brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Tabata row: 8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off

Round 1: 104m
Round 2: 107m
Round 3: 104m
Round 4: 101m
Round 5: 101m
Round 6: 100m
Round 7: 100m
Round 8: 101m

Total: 818m (PR)

Goal today was to stay above 100m each round, which I just barely managed to do. Tied my single round PR (107m) and set a new PR for total distance by 5m.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 435x1, 455x5x1
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5, 255x5
Weighted pull-ups: 20x5, 30x5, 50x5, 70x5, 70x5
Ring L-sits: 20s, 15s, 10s

Started the day with deadlift and for the first time in months, used my weightlifting belt. As a result, I tore through the 455 singles with ease. The bar was just flying off the floor. I might toss in a belted workout now and then to change things up. After the good deadlift session, I was feeling pumped and decided to just do a pure strength workout. Only notable thing was that I did bench press for the first time since June, but it went well. 255 wasn't too tough and my shoulders felt fine.

 

[norsy]

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.

Yes that makes sense. But what about the version with powercleans instead of rows?

 

[brikis98]

Yes that makes sense. But what about the version with powercleans instead of rows?

Power cleans, deadlifts & rows all make heavy use of the muscles that support the posterior of the shoulder, so I wouldn't be too worried about the lack of rows. Having said that, it wont hurt to toss in some rows or pull-ups at the end of a bench press workout, and if you have shoulder issues already, it's probably a good idea. And, of course, as I said before: make sure to get the technique down and work on mobility.

 

[brikis98]

Row: 10 x 250m with 5 times the recovery

Round 1: 44.0s
Round 2: 45.3s
Round 3: 45.5s
Round 4: 46.5s
Round 5: 46.6s
Round 6: 46.2s
Round 7: 47.0s
Round 8: 46.9s
Round 9: 47.9s
Round 10: 46.5s

Total: 462.4s (PR)

Handily beat my old PR on this workout by about 10 seconds. I found that the combination of fairly short work periods (~45s) and lengthy rest periods (~3:45) made it tough to maintain intensity, especially in the later rounds.

 

[brikis98]

Snatch: 88x3, 108x3, 128x2, 148x2, 168x2, 178x1, 188x1, 193xF, 193x1, 198xF, 198xF, 198x1, 203xF, 203xF, 203xF, 203x1 (knees), 203x1 (PR), 208xF, 208xF, 208xF, 208xF

It took almost half a year, but I finally broke through the plateau on my snatch. Granted, those 6 months included a hamstring injury, several bouts of sickness and missing nearly a month of training while on vacation... But still, that's damn long time for a 3lb increase. Nevertheless, progress is progress and I'm psyched to see improvement. I was damn close on a couple of the 208 attempts, but didn't quite lock it out in time. On the rep labeled "knees", the weight was too far forward and I ended up on my knees, but managed to hang onto the weight anyway. I then managed to stand up with it - an awkward 203lb overhead lunge - which would've counted in the CF Games, but not as a proper PR, so it's good I got a legit 203 on the next attempt. The good news is that when my technique clicked and I'd nail a rep, it would feel effortless. In other words, I'm definitely limited by technique and not strength. With some more practice, I have no doubt I'll get 208. I just hope it takes less than 6 months

"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

Subs: used a 50lb KB. Each round included ~430m of running through the gym & outside in the parking lot.

Time: 9:01 (PR)

I felt great today on this workout and just barely missed getting sub 9. All reps were done unbroken and I took no rest whatsoever. Therefore, to get a better time, I'll need to run faster and/or learn the butterfly kip. CF Sunnyvale doesn't have proper 1.5 pood KB's (~55lbs), but I figure the slightly longer runs roughly balance out the 5lbs less weight.

 

[brikis98]

No idea what happened, but when I woke up this morning, my left shoulder was KILLING me. If I start with my left hand at my side and try to raise it straight up (like a zombie), I get a very sharp pain in the front of the shoulder socket and can't go any further. If I use my other arm to help it around the pain spot, the rest of the mobility is fine - I can do pressing motions, side to side, etc. But any motion that starts with the arm hanging down and requires it moving forward is a no go.

I felt no shoulder pain whatsoever yesterday and my shoulders had been feeling fine the last couple weeks. And now, out of nowhere, it explodes. WTF?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

No idea what happened, but when I woke up this morning, my left shoulder was KILLING me. If I start with my left hand at my side and try to raise it straight up (like a zombie), I get a very sharp pain in the front of the shoulder socket and can't go any further. If I use my other arm to help it around the pain spot, the rest of the mobility is fine - I can do pressing motions, side to side, etc. But any motion that starts with the arm hanging down and requires it moving forward is a no go.

I felt no shoulder pain whatsoever yesterday and my shoulders had been feeling fine the last couple weeks. And now, out of nowhere, it explodes. WTF?

That is, without a doubt, supraspinatus pain. The supraspinatus is responsible for abduction of the arm (laterally raising it) from 0-15 degrees. The rest is the deltoid. Who knows what did it, but the supraspinatus is very temperamental with overhead stuff so the snatches are the likely suspect. Ice (or ice massage) it, and don't do anything crazy with it.

 

[brikis98]

That is, without a doubt, supraspinatus pain. The supraspinatus is responsible for abduction of the arm (laterally raising it) from 0-15 degrees. The rest is the deltoid. Who knows what did it, but the supraspinatus is very temperamental with overhead stuff so the snatches are the likely suspect. Ice (or ice massage) it, and don't do anything crazy with it.

Heh, I was hoping to get some educated opinions on it

Some more info:

* I could not raise my arm laterally or forward more than ~20 degrees. At that point, I feel a very sharp pinch at the front of the shoulder and can go no further. I also feel the same pinch if I try to move the arm backwards, as if I was trying to do the windmill motion. However, if I used my other arm to help get around this point and get my left arm vertical (which I had to do to get dressed this morning), I can move it around completely problem free.
* I could not "rub" or feel out with my fingers what actually hurts - it's too deep in the shoulder.
* Worse yet, I could not hit it effectively with the ice either. I iced my shoulder on and off all day at work, but I never felt like the point where I had the sharp pain was getting hit and so I didn't get much relief.

The good news is that after I did a running workout today (will update journal later tonight) and got a nice sweat going, the shoulder loosened up quite a bit. I still have the pinch feeling, but it's much less severe and I can get my arm past it without help. Definitely not 100%, but I'm guessing this means that my problem is some sort of swelling and not something more severe (like a tear). You're probably right that the snatches somehow caused it, but I'm just amazed that I wouldn't have noticed any pain last night at all.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Yeah, that's a common feeling. Instead of it being an injury on the anterior or front side of the shoulder, the particularly damaged part of the muscle is likely deeper within the shoulder joint or moreso on the posterior aspect. The supraspinatus originates on the upper portion of the scapula/shoulder blade on the back. It then travels from there along the top/outside of the arm to the humerus. Refer to this picture:

Perhaps if you don't have any luck icing it on the front of your shoulder, you could try to ice right above the scapular spine? Your trapezius will be in the way, but the cold should be able to travel down a bit. If that doesn't help, try icing over the deltoid and see if that helps at all. Sorry it's acting up, man. Supraspinatus is the drama queen of the shoulder

 

[brikis98]

Yeah, that's a common feeling. Instead of it being an injury on the anterior or front side of the shoulder, the particularly damaged part of the muscle is likely deeper within the shoulder joint or moreso on the posterior aspect. The supraspinatus originates on the upper portion of the scapula/shoulder blade on the back. It then travels from there along the top/outside of the arm to the humerus. Refer to this picture:

Perhaps if you don't have any luck icing it on the front of your shoulder, you could try to ice right above the scapular spine? Your trapezius will be in the way, but the cold should be able to travel down a bit. If that doesn't help, try icing over the deltoid and see if that helps at all. Sorry it's acting up, man. Supraspinatus is the drama queen of the shoulder

Thanks for the info. I'll try icing it in the back tomorrow and seeing what happens. At least the timing isn't bad: the gf and I are heading up to Sonoma for our anniversary, so I'll have a few days off from the gym to let it rest and hopefully heal.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 3x5 minutes, 3 minutes rest between rounds

Result: ran all 3 rounds on a treadmill @ 9.5mph

Must go faster.

 

[brikis98]

Shoulder felt much better this morning than yesterday morning, but is still far from 100%. I can now raise my arm forward - I still get a pinch, but not too bad - but raising it laterally or backwards are still a total no-go. Just hoping that a weekend of ice, rest, lots of wine and massages will get me back to normal.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 4.5km loop around campus

Time: ~23 minutes

My shoulder is still healing, so I just did a run around campus to get the blood flowing and then tried to move the shoulder and stretch it as much as I could. I can move it fully in all directions now, though I still get a mild pinch in several positions. I'm not sure what those "hot spots" will affect yet, so I'm going to try out various exercises at the gym tomorrow to see what my shoulder can handle.

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x3, 178x3, 218x3, 228x3, 238x3, 243x3, 218x5

Tested out the shoulder today with a bunch of exercises that involve the upper body (mostly with a broom stick or empty barbell) to see what it could handle. Push-ups, overhead press, overhead squats and snatches were a no go - too much pinching at various points in the motion. Pull-ups, power cleans and everything else lower body (squats, lunges, running, etc) felt fine. Power cleans felt decent today. Only issue was that I caught the 3rd rep of 238 a bit low, which didn't feel great on my shoulder. To be safe, I bumped up to 243x3 instead of 248x3 for the next set and got through it reasonably well.

For time:
Run 800 meters
15 left-legged pistols
15 right-legged pistols
25 sit-ups
12 left-legged pistols
12 right-legged pistols
25 sit-ups
9 right-legged pistols
9 left legged pistols
25 sit-ups
Run 800 meters

"Pistol" is one-legged squat with Kettlebell or dumbbell. Use 1 1/2 pood Kettlebell or 55 pound dumbbell for pistols.

Sub: did pistols with a 35lb KB. Did sit-ups on an abmat with feet in the butterfly position.

Time: 21:45

This was my first time doing weighted pistols and it was pretty rough. I scaled the weight down, but despite that, it wasn't long before I couldn't do more than 5 pistols in a row. It certainly didn't help that you couldn't alternate legs, so I spent a lot of time waiting for my glutes and quads to recover. I found that to stay in balance with a KB, I ended up with a somewhat rounded back at the bottom of the pistol, so my erectors and abs were incredibly fatigued by the end of the workout from stabilizing my core in this position. Good workout and yet another clear sign that I need to spend more time on gymnastics movements.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 1 mile time trial

Result: ran on a treadmill at 10.2 mph for a time of 5:53 (PR)

Went too damn slow. My lower back, glutes, and quads were shot to hell from yesterday's pistols, so I picked a conservative speed for the 1 mile run. But once everything loosened up, I ran pretty easily, and had a lot left in the tank at the end. I'm pretty sure I could've run it at 10.5 mph, giving me a time of ~5:42 and accomplishing one of my goals for this year. Granted, this is treadmill running and quite a bit easier than running outside, but because I suck so bad at pacing myself outdoors, the exactness of a treadmill is actually benefiting me quite a bit. I'm able to dial in the workout I want without constantly worrying about going too slow or too fast, and I can increase the difficulty in small, precise increments - a bit like adding weight to a barbell. Although not perfectly, the fitness does carry over to outdoor running, and the convenience of the treadmill at work is hard to beat (especially as on busy days, the choice is treadmill or nothing). I think I'm going to do most longer runs (5k+) around nature trails so I don't get bored, short runs (<200m) on the track, runs that are parts of metcons in the parking lot around the gym, and everything else on the treadmill.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 335x2, 365x1xstopped
Weighted pull-ups: BWx5, 40x5, 3x5x70

I was supposed to go for 365x5 on the squat today, but my glutes were still totally shot from the pistols a few days ago, so I never had a chance. Worse yet, due to the fatigue, I mast have subconsciously offloaded most of the work from my glutes to my adductors/quads and ended up slightly straining the left adductor on the first rep of 365 and had to rack it. Nothing major, but I should have known better than trying to tie my squat 5RM on tired legs. I then did weighted pull-ups with two KB's hanging from my feet (so the 3x5x70 was with a 35lb KB on each foot) because I couldn't find the dip belt. This turned out to be very awkward: the KB's were hurting my toes, sliding around a bit, and meant that I had to do an unnaturally strict pull-up for each rep, as my hips and feet had to remain ramrod straight.

21-18-15-12-9-6 and 3 rep rounds of:
Power clean 95 pounds
Sit-ups
Back extensions

Did sit-ups on an abmat with feet unachored and in the butterfly position.

Time: 11:40

This workout played fairly well to my strengths: I was able to do all sets of all exercises unbroken. The only rest between exercises was the time it took me to walk between the barbell, abmat and GHD.

Shoulder progress

Went through a bunch of exercises again with a broomstick and/or empty barbell to see how my shoulder was doing. Dips and push-ups are still a no-go, but very close - just a small pinch in the first 10 degrees on the way down. It hurts to lock out overhead squats and on the snatch, even the transition during the 3rd pull (where the elbows turn quickly) is rather uncomfortable. Surprisingly, overhead press and handstand push-ups felt just fine. I took advantage of this after my workout by doing some light exercises to get blood flowing: a bunch of overhead press reps with the empty barbell and a few sets of handstand holds and 1-2 HSPU's.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 2 mile time trial

Time: 14:55

It was ~90 degrees and humid today, so this run was almost entirely a test of my body's ability to dissipate heat. I finished the first mile in under 7 minutes, but things got pretty sluggish after that. I do most of my workouts at night and/or in an air conditioned building, so I need to work in the sun and heat more often to build up a tolerance. It definitely affected me at the CF Games qualifier last March: it's amazing how much the sun beating down on you can suck up your motivation & energy.

Handstand practice

I've been totally neglecting my gymnastics work, so I'm going to try to toss more of it in after these CFE style workouts. The goal today was to spend a bunch of time on my hands. I got next to a wall, kicked up into a handstand and then tried to take my feet off the wall and stay upright (freestanding) as long as I could. It was surprisingly difficult & tiring and my longest hold was a pitiful ~7 seconds.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405x1, 445x1, 460xF, 460xF, 405x2, 445x1, 460xF, 460xF, 405x2, stopped

Blah. Seems like every other week, I suck at deadlifting: 3 weeks ago I tore through ascending singles up to 465; two weeks ago, I couldn't budge 455; last week, I tore through 5 singles of 455; today, I couldn't budge 460. I even brought out the belt for the last try at 460, but it didn't help at all, which probably means I have some intermittent technique issue. On these crappy days, I just can't get decent leg drive off the ground. I kept trying to drop the weight to figure out what the issue was, but on the last 405 double, I tore open a blister and had to call it a day.

Tabata box jumps: 8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, ~30" box

Reps completed: 71 (PR)

With a torn blister and busted shoulder, there weren't too many metcons in my schedule that I could do, so I just went for a quick tabata workout. Trying to quickly cycle through 30" box jumps was a good test of coordination, timing and endurance.

L pull-ups: 3x8
HSPU: 5, 6, 7

A bit more gymnastics work to finish the day. I'm happy that at least one pressing motion, HSPU's, feels just fine on the shoulder.

 

[brikis98]

Run:

6min TT
3 min rest
4 min TT
2 min rest
1min TT
30 sec rest
30 sec TT
15 sec rest
15 sec TT

Ran on a treadmill. Added 15 seconds to each of the last 3 intervals since the treadmill took a long time to get to full speed.

6 min @ 10 mph
4 min @ 10 mph
1 min @ 10.3 mph
30 sec @ 11 mph
15 sec @ 12 mph

The first two rounds were pretty damn tough; the last two rounds way too easy. Warmed up by running totally barefoot for 0.75 miles, which was pretty damn fun. When I put my VFFs back on for the actual workout, I felt like my feet were 10 times heavier and that I was stomping around like a bear. It's amazing how even a tiny layer of material can totally change my foot strike. As a result, I've decided to try to do more barefoot running. I'm going to have to build up to it gradually - the skin on my feet is not tough enough for a treadmill yet, let alone asphalt/rocks/etc - but I think it'll help make my running for more efficient.

 

[kamper]

Cool. Keep posting on your barefoot progress.

 

[brikis98]

Box jumps: 30"x3, 32"x3, 35"x3, 39"x3, 42"x3, 44"xF, 44"xF, 42"x5
Good mornings: 95x5, 135x5, 145x5, 155x5

All box jump heights are approximate, but likely within 1-2". I memorized where the box came up to on my body and then measured myself when I got home.

I was supposed to do snatches, but with my shoulder still injured, I decided to do box jumps as an alternative explosive movement. The only other time I've gone high on box jumps was at a gymnastics gym where I jumped onto stacked mats. If I missed, I'd just painlessly crash into the mats, so in this ideal environment, I worked up to a ~50" jump. Unfortunately, at my current gym, I have no access to such mats, so I just stacked bumper plates on top of a wooden platform. The prospect of missing was a very scary possibility that would have resulted in either torn up shins, a lost tooth, or something else unpleasant. Therefore, I hit a total mental block by ~44". Even though I could bang out 5 reps fairly easily with ~42", adding a single 25lb bumper on top somehow broke my confidence and I simply couldn't jump. Each time I tried, I'd abort half way, catch myself on my hands, or do something else goofy. I really enjoy jumping, so I'm going to have to find a way to (safely) work past this. After that, I moved onto good mornings. Not positive I'm doing them right: my back is definitely locked, but I'm unsure about foot spacing, bar placement or depth. Hamstrings were working hard though, so I'm probably doing something right.

4 rounds for time:

50 steps walking lunge
50 sit-ups

Time: 11:40

Boring workout. Did all reps of all sets unbroken.

HSPU: 4x8
Dead hang CTB pull-ups: 2x8, 1x9, 1x8

The metcon was pretty easy and unexciting, so I decided to do some gymnastics/bodyweight work after. Gradually increasing the HSPU numbers as my shoulder heals. Then came CTB pull-ups, which are a great exercise when done without any kip: it almost becomes a pull-up for the first part followed by a row (as you arch back to get the chest way up) for the second half.

 

[brikis98]

Run: technique practice on a treadmill

Round 1: 1.0 mile in 8:30, barefoot, 3 minutes rest
Round 2: 0.5 miles in 4:00, barefoot, 2 minutes rest
Round 3: 1.0 mile in 7:30, VFF

Decided to spend some time playing around with barefoot running. The first mile felt pretty good: I felt light and relaxed the whole time. During round 2, the skin on the ball of my foot started to to get sore and feel a bit blistery. I think my foot slides a bit when I land, so without VFFs, the skin in that area is taking a beating. It probably means I'm still landing too far forward and need to get my feet more under me. For the final round, I put the VFFs back on and focused on maintaining the light & barefoot feeling, which went very smoothly. I'm starting to think I should have invested time in barefoot running long ago.

 

[brikis98]

Power clean & front squat: 128x2, 178x2, 218x2, 238x1, 218x5, 238x1, 238x1, 243x1, 248x1, 253x1, 238x3, 238x3

Had a number of technique issues today. First, when I tried full cleans, I would land a bit too wide, which was bothering the adductor I strained last week. To avoid aggravating the injury any further, I switched to a power clean followed by a careful front squat, which I was able to do pain-free, but was surprisingly tiring. The next issue was that the bar was landing too far forward on my shoulders (almost on the biceps) rather than close to the neck. It's easy enough to hold onto it in a power clean, but if I had been doing full cleans and caught it like that at the bottom of a squat, I would've probably lost it. The 253 rep was so ugly that I stopped going up in weight and did some triples with 238 to focus on keeping the bar closer to the body.

For time:
25 Walking lunge steps
20 Pull-ups
50 Box jumps, 20 inch box
20 Double-unders
25 Ring dips
20 Knees to elbows
30 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
30 Sit-ups
20 Hang squat cleans, 35 pound dumbbells
25 Back extensions
30 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
3 Rope climb ascents

Used a 70lb KB.

Time: 17:46

Pretty tough chipper workout. Definitely started to feel it on the KB swings and I was really gasping for air on the DB cleans. I felt dizzy and nauseas for a solid 20 minutes after this was done.

Shoulder update

Slowly but surely, my shoulder is making some progress. I can now do slow push-ups relatively pain free and ring dips (as in the WoD above) with no pain at all. If I do them slowly, shoulder dislocates don't hurt (actually, they feel pretty good), and I can lock out the empty bar in the overhead squat position, although I can tell my left shoulder isn't in the proper spot and I'm not symmetric.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 4x800m, 1:1 rest. Ran barefoot an olympic track to practice technique.

Round 1: 4:00
Round 2: 3:12
Round 3: 3:26
Round 4: 3:30

2 miles is the furthest I've run barefoot. My feet are feeling pretty beat up. I kept the speed fairly low, as the faster I ran, the more I felt like my toes and forefoot were digging into the ground, which was putting serious torque on the skin there. The only time I tried to go somewhat faster was the second lap of round 2: after an easy first lap at 1:47, I gradually accelerated through the entire second lap until I did a brief sprint on the final straightaway to finish in 1:25. Sprinting barefoot felt fairly effortless, but it left my feet quite sore (especially in the tips of the toes and forefoot), so I kept it slower the next couple rounds. I'm not sure how to prevent my feet from clawing into the ground at higher speeds, though it probably has something do with POSE's "pull" instead of "push" mentality.

BTW, the distances above are for 2 laps in the 4th lane. I think I picked the proper staggered start position, but I'm honestly not sure how to read the markings on a track, so I may have been wrong. Anyone have any tips?