Lunge into hell

CFWUx2

Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups

13:53

That sucked. I thought this one would be fairly easy, and that the lunges would offer at least a bit of time to catch my breath...wrong on both assumptions though. Still...it was kind of fun.

Yesterday...

I reached my overhead goal for the YEAR!

CFWUx2
Burgener WU

Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
115#/125/135/145/155/160/165

This shocked me. My last PR was 135#...though that was a while back, I didn't expect to see that much improvement. So I've changed my goal and now plan on getting 1.5x bodyweight overhead.

Last rep wouldn't have counted in a competition though, because I had to press it out at the top.

It wasn't laziness this time...

But I still should have tried to make a bit more time for CF the last couple days. I'm way behind at this point, but it's better than skipping stuff to catch up. So today I did 'Joshie'

"Joshie" (Pack Scaling)
Complete three rounds for time of:
30 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, right arm
21 Tuck sit Pull-ups
30 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, left arm
21 Tuck sit Pull-ups

32:15

This. Was. Tough. I had to take a lot more LOC (lack-of-character) breaks than I usually do, and my pull-ups were a lot weaker than I thought they would be. I guess I need to work more on dead hang pull-ups...

In other news, I may have finally managed to convert someone to the kool-aid. I was talking to one of the guys I work with and he said he's thinking about trying CrossFit out. Better than nothing at this point. And I plan on converting one more when I go home to Cali in a week. And I can't wait to finally be able to work out with my brother and close friend again. I plan on trying to crush them both (though I have a feeling we'll all be fairly even with most things except the really bad metcons). Haha. At least I can be truly sadistic and noone will give me any odd looks or tell me I'm crazy.

Yesterday: Front Squats

CFWUx2
Burgener WU
And a little squat clean practice

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3
115/135/165/175/180 (PR)

3 rounds max rep chin-up (strict, c2b):
15/12/8

Finally some squat progress! Even though I'm really more interested in getting my back squat up, I know progress in the front squat will help me work toward that goal. By the last set I was still feeling good, but I'm starting to incorporate some of the stuff from CFSB now, so it'll be easier to start this summer...namely, in this instance, walking away after I hit a new PR. I felt good and could have possibly done one extra set and gotten a bigger PR, but it wouldn't have meant much and I would have risked overdoing it. 5lbs is plenty good.

Yesterday...

My grip was shot because of the drills we did at work, so I'm having to set 'Joshie' aside for another day.

WOD 022309
CFWUx2

'Grace'
95# Clean and Jerk, 30 reps
(from floor, full squat clean)

11:24

Then...
Worked on L-sit pull-ups

Today:
Rest Day!

Blasted government computers...

...won't let me post. Oh well.

Yesterday:
CFWUx2

Bench Press 5-5-5
1. 175 2. 180 3. 185x4 (failed last rep)
Squat Clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
1. 115 2. 135. 3. 145 4. 150 5. 155 6. 160 7. 165
Weighted Pull-up 5-5-3-3-1
1. 35 2. 40 3. 45 4. 50 5. 75 (PR!)

Today:
CFWUx2
added HSPU, omitted Pull-up

"Death By Pull-ups"

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Rounds: 13 + 8 pull-ups

...then...
3 rounds:
10 Kettlebell Swings, 1 pood
10 Ab Wheel Rollouts

Meet my new future workout partner and camping buddy!

This, dear readers, is my new little girl, Waffles (don't ask about the name...long story)

Rest Day....

...finally! Ha!

HSPU day 50 (14-10-10-16)
Woo! Done! I'm going to give my shoulders as much of a rest as the WODs will allow for a week or so and see if I can get 20 consecutive HSPU. My current PR is only three reps less, so it should be doable.

Today is cleaning day, and the second of my 3 days off (of work, not CF).

In other news, 15 days until I make the long drive back to California on leave! Can't wait to be able to work out with my brother, Kenda, and the as-of-yet CF virgin David. It'll be a lot more motivating than my usual workouts out here, since noone here seems to be interested in working out out with me or even giving CF a try.

WOD 021809

HSPU day 49 (17!-15-11-6)
One day left! I think I'm going to try for 20 consecutive HSPU about a week or two after the challenge is over, just to satisfy my ego. Haha

CFWUx2 minus dips

Back Squat 5-5-5
1.195# 2.205 3.210x4 (failed last rep)

5 rounds for time:
95# Sumo Deadlift High Pull, 10 reps
10 Ring Dip

Time: 5:56

Dahyumm!! That was a great time for the WOD. I'm impressed with my own awesomeness! Haha...

Squats, though...I'm only marginally satisfied with the progress. It's better than I've been doing. I'll stay at 210 for my 3x5's until I can complete that last rep.

So I had a run-in with my nemesis yesterday...

...and her name is Fran. She beat the hell out of me, but I managed to get a pretty damn good PR out of it.

HSPU day 48 (13-10-10-8-8)

WOD 021709
CFWUx2

"Fran"
21-15-9 for time:
65# Thrusters
Pull-ups

5:25

Happy with that! I'll stay at this scaling, though, until I get my time down closer to 3 minutes.

So I've been a bit lazy lately...

But I'm getting back on the wagon today. Part of it was the need to recover from the combination of consecutive ME days and other work stuff, but there was a laziness factor in there.

HSPU Day 47 (16!!-11-12-8)

AM
3 Rounds:
5 Kettlebell Snatches per arm - 1 pood


NOON (ish)
CFWUx2 minus pull-ups
"Cindy"
AMRAP 15 min:
3 Pull-up
6 Push-up
9 Squat

Rounds: 19

I was going to go all 20 minutes, but around round 11 I started to get this pain right above the back part of my right hip. It felt tight and the pain was dull during the pull-ups and push-ups, and it would get sharper during the squats. It got to the point where it was too painful to do more than 2 squats in a row, so I had to cut the workout short. I've never experienced anything quite like it.

...and now, the pain has all but gone away. What the heck?!

PM
Stretching
Handstand work
L-sit holds on rings
Pull-ups

Got a little behind in my posting...

021109:
CFWUx2

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
225#/275/295/315/335/345/355(PR)

205#x20

That was one hell of a push. Er...pull. My form started wonky on that last rep, but I managed to fix it mid-pull.

021309

CFWUx2, HSPU instead of dips

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3
135#/145/155/165/175 (failed 2nd rep)

This was slightly upsetting. I’ve had almost no progress on either Front or Back Squats for the past two months…well, besides the huge 1 rep PR I got on the CFT. Other than that, I've been unable to get stronger.

Coach Rip Quotes

[Strengthmill Board question regarding the deadlift] "Should you squeeze your asscheeks, as if you were pinching a coin between them, to finish the movement to lockout?"
[Coach Rippetoe]"No, we never consciously squeeze our asscheeks in the weight room. It’s not a valuable biomechanical cue, and it might get misinterpreted by the guys on the next platform."

“It would depend on your recovery ability, i.e. how old you are, how much you eat, how well you sleep, and how big your balls are. Some guys can recover from lots more work than other guys, so this just depends on you.“

“If you want to look like some Abercrombie model, then find another program and enjoy your nice, easy training style. If you are serious about adding muscle to your frame, then get under the damn bar and make it happen.
“

“The deadlift is more functional in that it’s very hard to imagine a more useful application of strength than picking heavy s**t up off the ground.“

“we have not spent the last 65 million or so years finely honing our physiology to watch Oprah. Like it or not, we are the product of a very long process of adaptation to a harsh physical existence, and the past couple centuries of comparative ease and plenty are not enough time to change our genome. We humans are at our best when our existence mirrors, or at least simulates, the one we are still genetically adapted to live. And that is the purpose of exercise.“

“Accumulating injuries are the price we pay for the thrill of not having sat around on our asses.“

[Referring to trainers desire to spot their clients lifts]
“Resist the impulse to participate in someone else’s exercise”

“We just call it the press, because how could you press without the shoulders? You can leg press… but that’s gay.“

“The full squat is a perfectly natural position for the leg to occupy. That’s why there’s a joint in the middle of it, and why humans have been occupying this position, both unloaded and loaded, for millions of years. Much longer, in fact, than quasi-intellectual morons have been telling us that it’s “bad” for the knees.
“

“Anyone who says that full squats are “bad for the knees” has, with that statement, demonstrated conclusively that they are not entitled to an opinion about the matter. People who know nothing about a topic, especially a very technical one that requires specific training, knowledge, and experience, are not due an opinion about that topic and are better served by being quiet when it is asked about or discussed. For example, when brain surgery, or string theory, or the NFL draft, or women’s dress sizes, or white wine is being discussed, I remain quiet, odd though that may seem. But seldom is this the case when orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, or nurses are asked about full squats.“

"My opinion about barbell rows is as follows: **** barbell rows. Really. **** them. Stop wasting time worrying about barbell rows and get your deadlift up to 500. By then you’ll have your own opinion and you won’t have to worry about mine."

On the ethics of meat eating:
Okay, have you ever been around chickens? They are stupid, uncooperative, inconvenient, ill-tempered creatures. They get what they deserve. F*** chickens.

Rip: “You would look better if you gained about 10 lbs of muscle” Woman responds with look of utter horror. Rip: “Trust me, I’ve been looking at women a long time, and I’m really good at it.“

"There is never an absolute answer to everything, except of course that you have to do your squats."

Rest Day

HSPU day 41 (10-9-10-9-3)

Rest Day

I'll do some light yoga this evening.

I'm officially amazed at my own ability to recover. I figured todays HSPUs would wreak absolute havoc on my shoulders after yesterday's workout...but they didn't. In fact, my shoulders feel great. I have no idea what it is, but I'm not going to over-analyze it right now. I'm just satisfied that my limits are on a higher level than I thought they were. This will help me later on.

On another note, I'm reading through the CFSB article. I know that, since I've only been consistently doing the WODs since Septemberish, I should wait before starting to follow it. I think I'm going to do an in-depth analysis come Summer to see if I'm ready. I know my recovery limits right now, and that will help me in the future, but I don't know if I'm at the point where I can start following this and maintain my current recovery rate.

Chicken-Fried Shoulders?

HSPU day 40 (9-9-9-9-4)

Press 1-1-1-1-1
1. 115# 2. 120 3. 125 4. 130 5. 135 (F)

Push Press 3-3-3-3-3
1. 115 2. 125 3. 135 4. 145 (PR) 5. 155 (Failed last rep)

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5
1. 115 2. 120 3. 125 (PR) 4. 115
*Didn’t get to round 5…had to go help with some stuff around the station

Long day, could have probably gotten that last 135# Press, but my shoulders were tired from all the hose testing/pulling/loading we had to do today. At least I got the night off. Looking forward to tomorrow...rest day!!

Austere, Heavy, and Horrible

HSPU day 39 (10-10-10-9)

Wasn't able to get to base today, and I didn't want to do the same standby bodyweight workouts I usually do in this situation...so I decided to do something I've been wanting to try for quite a while now...a workout I found while going through the CrossFit videos called "Eva T's Austere Heavy Workout." I had to make a couple changes and do some scaling to keep the right intensity and make it work for the equipment I have available.

CFWUx2

WOD
2 rounds for time:
6 Heavy Bag Cleans to Shoulder - 85#
12 Towel Pull-ups
6 Turkish Getups + 2 One-Arm Snatches per TGU - 30# Dumbbell

Time: 8:30

I hit it hard, but not hard enough. Next time I may scale up to the reps Eva did in the video, because, while intense, that was clearly not enough.

Perplexed...

Yesterday...
HSPU day 38 (10-10-8-6-4)


WOD: Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5
1. 175 2. 185 3. 195 4. 200 5. 205

Bench Press 5-5-5-5-5
1. 165 2. 170. 3. 175 4. 180 5. 185 (PR)

I was really disappointed with my Back Squat...when I did that short Starting Strength cycle my last 3x5 for Back Squat was 220#. I started light, expecting to make bigger jumps but once I got to 195# I was feeling really weak under the bar. I'll chalk it up to the fact that I was working hard all day and didn't get a chance to eat since lunch (lunch was at noon, didn't get to work out until 5ish). Next time I'll push extra hard and make sure I at least get my current PR, if not more.

Bench was good. I'm steadily improving, even though I don't actually do it very often. I think I Bench probably about once a week, sometimes even less often than that. That made up for the shameful Squats.

HSPU day 36 (9-8-8-7-4)

10 Rounds
85# Heavy Bag Clean & Squat
Just for fun, not for time.


Didn't really have time for a real WOD today, but at least I got something done. I also worked on my handstands and L-sits.

Arms...dead....

So I took a trip down to Arkansas over the weekend thinking I'd be able to knock out a few bodyweight workouts when I had time. Of course, I was too busy visiting with people and spending time with my daughter so I wasn't able to get around to it. Then I had a long, late drive back to the house, and didn't get home until after 2am...and I had to be up for work at 5. So I was just too exhausted to get a workout in yesterday. But the rest was good for me...I felt really good going into today's WOD.

Still up to date with HSPUs, just don't feel like posting them all...Day 35 (10-9-10-6)


WOD 020409
30 Muscle-ups for time

(BrandX Porch/Packish scaling)
90 Pull-ups
90 Ring Dips

15:06

I have a peculiar situation when it comes to muscle up workouts. I have rings, but I have absolutely no place to hang them that's high enough to do muscle ups. I do have a pull-up bar, so what I do is bar pull-ups and ring dips...most reps are kipping, of course.

Shoulders were FRIED. The dips were especially killer...I'm chalking it up to the HSPU challenge, but it's also an effect of not stretching enough. About halfway through I lost the ability to do full range dips, and I had a lot of trouble locking out.

Thrust!

HSPU day 29 (10-10-9)

CFWUx2
Thruster 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
115#/120/125/130/140/150/160
Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3
175#/180/185/190/195(PR!)

This is the first time I've done heavy thrusters, so I decided to play it safe and start light. I plan on starting and ending a bit heavier next time.
I'm amazed at my progress on bench...I remember not too long ago, when I could barely get three with body weight (still at 160#)...now I'm right at the edge of 200! =D

Yesterday: CrossFit Total 012809

HSPU day 28 (10-8-5-5)

CFWUx2

CrossFit Total
Back Squat - 225#/235/250PR
Press - 125#/130PR/135F
Deadlift - 335#/345PR/350F

Total - 725

Very pleased with most of this. I think I've got a mental sticking point that prevented me from getting the 350# deadlift...its only 5# more than my new PR, but for some reason I didn't even get it off the ground. Squats were absolutely perfect, and I think I could have done 5-10# more. Press was barely an improvement from last time...only 5# and I almost didn't get it up.

Barbara just might be a ninja...

Yesterday: HSPU Day 26 (9-8-9)
Today: HSPU Day 27 (10-10-7)

Yesterday I took another rest day...my forearms and core were pretty jacked up from the last cycle, and the muscles in my right hand were really tweaked from ventilation training.

CFWUx2

Pack:
“Barbara Lite”
5 Rounds:
10 Pull-up
20 Push-up
30 Sit-up
40 Squat

2:31/2:49/2:51/3:25/3:22

I just couldn’t see why everyone was complaining so much about this one…until the last two rounds. A treacherous, sneaky woman that Barbara is!

Rest Day!

HSPU day 25

Finally. I can't truly rest though...have to clean the house for a showing this afternoon. Luckily most of it is straight, but the kitchen looks like a victim of nuclear fallout. Upsetting =/ haha.

Yesterday: WOD 012409

Yesterday:
HSPU day 24 (10-10-4)

CFWUx2

Pack/Porchish:
For time 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 rep rounds of:
Virtual shoveling (25# plate)
Pull-ups

11:27

Then:
OHS 3-3-3-3-3
95#-115-120-125-130(F)

Not too happy with that failure. It was more shoulder failure than legs...I could have squatted that weight easily, but my shoulders would not cooperate. And I refuse to believe that it's the HSPUs...they haven't bothered me at all so far.

WOD 012309

23 HSPU (10-9-4)

CFWUx2

‘1/2 Murph’

For Time:
1/2 mile run
50 pull-ups
100 push-ups
150 squats
1/2 mile run

24:19

That sucked…I could have probably gotten a better time, but I’m no good running in the cold…

Also worked on my Handstands, played around with the Sledgehammer (all wrist strength related work), and did a few tuck sits with my hands on the ends of dumbbells, held each one for ten full breaths.

Found an awesome poem on the San Francisco CrossFit blog...dunno who wrote it though:

Answer The Demon

Can't is the word that is foe to ambition,
An enemy ambushed to shatter your will;
Its prey is forever the man with a mission
And bows but to courage and patience and skill.

Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying,
For once it is welcomed 'twill break any man;
Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying
And answer this demon by saying: "I can.
"

Goals 2009

23 HSPU (10-9-4)

I've been thinking about it and I think I need to list out my goals for the year...not necessarily so I can accomplish them, but just so I can stay on point with my training.

My Goals for 2009:
1. Deadlift 375lbs.
2. Back Squat 250lbs.
3. Press 150lbs.
4. Power Clean bodyweight
5. Hold a full Handstand for at least a minute
6. Flag for at least 30 seconds
7. One-arm Pull-up
8. Sub-15-minute 3/4 Angie

This isn't a complete list...I'll edit and add more later.

WOD 012209

Yesterday: HSPU day 21 - 21 done (11-10)
Today: HSPU day 22 - 22 donesky (10-10-2)

I feel like I'm really getting stronger with these, and recovery is not a problem just yet...we'll see if I'm singin' a different song by day 30 though...

WOD:
Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1

CFWUx2
Front Squat - 115#/125/135/145/165 (+5#PR)
Deadlift - 225#/275/295/315/335 (+15#PR)

Really felt like I could have gone heavier on both lifts, but since I'm still recovering from a hangover I decided not to push my luck.

Yesterday WOD 012009

HSPU Day 20 - 20 full HSPU (9-7-4)

CFWUx2
Buy-In - Bench 5-5-5 (165, 170, 175PR!)

WOD: Pull-up Variations (Pack Scale)
10 RFT of:
3 Weighted Pull-ups, 35 lbs
5 Strict Pull-ups
7 Kipping Pull-ups

Time: 13:40 (only completed 5 rounds)
Sets: 11

Cash out: OHS Multi 95#x13


This was horrible. As you can see, I only got halfway through the WOD. We got a call, so I had to stop, and by the time we got back I wouldn't have had time to complete it...so I just finished by doing as many OHS as possible w/ 95lbs. This WOD was upsetting though...I can knock out 35 kipping pull-ups, 18 strict, +70lb singles, and 3x5 w/ +40lbs...but I was having a LOT of trouble with this workout. Seems my pull-ups aren't quite as strong as I thought they were, and my grip strength NEEDS work. Oh well, I'll just consider it a learning experience and move on.

It's just like me not to finish things...

but I've come to the conclusion that doing a Starting Strength cycle without doing some of the important things like drinking a gallon of milk a day and eating 7,000 calories a day (I'm just skimming 5,000 as it is...I wouldn't be able to keep down an extra 2,000) won't get me measurable enough results to really make this program worth it on a purely strength-focused level, let alone a bulking-focused one. As usual, Garddawg (Jeff Martin, Brand X) was right...it's better to just stick to CrossFit and I'll get stronger through its constant variation. This routine is already getting boring, anyway...and I haven't done as many MetCons as I planned to, because I've been too focused on getting heavier lifts. I'm sure that's had a negative effect on my endurance. Therefore, I'll be starting back with CF starting tomorrow...and in order to continue getting PR's on my lifts, I'll add ME work and form practice after the WODs. Plus those constant heavy squats are starting to aggravate my back. Soooo...tomorrow will be the re-start of my strict CrossFit adherence!

HSPU Day 19 - 19 done (12-7)

Today, I'm not going to do a whole lot...mostly just to make sure I'm well-rested enough for my attempt at 220x5x3 Back Squat tomorrow.

I will, however, work on various bodyweight skills. These include handstands, crane pose, ab wheel, one-arm pushup (just tried and was successful with both arms!), L-sit, ring dip static hold, and I may try my hand at the Flag (shown at left). Just as with my Ringwork Day, I won't be doing any specific set/rep scheme...just spend time messing around with these various skills.

Yesterday: SS Day 7

HSPU Day 18 - 18 HSPU (8-7-3)

CFWUx2

Squat - 45x5x3, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 220x5, 215x5, 210x4 (falied last rep)
Push Jerk - 45x5x3, 55x5, 65x5, 85x5, 95x5, singles 115, 120, 125, 130, 135
Power Clean (practice) - 45x5x3 hang, 45x5x3 full
Wighted Pull-ups (as many reps as possible +40# 5-5-5-5-5) - 5/4/3/3/3
Weighted Ring Dips 3-3-3-3-3 - 20#, 25, 30, 35, 40

Squat: This was upsetting, but I have a good idea why I wasn't able to finish the last work set at 210#...it is most likely because of a combination of things. First, I haven't really focused as much on recovery as I should. Second, I probably didn't warm up as much as I should have. Third, I was hungry and tired already before starting the workout. So, I'll get more sleep tonight, make sure to eat within two hours of working out, and do a couple extra warmup sets and try for 3 full sets of 220. If I'm not able to manage it, I'll take a little extra time off and start back up on Saturday...or I may just do something different, like Front or Overhead Squats as a sort of back-off workout.

Push Jerk: I love this lift. My form is good, but for some reason I always land with my feet a little too wide so I have to reset for each rep...and that takes a lot of extra energy out of me that I could use to put up a bit more weight. I probably could have gone up at least ten more pounds, but since we don't have bumpers at the station gym I'm a little hesitant to push it to the limit. Anyway, this lift was only a sub for the Press to try to stimulate a little extra growth/strength.


Power Clean: I realized after reading Starting Strength again that my Power Clean form was absolutely horrendous...so I've decided to start from the ground up and practice just the form until I feel I can add weight. I'm having trouble keeping the bar close to my body as I pass the knees, though, since my knobby knees are in the way of the bar's path. If I were to keep the bar in contact with my body until the second pull, I would continually smash it into my kneecaps. I'll have to figure out how to deal with this issue...I may have to suck it up and pay for a coach at the Kansas City affiliate to help me with my form...

Rest Day

HSPU Day 17 - 17 done (9-8)

Much-needed (and earned!) rest day today.

Analyzing my improvements over the last two weeks, I see some areas where I need some serious work still and others that may benefit from some temporary changes.

Squats: are great...perfect form, and I'm still getting stronger. When I do stop improving so quickly I'll throw in a different stimulus (like front squats, overhead squats, etc.) and see if that helps.

Deadlifts: are absolutely perfect and still improving by leaps and bounds. I won't really need to do a whole lot of changing things up to continue getting stronger with this lift. I'll change the set/rep scheme if my progress does happen to slow down.

Bench: is a basic movement and form was easy to redevelop, though I still feel I can do more weight...and my pull strength is still higher and that leaves me out of balance so I need to keep working hard on it.

Press: now this one is frustrating me. I have yet to see any kind of improvement on this lift. So what I'm going to do is introduce a different stimulus for the next couple times I do the workout that includes it. Tomorrow, I'll be doing push jerks. Two workouts later, I'll do 5 sets of 3 reps. Then I'll go back to the 3 sets of 5 reps and see where I'm at then.

Power Clean: I need to do a LOT of work on my form, so I'm going to start from the ground up and completely relearn the lift. That means I won't start gaing heavy on it until I feel like I've improved enough on my form.

Yesterday: SS Day 6

HSPU Day 16 - 16 done (9-7)

Decided to do a little extra yesterday, since today is my rest day...mostly worked on pull-up strength, since I'm trying to work up to a one-arm pull-up.

CFWUx2
Squat - 45x5x3, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 210x5x3
Bench - 45x5x3, 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5x3
Weighted Knee Raises - 25x5, 30x5, 35x5
Plank - 2:00
Russian Twist Empty Bar x10, +25# 10x3
Pull-ups
- Side-to-side - 8x2
- Rope Assists (one hand on bar, one on rope...hand on rope pulls as little as possible) - 3x2/arm
- "Frenchies" (a negative plus three static holds at various angles) - x5

Squat: It appears my improvements may be slowing just a bit, because after adding ten more pounds, i was just barely able to get through the last couple reps of my last work set. Coach Rip says to continue adding ten lbs until you aren't able to get the last couple reps, so I'll keep going up in ten lb intervals for now. I hope I'm not starting to slow down already...but it may just be because I'm taking fewer rest days than Rip suggests. I'll keep going for now, and in about a week I'll go back and reassess my approach.

Bench: Bench strength is still progressing nicely. Hopefully after another two weeks or so, I'll have balanced my bench and pull-up strengths. I completed this one feeling like I still could have done more weight. Then I watched as our Combat Challenge team captain/coach used my work set weight as his warmup weight =/...haha. That just means I'll have to push even harder if I plan on making the team in May.

Everything else I did yesterday was stuff to work on other areas, especially core strength and working toward getting a one-arm pull-up. I'm closer than I thought, but I still have some work to do before I'm able to do that one.

Ringwork!

HSPU Day 15 - 15 donesky (10-5)

Today is a very special day...Ringwork Day! (I haven't officially decided how often I'll do this, but I do want to start adding the occasional day dedicated to ring work and other gymnastic stuffs)

On the rings (various reps and hold times):
L-sit holds
Dips
Jacknives
Push-ups
Skin the cat
V-ups
Ice Cream Maker

Off the rings:
Crane pose
Headstand
Frenchies (pull-up negative holds)

Fun stuff. I'll make a real routine out of it sometime soon. I was just doing a bit of playing today.

Yesterday: SS Day 5

HSPU Day 14 - 14 done (9-5)

CFWUx2

Squat - 45x5x3, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 200x5x3
Press - 45x5x3, 55x5, 75x5, 85x5, 95x5, 110x5x3
Deadlift - 135x5x3, 185x5, 205x5, 225x5, 275x5
Pull-ups - 10x3 (2 sets strict, 1 set kipping)

Squat: Didn't feel good about another 10 lb jump yesterday, but I decided to try to grind though it anyway. Warm-up did nothing but cement my apprehension because I felt gassed before I even started to get close to my work sets. I kept driving through though, and managed to grind out those work sets. Form was a little wonky first three reps on my last work set, but I corrected and managed to squeeze the last two reps out with perfect form. I'll try to add another 10 lbs next workout, but I may have to go with smaller jumps.

Press: This one was upsetting. Warm-up sets went fine, but I planned on moving up to 115 lbs for my work sets. I managed to get it up twice, and then failed on5 the third rep...so I had to move back to 110. Which means no progress. Not happy about that. I'm going to switch it up and do push presses next time, and see if that stimulates growth/strength.

Deadlift: I was incredibly happy with this one. I added 30 lbs from my last workout. My legs were tired from grinding through the squats, though, and I really felt it during my work set. Everyone in the gym stopped and watched, probably because of my screaming each rep (haha, it's pretty motivating) and applauded when I finished my last rep. I'm glad I work out at the station gym, otherwise that might have been enough to get me thrown out of a Globo.

Yesterday: SS Day 4

HSPU Challenge day 12 - 12 HSPU, but not consecutive anymore =/ (9-3)


CFWUx2
Squat - 45x5x2, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 190x5x3
Bench - 45x5x3, 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 155x5, 170x5x3
Good Morning - 45x10x3
Pull-ups - 35x5x2 pull, 35x5x1 chin

Felt good yesterday, and still feel like I can go heavier than I am...though as long as I continue progressing I'm alright with that. I only ended up jumping up 15 lbs. on my squat though. Seemed like 3/4 of the shift was in our tiny little gym, so due to space issues I wasn't able to warm up enough to attempt an extra 20 lbs. Still, I'm satisfied that I could go up 15 and still feel like I could've done more. Bench is progressing more than it ever has before, and so is my pull-up strength, though nowhere as fast.

Rest Day

Yay! Rest day!

HSPU Day 11 - 11 consecutive HSPU! 'Nother new PR!

Later I'll do some yoga, but other than that I'm not doing a damn thing today. Need to recover, because I plan on making an even bigger jump on squats tomorrow.

Yesterday: SS Day 3

Yesterday was HSPU day 10 - 10 consecutive HSPU
I'm damn proud of that. Before I started focusing more on strength and, of course, before I started this challenge I could barely get 95 lbs. over my head, and I couldn't muster more than 6 HSPUs...so that's more proof that this program can work for pure, functional strength!

Anyway, I digress...

CFWUx2

Squat - 45x5x3, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 175x5x3
Press - 45x5x2, 55x5, 75x5, 85x5, 95x5, 110x5x3
Power Clean - 45x5x3 (hang), 95x5 (hang), 105x5 (hang), 115x5 (full), 135x5x3 (full)
Pull-ups - 10x3 (sets 1&2 strict, 3 kipping)

I still feel like I can go heavier on squats...not just because I'm improving and able to add ten lbs. each workout, but I'm just not going heavy enough to begin with. It's a mental barrier that I have to work through. My press strength is building quickly, which is a surprise since I've always had trouble strengthening my shoulders. The power clean needs work. My form is acceptable, but I'm not nearly aggressive enough. Instead of yanking the bar up and dropping under it, I'm trying to pull it up into position without actually trying to get under. Overall I'm pleased with my strength gains after just a week on the program. Hopefully I'll continue to get stronger at this rate for the full three months.

Revisiting Angie

HSPU Challenge Day 9 - 9 consecutive HSPU

CFWUx3

“Angie’s Half Sister”
for time:
50 Pullups
50 Pushups
50 Situps
50 Squats

8:00 flat! New PR!

That was pretty damn intense. I haven't taken that long to recover since Fran. It's officially time to scale up to 3/4 though.

Yoga later. Not sure what routine I'll go with, but I'm definitely waiting until right before bed, otherwise I may not be able to make it through haha...

Starting Strength Day 2

I had to miss the MetCon I planned on doing yesterday due to personal reasons. Luckily I had to go
to the station today anyway, so I knocked out my workout this morning.

HSPU Challenge Day 8 - 8 consecutive HSPU

CFWUx2

Squat - 45#x5x3, 65#x5x2, 85#x5, 95#x5, 135#x5, 165#x5x3
Bench - 45#x5x2, 65#x5, 85#x5, 95#x5, 135#x5, 155#x5, 165#x5x3
Good Morning - 45#x10x3
Heavy Pull-up - +30#x5x3

I'm continuing to do the standard CrossFit warm-up for now, because it works well to get my body significantly warm to start my warm-up sets.

I'm a little intrigued at how imbalanced my body is right now...squatting as much as I bench, but pulling a significant amount more than both. It will eventually even itself out, since I'll get stronger on the squat much faster than I will on the bench, and my pull strength will be the slowest to develop (it's taken me years to get to the point I'm at now...to the detriment of the areas I used to neglect). I just wish I could do the gallon of milk a day, since that would produce optimum results...

Tomorrow will be either a 3/4 Angie or 150 burpees for time, depending on how much time I'll have for it, plus a yoga workout in the evening.

Took some time off and used it to do some thinking....

Now, since my CFT about a week ago, I've realized that I really want to work on getting stronger. Therefore, I'm going to go against the usual CrossFit way for a while and do the whole Starting Strength thing. They say each person is unique and their responses to exercise are all different, so I'm considering this my personal experiment. I may succeed where others have failed.

So here's the lowdown...

I've set up my schedule to take advantage of the gym at the fire station and also incorporated one MetCon workout a week. I'll be doing a 3-on/1-off schedule. Day 1 will be SS workout A (Squat, Press, Deadlift/Power Clean alternate each workout, Pull-ups), Day 2 will be a MetCon that doesn't interfere with my strength gains and recovery (like Angie, anything with a lot of burpees, etc.), once a month I'll replace the MetCon with a 5K, Day 3 will be workout B (Squat, Bench, Good Morning, heavy Pull-ups), and on my Rest Day I'll do yoga. I may also throw in some yoga on MetCon days. I'll try to get as many calories in a day as possible, but I won't be able to do the gallon of milk a day that Coach Rip recommends since my stomach can't handle it. Instead I'll use other dairy products, especially cottage cheese, in its place. I know I won't achieve optimum results that way, but I want strength, not necessarily size.

I'll be doing this for three months.

Yesterday's workout:
HSPU Challenge Day 6 - 6 HSPU

CFWUx2

Squat - 45#x5x3, 65#x5x2, 85#x5, 95#x5, 115#x5, 135#x5, 155#x5x3
Press - 45#x5x2, 55#x5, 75#x5, 85#x5, 95#x5, 105#x5x3
Deadlift - 115#x5x3, 135#x5, 185#x5, 225#x5, 245#x5
Pull-up - 12x3 (sets 1&2 strict, set 3 kipping)