Did some yoga last night with Gen at GoodLife. Felt really good to focus on stretching and breathing. I wish it was something I could do regularly but there are only so many hours in the day.
Strength:
Record set of 5 Back Squats
3 sets of 5 reps @ 90% of new record
I hit a new five rep max a few days ago when coach Howard mistakenly thought we had to do five sets of five at 90% of our 1RM instead of 5RM. That was 265# and felt alright. Baechler gave me some great motivation yesterday by hitting a record at 275#, which I knew would be a good goal for me today. I got up to 280# for five reps and, on coach's advice, left it at that since it was already a PR. Botch was a monster and hit 295# for five. Motivation is building within me...
The three sets at 90% were performed at 255# and went surprisingly well. I tried using the bounce out of the bottom, which helped me get past the sticking point on almost all reps. I just had to remember that there was still lots of weight on the bar and commit to every rep because it was entirely possible to fail during the sets. Everything went really well here.
WOD:
Chipper
15 Min Cap
50 WallBalls @ 20#
25 T2B
10 Power Cleans @ 185#
30 KettleBell Swings @ 32kg
25 Thrusters (Axle) @ 110#
20 Ring Dips (scaled to Bar Dips)
Oh God, I knew this was going to be horrible. Aside from the fact that I knew the dips would cause me to scale the workout, I had left everything I had in those squats. It took us quite some time to finish the strength so we had to get ready really quick for the WOD. I broke up the 50 WallBalls 40-10 since Paiano told me he was going unbroken but that was a lie. T2B were dreadful, with the usual singles. Our in-house rockstar Nat Connors gave me some tips after the WOD for next time and I will for sure work on linking reps together. The Power Cleans were fine, but I wish I could have done at least doubles if not triples. I did singles for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't tape my thumbs before the WOD and, sure enough, a few reps into the power cleans my epidermis was being separated from my body. Second, I caught every single snatch pull on Wednesday night on my left hip and there is a massive and ultra-sensitive bruise now. Anytime the bar touched it, my concentration for the lift was broken :( There's just a je-ne-sais-quoi about Kettlebell Swings which ensures that they never get easier to do. I broke them up 10-10-10 with some lengthy breaks. This is where Paiano basically caught up to me. By the time I made it to the thrusters, I was just not in the zone anymore. I did sets of 5-7-7-6 which isn't horrible but I wish I could have gone maybe 10-10-5. I blame the squats, no matter what anybody says. I had to setup a dip stations since I wasn't planning on getting her within the time cap and managed to get 15 reps with sets of 2-3 reps each. Not too bad considering I haven't been doing unassisted dips for long so I will take the moral victory in this one. Finished in a tie with Paiano but he did Ring Dips so he wins and Botch crushed us by finishing the workout with about a buck and a half left on the clock.
Score: 155 reps.
Friday 13 December 2013
Thursday 12 December 2013
Thursday, December 12th 2013
I went to the Intermediate/Advanced Olympic Weightlifting class on Wednesday night but won't be writing about those because, honestly, it would end up being novel-length. We did tons of work and I feel humbled. I have been making great progress in a lot of things but man oh man did that class bring me back down to Earth. Frank is a phenomenal coach who provides just the right balance between encouragement and criticism. I have only trained under him a few times and could say a lot about him as a coach. I really look forward to continuing these Wednesday classes.
That being said, it was hard to get up on Thursday morning. I've grown so accustomed to working out in the morning that this afternoon/evening session really messed me up. It was almost 10pm and I was still wide awake, trying to visualize a decent snatch pull... I did manage to get up, though, so that's good.
Strength:
Strict Press 4x6-8
Split Jerks 4x4 at 65% of C&J for speed
This is deviating from the work done by regular classes because of the new Olympic Weightlifting regimen. Since we did some heavy squats on Wednesday night, and I imagine that being a trend in the future, we don't squat on Thursdays. Strict Press were good. Coach Howard suggested not to burnout and go to failure for these so I went up to 85# for all four sets. I worked at 165# for the Split Jerks and they felt really good this week. Focused on finishing the extension after the dip and drive as well as getting under the bar quick and solidly. Coach said that I don't bend my back leg, which is causing me to lean forward slightly when I catch the bar. Will be something to work on because I felt like I really tried to bend the back knee in later sets to no avail. I wasn't confident that I would still have the stability to hold the weight but Coach assured me that I would be ok.
WOD:
21-15-9
Wall Balls @ 20#
Push Press @ 135#
Box Jumps @ 30"
I told Botch before starting that this looked like a good one for me. Wallballs are usually comfortable, as are box jumps. I admittedly wasn't too sure about the Push Press because of all the overhead work we'd done in lieu of the prescribed 5RM Back Squat. Coach Howard gave us the green light for shoulder to overhead rather than strictly push press, which would allow for either push jerks, involving a re-dip at the knee to catch the bar that is already on its way up, or split jerks. 3-2-1-Go. We both go unbroken on the wallballs and Botch starts his Push Press with 10 reps to my five before breaking. We both go for two more sets of five until Botch leaves for the box. He hadn't planned his box location very well so as he moved it, I finished my last six reps and we started jumping simultaneously. We stayed basically neck and neck on the box jumps and the set of 15 wall balls. Three sets of five push press later, we were on to box jumps again. As in the previous set, we went rep for rep through the jumps and set of nine wallballs. On the last set of push press, I went for six reps-rest-three reps. I think Botch went for five reps and then rested before having a bit of a hard time on the last ones, but I'm not 100% sure. Regardless, I moved to the final box jumps a few seconds before Botch and didn't look back. We went basically rep for rep again but I started off a few ahead and maintained the "lead" until the end. Score one for the good guy.
Time: 8:45
That being said, it was hard to get up on Thursday morning. I've grown so accustomed to working out in the morning that this afternoon/evening session really messed me up. It was almost 10pm and I was still wide awake, trying to visualize a decent snatch pull... I did manage to get up, though, so that's good.
Strength:
Strict Press 4x6-8
Split Jerks 4x4 at 65% of C&J for speed
This is deviating from the work done by regular classes because of the new Olympic Weightlifting regimen. Since we did some heavy squats on Wednesday night, and I imagine that being a trend in the future, we don't squat on Thursdays. Strict Press were good. Coach Howard suggested not to burnout and go to failure for these so I went up to 85# for all four sets. I worked at 165# for the Split Jerks and they felt really good this week. Focused on finishing the extension after the dip and drive as well as getting under the bar quick and solidly. Coach said that I don't bend my back leg, which is causing me to lean forward slightly when I catch the bar. Will be something to work on because I felt like I really tried to bend the back knee in later sets to no avail. I wasn't confident that I would still have the stability to hold the weight but Coach assured me that I would be ok.
WOD:
21-15-9
Wall Balls @ 20#
Push Press @ 135#
Box Jumps @ 30"
I told Botch before starting that this looked like a good one for me. Wallballs are usually comfortable, as are box jumps. I admittedly wasn't too sure about the Push Press because of all the overhead work we'd done in lieu of the prescribed 5RM Back Squat. Coach Howard gave us the green light for shoulder to overhead rather than strictly push press, which would allow for either push jerks, involving a re-dip at the knee to catch the bar that is already on its way up, or split jerks. 3-2-1-Go. We both go unbroken on the wallballs and Botch starts his Push Press with 10 reps to my five before breaking. We both go for two more sets of five until Botch leaves for the box. He hadn't planned his box location very well so as he moved it, I finished my last six reps and we started jumping simultaneously. We stayed basically neck and neck on the box jumps and the set of 15 wall balls. Three sets of five push press later, we were on to box jumps again. As in the previous set, we went rep for rep through the jumps and set of nine wallballs. On the last set of push press, I went for six reps-rest-three reps. I think Botch went for five reps and then rested before having a bit of a hard time on the last ones, but I'm not 100% sure. Regardless, I moved to the final box jumps a few seconds before Botch and didn't look back. We went basically rep for rep again but I started off a few ahead and maintained the "lead" until the end. Score one for the good guy.
Time: 8:45
Tuesday 10 December 2013
Tuesday, December 10th 2013
Before I start referring to it without explaining, me and Botch have got ourselves a healthy competition going. I'm gaining on him in terms of strength with this recent spike in progress, having surpassed him on our Olympic lifts. It kind of started yesterday when we were doing the 5x5 squats and he had 15# more on the bar than me. The competitive side of me just wanted to load my bar heavier but I knew that I should stay within the prescribed weights. As far as squats, and strict press as we'll find out today, he's a stronger guy than me but I warned him that I'm gunning for him now. As long as this stays friendly, and I'm sure it will, there can't ever be too much motivation.
Strength:
1 Power Clean + 5 Strict Press
5 sets, work up to 65% of 1RM Clean and Jerk
1 Power Clean + 2 Hang Squat Cleans + 2 Push Press at 65-70% x 3 sets
1 Power Clean + 1 Hang Squat Clean + 1 Push Press at 75-80% x 2 sets
I knew that I was in for some trouble with the strict press. It would have been interesting to go for a 1RM today as my established max is 135# from April 2013 at the Oh My WOD competition in Brockville. Needless to say that working up to 65% of my max for 5 reps of strict press wasn't going to happen. That would have been 162#. I warmed up at 75#, 95# and then worked at 115#. By the the time the fifth set rolled around, I was happy to be at 115#. It was manageable enough to do all the reps but there was a bit of struggling near the end. These went by rather quickly. It was tough to watch Botch work at 135# and then 145# but I knew that I just wasn't there yet...
I noticed that we've been doing a lot of complexes lately in the strength part of our workouts. Rather than just maxing out a certain lift, we've been increasing the volume at lower weights to focus on technique. That's just what I think, could be way off the mark but you'd have to ask the programmer. First part, I worked at 175#. The power clean was no problem at all, nor were the hang squat cleans. It was, however, a good time to reiterate the importance of finishing the extension so I kept that in mind. The push press were heavy but I surprise myself with how much strength I can generate from my legs. After increasing the weight to 200#, I did the final two sets. Both cleans were good again. I'm really gaining confidence with this lift. I knew the push press would be heavy and almost psyched myself out on them. Again, though, I was able to use the dip and drive enough to get the bar overhead without re-dipping. Felt like a good weight to be at for the work to be done.
WOD:
12 Min AMRAP
Rep scheme: Sets of 2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6... of:
HSPU
T2B
C2B
Box Jumps at 36"
Wasn't sure what to think of this WOD as I prepared for it. My HSPU are getting really strong and I know that I love high box jumps. T2B are slow, as I've lamented about on here more than once, and C2B are like rubbing salt in the wound of my weak pullups. I kept up with Botch for the early rounds, getting through the round of 6 for a first time. He would pull ahead on the T2B and C2B but my box jumps and HSPU were fast. This trend continued for the entirety of the WOD and I could see that Mitch was ahead of us out of the corner of my eye. There was about a minute left on the clock, Botch was already on his third set of 6 HSPU and I was finishing my third set of four box jumps. I think he was 3-4 reps into his set when I got to the wall and cranked out all of my reps quickly to pull almost even. I was happy to have caught him but dreaded the fact that we were approaching the T2B with only about :20 left on the clock. If there was one thing that I wouldn't want to be the tie breaker between us, it's T2B. He got one rep and dropped from the bar. I got 2 reps and dropped. He got back up and got two more reps for a total of three. With a few seconds left, I thought I could get the two reps I needed but to no avail. I got one and, dare I say it, we called it a tie.
Final score was 8+9 (Finished the 3rd round of four reps and got 9 reps into the next set).
Strength:
1 Power Clean + 5 Strict Press
5 sets, work up to 65% of 1RM Clean and Jerk
1 Power Clean + 2 Hang Squat Cleans + 2 Push Press at 65-70% x 3 sets
1 Power Clean + 1 Hang Squat Clean + 1 Push Press at 75-80% x 2 sets
I knew that I was in for some trouble with the strict press. It would have been interesting to go for a 1RM today as my established max is 135# from April 2013 at the Oh My WOD competition in Brockville. Needless to say that working up to 65% of my max for 5 reps of strict press wasn't going to happen. That would have been 162#. I warmed up at 75#, 95# and then worked at 115#. By the the time the fifth set rolled around, I was happy to be at 115#. It was manageable enough to do all the reps but there was a bit of struggling near the end. These went by rather quickly. It was tough to watch Botch work at 135# and then 145# but I knew that I just wasn't there yet...
I noticed that we've been doing a lot of complexes lately in the strength part of our workouts. Rather than just maxing out a certain lift, we've been increasing the volume at lower weights to focus on technique. That's just what I think, could be way off the mark but you'd have to ask the programmer. First part, I worked at 175#. The power clean was no problem at all, nor were the hang squat cleans. It was, however, a good time to reiterate the importance of finishing the extension so I kept that in mind. The push press were heavy but I surprise myself with how much strength I can generate from my legs. After increasing the weight to 200#, I did the final two sets. Both cleans were good again. I'm really gaining confidence with this lift. I knew the push press would be heavy and almost psyched myself out on them. Again, though, I was able to use the dip and drive enough to get the bar overhead without re-dipping. Felt like a good weight to be at for the work to be done.
WOD:
12 Min AMRAP
Rep scheme: Sets of 2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6... of:
HSPU
T2B
C2B
Box Jumps at 36"
Wasn't sure what to think of this WOD as I prepared for it. My HSPU are getting really strong and I know that I love high box jumps. T2B are slow, as I've lamented about on here more than once, and C2B are like rubbing salt in the wound of my weak pullups. I kept up with Botch for the early rounds, getting through the round of 6 for a first time. He would pull ahead on the T2B and C2B but my box jumps and HSPU were fast. This trend continued for the entirety of the WOD and I could see that Mitch was ahead of us out of the corner of my eye. There was about a minute left on the clock, Botch was already on his third set of 6 HSPU and I was finishing my third set of four box jumps. I think he was 3-4 reps into his set when I got to the wall and cranked out all of my reps quickly to pull almost even. I was happy to have caught him but dreaded the fact that we were approaching the T2B with only about :20 left on the clock. If there was one thing that I wouldn't want to be the tie breaker between us, it's T2B. He got one rep and dropped from the bar. I got 2 reps and dropped. He got back up and got two more reps for a total of three. With a few seconds left, I thought I could get the two reps I needed but to no avail. I got one and, dare I say it, we called it a tie.
Final score was 8+9 (Finished the 3rd round of four reps and got 9 reps into the next set).
Monday 9 December 2013
Monday, December 9th 2013
I can pretend like it never happened but I'll just go ahead and apologize for not posting last week. Bit of laziness, lots of business and my ultimate excuse is just needing to find the groove for blogging. Starting a new week and feeling motivated again.
Strength:
1 Clean + 3 Jerks x 3 sets at 70-75%
1 Clean + 2 Jerks x 2 sets at 80-85%
5 x 5 Back Squats at 90% of 5RM (Go heavier than last week)
Following my PR from a couple of weeks ago, my percentages have logically gotten much heavier. I feel like I am putting in the appropriate effort for the given percentage now, so I think I'm at a pretty good place in my lifting. First complex of clean and jerks was done at 185# and second at 210#. Cleans were all good, as I can now say it is really close to being second nature to finish my 3rd extension. Kept working on my jerk technique, especially the recovery since I had a tendency to just take one big step backward and swing the weight. Everything felt good. Heavy at times, but strong overall.
Back squats were heavy today at 240#. Due to running out of time, I used my 225# warmup as one of my working sets but the other four were at 240#. I had Mitch spot me just in case but I managed to complete all of the work without any help. Coach Howard thinks that we will be doing this regularly for the next couple of weeks with slightly increasing weights. It's a brutal rep scheme, but I'm sure that it's helping.
WOD:
21-15-9 of:
Thrusters 95#
Kettlebell Swings 24kg
I normally don't mind thrusters in a workout but kb swings are really not my thing. Through all of the effort that I put into using proper technique, I still seem to always have a stiff/sore lower back. It was nice, however, to not be using the red dragon for this one, AKA 32kg kettlebell. I broke up my first set of thrusters 15-6 but shortened my break when I saw Mitch move on to his swings. I finished up my set and went unbroken on my first set of swings to get back into it. Then I did 10-5 thrusters and same for swings. Last set was unbroken for both movements. All in all, good WOD although really showed me that my conditioning is a weak point. What's with CrossFit and finding all your weak points?
Time: 5:35
Strength:
1 Clean + 3 Jerks x 3 sets at 70-75%
1 Clean + 2 Jerks x 2 sets at 80-85%
5 x 5 Back Squats at 90% of 5RM (Go heavier than last week)
Following my PR from a couple of weeks ago, my percentages have logically gotten much heavier. I feel like I am putting in the appropriate effort for the given percentage now, so I think I'm at a pretty good place in my lifting. First complex of clean and jerks was done at 185# and second at 210#. Cleans were all good, as I can now say it is really close to being second nature to finish my 3rd extension. Kept working on my jerk technique, especially the recovery since I had a tendency to just take one big step backward and swing the weight. Everything felt good. Heavy at times, but strong overall.
Back squats were heavy today at 240#. Due to running out of time, I used my 225# warmup as one of my working sets but the other four were at 240#. I had Mitch spot me just in case but I managed to complete all of the work without any help. Coach Howard thinks that we will be doing this regularly for the next couple of weeks with slightly increasing weights. It's a brutal rep scheme, but I'm sure that it's helping.
WOD:
21-15-9 of:
Thrusters 95#
Kettlebell Swings 24kg
I normally don't mind thrusters in a workout but kb swings are really not my thing. Through all of the effort that I put into using proper technique, I still seem to always have a stiff/sore lower back. It was nice, however, to not be using the red dragon for this one, AKA 32kg kettlebell. I broke up my first set of thrusters 15-6 but shortened my break when I saw Mitch move on to his swings. I finished up my set and went unbroken on my first set of swings to get back into it. Then I did 10-5 thrusters and same for swings. Last set was unbroken for both movements. All in all, good WOD although really showed me that my conditioning is a weak point. What's with CrossFit and finding all your weak points?
Time: 5:35
Monday 2 December 2013
Monday, December 2nd 2013
Although it may be hard to get up on Mondays, I know that it will likely be the funnest day of the week at the gym.
Strength:
2times -> 1 Power Clean - 1 Hang Power Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 55-60%
2 times -> 1 Power Clean - 1 Hang Squat Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 60-70%
3 times -> 1 Squat Clean - 1 Hang Squat Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 70-80%
5x5 Back Squats at 90% of 5RM
Always great to see so much strength work on the board. Not only is it fun, but it means a short WOD. Started off my cleans at 140# for the first part of the complex. Moved up to 175# for the second part and finished off at 200#. All of the lifts were successful but I had to pay special attention to making my last lift as fast and crisp as my first one. I know Howard likes to make sure I work hard but today I feel like he crossed the line a bit (All in good fun, here)... Accidentally or not, he made us believe that the back squat weight was to be calculated from our 1RM, not our 5RM. Seemed like it would be too heavy as I load 265# on the bar. Did 2 sets of that and, as thought, it was near failure on the last reps. Then Howard realized that we should calculate our weights from our 5RM, not our 1RM and I dropped the weight to 235. Much better but still tough. Got a new 5RM on my first couple sets, though! WOO!
WOD:
5 Rounds of:
3 Deadlifts at 275
4 Box Jumps at 36"
5 Burpees over Bar
I decided to Rx the Deadlifts on my own, whereas I usually require a push from others. Seemed like a good time to go heavy, because I love box jumps and there weren't enough burpees to really matter. The deadlifts went surprisingly well. All sets unbroken but after having taken a few seconds to mentally prepare and make sure that my form would be as good as possible. Felt my back rounding a bit on the last set but I don't think it was too bad. Box jumps went great, I was really happy to see high ones since it had been a while. Burpees over bar were quick. I could see them being a hinderance if you're trying to really run through the WOD but I knew I would be taking some time before the Deadlifts.
Time: 5:57 which is much fast than I anticipated. Really good day at the gym overall!
Strength:
2times -> 1 Power Clean - 1 Hang Power Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 55-60%
2 times -> 1 Power Clean - 1 Hang Squat Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 60-70%
3 times -> 1 Squat Clean - 1 Hang Squat Clean - 1 Squat Clean at 70-80%
5x5 Back Squats at 90% of 5RM
Always great to see so much strength work on the board. Not only is it fun, but it means a short WOD. Started off my cleans at 140# for the first part of the complex. Moved up to 175# for the second part and finished off at 200#. All of the lifts were successful but I had to pay special attention to making my last lift as fast and crisp as my first one. I know Howard likes to make sure I work hard but today I feel like he crossed the line a bit (All in good fun, here)... Accidentally or not, he made us believe that the back squat weight was to be calculated from our 1RM, not our 5RM. Seemed like it would be too heavy as I load 265# on the bar. Did 2 sets of that and, as thought, it was near failure on the last reps. Then Howard realized that we should calculate our weights from our 5RM, not our 1RM and I dropped the weight to 235. Much better but still tough. Got a new 5RM on my first couple sets, though! WOO!
WOD:
5 Rounds of:
3 Deadlifts at 275
4 Box Jumps at 36"
5 Burpees over Bar
I decided to Rx the Deadlifts on my own, whereas I usually require a push from others. Seemed like a good time to go heavy, because I love box jumps and there weren't enough burpees to really matter. The deadlifts went surprisingly well. All sets unbroken but after having taken a few seconds to mentally prepare and make sure that my form would be as good as possible. Felt my back rounding a bit on the last set but I don't think it was too bad. Box jumps went great, I was really happy to see high ones since it had been a while. Burpees over bar were quick. I could see them being a hinderance if you're trying to really run through the WOD but I knew I would be taking some time before the Deadlifts.
Time: 5:57 which is much fast than I anticipated. Really good day at the gym overall!
Friday, November 29th 2013
Well today we had the pleasure of having a WOD Wednesday on a Friday. Great way to ruin Fridays.
WOD:
Linda
Sets of:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of
1.5x Bodyweight Deadlift
Bodyweight Bench Press
0.75x Bodyweight Squat Cleans
Let me just start off by saying that I don't think it's fair for heavy people to do this WOD alongside lighter people. I'm about as strong as the other guys I workout with in the morning but some of them have the luxury of being 40 lbs lighter than me. Damn. To do this workout as prescribed, I would be doing 325# Deadlifts, 215# Bench and 165# Squat Cleans. Good news, I Rx'd the Squat Cleans. The rest didn't go so well. Bench is a notorious weakness of mine but luckily I had a partner in Baechler to go for 135# Bench Press. Deadlifts were at 245#, same as Mitch.
Bench was pretty good all the way through. Could have maybe gone a little heavier but I knew that there was potential to really hit a wall so I was cautious with it. Deadlifts were just heavy enough to push hard but manageable mostly in sets of 4-5. Squat Cleans went really well and it is by far my most confident movement of the 3. They were more taxing on cardio.
Final score was 32:17. No fun at all but really good representation of what I need to work on.
WOD:
Linda
Sets of:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of
1.5x Bodyweight Deadlift
Bodyweight Bench Press
0.75x Bodyweight Squat Cleans
Let me just start off by saying that I don't think it's fair for heavy people to do this WOD alongside lighter people. I'm about as strong as the other guys I workout with in the morning but some of them have the luxury of being 40 lbs lighter than me. Damn. To do this workout as prescribed, I would be doing 325# Deadlifts, 215# Bench and 165# Squat Cleans. Good news, I Rx'd the Squat Cleans. The rest didn't go so well. Bench is a notorious weakness of mine but luckily I had a partner in Baechler to go for 135# Bench Press. Deadlifts were at 245#, same as Mitch.
Bench was pretty good all the way through. Could have maybe gone a little heavier but I knew that there was potential to really hit a wall so I was cautious with it. Deadlifts were just heavy enough to push hard but manageable mostly in sets of 4-5. Squat Cleans went really well and it is by far my most confident movement of the 3. They were more taxing on cardio.
Final score was 32:17. No fun at all but really good representation of what I need to work on.
Thursday 28 November 2013
Thursday, November 28th 2013
Finally a morning with lots of sleep. Felt good going to the gym today. Plus, I always look forward to a good leg day on Thursday.
Strength:
Snatch Grip Deadlift OR Snatch Pulls 3 sets of 3
Back Squat: 3RM
Finally, some time to work on the Snatch. I chose the pulls, because my biggest problem on the last max attempt we did was that I had a poor 3rd pull (and probably 2nd too). I had never done Snatch pulls before, so I looked forward to learning. Biggest coaching cue I took away from it was to bring my elbows up and not back. Also have to focus on finishing the extension upwards rather than leaning back. Hopefully some more work on these will help me have a breakthrough next time we go heavy on the Snatch.
Ah, Back Squats. Possibly my favorite thing to do in the gym, although Front Squats are closing in. Started with a couple of warm up sets at 135-185-225. Then went to 235 and then 265. I had hit 275 within the last couple of weeks for 3, and I knew I had more in the tank. I got 285 for 3 and then, not surprisingly, I got greedy. I loaded an even 300 on the bar, which would not only be a new best but also more than my current 1RM (295). Unracked it, felt good. Went down and up for 1 rep (Woo - New 1RM). Went down for a second rep and stuck on the way back up. I felt myself go downwards a touch and, of no fault to my spotter, dumped the bar. Forward. It was some weird, ninja bar dump but it was also really dangerous and a terrible idea. Wouldn't ever recommend anyone doing it. But at the end of the day, happy with a new 1RM and new 3RM.
WOD:
10 Min AMRAP
10 wallballs
4-5-6-7-8-9... of pull-ups
In this one, we did 10 Wallballs every round followed by an increasing amount of pullups. 10 wallballs and 4 pullups. 10 wallballs and 5 pullups. Following that pattern until the timer ran out. Wallballs are one of my favorite movements (may or may not having something to do with my love of squats) so every set of 10 was unbroken and quick. Pullups were not so good today, partly because my hands are just sore. First couple of sets I did unbroken, but then got into small sets, which is frustrating. Overall, Wallballs just provided a short break from pull-ups. I finished the round involving 12 pullups and got 10 Wallballs+3 pullups of the next round. I'm happy with that but would like to be stringing together more pullups.
Strength:
Snatch Grip Deadlift OR Snatch Pulls 3 sets of 3
Back Squat: 3RM
Finally, some time to work on the Snatch. I chose the pulls, because my biggest problem on the last max attempt we did was that I had a poor 3rd pull (and probably 2nd too). I had never done Snatch pulls before, so I looked forward to learning. Biggest coaching cue I took away from it was to bring my elbows up and not back. Also have to focus on finishing the extension upwards rather than leaning back. Hopefully some more work on these will help me have a breakthrough next time we go heavy on the Snatch.
Ah, Back Squats. Possibly my favorite thing to do in the gym, although Front Squats are closing in. Started with a couple of warm up sets at 135-185-225. Then went to 235 and then 265. I had hit 275 within the last couple of weeks for 3, and I knew I had more in the tank. I got 285 for 3 and then, not surprisingly, I got greedy. I loaded an even 300 on the bar, which would not only be a new best but also more than my current 1RM (295). Unracked it, felt good. Went down and up for 1 rep (Woo - New 1RM). Went down for a second rep and stuck on the way back up. I felt myself go downwards a touch and, of no fault to my spotter, dumped the bar. Forward. It was some weird, ninja bar dump but it was also really dangerous and a terrible idea. Wouldn't ever recommend anyone doing it. But at the end of the day, happy with a new 1RM and new 3RM.
WOD:
10 Min AMRAP
10 wallballs
4-5-6-7-8-9... of pull-ups
In this one, we did 10 Wallballs every round followed by an increasing amount of pullups. 10 wallballs and 4 pullups. 10 wallballs and 5 pullups. Following that pattern until the timer ran out. Wallballs are one of my favorite movements (may or may not having something to do with my love of squats) so every set of 10 was unbroken and quick. Pullups were not so good today, partly because my hands are just sore. First couple of sets I did unbroken, but then got into small sets, which is frustrating. Overall, Wallballs just provided a short break from pull-ups. I finished the round involving 12 pullups and got 10 Wallballs+3 pullups of the next round. I'm happy with that but would like to be stringing together more pullups.
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