3/13/14

Complete rest.

3/12/14

The weather this morning was some of the worst I've ever seen. For Chicago it was just horrendous; so much wind, so much snow and ice. It was the first time I've actually been pissed about the weather. The 20 minute walk to the gym took me about 30 this morning. Anyway, once I got the gym and started moving I became a lot happier. I had a really great training session. Had to go light on the snatching due to my ridiculous hand tear. Everything else felt great though. Also my training partner PRed his snatch and his snatch + hang snatch. He is really close to a bodyweight snatch, it is great to see him progress.

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
Toes-to-Bar x 12 reps
Alternating Pistols x 10 reps (5 each leg)

-Complete, felt easy. Pistols in nanos are no problem now. I used to have to rely on my weightlifting shoes.

B.
Six sets of:
2-Position Snatch
(one from the floor, then the hang)
Rest as needed

-2 Sets @ 135#, 4 Sets @ 155#
-Kept this really light, my hand is jacked up.

C.
Dead-lift
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 70% (345#)
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (395#)
*Set 3 – 2 reps @ 85% (425#)
*Set 4 – 1 rep @ 90% (445#)
*Set 5 – 10 reps @ 73% (355#)
Rest 2 minutes between sets

-I was basically doing these off my finger tips due to my hand, got all the reps and felt good though.

D.
Six sets of:
AirDyne Intervals
2 Minutes @ 85-90%
60 Seconds @ 60-65%

-Cals: 72, 80, 60, 65, 58, 65
-Went as hard as possible, definitely felt myself gassing toward the end. Great effort.

3/11/14

Today was a great training session. It was great to get back to training hard and just having an awesome time in the gym. I felt great on everything. I missed yesterday's workout, so I kind of had to bastardize both Monday's and Tuesday's workouts into one session, it ended up being really solid though. I haven't back squatted and front squatted in the same session in a while. I used to do it all the time and it was fun. Set some solid PRs.

A.
Every two minutes, for 12 minutes (6 sets):
Clean & Jerk x 1.1 @ 85-90%
(rest 10 seconds between singles)

-Went with 245# (85%), no misses, felt really good.

C.
Back Squat
*Set 1 – 3 reps @ 75% (325#)
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (355#)
*Set 3 – 2 reps @ 85% (375#)
*Set 4 – 1 rep @ 90% (395#)
*Set 5 – 1 rep @ 95% (415#)
Rest as needed

-Felt really strong.

B.
Front Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 60% (225#)
*Set 2 – 4 reps @ 70% (275#)
*Set 3 – 3 reps @ 80% (315#)
*Set 4 – 2 reps @ 90% (345#) PR
*Set 5 – 5 reps @ 80% (315#) PR
Rest 2 minutes between sets

-Was tough after A, but felt good.

D.
For Max Reps:
4 minutes of Burpees to 6" target
3 minutes of Wall Balls (30#)
2 minutes of HSPU

-60, 45, 11.
-Wall-balls were really tough, the HSPU felt absolutely terrible after the wall-balls, went 3/5/3 on reps. Should have taken a minute break and then gone for a larger unbroken set instead of trying to get right on the wall.

E.
Five sets for times of:
Row or AirDyne 60 Calories
40 Double-Unders
Rest 3 minute

-3:25, 3:28, 3:24, 3:35, 3:46 - felt really good, great conditioning.

F.
3 Sets, not for time, rest as needed:
15 Strict HSPU lockouts (basically a HSPU to two ab-mats at 100% speed)
20 Banded Air Squats (1 black band)

-Complete.

3/10/14

Today is a day I will probably remember for the rest of my life. I can't believe I didn't get into the round of 16 on 14.2. It was not for a lack of effort. There was absolutely nothing I could have done differently. I didn't butterfly at all this time through and I got all the OHS unbroken. I had :50 left on the clock to get 14 pull-ups and I only got 11. I was doing singles as fast as I could, my hands just couldn't stay on that bar. Embarrassing performance. I'm calling it now, I will have the biggest point disparity between 14.1 and 14.2, probably world wide, for people who actually put 100% effort into the workouts. (Meaning, not counting the people who posted a decent score for 14.1 and then 1 rep for 14.2 or vice versa).

I knew I was bad at gymnastics stuff, but I didn't realize I was this bad. I'm glad today exposed this, it's a bit of a wake up call. All the huge PRs I've set this year (some of my best include a 315# x 20 RM back squat, 490# x 1 RM dead-lift, 225# x 1 RM snatch) don't even matter if I cant' do C2B pull-ups better than average joe.

In 2011-12 I was much better at pull-ups. When I injured my elbow in August 2012, I stopped doing kipping pull-ups in training for about 6 months due to injury. This showed in the 2013 Open, I performed very poorly on 13.5. Then in May 2013 I went to OCS, didn't train kipping pull-ups at all the entire summer. I got back to crossfit in September and I just haven't gotten "good" at kipping C2B pull-ups again.

Yeah I had extreme DOMs, yeah I had a horrible tear that tore more. It doesn't matter, everyone faces adversity and those are just excuses that I refuse to rely on. The reality of the situation is that I'm just not that good at C2B pull-ups right now. I'm 24 years old and have a lot of time to improve this movement. I'll be back.

Crossfit is constantly humbling and humility is good. My season is over. Excited to get back to doing what I love, training.

Score from Friday: 135
Score from Monday: 141

3/9/14

My biceps are have a lot of DOMS going on, took a lacrosse ball to them a couple times throughout the day.

Other than that, complete and much needed rest.

3/8/14

My body felt a lot better today than yesterday. I'm not sore at all in my biceps and shoulders which I'm happy about. Monday should be good to go. I'm excited to give it another go. Facing adversity and stepping up to a challenge way outside your comfort zone is one of my favorite things about crossfit. I will give it my all come Monday. I am lot better off mentally after training again. I had a really good morning session with my bros. They are great dudes.

I also weighed in today at 204#. I just wanted to know where I'm at given my terrible performance last night.

I haven't weighed in since 12/7/13 at 212#.

So I happy that my reduction in calories has worked. I haven't been super crazy about it, but I've cut out dairy and reduced my overall carbohydrate/caloric intake. I've also set a lot of strength PRs since cutting weight, so it's been good.

A.
Every minute, on the minute, for 20 minutes:
Power Clean x 1 rep
(add 5-10 lbs every minute until you reach a weight that you miss, then back off 5-10 lbs and stay there with the intention of hitting all remaining reps at that weight)

-5 minutes @ 235#
-4 minutes @ 255#
-3 minutes @ 275#
-1 minute @ 285# (PR tie)
-2 minutes @ 295# (failed both attempts)
-5 minutes @ 275# - felt really solid here

B.
For 15 minutes, rotate through the following three stations on the minute:
Minute 1 – 200m Row (took about :40 every time, kept 1:40-49 every interval)
Minute 2 – 10 Deadlifts (225/155 lbs)
Minute 3 – 12 Burpees to 6″ Target

-Complete, felt solid.

3/7/14

I did very poorly today. Embarrassingly so. I've put in a lot of work this year. Way more than last year. Way more consistency, way more intensity, way more sacrifice. I basically entirely stopped drinking alcohol last September. I can count on one hand the times I've been drunk since then (I binge drank a lot last year from June 2012 to June 2013, the legal culture in Chicago is entirely based around binge drinking). My rest has been more consistent than its ever been. My diet has been very consistent, as much so as in 2011-12 when I got serious about my food intake.

I've set countless PRs this year and got 20th place in the North Central region on a workout last week, beating many 'Games' athletes. Most regions I would have been in the 10-15 range. My motor works, my strength is solid. I can't do C2B pull-ups or handstand push-ups to save my fucking life though. It's not an effort thing, they just shut off. I know how to push myself to a lot of places where people are not willing to go mentally. I'm a fucking Marine officer. The effort is there. It's just so frustrating to blow up a workout and fucking suck. Getting beat by average dudes that barely put in any work. They can't even snatch 155# and they beat me on this shit.

I feel like a joke. It is like a joke how shitty I did today. I obviously let myself down and I feel like I let those around me down, but I don't think anyone actually gives a fuck.

I'm too successful in other facets of my life to get upset about being bad at one modality of exercise that is irrelevant to anything other than crossfit. It's more just frustrating. Big lanky dudes are not made for gymnastics.

I don't really know what to say aside from that. I've put in a lot of work and I'm proud of myself. My gymnastics is just not there. It's a gaping hole in my fitness under crossfit's definition of fitness. Not sure exactly what I need to change about my training. Maybe I just need to drop 20 lbs and see how I feel. Maybe I just need to do actual gymnastics for a few months.

I don't fucking know. I've put in a lot of work and I school a lot of people at crossfit, often. I can throw around weights, deal with the pain and run and do aerobic/lactic stuff like it's my job. I don't even get lactic/aerobic in C2B/HSPU workouts. I just fucking fail. I don't know what I'm going to do, but something has got to change.

Anyway despite that my left hand is ripped as fuck...

Goal for Monday morning is 192 reps (16 OH + 16 PU + 16 OHS)

The reality of the situation is I will not be competing individually at Regionals this year. It was not my goal going into the season, my goal was/is to be on my gym's team. This is determined by the top 3 placing men in the Open. I am, as of now, just too unbalanced of an athlete to compete the Regional level individually again. 2012 might have been my only opportunity as the field gets more and more competitive. This is a hard pill to swallow after my performance/placing last week and all the hard work I've put in. But I don't sugar coat anything. It's just not there, despite my best effort. What a shitty feeling that is. Tomorrow is another day.

3/6/14

30 Minutes Mobility

30 Minutes Airdyne, super easy


Body feels good, shoulders are a little sore, but I feel ready for anything.

3/5/14

Great training session this morning. Body felt great, much better than yesterday. Pumped to rest tomorrow and hit whatever 14.2 is on Friday!

A.
OHS - 10,10,10,10

-135#, 165#, 195#, 215# (Fail - got 7 reps)

Behind Neck Jerk - 1,1,1

-245#, 265#, 285# (fail) - missed this rep, but my shoulders were not feeling happy after the OHS

B. Five sets of:
Back Squat x 2-3 reps
(let feel dictate load, if you feel good, go heavy)
Rest 3-4 minutes

-3,3,3,2,2 - 315#, 345#, 365#, 385#, 405# (2 RM PR)

C.
Three sets for times of:
12 Overhead Squats (115/75 lbs)
10 Box Jumps (30″/24″)
8/6 Muscle-Ups
Rest 3 minutes

-1:47 (unbroken), 1:58 (6/2), 2:47 (4/2/1/1)

D.
For max meters:
4 minutes of Rowing
Rest 4 minutes
2 minutes of Rowing
Rest 2 minutes
1 minute of Rowing

1250m, 640m, 350m = 2240m Total - felt awesome.

3/4/14

I was a little toasted this morning. I only got to sleep about 5 and a half hours between last night's workout and the session this morning. I had to cut out the shoulder-to-overhead due to some tennis elbow inflammation. I could have done it, but I don't think there would have been any benefit. Physically I felt fine, was a little discouraged because I had to cut the shoulder-to-overhead out. Overall a solid day, ate a huge PWO meal in hopes of recovering extra. Pumped to train tomorrow!

A.
Every minute, on the minute, for 6 minutes, complete:
5 Squat Cleans (175/115 lbs)
Work for speed and efficiency, and then bring breathing and focus back to calm state before your next set.

-Complete, felt really easy, all reps touch-and-go.

B.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
10 Ring Dips
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

Rest exactly 3 minutes, and then . . .

C.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
20 Wall Ball Shots (30/20 lbs)
10 Toes to Bar

3 Rds + 6 C2B
2 Rds + 20 WB

D.
3 Sets, NFT:
6 Strict C2B Pull-ups
15 Weighted Sit-ups, Anchored (100# DB)

-Complete

3/3/14

AM Workout (0530) 

Gave 14.1 another go. I usually train everyday at 5 AM. On Friday I did the WOD around 8 PM and got 353. I naturally did better this morning. My goal was 360+ ... I got 395. I was obviously stoked about this score. I felt really good and paced the entire workout, I went out of the gate very slow and it paid off. I only broke up the last two sets of snatches 9/6. Missed about 4-5 double-unders throughout random sets. Great day in the gym for me. I might get around to the usual programming this evening after work if I feel good/have the time.


I was pretty anxious yesterday. My hamstrings were still really sore and I really wanted to get 360 reps. I was stressing about my performance for the first time in a very long time. I'm usually stoked to train and throw around some heavy weights every morning. It was good to go out there and push myself way outside my comfort zone. Training is fun. Training is easy. You get to hangout with your best friends and lift heavy weights. Competing is not always fun and it's never easy. Competing is a great way to bring out the absolute best performance you've got though. There is no way I would have gone this hard without the push of competition. I guess that makes the stress and anxiety worth it. I'm really proud of myself and the training I've put in this year. I've been very consistent and worked very hard. I really hope HSPU do not come up in the Open. They are the only thing really holding me back.

PM Workout (1900) 

Had a long day at work and school, but got in the gym and felt great.


A.
Two sets of:
Accumulate 60 seconds in an L-Sit
Accumulate 60 seconds in a Handstand Hold, Nose-to-Wall
Accumulate 60 seconds Front Leaning Rest on Rings
(the top of the push-up position with rings 1″ off the ground)

-Complete

B.
Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes:
Clean & Jerk x 1.1.1 @ 80% (225#)
(rest 10 seconds between singles)

-Missed minute 7 and 9... went into 12th minute to finish all 30 reps. Felt strong though, this seemed tough. I've never done a 3 EMOM at 225#.

C.
For time:
15 Thrusters (135/95 lbs)
5 Rope Climbs (15′)
12 Thrusters
4 Rope Climbs
9 Thrusters
3 Rope Climbs
6 Thrusters
2 Rope Climbs
3 Thrusters
1 Rope Climb

-9.48. Ouch. I was training alone and straight up did not want to do this. Went hard anyway.

D.
3000m Row @ easy effort

-Time of 12:46.

3/2/14

Complete rest, spent about 20 minutes on the foam roller. Hamstrings have extreme DOMS.

3/1/14

Hamstrings/glutes sore. Rest of body feels fine. Fun little session today, pumped to hit it Monday!

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
Toes to Bar x 15 unbroken reps
Alternating Pistols x 10 each leg
Roll to Candlestick x 5 reps

-Complete

B.
Every minute, on the minute, for 8 minutes:
Back Squat x 3 reps @ 75 (325#)

-Felt really easy; felt really strong, way more there.

C.
For 15 minutes, rotate through the following three stations on the minute:
Minute 1 – 45 Seconds Row (went to 250m every time)
Minute 2 – 15 Wall Ball Shots (20 lbs)
Minute 3 – 10 Ring Dips

-Complete, everything felt good.

2/28/14

I went hard, I set a PR. I wanted 8 rounds + (360+ reps), but it just didn't happen today. I was proud of my effort though. Monday morning I will give it another go just for the hell of it!

11.4
AMRAP 10
30 Double-under
15 Snatch (75#)

-7 Rounds + 7 Snatch (352 reps). PR (previous best was 7 + 22 DU from 2/13).

2/27/14

Active Recovery around 0900. Body feels good.

-30 Minutes mobility

-30 Minutes super easy airdyne


When the 14.1 workout was announced, I just felt kind of underwhelmed. I really don't like this workout much, it's kind of silly. A lot of crossfit workouts are just kind of silly. Does it really matter that someone gets another few double-unders than someone else? Does that really separate two people out much in the bigger picture of fitness? I guess the novelty of timed exercise has entirely left my mind and crossfit generally is getting a little boring to me. Having said that, I don't want to be misunderstood, I freaking love crossfit. But as an athlete and Marine Officer I want to be very strong and conditioned. But I don't think getting 10 rounds in this workout vs. someone else getting 10 rounds plus 14 double-unders tells much about a person or how physically fit they are. And these Open workouts are not meant to separate out people, regionals does that very well. I guess just the novelty of all this has entirely worn off. But I guess everything in life can't always be fun and some things should be done out of obligation. So I will participate in the Open with 100% effort.

 I love training. I love training more than I'll ever love competing. Why? Because training is a personal experience and a personal venue to challenge yourself and better yourself. Every day is a new day to better yourself, whether physically, mentally or spiritually. Crossfit is the means to which I better myself physically. I use competition only as a way to better myself and push that little extra that competition might bring out. I have no desire to beat a specific other person, that makes no sense to me. My only competition is my previous effort. Having said that, I want to focus on my goals, my desires and my future. Does that involve being the absolute best at crossfit Open workouts? Maybe not. What it does involve is getting much stronger and staying reasonably conditioned for my professional responsibilities as a leader of United States Marines.

2/26/14

Today was an awesome day of working out. I felt great on everything. Heavy snatching and muscle-ups felt particularly awesome. I'm in the best shape I've ever been, I guess I can't ask for much more considering going to Marine Corps OCS this summer. It's been a tough year of a lot of great training. It will be interesting to see how the workouts pan out this year.

A.
Take 15-20 minutes to build to today’s heaviest Snatch

-Singles: 185#, 205#, 216#, 225# (PR), 230# (fail - got under it really easy, right elbow gave out when standing it up). Stoked to PR though!

B.
Every minute, on the minute, for 5 minutes:
Back Squat x 3 reps @ 80% (345#) of 1-RM

-Complete, fun stuff.

C.
AMRAP 7:
7 Burpee Box Jump Overs (24")
14 Wall-ball (30#)

-5 Rds + 2 reps. TOUGH, burnt the lungs. 30# WB is brutal. I wish I could get my hands it more often.

-I had a protein/maltodextrin shake and waited 90 minutes and then started warming up for D...

D.
Three sets for times of:
5 Muscle-Ups
5 Power Snatches (115/75 lbs)
10 Overhead Squats (115/75 lbs)
5 Muscle-Ups
Rest 3 minutes

-1:56 (unbroken)
-2:24 (unbroken except last set of MU 4/1)
-2:44 (unbroken except last set of MU 3/2)

-This last part was really fun and I put out a huge effort, great stuff!

2/25/14

AM Workout (0500) 

Got a lot of stress going on outside the gym right now, still got the training in. Not the most fun session I've ever had. All sets unbroken aside from a few missed DU. Body and lungs feel good.

A.
Three sets for times of:
50 Double-Unders
15 Thrusters (75/55 lbs)
15 Pull-Ups
Rest 3 minutes

Rest until fully recovered (5 minutes), and then…

B.
Three sets for times of:
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
15 Toes to Bar
15 Burpees to 6″ Target
Rest 3 minutes

Rest until fully recovered (10 minutes) , and then…

C.
Three sets for times of:
Airdyne 40 Cals
25 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
50 Double-Unders
Rest 3 minutes

-1:21, 1:20, 1:25
-1:32, 1:40, 1:43
-3:54, 3:51, 3:58

PM Workout (1430)

I had a lot of energy this afternoon, added in some volume at home.

5 RFT:
15 Burpees (6" target)
20 KBS (2 pood)
25 Ab-mat Sit-ups

16.00. First round in 2:30 unbroken, had to break up KBS after that. Fun workout, haven't done something continuous like this in a while.

2/24/14

I didn't get to sleep until 3 AM and had some alcohol on Saturday night. This is the first time I've stayed up past midnight or drank in 2 months. Won't be doing anything like that again until after this semester is over. But it was one of my best friend's birthday and I hadn't seen him in about a year. It was cool to chill out and loosen up a little bit. Anyway, late night Saturday made 0500 training on Monday a little off. Didn't PR anything, but I went hard. I felt great on part C. Pumped for tomorrow, hoping to feel better!

A.
OHS - 10,10,10 (fail - got 8 reps)

-135#, 185#, 205#

Six sets of:
Front Squat x 1 rep
Rest as needed
Build to today’s heaviest single.

-315#, 335#, 355#, 365#, 335#, 335#
-365# felt heavy, called it there and got in two more singles at a lighter load (PR is 385#).

B.
Take 15-20 minutes to build to today’s heaviest Clean & Jerk

-Felt really crappy here. 198#, 242#, 255#, 264# (failed jerk), 264# (failed jerk)

C.
For max reps:
2 Minutes of Ground to Overhead (205/135 lbs)
Rest 2 minutes
2 Minutes of Ground to Overhead (185/125 lbs)
Rest 2 minutes
2 Minutes of Ground to Overhead (165/115 lbs)

-11, 14, 16 - really fun workout.

D.
Two sets for times:
Airdyne 35 cal
Rest exactly 90 seconds

-1:04 + 1:18 - gassed HARD on that second interval. Tough.

2/23/14

Complete rest.

2/22/14

Today was a solid session of training. Fun morning. Way better than yesterday.

A.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
10 Power Snatches (135/95 lbs)
20 Burpees Over the Barbell

Rest exactly 6 minutes, and then…

B.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
6 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
12 Toes to Bar

Rest exactly 6 minutes, and then…

C.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
9 Deadlifts (225/155 lbs)
12 Handstand Push-Ups
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)

D.
EMOM 20:
Even: Easy :50 Rowing (kept it about 1:55, ~200-220m each interval
Odd: 3 Muscle-ups

-2 Rounds + 1 Snatch
-3 Rds + 9 T2B
-2 Rds + 4 DL
-Complete