January 1st, 2012

Workout of the Day

A.  Weighted Pull-Up

In 8 attempts or fewer, build to a heavy single.

B.  Three sets for times of:

1000 Meter Row

25 Pull-Ups

15 GHD Sit-Ups

Rest 6 minutes

A. 53-96-105-110(F)-107.5(F)-107.5(F)

8 lb. PR. Came really close to getting 110 & 107.5. Just could not get the last inch each time.

B. 5:11, 5:22, 5:28

Rows were rough today and my grip gave out a little early on the pull-ups. I got 12 unbroken the first 2 rounds and 10 the 3rd before I had to break them up. GHDs were unbroken but not very fast.

Weakness:

Did about 5 sets of unbroken double-unders mixed in with the weighted pull-ups and then after part B. 20 – 39 reps each time with an average of about 28.

January 30th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A.  Two sets for max reps of:

Unbroken Muscle-Ups

Rest 90 seconds

L-Sit (Max Hold – in seconds)

Rest 90 seconds

Strict Handstand Push-Ups

Rest 90 seconds

B.  Four sets of:

Deadlift x 3 reps

Rest 3 minutes

(build to a heavy triple)

C.  Five sets for max reps:

30 seconds of 155/105 lb. Ground to Overhead

Rest 90 seconds

A) MU: 3, 4 (Fast singles, not unbroken)

L-sit: 23, 21 seconds

Hspu: 5, 6

B) 335×3, 385×3, 395×3, 405×3

C) 7 (singles), 6 (singles), 8 (unbroken), 7 (4/3), 7 (unbroken) = 35 reps

Really felt the GHDs from Saturday during the L-sits.  I matched my 3RM PR for deadlift that I set back in July.  Felt good on part C.  155 lbs felt pretty heavy until I threw it around a little (maybe a little more warm up next time), then I was able to go unbroken/touch and go.  On the last 2 sets I was about halfway thru the 8th rep when the clock hit 30 seconds.  I think I probably could have got 8 on a couple more sets if I did this again.  Big improvement on my ability to cycle thru medium heavy C&J reps since December 1st.  Thanks C.J. Martin!

January 28th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A.  Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes:

5 Thrusters (135/95 lbs)

B.  Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes, complete:

15 Wall Ball Shots

C.  Three sets for times of:

350 Meter Row

20 GHD Sit-Ups

Rest 2 minutes

A. All unbroken, 13-14 seconds each round.  I was not super fast, but I squat cleaned ‘thruster’ed’ each starting rep and there were no pauses.

B. All unbroken except for 6th round, the ball slipped through my hands at the bottom on the 15th rep (I just lost focus for a second. Crap!). 30-31 seconds each round. Very much a mental challenge the last 2 rounds, I had to dig deep.

C. 1:59, 2:02, 2:04. Could not settle into a steady pace on the rower and so my stroke rate was a little higher than I would have liked, but the 350 meters felt challenging but very doable. All GHDs unbroken, felt really good on these today. Did the #363 Mwod last night and I think that really made a difference today.  I felt super loose.

Feeling awesome in training the last two days.  The WODs that CJ Martin of Crossfit Invictus programmed really played to some of my strengths and I felt like I performed pretty solidly on them. Definitely feeling like I have gotten stronger and fitter both in body and mind over the last 8 weeks.

Looking forward to The Open!

January 27th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A. Five sets for times of:

Snatch x 3 reps @ 80-85% of 1-RM

Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x 9 reps

Rest 2 minutes

B. Five sets for times of:

Clean andJerk x 3 reps @ 80-85% of 1-RM

15′ Rope Climb x 2 ascents

Rest 2 minutes

C. Five sets for times of:

Deadlift x 3 reps @ 80-85% of 1-RM

Pull-Ups x 9 reps

Rest 2 minutes

80% to 85%

Snatch, squat 180 (145 to 155)

Clean & Jerk 230 (185 – 195)

Deadlift 430 (345 – 365)

A. (145#s) 0:31, 0:28, 0:32, 0:29, 0:48

80% based on a full squat snatch 1RM. Snatches were all unbroken/no re-grip and caught in a full squat except for the very first rep on round 1 (power snatched without thinking). C2B pull-ups were unbroken through round 3. Broke up round 4 & 5 (grip). Round five was long because I rushed the first snatch and missed it.

B. (185#s) 0:35, 0:36, 0:43, 0:42, 0:38

80%. C&Js were fast singles. I was a little spastic on the rope today, and that cost me some time.

C. (345#s) 0:37, 0:23, 0:23, 0:24, 0:23

80%. All deadlifts & pull-ups were unbroken. A little slow on DLs during the first round. I did not use the bounce on the DLs/paused for a split second at the bottom. I was also a little intimidated about the weight after part B & C, maybe I needed to warm-up with it more, and a little overzealous during the 1st round of pull-ups.

Went with 80% of 1RM for A., B. & C because I wanted to focus on speedy, unbroken reps and have no excuse to let go/pause.

January 25th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A. Ten sets of:

2 Minutes of Swimming @ 85%

1 Minute of Swimming @ 45-50%

IF YOU DON’T HAVE POOL ACCESS . . .

Six sets of:

3 Minutes of Running or Rowing @ 80-85%

2 Minutes of Active Rest (run, row or skip rope at easy effort)

B. Lots of focused mobility work to loosen up upper body . . . assuming you might be a bit tight and sore from Tuesday.

Six sets of:

3 Minutes of Rowing @ 80-85%

2 Minutes of Skipping rope (singles)

We did not have time to coordinate a pool session this morning with my training partner, so we rowed instead. I kept a decent pace(1:50 ish/500m) with a moderate stroke rate (22-24) and hit about the same meters each round.

Did mobility work before and after.  Will also do some more mobility work later today.

January 24th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A. Three sets, not for time, of:

Handstand Walk x 10-15 meters

Rope Climb x 2 ascents

L-Sit x 30 seconds

B.  Five sets for max reps of:

30 seconds of Pull-Ups

60 seconds of Rest

C.  Five sets for times of:

8 Handstand Push-Ups

12 Ring Dips

16 Hand-Release Push-Ups

Rest 2 minutes

D. Row 2000 Meters @ 85%

(focus on technique and breathing)

A. Handstand Walk practice x3

     Rope Climb x 2-2-2

     L-Sit x 30-30-30 (still hard, but better)

B. 18-16-16-16-15

Tried mainly to keep moving and not come off the bar for as long as possible each round.

C. 2:22, 4:25, 4:48, 6:46, 8:49

Dittos on this being one of the toughest combos so far. 

D. 7:51

Focused on a steady sustainable stroke rate of 21 to 22 and trying to keep good body position for all 2000 meters.

As a big guy, gymnastic combos like part C are usually a beat down and this was no exception. The HSPUs went from tough to difficult to get at all by the 4th and 5th round.  Dips were not too bad after HSPUs (in comparison), but the hand release push-ups were really tough.  Triceps? What triceps?

On the bright side, if these movements come up in the sectionals they won’t feel as bad as they did all wrapped up together today.  Thanks CJ!

January 23rd, 2012

Workout of the Day

A.  Five sets of:

Hang Power Snatch x 3 reps

Rest as needed between sets.

B.  Five sets of:

Snatch Balance + Overhead Squat

(perform one snatch balance, stand tall and then perform an overhead squat)

Rest as needed between sets.

C.  Three sets for times of:

Muscle-Up x 3 reps

135/95 lb Overhead Squat x 6 reps

Toes to Bar x 12 reps

Walking Lunges with 55/35 lb DBs x 24 steps

Rest 4 minutes

A. 115, 130, 130, 130, 115

I started to bend my arms early, so I went back down in weight to attempt to fix that.

B. 115, 135, 155, 165, 165

C. 3:14, 2:26, 2:27

I used (2) 1.5/53# KBs for the walking lunges vs. 55# DBs.

Snatches felt a little off today. Overhead squats in part B and C felt great though, better than they ever have. Muscle-ups in part C were singles and took up a lot of the time each round, but I felt like I made progress on them today by keeping my arms more fully extended during the kip. Huge improvement between 1st & 2nd/3rd round was primarily due to improving the cycle time on muscle-ups. OHS and toes to bar were unbroken in all 3 rounds of part C.

Did 20 double-unders (weakness) between each of the sets for part A & B, shooting for a doable unbroken #. Thanks for the tip C.J. Martin!  Added up to a lot of reps, but did not take away from the rest of the workout.

January 21st, 2012: WOD #2

Row for 1 minute @ 20 strokes per min.

**Rest 1 minute**

Row for 1 minute @ 22 strokes per min.

**Rest 50 seconds**

Row for 1 minute @ 24 strokes per min.

**Rest 40 seconds**

Row for 1 minute @ 26 strokes per min.

**Rest 30 seconds**

Row for 1 minute @ 28 strokes per min.

**Rest 20 seconds**

Row for 1 minute @ 30 strokes per min.

Score = total meters rowed all rounds

1806 meters

Not happy L. Did this WOD with Ryan, Jeff, Matt, Casey, Annie and Brandie. Not sure about the ladies, but Ryan got 1898 and all the other guys were ahead of me by 20 – 60 meters. Messed up on the 20 & 22 and then could not catch up. Granted, everyone except for Ryan was fresh (their first WOD), but….. Rule #71: No excuses. Play like a champion!

January 21st, 2012: WOD #1

A. Complete as many reps as possible in 4 minutes of:

1 Clean (power or full) 205#s

1 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

2 Cleans

2 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups. . . and so on up the ladder

**Rest exactly 8 minutes, and then:**

B. Complete as many reps as possible in 4 minutes of:

1 Clean (power or full) 155#s

1 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

2 Cleans

2 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups. . . and so on up the ladder

**Rest exactly 8 minutes, and then:**

C. Complete as many reps as possible in 12 minutes of:

250 Meter Row

25 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)

50 Double-Unders

(Today is a re-test day. Compare to December 8, 2011)

December 8th

5 rounds + 6 PC/3 C2B

6 rounds + 7 PC/1 C2B

2 rounds + 250 row/23 KBS

A) 6 Rnds + 2 Power Clns

+ 5 reps from last time

205# power cleans & C2B pull-ups felt much better then last time. Breezed through the first 2 minutes and then really slowed down on round 5.

B) 6 Rnds + 13 reps (7 PC/6 C2B)

+ 5 reps from last time (weird!)

Argh! So close to 7 full rounds! Similar to part A., got tough starting at round 5.

C) 2 rnds + 25 KBS

+ 2 reps from last time

Kettlebells swings were the killer again after prior 2 WODs. Better doubles-unders (very broken) would help, but I crumbled during the KBS.

KBS were rough, but I think that was due to how I approached part A & B. I went all out the first 2 minutes and then had to really push to keep moving at a good pace the last 1.5 to 2 minutes. If I had paced a tiny bit during the first 2 minutes on A & B, I think I could have gotten the same score and had a little more in the tank for part C. I guess how I would approach it would be based on how it was scored (3 separate WODs/events or total of reps on all 3 parts).

Lessons learned/things to work on:

- More doubles or triples on the 155 power cleans. Don’t let go so much

- Pace a little (tiny bit more) to keep gas in the tank

- Improve double unders

- Improve KBS/strengthen grip

Jan. 20th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A. Three sets for speed and efficiency, rest as needed between movements:
Butterfly Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x 8-10 reps
Burpees x 8-10 reps
Handstand Push-Ups x 6-12 reps

B. Take 15-20 minutes to build to a heavy Snatch

C. Take 15 minutes to build to a heavy Clean & Jerk

D. Three sets of: Front Squat x 2 reps @ 90% of your 1-RM
Rest as needed

QUESTION – How heavy should you go on the snatch and clean & jerk?
ANSWER – As one of my heroes Coach Burgener says, “If the griddle is hot, it’s time to cook.” In other words, if you feel good, let’s get some weight on the barbell. If you feel slow, keep the weight lighter and work on perfect mechanics.


A) C2B 8/9/10…Burpees 10/10/10…HSPUs 5/5/5
B) 180 (squat snatch) 5# PR135, 165, 175(F), 175, 180(F), 180
C) 165, 185, 205, 215, 215(F), 215
D) 265×2, 265(F), 260×2, 260×2

My butterfly C2B pull-ups are still so clunky that I decided to work on unbroken kipping C2Bs instead. PR’d on unbroken reps getting sets of 8-10 unbroken pretty easily. Felt really good. Snatch felt very good today too. The bar flew up, but I am just not quite getting under it fast enough/receiving it in the right spot overhead. But much better than a month or two ago.

Almost there on the snatch.

Workout of the Day

A. In 12-15 minutes, build to a heavy Jerk from Behind the Neck(rack the barbell on your traps, elbows under the bar, chest up on the dip, and jerk)

B. Three sets of:
Strict Handstand Push-Ups x Max Reps
Rest 10 seconds
Kipping Handstand Push-Ups x Max Reps
Rest 3 minutes

Perform at Games Standards – abmat sandwiched between two 2″ plates, hands within boundaries of plates.
Note scores for each movement, each round – e.g., 21/14; 17/14; 15/15.

C. Six sets for times:
Sprint 50 Meters Out and Back
12 Burpees
Sprint 50 Meters Out and Back
Rest 2 minutes
(NO PACING!!! Go all out every set – we need to gauge ability to recover and repeat efforts.)

A. 210 lbs.
B. 5/1, 5/1, 5/0
C. 1:24, 1:26, 1:27, 1:28, 1:31, 1:31

Warmed up kind of slowly today working out in my unheated garage where it was about 32-35 degrees at best. So I ended up doing jerks for a little longer than 15 minutes. I emphasized technique vs. big weight. I felt pretty good on the last couple of reps.

Doing the strict and kipping HSPUs with the abmat + plates is always challenging for me. I kept tipping over on the kipping HSPUs. My HSPUs were not great today, but still much better than a few weeks ago.

Re: sprints + burpeesDamn! Am I just a super slow old man or what? About 7-9 inches of fresh snow outside, but I was able to get into the local elementary school that was closed due to the snow (my wife is a teacher there) and ran the sprints in a long hallway (hallways are made for running!). Did a 50m shuttle run (50m out and 50m back), 12 burpees and then a 50m shuttle run each time. Might have been a little slow on the burpees because I was not throwing myself down with the same level of total abandon that I would on a soft rubber mat floor.

Workout of the Day

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Rope Climb x 2 ascents
Hollow Rocks x 30-40 seconds
Double-Unders x 40-50 reps

B. Take 8-10 minutes to build to a heavy Deadlift
Males – somewhere between 315 and 365 lbs.

THIS IS THE WEIGHT YOU WILL USE FOR THE WORKOUT – you should be able to complete 4 unbroken reps in the first round . . . but it shouldn’t feel easy.

C. Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
Deadlift x 4 reps
Muscle-Up x 4

D. Rest exactly 5 minutes after Phase C, and then:
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
10 Box Jumps (30″/24″)
15 Pull-Ups


A. Rope climb 2 x 3…Hollow rocks 40, 30, 30…Double-unders 38, 28/12, 18/10/12 (feeling better, just got off rhythm today.
B. worked up to 355
C. 355 DL. 2 rounds + 1 DL (unbroken DLs first round..lots of time spent on muscle-ups).
D. 4 rounds + 2 box jumps.

Ugh! Muscle-ups were really tough w/Heavy Deads. Need to touch those every day by doing at least a handful + some of the transitional exercises towards no-false grip muscle-ups before each workout. 30 inch box jumps felt pretty good.

A. Five sets of: Front Squat x 1 rep(Build in only five sets to a heavy, but not 1-RM, single)

B. Five sets of: 3-Position SnatchSet 1 – 55% of 1-RM SnatchSet 2 – 60%Set 3 – 65%Set 4 – 70%Set 5 – 75%
(Thanks to Catalyst Athletics for the great demo videos.)

C. Five sets of: Snatch Balance x 1 rep(In only five attempts, build to a heavy single.)

D. Five sets of: Front Squat x 1 rep(Build in only five sets to a heavy, but not 1-RM, single)


A. 155, 225, 255, 275, 280
B. 95, 100, 110, 120, 130
(based on full squat snatch 1RM of 170)
C. 135, 145(F), 155, 170, 180(5-15# PR)
D. 185, 225, 245, 275, 275

Front squats felt really good. 280 is my prior 1RM. Felt like I could have put 5-10 #s on there and got it if I pushed it for a max. I really like the 3-position snatch. I really felt good getting under the bar after only a few sets.

January 14th, 2012

Workout of the Day

A.

Run 400 Meters @ 75%

Rest 2 minutes

Run 400 Meters @ 80%

Rest 3 minutes

Run 400 Meters @ 85%

B.

For time:

Run 1600 Meters

. . .

rest EXACTLY 60 seconds, and then:

60 seconds of Burpees for Max Reps

Please note two scores:

Run = [time to complete 1600 Meter Run] Burpees = [# of burpees performed in 60 seconds]

A. Complete. I did not time these runs. I just went for perceived effort percentage based on feel.

B. 6:34, 21 burpees (little slow on these today)

I think my prior best time was around 7 minutes, so a pretty good PR today. Percentage runs prior to the mile definitely helped. It was about 30 degrees and windy. Ran with the wind (20 mph+ maybe?) on one straight away and head first into it on the other side of the track. Good times! We finished up right before it started to sleet/snow. Yay!

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Handstand Walk x 10-15 Meters
L-Sit x Max Hold (note times)
Unbroken Muscle-Ups x 2-6 reps

B. Four sets of:
Close-Grip Bench Press x 3-4 reps @ 20X1
Rest 3 minutes

C. Three sets of:
Back Squat x 4-6 reps @ 20X1 (use the same load lifted on Tuesday)
Rest 3 minutes


A. HS walks 10m x 3 (broken up)
L-sit 25, 21, 22
MU (singles, false grip) 2,3,3

B. 185×4, 205×4, 205×4, 205×4

C. 275×6, 285×6, 285×6

Left elbow was again a little sore today during the close-grip bench. I kept the weight a little low to avoid making it worse. It did not bother me during the muscle-ups or other parts of A., just during the close-grip bench. Did a couple muscle-ups after parts B & C and those did not bother it either. Squats felt great!

A. Five sets of:Snatch Balance x 1 repRest 2-3 minutes

B. Five sets of:Power Snatch x 1.1.1Rest 2-3 minutes

C. Three rounds for time of:135/95 lb Power Snatch x 10 repsPull-Ups x 20 repsDouble-Unders x 30 reps


A. 137, 147, 159(F), 159, 159, 169
Worked on less heave and more drop. Felt better, but should warm up my shoulders more next time. They were a little tight.

B. 135, 145, 155, 165, 170
Feet went a little too wide on the landing today on the last 2 sets

C. 9:14
PS: all singles
PU: 15/5, 8/5/4/3, 7/4/3/3/3
DU: broken but better

Tried to coast below the redline on the power snatches and pull-ups so that I could concentrate on relaxing during the double-unders and just bouncing along through them. I had a little trouble getting a rhythm going today w/DUs, but they are consistently getting better.

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Bounding Box Jumps x 8-12 reps
Pistols x 4-6 reps each leg
Toes to Bar x 10-12 reps

B. Three sets of:
Back Squat x 4-6 reps @ 31X1
(note tempo and pause at bottom – need to know what 31X1 means? Click here and here.)
Rest 2 minutes
Ring Dips x 10.10 @ 21X0*
Rest 2 minutes

* '10.10' indicates that you rest 10 seconds between each set of 10. Note the pause at bottom to make sure your of full ROM in the bottom position. If you cannot complete 10 ring dips, that’s ok, just do a set of as many reps as possible MINUS 2 – in other words, stop 2 reps shy of failure, then rest 10 seconds and repeat – note your numbers achieved.

C. Eight sets for max meters of:
30 seconds of Rowing
90 seconds of Rest
(Please note meters for each set individually.)


A. 24″ Box Jumps 12, 12, 8 (got some coaching on these and I probably need to practice on a 20″ to get the bounding right)
Pistols 6 each leg x 3
T2Bar 12 x 3

B. Bksqt 275×5, Ring Dips 10 (missed 2nd set)
285 x 5, Ring Dips 10, 4/4/2
285 x 6, Ring Dips 10, 4/3/2/1
Make up set of Ring Dips missed on Round #1: 6/3/1

C. 181m, 187m, 165m, 180m, 176m, 184m, 175m, 189m

Weight for last set of part B was about 80% of my current max for a 1 rep back squats, which felt pretty challenging at 6 reps w/tempo. Ring dips are definitely improving. Rowing felt good today too. I kind of spazzed out on a couple of the row starts and almost lost my seat (especially the 3rd round). I need to work to be smoother/more under control at the start.

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Strict Handstand Push-Up x 5-10 reps
L-Sit x 20-40 seconds
Butterfly Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x 6-12 reps

B. Deadlift
In 8 attempts or fewer, build to a heavy-ish double.Rest as needed between sets.

C. Three rounds for time of:
10 Handstand Push-Ups
20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
30 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
40 Double-Unders


A. HSPU: 5,5,5
L-Sit: 25, 21, 22 sec
C2B Pull Ups: butterfly 4 (ugly) , kipping(not butterfly) 6, kipping 6

B. Deadlift: 2×395. That was heavy-ish, so I stopped there. I was running up against a potential time conflict with completing Part C.

C. 20:17

Did not feel rested this morning due to poor nutrition last 2 days and poor rest the last 3 nights. In the interest of avoiding bad food choices, I was in a non-paleo supportive environment over the weekend (in-laws house), I did not eat very much at all and felt pretty run down/unrecovered as a result.

HSPUs and butteflys did not coming easily in part A. HSPUs went well 1st round of part C (5/5), but fell off halfway through 2nd and went down to very broken doubles and singles 3rd round. They were all strict HSPUs. Once I got to plus 35 HSPUs total for the day (including the warm-up), I hit the wall. C2B slowed me down too, never really got a good rhythm going with them either and they were broken up quite a bit. Looking forward to a better tomorrow.

A. Take time for a good, comprehensive warm-up.

B. Three sets for max reps of:
60 seconds of 12′ Wall Ball Shots (20/12 lbs.)
60 seconds of 135/95 lb. Power Clean
60 seconds of 30″/24″ Box Jumps
60 seconds of 95/65 lb. Push Press
60 seconds of Rowing for Calories
60 seconds of Rest

Workout is performed just like Fight Gone Bad. Note reps for each individual movement if you have a counter/judge, or reps per round if it’s all you can do to keep a running total and stay conscious while giving full effort. Alternatively, video, watch, count your reps, assess your movement quality, assess your mindset (as demonstrated through postures, breathing, facial expressions, etc…), then post score and notes about what you learned from watching video of yourself training.


WB: 20-19-18
PC: 16-14-14
BJ: 16-14-14
PP: 20-16-15
Row: 20-18-25
Total= 253 (92, 77, 84)

Loved this WOD! It is a great tolerance builder for getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I have a lot of anxiety about the FGB format, as that WOD kicked my butt hard the first couple of times that I did it. So whenever this format comes up I have found I do better if I calm myself down by going reasonably hard for 50 seconds on each movement, getting 1-2 more reps and then taking 5-7 seconds to fully transition to the next movement before the minute starts. I followed that format today too.

I had to almost jump each rep to hit the 12′ feet target with the wallball. Now I know what smaller stature Crossfitters have to deal with on wall ball shots! The power cleans were tough after that and boxj umps were really tough. I rested a lot on the box jumps, I should probably slow down the cadence for them instead. Push presses felt good today and I probably could have got a few more reps on those if I had pushed myself a little more. Rows were rough after all that and I made the mistake of drifting mentally during the 2nd round of rows and ended up shortening the length of my stroke during most of that round, which cost me a few reps.

Box jump and push presses in FGB fomat tend to be my downfall. This time the box jumps were somewhat improved and the push press was much, much better.

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Bounding Box Jumps x 8-12 reps
Pistols x 4-6 reps each leg
Toes to Bar x 10-12 reps

B. Front Squat:
Set 1 – x 5 reps
Set 2 – x 4 reps
Set 3 – x 3 reps
Set 4 – x 2 reps
Rest as needed between sets.

C. Five sets for times:
400 Meter Run
185/135 lb Power Clean x 3 reps
185/135 lb Front Squat x 6 reps
Burpees x 9 reps
Rest 3 minutes


A. BBJ (24″): 12,12,12
Pistols: 4/6-6/6-6/6 (a little wobbly on these today)
T2B 12-12-12

B. 5×255(PR), 3×265(Fail during 4th rep, but PR for 3 reps), 2×270(Fail during 3rd rep), 2 x 272.5

C. 2:52, 3:10, 3:01, 3:32, 3:40

I decided to go at the front squats pretty hard today. I underestimated how tough the 5×255#s would be and may have overestimated what I would be able to hit in the later rounds. I really would like to get a 300# on the front squat soon. Getting pretty close.

I loved/hated part C! Dropped the bar first 2 reps (fast singles) each round on the power cleans and then went through the first 3 rounds without dropping the bar on last PC and going straight into the front squats. I was hoping to get through all 5 rounds without dropping the bar during the front squats, but I am not quite there yet. Got 3 reps of front squats without dropping the bar during the 4th and 5th round I think (sure about 5th, but not 4th). Failed once on the 5th round of front squats during the 6th rep, rested for a count of 5-10 seconds, got the rep and then completely forgot about the burpees! I was just so glad that the front squats were done!!! Luckily for me, Ryan had just come into the gym and was there to remind me.

In retrospect, may have been able to get 4th and 5th round faster (if this was a competition) if I had started gaming my breaks during the power cleans and front squats a little more starting on the 3rd round. But I wanted to go all out today instead.

Jan. 4th. 2012

A. Six sets of: Clean & Jerk x 1.1.1
(rest 10 seconds between singles)
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.

B. Three sets for times of:
Deadlift x 7 reps
Pull-Ups x 21 reps
Rest 4 minutes
(Working to create speed in transitioning from one to the other. Use the heaviest deadlift load you can handle unbroken for the first set, and don’t change the weight for the next two sets.)

C. For time:
Row 750 Meters
25 Toes to Bar
75 Double-Unders
Row 500 Meters
20 Toes to Bar
50 Double-Unders
Row 250 Meters
15 Toes to Bar
25 Double-Unders




A. 155, 175, 185, 195, 195, 155#s
B. 325#s for the DL. 0:53, 1:07, 1:08
C. 14:40

My left elbow was a little sore today and I had a little localized pain on the inside ‘tip’ (where a tendon goes over the end of the ulna or humerus bone) whenever I pushed hard on something, so I went a little light today on part A. I think it is from all the missed muscle-ups yesterday. So instead of weight, I focused more on dropping under the bar faster and punching the bar overheard.

I put a lot of thought into the DL weight. I have a bad habit of dropping heavier DLs in metcons and I need to break that habit & build up my grip/mental toughness in that area. I choose a weight that was heavy, but at the same time gave me no excuse to drop it. Tough to go unbroken 2nd & really tough the 3rd round, so it was about right. Grip killer combo with Heavy DL & pull-up with just the right amount of rest to allow a fair shot. Grip gave out on the pull-ups 2nd & 3rd round. But I got all 21 unbroken the 1st round, 15 the second round (before breaking) and 10 the third.

Double-unders ate up a lot of time in part C. Getting better on them slowly but surely.

A. Three sets, not for time, of:
Handstand Walk x 10-15 Meters
L-Sit x Max Hold (note times)
15′ Rope Climb x 2 ascents

B. Four sets of:
Muscle-Ups x Max Reps
Rest 30 seconds
Strict Pull-Up x Max Reps
Rest 30 seconds
Ring Dips x Max Reps
Rest 30 seconds
Tempo Push-Ups x Max Reps @ 1010
(the set is over as soon as you have to pause at either the top or bottom of the push-up)
Rest 30 seconds
Row 500 Meters
Rest 2 minutes

Tempo push-ups @ 1010:

The First Number – The first number refers to the lowering (eccentric) phase of the lift.
The Second Number – The second number refers to the amount of time spent in the bottom position of the lift.
The Third Number – The third number refers to ascending (concentric) phase of the lift.

The Fourth Number – The fourth number refers to how long you should pause at the top of the lift.

A. Handstand Walk x 10m practice 3 times (get closer every week)
L-Sit x Max Hold (25, 15, 20)
15′ Rope Climb x 2 ascents x 3

B. Muscle-Ups x 2 (2 quick singles, then a fail), Fx3, Fx3, Fx3
Strict Pull-Up x 11, 10, 8, 7
Ring Dips x 10, 8, 8, 8
Tempo Push-Ups x 20, 18, 13, 10
Row 500 Meters - 1:41, 1:48, 1:48, 1:40

A big time goat workout for me with all these body weight exercises back-to back. I am still not able to string unbroken muscle-ups together, nor have been able to get no-false grip MUs. I had planned to do 2-3 fast singles each round. Failed on the 3^rd rep in the 1^st round and was never able to get another one. Just made 3 attempts each round. Too wiped out by the combo of exercise and was not able to get a strong kip going. Waited about 7-10 minutes after the 4^th round finally got one more muscle-up (hate to end on a failure) and then played around with some Gymnastics WOD progressions towards a no-false grip muscle-up.

Ring dips felt good today. 10 in the first round matches my PR.

Overall, a real butt kicker! I don't always looke forward to the Competition WODs programmed by CF Invictus/C.J. Martin, but I don't think that you always should. As awesome as it is to see workout come up with some of your strengths, you are going no where unless you relentlessly practice and work your weaknesses. If you are not a little apprehensive, than your program is too easy/not challenging you enough. I am 100% convinced that I will be a better athlete and man for following their trainin. Remains to be seen how much better :).

Coming up on my 42 second birthday March 9th. I am really trying to focus on my long term goal of making it to the CF Masters in 2015 and not put too much in where I compare to the 30 somethings and the 20 somethings. There are some beastly 40+ out there. Hell, there are some beastly 45+ out there. I can't afford to coast through the next few year. I need to make consistant gains along the way.

I am virtually injury free (and have been for awhile) , I have a great training partner, I have great programming availible to me....I just have to commit to my short and long term goals and get a little better every day.

A. Five sets of:
Snatch Balance x 1 rep
Rest as needed (try to keep this rest short).

B. On the minute, every minute, for 10 minutes, complete:
Snatch x 2 reps
(Build the load over the first 5-6 minutes until you reach a weight that is challenging to successfully lift for the remainder of the sets.)

C. Complete rounds of 15, 12 and 9 reps for time of:
135/95 lb. Overhead Squat
Burpees Over Barbell
(hit the deck on one side, lateral jump over = 1 rep)

D. Three sets of:
20 GHD Sit-Ups
Rest as needed.

A. 115, 135, 145, 155, 165 (I went a little light on these, my shoulders warmed up slow today.)

B. 115, 135, 145, 155, 165, 170, 170 (got 2 in the minute, but failed once in between), 170×1(Fx2), 165, 165
All squat snatches save 1 pwr snatch and 2 that were borderline.

C. 6:34
Not super-fast, but I got all 15 OHS unbroken the first round. PR for 135#s for reps and a huge improvement for me. OHS for reps (especially with 135#s) has been a major weakness for a long time.

D. 20/20/20 (all sets unbroken)

Goal Setting

Here were my Performance/PR goals from 2011. I fell well short of most of them, but they were pretty ambitious.

- 20 round Cindy (I am at 18+ rounds PR)
- 30 minute filthy fifty (30:35! 7/9/11. So close!)
- sub 4 minute Fran (4:04, again really close)
- 10 HSPUs (unbroken) (9!)
- BW (220) Snatch (195)
- BW OHS (187)
- 300 Squat Clean (250)
- 500 Deadlift (435)
- 400 Squat (360)
- 200 Press (185)

Preventative/Recovery Goals 2011
7 hours sleep a night on average (nope)
eat within 30 minutes of waking (yep!)
post recovery nutrition within 30 minutes of workout (about 90%)
5 mobility WODs a week and 10 minutes stretching after every WOD (maybe 2, need to do better!)

Competition
Top 10 placing at the Winter Challenge (Did not even compete!!! Yuck! Top 10
was too much to ask for anyway)


2012 Goals (keeping it simply this year)
- 250+ Clean & Jerk
- BW (215#) Snatch
- BW (215#) OHS
- ‘get’ false grip muscle-ups
- ‘get’ butterfly pull-ups
- place in the top 100 in the region in the CF Open (or at least top 150)
- Compete at CF Taranis Winter Challenge and place in the top 20