Jan 21 2010 - Double-Under Trouble 2

Oly Practice (all reps w/25kg)

Snatch DL 3 sets of 5 reps

Snatch Jump 3 sets of 3 reps

Snatch Pull 10 sets of 3 reps

GB WOD

25 Hip Bridges (155#)

DL 225#x5, 255#x3, 285#x10 reps

AQAP 5 rounds:

. 15 KB Swings (53#)

. 20 Box Jumps (24")

. 25 Double-unders

Loved the deadlifting, as usual. Overall, the metcon went well, I finished in 14:01. The double-unders, however, gave me fits. I alternate singles and doubles, since I haven't practiced enough to string two doubles in a row. I was able to count my misses on my arm tonight. 19 stripes of shame. (To see the whole arm click the pic.)

Jan 15 2010 - Deadlift

GB WOD:
Hip Bridges 95# x 25 reps
Deadlift 200#x3, 230#x3, 265#x12 reps
3 rounds: (not for time)
. 5 "King" DL per leg
. 50m Broad Jumps (27,28,27 reps)
Max Effort Broad Jump: 7'

Bonus Strength Work
Weighted Chin-ups 26#x5, 35#x5, 44#x5reps

The broad jumps were much easier on my back (compared to broad jumps in previous workouts), most likely due to the fact that I was landing on grass instead of concrete.

Regarding the Wendler 5-3-1 program, I feel much less systemic stress following workouts than on the CrossFit Football program. For example, after a 5 rep max deadlift and CFFB WOD I usually wanted to go directly to sleep. I get what I've termed the deadlift dumb-dumbs, feeling as though I've lost 30 IQ points. This has not been the case with the Wendler lifting I've done this week. Even with the broad jumps, the deadlifts today left me with plenty of energy. They were very hard, especially the last 3 reps, but I haven't felt the systemic effects that I've experienced on the CFFB program.

If I end up gaining strength on the Wendler-style cycle, it will have been great to have done so on less of an IQ drain throughout the week. But I'm worried that the lack of systemic stress means that I'm not getting the same volume of muscle-building hormones released into my body.

I'd love to do an experiment comparing the Wendler-style lifting plan to both the CrossFit Football plan and the Starting Strength novice progression. Unfortunately, there's only one of me and I'm not willing to atrophy after each program to start from the same baseline.

One decision I have arrived at this week is that I'm not doing enough olympic lifting. I have the bar, bumper plates, & shoes, so I'm going to schedule a couple of skill sessions next week, video my lifts, and do some serious form critiques. Stay tuned.

Jan 11 2010 - Wendlerriffic Squats

This is my first day combining both the strength progression and lifting at Get Built. I probably should have started the deadlifts earlier to get a couple more hours of rest between workouts.


Strength
Deadlift 5 rep max (138kg/305#)

3.5 hours Rest

GB WOD
20 Strict Chin-ups
Squat 145# x3reps, 170# x3reps, 195# x17 reps
Reverse Lunges 75# x 12 reps x 2 sets
One-Leg Romanian Deadlifts 75# x 12 reps x 2 sets
Burpee Box Jumps 12 reps x 2 sets

The squats were 60%, 70%, and 80% of my one rep max. Two sets of three reps, then a set for as many reps as possible. Get Built is following the 5-3-1 program by Jim Wendler, a former competitive powerlifter. I'm curious to see how this works.

DEC 30 2009 - Tabata Deadlift

I'm running a day behind the CFFB site, which gave me plenty of time to dread this workout.

Strength
Power Snatch 5 sets of 3 reps (55kg)
Strict Pullups 3 sets for max reps (15,11,12)

Conditioning
Tabata Deadlift at 100kg/225#
8x[20sec DLs for max reps, 10sec rest]
(9,6,6,7,6,6,4,3 = 47 reps)

I used my new weightlifting shoes for the power snatches. They definitely make it easier to get into a deep overhead squat. In fact I think I did my first legitimate full squat snatch during my warm-up sets with 45kg. I wish I'd had it on video, but my camera battery was completely dead. Landing low in the new shoes is still taking some getting used to.

Tabata deadlifts are crazy hard. I'd done them before as part of a DL/burpee Tabata mash-up called "Death by Tabata." That was with 85kg and the relative rest of burpees every other round. By round six today my back was screaming at me (tired, not injured) and it took a lot of effort to keep picking up the bar. Glad of the rest day tomorrow.

DEC 22 2009 - Bench Reunion

My last bench press was sometime in September, so I wasn't sure how today would go. I was, however, very happy to have the opportunity to push more than I can press overhead. I used the equipment at the local YMCA, so my weights are in pounds.

Strength
Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps at 175# (~79kg)
Deadlift 5 Rep Max: 315# for 3 reps (~142kg)

Benching felt good. I'd like to be able to do as much benching as the CF Football site programs. It is a very satisfying movement.

The deadlift concerned me. I didn't expect it to be as hard as it was. What I had forgotten is that at home I have a 25mm bar, while the bar at the Y was either a 28 or 30mm powerlifting bar. The extra grip diamter made holding on difficult. I used a mixed grip (one hand pronated, one hand supinated) and alternated which hand was supinated each rep.

DEC 18 2009 - My First CF FootBall Total

CF FootBall Total:
The total is the combined weight from 1 rep max lifts in each of the following 4 lifts : power clean, back squat, bench press, and deadlift. The lifts are done in that order, with 3 attempts allowed in each lift. Only the best 1RM weight counts toward the total.

Lacking a bench, I substituted the press, which brought down my potential score. On the positive side, I can compare my strength gains to previous CF Totals (squat, press, deadlift) more easily, since that workout uses the press.

Power Clean - 75kg / 165#
Back Squat - 111kg / 245# PR!
Press - 55kg / 121#
Deadlift - 149kg / 328# PR!
Total - 390kg / 859#

I've cleaned 170# before, and pressed 130#. I think my press would have progressed more if I had been able to bench press when the CFFB program called for it. Nevertheless, I'm a lot stronger than I was at the beginning of November, when I started following the CFFB site. On November 1st I squatted a 1RM of 95kg (209#); I'm happy with a 16kg (36#) increase. It's a 15# increase over my previous PR back in April. The deadlift is a 13# increase over my previous PR, also from April.

I'm pleased with the effect that CrossFit Football has had on my body, and will stick with the programming once I return from Christmas travels. Blog posts may be sporadic until the first week of January. Thanks for following, and have a merry Christmas!

DEC 15 2009 - Double Trouble

Strength
Strict Chin-ups 3 sets for max reps

Conditioning
5 rounds As Quickly As Possible
. 7 Deadlifts (115kg)
. 21 Double-Unders

I was ready for the double-unders to give me fits. During my warm-up I did several sets, made some adjustments to the rope length, and began cussing. I couldn't seem to string more than two double-unders together without tangling the rope. Oddly, they went pretty smotthly during the workout. Maybe double-unders are like jokes, the more I think about them, the worse I perform.

The original prescription for thw deadlifts was 315 pounds, which is the heaviest I've ever lifted for one rep. I scaled to just over 80% of my most recent 5 rep max. It was heavy enough that I spent slightly more time on deadlifts than double-unders. Total workout time - 18:11.

DEC 01 2009 - Need Help Counting

A condition I refer to as the deadlift dumb-dumbs set in almost immediately. I have my deadlift 5 rep max very close to my past personal best. As soon as I set down the 5th rep I was overcome by a desire to go to bed. No shower, no stretching, certainly no conditioning workout. But I settled for 5 minutes of laying on the floor, then geared up for a big, heaping serving of power cleans & push-ups. The amount of reps decreased by one in each set. I used to know the mathematical formula for figuring the total number of reps, but it eluded me tonight. Thankfully, my lovely assistant handled the counting.

Deadlift 5 rep max
Rest
As Quickly As Possible: Alternate sets of Power Cleans and Push-ups
. PwrCLN - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
. Push-ups - 20,19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11

I used 55kg for the power cleans, and finished in 14:22. Out of curiosity I used Catalyst Athletics' on line power calculator and found that I averaged 122 watts for the conditioning workout.

NOV 28 2009 - "Death By Tabata"

Another fearsome named WOD!

Alternating Tabata intervals of Deadlift (85kg) and Burpees for max reps.
8x[20 sec DL, 10 sec rest, 20 sec Burpees, 10 sec rest] for a total of 8 minutes.

Crushing workout! I was pooped after this one. 106 total reps.

NOV 24 2009 -

Here's video of the first two reps of my deadlift. My butt rises a half second before the bar moves. This means my starting position is not right. Heavy deadlifts are great for pointing out flaws in technique. The bar doesn't come off the ground until you get it right. I'm in the habit of a more upright back from pulling cleans and snatches. But when it gets heavy, you have to be in an efficient position. Bar over the mid-foot, shoulders just in front of the bar, back set, chest up, and butt no lower than the tight torso dictates. If you pause the video right when the bar starts up, that's what you'll see. So all the movement before that is inefficient.



Deadlift 5 rep Max (129kg)
3 sets Pullups for Max Reps (13,10,9)
REST
As Quickly As Possible:
. 20 Thrusters (45kg)
. 100m Sprint
. 15 Thrusters
. 100m Sprint
. 10 Thrusters
. 100m Sprint
. 5 Thrusters
. 100m Sprint

The deadlift reps were HARD. If I can keep progressing on CF Football's linear progression I'll be back to setting PRs in a month. I'm looking forward to the chance to try a one rep max the next time the CFFB Total comes around.

I don't have dumbbells capable of holding 23kg each, so I used 45kg on the barbell. I missed out on some coordination & balance components in the workout, but was happy I got to go heavy. Not during the workout, of course. Any day that includes both deadlifts and thrusters is difficult. But it's great programming. If my nutrition and rest are dialed in, I can't help but get stronger in a hurry.

My finisher today was Tabata knees-to-elbows.
For knees-to-elbows hang from the pullup bar and touch knees to elbows. Try to keep from swinging. It's great for the abs & back.
Tabata intervals are 8x[20sec work, 10sec rest].
I got a total of 55 reps, spread between 8 and 6 reps.

NOV 17 2009 - Discovering Weaknesses, Day 2

Yesterday forced me to address my jumprope skill deficiency. Today the problem was my whole left side. I'm right handed, so the left arm thrusters in the workout were a huge challenge.

Deadlift 5 Rep Max (125kg)

Max Rep Pullups 3 sets on 2 minutes of rest between sets (15,13,11)

Rest

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 minutes:

1 Round = [15 Right-arm KB Thrusters (20kg), 15 Left-arm Thrusters, 106 yard sprint]

Just to review, a thruster is a squat with a press at the top. You stand up, holding a weight in your hands, and push it all the way overhead. Moving the weight quickly through such a long range of motion is great for developing functional strength and power. Today the CrossFit Football site prescribed single-arm thrusters, which required me to balance a kettlebell on my shoulder and press it overhead. It was hard work for my right arm, but also a constant fight for balance with my left. I dropped the kettlebell a couple times, and was drenched in sweat by the end. Here's the sweat angel I left on the mat.

I managed 6 full rounds plus 15 R-arm thrusters and 15 L-arm thrusters.

To give yourself a glimpse of how much harder this workout was than traditional barbell thrusters try brushing your teeth with your less dominant hand tonight. It's maddening how alien a familiar activity can become when done with the other hand.

NOV 10 2009 - Rain Sprints

I did this workout in the rain in the dark, running through puddles. At least I stayed warm from all the hard work.

Deadlift up to a 5 Rep Max (119kg)
Rest
10 rounds As Quick As Possible:
5 Power Cleans (55kg)
5 V-pushups
50m Sprint

The workout posted on CrossFit Football called for powercleans at 75% of bodyweight. I weigh 70kg, which means I should have been lifting 52kg, but I don't have the right plates for that. On the other hand, the prescribed workout called for handstand push-ups, which I can't do yet. I substituted V-pushups. I put my feeet on a 24" tall box, my hands on the ground about 3 feet in front of the box, and bent my body into a V so that my torso was almost vertical. (I'll add a pic tomorrow.)
I thought the workout might take a really long time, so I imposed a cut-off time of 16 minutes to keep from losing intensity. Well, I finished in 15:01.

NOV 05 2009 - Correcting My Press

Here's a side view of my press lockout position. Note that the bar is NOT directly over my head. There is a vertical line between the bar (where I'm gripping it), my shoulders, and my feet. As viewed from the side, at least some of the lifter's ear should be visible in front of the arm. Locking out fully in the press means pinching your shoulder blades together and shruging your shoulders up to your ears. However, I'd like my head in a more neutral position: head in line with the spine. I have a tendency to tilt my head forward when I pinch my shoulder blades together in back. Avoid that, but get the bar shrugged all the way up. That last 1/4 inch of height on the bar provides a lot of benefit for your shoulder health by balancing the strength around your shoulder girdle. You can prevent a lot of rotator cuff issues and postural problems by pressing all the way to a full, shrugged-shoulder lockout.

Apparently the heavy set of five deadlifts and seven weighted pullups a couple days ago wasn't enough for the guys at CF Football. Today there were more waiting for me in the conditioning set.

Squat 3 sets of 5 reps

Press 3 sets of 5 reps

Rest

As Quickly As Possible:

10 Deadlifts, 10 Pullups,

9 Deadlifts, 9 Pullups,

8 Deadlifts, 8 Pullups,

7 Deadlifts, 7 Pullups,

6 Deadlifts, 6 Pullups,

5 Deadlifts, 5 Pullups,

4 Deadlifts, 4 Pullups,

3 Deadlifts, 3 Pullups,

2 Deadlifts, 2 Pullups,

1 Deadlift, 1 Pullup.

I squatted 66 kg because I forgot to put a 1 kg plate on the right side. It felt a little unbalanced, but I thought it was because I had not centered the bar on my back. Oops. I pressed 37 kg. For the deadlifts in the conditioning sets I lifted 75 kg, which is less than the 150% of my bodyweight (I'm 70 kg) that CFFB prescribed. But it seemed about right - it was heavy enough that I had to break up the set of 9 and take two breaths, but light enough that I kept good form on all but two of the 55 reps. I'd really like to do this workout again in a few weeks. Pullups were definitely my limiting factor. Again. I broke them into sets of three on the first set. Then singles by the third set. ARRRRRGH!

Well, that's why I'm training. I'll get my set of 33 unbroken pullups on my birthday.

NOV 03 2009 - Weighted Pullups

Today was a heavy lifting day; no conditioning work.

Snatch: work up to a heavy single rep
Clean & Jerk: work up to a heavy single rep
Deadlift: work up to your 5 Rep Max
Weighted Pullups: seven attempts to work up to a 1 Rep Max

I snatched 55kg, C&J'd 65kg, deadlifted 115 kg, and got a 20kg + body weight pullup.