Monday
Wednesday
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
This was a fun workout since I did this workout with one of my gaming friends. He’s been looking for a way to lose weight and I recommended my gym, CrossFit Gof Metgot. He likes the gym and has been consistent with workouts. He’s been doing great and I hope he sticks with it. Another friend has just finished the on ramp and will be starting regular classes soon.The run was broken up into 100 m shuttle runs. We each did five runs and then started on the rest of the movements. We broke up the reps in half. I felt like 10 reps a round would be okay, and would have a good enough time to recover for the next movement. I was able to do the workout Rx and my partner had to scale the handstand push ups and pistols.
The run was different since it was a shuttle and not a straight run. I was able to keep the same pace throughout and recovered just in time for the rest of the workout. I was able to keep a constant pace on the handstand push ups. I did the reps unbroken except for the last set. I took a bit longer on the pistol squats however. I’m not as strong on pistols which caused me to take more time. The row was great. I was able to actively recover and not lose intensity. Our score was 3 rounds + 20 hspu’s + 20 pistol squats.
I’m starting to like snatch complexes. My wrist has been limiting a lot of my overhead work but today it wasn’t too bad. I warmed up light and worked up to a 135 lb. rep. I was limited on time so I didn’t add more weight. Also, 135 lb. is my 1RM for power snatches so I’m not sure if I could have went heavier.
WOD – EMOM for 8 Minutes
5 power snatches at 60% 1RM (85 lb.)
5 lateral burpees over barbell
This workout was going to be tough. I just finished a heavy snatch complex and it had burpees. My main goal was to sustain a high intensity, so I decided to try and finish all the reps before 30 seconds. I didn’t want to go with heavier snatches since I would have rested longer. I was doing well for the first few minutes, finishing the round around 20 seconds. I hit the wall around the fifth minute. I could feel myself slowing down finishing the reps around 25 – 30 seconds. I tried to push through it but I wasn’t able to finish the last round under 30 seconds. I finished at 40 seconds which is not too bad. I was able to sustain a high intensity for most of the workout. I’m happy with my performance.
Partner WOD – Eva, 25 Minute Time Cap
5 rounds
Run (800 m)
30 kettlebell swings (70 lb.)
30 pull-ups
The run was done at the same time with each partner running a 400 m. The kettlebell swings were split at 15 per person and the pull ups were split into three sets of five each. The run wasn’t too bad but as most of you guys know, I hate running. The kettlebell swings were my favorite movement. I decided to stay at the Rx weight of 70 lb. and not scale. I was able to do all reps unbroken which surprised me. The pull ups were okay until the third round. I was tired and my breaks between sets became longer as time went on. I also was doing smaller sets since my grip wouldn’t let me stay on the bar. We didn’t finish this workout under the time cap, we were able to finish four rounds with one more to go.
I think I could have done more in this workout and might have paced it too conservatively. At the end of the workout I was very tired but I could have pushed myself a bit more. I’ll try and up the intensity in future workouts.
We made it! After four weeks of killer workouts the 2016 Open is coming to a close with an epic workout. If you’ve been playing the “Guess the Workout” mini game with Dave Castro and instagram, the picture of roadkill with the caption “#16point5” was eye opening. Many people predicted thrusters and a repeat workout. Most of us were thinking 14.5 or 15.5, either way it was going to suck.
When he announced 14.5 is 16.5, I wasn’t scared, I was excited. Check out this POST for my history with 14.5. It has been a year since I redid 14.5 and I wanted to hit a PR with this workout. I was shooting for under 20 minutes but it was going to be difficult.
Workout 16.5
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Thrusters (95 lb.)
Bar facing burpees
I wanted to break the thrusters up into three sets until the round of nine. I would probably be able to do two sets or go unbroken. My strategy for the burpees was to keep a steady pace. The last time I did it, the burpees were the hardest part.
I was able to get through the first three rounds of thrusters without much trouble. Fatigue set in but I was able push through it and stick to my game plan. The burpees however were a different story. I started out consistent but I hit a wall midway through the round of 15. I was exhausted and as much as I wanted to keep up with my pace, I started to slow down. I would take long breaks in between reps. Thankfully I had my coach and fellow members push me to keep going. It was tough, but I finished with a time of 21:14, which is 4:34 PR! I didn’t finish under my goal time but I’m happy with my performance. In the future, when we retest this workout, I will be under 20 minutes!
I hope you hit a PR with that workout. I will be trying to catch up with my weekly posts and recap the open. It has been a crazy five weeks.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
Running WOD
Run (1000 m) x 2
I hate running but it’s a necessary skill that I should develop. Thankfully I was coming off of my bar muscle up high that I was ready for anything. I decided to pace with my fiance for both intervals. She is a better runner and I wanted to keep up. The first 1000 m went well. I kept a good pace and kept up with my fiance. The second 1000 m was the same except a bit slower. I was a bit winded and did my best to keep up. I finished the first interval in 7:04 and the second interval in 7:35.
We’re close to the end of the open with two more workouts to go and this workout is no joke.
Workout 16.4 – AMRAP 13 Minutes
55 deadlifts (225 lb.)
55 wall balls (20 lb.)
55 row (cals.)
55 hand stand push ups
My first reaction after Dave Castro’s mic drop was, “my back is going to get destroyed”. 225 lb. is about 54% of my 1RM but I didn’t take it lightly. I was hoping to at least make it off the rower but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I decided to do this workout Friday and then redo it on Monday if I didn’t like my score.
After a short warm up. I started the WOD. I decided to break up the deadlifts into sets of five. This strategy worked great until the last 10 reps. My back as a bit fatigued and I could feel my hamstrings tighten as well. I powered through and made it to the wall balls. I decided to break up the wall balls into sets of 10. I’m better at wall balls than deadlifts so I figured sets of 10 would be okay. The first round was good, I was able to hit ten reps before my first break. Then I started to get no repped. The ball wouldn’t hit above the line or the ball wouldn’t hit the wall at all. I took about 20 seconds to rest and refocus and started again. This time I only did sets of 5 with a short rest in between. This worked fine for the rest of the reps in this round.
I was exhausted by the time I got to the rower. I strapped in and started on my row but it was tough. My pace was between 800 cals/hr – 1000 cals/hr. I’m usually able to keep a pace above 1000 cals/hr but I wasn’t able to during this workout. I struggled and by the 13th minute I was only able to complete 41 calories. I was short of my goal by 14 calories. I unstrapped my feet and slumped to the floor.
With my total score of 151 reps, I’m not sure if I want to redo this workout. It was difficult but the deadlifts did take a toll on me. If I can recover by Monday I’ll consider redoing it. I really want to get off the rower! Hope your 16.4 attempt goes better than mine.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
Muscle ups are here to stay. After last years workout announcement, I was waiting for it. Would this be the workout that I would finally get a ring muscle up? Nope, Dave Castro programmed bar muscle ups. Thankfully, I did my first rep last week and have been practicing every day at the gym since. No muscle up scaling this year. I figured I could have done at least one round, but I wanted at least two. I also did this workout twice.
Workout 16.3
7 minute AMRAP
10 snatches (75 lb.)
3 bar muscle ups
The first round was exciting. I didn’t know what to expect since I just learned how to do bar muscle ups. The snatches were light I started by doing the snatches unbroken. When I got to my first set of muscle ups, I looked at the bar for a few seconds before I started. I would complete a muscle up and then wait a few seconds to attempt my next one. I felt good on the bar and I didn’t rush the reps. I did fail a rep once, which took about 15 seconds to get another one. I finished the workout with 3 rounds, 10 snatches and 1 bar muscle up.
The second time around I wanted to get two more reps and finish four rounds. I felt more comfortable doing the bar muscle ups and I felt confident. My pacing was better and I wouldn’t take as much time between muscle up reps. I finished the third round of snatches a minute earlier than my last time. I took a deep breath and started on the muscle ups. I failed the first rep with a minute to go. I took about 10 seconds and completed a rep. Took another 10 seconds and completed the second rep. With about 15 seconds to go I attempted the third rep and I failed. I tried to complete it but I couldn’t. With only five seconds left on the time. I stopped there.
Just like 16.2, my redo only yielded a one rep difference. It was also the difference between me accomplishing my goal of completing four rounds. I was bummed for a few minutes after the workout but I eventually got over it. I feel more confident on the bar now, next up is rings. I hope you did well on 16.3 and if you got your first muscle up, congrats!
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
The next set of burpees took a lot longer than expected. I may have went too hard on the overhead squats and I was starting to feel it. I was slow on the burpees and took frequent breaks. I was able to at least finish 10 overhead squats before time was called.
WOD 2
Death by Double Unders – 25 reps + 5 reps every minute
I think a lot of the work we are doing is prep work for the open. With the open starting this week, we are doing a lot of movements that you will most likely see this season. Thankfully, I’m good at double unders. I still have a lot to work on, but I can string some together. Before the class started, I was excited for this part of the workout but after the previous AMRAP, I was dreading it. My legs were tired from all the burpees and overhead squats. My main concern was my legs cramping but I managed to drink some water and waited for the countdown.
I started out great. I was able to go three rounds unbroken and have at least 30 seconds of rest. The next two rounds were much harder. At this point I started feeling the fatigue and wasn’t able to string together many. I would hit myself every few reps but I eventually finished with at least 15 seconds left in the minute. I made it to the fifth round and stopped at 30 reps.
WOD 2
21-15-9
Run, 200m
Handstand push ups (strict)
I’ve done this workout before using plank push ups about two years ago. I’ve improved and I am able to do strict handstand push ups but I had to scale by using two ab mats instead of one. The run wasn’t too bad but I was tired from the previous workout. The handstand push ups were not too bad. I should have tried it with only one ab mat since I was able to finish quickly. I finished the workout in 4:48.
I did this workout scaled. The overhead squats were originally set for 135 lb. but I wasn’t confident I would last long under that weight. I didn’t want to slow my partner down so I went lighter while he stayed at 135 lb. This workout wasn’t too bad. The reps were split evenly with minimal rest. We were always moving. I tried to keep a steady pace and catch my breath in between sets. Towards the end, I did singles for chest to bars but the overhead squats remained unbroken. We managed to finish four rounds and nine chest-to-bars.
WOD
3×3:00 AMRAP
10 toes-to-bar
10 one arm dumbbell snatch (50 lb.)
30 double unders
Rest 1 minute between each AMRAP
The Rx weight for one arm dumbbell snatch was 70 lb. but I can only do a few reps at that weight. I wish the box had a 60 lb. dumbbell but I settled for 50 lb. I was able to at least finish one round per set. The hardest part of this workout was the toes-to-bar since I’m still weak in gymnastics movements. The snatches were good, wanted a bit more weight but I’ll take what I can get. The double unders were not too bad. I would mess up every 10 or so reps during the second and third sets. That was mainly due to fatigue. I was able to complete a total of 4.067 rounds, when you count partial reps.
Back Squat – 8×2 at 80% (285 lb.)
Since we’re maxing out this Friday, today was a maintenance day. The weight felt a lot lighter and I was able to move faster during the reps. I was ready to set a new PR.
Partner WOD – Time Cap, 15 Minutes
Helen Meets Grace
3 Rounds
Run (400 m)
21 kettlebell swings (53 lb.)
12 pull ups
-then-
30 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
I partnered with my fiance for this workout. The hardest part of this workout was the run. If you have read these posts for awhile, you know I hate running. I would be winded by the time we would get to the kettlebell swings. The kettlebell swings were not too difficult and the pull ups were easy to finish. We were only able to finish 10 clean and jerks when time was called.
WOD 2 – Time Cap, 7 Minutes
3 Rounds
15 hang power clean (135 lb.)
15 burpees
We had a few minutes to rest before starting this workout. I was still exhausted when we started. I was so tired that I forgot how to hang clean. I took a few seconds for me to snap out of it. 15 hang power cleans is not easy especially at 63% of your max. I wasn’t able to string many together but I got through it. My speed bump was the burpees. It would take me more time to finish burpees than cleans. I was only able to finish two rounds when time was called.
After six weeks of back squats, I was eager to test my new 1RM. My goal weight was 375 lb. which is 20 lb. over my last 1RM. I warmed up and attempted my first lift at 365 lb. I successfully completed the lift but not without a lot of effort. I wasn’t confident in attempting 375 lb. but I decided to do it anyway.I learned a lot from that attempt. I didn’t complete it, but it was a great learning experience. I was a bit fast on the decent. Not sure if it was nerves or if the weight was too heavy. I hit the bottom and I deflated. My breathing needs some work. I tried my best to stand it up but my spotter had to step in and help. After that attempt I know I have to work on a few things. I need to stay tight throughout the lift especially at the bottom. I also need to work on tempo. Even though the cycle is over, I’m going to start incorporating more squats.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!