brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

So, instead of letting my legs get some rest tonight, I went with a few friends to Sky High, "The Trampoline Place". It's a facility where the floors and walls are covered with trampolines, so you can jump around like crazy. They also have a trampoline dodgeball area, which is pretty sweet. So after spending an hour hopping around like a madman, my legs are even more shot. It was definitely worth it, but I might need a rest day tomorrow.

 

[conorvansmack]

Front squats @ 275 is taking it easy?!

I'm ashamed. I need to man up and start doing heavy doubles/triples. I've been stuck around 225 for a long time.

 

[brikis98]

Front squats @ 275 is taking it easy?!

I'm ashamed. I need to man up and start doing heavy doubles/triples. I've been stuck around 225 for a long time.

My front squat max is around 325, so I should be able to handle triples at 295 or more. 275 isn't "easy", but I know I can handle more.

 

[brikis98]

Rest day.


Had another visit to the chiro today for more ART. I think she was able to locate the primary injury spot on my hamstring, which was higher up my leg (near the butt) than where she worked last time. She worked her elbow/forearm over it (normal ART uses the thumbs, but she said my legs were too thick for that) for a good 30 minutes. It hurt. A lot. She also worked on the area around the hip socket on the same leg, saying that the muscles there were really tight, probably from compensating for the injury. Anyways, my hamstring is pretty sore now, and my legs in general feel really beat up from the last couple of days, so I'm going to take some extra rest.

 

[brikis98]

Row: 10 x 250m with 5 times the recovery

Round 1: 0:44
Round 2: 0:45
Round 3: 0:46
Round 4: 0:47
Round 5: 0:48
Round 6: 0:48
Round 7: 0:48
Round 8: 0:48
Round 9: 0:49
Round 10: 0:48

Total: 471s

This workout was relatively easy for the first 6 rounds, but around 7, something odd started to happen: for the last ~15 seconds of each interval, I had a lot of difficulty getting enough air in my lungs. It felt different than the usual out-of-breath-panting I get from working hard; it was as if I had accumulated an oxygen debt and just couldn't make it up. It made the last 4 rounds pretty damn challenging.

Good mornings: BWx15, 35x15, 45x15

More hamstring rehab.

 

[brikis98]

Sick day. My throat is really sore today and I've had a bit of a headache, so I'm taking the day off from the gym in case I'm coming down with something. I hate how I've been missing a lot of gym days this month, but I guess I'll just treat April as my recovery month after the CF Games qualifier.

 

[brikis98]

Sick day #2. My throat is still bothering me, so I'm taking another day off. In other news, I had another chiro/ART appointment today. My hamstring wasn't nearly as tender, so it seems to be healing a bit. I'll be getting back to some heavy lifting this weekend, so I'll see how it holds up.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x3, 345x5
OH press: 95x5, 135x3, 165x3, 185x1, 195x1, 200xF

Still working my way back up after a deload on the squat. The first 3 reps of 345 felt excellent, the last two were slower than I would've liked. I'll only do a 5lb bump and go for 350 next week. I also did a quick max out on OH press to see where I was at. Looks like I've lost 10lbs on the lift, so I've got some work to do. I'll probably start with 190 singles next week.

"Ryan"
Five rounds for time of:
* 7 Muscle-ups
* 21 Burpees
Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.

Time: DNF

Three muscle-ups into the 2nd round, I tore a large chunk of skin off of my right wrist and had to stop. I'm not sure if I'm holding the false grip wrong or if it just takes a long time for the skin to adapt to muscle-ups. At any rate, after a couple minutes break, I decided to just do the burpees from this workout instead:

Burpees: 105, for time. Each burpee terminates with a jump 1.5 feet above max standing reach.

Time: 9:14

I did the burpees under a climbing assembly in the gym which had a bar ~1.5 feet above my max reach. It was high enough that the jump at the end of each burpee had to be done as an entirely separate motion. This made each burpee take a while, but also helped me maintain a consistent pace for all 105 reps. My chest and quads were pretty exhausted by the end.

 

[brikis98]

I've had no luck keeping my workout schedule consistent this month. The plan for today was to do a short hike at Lands End in San Fran with my gf and then do an endurance workout when I got back. We ended up spending nearly 6 hours there and by the time we got back, it was dark and I was exhausted. We probably covered over 10km on foot, which probably did nothing for my fitness, but will definitely cut into my recovery. Not that I'm complaining - it was a beautiful hike and the sand on Ocean Beach was amazing - but the more workouts I miss, the more painful it will be to come back.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 425x1

The goal for today was to test out my hamstring and see if the ART has been helping. It definitely felt much better than the last time I deadlifted 2 weeks ago, but it's still not 100%. I felt some tension/tenderness in a couple spots in the hamstring with 405 and 425, so decided not to go any heavier. I'll have the chiro work on those spots at my next appointment.

5 rounds for time:
15 GHD sit-ups
15 hip & back extensions

Time: 11:20

I haven't done GHD sit-ups in a long time and I really struggled with them after the second round. I think I'm in for a world of soreness the next couple of days.

One armed DB OH squats: 25x3, 35x3, 45x3, 45x3
Good mornings: BWx15, 45x15

Light shoulder and hamstring mobility/rehab exercises. For the DB squats, I intentionally sat for a few seconds at the bottom of each squat while trying to keep good form to work on my shoulder girdle flexibility and stability.

 

[brikis98]

Rest day.

Had another chiro appointment today. My hamstring and adductor were both pretty sore on the injured leg after deadlifts and the ART hurt like hell. However, after a while, it started to feel almost as if the muscle was "smoother" and the pressure didn't hurt as much. By the end, my leg felt much more relaxed and less sore overall, so I'm pretty happy. I'll be keeping an eye on it as I do some snatches and cleans later this week.

 

[brikis98]

Row: 2k, for time

Time: 7:24 (PR)

Nice 12 second PR. I guess my rowing technique is starting to suck less.

Pistols (reps per leg): 3, 5, 10
HSPU: 3, 5, 7

Some gymnastics practice. It still takes me a while to warm up my ankles to be flexible enough for pistols, with my left leg being significantly worse than the right. HSPU's were easy.

Romanian deadlifts: 45x15, 45x15

Some RDL's with the bare bar to stretch out the hamstring.

 

[brikis98]

Snatch: 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 165xF, 165x1xF, 165x1
Hang power snatch: 135x2, 155x2, 165x1xF

Ugh. I had nothing today. Just one of those days where I felt like I was using someone else's arms and legs and could not get them to cooperate. My snatch technique was horrendous. I was jumping forward, not coming to full extension, not getting much pop in the second pull and not getting under the weight quickly. I thought I'd work up to triples with 175, but I kept missing with 165 and stopped. I tried to switch to the hang power snatch to simplify things by isolating the second pull, but even that was a failed effort. After a few more reps, I quit entirely. Hopefully next time I'll be a bit more coordinated.

Georgia Sectional Sunday Event #2
For time:
21-15-9
Thrusters (95lbs)
Burpees

Then 30 Deadlifts at 225lb

Time: 10:15

The suck continued with this twist on Fran that replaces the pull-ups with burpees and adds a bunch of deadlifts at the end. Thrusters and burpees overlap massively in muscles used and metabolic load and my legs turned to stone after the 21 rep round.

 

[brikis98]

"Lactate Shuttle"
5:00 on, 2:30 off
6:00 on, 3:00 off
7:00 on, 3:30 off
8:00 on, done

Distance covered: ~5.5km (according to Google Maps)

Ran near my workplace and around Google campus. Passed by the goats Google is using to mow their lawn: eco-friendly, efficient and hilarious. I just wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather and didn't push particularly hard on the run, just keeping a solid pace the whole way. Trekked over some hills and plenty of gravel, the latter being a good way to learn to be light on my feet. A very fun & relaxing run overall.

 

[brikis98]

Rest day.

Up in Sonoma County with the girlfriend for wine tasting.

 

[EvilYoda]

D'you see the announcement about the CF games?

 

[brikis98]

Rest days.

The gf and I were up in Sonoma County, biking and hiking through vineyards, tasting wines, relaxing in a hot tub, getting massages and BBQing. We did bike 25 miles on Saturday, but it was at a leisurely pace with lots of stops for tasting & photos, so it didn't really count as exercise. A fantastic weekend, but back to the gym on Monday.

 

[brikis98]

D'you see the announcement about the CF games?

Yup. I'm not too happy about it for a number of reasons:

1. Aromas is an hour from where I live. LA is much much further. Not sure if I'll be able to make it down there.

2. Aromas had a gritty, DIY, real-world feel to it. Competitors had to be ready for anything - from crazy hill runs to driving stakes into the ground with a sledge hammer - which really drove home the point of "functional fitness." This new stadium looks very official & proper, with fixed seating, an olympic track, and so on. I'm sure there will be surprises in store, but the realm of possibilities seems limited.

3. They used ticketmaster to manage ticket sales. I hate ticketmaster. The CF qualifier tickets were already too damn pricey; adding ticketmaster's convenience fees will only make it worse.

What are your thoughts?

 

[HN]

your first "con" is my pro . But....

Didn't know about the ticketmaster thing. Hopefully there will be a live stream available.

*edit*

just read the whole announcement on games.crossfit and looks like they ARE going to have a live webcast:

The Home Depot Center solves many logisitical challenges for the Games, as well as gives us some opportunities not possible in Aromas. For one, it lets us ramp up the production our live webcast of the Games (over 25 hours of coverage over three days live shown for free on CrossFitGames.com!)

 

[brikis98]

Cleans: 128x3, 178x2, 198x2, 218x1, 238x1, 258x1, 268x1, 278x1, 283xF, 283x1 (PR)
Push jerk: 128x3, 178x2, 198x2, 218x1, 228x1 (PR)

All the 45lb barbells were in use today, so I grabbed a 38lb bar instead, which is why all the numbers are a bit odd. I discovered that the 38lb bars at my gym have much nicer spin, flex and knurling than the 45's, so I may make it a permanent switch. The faster spin allowed me to turn my elbows over faster and receive the bar in the proper position for every rep, which resulted in an easy 3lb PR. 283lbs was a solid rep, much smoother than my previous PR of 280, and I think I would've been good for ~290 or so. Can't wait to try these barbells on the snatch. I also worked on my push jerk and set a new PR there: I've split jerked 245 before, but have always sucked at the push jerk, so it's nice to see some improvement. I'm still slow at getting under the weight, but am getting better at the leg drive.

10 rounds for time of:
3 Deadlifts 315 lbs
6 Ring Dips
9 Knees to Elbows

Time: 14:15

I banged out all the deadlifts and ring dips in straight sets with no rest, but I fatigued at the KTE's after the 5th round and lost a LOT of time. If I can get better at those, I should be able to cut this time down significantly.

 

[EvilYoda]

Yup. I'm not too happy about it for a number of reasons:

1. Aromas is an hour from where I live. LA is much much further. Not sure if I'll be able to make it down there.

2. Aromas had a gritty, DIY, real-world feel to it. Competitors had to be ready for anything - from crazy hill runs to driving stakes into the ground with a sledge hammer - which really drove home the point of "functional fitness." This new stadium looks very official & proper, with fixed seating, an olympic track, and so on. I'm sure there will be surprises in store, but the realm of possibilities seems limited.

3. They used ticketmaster to manage ticket sales. I hate ticketmaster. The CF qualifier tickets were already too damn pricey; adding ticketmaster's convenience fees will only make it worse.

What are your thoughts?

Well, I know that the most common complaint will be the sense that the Games (and CrossFit itself) "sold out", but this was inevitable. CF is expanding so quickly and bringing in so much money that this was the logical progression.

Aromas wouldn't let CF host the Games if attendance goes up as projected. The other option would be to limit the number of attendees, but that means saying no to thousands and thousands of dollars.

Whether or not the new venue limits the possibilities of "unknowable" WODs, remains to be seen. A lot can be done with that much money. The stake drive from last year was done on sand that was trucked in an pounded to a uniform density...no reason that can't be done in LA. The glaring difference here is the hill run, as you mentioned. Unless they go off-site for one specific WOD, I don't expect to see anything quite as nuts.

I think everybody hates Ticketmaster, so hopefully we'll have some other options. Sadly, I won't be able to make it to this year's games as I'll be on the road working through the end of July. I just found this out yesterday and it makes me really sad. At least I'll have the webcast.

 

[brikis98]

Row:
3 Rounds of:
5 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 15 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 25 seconds on, 10 seconds off

I wasn't a big fan of this weird CFE interval workout, especially on a rower. Switching between intervals of random lengths did not make for a particularly smooth experience and the shorter intervals were barely enough time to get the flywheel going. Also, the C2 rower doesn't let you program intervals of less than 20 seconds, so I had to use my phone to time the workout, and since the fly wheel kept spinning during rest periods, the total distance traveled was pretty meaningless.

Pistols (reps per leg): 3, 5, 15

My pistol flexibility is getting a bit better, as my legs loosened up much faster this time around. I was happy to bang out 15 reps with each leg, but my left leg still lags behind in mobility, so some of those were pretty ugly.

 

[brikis98]

Rest day.

Went to the chiro again and she find a very large knot/bump in the upper hamstring that hurt like hell as she worked on it. I have heavy deadlifts this weekend and am curious to see how they'll feel.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x3, 350x5
OH Press: 115x5, 135x3, 165x2, 190x5x1

My technique on squats felt great today. I felt smoother and am wondering if the increased flexibility from pistols helped with that. At any rate, 350x5 was solid and I'll go to 355 next week. OH press was a lot tougher, but I managed to get through all 5 singles of 190. The last 3 reps were slow and shaky, but I'll chance it and go for 5 singles of 195 next week.

5 rounds for time of:
6 Power Snatch 135 lbs
10 Box Jumps 24" box

Used 138lbs on the snatch.

Time: 9:30

While I was warming up, one of the CF coaches at my gym critiqued my snatch form. It turns out the guy trains at Greg Everett's gym (Catalyst Athletics), so he knows what he's talking about. He pointed out that I had two noticeable issues: (1) I sometimes jump forward and (2) I hitch the weight. The first issue I was able to fix pretty quickly, but the second one is a bit more serious. I wasn't aware of it, but I guess my snatch is a bit jerky, with a pause just before the second pull. I'll have to work on making it smoother and see if I can get more feedback from the guy.

 

[EvilYoda]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x3, 350x5
OH Press: 115x5, 135x3, 165x2, 190x5x1

My technique on squats felt great today. I felt smoother and am wondering if the increased flexibility from pistols helped with that. At any rate, 350x5 was solid and I'll go to 355 next week. OH press was a lot tougher, but I managed to get through all 5 singles of 190. The last 3 reps were slow and shaky, but I'll chance it and go for 5 singles of 195 next week.

5 rounds for time of:
6 Power Snatch 135 lbs
10 Box Jumps 24" box

Used 138lbs on the snatch.

Time: 9:30

While I was warming up, one of the CF coaches at my gym critiqued my snatch form. It turns out the guy trains at Greg Everett's gym (Catalyst Athletics), so he knows what he's talking about. He pointed out that I had two noticeable issues: (1) I sometimes jump forward and (2) I hitch the weight. The first issue I was able to fix pretty quickly, but the second one is a bit more serious. I wasn't aware of it, but I guess my snatch is a bit jerky, with a pause just before the second pull. I'll have to work on making it smoother and see if I can get more feedback from the guy.

Nice! Why do you think you jump forward? Starting your pull when the bar's still on your thigh or not pulling it "back" enough?

As for the jerkiness, it's understandable since you're so strong overall that you're probably thinking "alright, here we go!" - but I don't know what to suggest other than what you're probably already doing - 3-position snatches combined with "slow, slow, QUICK!".