4/1/18

Had an awesome workout this morning. Haven't trained like this in a really long time. Overall had a great time ... huge mental test on the first part.. then lots of fun pump accessory stuff. Really great day in the gym... one of the mentally toughest workouts I've ever done, great stuff. Looking forward to some much needed rest and some more fun workouts this week.

A.
'TJ'
For time:
185-lb. bench presses, 10 reps
10 strict pull-ups
135-lb. thrusters, max set

Repeat the triplet until you have completed 100 reps of the thruster.

Post time and number of rounds to comments.

-44:04 ... 6 sets: 20/15/20/15/15/15 ... bench press was a shit-show... lots of singles, which was really surprising... after 10 years of crossfit I don't think I've ever combined thrusters and bench press... it was totally wicked.

B.

3 Super-Sets:
DB Reverse Flies (2 x 20#) x 8
DB Rows (72#) x 16 (8 each arm) 

Rest 1-2 minutes

-Complete

C.
3 Sets:
Half Kneeling KB Press w/ Banded Distraction (35#) x 20 reps (10 each arm)
Rest as needed

-Complete

D.
Two sets, max reps (14 min clock):

1 Min - Push-ups on Dumbbells
1 Min - Barbell Row (115/75#)

1 Min - DB Z Press (2 x 35/20#)

1 Min - Barbell Curls (65/45#) 

Rest 3:00 Minutes

-Complete ... don't remember the exact reps, just went for and achieved a massive pump.

3/31/18

So far this week has been really relaxing as far as workouts go. This is the first tough session I've put in. But the lower volume week has been really good for me physically and mentally. Had an awesome workout today, it was pretty epic. This was the most fit I've felt since 18.3 ... really fun day in the gym, had a solid group of people and a lot of hard work was done.

A.
Every 2 for 10 (5 sets):
Squat Snatch x 2 reps @ 75% (190#)

Every 2 for 10 (5 sets):
Squat Snatch x 1 rep @ 80/84/88/92/96+ (200/210/220/230/240#)

-Got all the reps except the single at 240# ... all the weights felt really great, I felt strong and quick on all these reps ... the miss at 240# was stupid, I should have had it. But despite the miss, I was glad with how everything felt after having not snatched heavy in a while. Fun stuff.

B.
On a running clock:

Teams of 2, for all AMRAPs:

AMRAP 15:
20 Overhead Squats (155/105#)
20 Box Jump Overs (30/24")
20 Snatches (155/105#)
20 Cleans (205/145#)
20 Toes-to-Bar
20 Burpee Bar Muscle-ups
20 Toes-to-Bar
20 Cleans (205/145#)
20 Snatches (155/105#)
20 Box Jump Overs (30/24")
20 Overhead Squats (155/105#)

Rest 5:00, then at 20:00 begin...

AMRAP 15:
48 Calorie Assault Bike
24 Synchro Burpees Over Bar
12 Ring Muscle-ups

Rest 5:00, then at 40:00 begin...

AMRAP 15:
48 Double-Unders (each partner)
24 Strict HSPU
12 Dead-lift (315/205#)

Rest 5:00, then at 60:00 begin...

1 Mile Run

-Result =
-1 Round
-2 Rounds + 21 Burpees
-5 Rounds + 17 Strict HSPU
-6:23

3/30/18

Complete Rest

3/29/18

Hit another class workout this morning. Lower volume day overall, but felt pretty solid throughout. Added in some fun stuff afterward.

A.
20 Minutes to Establish 1 RM Strict Press

-95# x 5, 135# x 5, 165# x 1, 175# x 1, 185# (fail), 180#, 185# ... the jump from 175# to 185# got me the first time around ... but had a lot of extra time left so lowered the weight back down and got 180# and 185#. Happy with this overall... I haven't been pressing much at all lately, so I will take 185# as a win.

B.
For time:
40 Box Jump Overs (24/20")
30 Hang Power Snatch (75/55#)
20 Strict HSPU

-5:20 ... unbroken and then HSPU were 7/4/3/3/3 ... rough on the shoulders.

C.
3 Sets:
Strict Weighted Dips (20#) x 8 reps + 8 second hold in middle of ROM after last rep
Rest as needed
Strict Weighted Pull-ups (20#) x 8 reps
Rest as needed

-Complete

D.
2 Super-Sets:
20 Close Grip Bench Press (75#)
20 DB Skull Crushers (2 x 20# DB)
Rest 2 minutes

-Complete ... huge pump here / lots of reps with light weight / great finisher.

3/28/18

Another class workout this morning... was a very low volume / stress free time in the gym. I enjoyed it.

A.
For time:
18 Ring Muscle-ups
18 Bar Muscle-ups

-4:30 ... Rings went 12/6 and Bar went 5/5/4/4 ... fun stuff, got quite a pump out of this.

Rest about 10 minutes then...

B.
3 RFT:
100 Double-Unders
50 Wall-Balls

-9:44 ... missed two double-unders on this, broke up the WB from the start, but had very consistent splits on this (around 3:10-20 each set). Fun aerobic piece.

C.
ROMWOD

-Complete

3/27/18

Taking this week very easy, jumping in some class workouts for some stress free time in the gym. Today was a fun aerobic hero workout, had a good time with a new weight vest that my wife got me for my birthday. By far the best weight vest I've ever had. I am stoked to finally have one to do HSPU in.

A.
2 Sets, not for time:
1 Legless Rope Climb (start seated on floor)
8 Strict Tempo HSPU (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up)
Rest as needed

-Complete

B.
'Sisson'
AMRAP 20, with 20# Vest:
1 Rope Climb (15')
5 Burpees
200m Run

-11 Rounds ... came in the door at 20:10, spilled over the last round slightly, but had a lot of fun doing this, was very different from the time I've usually been spending into the gym.

3/26/18

Gave 18.5 another run-through this morning... didn't feel particularly great, I was a bit sore in my forearms prior to starting this, but overall felt okay. I got the exact same score as on Saturday... which is a bit ridiculous, I've never got the exact same score on a re-test, but I guess that is where my current capacity is at. Upside of 55+ C2B pull-ups within 7 minutes is a limiter for me at this point. A few weeks ago I may have faired a lot better on this workout. It has been a few insane weeks... over the last 35 days of the Open I've been on the road for at least 24 days... Not sure how I managed to pack so much travel into this short amount of critical time, but that is just how it played out this year.

Overall hugely happy with my effort... overall I felt more 'balanced' as an athlete than I ever have going into an Open and I am also extremely proud for of this performance after coming off of TBS. I would like to continue to round-out some of deficiencies while simultaneously getting back some of the top end strength / work-capacity numbers I've achieved in the past.

3/25/18

Complete Rest / 90 Minute Massage

3/24/18

AM (1000)

18.5

Gave 18.5 a run-through today… I knew I wasn’t doing great mentally/emotionally/physically going into the workout this morning. I got back late last night, about 11 pm. I’ve worked two consecutive 90+ hour work weeks with no days off and have been on the road for about 20 days straight. I hate New York… it was a rough week spending my days having my time taken from me at training while managing my clients during lunch and before and after training. The training was great… I feel like a much better attorney because of it, but it was completely draining given me case load.

All the travel and constant preparation for trial (4 trials coming up in May) has got me completely exhausted… I literally didn’t even want to go near the gym today, but after further evaluation I figured I should give 18.5 a run-through so I can re-evaluate and hit this again on Monday.

Sets were unbroken through 9.
12 Thrusters = unbroken
12 Pull-ups = 6/6
15 Thrusters = 8/7
15 Pull-ups = 8/7
18 Thrusters = 10/8
18 Pull-ups = 5/3/2/3/3 (shit-show) – took 75 seconds (124 reps)

Overall I executed my plan well, but I have a lot of room for improvement. I finished up the set of 18 thrusters with 75 seconds left… only got 16 pull-ups in the last 75 seconds. I have a lot of room there to improve. I knew I should have pushed, I knew I should’ve gone harder, but coming off all this travel/sickness/stress I just didn’t have any gas in the tank whatsoever. I didn’t feel aggressive, I just felt defeated. And I felt this way prior to the workout even starting. A few days of rest and time at home to chill the fuck out and not think about my job will do me well… looking forward to the opportunity to improve and get into that set of 21 thrusters come Monday.

PM (1800)

A.
4 Rounds, at an 75% effort consistent aerobic pace:
400m Run
20 KBS (53/35#)
30/20 Cal Assault Bike
40 Double-Unders

-Took about 27 minutes ... ran each of these 400s with my dog ... at what would be considered a fast pace of a 12 lb miniature dachshund ... this was some good/light aerobic activity

B.
3 Sets:
Single Arm KB Cross-Body Row (53/35#) x 20 reps (10 each arm)
Rest as needed
Tempo Ring Dips x 8-10 reps (2 seconds down, 1 second hold in bottom, 1 second up, 1 second hold at top)
Rest as needed

-Complete... great accessory ... ring dips ended up being 8/7/7 ... very tough with the tempo/time under tension

3/23/18

Further Complete Rest / Travel back to VA

3/22/18

Complete Rest

3/21/18

Got into a very 'traditional' bodybuilding gym in Queens today... it was pretty much straight out of the 80s... and not in a good way. Tried to make the best of the space that I could, but it was impossible to Olympic life in the tight spaces / impossible to do much crossfit ... every person there was an out of shape moron who had 0% idea of what they were doing in the gym... this was in a very low-income area and I felt bad for everyone in there. Atleast they had a rower... made use of that. 

A.

EMOM 9 

1 Hang Power Snatch + 1 Power Snatch

-135# x 3 sets, 155# x 3 sets, 175# x 3 sets ... went extremely light here, had no chalk/weightlifting shoes/tape ... was using a piece of shit bodybuilding bar that was completely smooth and did not spin whatsoever... just hit some easy reps in a tiny confined bodybuilding gym... the complete opposite of ideal, but at least got some movement in.

B.

6 sets of:
30 Double-Unders
10 Thrusters (95/65#)
10 Burpees
Rest :60

-Fasest/slowest were 1:13 and 1:21 ... this was much different than the conditioning I wanted to do... but made the best of what I could in this little shit gym.

C.
Rowing
10 Rounds:
1:40 On / :20 Seconds Off

-Complete ... didn't calculate the distance here ... just went for some good aerobic intensity. 

3/20/18

Still in NYC for the remainder of the week, looked up the local classes here and they were all weak or unrelated to what I wanted to train today. Hopped into the hotel gym quickly to grab some pull-up work and a quick pump. This was more of an active recovery / fun day than training, but it was a nice way to start the day before heading off to do very long hours of legal work.

A.

7 Sets of:

7 Strict Pull-ups (various grips)
14 Push-ups

Rest :45

-Complete 

B.

3 Sets of: 

Concentration Curl (30#) x 20 reps (10 each arm)

Tricep Rope Push-Down (60#) x 15 reps

Rest :45

-Complete 

C.

3 Sets of:
Overhead Rope Extension (60#) x 15 reps

Wide Grip Cable Curls (60#) x 15 reps 

Rest :45

-Complete ... had a huge pump by the end of this, nice/quick workout to start the day. 

3/19/19

In NYC ... dropped into some random gym in Long Island City ... hit the class workout after a long day of training / managing clients / hating the tempo of my professional life.

A.
Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3
Rest as needed

-275#, 295#, 315#, 315#, 315# ... no lifting shoes, no belt, no knee sleeves ... just went very light and focused on moving well, getting in some good reps. Glutes / hamstring are a bit sore from 18.4 two days in a row.

B.
AMRAP 15:
1 Rope Climb (15')
10 Back Squats (135/95#)
15 KBS (53/35#)

-8 Rounds + 8 reps ... just went through this around 85-90%, got a good sweat on.

3/18/18

18.4 Redo. 112 reps / 7:55 tie-break

6:00 not unbroken 'Diane' (PR is 3:55 unbroken, but had to hit every rep with perfect position under the new standard, took much longer) and then finished fourth set of dead-lifts at 7:55 ... I was totally smoked by this point... had a minute to handstand walk and couldn't get more than 1 increment. I have improved drastically over the years on my ability to do HSPU / handstand walk but I haven't improved enough to be able to handstand walk after Diane and 21 reps at 315#. This was a great experience though, I have a huge amount of work I can put in here to be a more well-rounded athlete.

Overall I knew the HSPU would be my worst finish in the Open, I was mentally prepared for this, but I don't think I was prepared for the negativity towards me from some of the people around me. People no-where near Regionals or a Regional Team Roster being hyper competitive doesn't make a fucking ounce of sense to me, but it is the community with which I am part for the near future. On to 18.5 on my future goals.

3/17/18

Definitely has been rough with the constant travel / work stress / getting in late last night ... got into the gym to give 18.4 a run-through this morning. The new standard has changed HSPUs for a lot people (those that actually adhere to it and/or are held accountable to it). Anyway, messed around with it this morning and gave the workout a run-through. It was a very strange phenomena with a judge giving me reps and what seems like a swarm of people around me attempting to no rep me for what was a poorly drawn line in chalk on the wall. It was a lot of negative energy and a lot of negative attitudes in my direction, but overall I realize I way out in front in the 'standings' within my current gym... have a huge target on my back. Which is fine, I get it, but I'm excited for the day I am in a more positive community of competitive people that handle the 'Open' differently. Finished 'Diane' in ~7 with maybe 10-15 no reps? Stopped there, saving my back from 315# and decided to redo in the future.

3/16/18

Complete Rest / travel back to VA

3/15/18

Active Recovery Day

A.
-33 Minute super easy run ... conversational pace around MCRD San Diego. Was a nice morning, about 60 degrees and sunny, a tad windy. Overall a really nice way to start the day and explore the base.

B.
Strict Pull-ups
3 Sets of 10
Rest 1-2 minutes between sets

-Complete

3/14/18

Dropped into Invictus for the 6pm Competitor's class... barely made it as my training went way over schedule again... it was really nice to get off base and hit a quality class at Invictus. Great stuff, had a good time... wasn't too taxing, but glad I got this activity in. Good last workout before the taper into 18.4.

A.
Every minute, on the minute, for 15 minutes:
Front Squat x 1 rep @ 75% (275#)

-Complete

B.
Every 7 minutes, for 21 minutes (3 sets) of:
40/30 Calorie Row
30 Box Jump Overs (24″/20″)
15 Strict Handstand Push-Ups to 2″/0″ Deficit

-4:27 (10/3/2)

-5:10 (5/5/3/2)

-5:58 (5/3/2/2/3) ... deficit was rough... this was a challenge for me, but glad I got stuck with the deficit... a lot of people did not go deficit.

C.
Three sets of:
Death March x 20 Steps
Immediately followed by…
Hip Thrusts x 20 reps 

Rest as needed

-Complete

D.
Three sets of:
Single-Arm Suitcase Carry x 100' feet each arm
Rest as needed
Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly x 10 reps (2 x 15#)

-Complete

3/13/18

This training is becoming extremely inconvenient... it is a big time suck on top of all my regular work that doesn't stop... The training went way over schedule (2 hours) and I wasn't able to attend the Invictus Competition Class that I wanted to hit... had to settle for a later 'regular' class at the Point Loma location... anyway... got the class in... it was overall a decent workout with some solid coaching.

A.
Every 2 minutes for 18 minutes (3 Rotations through each station):
Station 1 = 8 Ring Muscle-ups
Station 2 = 70 Foot Hand Stand Walk
Station 3 = :45 L-Sit Hold

-Complete ... great warm-up... was actually coached on my handstand walk and it helped a TON. Looking forward to implementing the cues I was given a lot.

B.
5 RFT:
400m Run
9 Toes-to-Bar
6 C2B Pull-ups
3 Bar MU

-14:23 ... all sets unbroken ... lots of running.

C.
1 Mile easy cool-down jog back to base

-Complete

3/12/18

Complete Rest ... was planning on training today... but I am in San Diego and I while traveling here I came down with a bad head cold... hoping to feel back to normal tomorrow.

3/11/18

Had a really rough morning in the gym... I didn't feel particularly great... still had a lot of DOMS in my calves and a little bit in my upper body. I did not feel great going into this workout and I couldn't keep on the improved pace that I wanted. At least I tried, it just wasn't there. This workout really stopped in my tracks. I definitely have a lot of room to improve on this workout. Over the next year I need to do a lot of workouts with higher volume sets of double-unders... this is first workout this year that I didn't feel prepared for ... added in some extra volume after 18.3 as that workout is basically just jumping around... got a lot of intensity out of it, was some hard work.

A.
18.3
For time (14 minute cap):
100 Double-Unders
20 Overhead Squats (115/80#)
100 Double-Unders
12 Ring Muscle-ups
100 Double-Unders
20 DB Snatch (50/35#)
100 Double-Unders
12 Bar Muscle-ups

-659 (10 reps worse than Friday)

Rest about 15 minutes then...

B.

4 Rounds:
3 Rope Climbs (15')
8 Double Kettlebell Deadlifts (2 x 72/53#)
12 Pistols (Total)
50′ Handstand Walk

-17:14 ... lots of high skill stuff after being really taxed from 18.3 ... went through this fairly slowly, especially on the handstand walk ... was happy to at least get some of this higher skill stuff in... haven't been hitting it since the Open started.

Rest about 10 minutes then...

C.

Every 12 Minutes, for 36 Minutes (2 sets) of:

5 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
10 Front Squats (185/125 lbs)
15 Deadlifts (185/125 lbs)
20/15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
25/18 Calorie Assault Bike

-3:38 (unbroken) / 4:10 (unbroken barbell, C2B were 10/5/5) 

3/10/18

Complete Rest

3/9/18

Gave 18.3 a run-through this evening. I have to say this is one of the weirdest, if not the weirdest, Open workout I've ever seen. It is essentially entirely double-unders and correctly pacing the double-unders.

Basically from the splits below, I was very consistent for the first round (about 9 minutes) and then shit hit the fan during the last 5 minutes. Looking at the splits I have a lot of proper pacing to do leading up to and within those last 5 minutes. If I can hit consistent sets of :90 those last few sets of double-unders I would basically get an extra minute to complete ring muscle-ups, which would allow me to get through those 12 reps. I am looking forward to an opportunity to redo this with a better plan, today was really just feeling this workout out, as it is extremely weird and different. Happy with my effort here, looking forward to another opportunity.

18.3
For time (14 minute cap):
100 Double-Unders
20 Overhead Squats (115/80#)
100 Double-Unders
12 Ring Muscle-ups
100 Double-Unders
20 DB Snatch (50/35#)
100 Double-Unders
12 Bar Muscle-ups

-1 Round + 5 Ring Muscle-ups (689 reps)

-Splits, total time:
100 Double-Unders [:58]
20 Overhead Squats (115/80#) [1:35]
100 Double-Unders [2:40]
12 Ring Muscle-ups [3:49]
100 Double-Unders [5:15]
20 DB Snatch (50/35#) [6:06]
100 Double-Unders [7:40]
12 Bar Muscle-ups [8:50]

100 Double-Unders [10:44]
20 Overhead Squats [11:36]
100 Double-Unders [13:25]
5 Muscle-ups [14:00]

-Splits, each movement:
100 Double-Unders [:58]
20 Overhead Squats (115/80#) [:37]
100 Double-Unders [1:05]
12 Ring Muscle-ups [1:09]
100 Double-Unders [1:26]
20 DB Snatch (50/35#) [:51]
100 Double-Unders [1:34]
12 Bar Muscle-ups [1:10]

100 Double-Unders [1:54]
20 Overhead Squats [:52]
100 Double-Unders [1:49]
5 Muscle-ups [:35]

-Splits, Double-Unders:
:58
1:05 +:7
1:26 +:28
1:34 +:36
1:54 +:56
1:49 +:51

3/8/18

Complete Rest / tapering down for 18.3

3/7/18

Had a decent workout this morning. I was in and out of the gym very quickly this morning, shorter session overall. Good cardio / gymnastics work.

A.

EMOM 10:
3/2 Unbroken Ring Muscle-ups

-Complete ... very easy warm-up ...  I wanted to get in some reps on the rings.

B.
EMOM x 16 (4 Rounds):
A) 7 Wallballs (30/20) + 5 Bar Muscle-ups
B) 15 Box Jumps (24/20)
C) 7 Power Snatches (95/65#) + 7 Overhead Squats (95/65#)
D) 18/14 Calorie Row

-Complete ... this was a fun workout, good conditioning, but not too taxing overall. Very different from many of the typical EMOMs I've done.

C.
Recovery Bike
18:00 Recovery Effort
Every 3:00 Complete 12 Kipping Handstand Push-ups

-Complete ... very easy effort here, got all the reps of HSPU unbroken. Fun/stress free way to end this week's training before 18.3.

3/6/18

Had a decent workout this morning... felt a bit tired from 18.2 last night, but overall I was happy with this session today. Lots of cardio, but wasn't too taxing overall. Looking forward to a harder session tomorrow.

A.
EMOM 7:
7 Box Jumps (24/20")
7 C2B Pull-ups

-Complete ... all sets unbroken ... was a good warm-up.

B.
5 Rounds:
60 Double-Unders
20/15 Calorie Assault Bike
6 Power Snatches (185/135)

-20:17 ... this workout was rough less than 10 hours apart from 18.2 last night... legs were not sore, but definitely gassed out. Got through this, overall a fun workout.

C.
24-21-18-15-12:
Calorie Row
GHD Sit-Ups

-9:55 unbroken

3/5/18

Improved a ton on this workout ... had a super long day in court for multiple appearances (two clients) in front of the judge today ... got into the gym with about an hour left to complete and submit the workout around 6:45 PM. I was really happy with this effort ... had a plan and executed it and it went really well. Those sets of 8/9 sucked big time... had to really push those and I saved 10 seconds within the first five sets by going out a little faster ... probably saved this time primarily in faster transitions. Overall big effort on this... I was very happy to come back, have a plan, execute and improve... especially after a very long and stressful day at work.

A.
18.2 & 18.2a
On a 12:00 clock:

For time:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
DB Squats (2 x 50/35#)
Burpees-over-the-Bar

in the remaining time, 1 RM Clean

-5:10 (37 second improvement) and 317# clean ... splits:

Set of 5 = 1:17
Set of 7 = ?
Set of 8 = 4:21
Set of 10 = 5:10

Previous splits were:

Set of 5 = 1:27
Set of 7 = 2:20
Set of 9 = 4:59
Set of 10 = 5:47

Cleans went 277, 302, 317# ... (previously went 225, 277, 302, failed 322 twice) felt really good on these, possibly more there, but overall I was really happy with this 15# improvement over my last run through.

B.
ROMWOD

-Complete

3/4/18

Complete Rest / re-testing 18.2 tomorrow ... not sore, but definitely tight in my glutes/hamstrings/traps.

3/3/18

Hit the Open workout today. Had a decent run-through given I've been traveling to Portland, OR and back and my flights got all fucked up with the storm on the East Coast. Had a lot of unnecessary adversity to deal with... but anyway, got in the gym this morning regardless and gave 18.2 a run-through. Overall happy with how I went, but definitely going to give this another run-through on Monday.

A.
18.2 & 18.2a
On a 12:00 clock:

For time:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
DB Squats (2 x 50/35#)
Burpees-over-the-Bar

in the remaining time, 1 RM Clean

-5:47 ... this sucked big time... splits were:

Set of 5 = 1:27
Set of 7 = 2:20
Set of 9 = 4:59
Set of 10 = 5:47

Not really sure where I could make up time here... this was a bitch and a half.

-225#, 277#, 302#, 322# (fail x 2 attempts) ... 302# felt very easy... I got aggressive with the weight jumps and wanted 322#... I wish I would have gotten these lifts... obviously I will try again with a bigger opening weight and overall smaller jumps in weight to hit something above 302#.

B.
ROMWOD

-Complete

3/1/18 & 3/2/18

Complete Rest / taper down for 18.2