Monday 2/24 WOD at PCF

I didn’t have time to write about this yesterday! This week is quite hectic, so I feel like I’ve been stretched pretty thin. I had a great workout yesterday though! I was originally thinking about going into the school’s gym early again, but then I saw the WOD scheduled for the afternoon and knew that it would probably be too much. OH GOSH and the CrossFit Open starts this Thursday night!!! I need to write about that tomorrow or Thursday!!!!!!!

Strength:

• Front Squat 5-5-3-3-1-1: 75-75-95-100-110(PR!)-115(PR!!!). So the coach said we probably weren’t going to hit any PRs after doing the volume leading up to the single reps, but it’s been so long since I did front squat singles I knew that I would be able to best my previous 1RM, and I did, by 10lbs! Woopwoop! And that was even after a bunch of pretty heavy reps, so I’m sure I could front squat much more for a heavy single attempt. These felt so good! Form was a little sketchy, as can be seen in the video here. I shoot my butt up first and then compensate after rising out of the bottom. It’s gotten much better from how it used to be, but I still need to work on it, especially as I go heavier.

WOD for Time + Reps: 10:29 + 42 Burpees

5 Rounds of:

• 7 Thrusters: 65lbs, Level II-.
• 7 Pull-Ups: Level II.
• 7 Burpees: Rx.

Rest 1 minute, then:

• Max burpees in 3 minutes: 42, Rx.

Such a tough and weird WOD! I liked this kind of “buy-out” style, although a little more rest would have been nice! I recorded myself doing burpees for the first time ever, and I realized that my burpee technique is…special, at best. When I jump my feet up, I shoot my right leg out to the side so I land a little lower. I need to work on landing in more of a centered squat stance for sure. I’m not sure I’m willing to publicly shame myself with a video of my goofyass burpees yet. My pull-ups and thrusters were ON POINT (en pointe?) though. Woo!

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Monday 2/17 WOD at PCF and Strength at GMU

I don’t know what has gotten into me lately!!! I’ve been sleeping super well, waking up feeling rested, and feeling super ready to start my days. Today, I woke up before my alarm. BEFORE MY ALARM. WHAT. Well, I kind of cheated because I wake up to say bye to Tyler in the mornings when he leaves for work, so I was already a little bit awake. BUT STILL most mornings I just pass the hell back out and sleep until my 4 alarms go off (8:01, 8:31, 9:01, 9:21) and I hit snooze on my last one at least three or four times until 9:35 when I have 10 minutes to jump up, walk the pups, and run out the door (that is my life, I’m not even kidding. Every. Single. Day. And it’s the WORST.) Moreso than not lately, I’ve been falling asleep super quickly, sleeping really soundly through the night, and waking up feeling good. How good? I’ll tell you.

I’ve been sleeping so well and feeling so good that I woke up and decided to go to the gym on my campus to pull a 2-a-day, and work on some weightlifting before class. And then I went to crossfit this afternoon at 430!

• Clean and Jerk 65% 3-3-3: 70lbs
• Snatch High-Pulls 100% 3-3-3: 70lbs
• Strict Press 75% 5-5-5: 45lbs
• Front Squat 85% 3-3: 90lbs

These were mostly technique and volume work, but they all felt really great. It was a good morning wake-up. Then I went to classes, and then crossfit!

Strength:

• Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5: 65-65-65-65-65. I kept these light. After the heavy front squats this morning, and knowing that I had a million burpees and thrusters coming…I definitely took these easy.

WOD for Time: 13:12

• 40 Burpees: Level II.
• 40 Thrusters: 55lbs, Level II.
• 40 Pull-Ups: Level II.
  

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS. SO PROUD. I was the ONLY female in the 430 class who stuck with 55lbs, which was also Rx weight (reps were 50 down the line though), and there were some of the super beasty women there! I was really intimidated and almost dropped, but I decided to stick it out and just take my time. But I killed it! I was one of the first on the bar after the burpees, and then went 10-10-10-5-5 on the thrusters!!!!! I’m so proud of myself!!!! Making gains all over the place. Then I had to wait a good bit until I had my arms back for the pull-ups, because I really didn’t want to have a repeat of last year and go flying off again. I did really well on the pull-ups, doing 7 sets of 4, 3 sets of 3, then 2-1. Felt amazing, and I’m so proud of myself for this one.

Monday 1/27 WOD at PFC

Today was a mix of epic awesomeness, and epic stupidness. But the WOD…the WOD was absolutely incredible. INCREDIBLE. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WORKOUT. YES. I can’t stop being so excited about it. Also, this past weekend I started pole dancing again!! Which is so great!!! But that was also the part of today that was epic suck. I think I want to write a whole different post about it. Maybe tomorrow. But for now, baby’s still got it!

Strength:

• Complete these at a good tempo, meaning do not take breaks at the top of the squat. Expect to be squatting at a lower weight than usual.
• Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5: 75-75-75-75-75(-maybe another set? Lost count!). These felt good. I might have been able to do sets at 85 if I started there, but I didn’t think to go up until I was already pretty gassed. I think my previous 1RM front squat was 95lbs, so I am pretty sure I could beast through that now.

WOD for Time: 15:58

• 15 Burpees: Rx.
• 20 Snatches: 35lbs, Level I.
• Rest 2 Minutes
• 15 Burpees: Rx.
• 15 Snatches: 45lbs, Level I.
• Rest 2 Minutes
• 15 Burpees: Rx.
• 10 Snatches: 55lbs, Level I.
• Rest 2 Minutes
• 15 Burpees: Rx.
• 5 Snatches: 65lbs, Level I.
• Add/switch weights during your rest time.

This was so great. Let me tell you about why this was so great. First of all, I’m pretty sure I can count the total amount of reps on one hand of snatches I’ve done at any weight above 55lbs. I saw this online last night and said to Tyler, “I’m going to Level I the shit out of this WOD tomorrow.” And going into it, honestly, I doubted myself about being able to finish at 65lbs. But I stuck with it, and executed each rep as textbook as I could, and they were beautiful. Guys, every one of my snatches was beautiful. It was the BEST. The 35 and 45 sets were…probably easier than they should have been, but I just used those to really focus on the form cues that the coach gave me last week, and that helped me be able to do all 55s and the 65s in the long run anyway. But I was so stoked. It felt absolutely incredible. I am so proud of how I did, and for sticking with it, and for killing those last 5 snatches at what is a heavy weight for me when I’m already completely blown from the rest of the workout. I’m also extremely happy I can still bust out some of my difficult tricks on the pole, even though I have definitely lost some of my abilities. Again, I think I’ll write a whole post about that tomorrow. Woo!

Friday 1/3 WOD at PCF

First WOD of 2014! I am still incredibly sore from Mondays’s workout (to the point that I could barely walk yesterday) but I knew the best thing would be to get my blood flowing and some mobility going today. I’m slowly easing back in after taking pretty much all of December off. My body composition has changed a bit, but I didn’t actually gain any weight, so that’s pretty great. Anyway, here’s to 2014! Tyler got me some packets of Progenex’s Flow hydrolyzed salmon protein isolate in Island Punch, and it’s SO GOOD. A nice change from the normal chocolate or vanilla options.

Strength:

E2MOT2M for 10 Minutes of:

• 2 Front Squats: 75lbs.
• 8 Toes-to-bar. Didn’t want to tear my hands before the pull-ups in the WOD. Cycled 4 once. The rest were 3s and 2s.

WOD for Time: 12:09

5 Rounds of:

• 5 Power Cleans: 75lbs, Level II-.
• 7 Hand-Release Push-Ups: Level II.
• 30 Double-Unders: Rx.
• 7 Pull-Ups: Level II.

I reallllly wanted sub-12 on this, but in the last round my hands and the pull-up bar were SO SWEATY and slippery. I had to do singles for all 7, and that just ate up the clock. I’m not as much as a dare-devil as I used to be at hanging onto the bar for oneeee moreee rep after my injury. I ended up tearing both of my hands on the first rep of the last round too, so that didn’t help the situation. I hate how soft my hands get after not doing pull-ups or TTB for a while. They tear every single time. But this was the perfect scaling for me. I didn’t want to kill myself on the front squats since my legs are still really sore from Monday, and same with the power cleans in the WOD. Double-unders are such cake for me now! At least I still feel good at those!

Monday 12/30 WOD at PCF

Holy majoly. The last month and a half really threw me for a loop. Finals, end of semester, holidays, oof. Zero time and/or motivation, and excessive traveling. Bad combination. I was really down on myself about it, until I went back last night and was talking to a friend about it and she said “look, in the long run, what is one missed month? You’re here now. That’s what matters.” And that’s true. It’s so easy to get down on yourself for missing workouts, when in reality, it doesn’t really matter too much as long as you get back on track. Last WOD of 2013!!

Strength:

• Back Squat 1-1-1-1: 125-125-125-125(-125 Bonus). This is SO LIGHT for singles for me. But they felt heavy as hell, and it has been three weeks since I squatted. I needed to take it easy, and I’m glad I did because I am in a world of hurt today from it. Only up from here.

WOD for Weight: 55lbs x4

4 Rounds of:

• 7 Power Cleans
• 7 Front Squats
• 7 Jerks
• 7 Back Squats
• 7 Back Rack Lunges

* This is a complex – do not put the bar down or rest on the ground during the round.
** Work up to the heaviest weight possible, rest as necessary between rounds.

I started at 55lbs, and wanted to do 55lbs x2, 65lbs x2. I felt like that was a realistic goal. Ha. On the last two rounds I was at failure on the lunges (got stuck in the bottom a few times but somehow made it out) and I had to drop the bar between the front squats and the jerks because my elbow was killing me. This was a pretty terrible workout. If it had been 5s or 3s, it would have been nothing. But 7 reps is a lot, and I have definitely lost a lot of muscle endurance over the last month. I really need to work on doing more high-reps of movements. Bahhh. Least favorite. I had a few girls there yelling at me through the last round, which really helped. I was actually ready to quit and take the DNF, but they got me through it. So great.

Friday 11/22 WOD at PCF

VACATION TIME!!!!! I love Thanksgiving and my family and the holidays!

Strength:

E2MOT2M for 10 Minutes of:

• 2 Front Squats: 80lbs. Oh my quads why did this feel SO IMPOSSIBLY HEAVY today.
• 4 HSPU: to 2 abmats. STOKED. This is the most volume I’ve ever managed consistently. Only failed a single rep on a random middle round. Next time I’m going to try going to a single mat!!!

WOD for Time: 9:47

“Nasty Girls”
3 Rounds of:

• 50 Squats: Rx. Oof! It’s been a long time since we tackled 150 air squats in a WOD. Total burner.
• 7 Strict Pull-Ups: assisted, Level I.
• 10 Hang Power Cleans: 75lbs, Level II. Cycled each round. Should have gone heavier.

I really liked this!! Rx’d is 7 muscle ups. Ha! I was struggling with the pull-ups today. If they were kipping I would have killed it, but man, the strict business took it out of me. My goal was sub-10 min, so I was happy to fall in there. Steady/slow-ish on the squats, because I didn’t want to burn out after the first round.

Friday 11/15 WOD at PCF

Whoops, forgot to post this Friday! I’ve been swamped with work this week, and woke up sick as a dog on Tuesday morning, so I didn’t end up going to crossfit on Wednesday. But holy hell, did today ever make up for that. I’m going to be feeling this all weekend.

Strength:

EMOTM for 10 Minutes of:

• 1 Power Clean/1 Hang Squat Clean/1 Front Squat: 75lbs. Man, this felt super heavy today.
• 2 Handstand Push-ups: to 2 abmats. 2 for the first 6 rounds, 1 for rounds 7-10.

WOD for Time: 13:23. DFL.

5 Rounds of:

• 7 Shoulder-to-Overhead: 65, Level II-. Started at 75 which was Level II, and I had to pull off the 5s from each side after the first two rounds. My shoulders were smoked.
• 7 Bastards: Rx. Aka lateral over-the-bar burpees. These were the easiest part.
• 7 Dumbbell Hang Squat Cleans: 25lbs, Level II. I’m so proud of myself for sticking it out with these. They were AWFUL.

This was soul crushing. I underestimated how dead my shoulders would be after the HSPUs, and definitely went too heavy on the s2o. There weren’t any 20lb dumbbells to grab so I went for 25, and honestly, I thought my legs and wrists were going to fall off. It was the worst. I finished last in the class for the FIRST TIME EVER and was in tears when I collapsed to the ground at the end.

Friday 10/11 WOD at PCF

TGIF! I’m looking forward to a log weekend of homework, studying, knitting, and some light climbing/conditioning. I’m taking this Sunday off from gymnastics because of a sore left hamstring/groin, and because my partner is crime for those classes will be in NY. Also, I am proud of myself for actually showing up today, in spite of the crappy rainy weather. Knowing you’re heading into a workout that has running in it while it’s POURING outside definitely tests your motivation. Thankfully, the rain let up just in time for our run, and my freshly-dyed hair didn’t end up staining my clothes bright red, ha!

Strength:

EMOTM for 10 Minutes of:

• 1 Front Squat: 95lbs. Holy heavy! I was thinking I could do 105. I think with a little more warming up I could have done it, but we were a little rushed so not today!
• 3 Strict Ring Dips: assisted. Meh. Don’t feel like these are getting any better lately.

WOD for Time: 10:25

• Run 600m: Rx. This felt easier than usual. What’s going on.
• 30 Kettlebell Swings: 35lbs American swing, Rx. All unbroken, I might add. 
• 20 Bastards: Rx, lateral over-the-bar burpees. Eh. Slow but steady pace.
• 10 P. Curtis (Power Clean->right leg lunge->left leg lunge->shoulder to overhead = 1 rep): 55lbs, Level I. Wompwomp. The worst.

I am awful at lunges just in general, and after all of the leg stuff I knew I wasn’t going to be good for the 75lb level II weight. I barely got through the lunges at this weight!

Monday 9/16 WOD at PCF

Strength:

• Front Squats 3-3-3-3: 95-95-95-95(-95 Bonus)

WOD for Time: 7:30

“Power Elizabeth”

21-15-9 of:

• Power Cleans: 80lbs, Level II.
• Ring Dips: assisted (15-12-9), Level I.

Monday 9/9 WOD at PCF

Strength:

• Front Squat 3-3-3-3: 105-105(f on 3rd)-95

WOD for Time: 13:52

3 Rounds of:

• 30 Russian Kettlebell Swings: 35lbs, Level II.
• 30 Push-Ups: knees, Level I movement, Rx reps.
• Run 400m