brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x3, 178x3, 218x3, 228x2, 238x2, 248x2, 258xF, 258x2, 268xF, 268x1 (PR, but damn ugly)

Just as I did with snatches a few days ago, I tried a more upright starting position for my power cleans today. It again felt awkward, but after a bit of practice I got used to it and was getting fantastic bar height. The only problem is that the different starting position, for some reason, made it harder for me to get back under the weight, so a lot of these were nearly muscle cleans (ie, very little bend in the knees). The single with 268 is technically a power clean PR, but I'm not counting it because it was a hideous rep: the bar landed on my left shoulder, but missed the right and instead ended up on the chest/bicep/wrist, which was rather hard to balance, so my legs splayed out awkwardly. I was able to save it and stand up with it, but it hurt my wrist, so I'd rather I had missed it entirely.

For time:
Row 1000 meters
95 pound barbell Thruster, 21 reps
21 Pull-ups
Row 750 meters
95 pound barbell Thruster, 15 reps
15 Pull-ups
Row 500 meters
95 pound barbell Thruster, 9 reps
9 Pull-ups

Time: 17:45

This is one hell of a workout. I can't say I ever wanted a longer/harder version of Fran, but I got it anyway. The entire workout, I felt like my lungs couldn't get enough air. The thrusters/pull-ups were fairly easy - my legs/arms/back all felt fine - but I had to pause more than I liked to catch my breath. Good stuff.

 

[katank]

Nice clean. That also looks like a truly sadistic workout.

 

[brikis98]

Macks 20:10

Row 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for a total of 3km.

Note: the flywheel would continue to turn for ~10-20m during rest periods and I couldn't find a way to make the C2 not record that. Therefore, total distance rowed during the work periods was probably around 2700m.

Result: ~27.4 rounds .

I didn't quite know how to approach this CFE workout. If I did it as a proper Tabata interval and went all out each round, I would have burned out after ~8 rounds and dragged ass the rest of the workout. I guessed that wasn't quite the goal of the workout, so I instead went at ~90%, trying to stay below a 1:40 pace for each round. It was a tough workout, but the biggest issue for me was that my butt starts to fall asleep after sitting on the rower for a long time. It's almost like the seat cuts of circulation slightly and it gets pretty damn unpleasant after more than ~8 minutes. After 27 rounds, I had reached 2945m, so I hit the 3km mark part way through the 28th round.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x2, 355x5, 315x5

355 was a tough set and I could feel my glutes were working crazy hard. Only doing a 5lb bump for the next workout.

"Nate"
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings

Rounds completed: 11 + 2 muscle-ups (PR)

This was my first time doing Nate with all the proper equipment: rings for muscle-ups (instead of a pull-up bar) and a 2 pood KB (instead of a 70lb DB). I flew through the KB swings, did surprisingly well on the muscle-ups (only missed 1 rep and my hands didn't tear), but got destroyed on the HSPU's. I've been avoiding heavy pressing to let my shoulder heal and I could tell today that I've lost a good amount of pressing strength as a result. I did them unbroken for the first 6 rounds, then 2/2 for two rounds, and then singles (which took forever) for the rest of the workout. The good news is that I haven't had any shoulder pain lately, so I might try some OH press soon and try to rebuild my strength.

 

[brikis98]

6 rounds for time:
Run 450m
5 handstand push-ups

Time: 15:55

Original plan was to do a workout with only running, but after my crappy HSPU performance a couple days ago on Nate, I decided to toss them in as well. I did this workout near my apartment building, running a loop around Escondido Village that measures to 450m on Google Maps.

For time: 50 burpees

Time: 2:13

13 seconds slower than my PR and the reps were a bit sloppy, but not a bad time for the second workout of the day.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 435x1, 455x1, 455xF, 455x1, 455xF, 455xF, 405x3

After last week's very strong performance on the deadlift, I was surprisingly weak today. The goal was to do 5 singles with 455, but the first rep was damn slow and it only got worse from there. I managed to get one more rep up, but missed 3 times. For some reason, the bar kept swinging away from my shins and I could not get it more than a few inches off the ground. Disappointed, I did a triple with 405 to work on technique.

"Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

Did sit-ups on an abmat with my feet unanchored in the butterfly position

Round 1: 2:38 (PR)
Round 2: 2:54
Round 3: 3:41
Round 4: 3:58
Round 5: 3:48

Total: 16:59

Every single time I've done Barbara, I've been left feeling nauseous, dizzy and with a headache. Today was no different, except that I started getting dizzy after the second round. I went damn hard the first two rounds - my fastest first two rounds ever - and ended up reallying paying for it. The next 3 rounds were all a lot slower and despite the good start, my total time is 30 seconds off my PR. There is something about a circuit of bodyweight exercises that lets me push myself far harder than most other workouts. Combined with Barbara's 3 minute breaks - which lets you redline in each of the 5 rounds - leaves me messed up every time. I was pretty out of it for almost 30 minutes after the workout. Bleh.

 

[brikis98]

Power snatch: 108x5, 128x3, 148x2, 148x2, 148x1, 148x1, 148x1, 168x1, 168x1, 178xF, 178x1, 178x1

A friend of mine was watching me do power snatches today and he noticed a major technique issue: I do not have a vertical bar path. I couldn't "feel" it myself, so we recorded a few reps on a phone, and sure enough, right after I do the second pull, the bar takes an arced path away from my body. I end up chasing the bar forward myself, which finally explains why I jump forward on snatches. Of course, with heavy weights, I can't catch up enough and that's why I always miss in front. I'm not sure yet the exact cause - either I need to stay back more on the first pull, try to jump upwards more than forward, and/or keep my elbows up more during the 3rd pull - but at least now I know exactly what to work on. I have no doubt that if I can get the bar path more vertical, I'll break through my plateau on this lift.

"Diane"
21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
Handstand push-ups

Time: 9:44 (PR)

The good news is that I beat my old PR by over 3 minutes and did all the deadlifts in straight sets, taking < 2 minutes for all 45 reps. The bad news is that the 45 HSPU's took me 7+ minutes. I got through the first 21 fairly quicky, but all the rest were done in sets of 2. Must keep working on those.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It's always a bittersweet moment when you find out a technique flaw: you've finally found out what your major problem is so you can fix it, but it's frustrating that it's not perfect already. Glad you caught it though.

Also, nice job on Diane. It's one of the benchmarks that I want to complete in the near future so I can compare to others. See, deadlifts would be the trouble area for me and HSPU would be less so. Congrats on the PR though.

 

[brikis98]

It's always a bittersweet moment when you find out a technique flaw: you've finally found out what your major problem is so you can fix it, but it's frustrating that it's not perfect already. Glad you caught it though.

For me, being stuck at the same weight on the snatch for several months has been the bitter part, so finally finding something specific I can work on to get through the plateau is nothing but sweet

Also, nice job on Diane. It's one of the benchmarks that I want to complete in the near future so I can compare to others. See, deadlifts would be the trouble area for me and HSPU would be less so. Congrats on the PR though.

Thanks. I think once I start pressing again, I'll see my HSPU strength improve rapidly and I should be able to shave minutes off my Diane time.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 5 min on/5 min off, 4 min on/4 min off, 3 min on/3 min off, 2 min on/2 min off, 1 min on/1 min off

Ran on a treadmill.

Result:

5 min @ 9.5 mph
4 min @ 10.2 mph
3 min @ 10.5 mph
2 min @ 11.0 mph
1 min @ 11.3 mph

 

[brikis98]

Run: 20 minute time trial, cover as much distance as possible

Result: 2.5 miles

I'm at the parents' house for the week, so I ran a random loop around their neighborhood. Overall, I was very happy with my pace, but was slowed down by a few small hills, lots of turns and waiting at a couple traffic lights. Based on how I felt today, I think I should be good for a sub 22 minute 5k, but I'm still a long way from the 20 minute 5k I wanted this year.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x3, 335x3, 355x3, 315x5
OH press: 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 165x3

I'm visiting my parents this week, which means I'm working out at the local YMCA. I was supposed to do 360x5 on the squat, but I did not feel safe enough in their squat rack to go for it: I could not get the safety rails to a proper height (they were either way too high or low) and there were mirrors everywhere that were really messing with my form. Therefore, I did some lighter/safer sets instead. After that, I did the OH press for the first time in several months. It felt good and the mobility work I've been doing definitely helped - I didn't feel like I was fighting against my own flexibility. Only down side was that on the first rep of the 2nd and 3rd set, I still got a slight pinch right at the bottom (start) of the press. It didn't happen on any other sets/reps, so hopefully it won't be an issue. I definitely lost some strength, but I should be able to rebuild that if I can keep my shoulders healthy.

The 30's
Row for 3 rounds with 2 minutes rest between rounds of: 30sec on 30 off, 30 sec on 25 off, 30 sec on 20 off, 30 sec on 15 off, 30 sec on 10 off 30 sec on 5 off, 30 sec on Rest!

Round 1: 150, 150, 152, 148, 144, 135, 131 = 1010m
Round 2: 150, 152, 149, 141, 139, 137, 129 = 997m
Round 3: 145, 146, 139, 135, 132, 132, 131 = 960m

Total: 2967m

Rowing after squatting is hard.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 5 x 800m holding fastest possible pace without slowing more then 5 sec per fastest 800. 90 second recoveries.

Round 1: 3:20
Round 2: 3:21
Round 3: 3:25
Round 4: 3:40
Round 5: 3:41

Today was an exercise in heat tolerance. It was 90+ degrees and extremely humid outside, so while I picked a pace that was extremely easy for the first two rounds, keeping it up for the last 3 in the heat was extremely tough. In fact, it was so humid that it felt like my sweat would only evaporate while I run; when standing still during the rest periods, I was actually getting hotter! As a result, I'd start each 800m very slowly and only be able to reach my desired pace later in the run, once the air had cooled me down a bit.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 435x1, stopped
Good mornings: 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5

Today was another unsuccessful deadlift day. I'm still working out at the YMCA near my parents' house which has the delightful combination of fat barbells with smooth/slippery knurling and no chalk. I brought straps along exactly for this reason, but they were really messing with my technique. Something about hooking on the straps was preventing me from getting my back set correctly and I was rounding badly on 435, so I decided to stop. As an alternative, I decided to try some good mornings with some weight on them rather than just as a stretch/rehab exercise. I'm not positive I'm doing them right - not sure what to use for foot spacing, high bar or low bar, depth, etc - so I didn't go heavy, but I definitely felt my hamstrings & glutes working, so hopefully my PC is still getting some decent work.

"Angie"
For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats

Did sit-ups with feet unanchored in the butterfly position

Time: 16:08 (PR)

Unlike the barbells, the pull-up bars at the YMCA have razor sharp knurling, so my hands got torn up today. I tore 2 calluses ~40 pull-ups in and had to do the remaining pull-ups ~5 at a time using a mixed grip that let me hold the bar in a part of my hand that was less torn.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 15 minute time trial

Distance covered: ~1.85 miles

This was another test of my heat tolerance as it was again 90+ degrees with high humidity. Ran on a dirt path near my parents' house and measured the distance using Google Maps.

 

[brikis98]

Hang power snatch: 88x3, 108x3, 128x3, 148x1, 148x1, 148x1, 158x1, 158x1, 168x1, 168x1, 178x1, 178x1, 178x1, 183x1, 188x1 (PR), 193x1 (PR)

The goal today was to focus entirely on my 2nd & 3rd pull and work on keeping the bar close to my body. I recorded a few more videos and am definitely making some progress: the bar is still out in front of me a bit, but I no longer have to jump forward to get under it. It's still not perfect, but it was good enough for a power snatch PR. Glad to finally see some progress on this lift and am hoping these are the first steps to busting through my plateau.

"Daniel"
For time:
50 Pull-ups
400 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
800 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
400 meter run
50 Pull-ups

Time: 16:50

Strange, but good workout.

 

[brikis98]

I was supposed to do a CFE workout today, but instead did 3+ hours of hiking around Tennessee Valley and the Marin Headlands in San Fran.

 

[brikis98]

Clean: 128x3, 178x3, 218x3, 238x3, 253x3, 258x1xF, 258x3
Split jerk: 128x5, 178x3, 198x1, 198x1, 218x1, 238x1, 248x1 (PR), 253x1 (PR), 258xF, 258x1 (PR)

Did some clean triples today to see if I could handle the 250lb cleans in "King Kong". I was able to get 258 for a triple today, which makes me confident, but I do have to admit that the cleans were shockingly fatiguing. I'm going to try 5 deadlift singles with 455 later this week and if that goes well... I might have a date with "King Kong" soon. As for split jerks, I surprised myself with a relatively easy 13lb PR. I had not done push jerks since June 20 (2+ months) and haven't done split jerks since March 11 (6 months!) and yet my form was noticeably better today. My shoulders felt great too - no pain/pinching whatsoever - so I'm happy all around.

"4th Quarter is Ours"
5 Rounds for time:
20 yd Bear Crawl - Crawl 10 yds turn and crawl back 10 yds
5 Deadlifts 315 lbs
10 Burpees

Time: 7:34

 

[brikis98]

Run: 20 minute time trial

Result: ran on a treadmill @ 8.5mph, covering 2.83 miles

 

[polarmystery]

Seeing your journal makes me feel like one weak bastard, and I am easily the strongest person among all of my friends. I am at or about 60-75&#37; of all of your maxes, but your CF exercises and endurance you have obliterate mine by at least 2 orders of magnitude!

 

[brikis98]

Seeing your journal makes me feel like one weak bastard, and I am easily the strongest person among all of my friends. I am at or about 60-75% of all of your maxes, but your CF exercises and endurance you have obliterate mine by at least 2 orders of magnitude!

Thanks. Use it as a motivation to improve your own fitness. I still have a very long way to go to catch up to the CF fire-breathers, but every time I see them put up crazy numbers on the mainsite, I realize that they got there though lots of hard work & determination. I'm sure some of them got a head start with great genetics, but the vast majority are just common people busting their asses to achieve some uncommon performances. I'm not a great athlete - just a typical guy with a normal desk job - but CF has provided the inspiration and proper programming to make some huge improvements in my fitness. I love going back to the beginning of the journal and seeing the progress I've made and I look forward to still more improvements in the future.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 335x2, 360x5, 325x5
Press: 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 165x4, 165x3, 155x4

Felt great on the squat today. Nailed all 5 reps of 360 with very solid technique and decent bar speed. Will bump to 365x5 next week, which would tie my 5RM. As for the press, I've not only lost strength, but also endurance. I was able to get one more rep on 165 than last week, but on subsequent sets, my strength dropped off quickly. I just need more pressing practice to rebuild my strength and as my shoulders have been feeling fine lately, I'll try to toss in some bench the next few weeks.

5 rounds for time:
6 Power Snatch 155 lbs
6 Box Jumps 20"
6 Clapping Push Ups

Time: 11:58

My power snatch technique was a bit off today, so I probably should have scaled the weight down a bit. I flew effortlessly through the box jumps and clapping push-ups and spent virtually all 12 minutes on the 30 reps of 155. I doubt this was the intention of the workout, so I probably should have used 135 and gotten the workout done in 7-9 minutes. The only good news is that as my 2nd pull got weaker from fatigue (and crappy form), I got good practice at getting under the bar quickly so as not to miss any reps.

 

[norsy]

I remember you mentioning in one of the threads that you were on Bill Starr 5x5 some time back. Would that routine have led to your shoulder problems? Because all variations of that routine seems to have you benching atleast twice a week. It's weird that a routine developed by someone like Bill Starr can cause unbalanced development but I'm planning to go on that program next so was just making sure it's as good as it sounds
Also, you seem to have no dumbbell/barbell rows in your program. Could that be a cause too?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I remember you mentioning in one of the threads that you were on Bill Starr 5x5 some time back. Would that routine have led to your shoulder problems? Because all variations of that routine seems to have you benching atleast twice a week. It's weird that a routine developed by someone like Bill Starr can cause unbalanced development but I'm planning to go on that program next so was just making sure it's as good as it sounds
Also, you seem to have no dumbbell/barbell rows in your program. Could that be a cause too?

With movements like pull-ups, kipping pull-ups, olympic weightlifting, deadlifting, muscle ups, and rowing (with the ergometer), his shoulder injury isn't likely a anterior/posterior asymmetry/strength issue. On top of that, mobilizations like shoulder dislocates and some of the Kelly Starrett's back stretches reduce this injury as well. In all likelihood, it is a structural and neural issue. Anatomically, he could me more prone to shoulder injury. The most frequent issue with the shoulder though is neural coordination. If you don't activate the muscles in exactly the right order each time, it's very easy to irritate SOMETHING in the shoulder (frequently a bursa or tendon).

 

[brikis98]

I remember you mentioning in one of the threads that you were on Bill Starr 5x5 some time back. Would that routine have led to your shoulder problems? Because all variations of that routine seems to have you benching atleast twice a week. It's weird that a routine developed by someone like Bill Starr can cause unbalanced development but I'm planning to go on that program next so was just making sure it's as good as it sounds

Yes, I did Bill Starr 5x5 for a short while before starting Crossfit. No, I don't think it caused my shoulder issues as the routine balances out all the bench pressing with an equal amount of rowing. I think what led to my shoulder issues was the routine I did before the 5x5: a stupid bodybuilding style split which focused entirely on the "beach muscles" including way too much bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, dumbbell flies, dips, etc. Two years of that - combined with crappy technique and very poor flexibility/mobility - had left its mark on my rotator cuffs before I ever started the 5x5. Of course, I didn't do anything to remedy the flexibility/technique issues after I switched to the 5x5, so when the weight got heavy enough (and it will, since the 5x5 is very effective), I started to get injured.

In short: the 5x5 works very well, but make sure you have the necessary technique and mobility down first.

Also, you seem to have no dumbbell/barbell rows in your program. Could that be a cause too?

The vast majority of my pressing these days is the overhead press, which utilizes the entire shoulder evenly and doesn't need anything to balance it out. Moreover, Crossfit includes tons of pull-ups, muscle-ups, L pull-ups, rope climbs, o-lifts, etc that give the posterior shoulder plenty of work to balance out the occasional bench press that I do.