Snatch Work and High Intensity

Mobility warm-up

50 Minutes of Hang Snatch practice - used 75, 95 and 115 and just worked on my form.  Rep schemes of 3-5.    Just drilling, drilling, drilling.   Right knee is still caving in a bit on the squat and my head is still moving around too much.  Im like a bleeping bobble head.   This is not any fun but required to get better.


WOD

30 Thrusters at 95lbs
500m Row

This was way too slow.   1:20 to finish 30 Thrusters. This should have been around a minute.  By the time I got strapped in and moving i had probably burned 1:30 minutes.


Total time - 3:20.

Diane

Hurricane Sandy in on its way through mostly gone at this point but classes at Craic were canceled as a precauton.   So I had the gym to myself.   Probably for the better so that I could suffer in peace.   My handstand pushups are improving but nothing to write home about so I wasnt really looking forward to this at all.

Diane - 21-15-9

Deadlifts @225
Handstand Pushups

Finished the first set of DL in 24 seconds
The first round in around 2 minutes

2nd Round I was at 3minutes after DL's
Then the wheels came off it took me 8 minutes to finish the rest.  Might as well used a sundial.

Forgot to mention that I used 45lb plates and an abmat.

Time - 11:24

Never Satisfied

First day back in the gym after the trip and bad cold.   It was a good one to re-enter on as it was mostly strength.   I think if it had been a hard metcon I would have coughed up a lung.   I have been thinking a lot about what makes people happy and whether I have a missing gene or something.   This isnt a new thing at all.   I can remember the first job I ever had the boss said - "you never satisfied" I thought that was a good thing at the time.   I would never settle and would push on and be willing to make sacrifices that others wouldnt.   I think Im still that way around goals.   Skip a party to train,  put more time in at work yep.   I was actually trying to justify this mindset by using a JFK quote over the weekend - "The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence".   My wife called BS on that.  

2 Min Max Double Unders -

131.   Got about 90 in the first minute and then just couldnt get on a role.  Disappointed with that score.


1 Rep Max Front Squat -

10@135, 5@185, 1@225, 1@245, 1@265. 1@275, 1@285

New PR but not happy.  I loaded up the bar with 295 and just couldnt get comfortable after pulling it out of the rack to begin the lift.   Decided to call it quits.  Probably should have tried and failed.

1RM Max Shoulder Press

5@95. 3@115, 2@135, 1@145, 1@155, 1@165, F@170, F@170
New PR but really wanted 170

So I mentioned all the stuff at the beginning because although I hit two PRs Im more frustrated I didnt hit 295 and 170.   I guess I had better finish Clayton Christenson's book - "How will you measure your life?"   In the book he puts forth a series of fundamental questions everyone asks themselves at some point in their lives:

• How can I be sure that I’ll find satisfaction in my career?
• How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness?
• How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail?

He seeks to answer these questions by presenting a way for each of us to think about our lives and find the satisfaction, happiness, and direction necessary for a successful and happy future.

Back in Action .... almost

Today is the first day since I got back from trip that I don't feel absolutely terrible.  This is a good thing and is surprising since I couldn't sleep last night and ended up with about 4 hours of rest.   Highlight of the day was a peaceful walk at Wilson Mountain.  The weather was mild but it was moving between mist and rain so pretty much had the place to myself aside from a few dog walkers.  Got a long walk in to clear my head. 

Finland the final leg

I was never able to get onto the sleep schedule so I ended up only getting 3-4 hours a sleep a night and my cold has gotten worse by the day.   It has been a great trip.  

Not quite ready for XMAS but it seems like the Finns are!

Sunrise near office

Old School Boarding

On to Netherlands.....

Landed in the Netherlands for day 2 of the trip.  Really nice Hotel but too bad I was only there for a few hours.   I was bummed that we couldnt adjust our schedule to see the Manchester City vs Ajax Champions League match since the stadium was just a few minutes down the road from where we were. 

First stop - Copenhagen

Flew from Boston to London to Copenhagen.   Had a uneventful trip in from the airport and got to spend an hour trying to get through emails etc before drink and dinner with the local team.   I was excited to get a chance to meet the team and spend some time with them before starting the client and partner meetings.

As we walked to dinner you could see that Halloween is a global event. Cloudforce Stockholm was the next day at the Photography Museum.  What a spot on the water.  Took some great photos. 

Dinner at the Grille was quite good

From the steps of the Photography Museum

That is a big cruise ship!

View from SFDC Stockholm Office

Active Recovery

I hope I straightened up otherwise ..NO REP!

A little tired today but actually looking forward to just going into the gym and doing a wod that doesnt require a lot of thought.    Metcons can be like dessert.  Too many of them and you dont get any better.  Today was a day for dessert.

Warm-up = Mobility

Practice my hand stand walk which is non-existant.  I was trying to channel my Freshman year of college when I was actually good at hand stand walking.

10x15 Doubler Unders - 13 attempts to get 150


4 Rounds of
400m run
20 KBS - 1.5 Pood
4 HSPU

13:24

Rest 3 minutes and then
10x15 Double Unders - 15 attempts to get 150

72 straight after

CFNE Masters Comp

Woke up this morning just fully exhausted.  All I wanted to do was stay in bed and relax.  Work has been full tilt since Dreamforce and its been all I can do to mentally recover on the weekend to be ready for Monday.   So this comp was not something that I really wanted to do.  I wasnt concerned about the comp part (well a little since my metcon is lagging) but the waiting around part.   So much more efficient to walk to the gym and bang out the two workouts and be home in an hour.  When I mentioned that to my coach he said thats not what happens at the Games.  Its 2 days of waiting around so you better get ready for it.  I would have to say that as the sun came out and the day warmed up I felt better about the whole affair.


Wod 1 - 1 Min Max Thrusters.   I had done this in training twice before and had scored 29 and 27.   I got 29 today and felt pretty good about it as I stumbled forward on my 2nd rep and had to reset.  I went to the final second whereas a few people stopped 5-10 second early.

Wod 2 -
AMRAP 6:
5 Pull Ups
10 Power Cleans (95,65) (85, 55)
15 Double Unders OR 50 Single Unders

This Wod on paper looked fine but when I practiced it the 95lb bar felt like 200lbs.  A little better today but not much better.   Tried not to just use my arms but the feedback was that I muscle cleaned it with very little leg action.   The Pullups were easy and just too few to create any kind of separation. It came down to speed on cleans and more importantly double unders.   My double unders were better today and didnt let me down to badly.   This one was where I should have pushed myself a little harder but really just lost focus.

4 Rounds even.   I wish I would have been able to get to pullup bar.

WOD 3
In 2 Minutes: Max Snatch Plus 3 Overhead Squats
I know that last year this would have really concerned me but with all the work I have put in I was confident that lift wouldnt let me down.  During the week and even this morning my plan had been to start at 165 and just do that.  But during my warmups I got a bit spooked when I failed on my 2nd OH squat and then messed the depth on another and decided to go with 155 out of the gate.   Got that and went to 165 and nailed that as well.   After the wod I couldnt remember if I put 5s or 10s on the bar after 155.   The judge recorded 165 so that was the answer but its funny how my mind had me picking up the 10s.   Never trust your mind mid wod.

165lbs

WOD4: 6 Minute Up Ladder of: Burpee Box Jump, 20″ Wall Ball (20, 14) Toes to Bar

This one was hard when I practiced it and wasnt going to get any better today.   Knew I just had to keep moving.    The Wall Balls and Toes to Bar were going to fine just not the burpee box jump.  I think i might be the slowest guy getting down ever.  Went to step up I think in round 4 or 5 but not really sure.

7 Rounds 9 reps

I had no idea how I had done overall.  I knew that my Thrusters and Snatch OHS were in the top 3 but also knew that WOD 3 I was I finished 10th.    The last WOD I knew Dennis and Frozen had beaten me as well as Richard Johnson who was competitor in lane 6 next to me that finished 1 rep ahead of me.  I assumed a bunch of others had as well.   So when the award ceremony came around I was pleasantly surprised to have made the podium.    I felt a little guilty and embarrassed to have placed as I wasnt really even wanting to be there at the beginning of the day.  Not out of fear but more annoyance at the waiting and amount on interaction that would be required.   In the end I need to remind myself that this interaction isnt like the kind of stressful interaction that occurs in remediating problems.

I would really like to start working on my metcon but will need to reign that desire in as I think the plan will be to get back at the strength building.  

Travel Day Work Days

Thursday Oct 18th - Flew to NY on he first flight of the day and had a jammed pack schedule until 10:30pm.   Long day.


Friday Oct 19- Left the hotel before 7am to get to the Jacob Javitz center for a client meeting that was scheduled to go an hour but ended up going close to 2 hours.  Full day again.   Wrapped up a little after 4:30pm to head to the airport.  Flight was delayed because of weather but still got home before 9pm.  So tired.

Slow, slower....

Today's workout looked relatively straightforward but proved to be otherwise.   Im wondering if something is wrong with me.  I seem to be more tired than normal even though Im getting into bed way earlier than normal.   Overall feeling of malaise.  Hoping sooner or later that turns

3RDS @85% effort 

Run 400m 

15 Power Snatch @115 

15 Burpees

 

The first run was slow and got slower.  Im not sure I was capable of anything more than an 85% effort as my max effort.  I didnt feel like I could go any faster.

 

Total time - 16:34

 

Round 1 - 5:15

Round 2 - 6:06

Round 3 - 5:08

 

10x15 Double Unders - 18 attempts to do it

 

At the end I loaded up the bar with 165 and powered snatched it and then did 3 OHS.  That is that. I had better be able to do that Saturday.  

Stuff

1 mile run as part of warm-up

 

 

Double unders 10x15 - 2,1,2,1,2,2,3,3,5,3

 

A) build to a heavy 1RM DL 

Warm-up - 5@135, 5@225, 5@275, 3@305, 3@315, 1@335, 1@355, 1@365, 1@385

 

B) 3x10 C2B Pullups for time = 1:16

C) 5 RDS 

 8 FS @115lbs 

8 HSPU 

rest 4mins bwt RDS

Rd 1 -55sec

Rd 2 - 41sec

Rd 3 - 41 sec

Rd 4 - 41 sec

Rd 5 - 40 Sec 

Double unders 10x15 - 1,3,3,3,3,4,2,4,2,4

These are getting worse not better - Ughhhhh

Run like the old days only a lot slower

Today was scheduled as a rest day but it was so nice this morning (Sunny and low 60's with a nice breeze) that I decided to get a run in.   It was as much to clear my head as it was to increase my cardio.  After 6 years of just doing crossfit my running capacity has really gone downhill.   Not surprising since I am considerably heavier (180 vs 168) and a bit stronger as well.  In my mind the mass isnt very useful if I cant move it or I get tired quicker.  Im not sure if it is just getting older or what.    Did the one of the old standby routes to Nobles and back.   Way harder than it should have been for the pace.  In fact the HR was at 171 on the last leg. 

10x15 of Double Unders - Not good at all.

I need to get more runs in without a doubt to increase my conditioning.

Heavy Broken Up Fran

Warm-Up

10X15 Double Unders
Attempts per round - 1,1,1,2,1,2,3,2,3,1


I wasnt sure this would be harder or easier than straight Fran.  I think breaking it up makes it a little slower but not as slow as I went,   My conditioning just isnt there.  The pullups were fine, did them all unbroken and mostly butterfly.  The Thrusters I had to break up after the 2nd round and I spent way too much time looking at the bar.  

14th 

5RFT 

9 Thrusters @115 

9 Pullups 

7:35

Does bode well for this weekend.

10x15 Double Unders

2,1,2,2,2,1,3,4,3,2

I just couldn't find a rhythm or when I did i would end up messing it up on the 13, or 14th rep

Clean - Heavy Strength

Early in the gym,   Its now pitch black at 6:30 and pretty cold today I believe it was below freezing.

Warm Up
DU Practice
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
2 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
1 A2D 15
  Much Better today.

A) Heavy SQ CLN 

Warm Up 5@95, 5@135

3@165

3@185

1@205

1@225

F@235

F@235

1@235

 

B) 9-6-3

Clean 225 

MU's

I was wary of this WOD because of the 225 cleans.  Its not far off my max.  They went better than expected although in the round of 6 I got very dizzy after one lift.  I have not had that happen to the degree it happened today.  Weird.   Shook it off and continued on.

Not very fast but got the work in.  19:22

Double Under Practice

Travel Day - Forced Rest Day

Thursday was a travel day - 6am flight to NY and back on the 9pm flight. 

Friday I had hoped to practice my double unders  and then do some Snatch practice but Susie asked me to take the kids to school so there went my workout window. 

Follow directions

Todays workout is very much like last week except I actually did it properly this week.  I completely messed up last week and didnt couple the first two movements.  Coupling them creates a very different feel. 

A1) Thruster 3-3-3-3-3

rest 10sec 

A2) AMRAP HSPU  x 5 

 

Rd 1 - 165lb - 12 reps

Rd 2 - 165lbs - 10 reps
Rd 3 - 165lbs - 5 reps

Rd 4 - 165lbs - 6 reps

Rd 5 - 165lbs - 6 reps

 

C) 3 OTM PC @185 for 15mins - check

 

D) Powell raises  - check

Forgot to do my double unders

Back at it

Back at the gym.  Not sure why I am lacking the enthusiasm that I have had in the past but Im putting the work in and that is what matters.

A) Row 1000m x 3 - easy pace - keep times close together - rest 1:1

round 1 - 3:46
round 2 - 3:41
round 3 - 3:48


These were a lot harder than they should have been.  I was totally soaked after this workout and fairly winded. 

B) BS 5x5 same weight
Warm Up - 5@135, 5@185 5@225

5x5 @275lbs - Wasnt sure how this would go.  Hard but not to the point of failure.

C) DB ext rotation 8-10 x 3 each arm

D) 15 GHD + back extension x 3

E) 10 by 10 double unders

Legs were pretty beat down by the time I got to this step.  I was complete crap for the first 6 sets.

1. 5 2g 10
2. 5 2g 10
3. 3 2g 10
4. 3 2g 10
5. 2 2g 10
6. 3 2g 10
7. 1 2g 10
8. 3 2g 10
9. 1 2g 10
10. 1 2g 10

Maine Weekend

 It was great to get away for the weekend.  I really needed the time away to relax and free up my mind.   No workouts just rest and some nice walks.   We went to Sutton Island and walked the island which was really cool.  I didnt know there was a small cemetary there.   The weather ended up being good on Saturday and fantastic on Sunday and today.

Top of Bald in the clouds

Parkman was foggy and cleared for a brief moment

Trail on Suttons Island

Trail Signs

Golden Sunset

Master WODs trial run

Jammed this workout in before my flight to Maine.  Just wanted to get it in and see how awful these wods were going to be.   Objective met - these wods are brutal and they put it right in my face that my Metcon, as well as my lifting technique are crap.  Hmmm let me look for an upside.  Found it, Im done and now I can head off the Maine and try to just kick back and relax.

Oh just in case you want to make yourself hurt try these wods.

WOD 1

AMRAP 1: Thrusters (95, 65)

50-55 and 50+ weight: 85, 55 

WOD 2

AMRAP 6:

5 Pull Ups

10 Power Cleans (95,65) (85, 55)

15 Double Unders OR 50 Single Unders

WOD 3

In 2 Minutes:

Max Snatch Plus 3 Overhead Squats

WOD4: 

5 Minute Up Ladder of:

Burpee Box Jump, 20″

Wall Ball (20, 14) (14, 10)

Toes to Bar OR Abmat Sit Up

Rest Day

Rest Day

Punch the Clock

One of those days where I wasn't really excited about going to the gym.   I never consider skipping but it does make it more of a challenge to put in my best effort.

A1) Thruster 5-5-5-5-5 screwed this up and did 30 sec rest versus the programmed rest 10sec.  The Thrusters @135lb were harder than they should have been.  Didnt have that pop from the hips.

A2) 10 UB HSPU x5 - rest 3mins 

These are improving but not a strength. Missed on the first and last round.  

 8,10,10,10,7

 

B) 3 PC OTM @185lbs - 12mins 

 I was a little worried about doing this for 12 minutes but it was not a problem.  All reps done in about 14-16 seconds.

 

C) Powell raises 8-10x3 each arm

Run and Muscle Ups

I was surprised I was tired the day after a rest day but I was for some reason. This workout was pretty straight forward and wouldnt take a long time.

5 RDS
Run 400m
5 Muscle ups
rest 5min bwt rds

Round 1 - 2:33
Round 2 - 2:11
Round 3 - 2:11
Round 4 - 2:06
Round 5 - 2:03

I found a pace on the run that allowed me to come in the gym and hit the muscle ups straight away. All muscle-ups unbroken. Probably should have tried to push the runs harder in the first 3 rounds.  This is one that would have been good not to have done solo.  

More time to practice C&J

Warm up 500M and mobility

A) 1 Heavy C+J



3@135lbs, 3@135, 155, 165, 175, 175, 185

I as doing 2 jerks on all of these lifts as my form was still off.  Coach John was in the box and video tapped each lift and gave me feedback.  Some progress but still not good enough.


B) 2 PC
2 FS
2 S2OH @ 185x5 - rest 1min between sets

First two movements felt great but I was not smooth at all on the Jerk.  Really struggled in the last set and had to put the bar down when I started the jerks in the last rounds

I did multiple sets of double unders.   Kind of stuck on average. 

Rest Day

Rest Day - full day to recover