# for men and women typically use about 70% of the weight prescribed for men). I was able to do each set unbroken. It's nice to know that there is at least ONE EXERCISE that works well for my odd body type!
We finished up with 35 knees to elbows and now I'm ready for a shower and a nap! This Texas heat is wiping me out!
Monday, July 8, 2013
July 08 - Front Squats
Today's WOD was one of those that was more focused on heavy weights and good form. We did 5 sets of 3 reps each for the front squat.
The more we do these, the more I am liking them. I no longer feel like the weight is going to slide right down my arms. With my awesome shoes, I feel like I am pushing through my heels better than ever. And I know that a good front squat is instrumental in having a good clean and jerk, so I feel like I'm making progress on that exercise as well.
Today I managed the following weights:
set 1: 95#
set 2: 115#
set 3: 125#
set 4: 135#
set 5: 145#
I set a new PR in sets 3, 4, & 5! Set 5 was the hardest by far. And not just because I had done those other sets. That was the first set where I felt like I had trouble keeping the bar up high on my chest/shoulders. So I feel like I pushed my body as hard as I could. Any heavier and I wouldn't have been able to control the weight.
I'm feeling it already. But it's one of those where I'm glad to be hurting just a little. I feel like I *did* something today.
And that's saying something as I have been very unmotivated when it comes time to start our workouts. I don't know if it's the heat or what, but I just haven't felt like working out. Days like this keep me plodding forward, even when I don't feel like it.
The more we do these, the more I am liking them. I no longer feel like the weight is going to slide right down my arms. With my awesome shoes, I feel like I am pushing through my heels better than ever. And I know that a good front squat is instrumental in having a good clean and jerk, so I feel like I'm making progress on that exercise as well.
Today I managed the following weights:
set 1: 95#
set 2: 115#
set 3: 125#
set 4: 135#
set 5: 145#
I set a new PR in sets 3, 4, & 5! Set 5 was the hardest by far. And not just because I had done those other sets. That was the first set where I felt like I had trouble keeping the bar up high on my chest/shoulders. So I feel like I pushed my body as hard as I could. Any heavier and I wouldn't have been able to control the weight.
I'm feeling it already. But it's one of those where I'm glad to be hurting just a little. I feel like I *did* something today.
And that's saying something as I have been very unmotivated when it comes time to start our workouts. I don't know if it's the heat or what, but I just haven't felt like working out. Days like this keep me plodding forward, even when I don't feel like it.
Friday, July 5, 2013
July 05 - Claudia
Today's WOD was called "Claudia." And despite the heat, I was pretty OK with this one. It was a TOUCH cooler. Maybe that's why I'm not completely wiped out (just mostly).
Today we did ...
5 rounds for time of:
20 - Kettlebell Swings (35#, 55#)
400M Run
This took just over 20 minutes (20:07) to finish. And while I don't want to do anything else today, I'm not worried that I will still be feeling it tomorrow. At least, not any more than usual. The run was, by far, the hardest part.
HOW much longer until fall?
Oh well ...
Today we did ...
5 rounds for time of:
20 - Kettlebell Swings (35#, 55#)
400M Run
This took just over 20 minutes (20:07) to finish. And while I don't want to do anything else today, I'm not worried that I will still be feeling it tomorrow. At least, not any more than usual. The run was, by far, the hardest part.
HOW much longer until fall?
Oh well ...
Monday, July 1, 2013
July 04 - WOD
Today we tried a WOD that was like a big count down. 10 reps of each exercise for round 1, 9 reps each for round 2 and so on and so forth all the way down to round 10 where you do just 1 rep of each exercise.
This is not a terrible WOD .... on paper ... or maybe even in practice, but doing it in the Texas summer is starting to seem rather masochistic. We made it though!
This is what we did today:
sets of 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 for time of the following:
Chest to Bar Pull Ups
Box Jumps
Sit Ups
It took me just under 12 minutes to finish (11:45.9). And all I really wanted to do at the end was find a fan and some water.
But one good thing of note ... I'm feeling a lot more confident in my pull ups and plan to start using the smaller bands to assist me the next time we have a workout that features pull ups. That makes me smile.
This is not a terrible WOD .... on paper ... or maybe even in practice, but doing it in the Texas summer is starting to seem rather masochistic. We made it though!
This is what we did today:
sets of 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 for time of the following:
Chest to Bar Pull Ups
Box Jumps
Sit Ups
It took me just under 12 minutes to finish (11:45.9). And all I really wanted to do at the end was find a fan and some water.
But one good thing of note ... I'm feeling a lot more confident in my pull ups and plan to start using the smaller bands to assist me the next time we have a workout that features pull ups. That makes me smile.
July 01 - my personal mountain
Today's WOD featured the dreaded over head squat. Oh how I have struggled with this particular exercise. But it has become my own personal mountain to climb. And while I can't say I made it to the summit, I think I must have at least made it to the first pass. (Sorry for the mountain metaphors - I'm dreaming of cooler climates.)
Anyway ... today we did the following:
21 - Dead Lifts (155#)
21 - Overhead Squats (45#)
15 - Dead Lifts (155#)
15 - Overhead Squats (45#)
9 - Dead Lifts (155#)
9 - Overhead Squats (45#)
This took me almost 20 minutes to complete (19:23.7 to be exact). That's DOUBLE the amount of time it took for Wonder Dad to finish. But I am so proud of this, I am almost ready to BUST. PLEASE NOTE that I have an actual weight next to all of my OH squats! For the FIRST TIME, I did not have to resort to using the PVC pipe for this exercise! Can I get a "woo hoo!"?
I took my time - I could only do about 3 - 4 reps unbroken. That is why such a lousy time. But I didn't have to use the PVC pipe. And that is WORTH the added time (to me, anyway).
We followed this up with 30 knees to elbows.
I am already feeling SUPER sore! I think I am going to have to have a serving of Advil for desert tonight to make sure I'm able to sleep.
And one OTHER thing to note ... we got a very rare July "cool front." It was still 96F at workout time, but the humidity was super low and there was a breeze blowing. It truly almost felt cool! (Yes, this is what life is like in Texas in the summer - anything below triple digit temps is "cool.")
I know I'm going to be feeling this for a while, but hopefully this "cool spell" will last a few days at least!
Anyway ... today we did the following:
21 - Dead Lifts (155#)
21 - Overhead Squats (45#)
15 - Dead Lifts (155#)
15 - Overhead Squats (45#)
9 - Dead Lifts (155#)
9 - Overhead Squats (45#)
This took me almost 20 minutes to complete (19:23.7 to be exact). That's DOUBLE the amount of time it took for Wonder Dad to finish. But I am so proud of this, I am almost ready to BUST. PLEASE NOTE that I have an actual weight next to all of my OH squats! For the FIRST TIME, I did not have to resort to using the PVC pipe for this exercise! Can I get a "woo hoo!"?
I took my time - I could only do about 3 - 4 reps unbroken. That is why such a lousy time. But I didn't have to use the PVC pipe. And that is WORTH the added time (to me, anyway).
We followed this up with 30 knees to elbows.
I am already feeling SUPER sore! I think I am going to have to have a serving of Advil for desert tonight to make sure I'm able to sleep.
And one OTHER thing to note ... we got a very rare July "cool front." It was still 96F at workout time, but the humidity was super low and there was a breeze blowing. It truly almost felt cool! (Yes, this is what life is like in Texas in the summer - anything below triple digit temps is "cool.")
I know I'm going to be feeling this for a while, but hopefully this "cool spell" will last a few days at least!
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