Heavy deads

From Burlington's CrossFit Connection:

There is no better movement for developing functional strength than the deadlift. Not only will it make you more able in day to day life but strengthening your posterior chain will also alleviate so many common back problems. Most of people's complaints of back and neck pain is a result of a weak core and posterior chain....not degenerative disk disease or whatever else your chiro or doctor might scare you with. As we age we all experience SOME degeneration of our discs in our spine, its part of the aging process...its what we do with this that makes the differance. Deadlift HEAVY to give you a strong back and improve your posture and you will be amazed at much better you will feel. Passive therapies like massage, chiro, acupuncture etc will help to alleviate some of the symptoms of back pain but they will not fix the problem...increasing your functional strength will fix the problem.

WOD

Find your one rep max for the deadlift (325 lbs in my case), then....every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:

• 3 reps of deadlift at 75-80% of your 1 rep max (so 245 lbs for me)
  

rest....

• 15 KB Swings
• 3 Turkisk Get Ups per side (35 lb/ 20 lb dumbell)
• 10 Weighted Situps (35 lb/ 20 lb dumbell)

For 5 rounds.

Took me almost 20 minutes.

5k row

Rowed 5,000 meters in 18:50. Very happy about that -- just 5 seconds off my PR.

The Perfect Storm

Perfect form, perfect execution.....full extension, full depth, chest to bar,etc....you know the drill. Turn off the outside world, and focus on YOU, don't worry about how far ahead or behind you are, and go as hard as you can while focusing on executing every rep to perfection.

WOD

• 300 m farmers carry (35lbs / 20 lbs)
• 300 m run
• 50 squats
• 5 man makers (35 lbs/ 20 lbs)
• 50 sit ups
• 5 man makers
• 50 push ups
• 5 man makers
• 50 lunge steps
• 5 man makers
• 50 jumping pull ups
• 5 man makers
• 300 m farmers carry
• 300 m run

Time: Who cares? Something like 30-35 minutes. Nuts.

WOD: Not for time

No clock today, just focus on form:

• 30 squats
• 10 chest to bar pull ups 4x
• 5 clean and jerks

The CrossFit Mindset

5k row

Rowed for the first time today in quite a while -- and my first row at CrossFit Connection.

Did a 5000m row in 19:31 -- not very good at all, but at least I'm getting back into the swing of things. I plan on rowing this distance at least once a week.

Snatch

Lots of snatches today.

Did snatch progression up to 110lbs (PR) followed by:

• 400m run
• 15 x snatches (75 lbs)

Time - 15.31: Very hard on the legs. And by time we were all done we had worked out for nearly 75 minutes.

Renegades of squat

Lots of squats today: Lifting 115lbs, and three rounds:

• back squats (one minute)
• one minute rest
• front squats (one minute)
• one minute rest
• air squats (one minute)
• one minute rest

Scores went like this:

• Back squats: 22, 18, 15
• Front squats: 20, 15, 15
• Air squats: 36, 38, 38
• Total score = 217
  

Running Grace

A variant of Grace:

• 10 x clean-and-jerk (135lbs)
• 100m run
• 8 x clean-and-jerk (135lbs)
• 200m run
• 6 x clean-and-jerk (135lbs)
• 300m run
• 4 x clean-and-jerk (135lbs)
• 400m run
• 2 x clean-and-jerk (135lbs)

Time = 11:31

Overhead squats, pull-ups, box jumps and kb swings

Four rounds:

• 15 x overhead squats (Rx was 95lbs, but I did 75 lbs)
• 15 x pull-ups
• 15 x box jumps
• 15 x kettle bells swings (heavy)
  

Time: 21:00. Could have probably done 95lbs overheads with a less impressive time.

Daisy

Daisy

• 400 m Run with 45/25 lbs plate
• 25 squats with plate
• 25 push ups with plate
• 25 lunge steps with plate
• 25 sit ups with plate

3 rounds

* for the push ups the plate goes on your back, for the sit ups the plate stays in contact with your forehead , for the run, squats, and lunges the plate must stay off the ground while you are moving.

Time: 37:58. I figured out how to properly carry the damn plate behind my head during the final round. I'll do much better next time, that I promise.

Max push-press + Karen

Max push-press: 145 lbs (PR)
Karen: 7:56

Sprints, deads, double-unders, jumping squats & hard push-ups

Tough one today, mostly cuz I screwed up my DL weight: 21, 15, 9, 6 of:

• 200 foot sprint (just once ea round)
• deadlifts (body weight + 10%) -- I messed up, and instead of doing 205 lbs I did 265 lbs!!
• double-unders
• jumping squats
• clapping push-ups

Time was 22 minutes and change (if I remember correctly). Easily the worst of the crew, but that was due to the crazy deadlift weight. I am seriously spent after this one.

Lunges, box jumps and weighted pull-ups

Today's WOD: Repeat 4x:

• 100 ft lunges with 25lb dumbells
• 30 box jumps (24")
• 20 weighted pull-ups (did 15 lbs, had to resort to jumping)

Time = 28:11. Felt good, bit sore from the pull-ups. Very happy with the resilience on the lunges and box jumps.

Tabata-like WOD

8 rounds of:

• 20 seconds of ab-mat sit-ups
• 10 seconds rest
• 20 seconds SDHP (95lbs)
• 10 seconds rest
• 20 seconds box jumps
• 10 seconds rest
• 20 seconds thrusters (95 lbs)

We were given a 1 minute break every two rounds. Hard!

Max deadlifts

Made it up to 325 lbs, which is my PR.

Then we did death by 100 meters: This is kind of like the old school beep test.....first min run 10 meters..2nd minute run 20 meters...3rd min 30 meters etc.....continue until you can no longer complete the distance in the minute; set up 2 cones 10 meter apart and run back and forth between the cones touching the ground with your hand on each change of direction.

I successfully did 10, failed trying to do the 11th.

Elizabeth

"Elizabeth"

• Squat cleans (135 lbs/ 95 lbs)
• Ring dips
• reps of 21-15-9

I lifted 125 lbs and used the purple bands for the ring dips. Time = 15:21.

First WOD at Burlington's CrossFit Connection

It was my first workout at Burlington's CrossFit Connection today -- and it was one to remember:

• 400 m run
• 10 wall ball (20/12)
• 40 pull ups
• 400 m run
• 20 wall ball
• 30 pull ups
• 400 m run
• 30 wall ball
• 20 pull ups
• 400 m run
• 40 wall ball
• 10 pull ups

Took me almost a half-hour -- 28:11. Totally stalled at the pull-ups. As usual.

Canadian CrossFit is no more

My CrossFit gym was shut-down on Saturday -- very sad. Looks like I'll be joining Burlington CrossFit Connection for the month of September.