Heavy Legs=Time for a Break

Today had to have been one of the slowest runs in a while. I'm sure that the miles and workouts racking up, in addition to the little water and food I had this morning, and the sudden increase in temperature outside all had something to do with it. I wasn't trying to push either, so I ended up walking up many of the steep trails I would otherwise press up. It was fairly uneventful, but I did take notice of the nighttime presence in the area. At the top of the Cut is a huge bonfire pit with a multitude of beer cans around it. The kicker is the 1970s style that has obviously been hauled up to the top of the hill manually. Access to this location is too treacherous for even a four-wheeling SUV. There are bonfire pits strew about at other locations along this 2-3 mile trail as well, maybe from dirt-biking outcasts who were deemed not cool enough to be included in the party.

6.5 miles in 78 minutes

Late afternoon

I'll be out of town this weekend for the AOR race to DC, so I wouldn't be able to participate in the final scheduled WOD at CBCF. Tonight was pretty much my only free night. The WOD for this week was unveiled two weeks ago so people had plenty of time to practice or at least lament over it.

AMRAP 7 minutes

3 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
3 Chest to bar Pull-ups
6 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
6 Chest to bar Pull-ups
9 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
9 Chest to bar Pull-ups
12 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
12 Chest to bar Pull-ups
15 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
15 Chest to bar Pull-ups
18 Barbell Thrusters (100lbs / 45kg)
18 Chest to bar Pull-ups
* If you finish the round of 18 pullups and thrusters, continue with 21, 24, etc.

Again, no idea how I would do it this workout. It was especially hard since there was no one else around performing it and I had no other benchmarks to go by. I finished with 82 total reps (ie. finished the round of 15 thrusters and did 7 C2B pullups). I would have liked to reach 18, but it felt pretty tough.

Mike asked me if I wanted to stick around for the daily WOD that they were performing that day:

Part I

For Time:

21 Deadlifts (225/150)

Run 4 CBCF laps (760 meters)

15 Deadlifts

Run 4 CBCF laps

9 Deadlifts

Run 4 CBCF laps

13:26

Part II

Tabata Hollow/Arch Holds

Was expecting to feel EXTREMELY wiped afterward, but I slept pretty well that night and didn't notice any lethargy. Tomorrow is a rest anyway.

Strength, Run

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 5, 4, 2, 2, 7 X 2
Load: 170, 210, 245, 280, 300X7

Pullups 5 X 10

Press 5 X 3
Load: 120, 140, 140, 150, 150

Dips 3 X 10

Late afternoon

Fell short on mileage yesterday so today was just an attempt to log some easy ones. I realized that I can stretch together a nice 2-3 miles on grass through Conshohocken, so long as I can slip past any police that might catch me trespassing on public property. I can always slip in a pair of ear buds and claim I didn't hear them yelling at me. There is a pretty challenging hill that runs underneath some power lines, steep enough that I had to walk near the stop. And not because I was winded but because I started spinning my wheels on the gravel and losing my footing.

4.5 miles in 46 minutes

Strength comments: The deadlifts felt heavy but not unbearable. First lift always felt tougher than the second lift, which is weird. I guess I let my hips settle in a bit more on the second lift and focus more on using my legs.

Crossfit Open

Week 2 of the Crossfit Open. I wish I could get more into this. I've been watching some interviews on the website and everyone seems to be attempting the weekly workouts multiple times in order to get the best score. I just don't have time for that. I think my ranking dropped a little after this workout, but I'll have to wait a few days to know for sure. I had been reading the rankings completely wrong. I originally thought that I was in first place on the Central Bucks team, but came to find out that a few guys beat me on one or both of the workouts. I don't know if I'll do too well on pure strength work, but I'm hoping pullups, running, and/or rowing will help bump up my scores.

15 Minute AMRAP

9 Deadlifts (155)
12 Pushups
15 Box Jumps

8 Rounds + 20 reps

Workout comments: I was pretty consistent on the deadlifts. I had to break only once or twice. Pushups killed me. But I was really surprised that I did so well on the box jumps. Granted, they weren't as quick as lightning, but I was still knocking out at least 10 at a stretch, with only a few seconds rest before continuing. Half of the rounds were unbroken as well. There were a couple of close calls when my foot didn't quite make it onto the box, but I recovered well without completely tearing my shin apart.

Upswing

Early morning

AMRAP 7 minutes
5 burpees
10 Deadlifts (80)
8 rounds

AMRAP 7 minutes
15 Double Unders
10 OH Lunges (35)
5 High Low Planks
6 + 20 rounds

AMRAP 7 minutes
15 Box Jumps
10 OH Presses (55)
5 Plank Jacks
7 rounds

Early afternoon

Short trail run with Chris and Paul this afternoon. Runs like today make you realize that you're body doesn't always perform like it's indicating it might. After this morning's workout, I was doubting running, but wanted to hit a certain weekly mileage total. Fearing my legs would quickly fill up with lead, I decided against better judgement to venture out onto the trails. The monsoon-like conditions had left the quarry and nature preserve a veritable swamp-fest. My "jump-right-in" mindset over the past few days came in pretty useful, as entire stretches of trail were submerged in over-flowing creeks and mud that surged almost up to my shins in a few instances.

Honestly, it was the best run all week. My legs felt better than they have in forever during a run. When you factor in this week's activities, I would say that I'm finally on the upswing of what has been almost a year-long cardiovascular depression. Maybe it's too early to make that call. Maybe I should knock on wood before my long run on Sunday. But it just feels good to feel good about running again.

Strength

Purely a strength day today. I have a feeling that the difficulty I'm having with pullups compared to months ago is the decrease in other back-related exercises. Namely, deadlifts, chinups, etc. Similarly, my HSPUs and bench presses have been lacking lately. Not rocket science, but worth noting.

Today:

Deadlift 5 X50%, 4 X 60%, 2 X 70%, 2 X 80%, 2 X 85%, 2 X 87%, 2 X 2 X 90%, 10 X 60% (touch and go)
Loads: 175, 210, 245, 280, 300, 305, 315, 315, 210

Situps 5 X 20

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 5 X 2
Load: 120, 130, 140, 140, 150 (failed second rep, had to push press)

Bent Over Row (reverse grip) 5 X 5
Load: 120, 130, 140, 140, 140

Dips 3 X 10

Workout comments: I was working off an old Deadlift PR of 350. But with my difficulty with 315 I could tell my old PR is long gone. Dumbbell shoulder presses should have been lighter, as I wasn't supposed to max out on the last set. Had some difficulty getting them to shoulder level using a hang clean, but a normal power clean was better. Overall a good day. I'm sure I'll be wrecked tomorrow.

Strength

Pullups 9, 11, 9, 9, 11
Bench Press 55333
Load: 195
*Last three sets were similar to a box squat. I let the bar rest momentarily on the safety rack before beginning the push. Definitely harder to do this way.

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load: 210, 270, 285, 300
Weighted Step Ups 4 X 20
Load: 45
Incline Situps 4 X 15

Workout comments: Deadlift felt great. Pullups and bench did not. And I don't think it was because of the supersets. They felt sluggish from the beginning. At least I hit all required reps on the pullups, although the last rep of the last set was a little gray. I was intending to do a few miles of running on a constant incline, but time got the best of me and I had to bail. Several night classes per week are starting to take effect and I haven't even had any exams yet.

Sleep: About 8 hours

Body: No soreness to speak of this morning, although I was expecting something from the intervals yesterday.

Strength

Early afternoon

Pullups 7, 10, 7, 7, 11 (max)
Front Squat 8 X 2
135, 145, 155, 175, 175, 195, 195, 205

Deadlift 4 X 3
225, 275, 275, 275
Calf Raises 4 X 10
Situps 4 X 25

Bench Press 3, 3, 5, 5
Load: 185#
Weighted Reverse Lunges
70, 90, 90, 100

Workout comments: Front squats felt pretty good. I can definitely start thinking about going heavier. The pullups felt pretty good as well. I think using a thin bar is making all the difference. I'm hoping after this cycle is done I can hit at least 16 consecutive pullups.
Nutrition: Pretty good. Protein in the morning and post-workout.
Sleep: About 8.5 hours

Strength, Short Metcon

Early afternoon

Pullups 6, 8, 6, 6, 10
Deadlift 5 X 3
Load: 210, 260, 260, 280, 300

Power Clean and Jerk 5 X 3
Load: 140, 160, 160, 160, 160
Incline Weighted Situps 5 X 10
Load: 25

Back Squats 5 X 2 X 235
On the minute

Metcon

3 Rounds for Time:
20 DUs
20 Jumping Lunges
20 Box Jumps 18in

Round 1: 1:28
Round 2: 1:58
Round 3: 1:53

Total: 5:19

Workout comments: I felt extremely sluggish this morning, a combination of a restless night's sleep combined with soreness in upper and lower body. This should not be the case, since all I did yesterday was a light run with short sprinting sets. I'm going to try some supplements over the next few weeks to see if this can alleviate the soreness and aid recovery time. Being sore all the time takes away from the feeling of fitness you're supposed to get from exercise.

Early afternoon

Deadlift 4 X 5
Load: 265

Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Shoulder Press (Barbell) 4 X 5
Load: 135, 145, 145, 145

One legged Squats (using a towel for balance)
4 X 7

Swimming Intervals

3 X 200
60 seconds rest not varying more than 5 seconds from original time

3:53, 3:58, 3:49

Workout comments: My leg kick is terrible. I made a conscious effort to increase both the force and frequency of this during the last set and it made a noticeable difference in the fatigue in my arms and shoulders. Keeping the legs straight also seems to be the key.

Bench Press, Wood Chop, Metcon

Late afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 205

Wood Chop 5 X 10
Load: 245

Attempted two rounds of an exercise to improve jumping ability. Resembled the SHDP but included an extra shrug and elevation up to toes. Did not feel comfortable or natural. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Pullups 2 X max
9, 7

Metcon

12 Deadlifts (260)
30 Double Unders
6 Deadlifts
20 Double Unders
3 Deadlifts
10 Double Unders

3:56

Workout comments: I full expect my lower back to be sore from the deadlifts tomorrow. I couldn't manage any pullups today so quit after 2 rounds. Figured I would give them a rest. Looking to get a long run in this weekend.

The tough mudder (toughmudder.com) is coming up in April and looks to be a pretty cool course. Even though they boast a "no results posted" attitude. The top 5% of all finishers are invited to the championships, which is a 48 hour endurance race. Seems pretty cool.

Strength

Early afternoon

Front Squat 5 X 5
Load: 155, 175, 185, 185, 185

Strict Chinups 5 X 10
*Supersets

Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 195

Situps 4 X 20
*Supersets

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load: 265

Shoulder Press
Load: 130, 135, 135, 135

Hang Snatch Practice 3 X 5
Load: 85

Workout comments: Some soreness this morning in my hamstrings and ankles, but nothing too bad. Pretty good snatch practice session. All I need now is some guidance.

Strength

Early Afternoon

Bench Press 4, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 205, 195, 195, 195

Situps 4 X 20
*Supersets

Front Squat: 4 X 5
Load: 155, 165, 165, 175

Strict Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load: 260

Dumbbell Press 4 X 5
Load: 130
*Supersets

Metcon

100 Back Squats for Time
Load: 135

9:05

Workout comments: Long strength day followed by short metcon. Broke up the squats into sets of 10.

Strength, Two Metcons

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 4 X 5
Load: 260

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 10, 10, 5, 5
Load: 110, 130, 130, 130

Pullups 4 X 10
Sets of pullups were spread throughout the workout

Metcon
50 walking lunges
21 Push Press (80) 21 Pushups
Repeat this round with 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 (50 walking lunges between each round)
17:14

5 rounds
15 second plank hold
AMRAP situps 30 seconds
30 seconds rest

Total situps across 5 rounds: 96

Strength

Strength

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load 260

Situps 4 X 20
*Superset

Metcon

AMRAP in 3 minutes
3 Power Cleans (140)
6 Pushups
9 Air Squats
*9 Dips

*Alternate dips and air squats between each round.

Repeat this 3 minute attempt 4 times, with 1 minute rest between rounds.

3 rounds + 3 reps
3 rounds + 9 reps
3 rounds + 8 reps
3 rounds + 7 reps

Workout comments: Deadlifts are progressing well, yet another exercise that has lost ground since I haven't done it in over 2 months. The dips killed me during the metcon, killing my heartrate and making the subsequent rounds so much tougher to finish.

Squat Cleans, Deadlifts, Pushups

Early afternoon

Cleans 5 X 5
Load: 120, 120, 130, 130, 130

Pushups 5 X 15
*Supersets

Deadlifts 4 X 5
Load: 210, 260, 260, 260

Pushups 4 X 20
*Supersets

Workout comments: Nothing really to report. Deadlifts and cleans felt good, but I learned my lesson after the VERY sore legs from squats last week and kept the weight relatively light. This serves a duel purpose: keeps me injury free and boosts confidence.

Deadlift, Chinups, Bench Press, Incline Situps

Deadlifts 4 X 3
Load: 280#

Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Dumbbell Bench Press 4 X 10
Load: 150#

Incline Situps 4 X 15
*Supersets

Deadlift, Pushups, Moderate Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 5 X 5
Load: 280 (80% of 1RM)

Diamond Pushups 5 X 10
Performed as supersets along with DL

*Diamond pushups are pushups done with hands close together, forefingers and thumbs touching, essentially forming a diamond. They work your triceps mainly, which is a limiting factor in the progress of many people's bench press, according to Lou Simmons. I'll try this a few times a week and see if I see any improvement.

Metcon

3 Rounds for time:

5 Squat Cleans (135#)
10 Pullups
30 Incline Situps

9:07

Workout comments: I'm going to start throwing pullups into every metcon I can, provided there is a pullup bar around, in addition to working strict or weighted pullups each week. No sorenes yesterday morning, which is a good sign. Nothing significant about my ankle, especially with the run yesterday.

Chris R. mentioned yesterday that a friend of his was all set for surgery due to a calf problem he developed after running regularly. Doctors could not find the problem and were (eager) to operate. This guy tried new shoes on a whim and found himself cured and running >20 miles per week less than 2 weeks later. I guess it's worth a shot, since I haven't replaced my running shoes in a while. I was on the kick of letting the soles wear down as much as possible to help my foot strike, but I guess injury trumps that.

Anything is worth a shot at this point.

Strength, Max Bench, Short Metcon

Early afternoon


Strength
Bench Press 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1
Loads: 195, 210, 225 (failed third rep), 235 (failed) DNF, DNF


On the minute for 10 minutes: 2 squats at 60% 1RM (160), 3 Incline DB Bench Presses (50 DBs)


Deadlift 5 X 3
80% 1RM (280)


Metcon

7 Thrusters 105#
7 Knees-to-elbows
7 Deadlifts (165#)
7 Burpess
7 Power Cleans (115#)
7 Pullups


2:05

Late afternoon

I had heard about some trails that exist within Valley Forge Park. I've been here a few times (both biking and running) and have only noticed the paved walkways that line the park. Apparently there is a non-paved trail system that exists on the northern side of the river, picking up right where the Schuylkill River Trail meets the Rt. 422 bridge. Ironically, I have ridden my road bike past here hundreds of times, and even made my way down into the parking lot where the trailhead is. I must have ridden right by it. The trail runs parallel to the river, except where it breaks off and winds through forest and meadow areas deep into Valley Forge. This place is a sanctuary for deer and other wildlife, and I was surprised that almost none of the deer and other critters scurried away when I passed by, unless they were close to being underfoot. Several times I came with 10 feet of adult deer and I started to wonder if they would even look up. The trail system was way to big for my 45 minute run. I'll have to come back with the bike, even though they are technically not allowed.

About 5 miles in 45 minutes.


Workout comments: Nothing to report on the max bench press attempt. I was frustrated and quit after the first attempt at 1 rep failed. I wasn't going to waste my time attempting another rep. This same thing happened last week. I don't know if I need more rest or more conditioning, but I have seen consistent gains in the 3RM, but not one improvement in the 1RM.

Deadlift, Incline DB Bench, Pullups

Late afternoon

Strength
Deadlift 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 207, 257, 277, 307, 317, 323

Incline DB Bench Press*
3 X Max Reps (55# DBs)
17, 18, 20

Pullups*
3 X 10

*BP and Pullups performed as supersets.

Deadlift, Pullups, Back to Back Couplets

Early afternoon


Workout


Strength: Deadlift 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3


Loads: 207, 257, 277, 297, 307, 317


3 X 10 Pullups


Metcon 1: AMRAP in 12 minutes
SDHP (77#)
Thrusters (77#)


5 + 13


Metcon 2: AMRAP in 12 minutes
25 Situps
25 Double Unders

8 + 19

Workout comments: I felt considerably better than I did during yesterday's workout. Even after the deadlifts and pullups, I still had a lot of energy to do both metcons. It was probably the best consistent strings of double unders I have ever put together. I only faulted on a few of the rounds, and it was only 1 fault per round. I honestly think the difference was the Vibrams I was wearing for the workout today. I felt like wasn't losing any momentum by landing on the cushioning of a normal sneaker. The situps were defintely the limiting factor on this workout.