11 burpees

Every minute for 10 minutes:
3 pullups

Easy day off from running today (don't fret, Cardio August rerears its ugly head again tmrw). Did my burpees on the roof of Coles and threw in a little grip work. Could have gone longer, or increased the reps per cycle.

Warm-up:
3x5 pushups/situps/squats/pullups
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 1x205 then 3x5x220)

Every minute on the minute for 5 min:
4 burpees
94 ft sprint (court length)

20 decline situps

Felt allright today, a little bit of a slowing on some of last reps but no pause. The loading seemed just a little more unsteady than last time. Will see about two plates next week.

EMOM workout was decent, HR in the high 160s right after. Just enough time (40 s) in the remainder of each minute to walk down to the starting end of the court and get ready for the next set. Could push this to 10 rounds, but didn't have it in me today.

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x95, 5x135, 3x165, 1x185 then 3x5x195)
3x5 bench press (5x45, 5x75, 3x95, 1x115 then 3x5x120)

Every minute on the minute (5 min)
5 burpees
2 box jump

Squats felt heavy but went up okay; bench steady at lighter weights. Up to 200/125 next sessions. A little conditioning at the end felt good, HR ~168. With the gym closing for a week next week, will roll over into more conditioning work soon.

Weekend warriors

Woke up early on this beautiful Saturday morning to get a little outside time in with M. Nursing a cup of coffee, we headed over to the East River to soak in the sunshine.

2x10 min run (~9:00-10:00 pace)

Death by 10 meters
On artifical turf, 10 m marked out by cones
MG: 8 rounds
KL: 8 rounds

1x10 angled inverted row
1-2-3-4-5 burpees

Great way to get the heart going on a sunny morning, before everyone else was up. Haven't run outside for a long time, we took our time and a steady pace, worked to beat our distance on the way back (~1 mile each way). HR ~160 afterwards.

Marked off 10 m on the artificial turf of the East River Park soccer field. Shorter than the times I've done it indoors but just as taxing - M kept up really well for her first time.

Now for some brunch! 

Warm-up:
court jogs

3x5 shoulder press (5x45, 5x55, 3x65, 1x75 then 3x5x85)

power cleans to 115, then:
CF Football WOD 011312
Complete 2 Power Cleans and 5 Chin Ups on the minute for 15 minutes.
*Use 75%-80% of 3 RM for this workout
KL: 115#, scaled to 5 min

1x8 OHS (45)

First shoulder presses in a while, but some transfer from the recent bench work. 85 felt heavy but steady, go to 90 next time. Didn't intend to scale the metcon, but by minute 4 had to break up the chins and it just killed my ability to finish within a minute. Next time either scale the weight down (95 or 105) or cut down to 2-3 chinups - much better to go the full 15 min.

Oly form felt okay, but needs more technique work - opening the back early. OHS felt much better than the last time I tried them, mostly more flexible in the hips and glutes, possibly shoulders as well.

Warm-up:
1x10 situps, pushups, squats, pullups
dynamic squat stretching

"Death by Thruster"
CF Centurion WOD 011312
On the minute, perform one thruster (95/65), adding another rep each minute. Your final score will be the total reps completed.
KL: 8 rounds (95)

2 rounds of:
10 kettlebell swings (45#)
5 KTE
10 plate twist (45#)

Thrusters done from rack, felt more solid than last time. Things fell apart once I broke up the reps on the last round. HR ~180 immediately after but fell quickly with rest. Promisingly, there are now a full set of kettlebells at Coles...

Warm-up:
2x10 situps, pushups, squats, pullups
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 1x185 then 3x5x200)

Every minute on the minute for 10 min (95):
2 deadlift
2 hang power clean
2 push jerk

1x15 bench press (5x45, 5x65 then 1x15x85)

On the verge of some kind of virus that's going around, but since I was at the office thought I'd put in a little effort off the couch. Squats felt pretty solid, but starting to get close to stalling on the 5th reps of the last 2 sets - up to 205 next time. Was going to do a scaled down DT, but didn't feel quite up to it. This EMOM metcon wasn't a bad substitute, good to work on a little clean technique. Post squats HR 144, post metcon HR 168.

Was going to bench 3x5 but they were closing the gym.

Up and out

Warm-up:
2x10 situps, pushups, squats

3x5 bench press (5x45, 5x75, 3x95, 1x115 then 3x5x120)

"Death by Thruster"
CF Centurion WOD 011312
On the minute, perform one thruster (95/65), adding another rep each minute. So, you will do 1 Thruster, put the bar down and wait for the rest of the minute. Then on the next minute, you will do 2 thrusters and rest until the next minute. Then 3 Thrusters and rest until the next minute, and so on. You will go until you cannot do your allotted reps in the minute. You final score will be the total reps completed. Yes, you might actually die...
KL: 7 rounds (95)

Getting into a regular morning routine is feeling better each day. Lots of pushing work this morning, saving the pulling for climbing tonight. Bench felt ok but heavy, experimented with grip width a bit but think my current position feels about right.

The metcon's a killer that hits hard and heavy at the end. I broke up the last set. Been a long time since I've done thrusters and it showed; should be able to go to 8 or 9 rounds with better technique and a little more gutting it out.

I guess it's an improvement

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

4-3-3-3 low-bar back (5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 2x165 then 185x4)
7x3 bench press (45, 65, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125)

Every minute on the minute (5 min):
2 pull-ups
3 KTE

Returned to Coles after its recent makeover, and I think it's a net win: despite a proliferation of new cable machines, there are now 2 real power racks (yes, more than one person can squat at the same time now). Took it easy today, been a little while and nursing a few lingering injuries: right shoulder (old climbing injury, recently reaggravated), left hip flexor (strained squatting a few months back), and forearm pulley muscle (bouldering stupidity). Think the forearm's healed, but the hip flexor still tweaky on the squats. Felt better when I concentrated on keeping the knees tracking a little wider at the bottom of the reps. Might switch to more high-bar/front squat work to see if that helps. Bench felt better than I expected, shoulder wise. Will work in some climbing work this week as well.

Crowdalicious

Warm-up:
dumbbell HPCs to 30#

Every minute on the minute:
30# dumbbell HPC, add one rep each additional minute
11 rounds

10 box jump (medium)
10 box jump (high)

Whenever I slip up and forget how crowded Coles in the evening can be, a return always reminds me. Everything taken tonight, with waiting people at the bench, squat rack, pullup bars, etc. Threw in a quick metcon to get the heart up; would have been better with full squat cleans but didn't want to stress my hip just yet.

HR recovery:
post HPCS: 0'-172, 1'-152, 2'-144, 3'-136, 4'-128
post box jumps: 0'-160, 1'-128

Warm-up:
court jogs, frenchies

6x5 bench press (45, 65, 85, 95, 105, 115)

Burgener warm-up, then
5x3 hang power clean (45, 65, 95, 115, 115[f2])

Every minute on the minute, 5 rounds:
2 pull-ups
60 m sprint

Still bothered by a sore right shoulder and hip flexor, am going to switch over to more climbing- and conditioning-focused workouts. Tried to go light on the bench today but still aggravating for the shoulder. HPCs felt allright but technique needs work. Pull-up/sprint combo was interesting, but needs a little more to be intense enough; maybe go 3 or 4 pullups per round for 10 rounds, or do them in a ladder.

HR: 0'-136, 1'-116, 2'-112, 3'-100

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 shoulder press (45x5, 55x5, 65x3, 75x2 then 3x85)

Death by 10 meters
Subbed 1/2 length of basketball court (47 ft ~ 14m)
7 rounds

1 plank walk-up + 9 situps
2 plank walk-ups + 8 situps
:
9 plank walk-ups + 1 situp

Getting back into the gym for the summer. Taking it nice and slow with the shoulder work, still have this nagging shoulder issue - might just be bursitis, but might be rotator cuff or labrum. Will see how a few weeks of Vitamin I and relative rest makes it feel. Felt okay today but need to get the strength back up.

Did a little sprint work, which absolutely killed me. Had time for another round or two but just out of gas. Need to get teh conditioning back up. HR recovery: 0'-180, 2'-120, 4'-110. Man, I'm beat...

Positively pulling

Been avoiding pulling work since I strained a finger tendon a few weeks back, went in to test it out this morning with some deadlifts.

Warm-up:
jogging
dynamic squat stretching

7x2 deadlift (135, 185, 225, 245, 265, 285, 305)

Every minute on the minute for 10 min (95):
1 power clean
1 shoulder press
1 push press
1 push jerk

Pulled with hook grip to decrease the load on my ring finger, and kept the weights relatively light. Felt decent, but haven't pulled for a while and not quite completely comfortable. Think my form was fine, kept the weight back on my heels and a decent lumbar curve throughout; hook grip still kills my thumbs, though.

Shoulder-centric metcon was good but needs a little tweaking, HR was barely elevated at the end. Would increase the load to 105 next time (press limited, likely). Probably add in an additional pp/jerk or two as well.

Warm-up:
court sprints
dynamic squat stretching

1x5 deadlift (135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x1 then 295x5)
2x3 bench press (45x5, 65x5, 95x3, 115x2 then 135/145[dna3] x3)

Death by 10 meters
Subbed 1/2 length of basketball court (47 ft ~ 14m)
9 rounds

Deadlifts went up smoothly, despite all warmup reps feeling *heavy*. Was going to do a more heavy metcon today, but between deads today and squats over the weekend back was pretty sore. Still having right shoulder issues so I didn't push the bench today - may have to stick to overhead movements for a while, which doesn't seem to exacerbate the tweakiness so much.

Did the sprints a little differently this time: still 1/2 court increments, but didn't reverse every time (would go a full court length before reversing). Still a burner, HR in high 150s at end. Think I like the constant reversals better.

Warm-up:
dynamic squat stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x1 then 195/205/215 x5)

Burgener warmup
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-1-1-1 power clean (45, 65, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165)
then

Death by Power Clean
With a continuously running clock do one power clean the first minute, two power cleans the second minute, three power cleans the third minute...continuing as long as you are able.
*Use 55% - 65% of 1 RM Power Clean
KL: 8 rounds (95)

20 plank walk-ups
4 wrist rollers (2 flexion, 2 extension)

Still getting back into the heavy lifts slowly, felt pretty weak pushing squat weight today but managed to get all reps up. Almost stalled out the last rep of 215. Oly lifts need more work, especially with timing and second/third extension. Put 175 on the bar but back was feeling tweaky, didn't attempt to put it up. Pretty winded by the 8th round of the metcon, HR in the 140s at the finish.

Slowing my roll

Warm-up:
box jumps
dynamic stretching
Burgener warm-up
snatch balance + snatch + OHS (45, 65)

1x5 deadlift (135x5, 205x5, 225x3, 275x2 then 315x5)

Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes (115#):
1 power clean
2 hang cleans
1 push jerk

DLs went up comfortably tonight, despite my miscalculation with the warm-up weights. I always tend to focus on a slow application of power to the bar before it gets moving, but took a cue from a recent vid of Andy Bolton lifting and concentrated on pulling the flex into the bar before getting it off the ground - mentally, it really helped get the weight up.

Metcon was a real burner, HR ~180 bpm after 10 min. 20-25 s each work cycle and hang cleans felt comfortable, would consider going to 135 next time. Push jerks were the shakiest.

Video of Andy Bolton pulling a world record 1009 lbs (pulled in a suit but he's lifted 953 raw). Note no straps are used:

I don't like Mondays

Warm-up:
court jogs, vertical jumps
dynamic stretching
Burgener warmup
2x[3 snatch balance + 3 snatch] (45, 65)

1x5 deadlift (135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x2 then 310x5)
3x5 shoulder press (45x5, 55x5, 65x3, 75x2 then 85/90/95 x5)

"Death by 10 meters"
Crossfit Centurion WOD 092409
With a continuously running clock, sprint ten meters the first minute, 20 meters (down and back) the second, thirty the third, and so on and so forth until you are unable to complete the number of 10 meter down and back efforts required for the round.
subbed 1/2 length of basketball court (47 ft ~ 14m)
7 rounds

Thought I'd be stronger after a weekend of eating and resting, but whether it's the tail end of this virus or a little too much bourbon Saturday night, it was a rough start to the week this morning despite an nice long warm-up. Couldn't remember if DL were to go at 305 or 315 so I split the difference (it was supposed to be 305), but even the warmup sets felt heavy. Back still tweaky from last weak. Work reps went up (small break betw 4 and 5 to wipe off sweat) but never felt really connected.

Shoulder presses felt really weak, been a little while since I've done them regularly (105/100/115x3 on 12/11/09, 125x1 on 12/30/09). Plan on sticking to a 3x5 progression for the rest of the summer, or when I plateau out. Working on a more forefoot vs. heelstrike gait (ala Pose) while running, but sprints just plain sucked...

Plugging away

Warm-up:
court length jogs
dynamic stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x2 then 215/225/230 x5)

workout from Fitness Conduit (Mike Rutherford/CF Kansas City):

Every minute for 12 minutes:
3 Hang Power Cleans
3 Front Squats
3 Push Press

Use 50% of body weight (subbed 35# dbs, ~40%)

Still adjusting back to both a regular workout schedule and Eastern Standard Time. Squats felt tough today, slow going on reps 4-5 on all work sets - didn't think the last set would go up but it did, barely. Shoot for 215/225/235 next time. Still working my way back to full strength (240/245/250 last December) but it'll likely take a few weeks.

Good metcon workout from CF Kansas City; still recuperating so I went easy (considered 45# dbs, glad I didn't). A real grinder, about 0:25/0:35 work/rest, wanted to stop after 8 rounds or so but pushed through. Push presses were the shakiest for me, can go up to 40# next time this rolls around.

Post metcon recovery HRs: 0'-196, 2'-124, 5'-92, 10'-96

Jetlaggin'

Warm-up:
court sprints, short shuttle
dynamic stretching

3x5 low-bar back squat (45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x2 then 205/215/225 x5)

Every minute on the minute (65#, from rack):
1 press, 1 push press, 1 push jerk the first minute
2 press, 2 push press, 2 push jerk the second minute
:
5 press, 5 push press, 5 push jerk the fifth minute

1x2 frenchies
10 overhead lunges (45# plate)
10 plate twist (45# plate)

Still out of sorts from jetlag, hitting harder the past few days compared to when I first got back. Squats felt solid but the last few reps of set 3 were *slow*. Shoot for 215/225/235 next week. Did a little shoulder work, repeat of a recent workout lifted from CF Sunnyvale. From rack as opposed to floor this time but still burned out after 5 rounds.

Warm-up:
dynamic stretching
box jumps

3x3 bench press (45x5, 65x5, 95x3, 115x2 then 135/145/155 x3)

power cleans to 115, then
every minute on the minute for ten minutes:
2 power cleans (115#)
2 front squats

Quick workout after a day off yesterday, bench felt okay but limited by old rotator cuff issues. Did a little PC/FS workout to get my heart rate up, a grinder but not too taxing loadwise - can try with 135# next time around. HR in the low 160s at the end.