Saturday, November 30, 2013

Garage

6 x 1 clean + 2 front squats

185, 195, 200, 205, 210, 215

Clean pulls 3 x 3 @ 100% (reset after each rep)

215

5 rounds, not for time, of:

10 KB swings (70)
10 push-ups
Airdyne 20 calories (recovery pace)

Notes:  Absolute beast mode on the clean complex.  215 is my 1 RM, yet I pulled under it like a boss today on my final working set and proceeded to bang out two front squats.  Pulls actually weren't that great, but it's good to work some dynamic pulling off the floor.  Should've done the final segment "for time."  

Final 12-week cycle starts tomorrow, which should take me into mid-February.  Focus will be on leg strength, gymnastics volume, and aerobic conditioning.  This is going to be major training, and I'm ready for it.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Airdyne 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

386 calories (147)

Notes:  This was just an attempt to recover the legs from Thursday's football game.  Hamstrings, groin, and hip flexors were smoked.  This definitely helped, and I also felt very powerful aerobically.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Fitness 500

Snatch 6 x 2

125, 135, 145, 155, 160(f), 160

3 rounds of:

3 snatch pulls @ 100% (175)
Rest 1 minute
12 T2B
Rest 1 minute

Notes:  Another low energy day.  Even so, I managed my best ever snatch double.  Felt fast under the bar, but I bit unstable in the bottom.  It was good to work some heavy pulls to reinforce the pull off the ground.  Pairing pulls with T2B really places a premium on maintaining a tight midline.  Looking forward to a day away from the gym and, instead, playing in our annual Thanksgiving football game!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Garage

3 rounds, not for time, of:

20 squats
10 push-ups
10 hollow-rocks

5 rounds of:

5 Pendlay rows (145)
Rest 1 minute
10 single-arm KB press (35)
Rest 1 minute

Ball slams 10 x 10 (OTM)

Notes:  Not much energy today, but I got in some decent work.  A bit weak on the Pendlay rows.  Could feel myself starting to "buck" the hips, so I stuck at 145.  Amazing how poorly my left arm moves in comparison to my right arm on the single-arm work.  Toughest part of a ball slam is getting the ball from the ground to overhead -- not the actual slam itself.  

Monday, November 25, 2013

Airdyne 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

385 calories (149)

Notes:  Not much to report today.  Just a solid session. More calories than last week while maintaining a slightly lower heart rate.  

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Fitness 500

5 rounds, for time, of:

5 power cleans
5 bench presses

8.37 (165)

"Death by C2B"

10 rounds + 9 reps

Notes:  Lots of power production today.  I felt strong on the power cleans; however, bench press betrayed me in the 4th round.  I had to break 3/2 on the 4th round and then 2/1/1/1 on the 5th round.  Need to keep working dips and heavy overhead presses.  Great workout for me, though, as I struggle with this type of stuff.  Got in a ton of C2Bs at the end.  Need to keep working the strict and weighted variations of pull-ups.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Garage

Power snatch (15 minutes to build to a heavy single)

165

5 rounds of:

6 power snatches (135) (1 rep every 10 seconds)
12 burpees (1 foot jump -- touch ceiling)
24 double-unders
Actively recover 2:30 minutes on Airdyne; 30-second transition back to bar

Notes:  One of the best workouts I've had in a while.  Added some TGUs (worked up to 70#) and some jumping rope to my usual warm-up and I think it helped to open up the body.  Hit one of the cleanest power snatches of my life at 155.  I got 165 overhead, but it wasn't as crisp.  Then, I started flipping around 135 like it was nothing.  It was, by far, the most powerful I've ever been at that weight.  Burpees were definitely the most difficult part of the workout.  Had to slow my pace slightly on the last two rounds.  I finished most rounds in around 2 minutes.  Enjoyed using the Airdyne for active recovery.  I spun out very slowly and just tried to control my heart rate.  Took me about 30 seconds to get off the Airdyne, adjust the bar, chalk up, re-set my watch, and go.  

Friday, November 22, 2013

Airdyne 20 minutes (RPE 8)

? calories; 63+ RPMs (167)

Notes:  This was just nasty.  Felt like a million bucks for the first two minutes.  After that, it was a lactic acid fest in the legs.  It's like riding a bike uphill for 20 minutes.  I literally had to grit my teeth or laugh like a psycho at times to get through it.  To make matters worse, my monitor zeroed out on me about 13 minutes in.  So, I didn't even get my calorie score after subjecting myself to such pain.  

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Row 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

9,542 meters; 2.21.4 (22) (144)

Notes:  Faster pace than usual yet heart rate stayed lower than usual.  Actually maintained sub-2.20 pace for final 15 minutes.  Absolutely cruised on this workout.  Goal is to be able to row 10K within 45 minutes without crossing 150 heart rate.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Airdyne 30 x 30 seconds (85%)/30 seconds (50%) (am)

Fitness 500 (pm)

3 rounds, not for time, of:

12 T2B

10 dips

15 box jumps (24)

6 x 1 power clean + 1 push jerk

175, 185, 195, 195, 195, 195

5 rounds of:

3 weighted chin-ups (25)

Rest 90 seconds

10 GHD sit-ups

Rest 90 seconds

Notes:  Beast mode on the 30/30 work.  Dialed things back slightly to 70-73 RPMs on the pick-ups as opposed to 75-77 RPMs previously.  This made a huge difference for me and kept the intensity more appropriate.  Heart rate only went as high as 167 and it wasn't a lactic acid fest.  

T2B were clean tonight.  Box jumps were okay, but I want them to be rock-solid.  Need to make a box for my garage.  Stayed at 195 on the barbell complex because I was right at the edge of my form.  Any heavier and I would've had to catch wide on the power clean.  My heavy push/power jerks are garbage.  Project for this weekend:  find a place nearby where I can do pull-ups, T2B, and muscle-ups outdoors.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Row 8 x 500 meters (rest 2 minutes between intervals) (am)

1.  1.47.9 (28) (162)
2.  1.50.2 (27) (164)
3.  1.48.4 (28) (167)
4.  1.49.0 (28) (168)
5.  1.48.6 (28) (169)
6.  1.48.5 (28) (170)
7.  1.48.3 (28) (170)
8.  1.47.7 (28) (169)

Garage (pm)

Power snatch 15 x 3 @ 70% (OTM)

125

Complete the following reps unbroken and clean weight from the ground:

12 front squats (165)
Rest 1 minute
9 front squats
Rest 1 minute
6 front squats

Notes:  Big-time power intervals in the morning.  Quality warm-up including a few 30-second sprints to awaken the system.  Goal was to maintain an average pace below 1.49.7, which was the average pace on my last 2K time trial.  I did so easily by averaging 1.48.5 this morning.  More good heart rate data with the trend continuing of my heart rate leveling off at a comfortable number.

Nice to be back banging away with the barbell.  All of the aerobic power in the world won't do shit in CrossFit if you can't move the weights.  Reps were much cleaner when I would use proper footwork (aggressively pulling under the bar and moving the feet into the catching position).  Interesting little front squat work turned out to be brutal.  Struggled a bit to maintain the rack position on such high reps.  Bar was really in the finger-tips.  I'll be getting back into squatting after Thanksgiving.  Knees are enjoying a breather right now!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Airdyne 45 minutes

382 calories (150)

Notes:  Legs were turbo-charged this morning.  A bit surprising after yesterday's track workout.  I was sitting at 57 RPMs right out of the gates and actually had to force myself to stay under control.  Up from 364 calories last week, which is substantial increase on Airdyne.  Short-term goal is to hold 60+ RPMs throughout piece without crossing 150 heart rate threshold.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

BHS Track

As a team of 3, complete 5 rounds each of:

Run 400 meters
20 burpees (with jump over milk crate)
30 S2O (75)

*Advance to next station once all team members have completed their respective stations.

Notes:  I enjoyed this one (not sure my teammates felt the same).  Run was very comfortable.  The last 8-10 burpees were a bit nasty each round, but I maintained a good pace.  The jump over the milk crate made each burpee much more difficult than normal.  I used a push press for S2O and broke most sets 10/10/10.  My stomach felt slightly off throughout, but I felt pretty good otherwise.  Breathing is definitely improving thanks to dedicated time on the rower and Airdyne.  Looking to focus more this week on power/strength as I've gotten away from that a bit.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Rest day.

Friday, November 16, 2013

Row 5K (RPE 8)

19.49.4; 1.59.4 (24) (174)

Notes:  Very positive heart rate data today.  Nice slow, steady creep up to 170 and then it completely flattened out for almost the entire second half.  In the past, I've been having to work in the low 180s for at least the last 1K.  Things are definitely moving in the right direction.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Airdyne 30 x 30 seconds (85%)/30 seconds (50%) (am)

Fitness 500 (pm)

3 rounds, not for time, of:

10 dips
8 KB snatches/arm (53)
15 GHD sit-ups

6 x 1 high-hang clean + 1 power clean + 1 jerk

155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 195

3 rounds of:

8 strict pull-ups
Rest 90 seconds
16 deficit hand-release push-ups (hands on 5# plates)
Rest 90 seconds

Notes:  Total burner in the morning.  My legs are just getting chewed up.  Took it up to 73-75 RPMs on the pick-ups and spun it out at 43-44 RPMs, which was slightly lower than last week.  You can try like hell, but 30 seconds simply isn't enough time to recover the legs before the next interval.  Heart rate touched 175 toward the end of the workout.

Low energy tonight at the gym.  Finding it difficult to train hard on weekday evenings after training in the morning and working.  Power cleans got a bit heavy at 195.  The high-hang clean zaps your legs a bit for the power clean.  My upper body strength is terrible and I don't even want to write about it.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Row 3 x 10 minutes (rest 3 minutes between intervals) (<160 heart rate) (am)

1.  2,342 meters; 2.08.0 (23) (154)
2.  2,345 meters; 2.07.9 (23) (153)
3.  2,347 meters; 2.07.8 (24) (154)

Garage (pm)

10 x 1 hang power snatch + 1 power snatch (OTM)

135 => 150

3 rounds of:

3 snatch-grip DLs (195)
Rest 45 seconds
AMRAP strict HSPUs (scaled to Ab-mat)
Rest 45 seconds

6 x 20 double-unders, 10 Ab-mat sit-ups, & 10 double-unders (OTM)

Notes:  Some good and some not-so-good.  Felt like an aerobic powerhouse in the morning on the rower.  My paces continue to improve and my heart rate is staying lower.  I can't even imagine where I'll be aerobically by the time the Open rolls around (assuming I can keep it up).  Unfortunately, all of the work on the rower and Airdyne is zapping my legs a bit for the barbell movements.  I didn't have much pop on the power snatches tonight and resorted to some sloppy footwork.  I'm hoping that it's just an adjustment period.  Also, I wasn't able to do single strict HSPU!  I had to scaled to an Ab-mat and managed 7, 7, and 5 reps.  This obviously requires major work.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Airdyne 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

364 calories (150)

Notes:  Back hammering away at the aerobic base.  Body is pretty banged up from the last few days of training, particularly the quads and upper back/traps.  Today's workout served as a good "flush" as well as a nice aerobic builder.  Came out of the gates at ~53 RPMs, but quickly found myself in the 55-58 range.  Back on the rower tomorrow morning followed by some snatch work in the evening.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Fitness 500

Pause squat 1 x 5 @ 50%; 1 x 3 @ 60%; 1 x 2 @ 70%; 1 x 2 @ 75%; 3 x 2 @ 80%

160; 190; 220; 235; 250

AMRAP in 6 minutes of:

12 DB snatches (60)
12 over-the-box jumps (24)

4 rounds

Notes:  I really enjoyed the pause squats.  They force you to stay tight rather than collapsing into the bottom.  I did a 3-second pause on each rep and had to work very hard on the doubles at 250.  I'll be looking for some different types of squatting to do over the next few weeks.  The metcon was a total quad-burner.  Over-the-box jumps tax the legs way more than regular box jumps, and I'm not really sure why.  Even the jump off the box seems difficult.  I tried my best to keep moving and then emptied the tank at the end to just finish the fourth round as time expired.  Bobby coached me through it and that really helped me with the final round.  Looking for a good flush on the Airdyne tomorrow morning.  

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Fitness 500

3 rounds, not for time, of:

12 box jumps (24)
Handstand hold, 1 minute
12 T2B

20 x 1 hang clean + 1 clean (OTM)

105 => 195

Bench press 3 x 8 @ 175 (perform 8 ring rows between each set)

Notes:  The barbell segment was very intense.  It was difficult to recover between sets.  I was breathing heavy, which makes it difficult to brace the midline in the bottom of the clean.  I was a bit rocked by the end.  Failed the last set of bench press.  Good to work a little horizontal pulling, too.  Went for a ~20-mile bike ride with Mary Catherine in the afternoon. 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Garage

5 rounds of:

1 power snatch (135, 145, 155, 155, 155)
Rest 30 seconds 
10 push-ups 
Rest 30 seconds

3 rounds of:

3 snatch pulls (185)
Rest 45 seconds
15 ball slams (40)
Rest 45 seconds

Notes:  First workout on the new matting in the garage -- it's really nice.  Legs are a bit zapped from a lack of squatting, not enough calories, and lots of Airdyne work.  The power snatches at 155 were not very crisp.  Tough to stabilize the midline of heavy pulls after ball slams.  Good 5-minute warm-up on rower and cool-down on Airdyne.  I plan to take another week off from pure squatting before getting back into it.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Row 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

9,403 meters; 2.23.5 (21) (146)

Notes:  Strange heart rate data this morning.  Jumped to 135 much earlier than usual.  However, I leveled off at 140 and stayed there for the entire piece with the exception of a short spike up to 146 about 30 minutes in.  Ready to tackle some heavier and more intense CrossFit-type workouts over the next few days.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Garage (am)

Airdyne 5 minutes (RPE 5)

44 calories; 58+ RPMs (144)

Airdyne 10 minutes (RPE 7)

133 calories; 65+ RPMs (176)

Airdyne 10 minutes (RPE 8)

142 calories; 66+ RPMs (179)

Fitness 500 (pm)

3 rounds, not for time, of:

12 C2B
15 GHD sit-ups
50 double-unders

6 x 1 high-hang clean + 1 push press + 1 jerk

155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 195(f)

Notes:  Lactic acid fest in the morning.  Pain in the quads would kick in about two minutes into the piece and I just had to live with it.  I can't even fathom what it would take to get 300 calories in 10 minutes.  You'd probably have to sit at 80+ RPMs for the entire piece.  Conditioning is still far exceeding leg stamina on Airdyne.

Decent session at Fitness 500.  I was frustrated with equipment and people in my way, but settled in nicely for the barbell work.  High-hang means you keep torso vertical and only bend knees as far as ankles will allow.  Push press was the hardest part and I finally failed on the last set.  My C2B weren't great today.  Need to really dial in my pull-ups -- all variations.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Row 4 x 5 minutes (rest 3 minutes)

1.  1,256 meters; 1.59.4 (24) (167)
2.  1,253 meters; 1.59.7 (24) (168)
3.  1,253 meters; 1.59.7 (24) (171)
4.  1,254 meters; 1.59.6 (24) (168)

Notes:  5-minute warm-up in Z1.  Damper set at 5.5 to reach 140 due to colder temperature in garage as compared to Arlington apartment.  Really came alive in final two intervals.  It's tough to plow away at 6:15 in the morning.  I love it, though.  Back on the Airdyne tomorrow morning and then hitting up Fitness 500 at night for a training session.  

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Airdyne 30 x 30 seconds (85%)/30 seconds (50%) (am)

Garage (pm)

Hang snatch 10 x 1 @ 75% (every 30 seconds)

130

3 rounds of:

3 snatch-grip DL @ 110%
Rest 45 seconds
15 push-ups 
Rest 45 seconds

Notes:  Good aerobic work in the morning.  Revved it up to 71-75 RPMs during the pick-ups and then spun it out at ~47 RPMs on the recoveries.  Heart rate got up to 176 on the final few pick-ups.  Quads were on fire!  Need to deal with a bit of pain until my Airdyne-specific leg muscles catch up to my overall conditioning.

Garage isn't quite set up yet, but I wanted to try it anyways.  Had trouble getting under the bar tonight.  Bottom position is garbage.  Used 195 on the DLs which will hopefully make my snatches feel lighter off the floor.  Skipped conditioning because I don't want to overdo things right now.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Airdyne 45 minutes (aerobic restoration)

Notes:  It may be cold on the Cape, but things heated up quickly this morning in my new garage.  Worked out at 0600, which is very early for me.  This is my new time for morning aerobic work.  Kept heart rate below 150.  Held steady at ~55 RPMs and crept up to ~57-58 towards the end.  Felt great throughout the piece.  I'm going to be a monster aerobically this season.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Yoga

Notes:  Attended Mary Catherine's final class at Tranquil Space Arlington.  It was an unbelievable atmosphere as the students were so sad to see her leaving.  I'm happy to have been a part of it, and also got in a great workout.  I'm obviously tight in the anterior and posterior chains; however, I'm always amazed by how tight I am in the "side body" during the twisting poses.  I always feel deep stretching wrapping from my abdominals around to my lower back.  Yoga is also incredibly aerobic if you maintain a constant flow.  I'm hoping this stretching and mental relaxation will help with the stress of the upcoming move.