My Week As RX

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): December 5 – December 11

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I was only able to workout at the gym on Wednesday. I ran two days out of the week.

Strength

Back Squat – 3 Rep Heavy
 
My goal was to at least lift 305 lb. since I was able to do it last week. I didn’t feel ready in attempting something heavier or even matching my current 3RM. The workout that day also had a lot of back squats which influenced my decisions on weight. I worked up to 305 lb. which felt a bit light. I could have went up in weight to 325 lb. but time ran out.

WOD

EMOM for 12 Minutes
 
6 push press (95 lb.)
6 back squats (95 lb.)
20 double unders
Initially, I thought the workout was an alternating EMOM at 115 lb. then I found out that it was actually all the movements. The weight was too much for me so I decided to scale down to 95 lb. My goal for this workout was to at least finish the double unders.

The first two rounds were good. I was able to finish all the double unders within the minute but the next round was tough. I was only able to get five double unders and I decided to scale down to 75 lb. I was not able to finish the double unders and scaled the reps from six to four. My goal from this point on was to at least finish one double under. I should have started at 75 lb. but I wanted to see if I could hang on at 95 lb. Turns out, I should have been more conservative. Lesson learned for next time.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): November 28 – December 4

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Strength

Monday – Back Squat

4 at 60% (225 lb.)
4 at 70% (275 lb.)
4 at 80% (305 lb.)
2 at 85% (325 lb.)
4 at 80% (305 lb.)
2 at 85% (325 lb.)
4 at 80% (305 lb.)

This was one of my favorite strength workouts for the week. I didn’t set any PR’s but I did reach a milestone. I haven’t been confident in my squat since I came back from Europe. It was kind of a bummer but I knew it was going to take a while for my body to get used to the heavy weight again. Thankfully, I can finally see some progress. A few weeks ago, I wasn’t able to complete a set of squats at 80%. I needed a spot and was only able to get 2 reps and then 1 rep after a short rest. Now, I’m able to complete 4 reps without a spotter and I was able to get 2 reps at 85%. I wasn’t able to complete the last set at 85% because I wasn’t feeling it and it was putting a lot of strain on my knees. It’s going to take time, but I will get there.

Friday – Thruster 3 Rep Max

I set a new PR at 195 lb. My previous PR was set more than a year ago at 175 lb. My first attempt was at 185 lb. I was extremely happy and pumped up that I decided to go for 195 lb. My first rep wasn’t too bad but the second and third were a challenge. The hardest part of the lifts was the breathing. I had to brace my core while trying to take in big breaths. The last rep was tough and I almost didn’t make it. I got stuck for a second on the press and I barely completed the rep. Hopefully with this jump in weight, I’ll be able to set a new jerk PR.

WOD

Thursday – CrossFit Games Open 11.1/14.1 Workout

10 Minute AMRAP
30 double unders
15 power snatches (75 lb.)

This Open workout was programmed about a year ago and I was able to complete four rounds. I was hoping this time around I would be able to finish five rounds. I started the workout at a good pace. I was able to complete the first round of double unders unbroken as well as the first round of power snatches. This took about a minute to complete. I started to fatigue and I was not able to keep up that pace but I was determined to hit a PR. My double unders were not consistent. I would go for a string of 10-15 reps before breaking and in the later rounds maybe 5-10 reps. This was the hardest part of the workout, trying to string together enough double unders quickly. The power snatches were broken up into sets of seven and eight. In the later rounds it would be a fast set of five.

After ten minutes, completed four rounds, thirty double unders and two power snatches, setting a new PR! It wasn’t the five rounds that I initially wanted but I’m excited, since it show improvement. With the open coming up soon, I may have to focus more on metcons so I can work on muscle endurance.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): New Format Changes

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Format Changes Going Forward

Hello everyone. It has been a busy few weeks and with the holidays coming up, it’s going to get more hectic. After thinking about this segment of the blog I realized that I didn’t like writing about everything I did during the week. Their would be one or two workouts and strength sessions that I would be excited to write about but everything else felt like busy work. Now I will focus on highlights instead of a daily journal. One strength and one WOD but I will include more if I can’t choose between a few. This way, I can stay motivated to share my journey. Thanks for reading.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 31 – November 6

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Wednesday

Partner WOD – For Time
50 pull ups
–then–
4 rounds of:
15 overhead squats (95 lb.)
9 burpees
6 toes to bar
–then–
Run (400 m)
–then–
4 rounds of:
15 overhead squats (95 lb.)
9 burpees
6 toes to bar
–then–
50 pull ups
This was a fun partner workout. Our goal for this workout was to finish under the time cap of 25 minutes. The movements that were going to be tough were the overhead squats and the pull ups. I was not concerned with the burpees or the toes to bar since the reps were low. We decided to split the reps as evenly each round. We were able to get through the pull ups fairly quickly. I was worried about the overhead squats but after a few reps, I was able to get into a rhythm. We flew through the burpees and toes to bar. We slowed a bit during the 400 m run but it wasn’t by much.I tore my hand on the toes to bar which screwed up the rest of the workout. I stripped the weight off the barbell and I did v-ups instead of toes to bar. I was a bit bummed during that second set since I knew I had it in me to finish all the movements. It was unfortunate that my hands tore but I wasn’t going to keep on doing those movements without scaling. It’s better to scale than to exacerbate the injury. We didn’t finish our last set of pull ups which I was okay with. We pushed ourselves pretty hard and we didn’t quit. I think we could have finished if my hand didn’t tear but we’ll never know. I’m happy with our performance.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 24 – October 30

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Monday

Snatch – 4 at 60% (45 kg), 4 at 70% (53 kg), 3×4 at 75% (57 kg)
I haven’t done much snatching since I’ve been back. It took a few warm up reps to get used to it and I started on my percentages. Overall, I felt great at these weights. I didn’t miss a rep and was able to get through this fairly quickly. It was a lot more reps than what I was used to however but I took some time in between to rest up.
4 Cleans + 1 Jerk – 1 at 60% (62 kg), 1 at 70% (72 kg), 1 at 75% (77 kg)
This was just as hard as the snatches but I was able to pick it up. I’m more comfortable with heavy cleans than snatches. I didn’t need much of a warm up and went right into my first set. This workout wasn’t as bad since I had cut out two of my last three sets. I had to leave early. Four cleans are tough especially at the higher weights.

Wednesday

Bench Press – 5×5 at a heavy set of 5
My previous weight for this workout was 185 lb. but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to complete a set. I warmed up and loaded 185 lb. on the bar. I was only able to complete three reps. This was not a big surprise since I haven’t been doing much bench presses.
WOD – For Time
Row (1000 m)
50 pistol squats
30 hang power cleans (135 lb.)
I wasn’t sure how well I was going to do in this workout. The pistol squats were going to be tough and would probably slow me down. I wasn’t too worried about the cleans or the row, I’m sure I would be able to get through them without much trouble. My pace for the row was about two minutes per 500 m. I finished the row at about 4:10. The pistol squats were tough but I broke the sets into 10 reps. I took some time in between each set so I could catch my breath but I took a lot longer than expected. The 30 hang cleans were not too bad. I broke it up into sets of 10 reps which were manageable. My goal was to finish within 15 minutes but I finished in 16:17.

Saturday

Power Snatch – 2 at 60% (45 kg), 2 at 65% (49 kg), 2×3 at 70% (53 kg)
This was easier than Monday. The heavier Monday session was just what I needed to get better at my Olympic lifts.
Power Clean + 2 Jerks –  1 at 60% (62 kg), 1 at 65% (67 kg), 1×3 at 70% (72 kg)
Started to feel the fatigue in my arms at the 70% weight but it wasn’t an issue.
Back Squat – 3 at 60% (225 lb.), 3 at 70% (275 lb.), 3×3 at 80% (305 lb.)
This was my biggest workout of the day. I haven’t squatted anything heavy in awhile. The last time I attempted a heavy back squat was back in July. I was a little nervous but I wanted to hit some numbers. My first set for the workout was okay, I wasn’t too worried about 225 lb. My second set however was a bit worrying. The three reps at 70% were a lot harder than what I remember. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the time between lifts or if my warm up was too short but I decided to move forward and go to 80%.

 

My July workout was 6×3 at 80% (305 lb.) and I felt great doing it. This gave me some confidence. I completed the first set but it was tough. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish the rest of the sets. I took a few minutes to get some air and rest before going on to set two. I was able to finish two reps before racking the weight. It was too much and I almost needed a spot. I decided to stop there and end the workout. After reflecting on the workout, I realized that I needed to slowly get back to squatting. I should have gone up to 75% instead but I wanted to see if I could handle my weights from only a few months ago. I’m confident that after a few more sessions in the squat rack, I’ll be back to my old self.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 17 – October 23

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Monday

Three Position Power Clean – Find a 1Rep HeavyAfter taking it easy the past few weeks, I wanted to lift some heavy weight. I wanted to get to 185 lb. at the very least. After warming up and lifting 135 lb. then 165 lb. I decided to go for it. I loaded 185 lb. on the bar and completed the lifts. My grip was starting to give out so I opted not to try for 195 lb. At least I know, I can still lift this much weight. Next time, I’ll definitely go for something heavier.

 

WOD 1 – 2xAMRAP 3 Minutes
5 power cleans (135 lb.)
30 double unders

This first workout was a fun. I wasn’t worried about the power cleans, especially after the complex. The double unders on the other hand were going to hurt. I have a tendency to mess them up when I get too tired. My goal for this workout was two rounds each.The first set was fun, I was able to complete all the reps unbroken. I did take a short rest after each movement, pacing myself for the three minutes. I was able to complete two rounds in the first set. The second set was much more difficult especially on the double unders. I kept messing up my double unders and I almost didn’t finish my second round. I still finished but I was exhausted by the end. I hope I could find the energy to complete the next workout.

 

WOD 2 – 2xAMRAP 3 Minutes
5 front squats (135 lb.)
10 handstand push ups
My goal for this workout was less ambitious. I just wanted to complete one round in three minutes. After looking at the reps, it seemed easy but I quickly found out how hard it was going to be. I still haven’t recovered from the last workout and we started this one. The front squats were fairly easy. It was the handstand push ups that did me in. I finished my first round at a minute thirty but I didn’t start on a second. I was exhausted by this point and opted to rest for the remainder of the time. I wanted to at least finish one round in the set. I struggled with the front squats, and almost dropped the bar before the last rep. I took about two minutes to complete ten handstand push ups. I almost gave up. My arms felt like jello but I pushed through the pain and finished the last rep right before the coaches called time. It was only two rounds but I felt like I did twenty.

Thursday

WOD – 3 Rounds

Row (500 m)
21 burpees
Run (400 m)

I have done this workout before but I didn’t finish. My goal for this one was to finish, hopefully before the time cap. The first round went by quickly. I kept a pace of about two minutes per 500 m and the burpees were broken up into sets of 10 and 11 reps. The run is where I ran into trouble. During the run, my right calf started to cramp. I stopped for a few seconds to stretch it but I couldn’t run as fast. I took a minute or two to stretch before I hopped on the rower for round three. Stretching did the trick and my leg felt better. The last two rounds were a struggle. I was moving very sluggishly but I was still determined to finish. I finished the workout at 23:36.

Friday

WOD – “FGB Style” 4 Rounds
Double unders
Wall balls (20 lb.)
Hand release push ups

We started the workout before going onto the barbell skill/strength. This is another workout I have done before so my goal was to beat those numbers. I needed to at least hit 70+ reps per round. I knew I would do well on the double unders but the wall balls and push ups were going to be challenging. The first time I picked up the 20 lb. ball, I knew this was going to be the hardest movement. I don’t remember 20 lb. being that heavy! Hopefully the adrenaline will kick in and it will not feel too heavy. The first round went well. I finished 70 double unders and 15 wall balls and 15 hand release push ups. I went hard on the double unders that I was out of breath doing the push ups.I tried to catch my breath but I didn’t have enough time. I just hoped I would be able to keep up for the next three rounds. The double unders did not go as well as the first round. I would mess up but I would at least get 50 reps. I would only be able to get around 10-13 reps on the wall balls and about 10-13 reps on the hand release push ups. I was able to stay above my 70+ goal for reps and I hit a new PR by 43 reps!

 

Clean Complex – Find 1 Rep Heavy

 

Clean High Pull + Power Clean + Clean


After completing the three position clean complex earlier in the week, I started to gain more confidence in my Olympic lifts. My goal for this complex was 205 lb. Working up to 205 lb. wasn’t too hard. I felt comfortable in all my lifts which elevated my confidence to go for 205 lb. The high pull felt great. It was heavy but I was able to get it to a good height. The power clean and clean felt smooth with the only struggle coming from the squat out of the clean. I felt good after finishing but I didn’t want to go heavier. I wanted to save my legs for next week.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 10 – October 16

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Monday

Overhead Squat – 6×2 at 80%I was only able to work up to a set of overhead squats at 170 lb. I’m not at 100% yet but I’m trying to work up to it. Taking six weeks off is starting to take it’s toll.

Partner WOD – AMRAP 20 Minutes

Assault Bike (100 Cal.)

-then-
6 bar facing burpee
9 alt. pistol squats
12 power snatches (75 lb.)
Initially the WOD called for a 100 calorie row but their wasn’t enough rowers. I opted for the bike instead of the ski erg. The gym just added the bikes not too long ago and I was eager to test them out. The second portion of the workout would be alternating movements.We decided to split the work into 25 calorie sets but that changed after 50 calories. I was winded so we switched to a set of 15 and then a set of 10. The second portion of the workout was just as hard. The movements were alternating but I couldn’t catch my breath fast enough. I tried to keep a steady pace on the burpees and pistol squats. I had to break the snatches into sets of two. We finished with four rounds, six burpees and nine pistols.

This was the only day I was able to make it to the gym. I had a lot of things I had to do and wasn’t able to make it for the rest of the week. I’m still getting back into it and hopefully next week will be better.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 3 – October 9

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Monday

I’m finally back in the gym! After six weeks of no exercise, I can finally lift some weight again. I will be doing the class workouts for this week and maybe next week before resuming the barbell club training. I will be trying to incorporate the class workout at least once a week.
Overhead Squat: 4×2 at 90% (195 lb.)
I wasn’t looking forward to this. After not doing any work for the past few weeks, I wasn’t sure if I could lift my 90%. I decided to take it slow and take it one set at a time. After a few sets, it became clear that I wouldn’t be able to hit my 90% and to attempt it now would risk injury. My body wasn’t used to this much strain. I decided to at least get up to my 80% (175 lb.). Did two sets at 165 lb. and then did one set at 175 lb. I’m confident that I will get back to my old self if I keep coming to the gym.
WOD – Every 3 Minutes for 18 Minutes
15 Overhead squats (75 lb.)
10 Burpee over bars
5 chest to bar pull ups
This workout was extremely difficult. The first round wasn’t too bad. I was able to get through all 15 overhead squats unbroken. The burpees however killed  me. I was breathing very hard by the time I got to the chest to bar pull ups. I did those in singles trying to catch my breath. I finished the first round in two minutes. I tried to catch my breath but a minute wasn’t long enough. I started on the second round and couldn’t finish the chest to bar pull ups under time.It was at this point that I made a decision to skip the round and rest for three minutes. I was gassed. I stripped the bar and tried to catch my breath but I couldn’t. Before I knew it, it was time for the fourth round. The overhead squats were easy but the burpees took a lot of time. I finished the burpees but I couldn’t get to the pull up bar. I decided to catch my breath and sit out the fifth round.

I was determined to finish all reps in the sixth round. It was a grind but I was able to finish the last rep of the chest to bar pull ups with 30 seconds left in the round. I felt light-headed, my legs were weak and I decided to sit down on the floor. I took me a few minutes before I was able to stand up and walk towards my water bottle. I felt better about 10 minutes after the end of the workout. Thankfully we didn’t have a buy out.

This was an eye opener. I have a lot of work to do and I’m more determined to get back to the fitness level I was before the wedding. It’s going to be a long road but I know I’ll get there.

Tuesday

Behind the Neck Split Jerk – 1 Rep Heavy
 
My quads were still sore from Monday. I pushed too hard and my legs were paying for it. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake today. I didn’t want to try and hit a PR instead, I wanted to work up to something under my current 1RM. I was able to hit 205 lb. and I think I could have done more. I was hesitant to push it though, seeing how going to hard too fast didn’t workout out for me on Monday. Next week we’ll be attempting a new 1 RM, hopefully I can set a new PR.
WOD – 15 Minute TC
 
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Handstand push ups
Deadlift (185 lb.)
I decided to scale the deadlfit from 225 lb. to 185 lb. I haven’t deadlifted anything heavy in awhile and I didn’t want to strain my legs and back. This would also allow me to focus on my handstand push ups. The first few rounds were easy and I didn’t have any problems until the seventh round. I tried to break up the handstand push ups but my shoulders and triceps were starting to give out.
I hit the tenth round and I gave up. I had about three minutes left and I couldn’t finish. I was about four reps into the handstand push ups and I just stopped. CrossFit is very humbling. I thought I was doing great in class and then I get to a workout that takes me down a peg. I know I can get better, I just need to get to the gym!
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
 

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

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Wednesday

Overhead Squat – Find Your 1RM

I was able to PR this lift! I warmed up to 155 lb. and worked up to 210 lb. The weight wasn’t bad and I probably could have went another 5-10 lb. heavier but we ran out of time. Also, my wrist and forearm were starting to hurt so I took a break and stretched it out.

WOD – Open Workout 13.4

AMReps in 7 minutes

3 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
3 toes to bar

6 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
6 toes to bar
9 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
9 toes to bar
12 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
12 toes to bar
15 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
15 toes to bar
18 clean and jerks (135 lb.)
18 toes to bar
 
I heard this workout was tough and I could see why. The clean and jerk weight wasn’t too heavy but the toes to bar were going to kill me. I was able to keep a steady pace until the round of nine. The clean and jerk were getting heavier and I had to do them in sets of three. I would take about 15 to 30 seconds of rest in between sets. The toes to bar were a lot slower. I would do about two reps at a time. My abs would cramp up and it was harder to string more than two reps together. I finished 9 toes to bar by the end of seven minutes. 


Friday

Snatch Complex – Find heavy 1 rep
 
Power snatch + 2 overhead squats
 
I was still a bit weary of this workout since my wrist and forearm problems have been flaring up. I also do not like doing overhead squats with my snatch grip. Thankfully, I didn’t have any issues during this workout and I managed to PR my snatch. I was able to complete this complex at 165 lb. which is a 10 lb. PR. I attempted to snatch 175 lb. but was unable to get under the weight. I can feel another PR coming!

Partner WOD – 15 Minute AMRAP

9 push press (115 1b.)
6 front squat (115 1b.)
3 power snatch (115 1b.)

We broke up the work into alternating rounds and I started first. The original weight was 135 lb. but I wasn’t able to power snatch it. I was too tired so we stripped the weight down to 115 lb. which was manageable. The first few rounds were great. The push press, front squat were unbroken and the power snatch were done in fast singles. I started to slow down on the push press and power snatch. I would do about six reps and then rest the bar on my shoulders before finishing the reps. I would take more rest between snatches. It was tough but we managed to complete 10 rounds in 15 minutes.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

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

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Tuesday

Partner WOD
 
Jack, 20 Minute AMRAP
10 push press, (115 lb.)
10 kb swings (Russian, 54 lb.)
10 box jumps (24 in.)
Alternating rounds.This was my first time doing Jack with a partner. I’ve done it by myself but I scaled the push press to 95 lb. We started great, finishing most rounds under a minute. The hardest movements were the box jumps. After the first two rounds I was able to complete all the reps jumping but I had to do step ups after that round. Since my partner was just as fast on the movements, I didn’t have a lot of recovery time after. We pushed each other and eventually finished 15 rounds. Hopefully the next time I do this solo, I’m able to complete at least eight rounds Rx.

 

Wednesday

Snatch – 1×2 at 60% (95 lb.), 1×2 at 70% (110 lb.), 1×2 at 80% (125 lb.) x2Breezed through this workout. I was able to hit all my numbers without much issues. I feel a lot better doing snatches.

Clean and Jerk Complex – Every 1:30 for 9:00 Minutes
2 clean + 1 jerk at 75% (165 lb.)I was able to hit all my lifts within time. It’s a continuation of previous workouts.

Clean High Pull – 4×3 at 85% (185 lb.)This workout was fun. I’m starting to enjoy high pulls.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!