brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

For time:
Run 800m
Burpee broad jump across a football field and back (100 yards each way)
Run 800m

Time: 16:02 (PR)

Repeat of a workout I did 2 weeks ago in 97 degree weather. Today was a much nicer 70 degrees, which helped me shave 1:30 off the previous time.

 

[Gravity]

You have an xfit box right in your work or near? that would be convenient and awesome!

Makes me hate the fact that we were this close | -- | to getting a building with a gym but ended up somewhere else.

It really doesn't take that much to get a box established. Pullup bars, rowers, GHSD machines, rings and balls. Add boxes for jumps and speed ropes and there isn't much you cannot do.

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x3, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 228x2, 238x2, 238x2, 248x1, 248x1, 253x1, 253x1, 238x1, 238x1, 218x5
Power clean & thruster: 95x5, 135x3, 165x3, 185x2, 195x1, 205x1, 215x1, 225x1, 235x1, 245xF, 245xF, 245xF
Power clean & front squat: 245x5

Didn't have much pop on the power clean today, so the reps with 253 included some ugliness such as catching the bar on my chest and doing an inadvertent split clean. I then moved onto thrusters with ~1 minute rest between sets, inspired by the recent thruster ladder in the CF games qualifier. I managed to get up to 235 and narrowly missed 245 a few times.

I finished up by messing around with dead hang pull-ups, dead hang chest-to-bar pull-ups, and a bunch of double-unders.

 

[brikis98]

1/2 Murph:
Run 800m
50 pull-ups
100 push-ups
150 squats
Run 800m

Time: 17:04

I need to do my annual "Murph" workout, but it has been a while since I've done air squats and I didn't want to jump straight into 300. I'll do the full Murph in a week or two. Today, I went at my normal Murph pace, which was way too slow. Must go faster!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It's funny how different 50 pull-ups are from 100 pull-ups That's like two relatively quick sets. The 100 is a beast. Nice job though, not a bad pace to set as "slow."

 

[brikis98]

It's funny how different 50 pull-ups are from 100 pull-ups That's like two relatively quick sets. The 100 is a beast.

Heh, no kidding. I could do 50 pull-ups every day and not be bothered by it. But do 100 one day and the week is ruined. This is doubly true for 100 push-ups vs. 200 and 150 squats vs 300. Kind of obvious, I guess, but the difference in soreness is remarkable.

Nice job though, not a bad pace to set as "slow."

Well, my Murph PR while running outside is 34:44, so I was going at a nearly identical pace even though I was doing only half the total volume. No excuses, just need to go harder.

 

[brikis98]

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 335x5, 345x3, 355x3, 365x2, 315x5
Power clean & OH press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x1, 195x1, 200x1, 205x1 (ties PR!), 210xF, 185x3x1
Weighted pull-ups: 0x5, 35x5, 55x5, 75x5, 80x5

Wow, after struggling with OH press the last couple months, I suddenly had a very strong day and tied my PR at 205. Not sure where that came from - maybe the heavy thrusters earlier this week?

 

[brikis98]

Run: 2.6 mile hilly loop at Arastradero Preserve

For the first time ever, my gf actually suggested we go on a run. Until now, I've never had any success in getting her to workout with me, so I was thrilled. We went to the beautiful Arastradero preserve and slowly made our way around some of the hilly trails. The sun was setting, the grass was golden, the weather perfect; just a beautiful run and all the better because I could actually share it with someone.

 

[brikis98]

Missed 1.5 weeks of workouts because I had to (a) find an apartment, (b) move to the apartment (c) launch a major product for my company and (d) organize/run/attend an overnight hackday. Finally got back at it today, though in just two weeks, I'll miss a bunch more gym time as I'm taking a trip to France. So much for fitness.

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 325x5, 335x5
Clean & press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3, 175x1, 185x1, 190x1, 195x1, 200xF, 200xF
Weighted chest-to-bar pull-up: 0x5, 35x2, 55x1, 70x1, 80x1, 90xF
Bar muscle-ups: 1, 3, 3, 5

Squats felt ok. Clean & press was decent and I was damn close on 200, but got stuck just at the top of the forehead both times. Inspired by the amazing Crossfit Games this past weekend, I did weighted CTB pull-ups. They were very tough with a DB between the legs, as that limited how explosively I could pull, but I still eeked out BW+80.

 

[HN]

The Games were pretty cool. Annie Sakamoto at age 35 would've crushed me at every event (even using the women's weights), except softball throw and weighted pullups.

 

[brikis98]

"4x"
For time:
40 burpees
Run 400m
40 squats, 2x40lb DB's
Run 400m
40 push press, 2x40lb DB's
Run 400m
40 one arm power snatches, 1x40lb DB
Run 400m

Time: 17:20

Today was day 39 of the burpee challenge, but I bumped it up to 40 and came up with a fun little workout around the number 4. I was able to bust through all 40 burpees in one straight set and had enough left to go straight to the 400m run; pretty pleased with that.

 

[brikis98]

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x2, 405x1, 425x1, 445x1, 455x1, 465x5x1, 405x3
Bench press: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5, 265x5
OH squat: 95x5, 135x5, 165x2, 185x1, 205x1, 215x1, 225xF, 225xF, 135x6

I got through all the 465lb singles on deadlift, but my back was very fatigued on the last one and rounded way way too much. I should not allow that in the future. Bench press went surprisingly well. On OH squat, I'm slowly rebuilding strength/stability, going 12lbs heavier than last time. I got greedy and tried to go up another 10lbs to 225, but wasn't even close on either attempt, losing them forward less than half way down.

 

[brikis98]

For time:
Move out of a 1 bedroom apartment, on the 5th floor
Can take the elevator when coming down with lots of furniture
Can only take the stairs when heading back up
Lots of lifting of oddly shaped and uneven objects and farmer's carry

Time: 2 days

Rough weekend. My back was already sore from deadlifts and carrying furniture around for 2 days straight made it way worse. I guess I got some stamina & endurance work in. and I also tossed in a 3.5 mile untimed run around my new apartment to check out the neighborhood on Sunday.

 

[brikis98]

3 rounds for time:
Run 400m
5 sets of Cindy: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats

Ran in VFF's. The run was around a big field and closer to 460m on Google Maps.

Time: 20:00

 

[brikis98]

Power clean: 128x5, 178x5, 198x3, 218x3, 228x2, 238x1, 238x1, 248x1, 253x1, 258x1, 258xF, 258xF, 238x1, 238x1, 248x1, 258xF, 258xF, 218x5
Power clean & press: 128x5, 158x5, 178x1, 188x1, 193x1, 198x1, 148x8

I was getting a ton of height on the power cleans today, but was very slow at getting under the bar. I was ok up to 253, but at 258, the bar would hit me in the chest before I'd have enough time to get my elbows around. I got 258 once, but couldn't get under it again. I think I need to start practicing full cleans again to get better at the 3rd pull.

3 rounds for time:
Row
Knees to elbows
Box jumps, 24"
Back extensions

Rep scheme:
500m, 15 reps of each exercise
300m, 10 reps of each exercise
100m, 5 reps of each exercise

Time: 9:00

Paced myself way way too slowly on the first round. Ended up sprinting through the last two without any breaks, but my time still sucks for what should've been a much shorter metcon.

 

[brikis98]

Burpee challenge: 46

I haven't been tracking my latest 100 day burpee challenge, but it's well past the "warm-up" stage, so I'll try to record it from now on. Still doing them in one continuous, steady set. Took 2:15 today.

Turkish get-ups (reps per arm with DB): 30x3, 40x2, 50x2, 60x1, 70x1, 80x1 (success w/ left, miss with right)

I very rarely do TGU's, so as expected, my technique was shaky. What surprised me is that I had an easier time with my left arm. I'm a righty, my right arm is usually stronger and my left shoulder is the injured one, so I'm not sure why this would be.

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.

Prone bridge: 1:00 (push-up stance), 1:00 (elbows), 1:00 (elbows)

 

[brikis98]

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I'm not sure I'll have time to workout tomorrow, so I tried to go a 4th day in a row. I was pretty freaking gassed and weak the whole workout.

Burpee challenge: 47

3:00

Still one continuous set, but I had no spring in my legs, so the reps were much slower this time.

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x2x5, 325x5, 335x3xF, 275x10
Clean & press: 135x5, 155x5, 175x3, 185x2, 195x1, 200x1, 205xF, 205xF, 205xF

On the squat, 225 felt unusually heavy and the first set of 315 was down right hard. My legs loosened up a bit after that and the second set of 315 was much smoother. I got through 325x5 as well, but on 335, I mis-timed the bounce on the 4th rep and had to dump. Lame. On clean & press, I actually felt ok and thought I had a PR in me, but when I got 205 on the bar (my current PR), I lost all focus. I'd rush the attempt and end up pushing the bar far away from my face and wasn't even close. Also lame.

5 rounds for time:
20 box jumps, 24"
10 toes to bar
10 ring rows

Time: 11:40

Turns out I have no idea how to chain together toes-to-bar quickly. The CF Games athletes are able to bang them out rapidly, but if I try to go fast, I end up swinging like crazy. I had to do this whole workout with super slow & controlled reps which is far from ideal for a metcon. Will have to watch some videos to figure out what the trick is.

 

[brikis98]

"Murph"
For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Ran in a park where the convenient "lap" distance was ~900m, so the runs were ~1.15 miles each.

Time: 38:12

Dang, my last two Murph times have been slower & slower, this one a full 5 minutes off my outdoor Murph PR. The extra ~.30 miles of running probably accounts for 2 of those minutes, but the rest was just me getting winded on the bodyweight exercises.

Burpee challenge: 49

Time: 3:32

As punishment for my crappy Murph performance, I did my burpees just 10 minutes later.

 

[brikis98]

Burpee challenge: 50

Time: 2:16

Didn't have time to go to the gym today, but did my burpees at home. Decent time considering my quads are pretty shot from Murph yesterday. Hoping to fit in "Linda" tomorrow or Weds before I go on a 2 week vacation on Thur and my fitness level drops even further

 

[brikis98]

Burpee challenge: 51

Time: 3:02

Felt tired, so I took my time on these.

"Linda"
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight (Used 295lbs)
Bench press: body weight (Used 195lbs)
Clean: 3/4 body weight (Used 143lbs)

Set up three bars and storm through for time.

Time: 27:07

Brutal workout. My lower body is completely destroyed. Also, for some reason, the cleans made me very dizzy. I did all the reps unbroken on the first round, but 3 reps into the deadlifts in the second round, I had to stop because the world was spinning a bit. Not sure what was happening, but this kept happening after every round of cleans, so I always had to pause for a while to let the dizziness pass. Some sort of oxygen deprivation? Some combination of the blood rushing to the upper body for bench and the lower body for lots of squats? Not sure. But it made a hard workout much harder.

 

[brikis98]

Was on vacation in France the last several weeks. Had tons of incredible food and wine and, other than walking, virtually no exercise, so my bodyweight shot up to 199lbs. I even had to stop doing the burpee challenge because I rolled my ankle a few days into the trip; nothing severe, but it hurt to jump.

Anyways, I kept things light for my first workout in almost 3 weeks. Today was day 69 of the burpee challenge: I did 19 during warm-up and saved the other 50 as a quick metcon at the end.

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3x5
Clean & press: 95x5, 135x5, 155x3x5
Strict pull-ups: 4x10
50 burpees for time: 2:58

 

[brikis98]

Max distance in 10 minutes:
Start a 10 minute timer
Do 70 burpees
Run as far as possible before time runs out

Distance: 2.5 laps on a track (0.625 miles)

Today was day 71 of the burpee challenge, so I decided to use 70 of them in a workout. I'm still getting used to my new neighborhood, so I decided to jog to the nearest track, which was just under a mile each way for warm-up and cool down.

 

[brikis98]

Burpee challenge: 72

One heck of a warm-up.

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 365x1, 405x1, 405x1, 425x1, 425x1, 435x1, 435x1, 445x1, 445x1, 405x2
Dumbell bench press: 45x5, 65x5, 75x5, 80x5, 90x5, 100x5
Strict pull-ups: 3x12

First deadlift session in 3 weeks, so kept it light. Felt great. Did a couple quick singles at each of the weights. Good bar speed, strong back, no issues. All racks were taken by a CF class, so I did DB bench for the first time in years. Surprisingly, I found it very easy and banged out a set of 5 with the 100's with strength to spare.

 

[brikis98]

10 rounds, each for time of:
5 thrusters, 45lb DB's
10 burpees
Rest 2 minutes between rounds

Round 1: 0:32
Round 2: 0:30
Round 3: 0:33
Round 4: 0:29
Round 5: 0:31
Round 6: 0:32
Round 7: 0:31
Round 8: 0:32
Round 9: 0:31
Round 10: 0:33

A buddy of mine has been following a CF routine with interval workouts of this sort from a trainer of a CF Games athlete, so I figured I'd copy him and try one out. He did it with 95lb barbell hang power cleans, but I was at the office gym today, so I subbed in DB thrusters instead. It was a bit too easy of a workout. I'm guessing it was supposed to feel like a sprint, but I was mostly limited by the maximum turnover I could get with thrusters and burpees. For ~30 second intervals of this sort, I'm definitely able to push myself much harder with other exercises, such as actual sprinting or rowing. In short, I'm not sold on the effectiveness of this workout, though to be fair, it's just one piece of a larger routine I'm not seeing.

 

[brikis98]

Burpee challenge: 24

Today is actually day 74, but I saved the last 50 reps for a metcon at the end.

Clean: 128x5, 178x3, 198x2, 218x2, 228x1, 238x1, 248x1, 258x1, 268x1, 278x1

First time doing full cleans in a LONG time, but it went very well. I somehow ended up just 10lbs shy of PR.

10 rounds for time of:
5 burpee box jumps, 12" box
5 pull-ups

Time: 6:00