brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Run: 5 mile loop around campus
Stair runs: 5 times up and down the 8 flights of stairs in my apartment building

Another beautiful day for a relaxed jog while listening to an audiobook. When I got back home, I was at an interesting point in the book and didn't want to stop, so I just went up and down the stairs until the chapter ended.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 325x3x5
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 205x5, 225x5
Strict pull-up: 2x13, 2x10

Short, fast workout, with no time for a metcon. Squats felt good, so I'll bump to 335 next time. First time doing bench press since last September, or some 7 months. Shoulder felt a bit odd, but overall, it went ok.

 

[brikis98]

One arm DB power snatch (per arm): 30x3, 45x2, 60x2, 70x1, 80x1, 90x1, 100x1

Felt a tiny tweak in my back on the very first rep. Didn't think much of it, kept right on going, and felt fine for the rest of the workout. However, now that I'm home a few hours later, my back is a bit stiff. From a 30lb db. Go figure.

3 rounds for time:
5 reps DB power snatch using right arm, 60lbs
5 reps DB power snatch using left arm, 60lbs
10 handstand push-ups
Run 800m

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Time: 18:30

Doing my best to get creative with metcons in the tiny gym we have at work.

 

[brikis98]

20 min AMRAP:
Run 800m
3 rounds of "Cindy":
* 5 pull-downs, 180lbs
* 10 hand-release push-ups
* 15 air squats

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Rounds completed: 2 + 2 rounds of Cindy + 3 pull-downs

Doing the best I can at the office gym. There is no pull-up bar, so I did moderately heavy pull-downs instead.

 

[brikis98]

Tried to do my usual long run around campus while listening to an audiobook, but it was a total failure. From the very first step, my legs felt heavy and even though I was running slowly, my hamstrings were feeling a burn. I've never had anything like this before: no soreness, no pain, just a feeling as my legs were totally de-conditioned. I had to stop less than a mile in, walked for a while, ran again, had to stop again, etc. I gave up after less than 2 miles and went home.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 325x5, 335x5
Clean & press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x5x1
Weighted pull-up: 0x5, 20x5, 30x5, 40x5, 50x2x5
Toes to bar: 3x8

Legs felt very sluggish again and I considered quitting at 225. However, I plopped some more weight on the bar and to my surprise, felt ok the rest of the workout. I'll go for a 3x5 with 335 next time.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 3 miles, for time

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Time: 22:40 (8mph)

Solid run. Despite my inconsistency in training, I think I could easily break my 5k PR, at least on a treadmill.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x2, 405x2, 435x1, 460x6x1
Deadlift (double-overhand grip): 315x1, 345x1, 365x1, 375x1, 315x1 (10 second hold)
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 55x3x5
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 205x5, 225x5, 235x5
Toes-to-bar: 4x9

Very solid session. Tore though all exercises without any real difficulty. Will bump everything by 5lbs for next week.

 

[brikis98]

5 rounds for time:
* Run 400m
* 20 burpees, lateral jump over a dumbbell each rep

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Time: 19:58

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x3, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 228x5x2
Front squat: 135x5, 205x3, 245x3, 275x3, 285x3
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 60x3x4
Strict ring dips: 4x9

I think I'm going to stop working on my split jerk and just focus on the clean. I don't have enough time to devote to fixing my split jerk technique and given my sporadic training time, it doesn't seem like the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of building power. The power clean doubles were a bit shaky, but good enough for a 5lb bump for next time. The only oddity was that they left my lats really sore, which made pull-ups much tougher than last time.

 

[brikis98]

AMRAP in 20 minutes:
* Run 400m
* 10 thrusters, 60lb DB's
* 10 burpees

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Rounds completed: 4 + .15 miles of running

Thrusters with two 60lb DB's are brutal.

In other news, I've developed some weird knee pain, sharp in the left knee, very mild in the right. It has come and gone the last several days - I took the last two off to try to rest it - and doesn't seem to get better. Happens randomly on the way up from a squat. It felt totally fine today while running and during the workout, but when I tried to do a squat stretch at the end, I got a pang of pain on the way up. It feels like it's deep in the knee and the pain shot down the ankle. No clue what could've caused it.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x2, 405x2, 435x1, 455x1, 465x5x1
Deadlift (double-overhand grip): 315x1, 335x1, 365x1, 375x1, 385x1, 395xF, 395x1 (PR)
Strict ring dip: 4x12
Weighted pull-up: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 60x3x5

Good strength day. Some very decent singles with 465 on the deadlift, followed by a PR for double-over hand grip. A bit of a lame one, but it's my first PR in a long time, so I'll take it. Only downside today is that my knee still hurts. I iced it a bit at night, but still not sure how to deal with this seemingly-out-of-nowhere injury.

 

[brikis98]

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

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Completed all intervals at 8.3 mph, using an incline of 12

Had a much easier time with this workout than last time when I did 8.2 mph. Will bump the speed to 8.5 if it comes up again.

 

[brikis98]

conorvansmack was in town today and we did a workout together. AT people really do exist!

Power clean: 128x3, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 228x2, 233x5x2
Power clean & press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x1, 190x4x1, 190xF, 185x1
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 65x3x5
Toes to bar: 4x10

Power clean was again a little shaky - some very solid reps, some really crappy ones - but decent enough overall that I'll try doubles with 238 next week. The press at 190 sucked: one rep was smooth, but all the others were extremely slow, and I barely even budged my attempt at the 5th single. Will retry next week. Weighted pull-ups and toes to bar were very solid. Knee is feeling better, but I'm holding off on squats for a few more days.

 

[brikis98]

Run: 3.87 mile loop around Palo Alto

Ran in VFFs

Time: 36 minutes

I think my body is fighting off a cold, as I had a bit of a sore throat last night and was spitting up some phlegm this morning. I didn't have much energy for the run, so I kept it short, but still found myself fairly tired at the end. Hoping I'll feel better after tomorrow's rest day.

 

[brikis98]

Missed a couple days due to work, and if you know where I work, don't be surprised if I miss a couple more

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x3x5
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 70x3x5
Toes to bar: 4x10

First time squatting since my knee flared up. It felt ok today: no sharp pain, just some stiffness. I felt plenty strong, but as usual after any time off from squatting, my quads started to cramp towards the end. Everything else felt solid and will get a slight bump for next time. Only concern is that holding a 70lb DB between my legs for pull-ups is less than comfortable.

 

[brikis98]

After the IPO and other work-related craziness, I finally made it back into the gym today. Not sure I could've worked out the last two days anyway as my legs have been incredibly sore after Weds' squatting. In fact, they were still very sore today, but I forced myself to go anyway.

"Filthy Fifty"
For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Time: 28:01

I was doing well until the wall balls, but for some reason, the squat + throw motion made me very dizzy. I started the burpees at ~19:00, but had to stop every 5 reps as the whole world was spinning. It took 8 agonizing minutes to get through the 50 reps and I wanted to quit many times. I kept chugging away and ended up with a time ~5 minutes slower than my PR. I'm happy I toughed it out, but it sucks that my fitness level is dropping. I just don't have the time to do much about it these days.

 

[brikis98]

Morning bodyweight: 191.0

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x2, 365x2, 405x2, 435x1, 455x1, 465xF, 455x1, 405x2x3
Overhead press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x3x1, 155x2x5
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 75x3x4

Well, the combination of inconsistent training, weight loss and yesterday's rough workout caught up with me today. I felt weak as hell and all my lifts suffered. Deadlift was flat out ugly: lots of back rounding, knees buckling, and hands hurting. I was supposed to do singles with 470, but wasn't even close on 465. Similar story on the other exercises: overhead press was supposed to be singles with 190 and pull-ups were supposed to be sets of 5 with 75. I fell short across the board. Gah, I hate days like this.

 

[brikis98]

After Sunday's awful workout, I took Monday off to make sure my body had plenty of rest. Felt much better today.

5 rounds for time:
* 3 one-arm DB power snatches, right hand, 65lbs
* 3 one-arm DB power snatches, left hand, 65lbs
* 12 push-ups
* 18 air squats
* Run 400m

Ran on a treadmill in VFFs

Time: 16:05

I miss doing barbell snatches.

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x5, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 238x5x2, 218x5
Front squat: 128x5, 198x3, 238x3, 268x3, 278x3
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 75x5, 75x2x4
Toes to bar: 4x10
Ring dips: 4x10

Power cleans were hit or miss today. First rep was always solid, second rep much less so. I just couldn't stay as tight on the second rep and would always catch the bar a bit too low. I'll see how I feel next time, but I might have to repeat this weight. Front squat felt fine - no knee issues. Weighted pull-ups I came up 1 rep short each set, so I'll try for 3x5 again next time.

 

[brikis98]

Missed another couple of workout days due to some really late nights at work.

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 325x2x5
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 250x5, 225x5
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 50x5, 75x4, 75x4, 75x5

Solid all around today. Squats and bench press were both pretty easy, will do a 5-10lb bump for next time. Weighted pull-ups were tough only because I was at the Stanford gym today and was having trouble keeping the dumbbell between my legs. I'd get through 4 reps and end up dropping it part way through the fifth. I finally managed to adjust it enough and get through all 5 reps on the last set, so maybe I'll try for 80lbs next time.

5 rounds for time:
10 toes-to-bar
30 double-unders

Time: 6:30

 

[brikis98]

Run: 4.5 miles around campus, ~45 minutes

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x2, 365x2, 405x1, 425x1, 445x1, 455x5x1, 405x3
Clean & press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x1, 190x3x1, 190xF, 190xF, 190xF, 155x5
Kipping pull-ups: 30, 20, 15

After the crappy deadlift day last week, I dropped the weight down for today. It went better, but the last couple singles with 455 were still very slow. Not sure if I should go to 460 next time. Clean & press started out ok, but I fatigued very quickly with the 190 singles, not being able to get a 4th on several tries. Since I'm pressing fairly infrequently, I think I'll need a lot more volume per workout to make progress. I'll try sets of 3 or 5 next time. I finished with kipping pull-ups for the first time in almost 2 months. I got 30 in a row fairly easily, so I guess weighted pull-ups transfer reasonably well to the kipping variety.

 

[brikis98]

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
15 thrusters, 2x45lb DB's
Run 800m

Rounds completed: 3 + 15 thrusters + 400m

I'm really getting out of shape. This workout owned me.

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x5, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 228x2, 238x3x2, 243x1, 243x1, 248x1
Front squat: 128x5, 198x3, 248x3, 278x3, 283x3
Overhead press: 128x5, 148x5, 168x3, 178x3x2, 128x8
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 30x5, 55x5, 75x3x5

Good strength day. My power clean technique is still hit or miss: the 243 singles were pretty solid, 248 was pretty much an unintentional split clean. On OH press, I did slightly more reps. I'm going to gradually increase the volume to account for missed gym time. Finally got a very solid 3x5 with 75lbs on the pull-ups, so I'll go up to 80lbs next time.