Nothing Special

Walked into the gym pretty pumped still about last night's Clean PR. Pretty tired from a long hot drive up school to Palatine and then from Palatine to the gym. Needless to say I'm here and I'm gonna give it all I got.

Strength
Push Press - 4 x 3 @ 80% (300 1RM)
Press - bar(10) - 95(10)
PP - 135(3) - 185(3) - 215(3) - 240
- Wrist was pretty sore from the cleans yesterday so some of the sets were 2-1 splits. Trying to focus on setting the head back and driving it straight through.

WOD
"Helen"
3 rounds FT:
 400m Run
 21 KB Swings (53#) (all UB)
 12 Pull Ups (UB - 8/4 - 6/3/3)
= 9:34 (:01 PR)
- First run was around 1:48ish. I thought I was moving a lot faster on my runs, but I wasn't. I finished the first two rounds in 6:04 and thought "Sweet! Sub 9 here I come!"... got back in from last run at 8:12...DOOHHH!! Still finished with a :01 PR, but disappointed I let that sub 9 slip away! I gotta dig a little deeper to push through the suck better!

A Little Competitive Inspiration...

I didn't feel exceptionally great yesterday at work. The soreness finally subsiding from previous work, my legs were still feeling a little heavy. Yesterday was the first day of basketball practice so I felt a little worn down as I headed into the gym. Original plan was to just do some heavy Jerk doubles and clean pulls and call it a night, but my iphone supplied a lot of fuel for the ride. I had a great conversation with my coach back home and as we hung up I got a text from my buddy at CF Freedom. He PR'd on his clean yesterday at 325#. I was absolutely thrilled for him. J is strong as an ox. I always love hearing about his numbers. I typically don't let his numbers bother me too much because I know how strong he is, but when it comes to the lifts...not gonna lie...it bothered me quite a bit as I thought about it. My cleans have been feeling good lately so I decided I would warm up and see where the weight took me tonight....

OWOD
Clean - work up to a heavy single
bar progressions
135(3)-165(3)-185(3)-225(3) --- 255 - 265 - 275 - 290 - 300 - 310 - 325 PR - 335 PR - 345
- Warmed up and stretched out a bit and I actually felt pretty loose. Got into a nice sweat on bar progressions. By the time I got to 225# I was feeling really good. Built up rather slow from 255 - 275, but I could tell I wasn't gonna have a whole lot of juice tonight so I made some bigger jumps than I typically do. I hit 310 easy. I had to get 325 at least so I went straight there and it came up easy...a ton easier than 320 did in July. I jumped to 335 to put the nail in the coffin and it felt great. I was extremely happy about it, especially with how easy it felt. I loaded 345 up and took a half ass attempt at it, but was just too stoked about hitting 335 to make it happen. 335 put me back on top between J and I...it won't keep there for long, but it'll do for now!!
  The drills I have been working on have really been helping out. The confidence stepping up to heavy weights has been huge. Clear thoughts going on under the bar in my technique. I still need to be a little more patient in getting tall before my second pull, but it's getting better.

335# Clean

Jerk - 7 x 2; heavy as possible
135(3)-155(3) --- 225 - 275 - 285 - 275 - 285
- This wasn't very focused work. Three people rotating on the box for jerks. My jerk has felt real off lately. I really need to take the weight off and work some drills. I have too much head movement going on right now. Caught myself in the throat real good at the end of Summer...I think that might still be fresh in my head or something. 285 felt really heavy. Gonna have to put more work in so I can keep up with my clean now!

Return of the Lunch WOD

Well school is back in session so it's time to start the old routine up again. Knew I wasn't gonna be able to make it to Prevail tonight so I modified the WOD so I could do it here at school.

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
 Box Jumps (28"...height of our stage in the gym)
 HSPUs
= 13:33
- The box jumps were a little tricky once I got started. The height of our stage was 28" first off, but the stage door is down as well. So I only had about 20-24" of depth before my face hit the stage door. Trying to rebound off the floor was tricky with the stage door. Needless to say they were a little slower than usual and I am now missing a good portion of skin off my left shin from a miss in the round of 8, which led to me no longer rebounding after that. HSPUs were cruising til I hit that round of 9. The last two rounds took up a significant amount of time 13:33. I'm having some sort of issue in my neck right now so I was a little more cautious than usual on the HSPUs. That one lit me up pretty good. Gotta get back to work on those HSPUs though.

Cash Out
Chinese Arches - 2 x 1:00

Feeling Heavy...

Back home and still recovering from a great weekend. Legs still pretty sore from Friday's work. On top of that I got about an hour of sleep Saturday night after the wedding before I jumped on an early morning flight back home. Woke up tired on Monday for work and had a tough time shaking that sleepy feeling all day. Grabbed a little cat nap while watching some cartoons with Pip before the hitting the gym, but it didn't help much. Time to get back to my routine though because it's time to squat!


Strength
Back Squat - 4 x 3 @ 80% (460 1RM)
bar(10)-135(8)-185(8)-225(5)-275(3) --- 365
- This is a deload week, but it sure didn't feel like it. Weight felt heavy from the beginning. I could feel my legs getting tired during the warm ups so I cut them a set short. Despite the soreness, my squat felt very comfortable.


WOD
FT:
800m Run (4:20ish)
100 DUs (UB)
400m Run
75 DUs (lots of misses)
200m Run
50 DUs (UB)
= 11:22
- Legs were heavy on the half mile run to start. I was actually trying to push it on the runs, but my legs just didn't want to cooperate. My DUs felt great in the first round. I was able to breath and stay relaxed. Oddly, my quads weren't as bothered by these as they were on the runs. I had plenty of misses on the round of 75 though. I was able to string together another round of UBs to finish up with. I was really hoping for something in the 10s...so I'm not all that happy with this one. My legs were shot by the end of this one.

Cash Out
Strict GH Raises - 2 x 8

A Visit to CF Foothill

Got to head back home this past weekend for one my best friend's wedding. It was a great trip overall. It's been about 5-6 years since the last time I was in So Cal. The place has a changed a lot, but most things are still the same. It was great to reconnect with a ton of old friends. I had some free time Friday morning so I decided to drop in to CF Foothill. My buddy, Nate, owns the place. They've been open for a little under a year now, I believe, and are doing great. Nate's been crossfitting for quite a long time and has been a consistent Regional competitor for the last few. He runs a great gym. His box is on the smaller side, but he's really created a great CF community inside it. If your in So Cal and need a place to train...check out CF Foothill...you won't regret it!


WOD
Battlefit West Qualifier #3
3 rds FT:
  12 Power Snathes (135#....UB/dbls & singles last two rds)
  12 Air Squats
  12 Standing Alt. Lunges
  12 Jumping Alt. Lunges
  6 Jumping Squats
= 8:23
- WOW!! This wrecked my legs!!! It's 3 days later and I'm still feeling it. Initially looking at it, I didn't think it would get bad til after the first round of jumping lunges...WRONG...by the end of the squats my legs were already burning. The lunges back to back were rough. I thought I would be able to handle sets of 3s & 4s for the snatches, but stopping the bar on the way down was killing my thighs. Great WOD...big gut check to keep moving!

Strength
Max Height Box Jumps - 6x2
Worked up from the mid 30's and finally failed at 46". Nailed 44", but couldn't even get one at 46".

Snatch  - 75% EMOTM x 9 (175#)

Clean & Jerk - 75% EMOTM x 9 (235#)

Weighted Step Ups - 2 x 8/leg (135#)

3 rds of:
 50yd West Side Style (heel first walk) Sled Drags (125#)
 15 Weighted Sit Ups (15#)
- Nate follows the CFNE's Competitors WOD for extra strength programming. He and few other members stuck around after to do the strength work from CFNE so I decided to join in. Like I said earlier, Nate's got a great group of guys to work with...one of them being Jon Pera who is a games competitor. Strength work was good. My O lifts felt great today. Snatches were the best they've been in a while. Step Ups were heavy. I really liked the sled drag...great PC work...now that we got dog sleds at Prevail I' gonna add these into my PC work rotation.

Getting One In

School will officially begin tomorrow. Looking forward to another great year with my co-workers and students. We got a bunch of new fitness equipment in that I can't wait to put to good use. I'm heading to So Cal on Thursday night for one my best friend's wedding. Super excited as I haven't been back home in almost a decade. Looking forward to seeing some old friends! Hit Prevail up for a back squat session (couldn't miss that) and one last WOD before I head out of town. Tomorrow is my lovely daughter's 3rd birthday...family time tomorrow!

Strength
Back Squat - 5 x 2 @ 90% (460 1RM)
bar(10)-135(8)-185(8)-225(5)-275(5)-315(3)-365(2) --- 415
- Been sitting for two days straight and my back and hammies are feeling it. Quick stretch tonight though as I wanted to try retain some stretch reflex for the heavy sets. Burned through my warm ups to get my body temp up. Weight was feeling light from the jump. My legs definitely enjoyed the last two days off. 415# felt good on my back. Kept the reps as fast as possible and as deep as I could get em. Felt strong tonight!

4th set...415# dbl Back Squat

WOD

5 rounds of total time - push ups for score:

  400m Row (1:20, 1:22, 1:21, 1:26, 1:23)

  1:00 ME HR Push Ups (34, 25, 22, 22, 21)

   2:00 REST

= 1136 - 124 = 1012

- Another one of those "this looks easy" sneaky WODs. Last few rounds were a struggle on the rower. I had a good groove in the push ups. My arms were just swollen by the 3rd round of rowing. Thought my legs would give me more problems coming right off the squats, but nope...they were fine. Rowed next to Alex, which helped push me on the rower a ton.

Cash Out

Strict GH Raises - 4 x 8

- Gotta get the PC work in!

Not As Good As I Hoped

Going on my 6th day in a row here. I had every intention on resting this morning. I went in to coach Oly and saw some great lifts this morning by Tiny, Tara, & Kir. Tiny is a big man who has been working his butt off to lose some weight and get better at his lifts through technique and mobility. He hit some great looking snatches this morning! It's hard to describe, but watching a 350+ pound fella hit full catch in the snatch is pretty stinking cool! Huge strides for him! Tara & Kir have been working real hard at technique and strengthening their squats. Both ladies hit some solid PRs today. As I was coaching I kept working on some shoulder mobility and I was pretty jazzed up by the time they were done so I decided to give it a go.

OWOD

Snatch - est. a new 1RM
bar progressions & drilling
75(full, hang, hang - 2 x 2) - 95(3 pos.- 2 x 2) - 125(3 pos. x 1) - 135(2) - 155(2) - 165 - 185(2) - 195 - 205 - 215 - 225 - 225
- I was slightly disappointed in how this turned out. I was feeling very good all the way up to 185#. I was staying nice and warm and had a good groove going. Timing was on, everything was feeling good. Then, I had to take an unexpected break to help with some drop ins that were checking things out that took a little longer than expected. By the time I got back to the bar my body was already shutting things down. I tried to pick up where I left off at 185 and I was starting to stiffen up. I tried to take it back down to 135 and start from there again, but nothing felt how it did. My shoulders were starting to ache every time I dropped the bar. I eventually got up to 215 and stuck it. I gave 225 two cracks and called it a day...I just had lost my mojo man. Bummer, but it just wasn't meant to be today...that's all.

Surprise Team WOD

I was supposed to be heading to a friend's house to enjoy a good dinner and relax by the fire. My wife went ahead of me and was supposed to get a quick WOD in with her friend. En route I get a call from my buddy that we've been challenged and there goes my rest day. My buddy has a pretty sweet home gym set up...he should really tape and send it to main site..it's pretty stinkin' cool. Keep in mind...my buddy's wife just gave birth 6 weeks ago.

Team WOD
  100 DUs
  90 KB Swings (53#)
  80 Push Presses (95#)
  70 Step Ups (24")
  60 Deadlifts (185#)
  50 Box Jumps (24")
  40 K2E
  30 HR Push Ups
  20 Pull Ups
  10 Sprints (40 yds down & 40 yds back=1)
= 18:23 (Girls = 26:21)

- Turned out to be a pretty nice little WOD. I took a majority of the DUs & my partner took a load of the KB Swings. After that we split em down the middle. The step ups were probably the worst due to just awkwardness. Sprints seemed short, but weren't as easy as they looked on paper.

Lots of Conditioning

Woke up to a nice cool breeze today reminding me that my favorite season of the year is right around the corner...FALL = Football & Feathers!! Took the kids to Bass Pro Shop today to browse all the new hunting gear out for the upcoming season...oh I can't wait for the first hunt of the season! Anyways...just another reminder that the fun heavy lifting of Summer is about done and it's time to start switching over to more Crossfit conditioning and gymnastics stuff with my spare time at school.


Strength
Push Press - 5 x 3 @ 85% (300 1RM)
bar(10)-95(8)-135(5)-185(3)-205(3) --- 240
- Good work tonight. I was getting the bar a little out in front on the first few sets, but started getting back under it on the last 3. Still feeling very solid working with the percentages based off of the estimated 1RM. Really looking forward to max out on this to see where I'm at!

WOD
16:00 AMRAP
5 Pull Ups (all UB)
10 Ball Slams (30#)
400m Run
= 6+7
- CT and I did this one together. It was a good push on the runs to try and keep up on this one. The work wasn't tiring at all. The runs were the breaking point. Really had to push it on the last few to keep pace. CT beat me pretty good on this one. I needed a nice long one to finish the week out and it was nice to be outside running on such a cool breezy night.

That's Gonna Hurt

What in with some high expectations for Oly tonight, but they were not met. Shoulders have been feeling a lot better. Playing with some new mobility stuff I picked up from mobilitywod.com that's been helping a ton. Not the best session ever, but I still got some good work out of it. Last Oly session of the Summer on Saturday morning...hoping to hit some new PRs!!


OWOD
7 x 1 Snatch Hi Pull + 1 Hang Snatch (BTK)
bar progressions & drills
95(3x2)-135(3x2)-155(2x2) ---
 165 - 175 - 185 - 185 - 195 - 205 - 205 - 205 - 205 - 205 - 205 - 185 - 185
- Really surprised this didn't go well because I felt really good all the way up to 205. I was shifting my weight back really well until then. 205# is about 88% of my PR. I got to 205 and just couldn't keep it overhead. I don't know if it's still the fatigue in my shoulders from earlier in the week or what. I was getting under them, but just collapsing. I caught my last two fails at 205 on my toes and lost em. At 185 I was back on my heels, but again couldn't stabilize overhead. The hi pulls were giving my mid section a beating striking the bar.


Snatch Deadlifts (2" deficit) - 4 x 3 @ 275, 295, 295, 295
- Focused on the sweep in from the ground to the knees and keeping the back tight while hitting positions.

Single Leg Glute Bridges (bench) - 3 x 10/leg
- More PC work.

Almost Had Him...

Woke up this morning expecting my back to be pretty stiff and was pleasantly surprised...it felt the best it's been in weeks! I've had this nagging nerve tightness in the middle of my left hamstring. I barely felt it at all today. Pretty stoked about that. Quads are still pretty sore and tender from Team WOD on Satruday. Other than that...pretty excited to get after it today.

Warm Up w/ DUs...hit 152 UB!!!

Strength
Press - 2 @ 80% EMOTM x 10
bar(10)-95(8)-135(5)-155(2) --- 185

then...

Weighted Ring Dips - 3 x 5
26# --- 35#-45#-45#
- Goal was to knock the double out in :07 or less (lift off to re-rack). I wanted to be fast all the way through. Every round was good with a little too much struggle on the 10th...fatigue started to set in. Ring dips were good. Need to start heavier next time.

WOD
4 rounds FT:
  5 Squat Cleans (135#)
  400m Run (odd rds) - 400m Row (even rds)
= 9:50
- We had a good friendly competition tonight between Charlie, Chris, and myself and Hannah too (since she beat Charlie). The cleans were in my favor, the runs were in Chris's, and the rows were in Charlie's. Looking back we should have bet burpees on this one! All three of us got off the cleans in the 1st rd about the same time. Chris pulled ahead on the run. I closed the gap on the cleans. He was about 50m in front of me off the rower. He tricked me on the 3rd set of cleans. He dropped the bar on his last two reps. Going into the last run my plan now was to make sure I just stay close enough to pull ahead on the cleans. That little sucker got back to the bar and ripped off 5 UB...little slower pace than his earlier rounds...but still UB! I was able to catch up and was right behind him going up the stairs to the rowers. He wound up finishing :11 ahead of me. I had some technical errors starting the rower up. I'm sure I still would have lost because his pace was faster than mine, but it would have been by a few seconds not eleven. Good times...Hannah and Charlie finished seconds apart as well. 

Getting My Groove Back

Took sometime off the typical WODs at the end of last week to try and let my shoulder rest. It seemed to have helped because I've had two of my best Oly sessions since the competition in the last few days. This is the last week of heavy Oly work since I go back to school next week so I'm looking forward to keeping the ball rolling and finishing Summer on a good note in the gym.


8.10.12

Strength
Front Squat - 5 x 3 @ 85% (375 1RM)
bar(8)-135(5)-185(5)-225(5)-275(3) --- 320

Push Press - 2 @ 80% (300 1RM) EMOTM x 10
135(5)-185(3)-205(2) --- 240

Weighted Glute Bridges - 2 x 10 @ 135#
- Solid strength session. Positioning in the squats felt really good. My shoulders were nice and loose for PP work, which helped a ton get into a solid rack position.


8.11.12

OWOD
Snatch Drilling - McCauley series - NHNF w/ empty bar - 65 - lots of triples
 - I woke up late this morning so I didn't have time to get my work in before class started. So I kept things very light and just drilled drilled drilled. Working hard to get more upright and on my heels. Loaded the bar to 65# and did Pendlay's NHNF drill in triples every chance I had.

Team WOD
Teams of 3: Beau, Alex, and Me

Start with...
   15 - 50m Sprints (1 person at a time)

Then...(everyone working at the same time)
   180 Push Presses (75#)
   240 KB Swings (53#)
   300 OH Walking Lunges (45#)
   360 Paralette Hops

Finish with...(passing ball down the line)
   90 Wall Ball Sit ups (20#)
- This will be the last team WOD I do for a very long time. I felt this WOD for several days after in my shoulders and quads. Weekends are for Oly and recovery...this one kicked the crap out of me pretty good and it doesn't help anything that I'm trying to accomplish at the moment.
  The PPs weren't that bad at all. The swings started to get easier as time went on. The lunges just destroyed me. My shoulders were burning at the time. I woke up the next day and my quads were a wreck for 2-3 days....the hops didn't help either.


8.13.12

OWOD
7 x 2 Clean off blocks (BTK) + 1 Jerk
bar progressions
135(3x2)-185(2x2)-225(2x2)-250 --- 265 - 275 - 275 - 285 - 295 - 305(fail jerk) - 305(fail jerk)
- YEA BUDDY! Back in business on this session! Best clean session of the Summer. All the drill work starting to pay off. Didn't have any catches on my toes today. Timing felt great and hips felt fast. Striking the bar really good today. All 4 reps at 305 felt fantastic! Struggled with the jerk a bit, but that is a whole other story. I actually felt very solid in my jerks all the way up to 305 and then it just fell apart. Part of it was probably because I wasn't very focused because I was so happy about the cleans.

305# Double (2nd set)

Back Squat - 5 x 3 @ 85% (460 1 RM)

225(5)-275(3)-315(3)-365(3) --- 395

- All reps were well earned. I will say I started to get into a little groove on the last two sets and they seemed much lighter than the first three sets. 

Clean Pulls - 2 x 3 @ 335#

- Pretty sloppy. Feeling a little fatigued at this point. Should have brought it down a bit. 

OH BB Carries - 4 x 75' @ 205#

- Needed to get some OH stability work in. Feels great on the shoulders and core. Good work on this one. Glad it dried up enough to get these in outside. 

Chinese Arches - accumulate 3:00 w/ 35#

1:10 (:50 rest) - 1:00 (1:00 rest) - :50

- Gotta keep building up the back side. Good posterior chain work!

WOD

4 rounds FT:

   5 Burpee Box Jumps (24")

   10 Ring Rows

   15 Sit Ups

= 6:11

- Not very good effort on this one. I just plugged along til I was done. Everything was UB, except last round of Ring Rows. I was drenched in sweat from all the previous Oly work and just drained all together. Couldn't get motivated to put a better effort in.    

Just Strip It All Down

Man the last week has just flown by. Body is banged up and achy from the strength & Oly work. Need to suck it up a little better and get the work done. Same aches and pains as always...sore back and tight shoulders...just need to take care of myself better in recovery times because bottom line is...the bar ain't gonna lift itself!

8.1.12

OWOD
7 x 2 Clean OTB (ATK) + 1 Jerk
bar progressions
135-155-185-225 --- 245 - 255 - 265 - 275(fail jerk) - 275 - 275  - 275 - 275(fail jerk) - 275(fail jerk)

Halting Clean Pulls - 4 x 3 @ 295#
- Terrible session. My timing was all off and my rack position didn't feel comfortable at all. Wrist is very tender in the rack position. I was forward in a lot of my lifts. Working to stay patient at the top before I pop. Frustrating session...first of many to come.


8.2.12

Strength
Push Press - 4 x 3 @ 75% (300 1RM), between sets...10 Strict T2B
bar(10)-95(5)-135(3)-185(3) --- 225

WOD
3 rounds FT:
  400m Run
  12 Ball Slams (30#)
  10 Ring Rows
   8 Pistols (4/leg)
= 9:59
- Pushed pretty hard on this one. Had to use a counterbalance for the pistols as always. Good effort.


8.3.12

OWOD
Hang Snatch - 7 x 1
bar prog.
95(3)-135(3)-155(2) --- 165 - 175 - 185 - 195 - 195 - 205 - 205

Snatch Pulls - 4 x 2 @ 225#
- Another frustrating session. Timing again was all off. Mobility made it very difficult to get into a full catch so most reps were power. I made 205 on the first go, but it was way forward so I tried it again and didn't have it. Patience and timing...frustrated once again.


8.6.12

Skill
Muscle Ups EMOTM x 10, then GH Raises - 4 x 8
1-1-1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0
- Frustrated. You could choose how many ever reps you wanted to shoot for. I've tried this back in the Spring with doubles and it didn't go well. I was hoping to make it through all the rounds on singles today. I was just fine til round 7...then they were just gone. Dean told me my hips were barely being used. WTH!! I don't frickin' know.

WOD
3 rounds FT:
   500m Row (1:41.5, 1:45.5, 1:46.0)
   40 DUs
   2:00 REST
= 11:23
- Felt terribly slow on the rower tonight. Had the damper @ 6 and it felt like 10. The DUs weren't a problem. Had a few misses in the 3rd round, but other than that it UB or one miss in the first two rounds. 


8.7.12

Strength
Back Squat - 2 @ 80% EMOTM x 10 (460 1RM)
bar(10)-135(8)-225(5)-275(2)-315(2) --- 370

RDLs - 3 x 3 @ 225 - 315 - 315 - 315
- All squats were done at :8-:10 (bar off rack to bar on rack). Focus was to move fast and recruit as many motor units as possible in doing so. Legs felt real good afterwards. RDLs provided some much needed PC work.

WOD
4 rounds FT:
  10 HR Push Ups
  10 Power Cleans (135#) [UB, UB, UB, 4-3-2-2]
= 3:18
- Fun WOD. A young kid put up a sub 4 time earlier in the day. Wasn't quite sure if I had that much in me after squatting, but I knew I could at least come close. I fought to go UB on that 3rd round. Once I got through that it was smooth sailing. I lost count in that last round of cleans. I believe I did 11 reps though...did an extra one just to keep the conscience clear.


8.8.12

OWOD
Snatch off blocks (BTK) - 7 x 2
bar progressions
65(4)-95(3)-135 --- 145 - 155 - 155 - 165 - 165 - 155 - 155 - 155

Press  - 5 x 3 @ 85% (225 1RM)
bar(10)-95(5)-135(3) --- 190

BB Rows - 4 x 3 @ 190-205 --- 225 - 225 - 225 - 225
- Early morning session started out pretty stiff. PC was just blown to bits over the last few days Again, I've been working hard on fixing my technique and getting my weight back. This one started out very very rough. Thank goodness for good training partners. Brandon noticed somethings early in the session to keep me cool enough to finish out. Troubleshooting my problem towards the end of the session he came up with a big cue that will hopefully help me get back on the right path to 250#.
   Press was tough tonight. The 3rd rep was hard fought on every set. Felt good to get through all sets though without a fail.