4/2/14

Today was a pretty rough training session. The CJ felt good, but the metcon was gnarly. My C2B pull-ups felt really rough today, the volume was rough. Subbed out strict pull-ups for the rope climbs and airdyne for the rowing. Much needed rest day tomorrow.

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
Strict Pull-ups x 10
Double-Unders x 75 reps
(perform these as fast as possible with no trips)
Alternating Pistols x 20 reps
(perform these three as fast and efficiently as possible)

-Complete

B.
Every two minutes, for 20 minutes (10 sets) of:
Power Clean + Hang Clean + Clean + Jerk

-3 Sets @ 198#
-3 Sets @ 209#
-2 Sets @ 220#
-2 Sets @ 231#

-Felt good in here, was really fun.

C.
Three sets for times of:
Airdyne 800m (.5 mile)
315/215 lb Deadlift x 15 reps
Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x 30 reps
Rest 3 minutes
(If you cannot safely perform this volume at these loads, reduce the loads to 275/185 lbs.)

- ~6:00, ~7:00, ~8:30. I wasn't getting the exact time here, couldn't see the clock the way I was set up. But the majority of the time was spent staring at the fucking pull-up bar. Was doing sets of 4-3 toward the end of the sets.

D.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
20 Air Squats
20/15 Push-Ups

-4 rounds + 20 Air Squats - felt decent in here, push-ups gassed after 3rd round.

4/1/14

Today was a great session. I cut the metcon short due to doing 14.5 again yesterday and because I did a bunch of jerk stuff with a weightlifting coach today. My split jerk has always been kind of fucked up, he really helped me with footwork and positing in the jerk this morning. Can't wait to PR. Pumped to train tomorrow!

A.
Back Squat
*Set 1 – 40% (185#)  x 5 reps
*Set 2 – 50% (225#) x 4 reps
*Set 3 –  65% (275#) x 3 reps
*Set 4 – 75% (315#) x 2 reps

Rest no more than 60 seconds – or the time it takes you to put weight on the barbell – between these first four sets!

*Set 5 – 85% (370#) x 1 rep
*Set 6 – 90% x (390#) 1 rep
*Set 7 – 90-95% x (405#) 1 rep
*Set 8 – 90-95% x (405#) 1 rep

Rest 2-3 minutes between sets for the last four sets.

-Complete, felt really strong all the way through. Went with 93% on the final two sets.

B.
Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes:
Snatch x 3 reps
*Sets 1-4 – 75% (165#) of 1-RM
*Sets 5-8 – 80% (180#)
*Sets 9-10 – 85% (190#)

-Complete, but I deviated from the EMOM the last few sets. I was working with a coach so he was going over some technical stuff with me, but I got all the work in. I felt really good under his watchful eye, definitely helping me out.

C.
-Worked on split jerk technique stuff for probably 45 minutes. Worked on foot work, split depth, the dip and drive; did some strict press from the split and some jerk balances. Really good technical work. Great stuff, kind of exhausting on my shoulders though.

D.
Every minute, on the minute, for 15 minutes:
Minute 1 – 185# Power Clean and Push-Jerk x 5 reps
Minute 2 – C2B Pull-up x 8 reps
Minute 3 – Handstand Push-Ups x 6 reps

-Complete. This would have been brutal for 30 minutes, I am pretty smoked from yesterday.

3/31/14

I'm for sure on my gym's Regional team, but I had to give 14.5 another go for my own reasons. I just wanted to push myself to my limits and improve over my last effort. My triceps/chest/shoulder/posterior chain were all smoked from Saturday. I just wanted to go way outside my comfort zone and push myself to that next level though. My goal was to get all the thrusters unbroken (last time 15 was 9/6 and 12 was 6/6). Today I got the 15 unbroken, but dropped the 12 for a 9/3. It just hurt... too much... I was disappointed in myself for breaking this set, but overall I was happy I improved my time by about :30 seconds. I wanted to open up more on the set of 9... but there was just literally nothing there in the tank. I went as hard as I was capable of doing and pushed myself to do something I had never done before; that is what Crossfit is all about for me.

This year's Open was really interesting for me. I have improved my fitness in a lot of ways this year. I have the biggest 'engine' I've ever had and I'm stronger than ever. BUT I'm actually worse at pull-ups and burpees than I have been in years past. I think I just need to get back to the basics of gymnastics and keep my bodyweight closer to 190-195 instead of 200-205.

It was been a good year coming off of Marine Corps OCS. To come back and train as hard and consistently as I have been has been amazing. I plan to keep the intensity and consistency just as high this year and I want to compete at the 2015 Regional individually and score top 48 on all 2015 Open WODs.

I'm pumped to be on such a great team with a lot of talented and hard working people. It will be a fun Regional this year!

3/30/14

Complete rest.

Body is generally smoked. Ate a lot yesterday and today; took a nap both days as well.

3/29/14

Triceps have some DOMS from 14.5? WTF? Anyway, I had a super solid training session with one of my best friends from the gym. The Open is over, I'm on the regionals team at my gym and I'm pumped to train my ass off over the coming months and into the 2015 season. Today was what it's all about, training hard with your friends and having an awesome time pushing yourself.

A.
A1. Death by C2B Pull-ups (20# vest)
-Got through the 12th minute, took off the vest and did one more minute, 13 reps. These are feeling better already.

A2.
3 Sets, rest as needed:
10 Kipping HSPUs, working speed/efficiency
-Complete

B.
Four sets of:
Bench Press x 5 reps
Rest as needed
Dead-lift x 5 reps
Rest as needed

-185# + 365#
-185# + 385#
-190# + 405#
-190# + 415#

-I felt a lot better on the dead-lifts than the bench press. At least benching felt better than it did a few weeks ago.

C.
Complet 3 RFT:
Run 330 Meters
5 Bar Muscle-Ups
20 Kettlebell Swings (32/24kg)
40 Double-Unders

-Clock got jacked during a busy Saturday morning, but it was probably around 10-12 minutes? That is a total guess. It felt good to run, really pushed it and got quality intensity out of this workout; MU were 5 3/1/1 and 3/1/1. Great training session, excited to rest and throw some weights around next week!

3/28/14

Today was pretty fun, I'm excited for the Open to be over. This has been a good Open for me. I hit some strength number PRs during the Open and had consistently the highest finishes I've ever had in an Open (and strangely the worst overall finish I've ever had, but that is largely due to the time domain/cutoff of the second workout). I also felt more calm, confident and less stressed throughout this Open than ever before.

14.5
Complete rounds of 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6 and 3 reps for time of:
95/65 lb Thrusters
Bar-Facing Burpees

-12.22.

Splits:

21 (:43) (2:23)
18 (3:20) ( 4:52)
15 (5:45) (7:17)
12 (8:17) (9:34)
9 (10:06) (11:10)
6 (-) (11:39)
3(12:14) (12:22)

-I think the set of 12 burpees took way too long, I would be able to improve there. Also I might have been able to turn on the intensity more during the set of 9 burpees. I started going 100% on the set of 6 thrusters, should have started the burners during the set of 9 burpees.

3/27/14

Complete rest. Body is feeling better than it did yesterday. Pumped to hit it tomorrow, whatever the workout might be.

3/26/14

Solid session this morning. I was tired when I woke up and felt generally smoked. My biceps/forearms are sore from yesterday, which is good. Need to improve those pull-ups badly. Snatching felt okay, back squatting felt good. Pushed it hard on that set of 10. I'm looking forward to some much needed rest tomorrow and to give the last 2014 Open workout my all on Friday.

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
6 Strict L-Pullups

B.
Five sets of:
3-Position Snatch
(one from the floor, then the mid-hang, then the high hang)
Rest as needed

-135#, 155#, 165#, 175#, 185# (fail - missed the mid-hang snatch, quit the set there)
-Definitely feeling beat up in the shoulders

C.
Back Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 70% (315#) of 1-RM
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (350#)
*Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90% (390#)
*Set 4 – 10 reps @ 75-80% (325#-350#) - went with 335# (77%), this is 10# more than I did for the set last week.
Rest 2 minutes between sets

D.
2 Rounds, not for time, of:
25 Banded Air Squat
25 Cal Airdyne (easy)

2 Rounds, not for time, of:
25 Banded Back Squat (45#)
25 Cal Airdyne (easy)

3/25/14

I wasn't sore today, but I felt a little exhausted. Overhead squatting felt absolutely horrible on my shoulders. My elbows can't seem to stay locked out on heavy sets. This is something I really need to work on, it's an embarrassing weakness.

A.
Overhead Squat - 5,5,2,3,3

-135#, 185#, 225#, 225#, 225#
-I was trying to go for sets of five all the way through, right elbow was not having those sets of 225#.

Front Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 60% (225#) of 1-RM
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (315#)
*Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90% (345#)
*Set 4 – 5 reps @ 75% (285#)
*Set 5 – 5 reps @ 83% (320#) - 5 RM PR
Rest 2 minutes between sets

-Complete, felt a little tired, this was probably just mental discouragement from how shitty my overhead squatting feels / is generally. Got all the reps solid, was happy to PR.

B.
Five sets of:
3-Position Clean
(one from the floor, then the mid-hang, then the high hang)
Rest as needed

-185#, 205#, 225#, 245#, 255# - I think this is technically a PR? Didn't feel too tough though, more there.

C.
Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:
Thruster x 3 reps (100/65 lbs)
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 3 reps
Thruster x 6 reps
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 6 reps
Thruster x 9 reps
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 9 reps
Thruster x 12 reps
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 12 reps
Thruster x 15 reps
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 15 reps
Thruster x 18 reps
Burpee-Over-Barbell x 18 reps

This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 18, go on to 21. If you complete 21, go on to 24, etc.

-Finished round of 15 + 4 thrusters - more there, should have gone harder in the last minute.

D.
On a 30:00 clock....

EMOM 20:
-Odd: 8 C2B Pull-ups
-Even: 6 HSPU

-At 24:00 - Max set of C2B
-At 27:00 - Max Butterfly Pull-ups
-At 30:00 - Max Strict Pull-ups

-Finished all the reps on the first part, the second half of HSPUs was a lot of 5/1 and 4/2, last set was 3/3
-12 C2B
-18 Butterfly
-5 Strict
-I realize these numbers sound horrible... But after 80 C2B Pull-ups and 60 HSPUs those max sets were really rough. Looking forward to working on these movements more.

3/24/14

Gave 14.4 another go this morning. It was a really great time in the gym. I wanted to get to that second round so fucking bad... and I did. I did all singles on the MU today, instead of opening up with a bigger unbroken set (I think I did a set of 4 last time). I was hurting like crazy after about rep 15 of muscle-ups. I've never gotten nauseated from a gymnastics movements like I did today. I also got that 'fran' cough from this workout today, which I did not last time. I tried to push my body way outside my comfort zone and luckily  I didn't fail any MU. Huge effort, great stuff. This is why I love crossfit so much, it gives you the chance, daily, to really test yourself and push outside your comfort zone and achieve new levels of fitness that you didn't think was possible. It is pretty amazing.

-217 reps / 13:14 tie breaker.

Pumped to train tomorrow!

3/23/14

Complete rest. Body is feeling much more recovered than it was during the middle of the week.

3/22/14

I kind of bastardized the workout today. I cut out a bunch of shoulder-to-overhead / HPSU / split jerk volume that was programmed. I want my shoulders to be fresh for my second attempt at 14.4 on Monday.

I was a little confused as to why I weighed in at 203# this week. +2# from last week. Didn't change much at all from last week where I was -3#. I did eat a lot on Tuesday and Wednesday because I didn't feel recovered, but nothing crazy. Not really sure what's up. I rarely weigh myself, maybe this is just normal deviation. But I'm going to stay consistent with this, I'm in it for the long run.

A.
Three sets not for time of:
4 Strict HSPU + 4 Kipping HPSU
L-Sit x 20 seconds

-Complete, was supposed to be sets to failure, but kept the volume really light.

B.
Split Jerk x 1 rep
*Set 1 – 55% (155#)
*Set 2 – 65% (185#)
*Set 3 – 75% (205#)
*Set 4 – 80% (225#)
*Set 5-8 – 81% (230#)
Rest as needed

-Complete, everything felt easy and fast. There was supposed to be some singles at 90%, but I cut them out. There was a S2O metcon that I cut out altogether.

C.
Four sets for times of:
Run 330 meters
20 Burpees to 6″ Target
Rest 3 minutes

-2:14, 2:27, 2:24, 2:19
-Running felt really good. So did the burpees. Great conditioning, felt light on my feet. Not too taxing. Pumped to get after it Monday morning!

3/21/14

Open 14.4 

AMRAP 14:

60 Cal Row

50 T2B

40 Wall-ball

30 Cleans (135/95#) 

20 Muscle-ups 

-198 reps (18 muscle-ups). 10:05 tie breaker. I was confident and calm up until the rings. I thought I paced things really well. I was gassed on those rings though. Most brutal set of muscle-ups I've done in a while. I'm looking forward to giving this another go. I want to get to that second round, bad! 

Splits:

-2:46 (row)

-5:18 (T2B) 

-6:58 (wall-ball)

-10:05  (cleans) 

3/20/14

Much needed complete rest. I have some serious DOMS in my hamstrings. I'm guessing it is from those hang cleans on Tuesday.

3/19/14

Today was a 'rough' training session. I wouldn't call it a bad session, I just felt torn up from Monday and Tuesday. Tomorrow's rest is much needed.

A.
Front Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 60% (225#)
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (305#)
*Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90% (345#)
*Set 4 – 5 reps @ 75% (285#)
*Set 5 – 5 reps @ 80% (305#)
Rest 2 minutes between sets

-Got all the reps, but didn't feel great. DOMS from those squat cleans yesterday.

B.
Five sets of:
Power Clean x 1.1.1
(rest 10 seconds between singles)
Rest as needed

-195#, 225#, 235#, 245#, 255# (f) - failed the 3rd rep on the 5th set. Felt weak here. Usually love to power clean. But tried to keep the intensity up.

C.
Three rounds for time of:
20 Wall Ball Shots (30/20 lb)
20 Toes to Bar

-6.01. Lungs felt decent, had to break up the wall-balls, wasn't planning on that. Went as hard as possible.

D.
Six sets for max calories of:
60 seconds of Airdyne
Rest 60 seconds

-30, 28, 25, 30, 29, 30 - felt awesome here, learning to love the pain/effort of the Airdyne.

E.
NFT:
50 Banded Air Squats (1 black band)

-Complete

3/18/14

Today was an awesome workout. Part D was super intense, really hard/mental gut check for me. Glad I pushed it really hard. I felt pretty weak on the back squats. Not sure if it was the running on Saturday or I'm still a little fried from 14.3. Anyway, I hit all the percentages. Really tough day, great training. Pumped to it tomorrow!

A.
6 Sets:
7 Strict Pull-ups
:15 L-sit Hold on Rings
:60 rest

-Complete, tougher than I thought it was going to be. Looking forward to hitting more strict stuff.

B.
Five sets of:
Snatch x 1.1.1
(rest 10 seconds between singles)
Rest as needed

-135#, 165#, 185#, 190#, 195# - felt decent here, good stuff. 195# is technically a 3 RM for a set of 3 not TnG.

C.
Back Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 70% (315#)
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (350#)
*Set 3 – 2 reps @ 85% (370#)
*Set 4 – 1 rep @ 90% (390#)
*Set 5 – 10 reps @ 75% (325#)
Rest 2 minutes between sets

-This is the weakest I've felt in a while, but hit all the %s.

D.
Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:
Odd Minutes: 115/75 ll Hang Squat Clean x 10 reps
Even Minutes: Muscle-Ups x 3-6

-5 Muscle-ups for first 10 minutes
-3 Muscle-ups for second 10 minutes
-Cleans unbroken the first 10 minutes, then went to 5/5 and 6/4 for sets.

-This was an awesome session. Really great stuff. Ate a ton afterward in hopes of recovering better. Pumped for tomorrow.

3/17/14

Today was an awesome training session. Lifetime PR on strict HSPUs. Felt decent on the shoulder-to-overhead stuff, haven't been doing much of it, but have been doing a lot of heavy split jerks. Anyway, super solid training, really fun day with my training partner. I think we were both happy to come off a rest day and just train instead of doing another Open workout. Pumped to train tomorrow!

A.
Two sets for quality, not time, of:
Weighted Chinese Plank x 60 seconds
Strict Handstand Push-Ups x Max Reps + Strict Pull-up Chaser

-45#, 90# (felt heavy on the second set, interest to do more weight on this in the future)
-12, 9 (12 is a lifetime PR of strict HSPU, never gotten more than 9 ever), pull-up chaser = equal reps to HSPU

B.
Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes:
Strict Shoulder Press x 1 rep
Build over the course of the 10 minutes so that by minute 8 you are at 90% (170#) of your 1-RM.

-135# x 2 minutes
-155# x 5 minutes
-165# x 1 minute (this rep was tough, wasn't much more there, so dropped weight back down)
-155# 2 minutes

C.
Pick up immediately after your 10th minute of shoulder press at that weight with…
Every minute, on the minute, for 10 minutes:
Push Press x 1 rep
Build over the course of the 10 minutes to today’s heaviest single.

-175# x1 minute
-220# x 5 minutes
-230# x 3 minutes
-240# x 1 minute (failed lockout)

D.
Four sets for times:
AirDyne 75 Calories or Row 500 Meters (AD preferred)
95/65 lb Shoulder to Overhead x 25 reps
Rest 3 minutes
(note whether you rowed or rode Satan’s cycle)

-3:52
-4:26
-4:22
-4:48

-Really great conditioning, this really hurt. All S2O unbroken.

3/16/14

Much needed complete rest. Upped my calories a bit yesterday and today. My posterior chain/chest/tris are smoked.

3/15/14

DOMS started setting in hardcore last night. I am wicked sore today. I usually never get this sore from dead-lifting in my back/glutes/hamstrings. I generally felt 'fried' today. Plus the benching we did today felt extremely weak. I haven't benched or done tricep accessory stuff in over a month and I was feeling that today. On the very positive side, I'm down 3# this week. This is more weight than I want to lose per week, hopefully the weight loss will be more gradual (1 # per week) over the next few weeks. Through in some tricep stuff at the end just for fun.

A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
15′ Legless Rope Climb x 3 ascents
Strict Handstand Push-Ups x Max Reps

-Complete, HSPUS were 8/6/6

B.
Four sets of:
Bench Press x 5 reps
Rest as needed

-All sets at 185#. Didn't go heavy here, felt pretty weak.

C.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 330m
2 Muscle-Ups
4 Push Press (115/75 lbs)
8 Burpees Over the Barbell
4 Push Press (115/75 lbs)
2 Muscle-Ups

-6 Rounds + 16 reps. Clock ran out just as I was finishing the final set of push-press. I felt great on the running today. I haven't ran in months due to terrible weather in Chicago. It was great to get outside and run!

D.
3 Sets:
Lying Tricep Extensions x 10 @ 2 x 35# DB

2 Sets:
Lying DB Floor Press, thumbs toward face x 10 @ 2 x 55# DB

-Complete

3/14/14

Did the Open workout in the morning instead of at night. This is a lot better for me mentally. I have to work in a law firm 9-5... adjusting to this whole office life thing. I would much rather smash weights before work than after. Anyway, I was really happy with my effort today. Stupid/dangerous on the back, but I gave it my all and didn't compromise form as much as many people will. 

A. 14.3
 AMRAP 810 Deadlifts (135/95 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
15 Deadlifts (185/135 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
20 Deadlifts (225/155 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
25 Deadlifts (275/185 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
30 Deadlifts (315/205 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
35 Deadlifts (365/225 lbs)
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)

-150 reps (finishing 20 DL at 315#). 

-Did step ups the entire time. Unbroken until set of 275#. Went 10/5/5/5. 315# was a set of 5 and then singles. Tie breaker was 5:44. Not planning on doing this one twice. The only place I could make up some time is on doing jumps instead of step ups on the first few sets, but I don't know how much this would gas me for the later sets. Happy with my effort.

B. Super easy 3k cool down row. 

-13:30