TGU as prescribed…by the physician

Definitely had sore shoulders and chest from the small amount of push-ups I did yesterday. The gears are rusty, for sure. Today I started with 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer, because I wasn’t sure if I would get a walk today (I’m not–the weather is a little threatening and I have to make dinner for my parents, who are going to Nepal for two weeks). I got 574 calories, if those things can be trusted.

Having soaked my tee-shirt, I went down to the main floor and did knees-to-elbows, or what ended up being curling my legs up while hanging from the squat rack. I did 5-5-4-4 of these. My abdominal muscles are so very very tight. It’s not even that it hurts the incision, it’s just feels as if my abs are 2/3 the length they were before. I did a yoga bridge to be sure after my workout and that’s exactly how it feels. Tight tight tight. Then again, they sustained quite an injury. Anyway, I continued on to Turkish get-ups. I did five on each side with a 10# dumbbell. Even though I’m not allowed to lift, they have been telling me “nothing heavier than the baby,” who is now right around ten pounds. Turns out that was a good amount of weight. Getting up on one leg in the lunge was the hardest part.

I finished by stretching, which is another deficit right now: flexibility. I may still be sore tomorrow, even after that amount. Blank slate, Julie. Blank slate.

1st Time Low-Bar Back Squat

I tried a low bar back squat for the first time ever today. I don’t know what to think. I also brought my feet closer together and went down further. I lost quite a bit off of my 5RM, 20# to be exact. Here’s what it ended up being:

45×5 (warm up)
95×5
115×5
125×5
135×5
145×5
145×5

165 is my 5RM on the high-bar back squat, but I frequently do have at least some back pain after doing it and I understand the physics behind saving your back by doing a low bar back squat. But it is a brand new way of doing it after almost a year of doing it high bar so it’s going to take some getting used to. It’s also quite the shoulder work out, because when you do a low-bar back squat, you have to keep your shoulders really tight and squeezed together because that’s what keeps the weight up.

I went on to a little bit of Turkish get-up with a 30# DB but only did two sets of five on either side before my hip told me no more. I actually dumped on the last rep and had to start over again. I finished up with 60 lunges overhead in three sets of 20, the first set with a 25# bumper plate and the last two with a 45# bumper plate. Don’t let anyone convince you that this is an easy exercise. This one is all about core stability and keeping your elbows locked out overhead and your shoulders squeezed into your ears. I foam rolled when I was all done and although my legs are starting to feel better, I definitely still have some tender spots on my quads.

The Video

The weekend video is done (courtesy of my man)! So here I am with my buddies (I’m the one flailing around; they’re the ones actually succeeding):

I just wish I had been able to make it look easy (it wasn’t).

Anyway, I started today with my 5×5 OHS, 65-75-80-80-85. I greased the groove in between with pull-ups. I went on to a turkish get-up, which I haven’t done in a while. It’s a great exercise. I did 5-5-5-5-5-5 alternating right and left with a 30# DB. I finished with 100 60 burpees for time and got 7:50. I would have loved to have done 100 but my form was getting really, really bad. I need to start interspersing them into WODs. Tomorrow I may wear the vest.

Attention Deficit Disorder

I was total ADD at the gym today. Although the globo was crowded, I managed to get the Oly platform where I wasted no time in snatch practice. I started with a straight 45# snatch balance 3×5. These get better with repetition for sure. By the third set, I was pretty solid in dropping under the bar. I then went on to 5×5 hang snatch, which was:

45×5
45×5
55×5
60×5
65×5

It’s hit or miss with these. Sometimes I am dropping under the bar, sometimes I just feel like I’m whipping it up in front, which I know is wrong. The snatch is difficult.

At that point, I just couldn’t decide what to do. I started running, but my knee started to hurt, then I wandered around trying to figure out what to do. I finally did TGUs with a 30# dumbell, 5-4-3-2-1 in each hand, which is a new record for weight. I’m not quite up to the 1-pood KB yet, but that’s my next short-term goal. Which reminds me, I managed another intermediate Level II benchmark today (barely) of 30 push-ups in a row. So that’s good at least.

Deadlift/TGU

I did a 5×5 dead lift today, but was below my 5-rep max. Oh well; I think my form was pretty good though:

95×5 (warm-up)
115×5 (warm-up)
135×5
145×5
155×5
165×5
175×5

I then went on to do Turkish Get-Up for a total of 30, broken into sets of five with a 25# kettle bell. All in all, a solid day.

In Soviet Russia, Kettlebell Cleans You!!!

Today I decided to deadlift, 5×3. I have to think about form because I am too straight-kneed at the bottom per Clea, which means I am lowering the weight around my knees. Fine on the way up, not on the way down. So I tried to think about that today:

95×5 (warm-up)
115×5 (warm-up)
135×4 (warm-up)
145×3
155×3
165×3
175×3
185×3

Not bad. Over my BW on the last one. I then ended with Turkish Get-Up with a 25# KB. I do these in the ladies only room at the globo and get some weird looks, but I think that’s because when I’m done I curl up into the fetal position and whimper quietly to myself. I did a total of 30 on each side, broken down into sets of five. Then I ended with 10-9-8-5-4-3-3-3 of push-ups on what pass for pathetic parallettes, which are the foot thingies on the dip station. Not a bad day. Finally starting to come around after the Filthy Fifty.

Dead Lift & TGUs

I was back in CFI today after a month(!) away. It was good to be back. Today we started with a 5×5 dead lift, which was, for me:

95×5 (warm up)
135×5
155×5
165×5
175×5
185×5

185 is my new 5-rep max and it was not easy. Clea did some corrections on my dead lift that got me engaging my quads more, which was interesting and helpful, but takes some getting used to. We ended on Turkish get ups, 10 per side, which was a 25# kettle bell for me. I did 10 in a row on each side.

On the Road: Travel WOD 14

I am in Baltimore until Saturday for a conference, but luckily the hotel has a “fitness room.” Fitness rooms in hotels are always sort of a hit or miss proposition. I got lucky on this one because it has a treadmill and a selection of dumbbells. So I started with 10 Turkish get-ups per side of 20#. Then, I went on to a scaled version of Travel WOD 14, which is, for time, three rounds of:

-800m run
-50 squats
-50 sit-ups

I did two rounds, which was plenty, at 15:27. I like this WOD and will probably do it at home too.

Power Endurance

Today’s prescription was:

-Dynamic Warm-up (I did this plus double-under practice)
-Turkish Get-Up. Didn’t say how many to do, so I did eight per side with a 20# kettle bell, which is five pounds more and one rep than I last did.
-10 minutes of ball-up. After copious internet searching, I finally came to the conclusion that a ball-up is the same thing as knees-to-elbows, so I just did as many as I could until I couldn’t do even one. I wish my globo had chalk. I really do.
-10 minutes of handstands. Ooh! OOH! Had a breakthrough here today! I came off the wall for the first time and did these free-standing, rolling out on each one. I can only hold it for a few seconds, but squee!!

Then came a running metcon, so I had to leave the globo and drive to the high school track, which is the only place I like(?) to run because it’s made out of rubber, and thus very springy. The WOD was three rounds for time of:

-400m run
-30 DB thrusters.

I only have two dumbbells and they weigh 25# each, which for me is a lot, so I scaled this WOD back to 15 thrusters and trust me, it was plenty hard. As much as I hate to run, this WOD gave me the opportunity to benchmark my 400m time, which is 1:39, a mere five seconds slower than the Level II benchmark. Anyway, I finished the WOD in 9:50.

All in all, a pretty good day.

New Rowing PR/Dip breakthrough

I had another embarrassing Crossfit moment today. I fell off of the seat of the Concept 2 Rower and onto the i-beam. I laughed at myself and thought, thank God I’m not a boy. I started with a very slow 2,000m row to warm up (8:33 or something, but I made sure the damper was on 10), then set the machine for 500m and went for it, with a time of 1:42! That puts me below the men’s time at level 2. It did take a while to recover from that.

Then I did five sets of five overhead squats 45-55-55-55-55, which is still sucky, so I need to start doing them every day again, like I used to. Then dead lifts, which is another thing I haven’t done in a while and need to do more, but I did notice a minor improvement, doing five sets of five: 95-115-125-135-135. I had another breakthrough today, doing three unassisted dips, which was great. Then 15-pound kettle bell Turkish get-ups, seven per side. I am trying to increase by one each time. Then finishing with double-under practice (wooden floor this time). My short-term goal is to do three in a row. Then finishing with handstand push-ups.

What I’ve noticed about the Crossfit embarrassing moments thread is that the incidents mostly fall into one of five categories:

1.) Ripping one’s pants during some kind of wide-stance squatting exercise
2.) Flying off the bar/hitting head during kipping pull-up
3.) Farting
4.) Dropping weight on self
5.) Hitting sensitive areas on the way up during clean, snatch, thruster, etc.

Actually, I’ve done #5 as well: the first time I ever did a clean, I hit myself in the boobs. That was embarrassing. Hopefully bad things happen in threes.