Sectionals wrap up.

Had a wonderful weekend with the CrossfitDC crew at this past weekend's sectionals. We all gave our best but only Dan from CrossfitDC qualified to go represent us at the Regionals in May, and my buddy Josh Courage, who has a bike ride from California to DC starting this Thursday.
The first event was the weighted Cindy (amrap in 20 min of 5 pullups 10 pushups 15 squats all with a 20# vest). I have been training with a 40# vest the last couple of weeks so this was up my alley. My goal was to get 15 rounds, but i came up a little short. The pullups and squats were the easiest part, but the pushups got harder and harder everytime i did them.Its amazing how 20#  felt light the first 4 rounds, but really heavy after that. Finished 13 rounds, with 5 pullups, and 8 pushups. First place in this event finished with 20 completed rounds. Impressive! None of the exercises affected my knee :)

The 2nd event on Saturday was the clean & jerk at 185# for max reps in 3 mins. I am strong at this for single reps, but a 3 min amrap was going to be a challenge. The first couple of reps felt great and i think by the 5th rep i had to split jerk cause my knee started bothering me. Every rep after that was painful. I did a total of 13 reps, but only 10 counted towards my score. I couldnt get a complete lockout at the top of my last 3 reps, so they were not counted. Fisrt place finished with 20 total reps.

The 3rd event, first on Sunday, was an amrap in 12 minutes of 20 overhead squats at 115# and a 200m run. Only the overhead squats counted. This was my downfall of the weekend. I did the first round unbroken and my knee felt great. On the second round, my knee was not feeling it. I felt EVERY fu****g single rep in my knee. I was really tempeted to call it, but i refused to give up. Probably not smart but i refused to quit. I was able to finish 2 full rounds and i think maybe 10 last reps. Had to ice my knee right after, thanks to Steph and Chris for the ice. There was a ties for first place with both competitors finished 6 rounds (thats over 120 squats).

The final event for the weekend was another amrap of 12 box jumps 8 sumo high pulls at 95# in 7 minutes. This wod was up my alley. I was flying on the box jumps and the SHP the first 3 rounds. My legs felt heavier right after that. But feeding off the cheering section of CrossfitDC and my inlaws, i just had to keep going. Gave my all and i finished my heat in first place with 7 complete rounds, 12 box jumps, and 3 SHP. Felt great being in first place but that only lasted for about 5 minutes. The next heat of guys just tore this wod up. It was great to watch all the competitors and cheer them on. The guy who won this event did a 10 rounds and i think 6 box jumps. It was amazing to see this guy work.

I finished in 93rd place out of 180+ entries this past weekend. I know i could have broken the top 30 if my knee would have held up. Oh well. Next up is the team event in May, and i think the Mid-Atlantic hopper in October. looking forward to some much needed rest this week, and then its back to the drawing board the following week.
Special thanks to the CrossfitDC crew that came this weekend to support us. We couldnt have done all this without your support. And thanks Chris for all the camera work.

Sectionals

The workouts were finally released and i feel great about them. I was nervous all week but after seeing the wods', i am feeling pretty good.

Event 1: Weighted Cindy (20# vest)
AMRAP in 20
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats
I have been training with a 40# vest and i feel good about this one. Looking to complete atleast 15 rounds.

Event 2
AMRAP in 3 minutes of 185# Clean & Jerk
Like these short bursts wods a lot. Goal is to get at least 10 reps.

Event 3
AMRAP in 12 minutes
20 Overhead squats (115#)
225m run
Goal is to get at least 5 rounds. The ohs will bug my knee.

Event 4:
AMRAP in 7 minutes
12 Box Jumps (24")
8 SDHP (95#)
This is another fun one. Goal is to get at least 4 rounds.

Really looking forward to this weekend.
Details are here: Sectionals

Cardio Day

24 hours until the big reveal......soooo anxious.
Decided to do a very light strength word today. Just did 5x5 of strict shoulder press. Ended up with 145#.
For my metcon/cardio, i did and AMRAP for 15 minutes.
AMRAP 15:
30 Double unders
250m Row
20 Pushups
Finished 5 rounds + 20 double unders. feeling really good about this weekend.

Deadlifts and Pullups

After a long day at work, i was able to hit the gym earlier that i anticipated.
We are 2 days away from Wednesday when they will reveal the wods for this weekends sectionals.
Today i worked on handstand pushup and skipped front squats. Really dont want to hurt my knee, but come Saturday, i'm leaving everything on that gym floor. My handstands are getting a lot better, but dont know how they will fare if its the last part of a wod.
For time:
30-20-10
Deadlifts (225#)
Chest To Bar Pullups

Time: 6:59
I was happy that i was able to get 30 deadlifts unbroken, but paid for that during the pullups. Had to stop every 10 and gather myself. The 2nd round of deadlifts were also unbroken and again paid for that with the pullups. The last 10 deadlifts felt like a max effort, and i couldnt do them unbroken. The pullups were just rough. Felt great when i was done.

Frustration

Missed class this morning, so my plan was to go to gym later in the afternoon. I was planning on working on a heavy lift and a quick met con, followed by a little skill work. i wanted to work on heavy clean and jerk, but i was only able to get 110kg before my knee felt anything. I was tempted to try 120 but i chickened out. My metcon is where the frustration came.
Starting with 3 burpees do:
with 100#
20 Thrusters
20 SDHP
20 Push Press
20 Overhead Squats
20 Front squats
everytime the bar rested on the ground, i had to do 5 burpees.
Didnt drop/rest the bar until the push press. My knee felt a little pain so i need to rest, but had to do 5 burpees. I ended up resting the bar mainly on the push press and the overhead squats. The bar rested 5 times with those two parts, and my knee felt great on the other lifts. I know i can do this workout without dropping the bar in less than 7 minutes, but today wasn't one of those days. Took me over 8 minutes to complete this workout. Lack of proper fueling and enough sleep is whats really frustrating. I couldn't even do my planned skill work. Gotta fuel well and get enough rest this week for a great week coming up. This weeks schedule:
Monday: Strength: Front Squats
 Met con: DL and Pullups
 Skill: Hand Stand Pushups
Tuesday: Cardio Day
Wednesday: Massage
Thursday and Friday: OFF.

Sectionals Prep

Today is a week away from the DC/VA/WV sectionals. This Wednesday or Thursday, we find out what our workouts will be for next weekend. So this week's schedule will be mostly tapering off the hard training. I think Tuesday will be my last hard workout and i have a massage scheduled for Wednesday.

Our first workout today was mainly bodyweight with a vest on:

2 rounds for time:

15 Squats

10 Burpees

5 Chest to Bar Pullups

15 Wall Ball (20#)

10 Pushups

5 Ring dips

 

Time: 9:01

I was not really happy with my time! The ring dips took most of the time. They were pretty difficult and felt impossible to do them consecutively. But i think the vest made me a lot stronger on ring dips.

Our second workout was a couplet:

15-12-9

Squat Cleans (95#)

Toes to Bar

 Time: dnf

Felt a little pain in my knee on the first round, and just decided to skip the squat cleans and just do the toes to bar. But all in all, the knee feels a lot better. 

Rest Day

Thursday

My plan today was not to go to class, but to work on Deadlifts. I cat remember the last time i did heavy deadlifts, and today was the day i would do it again. Due to traffic, i got to the later than i wanted. After a frustrating drive, i changed my plan on deadlifts and decided to work on single leg deadlifts. I have never done them before so i didn't know what to expect. Did 6 rounds of Cindy (5 Pullups, 10 Pushups, 15 Squats) as my warmup and hit the deadlifts. Warmed up with the bar, and was ready to hit it. Here are my numbers:

5 reps at 95#

4 reps at 115#

3 reps at 135#

2 reps at 145#

1 rep at 155 (failed) 

2 reps at 145#

The weights felt great, and my hamstrings were on fire. Really liked this workout and looking forward to doing it again. By the time i was done with this workout, CrossfitDC class was about to start. What the hell, why not just join the gang. Today's wod was:

AMRAP in 20 min

250m run

10 Wall ball (20#)

20 Squats

30 Double Unders

Total rounds: 9 

After seeing this wod posted, i wasnt happy that i had to run again after running yesterday. But the run felt great. Surprisingly the squats were the hardest part of the workout. The run felt great,  and the double unders got easier by the second round. Glad i did class. Tomorrow is a scheduled day off...looking forward to it.

Never Felt Better

Cardio day.

For time:
2000m row
1 Mile run
1000m row
800m run
500m row
400m run

Time: 29:36 (PR)

Last time i did this wod my time was over 30 minutes. Got the 2k row in 7:17 and it still does a number on me but was really looking forward to the run. Finished the mile i think in about 6 mins and change. The 1000m row wasn't bad either. My split was 1:40 and i finished in 3:27. Wasn't feeling good about that time, but the second run (800m) felt amazing. Didn't know that i liked running as much. Didn't keep track of that run. The last 500m row felt great rowing outside and the transition to the last run was also great. I have never felt this great before. I feel like i'm in the best shape that i have ever been. Hopefully it will transfer to the sectionals in a couple of weeks. And my knee feels great today.

2 a Day

I got to the gym this afternoon and it was 62 outside. I cant remember the last time it was this warm in the DC metro area. So after yesterdays terrible showing at the gym, i need a good uplifting wod! Didnt want to waste the day indoors so i had to plan a wod that involved running outside. So here is what i came up with.
400m run
30 Box Jumps (32')
12 Clean &jerk (165#)
400m run
20 Box Jumps
9 Clean & Jerk (165#)
400m run
10 Box Jumps
6 Clean & Jerk (165#)

Time: 18:45

Knee felt great. Not a single pain during the clean and jerk.

After a 10 minute break (recover on the floor), did weighted pullups. Got to 60# for 1 rep.

Went to class tonight and had a good time. We worked on clean techniques. The clean was broken into 3 different parts: 1halting deadlift, 1 clean pull, then the prescribed clean reps of: 3.3.2.2.2.1.1.1
Worked with Chris and Dan. I was able to get 100kg on my last set, and once again, my knee felt ok.

Finisher: 6 min AMRAP
3 Burpees
6 Jump Squats
3 Pushups
12 Mtg Climbers

Total rounds: 13

Another Setback

Today was a major setback. i went to the gym with a great workout planned and i could barely get through the first couple of exercises. My plan was to hit it hard with a vest on, cause a lot of the qualifiers have had wods with vests on. So here was the wod i was going to do: (with a 40# vest)
500m row
 5x
5 Pullups
5 Back Squats (225#)
5 Lateral Burpees
500m row
 4x
10 Pullups
10 Front Squats (185#)
10 Lateral Burpees
500m row
 3x
15 Pullups
15 Overhead Squats (95#)
15 Lateral Burpees

I could only get the first row, 5 pullups, and failed on the squats. My knee just couldn't handle the squats. I'm able to run with no pain, do box jumps, and any plyo stuff, and my knee feels great, but external weight kills!
So after i couldn't finish my wod, i just did  heavy strict shoulder presses. Ended up with 150 for 4 reps. Will fight this battle tomorrow!

Sectionals Prep

In prep for the Sectionals at the end of the month, today was prep work for the event. We had a great showing from the CrossfitDC crew (Me, Henry, Dan, Sara, Ewunike, and Ori) After a good warm up, our first workout was "Jackie" (for time 1000m row, 50 thrusters @ 45#, and 30 Pullups).



Knee held up and felt great. This was my first time doing Jackie and i was pleased with my 7:30 time. I think if it was at a competition, i would have probably cut maybe at least 45 sec from my time.
The second part of the prep was working on muscle ups. Don't know what it is, but i tend to do a lot better with my CrossfitDC crew around.



The 3rd part of the day was a 3 min max reps of squat clean and jerk at 135#. Did 10 within the first minute, and my knee hurt on the 11th attempt. So i had to do the smart thing and call it. Was upset that i couldn't complete the wod but i rather be healthy for the sectionals.



Thanks to Chris for being the camera man.

Setbacks

Im forced to take 3 days off due to a minor setback. Im still dealing with a nagging right knee injury and working out with a vest the last couple of workouts really didnt help at all. So its just a minor setback, but i know i will use as a comeback on my next workout. Looking forward to Saturday's workout with CrossfitDC in prep for the sectionals.

Three WOD's

In prep for the sectionals coming up, today was a tough 3 wod's. Earlier this afternoon went to Balance and did a wod from the Arnold Sectionals:
5 rounds: (with a 40# vest on)
7 Deadlifts (275#)
11 Burpees
The first two rounds were not  as bad as i thought, but as soon as i got to the 3rd round, it all went down hill. The deadlifts got a little harder but the weighted burpees were tough. My knee held well on the deadlifts, but on the burpees, it hurt a lot! I wanst really happy with my time (8:04) Looking at the times from the sectionals,i would have been in the mid 20's and  i know i can do this a lot faster and at a sub 5 min pace. Will have to try this again soon. Maybe after a run.

After a 2 hour rest, i decided to take advantage of the great day outside. I went on a 3 mile run and it felt great! My knee was good and was really happy with my time (23:46)

4 hours later it was a workout at CrossfitDC.
What are the odds that tonight's class would include deadlifts and burpees? Well, it did. After a quick warmup, my group and i worked with 275# on the deadlift.
Tonights wod:
30 Deadlifts (275#)
21-15-9
DB Push Press (45#)
Push ups
Squats
30 Burpees
Time: 7:04
The deadlifts felt light and the burpees were rough.
Total DL today: 65 at 275#
Total Burpees: 85 (55 with a 40# vest)

Double Unders

CrossfitDC Class

Today's workout was quick and easy. Wanted more, but oh well.

5 rounds for time:
12 KB swings(32K)
24 Double unders

Time: 5:43
I think sub 5 is possible if my double unders were like Steph's who finished in 3:29.

Snatch Work

Got to Balance earlier this afternoon with no plan in mind. Last week i finally got my 40# vest and today was the day i was going to test it. With no plan in mind, i decided to work on  a little snatch work. Got to 80k on my last set, and i think i would have been able to get 90 easily. But i just didnt try it :(
For my met con, did 50 pullups with the vest on. Knocked out the first 10, which felt pretty good, in 20 seconds. Got to 20 and my time was 1:15. When i got to 25, my forearms were on fire, time 1:45. I thought i could finish the wod in less than 5 minutes, but i was wrong. The last 25 took me close to 3 mins to finish. Final time: 5:15
After the workout, i couldn't believe that i had to walk back to my car with the vest. it felt like the car was over a mile away!

Tuesday

I was planning to take the week off after this past weekends fitness challenge, but i was feeling really good that i decided just to do an easy cardio day. Went to my local globo gym and hopped on a bike to warm up. Did a quick 2 miles and headed for the erg. The way this globo gym is set up is that the ergs are right next to the circuit training machines. So it was really funny watching the big guys do bicep curls and checking in the mirror if they got bigger since the last time they did the machine; and the ladies doing leg extensions while reading the latest gossip/trash magazines. And they wonder why they never get results. Gotta love their false meaning of what fitness is. 

So my workout was:

1000m row (time: 3:25)

3 min rest

500m row (1:29)

2 min rest

500m row (1:31)

2 min rest

250m row (51 sec)

1 min rest

250m row (51 sec)

1 min rest

250m row (50 sec)

1 min rest

250m row (49 sec)

So when i was busting my ass off on the erg, everyone was wondering why i was working really hard. Kinda funny when you think about it.