You check the blog or walk into the box and see the wod and it's one of those 3, 4, or 5 round wods that you know is going to smash you or it's one of those awful 20 min amraps we all despise. When the wod starts you're full speed ahead and hit that 1st round or first 5 mins hard and feel great. Round 2 more of the same but now the burn is kicking in and you feel it deepening. THWACK! That 3rd round comes and there it is - that wall that always comes! Now the weight that felt so light in round 1 is a bear and you have to stop before you pass out and THIS is when the real wod begins for us all. The path or transition to the next level in terms of going from average crossfitter to above average I believe is in the middle round(s) of wods or the middle of wods in general.
This is when the average athlete starts to tailspin and lose the pace that they started with initially either because they don't have the capacity to maintain it or because their starting pace was too hard out of the gate and they are paying for it now. Really only with time & trial & error I've found can you figure out how to best pace wods so that you can succeed in the middle rounds where others fail. Make no mistake about it the mental toughness of the athlete also goes a long way in determining how well they do in the middle rounds as well because the middle hurts the most so you've got to know that going into it and prepare to talk yourself thru the pain and know that physically you can survive and when the last round or the last minute comes the motivation to finish strong will get you thru that part of it.
I'll keep it short but whether it's the 15 set of a 21-15-9 wod, the third 500m of a 2k row, or minutes 11-17 of a 20 min amrap, just know that that's where the true wods are and where pr's are made or lost. Only the strongest survive those portions of wods and come out with pr's. Now the task is for you to figure out how to get thru the middle so that you end on top.
REST DAY
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sectionals & the 2010 Winter Olympics
In case you didn't notice the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver & the Midwestern Sectional for us begin on the same weekend in a few weeks. The Olympics, of course the pinnacle of competition, is always fun to watch as the world's best go head to head for the right to earn those bronze, silver, & gold medals. The athletes involved work for years often times to perform at their peak for just a few minutes in 1 event which could define their careers, lead to fame, fortune, & endorsements for years to come. Now not all of them compete for the material things I just mentioned, some truly are in love w/their sport and the medals represent the symbol of dedication, perseverance, attention to detail, & ultimately success at the highest level of competition.
I toe the line of controversy when comparing Sectionals, Regionals, or even the Crossfit Games to the Olympics because as a sport we're just not there yet even with the meteoric growth we continue to experience on an annual basis, but for the fun of it let's compare ourselves to the Olympic athletes.
Instead of years training for the events we've spent a few months training for what will probably add up to less than 30 or 40 mins of work for all of us in total with the 3 wods we have coming. Unlike the Olympic athletes we don't know what we're training for so our training isn't sport specific, which is the nature of our sport, so we are generalists rather than specialists. The intensity of our training is similar & we have a day to day approach with both short & long term goals in mind. We have coaches making sure we have proper form & uphold standards for each movement, each event because we know the judging will be strict.
The prizes we look to attain aren't medals per se but we get to advance to the next round where the challenges will be greater & the competition stiffer. We want that personal satisfaction that all the hard work, training, attention to nutrition, stretching, perfecting technique, the personal sacrifices, etc was worth it and led to the desired result whether it be advancing to Regionals, just finishing the Sectionals wods as Rx'd under the time cap, or having fun competing for the 1st time & putting everything you have into the wods.
Whatever your goal is at Sectionals, during the daily wod, or life in general make sure you go for the gold because if you're approaching it the right way, you deserve nothing less....
AM WOD
2k row sprint - Sub 6:50
Time - 6:48.9 (PR)
Avg 500m Pace - 1:42
1000m split - 3:22
Notes - Goal was 6:45 coming into it and it was there for the taking just came up a little short. PR by 6 seconds though so as I've said before I will never be disappointed with a pr. In this case I know I still have a better performance in me yet so we'll get sub 6:45 next rip.....
PM WOD
Running do this
200m @ 50%
200m @ 50%
200m @ 75%
200m @ 75%
200m @ 90%
200m @ 100%
Rest 2 mins b/w sets
Notes - Haven't run in a while so good to get this in. Ran in an indoor track that's only about 130m a lap so the corners were pretty tight but I survived unharmed. Rest day tomorrow
I toe the line of controversy when comparing Sectionals, Regionals, or even the Crossfit Games to the Olympics because as a sport we're just not there yet even with the meteoric growth we continue to experience on an annual basis, but for the fun of it let's compare ourselves to the Olympic athletes.
Instead of years training for the events we've spent a few months training for what will probably add up to less than 30 or 40 mins of work for all of us in total with the 3 wods we have coming. Unlike the Olympic athletes we don't know what we're training for so our training isn't sport specific, which is the nature of our sport, so we are generalists rather than specialists. The intensity of our training is similar & we have a day to day approach with both short & long term goals in mind. We have coaches making sure we have proper form & uphold standards for each movement, each event because we know the judging will be strict.
The prizes we look to attain aren't medals per se but we get to advance to the next round where the challenges will be greater & the competition stiffer. We want that personal satisfaction that all the hard work, training, attention to nutrition, stretching, perfecting technique, the personal sacrifices, etc was worth it and led to the desired result whether it be advancing to Regionals, just finishing the Sectionals wods as Rx'd under the time cap, or having fun competing for the 1st time & putting everything you have into the wods.
Whatever your goal is at Sectionals, during the daily wod, or life in general make sure you go for the gold because if you're approaching it the right way, you deserve nothing less....
AM WOD
2k row sprint - Sub 6:50
Time - 6:48.9 (PR)
Avg 500m Pace - 1:42
1000m split - 3:22
Notes - Goal was 6:45 coming into it and it was there for the taking just came up a little short. PR by 6 seconds though so as I've said before I will never be disappointed with a pr. In this case I know I still have a better performance in me yet so we'll get sub 6:45 next rip.....
PM WOD
Running do this
200m @ 50%
200m @ 50%
200m @ 75%
200m @ 75%
200m @ 90%
200m @ 100%
Rest 2 mins b/w sets
Notes - Haven't run in a while so good to get this in. Ran in an indoor track that's only about 130m a lap so the corners were pretty tight but I survived unharmed. Rest day tomorrow
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Handling Adversity
You put too much weight on the bar to start with, you didn't beat your time on the same wod from 2 months ago, you didn't set a pr on your favorite lift, mentally you just didn't perform well in that wod. These things happen to us all and it's perfectly natural to beat yourself up when it does because you have such high standards for yourself - I know I do.
For me these are the moments where you grow as a crossfitter & perhaps more so than when you totally excel at a wod or set a new pr. You take a look at what happened, analyze, assess, & inevitably try to make excuses for your less than stellar performance. It's important to take a step back and ask yourself "Did I try my best? Give 100% today? Did I quit at any point?" & if the answer is yes to the first 2 questions & no to the 3rd then you have nothing to be ashamed of because what else can you get out of yourself? Some days you just don't have the spring in your quads or the power in your shoulders. Maybe you slept 5 hours vs 8 the last time you did the wod, or your diet wasn't as on point, who knows.
The main sticking point is don't put the unnecessary pressure on yourself of ALWAYS having to set prs when you do a wod over (I know I still do so it's WAY easier said than done but just go with me here), but do make sure that you give a full effort every time out and because of the nature of crossfit, if you're consistent with it, you shouldn't plateau and prs will come over & over again. Take adversity & hit it in the mouth hard next time it knocks you down...
Wednesday – 27th
For total reps:
4 min – HSPU - 31 REPS (15 STRAIGHT TO START. GOT 31 REPS A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN I HAD 5 MINS AMRAP HSPUs SO TO GET THE SAME AMOUNT IN 20% LESS TIME IS PROGRESS
4 min – Ring Dips - 56 REPS. MOSTLY DID SETS OF 3 REPS AT A TIME
4 min – Clap Push-ups - 32 REPS. DONE MOSTLY IN SETS OF 2
4 min – Push-up Burpees - 60 REPS. GOT 30 REPS IN EACH HALF SO CAN'T COMPLAIN. AND SURPRISINGLY NO CHEST BURN AFTERWARDS.
179 reps total
Fun wod today and not as bad as I thought it would be. definitely proud of my progress on my hspus
Tuesday - 26th
Back Squat, 3-3-2-2-1-1, 180 sec
Loads - 295# - 315# - 335#(x1 failed 2nd rep) - 325#(x2) - 345# - 355#. This rep scheme is tough for me as I usually make large jumps when I do heavy back squats and also usually rest more than 3 mins b/w sets so 355# took all I had. Until I reach twice body weight or 400# in this movement I won't feel totally competent in it. Still quite a ways off so just keep workin on it
+
1 set for AMRAP chin-ups – any style - Got 31 Chest to bar. Not a pr and with a 3 min rest from the last set of back squats this was all I had
+
AMRAP in 5 min:
Alternating Single Arm DB Squat Snatch – 40lb
Got 54 reps without stopping. Definitely slowed down and I lost my pace of 60 reps somewhere in the middle
+
10 sets to find your highest possible number of reps in one unbroken set for Double Unders
Got 101 reps in my 6th set for a pr! This was interesting as I had 5 sets under 50 (10 reps being the lowest) & 5 sets at 50 reps or more. I switched ropes a few times going from the speed rope to the thick black rope with the sponge handles and back to the speed
For me these are the moments where you grow as a crossfitter & perhaps more so than when you totally excel at a wod or set a new pr. You take a look at what happened, analyze, assess, & inevitably try to make excuses for your less than stellar performance. It's important to take a step back and ask yourself "Did I try my best? Give 100% today? Did I quit at any point?" & if the answer is yes to the first 2 questions & no to the 3rd then you have nothing to be ashamed of because what else can you get out of yourself? Some days you just don't have the spring in your quads or the power in your shoulders. Maybe you slept 5 hours vs 8 the last time you did the wod, or your diet wasn't as on point, who knows.
The main sticking point is don't put the unnecessary pressure on yourself of ALWAYS having to set prs when you do a wod over (I know I still do so it's WAY easier said than done but just go with me here), but do make sure that you give a full effort every time out and because of the nature of crossfit, if you're consistent with it, you shouldn't plateau and prs will come over & over again. Take adversity & hit it in the mouth hard next time it knocks you down...
Wednesday – 27th
For total reps:
4 min – HSPU - 31 REPS (15 STRAIGHT TO START. GOT 31 REPS A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN I HAD 5 MINS AMRAP HSPUs SO TO GET THE SAME AMOUNT IN 20% LESS TIME IS PROGRESS
4 min – Ring Dips - 56 REPS. MOSTLY DID SETS OF 3 REPS AT A TIME
4 min – Clap Push-ups - 32 REPS. DONE MOSTLY IN SETS OF 2
4 min – Push-up Burpees - 60 REPS. GOT 30 REPS IN EACH HALF SO CAN'T COMPLAIN. AND SURPRISINGLY NO CHEST BURN AFTERWARDS.
179 reps total
Fun wod today and not as bad as I thought it would be. definitely proud of my progress on my hspus
Tuesday - 26th
Back Squat, 3-3-2-2-1-1, 180 sec
Loads - 295# - 315# - 335#(x1 failed 2nd rep) - 325#(x2) - 345# - 355#. This rep scheme is tough for me as I usually make large jumps when I do heavy back squats and also usually rest more than 3 mins b/w sets so 355# took all I had. Until I reach twice body weight or 400# in this movement I won't feel totally competent in it. Still quite a ways off so just keep workin on it
+
1 set for AMRAP chin-ups – any style - Got 31 Chest to bar. Not a pr and with a 3 min rest from the last set of back squats this was all I had
+
AMRAP in 5 min:
Alternating Single Arm DB Squat Snatch – 40lb
Got 54 reps without stopping. Definitely slowed down and I lost my pace of 60 reps somewhere in the middle
+
10 sets to find your highest possible number of reps in one unbroken set for Double Unders
Got 101 reps in my 6th set for a pr! This was interesting as I had 5 sets under 50 (10 reps being the lowest) & 5 sets at 50 reps or more. I switched ropes a few times going from the speed rope to the thick black rope with the sponge handles and back to the speed
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Other 10%
You often hear the phrase or term 110% thrown around by people & athletes in interviews to overemphasize the effort they put into the task they just completed or will be attempting in the near future. So what do you think can you give 110% or is 100% the limit? I think the answer is yes & no & often times the additional 10% comes out of you in competition.
In my experience in crossfit competitions & meets that I've been a part of I've noticed that pretty consistently I've been able to achieve things that I didn't think I could've before or if I were just working out alone on that specific day. There's something about the competitive environment itself, the energy of the crowd, the essence of the moment, that I thrive in which produces pr's almost without fail everytime out. I'm not the only one this happens to no doubt but I think it's pretty cool to have that happen time & again & now it's to the point where I expect myself to do something I've never done before or reach a new milestone time in a wod if it's in a competition. Believe me just because it's expected doesn't mean the feeling gets old when the new pr comes. It's like the 1st time every time for me which is why I keep coming back for more.
For those of you going into your 1st competition don't be surprised if you lift more weight than you've ever lifted before or done an old wod way faster than you've ever done before, or crush a new wod that you thought would murder you, because an extra 10% can go a long way....
In my experience in crossfit competitions & meets that I've been a part of I've noticed that pretty consistently I've been able to achieve things that I didn't think I could've before or if I were just working out alone on that specific day. There's something about the competitive environment itself, the energy of the crowd, the essence of the moment, that I thrive in which produces pr's almost without fail everytime out. I'm not the only one this happens to no doubt but I think it's pretty cool to have that happen time & again & now it's to the point where I expect myself to do something I've never done before or reach a new milestone time in a wod if it's in a competition. Believe me just because it's expected doesn't mean the feeling gets old when the new pr comes. It's like the 1st time every time for me which is why I keep coming back for more.
For those of you going into your 1st competition don't be surprised if you lift more weight than you've ever lifted before or done an old wod way faster than you've ever done before, or crush a new wod that you thought would murder you, because an extra 10% can go a long way....
Monday, January 25, 2010
Who (or What) Is Your Competition?
For you Sectional qualifier athletes out there, crossfitters, & competitive personalities in general this one's about us. If you read this then you're most likely a crossfitter so that's the route we're going to take on today's topic of competition.
When you're in the middle of a crushing metcon with 10 other people or 2 for that matter is your performance based on how well those other people are doing? Is there someone slightly ahead of you, motivating you to not lose pace & chase them or is someone just behind you making sure you don't slow up or they'll pass you? When they take a break do you take one too or do you keep moving? Are you competing with them in the wod because you know they're of similar ability & capacity to you & you're always close on wod times?
My question is who or what is your competition during wods? I used to and still do to a certain extent by nature compete with those doing the same wod as me at the same time just because they're in plain sight & working right in front or beside me but I've gotten away from that recently in my development. I really think that as I've continued to grow as an athlete/crossfitter I've found that I've competed with myself (I gotta beat my time from the last attempt at this wod), the clock (c'mon only :45 seconds of work left & we're done or finish this wod sub 20 mins), & most recently I compete with the wod itself (I'm doing this wod unbroken no matter the amount of pain I have to endure).
This concept of competing with the wod may sound abstract to some or right on the money for others but try to understand this concept and it may work for you in your training. If I'm working out next to you doing the exact same wod at the same time I'm not competing against you.I'm not trying to beat you. I'm hopefully so lost that I don't even see you. I'm in my own world, motivating myself, getting accomplished the goals I've set for myself pre wod, giving cues on the movements so that I ensure proper form/technique, fighting off the human tendencies of pain & muscle fatigue & then SILENCE......I'm done...TIME....back to reality. Now I hear you, now I see you, still working & pushing through the pain, fighting for your life to get through the wod. I'll cheer you on and help you get thru it now but when we're working we're not friends & the anger that I attack the wod with is also reserved for all signs of life in my way.
As you train for competition don't focus on who else is going to be there. "O his Fran time is 1 min, he clean & jerk's 450#, she can row a 1:40, 500 meters." SO WHAT?! What does that have to do with you & your performance? You can't control how others do but YOU can control the effort & performance YOU have on each wod. You don't have to beat everyone there at Sectionals to qualify for Regionals (30 mean/women qualify) so don't put that added stress on the situation.
Have fun, try your best, & you'll get what you deserve out of competition, whomever it's with.....
Weekend wods
Sunday
50-40-30-20-10 reps
30" box jumps
11' wall balls (20#)
Time - 14:34
Notes - That 30" box is a mountain! Fun to tackle it 150 times though & the higher wall balls were a good challenge which forced me to focus on hitting the target every rep.
Saturday
100 double unders
25 hspu
20 thrusters (135#)
14" box jumps
25 ring dips
20 hang squat cleans (135#)
Row 500m
25 pushups
20 Power clean - push press (135#)
Time - 19:02
Notes - Fun wod with a good mix of movements I needed work on. Appreciate Bryce, Chris, Derek, & John G for working this one in with me. Solid work fellas
Rest today then a good week ahead with lots of weakness attacking. Time is near..
When you're in the middle of a crushing metcon with 10 other people or 2 for that matter is your performance based on how well those other people are doing? Is there someone slightly ahead of you, motivating you to not lose pace & chase them or is someone just behind you making sure you don't slow up or they'll pass you? When they take a break do you take one too or do you keep moving? Are you competing with them in the wod because you know they're of similar ability & capacity to you & you're always close on wod times?
My question is who or what is your competition during wods? I used to and still do to a certain extent by nature compete with those doing the same wod as me at the same time just because they're in plain sight & working right in front or beside me but I've gotten away from that recently in my development. I really think that as I've continued to grow as an athlete/crossfitter I've found that I've competed with myself (I gotta beat my time from the last attempt at this wod), the clock (c'mon only :45 seconds of work left & we're done or finish this wod sub 20 mins), & most recently I compete with the wod itself (I'm doing this wod unbroken no matter the amount of pain I have to endure).
This concept of competing with the wod may sound abstract to some or right on the money for others but try to understand this concept and it may work for you in your training. If I'm working out next to you doing the exact same wod at the same time I'm not competing against you.I'm not trying to beat you. I'm hopefully so lost that I don't even see you. I'm in my own world, motivating myself, getting accomplished the goals I've set for myself pre wod, giving cues on the movements so that I ensure proper form/technique, fighting off the human tendencies of pain & muscle fatigue & then SILENCE......I'm done...TIME....back to reality. Now I hear you, now I see you, still working & pushing through the pain, fighting for your life to get through the wod. I'll cheer you on and help you get thru it now but when we're working we're not friends & the anger that I attack the wod with is also reserved for all signs of life in my way.
As you train for competition don't focus on who else is going to be there. "O his Fran time is 1 min, he clean & jerk's 450#, she can row a 1:40, 500 meters." SO WHAT?! What does that have to do with you & your performance? You can't control how others do but YOU can control the effort & performance YOU have on each wod. You don't have to beat everyone there at Sectionals to qualify for Regionals (30 mean/women qualify) so don't put that added stress on the situation.
Have fun, try your best, & you'll get what you deserve out of competition, whomever it's with.....
Weekend wods
Sunday
50-40-30-20-10 reps
30" box jumps
11' wall balls (20#)
Time - 14:34
Notes - That 30" box is a mountain! Fun to tackle it 150 times though & the higher wall balls were a good challenge which forced me to focus on hitting the target every rep.
Saturday
100 double unders
25 hspu
20 thrusters (135#)
14" box jumps
25 ring dips
20 hang squat cleans (135#)
Row 500m
25 pushups
20 Power clean - push press (135#)
Time - 19:02
Notes - Fun wod with a good mix of movements I needed work on. Appreciate Bryce, Chris, Derek, & John G for working this one in with me. Solid work fellas
Rest today then a good week ahead with lots of weakness attacking. Time is near..
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Toughest "Wod" of Them All.....
The title is meant to be more of an attention grabber than anything, but what is the toughest wod? Fran, Eva, Murph, 10k run, Linda maybe? Not so much. I really think the toughest wod for many crossfitters is not a wod at all but the rest day. Lots of us are what would be called Type A personalities - we own our own companies, are high powered professionals near the top of our field, well educated with multiple degrees, or in general people with goals, ambitions, and who like to be in control of how successful our lives are, so we never stop going.
When the rest day hits do you feel good and say "nah I'll just go in and do some skill work" and then the skill work becomes 100 reps of snatches and then a wod on top of that? It happens, I've been there, and then after that you just resume doing the wods for the rest of the week and you've not actually rested your body. before you know it bam you've worked out for 7, 8, 10 days in a row before the extreme soreness and fatigue finally force you to take a chill pill and have an inactive rest day. Ok so if you're 16-30+ maybe you can do this for a long time and get away with it but sooner or later the body can't handle extreme stress if you're putting in in excess of 7 days straight of working out (of course there are exceptions but I'm talking the majority of us humans not the robots out there).
For the Sectional athletes out there and all for that matter please remember that quality wods are more important than the quantity of wods you do. In other words if you consistently do wods when you've gotten enough sleep, have adequate recovery from the last wod, proper nutrition, & have good energy levels going into the wod your results & performance will reflect that vs the alternative of going into a wod lethargic, with little sleep or not optimal nutrition, for the 8th day in a row just because it's your favorite wod, and you get the picture.
So a question that may come up is how often do I do wods vs rest days? The answer is it depends and how do you feel. Does 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off work for you as we prescribe at CF Chicago? Or maybe you can handle 5 on 2 off, or 3 on 1 off, or any other combination. I think you play it by ear and LISTEN to your body and over time you'll get to know yourself and what on-off schedule best suits you. True enough you're not going to have the right amount of sleep, best pre wod nutrition, highest energy levels, and most ideal conditions going into every single wod and it's good to work under conditions that are sub-optimal from time to time, but I think it's important to try to work under the most ideal conditions more often than not and then the results you're looking for will come faster than you think. It's ok to have a total rest day, your progress will not hault after 1 day without working out. Your body wants and needs the recovery to arm itself for the next set of challenges you bring it. You work hard make sure you rest just as hard....
Wod
REST DAY - ahhhhhhhhh feels good
When the rest day hits do you feel good and say "nah I'll just go in and do some skill work" and then the skill work becomes 100 reps of snatches and then a wod on top of that? It happens, I've been there, and then after that you just resume doing the wods for the rest of the week and you've not actually rested your body. before you know it bam you've worked out for 7, 8, 10 days in a row before the extreme soreness and fatigue finally force you to take a chill pill and have an inactive rest day. Ok so if you're 16-30+ maybe you can do this for a long time and get away with it but sooner or later the body can't handle extreme stress if you're putting in in excess of 7 days straight of working out (of course there are exceptions but I'm talking the majority of us humans not the robots out there).
For the Sectional athletes out there and all for that matter please remember that quality wods are more important than the quantity of wods you do. In other words if you consistently do wods when you've gotten enough sleep, have adequate recovery from the last wod, proper nutrition, & have good energy levels going into the wod your results & performance will reflect that vs the alternative of going into a wod lethargic, with little sleep or not optimal nutrition, for the 8th day in a row just because it's your favorite wod, and you get the picture.
So a question that may come up is how often do I do wods vs rest days? The answer is it depends and how do you feel. Does 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off work for you as we prescribe at CF Chicago? Or maybe you can handle 5 on 2 off, or 3 on 1 off, or any other combination. I think you play it by ear and LISTEN to your body and over time you'll get to know yourself and what on-off schedule best suits you. True enough you're not going to have the right amount of sleep, best pre wod nutrition, highest energy levels, and most ideal conditions going into every single wod and it's good to work under conditions that are sub-optimal from time to time, but I think it's important to try to work under the most ideal conditions more often than not and then the results you're looking for will come faster than you think. It's ok to have a total rest day, your progress will not hault after 1 day without working out. Your body wants and needs the recovery to arm itself for the next set of challenges you bring it. You work hard make sure you rest just as hard....
Wod
REST DAY - ahhhhhhhhh feels good
Thursday, January 21, 2010
STRETCH IT OUT!
So when you finish a wod what do you do? Get your wits about you and breathing back to normal? Ok that's fine but once that period is over and the burn subsides what do you do after that? Eat your post wod meal and maybe strike up a conversation with the next group coming in for the wod and chillax for a few mins before you leave? Sounds about right. I'd like to add a step in there before you head out the door satisfied with your effort for the day - STRETCH your used and abused muscles! Now I know it's not something we preach that you have to do and it's totally a personal thing, but in my opinion taking a good 5-10 mins to stretch post wod is as important as the warm up before the wod. You complain "O I'm not as flexible as I used to be, or I can't touch my toes or get full depth on my overhead squat, I'll never have flexible shoulders, hips, etc" well DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Stretching is one of the ways to get you there.
By stretching after every wod while your muscles are warm you can get them to go further than they would if you just stretched cold. Static stretching is what I do but dynamic (like what we do in warmups usually) is good as well. Get into a position and hold it for 20-30 sec and repeat a few times. Or use the bands to assist you in stretching (coaches can show you how). You should experience a little discomfort and if you do then you know it's working, just don't to the point of extreme pain. One of the goals of consistent stretching is to get your muscles long and strong so for us as crossfitters and athletes in general the translation is increased strength/power over a larger range of motion. Need I say more? Who doesn't want that?! The last 2" of your weighted squats (back, front, overhead) that you struggle getting down to for every rep in a wod needs to be worked and by increasing your hip/quad/hamstring flexibility you can get down there every time, know what it feels like, and get stronger each time you squat, and of course this translates to the olympic lifts as well. So the message here is to maybe start a consistent 5-10 min post wod stretching routine and see how it works for you. You'll feel better, get more flexible, stronger over a larger range of motion, perhaps help reduce injuries, and also be aided in recovery that starts to take place immediately following all the stress you put on your body during the wod. I know it's going to be the last thing you want to do but don't make excuses if you want results. And don't do it for 2 weeks and stop because "it's not working." I've been doing it for years, trust me it works if you do it all the time....
Split Jerk 3-3-2-2-1-1-1
Loads - 205# - 220# - 230# - 235# - 250# - 265# - 280#(f) - 280# (PR sort of. I've jerked 285# from behind the neck but never maxed on a split jerk before)
The fun part initially was the negative of the 3s and 2s (collarbone and wrists really liked this, not) and on the singles having to take off the weights, power clean the bar back up to the rack, reput the weights on, and be ready to go for the next load in 3 mins was a fun wod within the wod. Now I just need to get stronger on the clean so that 280# will be my clean & jerk max not just jerk
+
Deadlift, work up to a tough single (not a PR), 5 sets to get there - drop each rep
365# - 395# - 415# - 435# (stopped here as my back was rounding terribly and the 2" deficit in the platform was helping promote bad form at this load
+
21-15-9
GHD Situps
Knees to Elbows
Unanchored situps
Time - 6:22
all unbroken but tough nonetheless. Had my doubts I'd be able to get the knees to elbows unbroken going into it but once I got past the 15 set i knew it was going to happen. Felt my abs more on the situps than anything else.
REST DAY TOMORROW!!!
By stretching after every wod while your muscles are warm you can get them to go further than they would if you just stretched cold. Static stretching is what I do but dynamic (like what we do in warmups usually) is good as well. Get into a position and hold it for 20-30 sec and repeat a few times. Or use the bands to assist you in stretching (coaches can show you how). You should experience a little discomfort and if you do then you know it's working, just don't to the point of extreme pain. One of the goals of consistent stretching is to get your muscles long and strong so for us as crossfitters and athletes in general the translation is increased strength/power over a larger range of motion. Need I say more? Who doesn't want that?! The last 2" of your weighted squats (back, front, overhead) that you struggle getting down to for every rep in a wod needs to be worked and by increasing your hip/quad/hamstring flexibility you can get down there every time, know what it feels like, and get stronger each time you squat, and of course this translates to the olympic lifts as well. So the message here is to maybe start a consistent 5-10 min post wod stretching routine and see how it works for you. You'll feel better, get more flexible, stronger over a larger range of motion, perhaps help reduce injuries, and also be aided in recovery that starts to take place immediately following all the stress you put on your body during the wod. I know it's going to be the last thing you want to do but don't make excuses if you want results. And don't do it for 2 weeks and stop because "it's not working." I've been doing it for years, trust me it works if you do it all the time....
Split Jerk 3-3-2-2-1-1-1
Loads - 205# - 220# - 230# - 235# - 250# - 265# - 280#(f) - 280# (PR sort of. I've jerked 285# from behind the neck but never maxed on a split jerk before)
The fun part initially was the negative of the 3s and 2s (collarbone and wrists really liked this, not) and on the singles having to take off the weights, power clean the bar back up to the rack, reput the weights on, and be ready to go for the next load in 3 mins was a fun wod within the wod. Now I just need to get stronger on the clean so that 280# will be my clean & jerk max not just jerk
+
Deadlift, work up to a tough single (not a PR), 5 sets to get there - drop each rep
365# - 395# - 415# - 435# (stopped here as my back was rounding terribly and the 2" deficit in the platform was helping promote bad form at this load
+
21-15-9
GHD Situps
Knees to Elbows
Unanchored situps
Time - 6:22
all unbroken but tough nonetheless. Had my doubts I'd be able to get the knees to elbows unbroken going into it but once I got past the 15 set i knew it was going to happen. Felt my abs more on the situps than anything else.
REST DAY TOMORROW!!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Where Am I???
So for the last 3+ weeks I haven't been training with the CF Chicago community rather on my own doing an entirely different set of wods at odd hours not during class times with everyone else so it may seem as though I've disappeared or don't want to workout with everyone else anymore. That statement couldn't be further from the truth, it's just the nature of the beast with what I have going on which is I'm receiving individualized wods from a coach that I've hired to make me an untamed animal. After attending The Black Box Summit down in Austin, TX in Nov '09 it sunk in that if I want to get to the elite status as an athlete/crossfitter that I wish to obtain that I can't do it alone. None of the best crossfitters I've seen have and the same goes for the best athletes in their respective sports past and present.
Think about it - Michael Jordan had coaches, Tiger Woods has a coach, Wayne Gretzky had coaches, Albert Pujols has coaches, Venus/Serena Williams have a coach and I could go on and on. These athletes are or were at the top of their sports and had coaches so why not little old me I thought? So in the spirit of always willing to be a "lab rat" or test subject I took the leap and decided to hire Michael Fitzgerald aka BrOPT out in Canada for some help. The guy was a top 16 finalist in the '09 Crossfit Games and is brother of the '07 Crossfit Games winner James Fitzgerald so he comes with a good pedigree which I can appreciate and respect.
It started with an initial phone conversation where we discussed my goals, current numbers - both strength and metcon - and from there a program has been devised to address my weaknesses and get me ready for my short term goal of doing well at the Sectional Qualifier in mid-February. So far it's been quite interesting and I feel that my game is continuing to elevate although I'm often working out alone with the voice in my head as my "coach." This is basically a 6 week trial to see if I want to continue to use the coaching after Sectionals, so if I perform well at Sectionals then most likely I'll continue to utilize the coaching.
A question for me is am I missing out on the community aspect of getting wods in with my crossfit brothers & sisters of CF Chicago? Well sort of..but I get to coach classes and still see them almost daily and for now that's filling the void for me, but how long can I hold out before I jump into a metcon that is too attractive to pass up on? Might be sooner than you think haha so look out....
Today
10 rounds for time:
10 unbroken chin over bar chin-ups - chin must pass vertical plane at the middle of the bar for rep to count
10 push up burpees
Time - 10:57
Notes - Shooting for sub 10 and was at 5 sets thru about 4:50 but lost pace on back half. Burpees got really slow but pullups were all good, not easy but no close calls in terms of fails. Only breaks were to quickly rechalk hands 2-3 times
Yesterday
Power Clean 3-3-3-3, 120 sec rest - start with a tough weight. Allow for 3 secs b/w reps on the floor
Loads - 185# - 200# - 207# - 215#
Notes - I would guess that my 1RM is more than 225# now if I can get 215# for 3 reps
+
Front Squat 5-5-5-5, 180 sec rest
Loads - 205# - 215# - 227# - 240#
Notes - 240# was just right to end on. Took good focus and controlled breathing to get it
+
GHD Raise @ 30X0, 10-15 reps x 3 sets, 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10
Notes - No cramps this time and 3 full sets so a victory
Think about it - Michael Jordan had coaches, Tiger Woods has a coach, Wayne Gretzky had coaches, Albert Pujols has coaches, Venus/Serena Williams have a coach and I could go on and on. These athletes are or were at the top of their sports and had coaches so why not little old me I thought? So in the spirit of always willing to be a "lab rat" or test subject I took the leap and decided to hire Michael Fitzgerald aka BrOPT out in Canada for some help. The guy was a top 16 finalist in the '09 Crossfit Games and is brother of the '07 Crossfit Games winner James Fitzgerald so he comes with a good pedigree which I can appreciate and respect.
It started with an initial phone conversation where we discussed my goals, current numbers - both strength and metcon - and from there a program has been devised to address my weaknesses and get me ready for my short term goal of doing well at the Sectional Qualifier in mid-February. So far it's been quite interesting and I feel that my game is continuing to elevate although I'm often working out alone with the voice in my head as my "coach." This is basically a 6 week trial to see if I want to continue to use the coaching after Sectionals, so if I perform well at Sectionals then most likely I'll continue to utilize the coaching.
A question for me is am I missing out on the community aspect of getting wods in with my crossfit brothers & sisters of CF Chicago? Well sort of..but I get to coach classes and still see them almost daily and for now that's filling the void for me, but how long can I hold out before I jump into a metcon that is too attractive to pass up on? Might be sooner than you think haha so look out....
Today
10 rounds for time:
10 unbroken chin over bar chin-ups - chin must pass vertical plane at the middle of the bar for rep to count
10 push up burpees
Time - 10:57
Notes - Shooting for sub 10 and was at 5 sets thru about 4:50 but lost pace on back half. Burpees got really slow but pullups were all good, not easy but no close calls in terms of fails. Only breaks were to quickly rechalk hands 2-3 times
Yesterday
Power Clean 3-3-3-3, 120 sec rest - start with a tough weight. Allow for 3 secs b/w reps on the floor
Loads - 185# - 200# - 207# - 215#
Notes - I would guess that my 1RM is more than 225# now if I can get 215# for 3 reps
+
Front Squat 5-5-5-5, 180 sec rest
Loads - 205# - 215# - 227# - 240#
Notes - 240# was just right to end on. Took good focus and controlled breathing to get it
+
GHD Raise @ 30X0, 10-15 reps x 3 sets, 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10
Notes - No cramps this time and 3 full sets so a victory
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Good or Great???
What are the 2 muscles that separate the good athlete, and for the purposes of this post/blog, crossfitter, from the great/elite ones? Back and hamstrings? No. Shoulders & quads? No. Abs & hands? No. The Answer is the heart and the mind. These 2 will get you far in each and every wod we tackle. For me having a strong mind has been the product of years of participating in organized sports, playing in front of large crowds, and in high pressure situations that didn't always come out in my favor. Playing the sport of baseball, which, in my opinion, is the most mentally challenging sport (as an offensive player at least) was instrumental in my overall mental capacity development. I had a remarkable record of failure in baseball - for instance in my senior year at Notre Dame I hit for a .300 average my best ever which means that 7 out of 10 times up to bat I did not record a hit or I failed. How did I deal with that much failure??? I knew the next time up I was going to get a hit and if I thought anything to the contrary it was not going to be a productive at bat for me which would affect the team.
Also in one of my most memorable moments at ND I hit a game ending walk-off homerun & I was up to bat for the 14th time in the 3 game series. Guess how many hits I had up to that at bat?? You got it 0. I was literally 0-13 in that series and thankfully the coach kept me in the game and more importantly I didn't take myself out of the game mentally. Each time I went up there I was there to get a hit not get out and when the 1st pitch came out of the pitcher's hand I swung & hit that mf'er as hard as I could've and then.....GAME OVER!
Each crossfit wod is no different for me. I demand success of myself and set the bar high each time out. If I fail it won't be because I was scared or didn't try, it's just going to be an anomaly. No wod will defeat me, I repeat NO WOD WILL DEFEAT ME. It won't put me on my back or knees, it won't make me quit, and that's because I won't let it. That's where the heart comes in to play. The heart is what propels you to get through the wod, if you've got enough of it that is.
When a wod has you doubting yourself you've got to be in control of it not the other way around. I'm not a doctor or physiologist by any means, but I'm almost positive that if your thoughts are centered around negativity then there will be signals sent to your nerves, muscles, tissues, etc. that will affect how your body performs in that instance. Why make things harder for yourself?? Think overwhelmingly positive and then go into the wod with the tenacity of a lion after its prey. Kill or be killed....
Strength work today with power cleans and front squats. Will post the results later or tomorrow so stay tuned kids.....
Also in one of my most memorable moments at ND I hit a game ending walk-off homerun & I was up to bat for the 14th time in the 3 game series. Guess how many hits I had up to that at bat?? You got it 0. I was literally 0-13 in that series and thankfully the coach kept me in the game and more importantly I didn't take myself out of the game mentally. Each time I went up there I was there to get a hit not get out and when the 1st pitch came out of the pitcher's hand I swung & hit that mf'er as hard as I could've and then.....GAME OVER!
Each crossfit wod is no different for me. I demand success of myself and set the bar high each time out. If I fail it won't be because I was scared or didn't try, it's just going to be an anomaly. No wod will defeat me, I repeat NO WOD WILL DEFEAT ME. It won't put me on my back or knees, it won't make me quit, and that's because I won't let it. That's where the heart comes in to play. The heart is what propels you to get through the wod, if you've got enough of it that is.
When a wod has you doubting yourself you've got to be in control of it not the other way around. I'm not a doctor or physiologist by any means, but I'm almost positive that if your thoughts are centered around negativity then there will be signals sent to your nerves, muscles, tissues, etc. that will affect how your body performs in that instance. Why make things harder for yourself?? Think overwhelmingly positive and then go into the wod with the tenacity of a lion after its prey. Kill or be killed....
Strength work today with power cleans and front squats. Will post the results later or tomorrow so stay tuned kids.....
Monday, January 18, 2010
I Have A Dream
Today a lot of us are off of work in honor of the great Dr Martin Luther King Jr, civil rights leader, outstanding orator, & all around seminal figure not only for African Americans but for all people worldwide. So today I say thank you to Dr King for fighting to give me all of the opportunities to succeed that I have in 2010, fighting so that I could grow up knowing I would be able to make something of myself, and planting the seed in my head that I can dream to do whatever it is I set my mind to and make it happen.
More than just words, I think the best way to truly honor & thank Dr King is to achieve all of the dreams & goals I have for myself thru actions. So in my daily life I have to make sure each day is progress toward a goal, each task is not small & meaningless but a grain of sand in the beach of my life. Put things in perspective and be able to take a look at yourself thru an objective lens. Are you staying on course with your goals or falling off the track? If you are get back on it! It's never too late. Also want to give a shout out to Jackie Robinson another hero of mine who I really think is deserving of his own national holiday for what he had to put up with as well. Perhaps a post for another day though. Thank you Jackie.
Yesterday finished off the week with a 2 a day which included 2 personal records
Find 1 rep max Clean & Jerk
255# (PR)
Not a strength of mine but I got a +10# pr so I will never complain when a pr occurs. Keep workin hard and more will come.
1k row sprint
Time - 3:09.6 (PR)
Goal coming into it was sub 3:10 as I had done this at 3:13 several weeks ago and we just got it. Amazing how after rowing your guts out you just make it by .4 of a second. Truly can't quit at any point on a sprint like this. Hey maybe soon enough we'll be talkin sub 3 mins for this. Sounds easy but :09 is a LONG time in this wod.
Rest day today and my coach Michael Fitzgerald out at OPT in Calgary has already sent me the wods for the week so I'm mentally & physically gonna take it easy and be ready for work tomorrow
More than just words, I think the best way to truly honor & thank Dr King is to achieve all of the dreams & goals I have for myself thru actions. So in my daily life I have to make sure each day is progress toward a goal, each task is not small & meaningless but a grain of sand in the beach of my life. Put things in perspective and be able to take a look at yourself thru an objective lens. Are you staying on course with your goals or falling off the track? If you are get back on it! It's never too late. Also want to give a shout out to Jackie Robinson another hero of mine who I really think is deserving of his own national holiday for what he had to put up with as well. Perhaps a post for another day though. Thank you Jackie.
Yesterday finished off the week with a 2 a day which included 2 personal records
Find 1 rep max Clean & Jerk
255# (PR)
Not a strength of mine but I got a +10# pr so I will never complain when a pr occurs. Keep workin hard and more will come.
1k row sprint
Time - 3:09.6 (PR)
Goal coming into it was sub 3:10 as I had done this at 3:13 several weeks ago and we just got it. Amazing how after rowing your guts out you just make it by .4 of a second. Truly can't quit at any point on a sprint like this. Hey maybe soon enough we'll be talkin sub 3 mins for this. Sounds easy but :09 is a LONG time in this wod.
Rest day today and my coach Michael Fitzgerald out at OPT in Calgary has already sent me the wods for the week so I'm mentally & physically gonna take it easy and be ready for work tomorrow
Saturday, January 16, 2010
WE TALKIN 'BOUT PRACTICE...NOT A GAME!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI
Had to start things off with one of my all time favorite press conferences by NBA basketball player Allen Iverson where he gets into it with reporters in terms of how he feels he can't make his teammates better in practice and how his missing practice isn't important because he shows up for games and plays his heart out.
BUT isn't practice important after all?? For a crossfitter it definitely is. We must continually practice at EVERYTHING in order to maintain a level of competency at EVERYTHING that will prepare us for the unknown, whether in life in general or in competition. Every wod is practice in essence and for me it's played at game speed so that i'm used to operating at that level come competition time or when those unexpected situations arise in life.
Watching Peyton Manning destroy defenses week in and week out in the NFL is a great example. The kid obviously works extremely hard at his craft and does his homework and PRACTICE??!! You better believe he and his receivers are getting in hundreds of reps, running the same patterns over and over again until it's second nature and you see the results in terms of their success on the field.
The takeaway is that make sure you treat each wod as if it's the game and hit it as hard as you can and come game day the great results will be the product of proper preparation.
2 a day today
AM
From the '09 Canada West Regional Qualifier
20 mins AMRAP
10 Wall Ball (20#)
10 Box Jump (20")
10 Deadlifts (205#)
10 Burpees
Rounds - 10 + 2 wall balls
5 rounds thru 9:30 and I just got the next 5 rounds in on the back half. Getting more comfortable with how to handle these 15-20 min amraps in terms of being able to not stop moving for that time frame and divide the intensity and work over the total time. Didn't break up any sets of any movement
PM
Jackie
1000m row
50 thrusters (45#)
30 pullups
Time - 6:13
All unbroken and the row was 3:32 which wasn't as hard as I could hit it but i wanted to have some juice for the thrusters. If I ever want to get this wod in under 6 mins I'm going to have to hit the row harder and keep everything unbroken still. Good news is that it didn't hurt as bad chest burn wise post wod, so I can tell I'm in better shape than the last time I did the wod when I clocked in at 6:11 and it hurt pretty badly in the aftermath.
1st of 3 high volume weeks and the 1st of a back to back 2 a day weekend for me. Feel good physically and mentally so back at it tomorrow with a clean & jerk 1 rep max and a 1000m row sprint. Let's set 2 new pr's
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