2 days 2 PR's!

Lots to catch up on again. I'll be writing about 3 days worth of wods! Life...it's just so hectic.

Thursday - front squats were our strength. Tight hips...go figure.

WOD: "Helen"
3 rounds for time:
400m run
21 KB swings 35#
12 pull-ups
11:15

-My previous time back in August was 11:30, so my one and only goal was to beat that time. I was hoping for around 11 minutes, but knew I would really have to push it. My first run was probably my best 400m run in almost ever at 1:40, second and third runs were definitely slower.
-All KB swings were unbroken every round. Third round my back started to tighten up, so I was glad it was almost over.
-Pull-ups, sucked. We haven't done too many wods with pull-ups lately so these were definitely rusty. The first round I did 3 sets of 4 and the second and third round was a mix of 3's, 2's and 1's.
-15 second PR...I'll take it.

Friday: Went to CF VisOne over lunch with a co-worker that goes there. I've been wanting to go for awhile, and plus, it was a nice long break from work! :)

Press 5x5 45-55-65-75-80
-Debated on my last set being 85 or 80 given that my 1RM is 95. I'm glad I went with 80 since the last 2 reps were hard faught.

Push Press 3x5 75-85-95-105-110
-Haven't done push press as strength for a long time, so it was hard to figure out what weights to use for these sets. My old 1RM from almost a year ago is 120.
-Felt really strong on these and probably should've finished at 115 or 120 for the last set.
-I thought these sets would really tire me out once I got to the Jerk, but felt great going into it.

Push Jerk (could use split) 1x5 95-105-115-125-135-140-145PR-150fail
-In the past I have absolutely despised this movement every time it came up. Mainly because my shoulder were give me issues. But I've been givinig it a new approach!
-I remembered how much I struggled to get 140 up the last time, so I was eager to get it again.
-Was going to finish at 135 because of time, but Brandon said hell no, it looked too easy.
-140 went up with ease, felt super light. Again he said you aren't stopping there.
-145, failed the first attempt, my right arm was a little loose and just didn't lock out.
-145 second attempt, went up with ease again, and Brandon said it looked easier than the 140.
-150 it is...made an attempt, didn't feel right, so I caught it in the rack position and tried again. Got it over head but was weak on the lock out. I think at this point I was starting to fatigue.
-150 is happening in the VERY near future! :)


Sunday: Oly and Team wod.
I've been an extreme funk/state of depression the last week. Lots going on in life and in my head and I just can't escape it... But I was deteremined to go in and get a workout in. I was coaching, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to jump in or stay after. Kristina has been battling this stomach thing for quite awhile, so she offered to takes pics etc. during the team.

I worked on some cleans during the open hour. I probably shouldn't have because my head was not in the right place. And given that I haven't really worked on these in awhile, they felt really off.

Team WOD:
Teams of 3, complete:
2,500 m Row
200 walking lunges
150 Box jumps (24/20)
100 burpees
400 m team run
100 burpees
150 box jumps
200 walking lunges
2,500 m row.
*2 people work at a time except on the rows and run
*must complete one movement before moving to the next
*Teamed up with Kristy and Colin
42:something

I came up with this wod and I knew it would be quite a long one. CT and B both agreed that it would be a god one and we should do it. But I also got many middle fingers and "I hate yous" from them during the wod.

I was afraid this would get kind of monotonous with so few movements, but I think it went pretty well. I never really got bored with it.

The box jumps coming off the walking lunges were ridiculously hard. My legs felt like they weighed 100# each. I biffed it on the box 3 times. One I completele biffed and landed on my stomach on the box and I have no idea how!

Over all it was a great wod, one of those you just have to keep moving and pushing yourself. Just gotta push past the suck. I'm glad I got to take part in my torture! :)

Oh Hey Cleans!

I've been distracted from blogging lately. Needless to say, I've been extremely busy. This weekend, inclduing Friday, since I took a sick day, I was home for a total of about 2.5 hours. And during that time included an hour and a half nap on Saturday and showers. So I'm pretty tired these days. School is a lot of time and work, and I need to catch up already. eek. Anyway, I trained Thursday, Friday and Sunday mornings. All felt great, I feel like all the lifts I'm really get the technique down, just need to up the weights!

Monday Strength:
Clean 1(70% of 1RM)-1(77%)-1(85%)-1(93%)-1(100+%)
100-110-122-133-145PR!

I was super excited to get after the cleans today. I feel like the movement is very fluid and I'm dropping under the bar really well. All the sets felt great and then I got to my last rep and was debating how high to go. My previous 1RM from about 2 weeks ago was 143. I was struggling to stand 145 up that night, mainly due to exhaustion. So I decided to get after the 145 and not increase by too much. A PR is a PR! My first two attempts I failed, both of them I was out front and my elbows weren't coming through fast enough. I decided to give it one more go and everything was great. I dropped under the bar quick, my elbows came through and my squat even felt a little stronger. I think I have a little more in me, but I really want to start training my squat because right now I think that's really going to be my limiting factor. Hey DB, let's start that squat therapy! :)

WOD:
Tabata Row for Calories - 58 calories
Tabata Thrusters (45/33) - 87
Total 145

I was pretty excited about the clean PR, so I didn't go too hard on the row. I was trying to keep a hard pull, but somewhat quick pace. I was shooting for around 60 cal, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Thrusters I was trying to keep 12 reps a round, but that lasted the first 3 rounds then it was 10 and 11 for the following rounds. My hip flexors/psoas have been pretty tight the last few weeks with all the squatting, so I really need to add in some more mobility for those!

Calm Before the Storm

After taking a rest day Monday, I was ready to get back in the gym last night. My legs for sure needed the rest, so I enjoyed a night of being lazy. It was like the calm before the storm since classes start tonight! Even though it’s going to be a busy 16 weeks until May, I’m excited. I’m ready to get further along in this process and getting closer to exiting this job!

I got in a little wod before going to the gym by shoveling the top half of our driveway for 40 minutes. So I didn’t need much of a warm up when I got there…When I got to the gym, I didn’t realize how heavy our strength was until I started calculating my numbers. While it was intimidating, I’m excited to get after this strength cycle and see what kind of progress I can make.

Strength: Cleans 5(55%)-5(63%)-5(70%)-5(77%)-5(85%)
79-90-100-110-122

I was sad I missed Monday with back squat, so I’ll have to make that up another day this week. But I was ready to get after the cleans. The first 2 sets I did touch and go reps, making sure to keep my back tight. I was hoping to do touch and go with 100, but did the first 2 and decided to go a little slower with it to ensure proper form. The fourth set definitely felt heavy after the first 15 reps, and the final set was for sure hard. I failed on the fourth rep because I bottomed out and my legs were gassed and I couldn’t get out of it. So I took a quick breath and reset and did two more reps. They were a little bit of a struggle to stand up, but got through them. While doing so many reps and some heavier numbers are a challenge, I’m excited about it. I want to get stronger, I need to get stronger!

WOD:
8:00 AMRAP
5 Handstand Push-ups (green and blue band)
7 Hang Power Cleans (115/75#)
10 Box Jumps (24/20”) I used 24”
5 full rounds

My main goal going into this WOD was to pace it and make sure all reps were FROM. I was happy with the HSPU, as I was touching my head to the ground each rep and all sets were unbroken. Going to go to blue/blue next time there are HSPU in a wod. Cleans felt good and fast. Box Jumps, I decided to use a 24” box, since it seems like that’s what HQ is leading towards for the women’s standard in competitions. I just made sure to do a quick pause at the top to open my hips, come down, reset, and jump back up. Overall, I was really happy with 5 rounds. It takes some time to get in and out of the bands, so I need to get to that wall sooner than later. I’ve also noticed after wods with HSPU that my lower back gets a little tight, so I’ll have to make sure to stretch that out more often.

Rowing and A Trip to SAA!

Sunday morning I woke up feeling pretty sore. It was hard to get out of bed and definitely contemplated not going to the gym. However, I promised Alicia I would go in and do another rowing wod with her before I headed over to SAA for some lifting.

I tackled the steady distance of 8-15k rowing wod.
I chose to do:
8000m
Time – 37:50
Average 500m – 2:21
Average S/M – 22

Definitely wasn’t feeling rowing today, but knew it was needed. So I just took it easy and really paced it, wasn’t an all out effort by any means. And I wanted to save myself for lifting later.

Around 1PM a group of us met up at Superior Athletic Advantage in Barrington to practice some Olympic lifts. I was so sore from the last week of training that I knew going into it I wasn’t going to go after any PRs. I purely wanted to work on technique and see if the SAA guys could give me any tips. I went there last February with Tommy Mo for a clinic put on by Jianping Ma. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year! But it was nice to be back!

Steph, Maddie and I shared a bar and we started off with the Snatch. Even though my body was pretty tired I felt like my form was pretty good. I could tell once I was getting to the heavier weights and after working on the snatch for too long that my arms were starting to fatigue. During the first few warm up sets, Tim reminded me to get the bar to pop off my hip to drive it up. When I first started doing this after going last February, I tended to pop it too much and the bar would be way out in front, so I stayed away from it. But yesterday as I was doing it through my lifts, it felt really smooth and the bar was staying in pretty close. I was able to get my current SRM up, even with my fatigued arms and legs, so there’s hope for more the next time I get after it.

After spending too much time on the Snatch, we decided to move onto our cleans. Which was more of a struggle because by this time I was super fatigued. My legs from all the squatting weren’t having it. I did a few warm up sets and Tim and Will said my form was looking really good. I think I made my way up to 55 kg and called it quits. It was a little tough standing that up, so I ended it there. After just setting a PR on Friday, I wasn’t in the condition to go any higher.

I felt great leaving SAA. Will and Tim said my form was really fluid and consistent and looks great since the last time I was there. So that was nice to know that they think I’ve improved. Just have to get my squat stronger and I’ll be pulling some heavier numbers. I hope some of us can make it back there again sometime soon, when my body is fresh so I can get after some PRs! :)

I Heart Cleans

Friday was a great way to end the week at the gym. I had been struggling with some mental battles of not seeing the progress I have made because my PRs have been so little. But a PR is a PR. So I walked into the gym telling myself to forget about the rest of the week and my struggles and get after those cleans. It’s a new day and a new lift. Granted, this was hard for me to do because I had been struggling with my clean for months, I wasn’t even coming close to being comfortable at my old SRM. So this one was a total mental battle for me.

Strength: Clean 1-1-1-1-1
83(x5) – 103-115-125-138PR-143PR

Warmed up at a little heavier set just to get the blood flowing and my back loose. Then I started to get after it with some singles. A few months back I was struggling with 125 and Friday it went up like nothing. Felt smooth and the squat was light. My old SRM was 135, so I decided the next rep would go over that to go for a PR. Pull was smooth and the front squat part felt good too. I actually screamed “PR!!!!” half way up in the squat. HA! I was THAT excited because of the last few months! My next rep I decided to try 145, made 3 attempts at that and every time the pull was perfect but then I got 85% of the way up on the squat and couldn’t finish it. I was determined to get it, but decided to take 2 pounds off and go for 143. The pulls felt great once again and the squat was a liiiiitle bit of a struggle because I was starting to fatigue, but I got it up and ended with an 8 pound PR. This was a HUGE accomplishment for me and I was happy I got past that mental block! Can’t wait to work my cleans some more.

WOD:
50 Calorie Row
2 Rounds:
10 pull-ups
20 Thrusters (65/65)
30 ball slams (30/20)
10:24

This one was a breather! Really got that heart rate going and kept ya moving. I finished the 50 calorie row around 2:55, which was a pretty good pace. This WOD, Brandon and I decided to just use the kip for the pull-ups instead of a band and do dead hangs. They weren’t the greatest because we haven’t done many pull-ups lately to begin with, but my shoulders didn’t feel warm yet, that was destined to change soon…I broke the first round of thrusters to 10-10, and the ball slams were straight through. I LOVE ball slams, but holy crap did 30 seem like forever! I took a couple breaths then went back up on the bar, I think it was broken 4-2-2-2, thrusters were 10-5-5 and ball slams were 20-10 for the last round. The second set of thrusters felt REALLY heavy, like they were never going to end. Crazy how much the ball slams had an effect on them! Overall a great wod and really got me breathing. I found that to be the most difficult part, was trying to catch my breath!


Saturday morning I went in for Open hour to help Alicia with her squats. I took it as an opportunity to help a friend and myself. I decided to stack some plates to make a 12 inch box that we could squat to. This way I could give her a breaking point just below parallel where she doesn’t butt wink and lose all engagement which causes her to hinge forward. It’s amazing how we all have a similar problem of squatting ass to ankles and when we squat to just below parallel we feel like we aren’t anywhere near deep enough! I think if both her and I stick to training like this for awhile, she’s going to see some major improvement with all of her squats. If I learned one thing from this week, it’s that I NEED TO SQUAT MORE!! The fact that I could get 85% of the way up on my front squat, back squat, and clean and then fail, sucks. So the solution is more squatting. I’m going to try and squeeze in some extra squat therapy and training throughout the week to see what kind of improvements I can make.

After that, Alicia and I did a rowing wod:
8 x 500m with 3:30 rest in between.
Time – 15:55.9
Average 500m – 1:59.4
Average S/M – 28

I would pace myself to be around a 1:58-2:00 500m with about 24-26 s/m for the first 350m of every row. Then I would increase the pace for 50m and sprint the last 100m. It felt great, and I feel like my endurance is coming back.

Sister of Fran

Friday was a somewhat long day at work. Again, for it being only a 4 day week, it seemed like a long one. But it was a better day than the one prior, so I can't complain. I was really looking forward to getting to the gym and spending the evening with great people.


Strength:
Cleans 5-5-5
53#(40%) - 65#(50%) - 83#(60% well more than that)


The cleans felt really light, as they should, but I really wanted to focus on my form for my back. So I went up a little bit on the last set. I wanted these to be mainly touch and go at a heavier load, but I think it ended up being 2-1-1-1. Chris said my 4th rep, my back gave a little, so I refocused on the last one and that felt the best!


WOD:
21-15-9
11 foot Wall Ball shots (20/14#)
Pull-ups


My version:
21-15-9 11' Wall Ball shots 14#
11-8-5 dead hang pull-ups with blue band
7:05

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my training and after talking to my brother about it, I decided to switch things up a little bit. Whenever we have pull-ups in a WOD, I'm going to try and scale back the reps and do dead hangs with the bands. I want to be able to get that unassisted dead hang, efficient chest-to-bar pull-ups, and be able to string together more kipping pull-ups. The only way this is going to happen is if I get stronger, and kipping pull-ups don't really build the strength in my shoulders that I need to get stronger. So I'm also going to work on these dead hangs as skill work other days during the week. This will go on for a few weeks and we will see how I progress, hopefully it helps!

Anyway, the 11' wall balls were actually pretty hard. They pretty much turned into jumping wall balls. The first set was horrendous, I dropped the ball about every 2 shots. Second round was a little better and the thrid was unbroken. Definitely something I think is good for training and strengthening the shoulders even more.

The dead hangs were also disappointingly hard. I got 6 unbroken the first round then it was 2's and 1's. It's amazing how much more difficult those are compared to kipping. The second round I did 2-1-1 sadly added the purple band then 2-2. Final set I believe was 2-1-1-1. It was definitely an eye opener to do my pull-ups this way. I knew I didn't have much OH strength, but sheesh those got hard fast. It is for sure something I want to continue doing and see what kind of progress I make.

Finished the evening with a rowing WOD, some dip practice, skin the cats, ab work and hanging out with friends at the gym!