Workout Journal

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): May 14 – May 20

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

Check out my Instagram @8bit_barbell to see some lifts from this week.

Monday

Overhead Squat –  Find a 3RM

I set a new 3RM at the end of April and I was determined to set a new one. My goal was to at least lift 225 lb. I warmed up to 226 lb. and started my lift. The jerk felt great and was able steady the weight overhead. I almost lost the first rep because I was slightly off balance. I was able to gain control of the weight and complete the rep. The last two reps were quick and had no issues with the reps. This lift was a multiple PR lift. I PR’d my overhead squat of 225 lb. by 1 lb. and my 3RM by 11 lb.

WOD – For Time, 20 Minute Time Cap

4 Rounds

25 Squat Cleans (75 lb.)
Run (400 m)

After that overhead squat PR, I was ready to take on this workout. However, I greatly underestimated this WOD. At 75 lb. I was sure I could get through all the squat cleans, and take it easy on the run. The workout started okay but I knew I was in trouble after the first round. My 3RM attempts caught up with me and I could feel the burn in my legs. I kept a steady pace during the cleans, doing fast singles but I had to change it up in round two. I decided to go with a 5×5 scheme with a short rest in between sets. This worked but I took too long during the rest. I finished this workout with two rounds, 25 squat cleans and 200 m.

Tuesday

Snatch Complex 

Power Snatch + Hang Snatch + Overhead Squat

Haven’t worked on snatches in awhile but I was excited to try this out. The movements felt good and I can tell that I’m getting stronger. My technique still needs a lot of work after watching the replay. I’m pulling the bar too high and I’m slow to get under the bar. I was able to PR this complex at 165 lb. which led me to try any max out my snatch at 175 lb.

Snatch

This attempt was not programmed but I felt good doing the complex that I decided to try this out. After two failed attempts, I was able to successfully lift one at 175 lb. While I missed two tries, I felt very optimistic about future reps. Like the snatch complex I need to work on technique and my snatch suffered from the same problems. I’m pulling too high and moving too slow. This means that if I fix my technique, I could lift more weight!

Partner WOD – AMRAP 18 Minutes

Run (1000m)
Row (1000m)
Then in remaining time, AMRAP
30 Deadlifts (225 lb.)
90 Double Unders

This was a fun partner workout that wasn’t as bad as I though it was going to be. We split the run into 100 m sprints and split the row into 250 m sets. The deadlifts and double unders were split into sets of five and 45 respectively.
The run was not too bad since the distance was short. I was going at a quick pace but was not sprinting and the rest in between each run was enough for me to catch my breath. Towards the end of the run I slowed down a bit but it wasn’t too much. The row was much easier. I kept a quick pace (1:45/500m) and was not breathing too hard when we finished this part of the workout around minute 11 or 12.

The rest of the workout was tough. After all that work, the deadlifts felt very heavy. Breaking up the reps into sets of five really helped and I was able to go unbroken on all my sets. The double unders however were not as smooth. I would do a few and then break because I hit my feet or my arms were too tired. This was the longest part of the workout since I couldn’t string a lot of them together. After 18 minutes we finished with 2 rounds, 30 deadlifts and 36 double unders.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): April 30 – May 6

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

If you want to see some of the lifts I write about here, check out my Instagram @8bit_barbell

Monday

Overhead Squat – 3 Rep Max

My last overhead squat attempt was about a year ago. My lifts were done at 205 lb. and with all of the work that I’ve done in the past year I’m sure I could increase that number by 10 lb. I warmed up well, taking it slow and focusing on form and breathing. My first PR attempt was at 207 lb. The jerk to get the bar overhead felt heavy but I was able to keep it stable. I found a good pace and was able to get three reps without any problems.

My next attempt was at 215 lb. and was a lot harder. I almost missed the first rep, and had to take a short step to balance the bar. The next two reps were just as difficult but I was able to keep the bar straight and finish. It felt great setting two PR’s in the same day!

WOD – 10 Minute AMRAP

10 Power Cleans (135 lb.)
Run (100 m)
10 Front Squats
Run (100 m)

I wasn’t sure how I was going to do on this workout. The cleans would be easy but the front squat was going to kill my legs. The run was short so I wasn’t too worried. The workout started well. I did the power cleans in singles. The run was short and not too bad. The front squats were hard on the legs but that was expected. I did all the front squats unbroken. The first and second rounds were okay but the third is what killed me. The weight felt like 225 lb. instead of 135 lb. I kept the reps at singles for the cleans and unbroken for the front squats. I wanted to complete four rounds but I only finished three.

Tuesday

WOD – 12 Minute AMRAP

30 Handstand Push Ups
3 Rope Climbs (15 ft.)
20 Handstand Push Ups
2 Rope Climbs (15 ft.)
10 Handstand Push Ups
1 Rope Climb (15 ft.)
-then in the remaining time-
Max Burpees

This workout looked nuts. I’m okay when it comes to handstand push ups and bad when it comes to rope climbs. The handstand push ups will have to be broken into sets ten and five or whenever my arms give out. The rope climbs are just as hard since I have a fear that when I get to the top I’m going to slip and lose my grip. However, I wanted to give this workout a go.

The first set of handstand push ups were okay. I was able to get two sets of ten reps before having to switch to two sets of five. By the end of the first set of handstand push ups, my arms were “smoked”. Next I had to do three rope climbs. Which took a minute or two. I’m very slow when it comes to rope climbs since I hardly practice them and my fear of falling. However was able to complete three reps and was on to the next set of handstand push ups. My arms were very tired by this time and the reps were very slow. I would do sets three to five and have a short rest in between. It took forever but I eventually finished that round of handstand push ups. I was a bit quicker on my rope climb reps, I didn’t take a long rest.

I tried to sprint the last set of handstand push ups and rope climbs but my arms couldn’t take it. I was very slow on the handstand push ups and I was able to finish the rope climb quickly. I finished the first portion at 11:09. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath but I started on the burpees. I finished my tenth rep at time. I didn’t think I was going to die out that quickly on the handstand push ups, I need to work on my overhead strength and endurance.

Wednesday

Back Squat – 8×4 at 70% (286 lb.)

This was a good squat day. I the weight felt heavy but I was able to get in some quality reps. Around set six through eight, I started to have some sticking points. I would get stuck around parallel on the fourth rep but I always finished. My legs are slowly coming back.

Partner WOD – 16 Minute AMRAP

30 Double Unders
20 Wall Balls (20 lb.)
10 Cal. Row

This looked like a fun workout but the wall balls were going to crush us. Everything else was going to be manageable. The movements were alternated, giving us some time to rest. The workout wasn’t too bad in the beginning. I was able to get the double unders done unbroken until the last few rounds where I would trip up every few reps. My rhythm was off and I was exhausted but I finished all my double unders. I broke up my wall balls into two sets of 10 but that turned into four sets of five by the end of the workout. The rest was really on the row. I kept a consistent pace and tried to control my breathing. At the end of the workout we finished with eight rounds and 25 double unders. Our goal was nine rounds but we came up a bit short.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): April 9 – April 15

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

Now that the Open is over, we’re back to our original programming.

Monday

Back Squat – 8×4 at 70% (275 lb.)

After squatting a bit last week my legs are almost back to normal. My old numbers were 275 lb. and I wanted to work up to that. I loaded up the bar and I got to work. I took about three warm up sets before putting on 275 lb. The first set felt heavier than usual but after a few more reps the lifts felt normal. I was taking about two minutes of rest in between sets. Around the sixth set I could feel the fatigue in my legs and on the eighth set I almost failed my last rep.

Partner WOD – AMRAP 16 Minutes

7 Dumbbell Snatch (50 lb.)
7 Dumbbell Squat (50 lb.)
7 Russian Dumbbell Swings (50 lb.)
Run (100 m)
Partners alternate rounds

This workout doesn’t look too bad on paper. Some rest in between sets and relatively low reps made me think I would be able to do each round quickly. My goal for this workout was 16 rounds total. I underestimated the fatigue on my legs. All those heavy squats really did a number on them. My first round was quick. The snatches, squats and swings were easy. The run however, was the hardest part of the workout. I tried to pick up my running pace in the later rounds but I couldn’t. My pace slowed as I finished each round. At the end of 16 minutes we finished 14 rounds. I was short of the goal but I gave it my all.

Tuesday

Clean and Jerk Complex – Find A Heavy Rep

Power Clean + Push Jerk + Hang Squat Clean + Split Jerk

This was a fun clean and jerk complex. The hardest part was going to be the hang squat clean and split jerk. Holding the bar for that long was going to strain your grip and challenge your breathing. I didn’t know how heavy I wanted to go. I’ve been doing a lot of clean work at 198 lb. and 205 lb. so I decided to shoot for a weight around there.

I started with a light weight and worked up to 198 lb. Everything felt good except for my breathing. I had to focus on my breathing during the hang squat clean and split jerk. I was usually out of breath by then. I manged to lift 198 lb. and moved on to 205 lb. and the 216 lb. I managed to lift 216 lb. which is somewhat of a PR. 216 lb. is also 96% of my current clean and jerk max. I may need to retest that number.

WOD – 15 Minute Time Cap

5 Rounds

100 Single Unders
15 Hang Clean and Jerks (115 lb.)

After the clean and jerk complex, I was very confident doing the hang clean and jerks at 115 lb. I should be warmed up and able to rep these out quickly. I was wrong, very wrong. The first round of singles were easy and I got through them quickly. The first round of hang clean and jerks however, were terrible. My plan was to do eight reps and then seven reps. I did five reps and then scrapped that plan. I stayed at five reps per set for the rest of the workout.

I only finished four rounds of this workout at time cap. I under estimated how fatigued my arms were. The cleans were easy, the jerks were hard. My shoulders were burning by the end. It was a fun workout but I should have scaled the weight to 95 lb. to finish the jerks quicker.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): December 4 – December 10

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

I haven’t been doing a lot of posts lately. I just got back from the Philippines and I have a lot of stuff to do for the holidays. I’m trying to catch up with all my posts and I’m starting with my workout week. If you want to see my workout week, check out my Beyond the Whiteboard profile.

Monday

Back Squat – 6×6 at 70% (275 lb.)

We started a new back squat cycle and I’m pumped. I really want to get my squat up to 400 lb. but I haven’t been putting in the work. At the end of the cycle I want to at least hit a new PR, even if it’s only five pounds.

I worked up to 275 lb. slowly. I haven’t been squatting heavy and wanted a good warm up before putting on some heavy weight. Surprisingly, the squats felt good but not light. It took a lot of focus and concentration. I did notice some hip shift in the later sets which is something that I’ll need to correct. Overall, great squat session.

WOD – 10 Minute AMRAP

10 Single Arm Thrusters (50 lb.)
Run (100 m)
10 Single Arm Thrusters (50 lb.)
Run (100 m)

I almost scaled this workout to 30 or 40 lb. The weight was a little heavy for my left arm but I thought I could get through it. The run was going to be the longest portion of this workout. I was able to go through the right arm thrusters unbroken. When doing the left arm thrusters, I had to break up the reps. Like my squat, I have to work on my muscle imbalance. The run sucked but I kept a good pace and tried to catch my breath during the run. I finished three rounds and two right arm thrusters.

Tuesday

WOD 1 – For Time, 6 Minute Time Cap

3 Rounds

10 Deadlifts (275 lb.)
50 Double Unders

Like most workouts, it’s the cardio that’s going to kill me and those double unders look scary. The deadlifts seemed a bit heavy but I should be able to get through it in two sets each round. I warmed up a bit for the deadlifts before the workout started. I forgot how heavy 275 lb. felt, I wasn’t worried however since this is only about 65% of my 1RM.

I was able to get through the deadlifts in sets of five and go unbroken on the double unders in the first round. It only took about a minute to finish. The second and third sets were a lot harder. I had to take a few seconds in between sets. I kept missing my double unders and it took a lot time to string more together. At the time cap I was ten reps into the last round of double unders.

WOD 2 – AMRAP 6 Minutes

5 Pull Ups
7 Burpees
9 Double Unders

We had a two minute break before starting this workout. I am more comfortable with these movements and I wasn’t too worried. The hardest movement was going to be the burpees. I was still tired from the previous workout but I was able to get an okay start. I went through all the movements without much trouble but I had to take a few seconds in between movements. The burpees were the worst part. I moved at a very slow pace but I didn’t stop to catch my breath. I was able to go through all the pull ups and double unders unbroken. I was shooting for six rounds, trying to do this workout like an EMOM, but that didn’t go as plan. I finished this workout with four rounds and two pull ups.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): November 6 – November 12

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

The last few weeks have been busy. I was not going to the gym consistently, and I was able to go five days out of the last three weeks. Now that things have calmed down, I can get back to documenting my CrossFit journey!

Monday

Strict Press – Find your 1RM

After missing the past few weeks, I knew this was going to be tough and my chance of setting a new PR were slim. However, I was going to give it my all and try my best. I loaded up some weight and started the warm up. The coaches suggested some percentages for the warm up that I followed until I reached 85% of my 1RM. 145 lb. felt good and I was able to complete two reps at that weight. I loaded 155 lb. and I was not able to get the bar past my eyes. I took a few minutes rest and tried again but ended up with the same result, no rep. I felt defeated but I know, I need to work more. If I was more consistent, maybe I would have been able to get it. Next time, their is always next time.

WOD 1 – 8 Minute Time Cap

15-9-6

Thrusters (135 lb.)

Chest to bar pull ups

After failing at my strict press PR, I knew I had to redeem myself. I decided not to scale the thrusters and attempt the workout Rx. The chest to bar pull ups were going to be hard but that’s to be expected. The first 15 reps of thrusters were not bad. I broke it up into two sets of ten and five making the work manageable. The chest to bars were broken up into sets of five. The last two rounds were a lot harder but I was able to grind through it. I Finished the workout at 7:17.

WOD 2 – 6 Minute AMRAP10 burpees

50 double unders

We started only a minute after finishing the first WOD. I was exhausted and tried to catch my breath before starting the next workout. What followed was the slowest burpees I’ve ever done. I would hit the deck, and rest at the bottom for a second before standing up. It was a snails pace but it was the best I could do. The double unders however went a lot better than expected. I finished two rounds unbroken and had to break up the other rounds into three or four sets. It was a great workout but I wish I had more energy for the burpees. I finished the workout with two rounds and three burpees.

Wednesday

Power Clean Complex

1 Power Clean + 3 Push Press

My power cleans have been consistent lately. I’ve been able to complete some complexes at 205 lb. but the push press would be tough at that weight. My last three rep max attempt was at 200 lb., a new PR. I was hoping I would be able to complete this complex at 205 lb. At the beginning of the workout the clean and push presses felt great. As the weights increased the push press became more difficult but I was able to complete the lifts without any misses. At 205 lb. the clean wasn’t hard but the push presses were very heavy. I was able to get one good rep and two “ugly” reps. I was able to lock out my arms and not re dip like a jerk. They were not the nicest looking lifts but I got them done. Complete one complex at 205 lb.

Snatch Pull – 3×3 at 110% (205 lb)

205 lb. was 10 lb. over my 110% but I wanted to try out pulls at this weight. I took the first set to get used to the weight. It was heavier than what I’m used to but I tried to focus on form and completing the pulls. After the first set, the other two went smooth. The weight still felt heavy but I’m sure I will be able to snatch this one day.

Back Squat – 3×10 at 65% (245 lb.)

Ten reps is no joke! I was confident going into the workout but as the warm up went on, I started to have doubts. Doing five reps at 225 lb. was a lot harder than what I expected. Ten reps at 245 lb. was going to be terrible.

I psyched myself up and started on my first set. I felt good until the ninth rep where I started to feel tired. I barely made it up on the 10th rep. The next set was just as hard. I barely finished the set, getting stuck on the eighth rep. The last set was the most difficult. I made it to five reps before I had to re rack the bar. I took about 30 seconds of rest and finished the last five reps. It was a very challenging squat workout.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): September 25 – October 2

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

If you want to see my workout week, check out my Beyond the Whiteboard profile.

Tuesday

Back Squat – 5×5 at 65% (255 lb.)

I was able to get through these fairly quickly. 65% is not a light weight especially since I haven’t been squatting. I was able to get through it without any issues.

WOD – Alternating EMOM, 15 Minutes

20 Russian kettlebell swings (54 lb.)
15 calorie rows
10 burpees

This workout was intense. My goal was to complete all the reps each minute but I knew it was going to take a lot of effort. The hardest movement was going to be the 15 calorie row. That was going to take me at least 40 seconds to finish. The burpees were not going to be too bad and the kb swings were going to be manageable.

The first two rounds were rough. I was able to finish all the reps but the second round was a struggle to complete the 15 cals. on the rower. It took me about 50 seconds to finish the cals. Rounds three to five were the same. I was exhausted and I wasn’t able to complete all the reps. I would finish about 15 reps on the kb swings, 10-13 cals. on the rower and five to eight reps on the burpees. I pushed it as hard as I could.

Wednesday

Snatch – 3×2 at 85% (145 lb.)

Heavy snatch day. My snatches have not been that heavy lately and power not squat. Warmed up but was a little tight in my hips. My wrist was nagging me a bit but not too the point where it was too much. Once I hit 145 lb. I used straps. The first set of two was okay. I was extending too early. One of the guys I was working with told me to be patient and stay on my midfoot to heel. I changed up a bit and my lifts looked better. My wrist and forearm were starting to hurt but nothing too painful. The last two reps went well and my form improved.

Clean and Jerk – 3×2 at 85% (190 lb.)

Unlike snatches, I’m more comfortable with clean and jerks. It’s not as painful on my wrists unlike the snatch. After warming up to my 85% I was feeling good. My clean went well but I needed a lot of work on the jerk. I need to time the dip and drop better. I had some ugly lifts but I was able to save them. I’m sure I would have gotten two red lights on a jerk but I’m still learning. It was a great lifting session.

Front Squat – 2×3 at 85% (245 lb.)

I haven’t done heavy front squats in awhile and I wasn’t sure if I could reach my 85%. At least I didn’t need to warm up for this since we were front squatting during the clean and jerks. I loaded 245 lb. on the bar and it felt heavy. I also struggled a lot during this lift. My core has weakened and my breathing sucks. I was trying my best to keep my body upright but my shoulders would collapse at the bottom. It was a grind but I was able to finish.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

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

Nick PalomoLeave a comment

If you want to see my workout week, check out my Beyond the Whiteboard profile.

Monday

Strict Press – Establish a 1RM

My heaviest strict press was around 155 about two years ago, I was able to do two reps. Last year I was able to lift 145 lb. for three. I was hoping to lift at least 145 lb. but I wasn’t confident. I loaded 95 lb. on the bar and started to warm up, adding 20 lb. until I reached 135 lb. I added on 10 lb. and attempted the lift. I was able to complete it, but barely. I knew 155 was going to be tough. I attempted the lift but was barely able to get it higher than a few inches off my shoulders. I racked the bar and waited a few minutes. I attempted a second lift and the bar went lower than the first attempt. I called it quits but I was happy with my result. I hope after this strength cycle, I’ll be able to lift 165 lb.

WOD – AMRAP 12 Minutes

12 box jumps
9 push press (50 kg.)
6 lateral burpee over bar

After my failed lifts on the strict press, it was time for a short amrap. Plans for the workout, jump for all box jumps, unbroken on push press and survive the burpees over bar. I wanted to finish at least five rounds. My pace for the workout would have to be 2:15 per round.

The first three rounds of the workout went well. I kept up with the pace and finished them under six minutes. The fourth round is where I hit a wall. I was breathing pretty hard at this point and too about 30 seconds to catch my breath. I slipped on one of the box jumps during this round but thankfully I didn’t hit my shins on the box. I focused on the movement and took a few deep breaths and continued. The push presses were not bad but my shoulder were wearing out. I had to break up the reps in the fifth round. The burpees were the worst. It was only six reps but they were the hardest six reps. I tried to hold the standard of taking off with two feet and landing with two feet but I would mess up and do a one legged hop over. I was frustrated and exhausted but I trudged on. I met my goal and finished this workout with five rounds and three box jumps, barely.

Tuesday

Snatch Complex – Three Position Snatch: Ground, Above Knee, Hip

I’m still working on the snatch. We did a heave one rep last week but I’m still a little rusty. I started at 40 kg and worked up to 65 kg. I felt pretty good throughout the positions but the hang is the hardest. My grip gives out during the pull. I attempted 70 kg but I missed on the hang.

WOD – For Time (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)

Power Snatch (95 lb.)
Overhead Squat (95 lb.)

This was going to be a difficult workout. 55 reps of snatches at 95 lb. was a lot, especially after the snatch complex. I planned to break up the snatch reps in half and go almost unbroken on overhead squats since it’s my stronger movement.

The power snatches from rounds 8-10 were broken up into two sets with 15 – 20 seconds in between sets. The overhead squats were done unbroken. By the round of seven, I could feel the fatigue set in. My lower back was starting to get tight and my shoulders were feeling weak. I started breaking the sets into three which took longer but I was able to keep a good pace. I felt like quitting around round five and I almost gave up. My wife and coaches pushed me and I finished the workout in 13:27.

Wednesday

Bench Press – Find a 1RM

The last time I did heavy bench presses was last year. It’s not a huge part of the programming at the box and I haven’t been doing it on my own. My last 1RM was 240 lb. and I didn’t know how well I was going to do that day. I did a typical warm up. Starting at 95 lb. and working up with 30 – 50 lb. increments. I maxed my bench press at 205 lb. which is 40 lb. lower than my previous max. I have to work back up to that number over the next few weeks.

WOD – Elizabeth, Time Cap – 10 Minutes

21-15-9

Clean (135 lb.)
Ring dips

This was going to be a tough workout. The last time I attempted this workout, I almost passed out. I haven’t been working on my dips but I wanted to do this Rx. I would push until I had to scale the ring dips. I decided to break up the reps into three sets of seven. The first round of 21 cleans went well. I was able to do the sets unbroken. The ring dips were a different story. I was able to complete seven reps but I was moving too slow. Given enough time, I would have been able to complete this workout Rx but I wanted to keep moving and finish most of the reps under time cap. Even the scaled ring dips were taking a toll on my arms. My arms were shot but I was able to finish 15 scaled dips when time cap was called. If I had another three minutes I would have been able to finish this workout. Need to work on my dips.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!