Oh man, where to start... first, the laptop I normally do this on, is a brick again, I've been without a platform for a few days and I've had 3 workouts... really you can probably call it 4, in the last 3 days. Pretty epic for me. Getting stronger physically, but also mentally. I find I'm able push myself through things I that would have stopped me before. Pretty cool stuff really. Apologies in advance for any grammar errors, I'm writing this monster in one sitting.
Lets go back to Sunday. The plans for today were to do WOD 2 for the Lurong challenge. I wasn't sure when that was going to happen (5 or 6 pm) and when I got there, Weldy said he was going to do the WOD with the class, then we could do the Lurong one. Perfect. I had made the decision maybe 2 hours earlier that I was going to try and get 2-1 of the squat cycle started, looks like I'll get that chance now.
I'm writing this off of what seems like distant memories now, but 2-1 was miles better than 1-1. The back squats are by far my least favorite thing. I need to work on getting something to think about during this stuff, take my mind of my growing dislike. :) At some point during the back squats, Adrian and Linz showed up for the 6pm EST Barbell Club, they brought dinner and were at the front eating it. I was too lazy to walk over and ask, so I yelled (over the music) across the box (the WOD was going on outside) to Adrian. I asked/told him to make sure I was squatting correctly. Not stopping short or doing anything crazy. Never heard a peep. :) He later told me that it's day and night from the first squats he saw me doing. I won't call it amazing growth in that 3 months, but it's pleasing to know I've gotten (apparently) a lot better.
Linz later told me about my chest dropping... something I notice, but can't always catch or prevent...yet. I got my squats (front and back) done as the WOD was winding down outside. Weldy is gassed, I'm dying... we're going to wait a few minutes before doing the Lurong. I really feel like the days of front and back squatting in a cycle, can be a workout in and of themselves. IT's something between 40 and 50 squats. Combine that with all the stretching to make sure I don't get messed up... and then I'm going to turn around and do this AMRAP for Lurong... to me it feels like two WODs. Maybe I'm just being a baby.
Lurong 2 is a simple WOD. Ascending weight going ground to overhead, descending reps. In-between each set of g2o, 7 burpees. I'm sticking with level 1 (of 3). I can do the other ones, but in the spirit of doing it right, I stuck with 1 because it allowed stepping over the bar for burpees. I didn't, but I figure doing it at level 1 is the right one because I'm not stepping over the bar. Burpees are hard enough for me without having to move after each one. LOL... I need to stop being "lazy" about that part. The g2o's were easy, started with a 20lb med ball, then a 45lb bar, then with weight. The burpees slayed my time. I'm getting better (and faster) at the dang things, but they still slow me down... I wont go into the suffering, it was only 9 minutes of agon... I mean glory. Got to 1 rep of the 4th round, barely. I expect to be into the burpees of the 4th round next go round in 8 weeks (or whenever we test again).
Alright, so that was Sunday. Tired, sweaty, stinky Sunday. Monday was a non WOD day. Had the whole laptop fiasco at work, got a flu shot for work (it's that or wear a pink mask when I'm in the office). Just a run down feeling day. I was tired when I got back to the room, got my gear ready, and was OUT at like 8-830. 930 comes around, and I'm awake... like just took a nap awake, I was going to be up for a while. This sucks. Why you ask? Great question. I've made plans/commitments to be a CrossFit Unlocked tomorrow at 0545 am... another AM class. I ended up finally getting back to sleep around 0200... yeah, it was like that.
Bleary eyed, I got in the car and started going to Unlocked. Yaaaawn bro. I got there, and it was spectacular. First one on site, and I got out of the car early and got out and did a little star gazing. I "grew up" in a small town in Kansas. I was fortunate enough to live a little bit in the country, and got to see a fantastic sky at night. This was a little bit better (even fewer lights). Today was going to be a good day. Slowly a few more cars get there, and Brian unlocked (haha) the box and everyone started stretching/warming up. These Delaware folks are hearty people, but they're also a bit soft. Half of them have warm-ups or heavier jackets on. It's not that cold yet sissies! I kid.
This is going to be my 2-2 (OHS day) for the squat cycle. This piece is easier than the front/back days. It's going to fit in well in their WOD as they are doing week 3 of their snatch (or clean?) cycle. It's supposed to be the same setup as last time except with weight and not just the bar... again, with my laptop being down, I don't know for sure what I'm supposed to be doing, I'm going off of memory. Same setup as before, weight doing 1 less than max twice, and then going max effort. It didn't take long. Kinda embarrassed really, and maybe it was the lack of sleep? I went 6-4-9. These are the kind of numbers I'm expecting... I'm better than that.
The rest of the WOD was a burner. 12 minute EMOM of 5 power snatches, 7 push press, 9 back squats. So basically 4 rounds of those movements. Not being able to change weights quickly, I elected (with Brian Deleon's expert guidance) to go with 75#. The snatch is the weakest link here... I'm sure it was ugly while doing it too... and snatches...ug. Of all the movements that gas me when trying to do weights as cardio, this is the worst. In the end that 75lbs was the right call. The snatches were hard but fair, the push presses, I tried to work on making them a push, then press, rather than a strict press with a dip drive, the back squats were a pain... I really am getting tired of squatting. :P At the end of the EMOM, I'm sucking down air, trying to breath again. 3 minutes of rest is all I'm going to get. Seems there is more work to do.
5-4-3-2-1 of hang clean thrusters. On the -'s, do 2 wall walks. Are you kidding me? Everyone in the box kept the same weight for this... and I'm glad I did too. I thought about bumping it up, probably would have been a mistake. I didn't do particularly well with this stuff. I'm feeling the lack of sleep at this point...that is to say I'm tried. My hang cleans weren't hang cleans, at least not all of them. Ended up being more hang power clean into a thruster. And even those weren't very explosive. The set of 2, I recall one of them being a very slow strict movement. HAHA. I mean it was a sloooow front squat into a slooooow strict press. Zero speed in that one. I recall setting that bar down and chastising myself as I went over for the last 2 wall walks... and we're not going to talk about those. I'm further up the wall than before, but I didn't make any movements towards getting vertical on any of them. It was all I could do to get up on the wall and get my head through my shoulders on these. The last hang clean thruster was actually pretty good... I was all in and very mental about it.
Sweaty mess. This was a good workout...they usually are here at Unlocked. Of all the boxes, I feel like I leave here in the best shape mentally. It seems like it's always an asskicking, but I leave ready for the next one. CFDS is like this too, but it's just different... maybe it's that country air in Georgetown?
Speaking of CFDS, guess what else I did yesterday. I did my first two-a-day. Morning WOD at Unlocked, evening WOD at Diamond State. What are you thinking son? No idea, but I'd already committed to it, lack of sleep or not. As soon as I was able to leave the office, I was out and on the road. I got in and changed as quickly as possible... apparently my social media footprint is bigger in DE than anywhere else. Several folks were commenting on my mental state, doing 2 WODs in the same day. LOL. Lets get it!
14.4 is the WOD for CFDS. I had texted Andy on Monday, told him I was probably going to try a 2 WOD day, and asked if he could watch the programming and make sure it wasn't too similar. "no problem". Yeah, 14.4 is pretty well not what I did this morning... After getting the car ride stretched out of me, we did some push press for the strength. My man Dustin and I teamed up to share a stand. Since this isn't a partner WOD, I don't have to worry about it teaming up with him on this ;) I don't recall what weight we did... 125 I think, which might be near, or may even be my last recorded 1RM... The strength part was supposed to be 80% of your 1RM in an EMOM of 2 reps. Dustin and I worked up to this weight, and it was impossible, heavy, sure, but not a max (anymore :D). We motored through it. I was second for this, and at the end, Dustin was like "aww, looks like you could do 10 of those". So after two, I put up number three...and I thought about hitting 10, but he was already laughing and I couldn't keep going without laughing...and any time I laugh... I'm done with weights. Happens every time. LOL.
The main event has arrived. 14.4. There are enough people that we break it up into 3 waves. I got wave 2. For those of you who didn't click the link to 14.4, it's a 60 cal row, 50 toes to bar, 40 wall balls, 30 power cleans, 20 muscle ups. It's and 14 minute AMRAP, so you could conceivably go 2, maaaaaybe 3 rounds if you're ungodly athletic. Maybe that would be godly instead? *shrug*
Wave 1 gets started on the rowers... they're getting a 5 minute head start. 60 calories usually takes 3-4 minutes for most people. I did 64 I think in the first Lurong challenge which was a max calorie row in 4 minutes... so I know where I fall. While they've started, I made the courageous (remember, lack of sleep and 2nd WOD) decision to use a 20lb wall for these. I've been using 14's and 10's for a while, it allows me to go faster. I didn't put the 135 on the bar for the cleans... I didn't think I could do it... the day after (today), I think I should have. Oh well.
In the (I'm sure copyrighted) words of Bruce Buffer...."Iiiiiiiiittttttssss TIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMEEEEE!" Strap into the rower, and away I go. I try to keep good form, straight back, straight line in, legs then arm extension... I did an ok job of it, at times breaking badly... rounded back, over pulling, etc. Even stopped a few times to catch my breath. I took every bit of that 3-4 minutes. Was actually the fist one of my wave off the rowers, didn't pay any attention to them after that, but I was first...made me feel a little better about hitting 4 minutes. The toes to bar... I may have to start trying knees to elbows soon... still a lot of belly in the way, but it might be time to at least attempt that. I broke every set of these 50 into 5's. My quads hurt. I could feel them, particularly in the right leg with every lift. I feel like I lost a little time here, but my hands were hurting a bit today, and with my legs crying like babies with every rep, I went as fast as I could.
Wall balls... MEIN GOTT! I hit these as hard as I could. I can't remember if I did 5 or 10 unbroken for the first set, I think it was just 5... and I did the rest in sets of 5...again. A few times I had to just drop the ball and walk away. 20 lbs was a bad idea for time, but I think it was the right call. I struggled mightily to get done, but I feel like it was some of the best form I've ever had doing wall-balls. That's a pretty big deal to me. 20's normally bring my chest down and I do terrible with them. Yay! Towards the end, my 5 in a row's were really like 1-1-1-1-1, I just didn't drop the ball. HAHA. #movingon
I'm toast now, happily done with wall balls and on to the cleans. These got ugly in a hurry. Earlier I had watched parts of 14.4 being done by games athletes... and they were dropping the bar every rep. Must have stuck, because that's what I started off doing. Somewhere in there, I did 3 in a poor man's touch and go. LOL! I'm laughing because one of them, I pretty much just dropped the bar without letting go, and rode it right to the ground. I'm sure it looked bad, but I whipped it right back up... sorry, it was just a funny mental picture. Around number 10, my quads were screaming no more! I'm pretty sure I did two in a row with close to straight legs. I hear Andy somewhere behind me telling me to get my butt down... he sounded so far away. 40 seconds left, butt down, lift, drop, breath. Again! 20 seconds. Again! 10 seconds. Grab the bar, butt down, lift, drop, TIME!
My goodness. It's over, my quads....my poor poor quads. I wanted to fall over... or sit down, yes, sit down... I give a couple of fives, fist bumps, and then I sit for a good 20 seconds... oh the relief. It's short lived, wave 3 is still going, time to go cheer them on as I was cheered. These two young cats were struggling...probably looked just like I looked a minute ago... Laaawd I need work. We cheered, clapped, and motivated wave 4 till that clock hit 0:00. Great job everyone! Now the exhausted high fives, fist bumps, low fives, can't get up fives... it's all going round while we clean up. It was good to see and workout with these people again....these people...my peoples. It's always good to be at my CrossFit home.
I did better than I thought I was going to do... and part of that is due to the motivation provided by others, and part of it is just getting better. I feel better, stronger than I've been before, and mentally I know I'm stronger. I'd have mentally quit on those wall balls not even a month ago... this two a day... will happen again. It's hard, but it's still good. I had a good time, I felt good afterwards. Endorphins maybe? Today I'm a little fatigued, little bit beat up, but really, that's expected after doing two WODs and not getting any sleep the day before. Last night I slept hard. It wasn't unbroken, but it was restful. I even woke up at 5... might be a sign about going to AM classes... but not today, it was back to sleep.
Going back to Diamond State tonight, deadlifts and skill work sound a bit better than the workout titled "Kettlebell Hell". I'd already decided that last night... so it's not really cherry picking is it? :) I will miss not getting a chance to catch up with Dave and the Peets at Unlocked, but I'm pretty sure I'll see them next time I'm out here. Good peoples.
Time to go grab some lunch, maybe today I'll get something paleo instead of all the junk I ate yesterday.
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