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Open Workout 16.1: What a Way to Start the Open!

Nick PalomoLeave a comment
The Open is finally here! Today starts the 2016 season and I’m excited to see what Dave Castro has in store for us. I know I’m not going to qualify for regionals but checking out the leader board is fun. Seeing where I stack up against friends from my gym and others is also a bonus. I like competition, and I use it as a way to push myself to be better.
The workout announcements are also fun to watch. Dave Castro is a bit dramatic but it adds to the tension. The athlete showdown is also fun to watch. You get to see how the pros workout and the after show is entertaining. Unfortunately, 16.1 sucked it wasn’t the worst workout that I’ve done but it ranks up there.
Workout 16.1
AMRAP 20 minutes
25 ft. overhead lunge (95 lb.)
8 bar facing burpees
25 ft. overhead lunge (95 lb.)
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
I didn’t know how to approach this workout but I knew I had to have a good pace. I haven’t done many workouts that last 20 minutes. Usually those workouts are done with a partner.  I underestimated the lunges initially and was more focused on the burpees and chest-to-bars. “I have good legs” I thought to myself, “it’s not going to be that bad”. As the workout went on, I realized the mistake I made. I was able to do the first three rounds unbroken but it was tough. After each interval I would take a short break to catch my breath. My legs were on fire by this point and I was starting to have a hard time lifting my self out of the lunge. Holding the weight overhead was the easy part. The last round was terrible, it was a mental test. I wanted to quit a few times but I stuck it out.
The burpees and chest to bar pull ups were difficult but manageable. I was able to get through them without much trouble, except for the last round. I wanted to stay on the floor every time I did burpees but I was able to get back up somehow.  I broke the burpees into sets of four and the chest-to-bars were done in singles. I finished the workout with 113 total reps.
It was a great start to the 2016 CrossFit season. I hope Dave Castro doesn’t kill us with a crazy workout in the coming weeks. Even though the workout was horrible, I had a good time.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): February 8 – February 14

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Monday

Back Squat – 6×2 at 80% (285 lb.)
Started Monday with some back squats. I was able to complete all six sets at 285 lb. I didn’t want to let up on the weight. Sets went by quickly and I felt great. Another session in the books.
WOD
 
EMOM – 14 minutes
6 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
Max effort burpees
This workout was a lot harder than expected. The clean and jerks were going to be rough especially since 135 lb. is about 66% of my max. The target number for burpees was eight, which is going to be difficult as time goes on. First six minutes of the workout went great. I was finishing the clean and jerks quickly, under 30 seconds and the burpees would be done just as fast. After that, my burpee count dropped to about 5-7 reps a minute. I completed the clean and jerks, until about the ninth minute. I completed 3-5 reps for the remainder of the workout.

Wednesday

Back Squat – 3×3 at 95% (335 lb.)
Sticking with back squats, the percentages are higher today. Usually we do this session a week before we max out. I only did one set at 335 lb. due to time. I was able to hit my old three rep max of 305 lb. right before this PR!

 

Partner WOD

Roy – 5 rounds

15 deadlifts (195 lb.)

20 box jumps (24 in.)

25 pull ups

I partnered up with my fiance for this workout and we split the work evenly. I decided to not do the workout at 225 lb. I didn’t want to put too much strain on my lower back because of the heavy back squats. The workout was great but I slowed down on the pull ups. I was able to finish all the other movements unbroken except for the pull ups. I finished the workout at 15:38

Friday

Back Squat – 6×2 at 80% (285 lb.)
Maintenance squat day. I felt great during the reps and my knee felt better. We should be maxing out next week.
WOD
 
Recovery WOD – rest 1 minute after each interval
4x400m run
The first 400 m had to be finished under 2:00. If you didn’t you had to scale the distance. I kept a good pace and finished at 1:55. After the first interval I was unable to finish under 2:00 and ended the last interval with a time of 2:20.

 

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): February 1 – February 7

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This entry is going to be longer than other weeks since I went six days straight.

Monday

Back Squat – 5×5 at 85% (275 lb.)
I decided not to go up to 85%. I warmed up and wasn’t feeling it. I was having a difficult time at 275 lb. and I didn’t want to risk an injury. I was able to finish four sets at 275 lb. before the time ran out.
WOD
 
3x 3:00 AMRAP:
30 double unders
20 shoulder to overhead (75 lb.)
10 toes to bar
Rest one minute
My goal for this workout was to at least finish 1 round each set. My first set I was able to finish one round and 30 double unders. My slowest area was the shoulder to overhead and toes to bar. I was able to go unbroken on the first round of shoulder to overhead but I had to break the toes to bar reps into two sets. The second round was worse. The fatigue set in and I was only able to get through one round. I wasn’t able to finish a round in the third set. I took longer rests and was slower overall. It was rough and I only was able to finish eight toes to bar. 

AMRAP 7 minutes

7 pull ups
7 overhead squats (75 lb.)
7 burpees

We only had a minute or two of rest before we started this workout. I was super slow during this workout. The pull ups were slow. I was only able to complete them in singles. The overhead squat was also hard to complete mainly because of my wrist. I have been having wrist issues and overhead work has been taking a toll on it. I also haven’t done overhead squat work in awhile. I was able to complete this in two sets. The burpees were taxing adding to my overall fatigue. I was only able to finish two rounds of this workout.

Tuesday

Snatch Complex
 
3 power snatch + 1 overhead squat
Started by doing the Burgner warm up and some empty bar work to loosen up. Started with 75 lb. and worked up to 135 lb. I was a bit worried about my wrist but it wasn’t too bad. I stopped at 135 lb. because I could feel my form starting to go bad and time was running out. I’m happy with the workout since 135 lb. used to be my two rep max. 

WOD – FGB style

3 rounds, 1 minute per station

Flutter kicks (4 count)
Ring push ups
Superman holds
Handstand holds

This workout was a nice change of pace, my hands were thankful. Even though the workout didn’t have a barbell or gymnastics work it was plenty difficult. The hardest movements were the ring push ups and the handstand holds. I would only be able to get a few reps in before my arms would give out. I would complete at least 10 in a minute. I was able to hold the handstand for at least 40 seconds each round. The flutter kicks and superman holds were easier to get through. I was able to complete at least 30 reps of flutter kicks and at least 10 reps of superman holds.

Wednesday

Back Squat – 6×2 80% (275 lb.)
Another day of back squat maintenance. I was able to get in a full six sets this session but I didn’t increase the weight to 285 lb. for my actual 80%. The squats felt great and my knee felt better after the warm up.
WOD
 
Fran: 21-16-9
Thrusters (95 lb.)
Pull ups
After doing well in the 15.5 retest, I wanted to retest Fran. Today was my chance and I was going to go hard! That was my plan, but that is not what happened. I was able to get through the thrusters but the pull ups were another story. I was very slow, only doing a few reps at a time. I was also resting longer than usual. I finished this workout at 7:39, 32 seconds slower than my last time. I thought I was going to do a lot better this time. I wanted to at least a minute faster. I didn’t do as well but I can at least learn from it. I need to work on my pull ups. I need to do more strength work and work on my kip. I was kipping the pull ups but I couldn’t find a rhythm. I was only able to string a few reps together. I will add in some more strict pull up work.

Thursday

Power Clean, 3 Rep Max (Touch and Go)

I was able to complete three reps at 175 lb. which was surprising. I’ve been having issues trying to re grip the bar after a rep. I would use a hook grip for the first rep but use a regular grip for the other reps. I’m not sure if I could have went heavier, the reps were getting harder to complete with good form. I’m happy with my progress since my old squat clean 1RM used to be 185 lb. 

Partner WOD

AMRAP, 12 minutes

9 power cleans (135 lb.)
12 row (cals.)
24 double unders

I like doing partner workouts. I tend to rest less and push myself to keep up. We alternated movements instead of each person completing a round each. This way, we kept moving instead of resting too long. We kept a good pace throughout the workout. We had enough recovery time between each movement, and I didn’t have to slow down on the intensity. We finished this workout with eight total rounds completed.

Friday

Back Squat – 4×4 at 90% (315 lb.)
90% is the heaviest I’ve gone since this squat cycle started. I felt good on Monday and I was eager to squat heavy. I took a bit longer to warm up since I haven’t lifted this heavy in awhile. I’m still looking out for my knee as well. I was able to get up to 305 lb. for two sets of four and then 315 lb. for the last two sets. I wanted to get in another set at 315 lb. but I ran out of time. 

WOD

For time

50 chest to bar pull ups
50 wall balls (20 lb.)
50 row (cals.)

The hardest part of this workout was going to be the chest to bars. I’m still weak at that movement and I can’t do many at one time. I would do as many reps as I could before scaling. I was able to do ten before I had to scale. It took me almost a minute and I realized I wasn’t going to finish if I didn’t scale to regular pull ups. I broke up the reps into fives and eventually singles. I went a bit quicker after scaling but it still took me awhile to get those last few pull ups.

Wall balls are a strong movement for me and I was able to get through these reps. I broke up the reps into sets of 10 which were manageable. The row was a grind. I was feeling the effects of the wall balls as well as the squats. It was tough but I focused on each pull and zoned out. I finished the workout at 13:38.

Saturday

Snatch, 1 rep heavy
 
I spent Saturday working on snatches. After working on cleans the week before, I decided to switch to snatches. I’m very weak at snatches and it’s something I want to improve on. I started warming up with 75 lb. and focusing on form. I haven’t snatched heavy in awhile and all I have been doing in class is power snatches. I would stay at a certain weight until I was able to get at least three reps before adding more. I was able to get to 145 lb. but I started missing lifts.
145 lb. is about 94% of my 1RM. I was only able to successfully hit this weight once out of six tries. After my fourth miss, I decided to call it a day. A big issue was getting under the bar. My lack of experience really shows in this area. One of my coaches commented that I had the power but not the speed. I need to work on getting into that bottom position. I will try to get more sessions in over the next few weeks.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!

 

 

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): January 25 – January 31

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Sorry everyone for the delay. I’m also trying out this graphic for this segment of the blog.

Monday

Back Squat – 6×2 at 80% (285 lb.)
Starting off the week with back squats. Like previous weeks tried my best to hit my numbers. I was only able to complete five sets at 80%, with one set at 75%. It was a great session, but I ran out of time.
WOD – 30 minute time cap
Run 200m
21 thrusters (75 lb.)
21 pull ups
Run 200m
15 thrusters (75 lb.)
15 pull ups
Run 200m
9 thrusters (75 lb)
9 pull ups
Rest 5 minutes
–then–
5 rounds
15 toes to bar
15 power cleans (95 lb.)
Rest 5 minutes
–then–
Max effort burpees, 3 minutes
As you can imagine, this workout was tough. I had to scale this workout because I knew I wasn’t going to finish on time. I treated it like Fran but I did go faster. The thrusters were okay, since it was only 75 lb. The pull ups were a bit difficult but I managed to power through it. I broke up the reps into small sets which helped.Finished the first part of this workout at 10 minutes and rested the full time.The second part of this workout was harder than the first part, mainly because of the toes to bar. The power cleans were done almost unbroken but I had to scale the toes to bar. I was tired by this point and I took a lot of time between rounds. I finished this part of the workout at 25 minutes. I didn’t get to start the max effort burpees.

Tuesday

Gymnastics Skill Work

I worked on dips and handstand push ups. The reps were 6×6 and all the movements were strict. It was difficult but I was able to get through it. I’m getting stronger on the rings, and my handstand push ups are getting better.

WOD – 20 minute time cap.

3 rounds

15 overhead squats (95 lb.)
50 double unders
Rest 3 minutes
20 lateral burpee (over barbell)
15 handstand push ups
10 power snatches (95 lb.)
15 handstand push ups
20 lateral burpees (over barbell)

 

I wasn’t able to finish this workout under the time cap or Rx. The initial weight for both bar movements was 135 lb. The overhead squats were harder than expected, even with a scaled weight. I wasn’t able to get a rhythm, and it took me a lot longer to finish the reps. The double unders were not too bad, was able to do at least half unbroken. The burpees were the hardest part of the second half. The handstand push ups and power snatches were quick but the burpees felt like forever.

Wednesday

Back Squat –  6×6 at 80% (275 lb.)
That’s a lot of reps. I wasn’t able to finish all the sets because of time. My legs felt great, they were not sore from Monday. My body might be starting to adapt to the work load. I was able to finish four of the six sets at 275 lb.
Partner WOD 
14 minute AMRAP
4 power cleans (135 lb.)
4 front squats (135 lb.)
4 shoulder to overhead (135 lb.)
Partnered with my fiance for this workout. Everything went great, we moved quickly but I had to rest longer. I would complete each round unbroken but I would take at least 30 seconds before my round. My fiance scaled her weight but she was quick. I wished she was slower so I could get more rest. She did great. We managed to finish five rounds each.

Friday

Back Squat – 6×2 at 80% (285 lb.)
I actually completed all the sets at 80% after deciding not to scale the weight. My legs felt great and I warmed up for about 20 minutes before the class. It wasn’t too bad, the last two sets were a struggle but I got through it. Thankfully I didn’t need a spot.
WOD
 
For time
20 back squats at 50% 1RM (165 lb.)
Run 1 mile
20 back squats at 50% 1RM (165 lb.)
Run 1 mile
I can’t remember the last time I hated a workout. Usually most workouts are fun but this one was horrible. The back squats were done from the floor and I almost lost my balance the first time I tried to load the bar on my back. Thankfully I was able to gain control and not drop the weight. I was able to finish all the reps unbroken. The mile run was a different story. I paced myself but I wasn’t quick. I haven’t ran a mile in awhile and this was another sign that I needed to run more. When I got back to the box, my quads were on fire. I powered through it and started on my second round of squats. I was able to finish this round unbroken as well but my quads were super tight on the run. I finally finished at 29:30, close to last in the class. I need to run more.

Saturday

Heavy Cleans
 
I worked on cleans this day. I haven’t been doing many oly lifts and came in on a Saturday to work on them. Since I haven’t done heavy reps in awhile I decided to focus on cleans. I started low and worked up to my 1 rep max. One of the coaches told me to add five pounds to the bar just in case I make it, it would be a new PR. I managed to lift 230 lb. for a new PR! I wanted to add more weight but I could feel some strain in my elbow. I called it a day right after. If I’m able to come in again next Saturday, I’ll work on my snatches.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
 

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): January 18 – January 24

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Monday

Back Squat – 6 x 2 at 80% (285 lb.)
Started out the day with heavy back squats. I warmed up with a few sets and started on the back squats. I had a good day at the weight wrack, every set was great with the last two being the most difficult. I finished with enough time to set up for the days WOD.
WOD – For Time
 
21 toes to bar
15 deadlifts (115 lb.)
9 box jumps (24 in.)
21 pull ups
15 power cleans (115 lb.)
9 box jumps (24 in.)
21 chest to bar pull ups
15 shoulder to overheads (115 lb.)
9 box jumps (24 in.)
At first glance this workout looks long but it goes by quickly. My concerns for this workout were the bar movements. 21 toes to bar, pull ups and chest to bars are going to suck. Mainly because I’m bad at them. Everything else didn’t seem too bad. The barbell movements and box jumps were going to be cake next to the bar work.As expected, the bar work was rough. I wanted to do most of the reps unbroken but I couldn’t. I broke the toes to bar into sets of five or less. The pull ups were done in sets of five or a more and the chest to bars were in sets of two to five reps. I had to do singles by the end of chest to bar pull ups. The dead lifts and power cleans were not as hard. I finished the deadlifts unbroken and I finished the power cleans in two sets. The shoulder to overhead was also done unbroken, using a power jerk instead of a push press. I finished the workout at 11:44, under the 15 minute time cap. I was hoping I would finish under 10 minutes but the bar work was a lot harder than expected.

Tuesday

Gymnastics Skill Day
 
V-ups (3 second count)
Strict ring dips
Chest to bar pull ups
Worked on some strict movements and chest to bars. The original movement was strict toes to bar but since I can not complete those, I scaled down to v ups. The strict ring dips were not too bad. Was able to go unbroken on all sets. I tend to pull my legs up like I’m doing an L sit when doing dips, so I worked on keeping straight. The chest to bar pull ups were just as hard as Monday. I’m not able to string that many together yet and my form looks bad after a set or two. I took a lot of rest between sets.
WOD 
 
CrossFit Open Workout 15.4
AMReps in 8 minutes
3 handstand push ups
3 cleans (185 lb.)
6 handstand push ups
3 cleans (185 lb.)
9 handstand push ups
3 cleans (185 lb.)
12 handstand push ups
6 cleans (185 lb.)
6 handstand push ups
Since the open is a month away, the gym is retesting last years open workouts. I was excited for this one since I didn’t do that well last year. I wrote a post about it which you can read HERE. Last year I was only able to complete 21 reps but this year I was able to complete 51 reps, a PR of 30 reps! I was able to hit 21 reps at about three minutes into the workout. I was stoked. I didn’t think I would be going this quick. I’ve been working on a lot of press work, mainly strict HSPU’s and strict press. My cleans felt great as well. I struggled a bit last year but not this time.
The handstand push ups were the hardest part, as always. I started struggling during the last few reps of 12 HSPUs. I took a short rest before I started on the cleans but it wasn’t enough. I struggled on the last few reps of my HSPUs before they called time. I was exhausted but I felt great. I knew I just smashed my old PR and I was riding that feeling. Hopefully I do better in this years Open.

Thursday

Push Press 3RM 
Warmed up with the bar and slowly started adding weight. I didn’t have a number in mind when loading the bar. My previous lifts were done at 165 lb. and I felt I had gained more strength since then. I worked up to 185 lb. and focused on my form. My right wrist was a bit tight so I stopped and stretched it a bit before the WOD.
WOD
 
CrossFit Open Wokrout 15.5
27-21-15-9
Row (cal.)
Thruster (95 lb.)
If you didn’t do this workout last year, good for you. It was one of the worse workouts I’ve done. I remember laying on the ground for a few minutes before standing up. I wrote about it last year in this POST. This time around, I was determined to do better. After seeing my score from 15.4 improve significantly, I figured I would crush my new 15.5 time. I was wrong, very wrong.

 

The rows started great, I had a good pace and finished ready to get into my first round of thrusters. I broke up the first round into three sets, trying to set a good pace for these as well. I hit a wall after the second round. I kept repeating “finish” in my head, like a mantra to get through the rest of the workout. As the time cap loomed I tried to go faster but it wasn’t fast enough. I finished the workout at 15:05, five seconds after the time cap. It was a small PR of 13 seconds but it was short of what I wanted. I’ve made some improvements over the year but I still have a lot more room to improve.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As RX (Probably Scaled): January 11 – January 17

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Monday

Back Squat

 

10 at 50% (195 lb.)
6 at 60% (225 lb.)
5 at 70% (255 lb.)
5 at 80% (275 lb.)
ME at 80% (275 lb.)

After last Mondays back squat episode and a few days of recovery, I was ready for heavy back squats. I didn’t make the same mistake and warmed up with a few non working sets. The weights through all the percentages felt great. The last two sets were a bit tough but I was ready for it. On the max effort set I stopped at five reps to be on the safe side. I didn’t want another repeat of last week.

WOD
Alternating EMOM – 15 minutes

8 – power cleans (135 lb.)
10 – burpees
12 – wall balls (20 lb.)

This workout was tough. I wasn’t able to complete all reps of the cleans and wall balls. I’ve been trying to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself with heavier weights. The last two rounds were the hardest. I was gasping for air and trying to find the second wind but it never came. I only finished six reps on the the cleans and eight reps on the wall balls.

Tuesday

Gymnastics Skills
3×6
Strict toes to bar
Strict ring dips
ME chest to bar
3×60% of chest to bar workout
I couldn’t do strict toes to bar so I scaled to three second v – ups. I was able to finish the ring dips but I need to work on form. I tend to lean too far forward and my legs come up like a L-sit. I was only able to do six chest to bar pull ups because I couldn’t find a rhythm on the kip.
WOD
 
FGB Style – 6 rounds
Row (cal.)
Power snatch (75 lb.)
Double unders
My goal for this workout was to find a good pace and stick with it. Eighteen minutes of work was rough but I paced myself well enough to finish and not quit during the last two rounds. I would finish the row with about five to ten calories, about ten power snatches and about twenty double unders. It was tough, I tried to increase reps but as the rounds went on, I spent more time trying to catch my breath. I was able to stay consistent throughout the workout but I need to work on my stamina. My final reps were 38, 58, 38, 30, 38, and 46.

 

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As RX (Probably Scaled): January 4 – January 10

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Monday

Back Squat 
10 at 50% (195 lb.)
6 at 60% (225 lb.)
5 at 70% (255 lb.)
5 at 80% (275 lb.)
ME at 80% (275 lb.)
We started a new squat cycle this week starting with back squats. I haven’t done squats in awhile and I was excited to get back into it. I based all my weights off of my one rep max of 355 lb. The weights were a little higher than my actual percentage since I was working with other people. The weights are about 4% higher.I felt a bit awkward during the warm up and during my set of 50%. After warming up a bit, I started feeling more confident. I was focusing on being more explosive coming out of the bottom but I think I may have overdone it. My last set at 80% I managed to finish seven reps and failed on my eighth rep.

WOD

21-15-9, 7 minute time cap
Power cleans (115 lb.)
Strict ring dips
2 minute rest
-then-
5 rounds, 7 minute time cap
10 burpees
10 deadlifts (135 lb.)
2 minute rest
-then-
Max effort double unders, 2 minutes

This workout was terrible. I had a lot of fun, but I was laying on the floor for a few minutes after. I decided to scale the power cleans and strict ring dips on the first part of the workout. The original weight for the power cleans was 135 lb. and I did push ups instead of ring dips. Despite my scaling I wasn’t able to finish the workout under time cap. I was about to start on the power cleans on the round of nine. I was confident in finishing under time cap but I hit a wall after the first round of 21.

During the second workout I was only able to finish three rounds. The two minute rest helped but it wasn’t enough to give me that second wind. The burpees and deadlifts were a grind. I wanted to go faster but my arms were weak from the cleans and push ups. The deadlifts were not too bad since I broke them up into sets of five.

The two minute rest was not enough but thankfully the workout was almost over. I wasn’t able to keep a consistent number of double unders going. I would complete a few then break. I was tired and couldn’t keep a consistent jump. I completed 60 double unders in two minutes. It’s not a great result but I did my best.

Tuesday

Gymnastics Skill
 
Worked on the same set of handstand skills as last week. Progress has been slow but I’m getting the hang of some of the drills. Need to work on the free standing handstand and should taps.
WOD
Tabata Fight Gone Bad
Wall ball (20 lb.)
Sumo deadlift high pull (75 lb.)
Box jumps (20 in.)
Push press (75 lb.)
Row (cals)

Tuesdays workout was tabata Fight Gone Bad. The last time I did this workout was two years ago. I did not Rx the weights and I had a total of 24 reps. I decided to do all the work Rx to gauge my progress. I started on the sumo deadlift high pulls, which were not too bad. I’m still a little awkward with the movements but after the first round I was getting the hang of it. I was able to finish six reps per round. The box jumps were okay, it was only 20 inches which made it a bit easier. I also finished the box jumps with at least six reps per round. I was able to keep a constant pace of seven reps per round on the push pres and five calories per round on the rower. My legs were dead when I got to the wall balls. I was only able to complete at least three reps. I was able to PR this workout by three reps and Rx the weight. I’m excited by how much I’ve improved over the years. I can’t wait for the next repeat workout.

Friday

My legs were sore and my knee was also giving me trouble over Wednesday and Thursday. I went crazy on the squats and I paid for it. I’ll be sure to warm up longer and increase the weight gradually.
Back Squat 
10 at 50% (135 lb.)
6 at 60% (165 lb.)
5 at 70% ( 195lb.)
5 at 80% (225 lb.)
ME at 80% (225 lb.)
This was the same workout as Monday but I decided to take it easy. I dropped the weight by 50 lb. since I didn’t want to risk more injury. I stretched out before class and did a longer warm up before I started. My legs were still sore but I was determined to finish a few sets. I was able to finish all the sets with the reduced weight and complete five reps on the last set.
WOD


“Fast n Furious” – Every two minutes 

400 m run
Max effort wall balls (20 lb.)
400 m run
Max effort American kettlebell swings (54 lb.)
400 m run
Max effort push ups
400 m run
Max effort sit ups
400 m run
Max effort double unders

“Slow and mild” is a better description of how I performed during this workout. My goal for this workout was to finish the run under 1:30 and have at lest 10 reps on all max effort movements. The first round was okay. I finished the run at 55 seconds and that’s when I knew, the next four rounds were going to suck. I finished the runs gradually slower with the slowest run time being 1:40. I was almost able to complete 10 reps for all max effort movements. I came up short during the sit ups since I only had 15 seconds left in the round. I hate running but it’s a great skill that I need to work on. If I lose weight, I’m sure my times would be faster as well.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As RX (Probably Scaled): December 28 – January 3

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Happy New Year! Still catching up with some posts but at least this one is recent.

Monday

Gymnastics Skill
 
Worked on some gymnastics skills. Started out doing some handstand drills, 3 x 20 seconds each. Started with freestanding handstands with help from a spotter and shoulder taps. The shoulder taps were scaled to trying to lift each hand off the ground. I don’t have the strength or the balance to do shoulder taps while hand standing. The next set of skills were 3 x 10 seconds each of handstand t’s and handstand walks. Handstand t’s are entry practice for handstand walks. Next up were actual handstand walks. I’m not able to do many steps on the handstand walks and decided to use the wall for assistance. I would be a few feet from the wall and then try to walk to it. I’m still horrible at it but I’m getting better.
WOD  
 
Loredo – 25 minute time cap
6 rounds:
24 air squats
24 push ups
24 walking lunge
400 m run
This was my first time attempting this hero wod. I was worried about the run but it was everything else that killed me. It didn’t hit me until the second round how much the air squats and the walking lunges were going to work my legs. The run wasn’t too bad, since I kept a constant pace. My legs were on fire after the second round but I tried to stay consistent. It was tough, I had to break up everything. The air squats and lunges were done in tens and the push ups were broken up into sets of five or six. Surprisingly, I didn’t walk during the run. I finished the workout with only four rounds completed at time cap.
I was only able to workout one day this week. I did a few hobby stuff with the guys from LFGG and I took some time off during the new year holiday. I hope everyone had an enjoyable new year!
Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): December 21 – December 27

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

I’m still trying to catch up with all the posts so bear with me. This was a shorter week since I took a few days off to enjoy the holidays.

Monday

Sumo Deadlift – 7×5 at 70% (225 lb.)
My main focus was trying to find a better grip and to be more comfortable. The first few sets were good. I was able to maintain good form and the wider grip made it easier to stabilize the weight. The last few sets I tried to focus on doing some touch and go reps. The weight wasn’t too heavy and I was able to string two to three reps.WOD 1



EMOM – 10 minutes

15 wall balls (20 lb.)

This workout is Karen but EMOM. The last time I attempted Karen, I had to scale Karen the last time and it took me around 13 minutes. I was able to keep the 15 wall balls during the first five minutes. after that the reps would drop from 15 to 10 and then to 8 the last round. I could have finished all 150 reps if I had more time. I’m happy with my results.

WOD 2



AMRAP – 7 minutes

7 – chest to bar pull ups

7 – shoulder to overhead (115 lb.)

My biggest worry for this workout was the chest to bar pull ups. I’m still working on my gymnastics skills and my pull up skills are not great. I’m able to do a chest to bar pull up but I get tired fairly quickly. The shoulder to overhead weight was set at 135 lb. for Rx, but I scaled down to 115 lb. I was tired after the deadlifts and the wall balls so scaling seemed like a good idea. The workout started off okay. I was able to string five chest to bars together and finished with two more. I decided to do push jerks instead of a push press. I was able to finish the rounds unbroken. The last two rounds of chest to bars were slow. I had to do singles or at most sets of two. I finished with three rounds.

Tuesday

Strict Press – 7×5 at 65% (115 lb.)
I haven’t done strict press in awhile and decided to go a bit lighter. The movement was hard on my wrists but I was able to get through it. I need to work on warming up my wrists a bit more before class.
WOD
 
Alternating EMOM – 15 minutes
15 ring push ups
15 box jumps
150 m run

I liked this workout but I under estimated the ring push ups. I thought I would be able to recover in time for the next rep but I was wrong. The last two rounds of ring push ups I was only able to complete eight reps. The other movements were okay. I was able to complete the box jumps unbroken and the 150 m run wasn’t too bad, finishing in about 45 – 50 seconds.Buyout



Tabata – Burpees

I was exhausted by the time we started the buyout. My triceps were on fire from the ring dips, and my legs were sore from the box jumps and the run. I was only able to do two to five reps each round. I tried to push myself to do more but my body couldn’t keep up. At least I pushed as hard as I could.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): November 30 – December 6

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

Monday

Snatch Balance + 3 Overhead Squats – 40%, 50%, 60%, 65%, 2 x 70%

Worked off my snatch 1RM. Weights ranged from 45 lb. to 115 lb. Worked on form since the weight was relatively light. I need to work on moving my feet during my snatch balance since my feet do not move wide enough. My overhead squat work was good, I focused on my form and keeping active shoulders and controlling my decent.

WOD

Nancy – 20 minute time cap

5 rounds

Run, 400 m

15 overhead squats (95 lb.)

My last attempt at Nancy was 22:34 with the bar at 75 lb. I was going to scale the weight but decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish under 20 minutes but I was going to do my best. My overhead squats have improved and my total weight has gone up the past few months. I was confident I would finish.

My 400 m run was fine but the overhead squats were a bit difficult. I had to break the overhead squats into two sets. The rest of the workout however I was able to do all the reps unbroken. The run gave me the most trouble. My legs felt like jello and I couldn’t keep a quick pace. On the last round, I was barely jogging, it was rough. I managed to finish under time cap with a time of 19:46, a new PR! I was almost three minutes faster and it was done Rx. Even though I came in close to last, I was proud of myself and the progress I made. I did some mobility and called it a day.

Tuesday

Gymnastics Skill Work
 
Worked on some gymnastics drills. Bridge rocks, Superman Holds and chin over bar holds. We also worked on strict toes to bar and muscle up drills.
WOD – For Time
5 Rounds
7 Toes to bar (unbroken)
21 Kettle bell swings (1.5 pood, unbroken)
penalty for going unbroken 100 m run.
At the beginning of the day I wasn’t feeling it. During the warm up, I was moving very sluggishly. It was a rough day at work and all my energy had been zapped. I almost quit but I decided to push through, at least until after the workout.  After the skill work, I started feeling better. I got a second wind and was ready for the WOD.
The original weight for the kettlebell swings was 2 pood but I knew my grip wouldn’t last that long. I scaled down to 1.5 pood which is more manageable. My goal for this workout was to go unbroken all five rounds. With the scaled kettlebell swings, it would be achievable. Also, I didn’t want to run. I took a good amount of rest in between rounds to regain my grip and to catch my breath. The last round was the biggest challenge. I was barely able to finish the toes to bar and the kettlebell swings because my body was fatigued. I could barely lift my legs on the last toes to bar but I finished. My grip was starting to go around rep 15 on the kettlebell swings, but I pushed through it and finished it unbroken as well. I was very tired but I managed to reach my goal of going unbroken throughout all rounds. I finished the workout in 9:26, next time I hope to do it with a 2 pood kettlebell.

Thursday

Skill Work
 
I worked on four movements: double unders, ring dips, pistol squats and hand stand push ups. I have most of these movements down except for pistol squats. I’m able to do them but I still need to work on my left leg. I used a 15 lb. plate as a counter weight to get into a better position on my pistols which worked. It’s a good thing we worked on this skill since our workout included all these.
WOD
 
Tabata
Double unders
Ring dips
Pistol squats (alternating)
hand stand push ups
I did a lot of reps during the skill work and it showed during the workout. My goal for this workout was to at least do one rep every round. Especially for the ring dips and hand stand push ups. I started out the rounds doing well. During the double unders I would get around 20 – 25 reps but as the rounds went on, I barely made it to 18 reps. I started out the ring dips with four and by the end I was only at one rep. During the beginning rounds of pistols I was able to maintain six to eight reps but that went down to only two. The hand stand push ups were the same as the pistols. I started high and ended up low, finishing with two reps as well.

Friday

Snatch Complex
 
1 Power Snatch + 3 Snatch Balance – 35%, 40%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%
Worked off our 1RM for percentages. The weights ranged from 45 lb. to 115 lb. The lifts felt good during the entire complex. I didn’t miss any of the reps. I worked on my form for the power snatches and the snatch balance. I need to work on it more during open gym times.
WOD
12-9-6-3
Power snatch (75 lb.)
Burpee
Before the workout, the coaches said the workout should be under five minutes. The Rx weight was 95 lb. for the snatches, so I decided to scale. My goals for this workout were to finish under five minutes and to be consistent during the burpees. I was able to be consistent on the snatches and the burpees. I had to break up the power snatches during the round of six but I was able to recover and finish everything unbroken. The burpees were not too bad. They were difficult but I pushed my way through it and finished 3:46. I want to redo this workout at 95 lb. to see how long it would take me. I finished the day with 15 minutes of mobility.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!