Jan 10 2010 - Scared of Letting Go

Strength
Power Snatch worked up to 55kg/121# for 2 singles
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (107kg/235#)
Press 3 sets of 5 reps (39kg/86#)

Since I've been making good progress on my squats, I want to keep at it. On the other hand, I'm excited to do conditioning with the crossfitters down the hill. Mixing two programs is usually a pretty bad idea. But I can't let go of the strength gains I'm making yet. This means I'll have to pay a little more attention to my recovery. We'll see how well it works.

I've still got a delay between driving my hips up and lifting my chest. This causes me to have a pretty horizontal back angle. Anyone jogging by has my permission to shout "chest up" if they see me doing this again.

Jan 08 2010 - Transition

Happy birthday to me! Well, it's not really my birthday, but a kind and caring couple has given me an early present - a gym membership! Not only is the gym warmer than my front porch, it's run by CrossFit trainers! So I'll be shifting my programming to take advantage of the warmth, both physical and emotional, that comes from working out with the group of crossfitters at Get Built Chattanooga. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

GBC WOD:

Overhead Squats 95# x 21 reps
Bench 115# x 5, 135# x 5, 155# x 17

As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 minutes:
1 Round =
. 5 Hang Power Snatches (75#)
. 7 Overhead Squats (75#)
. 9 Hang Power Cleans (75#)

Those who despise or are confused by the metric system will be happy to know that I'll be back to expressing most of my lifting in pounds. The exception will be any supplemental lifting I do on my front porch.

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 24 2009 - New Shoes!

Thanks to a family member's travel plans we got to open Christmas presents early. (Thanks Courtney!) What was waiting in that shiny box for yours truly? A brand new pair of Rogue Do-Win size 10s! (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

I got to play with my new shoes at the local YMCA, since it is a facility enlightened enough to have bumper plates and rubber flooring. I put 40kg on the bar and pulled a trial squat clean and promptly pitched forward and dropped the weight. Grrr. Second try I overcompensated and almost fell on my butt. I pushed the weight out front and stepped back to save myself the indignity of winding up on my back under the bar. But really, 0 for 2? I tried a few more squat cleans before realizing that I wasn't going to be able to put up any serious weight today.

I played around with power cleans and worked up to a 70kg power clean & jerk. Next I tried power snatches and overhead squats. Again, my balance was off for the overhead squats. At least I was ready for it.

After 30 minutes of play, I'm really happy with the shoes. The power transfer through my shoes felt solid on all the pulls. I just have to work on the new landing platform and adjust my balance. I recommend that anyone lifting in new shoes take a couple sessions to work on balance at really light practice loads before trying to lift heavy in them. After a few more sessions in the new clogs I'll post a full review.

DEC 17 2009 - Snatches & Sprints

Strength
Power Snatch 5 sets of 3 reps (51kg)

Conditioning
20 x 40m Sprints (on 20 sec rest)

This was a pretty light day by CrossFit Football standards. There's rumors of a CF Football Total tomorrow, so I'm avoiding any extra exercise and saving my energy for tomorrow.

DEC 12 2009 - Gardening and Roller Derby

Conditioning
5 rounds As Quickly As Possible
. 3 Power Snatches (75% 1 Rep Max)
. 6 Ball Slams (40# ball)
. 9 Ring Dips
. Rest 45 sec

Compared to the power cleans yesterday, the snatches were much more smooth. The rest period after each round let me push through a little harder. The dips were the sticking point yet again. They got hard after the first round, which was sooner than I expected. I used 45kg for the power snatches and a 20kg kettlebell for the ball slams. The kettlebell left some decent-sized craters in the flower bed.

This evening I got to see Chattanooga's roller derby gals at their first home bout - an exhibition event drawing a crowd of about a thousand. It was good fun. Looked like the gals were working hard and having fun smashing each other up. The rules are still a bit beyond me, but it looks like the female equivalent of hockey, in that fighting is an encouraged part of the game.

DEC 04 2009 - Runnity-Run-Run

Strength:
Power Snatch 5 sets of 3 reps (49kg)
Strict Chin-ups 3 sets for max reps (14,8,8)

Conditioning:
8x 200m Sprints on 2:30 rest

I tried the first set of power snatches at 55kg, but it was too heavy. Once I learn enough technique to get all the way under the bar in a full overhead squat I think I'll have no problem with that weight. But for now, it was too much to lift 15 times.

I did as many chest-to-bar chin-ups as I could before resorting to chin-over-bar. For some reason I find it easier to get strict chin-ups (palms facing me) chest-to-bar, than strict pullups (with palms facing away). Thinking back on it, I'm curious if it has to do with different grip width on the bar, range of motion from the wrist rotation, or different muscle involvement. Any guesses?

The sprints workout was more running than I'd done in a while. It totaled a mile. I ran up hill from my house 200m (each took between 41 and 44 seconds), and walked back for the next one. The return walk usually took about 2:15. I don't think it was the best rest pattern. I would have gained more benefit if I had lied down or sat for 2 minutes, but the workout took 25 minutes as it was, and more rest would have cut into my supper time. I could have rested at the far end of my sprint, and run the even sprints downhill, but I don't really care for downhill sprints. It's harder on my joints and gravity is doing most of the work.

It was interesting to note how long I could go all-out. It was only about 120 meters. After that my leg cadence slowed noticeably. I was able to keep my speed up longer towards the middle of the workout, once I focussed on it. Then I began decelerating sooner as I fatigued. Makes sense, but it was good to feel, so that I know to watch for it in others.

NOV 20 2009 - Power Snatch

I felt much more comfortable about today's workout, compared to yesterday's. I've been working on my Oly lifts as part of my warm up, so I knew roughly what to expect. But the Olympic lifts aren't familiar to everyone, so here's a quick & dirty explanation of the exercise, and a vid.

In the Snatch, the athlete must lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one fast movement. The Power Snatch is a type of snatch in which the bar is caught overhead while the athlete is not in a full squat. In the video, you can see my hips are above my knees the whole time. Although my arms support the bar, the majority of the force is generated by an explosive hip extension.


3 sets of Chin-ups for max reps (15,11,12)
Rest
3 Power Snatches on the minute, every minute, for 15 minutes (45 total reps)

CFFB recommended using 70-80% of your heaviest power snatch for this workout. I'd say that if you're new to the power snatch, you can probably stick to right around 80%. I'm pretty sure some technique flaws are keeping me from having a heavier snatch, so I opted for 45kg (81% of my 55kg max). However, if you're brand new to heavy lifting, then strength may be a limiter, so those folks should stay closer to the 70% range.

NOV 12 2009 - Slightly More Solid Squats

Strength work today went well. The depth is good and I feel like I was a little better at controlling my back angle in the bottom of the squats. But here's a vid so you can judge for yourself.



Well, maybe not. Reps #2 & 3 are good, but in #4 & 5 my hips come up first and I lean forward.

Presses were OK, though I felt some imbalance between my right and left arms. I wonder if I got one hand farther out when I shifted my grip after the clean.

The conditioning workout was a bear! I was breathing hard and shedding clothes in no time. The CrossFit Footbal folks have nailed the art of intensity. Doing two sets of the gymnastics movements instead of one big set of 6/12/18 kept me moving the whole time. Wicked.

Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (71kg)
Press 3 sets of 5 reps (41kg)
Rest 6 minutes
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 minutes:
1 Round = 3 Power Snatches (45kg) + 2 sets: [3 Pullups, 6 Pushups, 9 Box Jumps]

I finished 6 rounds and missed the seventh by 5 box jumps.