Pushups, Metcon, Basketball

Early afternoon

Max Pushups: 35

Metcon: 4 Rounds, 6 Stations
1 minute, no rest between stations. 1 minute rest between rounds.

KB Swings 45#
Front Squat 45#
Renegade Row 20#
Step Ups 24in
Half Moons 20#
Double Unders

Couldn't keep track of all the reps, but I was fairly consistent throughout. Surprisingly, the toughest part was the half moons. These really took a lot out of me.

Late evening

About 1 hour of basketball. Both of our teams had a lot of subs for this game, but it didn't mean there was a whole lot of rest. We still play pretty inconsistently, but it was a win nonetheless. They had one player who could shoot from pretty much anywhere on the floor, and did so almost without resistance. If it wasn't for Shawn and his 4-5 three-pointers, I think we would definitely would have racked up an L for this game.

Strength, Metcon

Afternoon

Strength

Max Pullup Test: 12

Squats 5 x 5
Load: 215

Cleans 5 x 3
Loads: 120, 140, 140, 140, 140

Metcon

3 Rounds for Time

20 DUs
30 Walking Lunges
25 Burpees
20 KB swings 44#
15 Push Press 35# DBs
10 Pushups
20 Box Jumps

Round 1: 6:37
Round 2: 8:43
Round 3: 8:58

Total: 24:18

Workout comments: I'm going to attempt a pullup program laid out by 50pullups.com. A few months ago I tried the Military Pull Program and it helped significantly with the number of strict pullups I could do. I believe in the course of 10 days I progressed from 8-10 max pullups to 15 pullups. I'm still average around 10-12 pullups over multiple sets, but I thought this seemed like a nice long term program that could easily fit into a normal workout schedule. I'm also going to be incorporating much more running into my schedule as the Spring rolls around, and with the numerous parks around my neighborhood, incorporating this into my routine shouldn't be too hard.

Double Metcon, Basketball

Early afternoon

5 Rounds for Time:

10 Jump Squats
10 Suitcase Deadlifts (50 DBs)
10 KB Swings (50)
10 Burpees
10 Situps

13:31

Short rest

AMRAP in 7 minutes:

7 Pushups (hands off the ground in between)
7 Push Presses (50 DBs)

8 full rounds completed

Evening

About 1.5 hours of basketball. Jammed my right ring finger about 2 minutes into the first game. It's pretty swollen and hurts today so no pulling exercises.

Metcon

Early afternoon

1, 2...10 rep rounds of the following:

Push Press 100
Pushups
Front Squats 100
Double Unders
Power Cleans
Situps
Box Jumps
KB Swings 50
Pullups
Burpees

Workout comments: I didn't make it through to the 10th round. The 9th round took me close to 8 minutes to finish, and I was already at 38:30. I had a huge pile of sweat and aching hamstrings to show for it. Extremely tough workout to finish. Maybe a future goal of finishing in under 30 minutes? The pullups were also strict.

Short Trail Run

Early afternoon

Short Run around Malvern, through the quarry and following the stream, skipping the nature preserve. Maybe 4.5 miles in 40 minutes. Very slow pace to alleviate some of the ankle pain I felt after the run on Friday.

Late afternoon

Metcon

For time:

15, 25, 35

Double Unders

Swings (30#)

Thrusters (30#)

Box Jumps

Situps

Then, untimed:

2 Rounds (AMRAP 30s)

Dips

Decline Pushups

V Sits

One-legged squats (each leg, one leg elevated behind on box)

Plank hold

Workout comments: Unbroken double under rounds (except for the first round when the rope was too short). Did not expect this, but it was almost easier than I remembered. The second rope I used was definitely too long.

Metcon, Hill repeats

Early afternoon

For Time:

15, 10, 5 reps of

DB Thrusters (2 X 50#)
KB Swings (#53)
Pullups

5:30

Short rest

1 mile warmup
2 X 3/4 mile hill repeats (treadmill) 7% grade
3 min rest between repeats

6:46, 7:23

Short cooldown

Squat cleans, Pushups, Short Metcon

Squat cleans 5 X 5
Load: 130, 140, 150, 150, 150

Pushups 5 X 50
* Performed as supersets, with 3 minutes rest following the pushups.

This is the first time I could perform the squat clean with a decent amount of weight. In the past, I was always afraid of dropping the weight on the floor (or on myself). But starting out with #130, which I know I can do easily, made it seem mentally easier. Maybe now I can start progressing upwards in weight.

Metcon

3 rounds for time:

50 DUs
20 KB swings #45
40 OH walking lunges #45 plate

12:54

OH walking lunges. They'll get you every time.

Squats, Long Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength
Squats 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Loads: 155, 195, 215, 235, 255, 275*, 285*
* Both PRs.

Metcon

Row 800m
50 Box Jumps (18in)
50 Pullups
50 KB swings (35#)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Planks Holds with Knee to Elbow (50 per leg)
50 Push Press (35# DBs)
50 Supermans
50 Burpees
Row 800m

Metcon

Late Afternoon

3 Rounds (1 minute on, 30 seconds off)

Jumping Lunges 52, 50, 52
KB Swings (50#) 28, 27, 25
Pushups (Hands off the floor at the bottom) 27, 26, 30


AMRAP in 12 minutes

15 V-ups
5 Man-Makers (30# DBs)
* A Man-Maker is a modified Thruster/Clean/Squat Thrust/Renegade Row. Start with Dumbbells at your sides. Drop down into a squat thrust and perform 1 Renegade Row per arm. Bring feet towards chest and accelerate upwards, shrugging the weights up and catching in clean position. Straighten up while pressing weights overhead. 1 rep.

6 Rounds + 2 Reps

Bench Press, Central Bucks Cross fit

Late afternoon

Strength
Bench Press 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

Loads: 155, 175, 195, 215, 220, 225

Metcon

4 Rounds
Push Press (75#)
Double Unders
Box Jumps (24in)
KB Swings (50#)
Burpees

23, 53, 16, 22, 14 = 128
22, 56, 13, 14, 13 = 118
24, 46, 13, 16, 11 = 110
26, 41, 10, 16, 11= 104

Total: 460

Workout comments: I was talking to Mike from Central Bucks Crossfit today and this workout basically is modelled after the "Fight Gone Bad" workout. This workout was one of the first few in the Crosfit era, given to a ultimate fighter who, after finishing the workout, said it was like a fight gone bad. The Fight Gone Bad workout consists of3 rounds of SDHP, Push Press, Wall Ball, Rower and Box Jumps. A good score is around 300 and Mike's best was 315. Since Malvern has a rower, maybe I'll give this workout a try soon. They are hosting this workout at CBC on Sunday at 11. If I didn't have tickets for the Phillies game, then I would defintely want to go to this.

PR for the 3RM in the bench press today. This follows a PR in the 3RM in the squat on Monday. Honestly, I was loading the bar without thinking and put 215 on the bar as if I were performing the squat, where I continuously move up in 20lb increments. I didn't realize I had 215 on the bar until the 3rd rep and by then it didn't matter. So I figured I'd go for it, adding 220 and then 225 to the bar. 225 was a struggle, but I got pressed out.

Metcon

Early afternoon


Metcon
100 Double Unders then
4 Rounds:
10 Thrusters (95#)
20 KB Swings (53#)
30 Situps


13:59

Late afternoon

Went for a short run with John W. down in the park after work. It was a little humid, but a great afternoon not to get out in the park. Stuck mainly to the lower trails and then back on Forbidden Drive on the way back to NorthWestern. Should have made this return trip a tempo run but I think our legs were still pretty heavy from the afternoon workout.


Workout comments: I finished the double unders in about a minute and a half and averaged about 3 minutes or so on the four rounds. I finished all thrusters without dropping the weight, and resting only once during the KB swings. I broke during the 3rd round of situps for a few seconds. I was disappointed that I couldn't string together a more consistent stretch of double unders. I'm convinced that this skill comes and goes. You can have good days and bad days. I had previously thought that the Vibrams were providing an edge, but they didn't really help today.

Boot Camp

Early afternoon

Workout: Boot Camp

4 Rounds: AMRAP in 1 minute

Push Press (45# DBs)

KB Swings (55#)

Box Jumps (24in)

Plank Pushups

Squat Thrust w/ Mountain Climber

16, 16, 9, 9, 6

Finished things up with Tabatta situps: 12

Workout comments: I always treat these kinds of workouts on the Tabatta scoring system, because there is really no way to keep track of all the reps during each round. Had no energy today. Little sleep and no breakfast probably are to blame for that. I don't think I have ever had the sensation of honestly wanting to walk out of a workout because I was doing so badly. I probably should have, because I took a spill during the third round of box jumps. Could have been worse, but it was still throbbing pretty bad for the rest of the workout.

Short Metcon

Late afternoon

Workout: 3 Rounds for Time

21 Kettlebell Swings (53#)
15 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
9 Burpees
200m Run

10:25

Finish it off with 50 Partner Med Ball Situps (20#)

Workout comments: I guess I had one more workout left at Crossfit Inspire and I got a chance to meet the other co-owner, Darin. Seemed like a really nice guy, just like Matt. Both of them seemed to be from other backgrounds, but migrated towards Crossfit several years ago and liked it so much they decided to open their own gym. They defintely have the people skills to keep a gym like this going.

The workout was pretty much a compilation of all my "preferable" movements. Movements I do not like and should probably work on: box jumps, snatches and overhead squats (bad shoulders), and overhead walking lunges, just to name a few. I took a look at the leaderboard and saw that Darin had just pumped out a 9:52 earlier that day. I wasn't sure if it was doable, but I happened to listen in on a conversation he was having with another member on just how he broke up the workout. It went pretty much like this: First round was unbroken. Second round he rested once during the pullups. Third round he rested once during the pullups. And he pretty much ran to each station during the workout. No big deal. I figured if he was going to such lengths laying out how he went through this workout with this guy, then maybe I should keep him in the corner of my eye and go off his pace...Sounded like a good idea at the time.

I finished the first round unbroken and was pretty pumped. I came back in from the run in first and saw that another member, Lika, was pretty close behind. She was pumping out the KB swings like it was nothing and the guy I was pacing was catching up fast. I made it through the second round of KB swings with resting and pretty much took one break during the pullups. I couldn't catch Lika on the second run and tried to make a push during the third round but the pullups were just too much. I actually finished the run only 15 seconds behind her and about a minute ahead of the guy I was trying to pace. Not too bad. I should also mention that Lika finished the Med Ball Clean, DU, and Push Press workout as Rx'ed in 15:00 flat. This was a full 8:36 faster than me. Pretty gnarly.

I was getting some criticism on my KB swings. Apparently I bend too much at the waist and don't squat enough during these. The style I use is common during competition because they are quicker, but Darin suggested I emply more of a squat to save my lower back in the long term. Everything else went pretty well.

Partner WOD

Late afternoon
WU: Dynamic warmup-squats, stretches, shuffling, PVC shoulder flexibility

Workout: Crossfit Inspire WOD

Partner WOD
1000m Run (250m per)
100 KB Swings (53#)
100 Meter Wall Ball Shuffle Pass (20#)
100 Partner Med Ball Situps (20#)
100 Partner Med Ball Cleans (20#)
1000m Row (250m per)

One partner rests while the other partner works.

18:29

Workout comments: I decided I would give the crossfit affiliate thing a try. There are several options I have to choose from, and all seem to have pros and cons. Platoon Crossfit is near my house in Conshohocken, but they don't seem to have too much information on their website. I should defintely look into them more, but it seems like you have to provide them with too much personal information in order to get anything out of them. Crossfit KOP seemed like my best bet, it's close to home, roughly on my way to work in Malvern, and seems like they are very competivie in the Crossfit Games, which could speak well for the sort of clientel they attract. Their membership fee is pretty steap though, the most expensive of all the groups in area. Crossfit Inspire is closest in proximity to work, which means I could go for a morning workout, afternoon workout, and maybe slip away for a lunch workout here and there. The owner seemed very nice on the phone and mentioned they have a one week trial period, which definitely hooked me in. I decided to try them out first.

The WOD was pretty simple, as outlined above. I was partnered with a guy named Rob who seemed pretty even with my in terms of fitness, at least at face value. After the warmup and the introductions, we got started and right away I could feel it was going to be tougher than I expected. We broke most of the movements into sets of 10, not too difficult until you realize that you are only getting 15-30 seconds of rest. We seemed like we were working hard and flying, but there was another team that just kept edging us out on every station. Somehow we started together during the med ball cleans, and they managed to beat us by 40. A little suspect, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. They actually only finished 100 meters ahead of us, and I was hauling ass trying to catch them. It just wasn't in the cards.

I hate partner workouts, but I think this workout was actually pretty decent. I was working pretty hard and my partner was emptying the tank as well. The owner (I think his name was Matt or Darin) was really nice, and offered me some good motiviation during the workout. The group itself was made up of a very diverse mix of ages and genders, from high school athletes to 40+ parents. I was looking for something a bit more condense, but in the end I was surprised by how close the competition was. First workout: 6 out of 10.

Bench Press, Short Metcon

Early afternoon

WU: Shoulder dislocates, squats, pushups, situps, back extensions, Samson Stretch, 10 bench presses (115)

Workout:

Strength: Bench Press 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1

195, 205, 215, 225, 235, 245

Metcon: 2 Rounds for time:

10 Burpees

20 SDHP (77)

30 Box Jumps (18in)

40 KB Swings (40)50 DUs

12:59

Workout comments: It's about time I tried for a 1 rep max on the bench press. While I can't call this a true max effort because it was done on the Smith machine, I'll take what I can get. Will, a guy that I know from work was spotting me on this last rep and mentioned that I might want to try and exhale during the lift, and sometimes that helps him push over that wall where the weight sometimes get stuck. I'll have to try that next time. I have taken this 333111 routine from the Max Effort Black Box routine by Michael Rutherford. I have heard from various sources that this is a legitimate way to increase your 1 rep max for various lifts in an effecient manner.

The metcon was origially supposed to be 3 rounds, although I started running out of time and had to get back to work. Can you believe it? The reps for all stations were pretty much unbroken during the first round, but it was a different story for the second round. Ironically, double unders were giving me trouble in the first round. I found that I could hardly string together 5 reps before faulting. In the second round, I made it through 40 DUs unbroken before I failed. The box jumps were also pretty tough, something I'll have to spend some time working on.

Bench Press, Boot Camp

Early afternoon

Bench Press: 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 175, 195, 205, 215, 220, 225 (PR)

Approximately 2 minutes rest between sets

Boot Camp

5 Rounds for Time:
21 Front Squats (77#)
15 Pushups
9 Situps

At the bottom of every round:
Round 1: 30 Lateral High Jumps (Side to side jumps over a cone)
Round 2: 30 Box jumps (24 in.)
Round 3: 30 Double Unders
Round 4: 30 In and Outs (Air Squat up into a jump with feet landing in a narrow stance. Jump back out into a wide stance and down into a full squat. Repeat)
Round 5: 60 Bear Walk Steps (Basically both feet and hands on the floor and walk across room)

5 min rest

Partner workout: 3 rounds for time:
30 KB Swings, Planks

Partner performs KB swings while other partner holds plank. Rest accordingly.
7:39

Workout comments: All front squats were done without dropping the bar. Rest was minimal. Double unders are getting better. Started with a 50# KB for the first round, then performed 15 reps the following two round then switching to a 35# KB. I was defintely poring out sweat during and after this workout. Pretty intense.

Hotel Metcon

Been in Boston for a work training for the past few days, so I have to come up with interesting ways to incorporate crossfit. Of course there's always bodyweight workouts, but I get so bored of them after a while. Pure strength training is out, since no hotel would ever assume the insurance costs of owning a squat rack, barbells, and plates. I actually googled the nearest Crossfit affiliate to the hotel and came up with Crossfit Fenway. They deal with some interesting problems up here. Even the crossfitters wear their Red Sox pride on their sleeves. With yesterday being Marathon Monda (with an additional 11:00AM Red Sox game against the Yankees) they warned against parking at their facility. I would have liked to have taken a trip down there, but it was still 13.6 miles from my hotel and I am car-less. Fortunately, the hotel gym here did have dumbells and you can always make good use of those, especially when they range up to 50#.


WU: 2 Rounds

10 Squats, 10 Dips, 10 Situps, 10 Back Extensions, Samson Stretch


Workout: 4 Rounds for Time


10 Man Makers (2 X 25#)
20 Situps
10 KB Swings (50#)
20 OH Walking Lunges (45#)


Man Makers are a brutal movement I learned from the Boot Camp instructor Kathy. Basically, you start with a pair of dumbells, drop down in burpee-like fashion and complete a pushup. Then immediately into a Renegade Row, pulling both dumbells alternately back past your hip. Then pull your feet up under you into a landing position, peform a squat clean and finish with a thruster in one fluid movement. In reality, it takes just as long to complete one rep as it did for me to type all of this, so 10 reps is pretty taxing.


Time: 19:56


Average HR: 161 BPM on the monitor, but it was fading out during the Man Makers, most likely because of the bending I was doing at the waist. I was getting regular readings between 160 and 170, with my final HR reading at 180 at the very end of the workout.

Central Bucks Crossfit, run (April 7th, 9th)

Bit of a late post, but I've been on vacation in Naples, Florida for the past week. Here's a few workouts since then:

Wednesday, April 7th (afternoon)

WU: air squats, SDHP practice

Workout: Central Bucks Crossfit

21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 SDHP (65#)

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 KB Swings (53#)

Shuttle Runs (4 cones, set every 12 meters)*

* Done before each round of SHDP and KB swings, 7 total.

17:30

Friday, April 9th (morning)

An easy run down in Boca Raton, Florida while waiting for Brigid to get out of some training sessions. Spent the morning drinking coffee with this view:

Not to mention the fact the route I took was pretty much right down A1A Beach Front Avenue:

I didn't see Vanilla Ice, not all the Lamborginis, but I'm sure I wasn't far enough south for this.

Front Squat, Weighted Pullups, Short Metcon

Late afternoon

Front Squat: 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

Loads: 125, 155, 175, 195, 205, 215 (failed second 2 reps)

Weighted Pullups: 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

Loads: 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 (failed 3rd rep), 55

3 rounds for time:

40 DUs
30 Box Jumps (18in box)
20 KB Swings (50#)

10:32 (3:27, 3:36, 3:29)

Supplemental: 20 min light stretching

Workout comments: The major limiting factor on the front squats was the soreness in my wrists as I fought to keep the barbell racked. I just don't know if I have enough flexibility there. I used a Smith machine for this workout, so I'm not sure if my balance was totally centered either.
General comments: My ankle has felt light years better since the chiropractor. I didn't wear the ankle brace for the workout today and felt minimal discomfort. It does start to sore up after walking on it all day, but that's to be expected. Maybe this is the beginning of the end.