brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Tuesday was a normally scheduled rest day. Today is an extra rest day: I need to stay late at work to finish up a project so I can spend the day at Google IO tomorrow.

 

[brikis98]

Clean: 128x3, 178x3, 218x2, 248x2, 268x1, 278x1, 283x1, 288xF, 288xF, 288xF
Push jerk: 128x2, 178x2, 218xF, 218x1, 228xF, 228xF, 128x5, 178x5

Barely got any sleep last night as I had to be up really early to go to Google IO. As a result, I was a bit tired, slow & stiff today and couldn't match my clean PR. The 2nd attempt at 288 was the closest, as I got under it and about a quarter of the way back up in the squat, but couldn't quite hold on. After that, I practiced my jerk and failed even more miserably. After some pitiful attempts at 228, I dropped the weight back down and did some higher rep sets. I found that as I fatigued, I got faster at getting under the weight, so I'm thinking next time I'm going to do some more low weight and very high rep sets. I suspect the heavy weight is killing my (already crappy) jerk technique, whereas becoming fatigued with lighter weights might help me improve my efficiency.

Northwest Regional Event 1
3 Rounds for time of:
10 Overhead Squats (135/95lbs)
50 Double-unders

Sub: used 138lbs on the OH squats

Time: 6:12

Nice short & tough workout. My shoulders were my limiting factor, as usual, hurting quite a bit form having to hold the weight overhead for so long. The first two rounds took ~3 minutes, whereas the third was wasted on unintentional dumps of the barbell in between reps of OH squat. I've been working my shoulder pass-throughs and wall extensions every day, but improvement has been very slow.

 

[brikis98]

Row: 1500m, Damper setting between 8-10

Used damper setting 9

Time: 5:30

This workout provided some good technique practice as the high damper setting forced me to maintain a low stroke rate and make each pull count.

Pistols: 3x5 with each leg up on a box

Instead of using a 10lb DB as a counterweight, I did the pistols on top of a plyo box. This removed the need to hold one leg upright and let me focus on getting good depth. My right leg did great and I was able to hit rock bottom and sit there for a while, getting a great stretch. My left leg, unfortunately, continues to lag behind. Getting deep was much harder and I could not engage my hamstrings/glutes nearly as much. Staying in the bottom position on my left leg was very tough and I felt lots of tightness in my hips and ankle. Still, I think doing them on a box provides a better stretch, so I'll keep doing it until my left leg's flexibility catches up.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 325x2, 355x5, 315x5
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5

Felt strong today and the 355x5 squat was solid, so I'll bump up to 360 next week. As for bench press, I've once again been slacking off and haven't done the lift since mid March. Despite that, 245x5 was a piece of cake, so I guess my CF routine maintains my bench press strength pretty well. I'll try 265 next time.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
95 pound Thruster, 5 reps
95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps

Sub: used 98lbs for the workout.

Rounds completed: 10 (PR)

I set a one round PR despite the slightly heavier weight, so I'm pretty happy. This workout obliterates me every time, but always ends with an endorphin rush, which is quite a fun experience while I lie around on the gym floor recovering.

"Bathed in sweat, bent over and gasping for breath, lungs burning, the athlete might have wondered aloud if this is what death must feel like. In time, this same athlete will surely realize the opposite. Indeed, this is what life feels like."

 

[brikis98]

Run: 4x800m @ 10mph on the treadmill, 3 minute breaks between rounds

Had to stay late at work, so I just snuck in a workout at the office gym before going home. I don't like running on treadmills, but it was better than nothing.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x2, 405x1, 435x1, 455x5x1
HSPU: 3, 5, 7, 9

Had very little time to workout today, so I just did a couple strength exercises and had to skip the metcon. Deadlift went fairly well today. This is the first time I've gotten through all 5 singles with 455. The first 3 were fast, clean reps. The fourth was borderline and the last rep was down right ugly (I definitely rounded my back). However, I'm chalking it up to having to rush through all the sets and will take the chance and try for 5 singles with 460 next time. At any rate, I'm thrilled to not have my hamstring hurting and will now try to slowly work my way up to my 2010 goal of a 500lb DL. I suspect that when I can do 5 singles with ~480, I'll be good to go.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

did my first crossfit total today and got an 845. I Got some work to do.......

 

[brikis98]

Run: (treadmill)

1 mile @9mph, 2 minutes rest
400m @9mph, 1 minute rest
400m @9.5mph, 1 minute rest
400m @10.0mph, 1 minute rest

Work has been extremely hectic the last couple of days, so I had to miss the gym yesterday and only had time to do some running on the office gym's treadmill today. This workout is a tweak of a CFE workout and ended up a bit too easy. Running on treadmills is easier than outside, so I could've definitely gone faster than 9mph for the mile. The 3x400m was supposed to be done at the same pace as the mile, with a 2 min isometric squat hold as a foul for deviating by more than 2 seconds. Of course, there is no difficulty with pacing on the treadmill, so I gradually ramped up the speed instead. It was still too slow at the end overall, but on the other hand, after this stressful week, some relaxed and easier running felt nice.

 

[brikis98]

did my first crossfit total today and got an 845. I Got some work to do.......

Everyone starts somewhere. My first CFT was 795 (back in August, '08), although at the time I had a back injury and intentionally went light on the DL (not sure if I could've gotten 845 even if I was healthy though). Work hard and the number will go up and up.

 

[brikis98]

Snatch: 88x3, 128x3, 128x3, 158x2, 178x1, 188xF, 188x1, 188x1, 188xF, 188x1, 188xF, 188xF, 188xF

The goal was to do 5 singles with 188 today, but my technique was inconsistent and I could only get 3. Will try again next week.

Midwestern Sectional WoD 1: "The Airforce WoD"
For time:
20 Thrusters
20 Sumo deadlift high pulls
20 Push jerks
20 Overhead squats
20 Front squats

Men will use a 95lb barbell. Women will use 65lbs. Each athlete must do four burpees at the beginning of every minute before moving on to the barbell work. The athlete is allowed to move to the next barbell skill once an he/she has completed all 20 reps. If the minute clock beeps during a repetition the athlete will complete their rep and then start their four burpees.

Substitution: used 98lbs instead of 95lbs.

Time: 9:00

Brutal workout. You get punished pretty bad for resting, as every minute requires you to stop the barbell work and bang out 4 more burpees. For the last couple of minutes, I had to peel myself off the floor for each burpee, unable to just jump back up.

 

[brikis98]

6 rounds, for time:
Run up 8 stories
15 push-ups

Time: ~13:00 (time is approximate due to timer malfunction)

I spent the entire day in SF, so to squeeze in a workout, I came up with this quickie that I did before breakfast. Running the stairs in my 8 story apartment building is a quick way get a workout for my lungs and legs in a hurry. Unfortunately, my timer didn't actually start until ~2 minutes in, so I'm not sure exactly how long the whole thing took.

 

[coreyb]

I love the fact crossfit does olympic lifts. thats the only reason im thinking of joining an affiliate, so I can learn the lifts and use some decent equipment for once lol.

post some vids sometime!

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x5, 178x3, 218x3, 238x2, 248x5x2
Push jerk: 128x8, 178x5, 178x3, 198x2, 218x1, 228xF, 228x1, 238xF, 238x1

I've been mostly sticking to squat cleans for the last few weeks, so my power clean form was a bit off. Still, I got through all the doubles with 248 reasonably well, so I'll bump up the weight next time. I also made a small breakthrough with the push jerk: I realized that I was not dipping down enough and thereby stunting my ability to get much drive into the bar. Once I started dipping down an extra couple inches, I could feel significantly more "pop" in the bar. I'm still inconsistent with getting back under the weight, but when I get it right, things feel great: the successful 238 attempt today was by far the best form I've had on a jerk at that weight.

Row: 3x500m, 1:1 rest

Round 1: 1:34
Round 2: 1:48
Round 3: did not attempt

I think yesterday's stair running affected me way more than I expected. My quads were a bit sore all day, but when I got on the rower for this workout, they started burning like crazy. I fought through it for the first round, but it got so bad in the second one that I had to completely stop rowing a couple times. I didn't even bother with the 3rd round and limped home. I think I'm in for some soreness tomorrow.

 

[brikis98]

Weighted chin-ups: BWx5, +45x3, +90x2, +115x1, +125xF, +125x1, +135xF

Just last week, my gym got some new equipment: heavy kettlebells (70lbs) and a dip belt. I had to kill some time before my rowing metcon because a CF class was using all the C2's, so I went for some weighted chin-ups. I haven't done in them in ages, but was still able to tie my PR of BW+125lbs. If I can find some time to actually practice them, I should be able to bump that number up quite a bit.

Row: 2 min on, 1 minute off, 6 rounds

Round 1: 578m
Round 2: 558m
Round 3: 529m
Round 4: 542m
Round 5: 538m
Round 6: 541m
Total: 3286m

Tough workout. Went out a bit too fast the first two rounds and was really sucking wind the 3rd. Not coincidentally, my technique got really sloppy around then too. I have got to find a way to maintain better rowing technique when fatigued.

Pistols (up on a 20" box, reps per leg): 3, 5, 8

My ankle/hip flexibility is very slowly improving. Being up on the box lets me focus on just sitting deep at the bottom of each rep instead of worrying about holding my opposite leg up. Left leg is still lagging behind, but gradually catching up. When my legs are closer to equal, I'll go back to doing pistols on the floor.

 

[conorvansmack]

How tall of a plyo box do you do your pistols on? High enough that your other leg can't touch the floor?

 

[brikis98]

How tall of a plyo box do you do your pistols on? High enough that your other leg can't touch the floor?

20"

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 325x3, 360x5, 315x5
Press: 95x5, 135x3, 165x3, 175x3x2

Squat felt good today, although the 5th rep of 360 was very slow. Press didn't feel so good. The last couple of times that I've done it, my left shoulder has hurt. It's a pinching pain right at the start of the lift. I kept the weight lower today, doing doubles with 175 (instead of singles with 195 as planned), but even these were tough because the shoulder made me hesitant to drive the bar hard at the beginning. Not sure what the issue is, but I hope it goes away.

Burpees: 100, for time

Time: 6:47

I haven't done too many burpees lately, so this was pretty tough. I got through the first 60 in under 3 minutes, but really slowed down for the last 40. I should do burpees during breaks from work like I used to. I don't know if it helped my fitness much, but it definitely increased my burpee pain tolerance.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Hm, be careful with that shoulder of your's. My shoulder impingement syndrome decided to make itself known after I started pressing quite a bit. The feeling was very similar to your's - a pinching at the beginning of resistance. This frequently has to do with your supraspinatus tendon being pinched between your acromion and your subacromial bursa. It could just be slight inflammation, resulting in the pinching feeling or it could be the beginning of something worse if you don't address it. If I were you, I'd start doing some strengthening exercises, particularly internal rotations and "empty can" exercises. The empty cans are used as a clinical test of supraspinatus pathology, but you can also do it for reps of 10-15 with/without weights. The position your arm should be in is demonstrated in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlsDJMxsZE. Start without weight and very gradually add 2.5 pounds. Hope it starts to feel better.

 

[brikis98]

Hm, be careful with that shoulder of your's. My shoulder impingement syndrome decided to make itself known after I started pressing quite a bit. The feeling was very similar to your's - a pinching at the beginning of resistance. This frequently has to do with your supraspinatus tendon being pinched between your acromion and your subacromial bursa. It could just be slight inflammation, resulting in the pinching feeling or it could be the beginning of something worse if you don't address it. If I were you, I'd start doing some strengthening exercises, particularly internal rotations and "empty can" exercises. The empty cans are used as a clinical test of supraspinatus pathology, but you can also do it for reps of 10-15 with/without weights. The position your arm should be in is demonstrated in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlsDJMxsZE. Start without weight and very gradually add 2.5 pounds. Hope it starts to feel better.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try some of those exercises out. I've had bad shoulders for a LONG time and they flare up periodically. I've been working on mobility through shoulder dislocates, wall extensions and OH squats and while it has helped, progress has been slow. I guess some strengthening work is a good idea too.

 

[brikis98]

Vineyard run: ~6.5km

My gf and I are up in Sonoma for the weekend, so I did a run through some vineyards today. It was an absolute blast and included lots running up and down rolling hills, cutting through tall grasses, and gorgeous views the whole way. I didn't time myself, but I was surprised at the fast pace I was able to maintain and didn't feel tired at all. In fact, I think running in my VFFs on the rough terrain - including lots of gravel & sharp rocks - forced me to be very light on my feet & relaxed, which noticeably helped my running technique. It was definitely one of the most fun runs I've ever done. At the tail end, I stopped by a farm and fed grass to a friendly cow and some baby goats. Adorable.

 

[brikis98]

Was up in Sonoma with the gf for the weekend. We did lots of hilly biking, took a ton of walks, and I swam laps in the pool for the first time in over a decade. In other words, light endurance exercise interspersed with wine tasting, amazing food, massages and the hot tub. Good times. Back to the gym tomorrow.

 

[brikis98]

Came down with a fever shortly after lunch yesterday. Felt very nauseous, dizzy, extremely hot and had lots of achy joints/tendons. My stomach has been hurting on and off and I've had diarrhea. Today is slightly better, but I still have a fever on and off and my stomach doesn't feel right.

Man, I just have no immunity to the CA germs. Before moving here, I hadn't been sick in 8+ years. Now, in less than a year, I've been sick 3 times. Not cool.

 

[conorvansmack]

Geography does wacky things. I grew up in Southern California with no allergies. I moved to the Midwest and immediately developed allergies to cats and whatever is in the air in fall and spring.

 

[brikis98]

The fever, nausea and joint pain are mostly gone and I'm back at work, but my stomach is still not 100%. It often feels weird, bloated and every time I take a dump, it's diarrhea. I also have far less appetite and have lost ~5lbs already. I have absolutely no sinus/congestion symptoms (no coughing, sore throat or anything of the sort) so I'm guessing I have some sort of food poisoning or stomach flu. Hopefully, it'll go away soon.

 

[brikis98]

It turns out that several people at work have Salmonella poisoning, so I'm guessing I got the same thing. There must have been something in one of our catered lunches, but since symptoms don't show up until 24-72 hours later, none of us really know which.

The end result is that I lost ~6lbs and haven't been to the gym in over a week. I feel fine today and will go, but in terms of my fitness, this really sucks. Not because a single week off is that big of a deal, but because next week, I'm going on a 2 week vacation to Europe, which means two more weeks without any real exercise. My fitness is going to take a massive hit. It sucks and likely means I won't get anywhere near my 2010 goals, but that's life.