It's been a rather unusual week for me, and I know I haven't posted this week. I will get around to that tomorrow, hopefully. Some of us are going to do a sand bag run up a hill tomorrow, and for once I might have the opportunity to go. I will definitely report in if I go!
P.S. -- Did work on my power cleans after the WOD to find my new max. Successfully power cleaned 95# twice.
Showing posts with label power clean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power clean. Show all posts
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I See A Pattern Emerging Here...
Warm up: 400m run, 200 single jumps w/ jump rope, 20 double unders
WOD: Three power cleans every minute/on the minute for 10 minutes
Core: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups, 15 jack knives, 10 double count bicycles
Challenge: AMRAP in 10 minutes of 250m row, 50 jumps w/ jump rope, 25 overhead squats w/ PVCs
Am I the only one who sees a pattern emerging here of doing everything in threes?!? Seriously, this is KILLING ME! But in a good way, I promise. In fact, I noticed that I have lost two dress sizes and am at a weight that I haven't been at in two and a half years. The difference between me now and me two and a half years ago is that my BMI was about 34% then, and my BMI is approx. 24-25% now. Huge difference, huh?!? You can actually see my obliques and the outline of my abs, as well as most of the muscles in my legs. Doing CF at least four times a week, in addition to eating along the lines of Paleo or The Zone, is really paying off. Sweet!
At any rate, my double unders are really coming along. Just last week I could only do one at a time. Today I was up to doing four at a time. There is hope for me yet! We will be doing "Filthy Fifty" as a box for our Christmas event, and double unders is one of the exercises we have to perform for that WOD. Jumping rope is something that I think adults blow off as a playground activity for kids, but it really is difficult and requires speed and coordination.
Let me just tell you in case you didn't know: I freakin' LOVE power cleans. Even better if they don't involve squats, but I don't mind those too much either. We were supposed to be using 80% of our max. My max at last count was 90#. I started off at 75# but quickly moved up to 85#. I really need to find my new power clean max, because the 85# was really comfortable today. I was so pumped! Finally something that I'm good at and finish first when we're doing it. Plus my coach used 85#, and I consider her someone that I chase after, too. Making good progress!! Hooty hoo!!
The quick core torture was not something I saw coming up, and it was a real crap out. Sometimes I feel like core doesn't get addressed as often but you are definitely using your core for most of what we do, so it kind of works out even in the wash, as they say. We've been intentionally throwing in some core so that we can reap some overall benefits from it, and I think we'll see some payoff next month with "Filthy Fifty". The jack knives were pretty merciless, the sit ups were a real grind, but I was definitely able to make up time with the bicycles. This is where I am so glad I've done pilates for the last couple of years. I feel like I have an edge over some when it comes to core, but I still have LOTS of room for improvement. Our coach started the clock after we started (maybe 0:15 later). The clock said exactly 10:00 when I finished my five rounds, so I guess my time was about 10:15.
When we heard we had to do the AMRAP after the other TWO WODs, there was much groaning going on. Good grief! But we pressed through it and really gave it our best. I got in 3 full rounds and had completed the rowing for round four and was getting up to grab a jumprope when our coach called time.
I'm still trying to keep my blinders on and only focus on myself. There are some areas in which I have a loooong way to go (still need to work on my pull ups, etc.), but there are many areas in which I'm doing pretty good. I feel great, I think I'm looking pretty good, and I just cannot get over where I am now compared to where I was a couple of years ago. If any of you are considering making some kind of effort in the gym, just get out there and do it! You don't have to be doing CrossFit to be doing yourself some good. Start taking care of your body from the inside out -- get moving and watch what you're putting in your mouth. You owe it to yourself, first and foremost. I saw a show today about a girl who is a raw foodist (I thought she was a fruit loop, honestly), but she said that taking care of yourself and eating well is a way to love yourself. What a great perspective -- exercise and eating well is actually a way to show yourself that you love and are willing to care for yourself just as you would your kids, your spouse, your family and friends. Don't you deserve that?!?
Power cleans: 75# x2 rounds, 85# x 8 rounds
Core: 10:15, approx.
AMRAP: 3 1/2 roounds
WOD: Three power cleans every minute/on the minute for 10 minutes
Core: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups, 15 jack knives, 10 double count bicycles
Challenge: AMRAP in 10 minutes of 250m row, 50 jumps w/ jump rope, 25 overhead squats w/ PVCs
Am I the only one who sees a pattern emerging here of doing everything in threes?!? Seriously, this is KILLING ME! But in a good way, I promise. In fact, I noticed that I have lost two dress sizes and am at a weight that I haven't been at in two and a half years. The difference between me now and me two and a half years ago is that my BMI was about 34% then, and my BMI is approx. 24-25% now. Huge difference, huh?!? You can actually see my obliques and the outline of my abs, as well as most of the muscles in my legs. Doing CF at least four times a week, in addition to eating along the lines of Paleo or The Zone, is really paying off. Sweet!
At any rate, my double unders are really coming along. Just last week I could only do one at a time. Today I was up to doing four at a time. There is hope for me yet! We will be doing "Filthy Fifty" as a box for our Christmas event, and double unders is one of the exercises we have to perform for that WOD. Jumping rope is something that I think adults blow off as a playground activity for kids, but it really is difficult and requires speed and coordination.
Let me just tell you in case you didn't know: I freakin' LOVE power cleans. Even better if they don't involve squats, but I don't mind those too much either. We were supposed to be using 80% of our max. My max at last count was 90#. I started off at 75# but quickly moved up to 85#. I really need to find my new power clean max, because the 85# was really comfortable today. I was so pumped! Finally something that I'm good at and finish first when we're doing it. Plus my coach used 85#, and I consider her someone that I chase after, too. Making good progress!! Hooty hoo!!
The quick core torture was not something I saw coming up, and it was a real crap out. Sometimes I feel like core doesn't get addressed as often but you are definitely using your core for most of what we do, so it kind of works out even in the wash, as they say. We've been intentionally throwing in some core so that we can reap some overall benefits from it, and I think we'll see some payoff next month with "Filthy Fifty". The jack knives were pretty merciless, the sit ups were a real grind, but I was definitely able to make up time with the bicycles. This is where I am so glad I've done pilates for the last couple of years. I feel like I have an edge over some when it comes to core, but I still have LOTS of room for improvement. Our coach started the clock after we started (maybe 0:15 later). The clock said exactly 10:00 when I finished my five rounds, so I guess my time was about 10:15.
When we heard we had to do the AMRAP after the other TWO WODs, there was much groaning going on. Good grief! But we pressed through it and really gave it our best. I got in 3 full rounds and had completed the rowing for round four and was getting up to grab a jumprope when our coach called time.
I'm still trying to keep my blinders on and only focus on myself. There are some areas in which I have a loooong way to go (still need to work on my pull ups, etc.), but there are many areas in which I'm doing pretty good. I feel great, I think I'm looking pretty good, and I just cannot get over where I am now compared to where I was a couple of years ago. If any of you are considering making some kind of effort in the gym, just get out there and do it! You don't have to be doing CrossFit to be doing yourself some good. Start taking care of your body from the inside out -- get moving and watch what you're putting in your mouth. You owe it to yourself, first and foremost. I saw a show today about a girl who is a raw foodist (I thought she was a fruit loop, honestly), but she said that taking care of yourself and eating well is a way to love yourself. What a great perspective -- exercise and eating well is actually a way to show yourself that you love and are willing to care for yourself just as you would your kids, your spouse, your family and friends. Don't you deserve that?!?
Power cleans: 75# x2 rounds, 85# x 8 rounds
Core: 10:15, approx.
AMRAP: 3 1/2 roounds
Monday, October 12, 2009
Belated Recap of Wednesday and Friday
As mentioned in the post for Monday, 12 OCT, I got a little behind in posting for Wednesday and Friday of last week. Due to circuit overload in my brain these days, I had to dig back on the CrossFit Centex blog to see what we had done and what my results were...
Wednesday
WOD: For time, 10 squat cleans, 50 KTE, 8 squat cleans, 40 KTE, 6 squat cleans, 30 KTE, 4 squat cleans, 20 KTE, 2 squat cleans, 10 KTE
I can't remember what weight I used for squat cleans -- perhaps 65#? Most likely. I FINALLY got the hang of KTE, or knees to elbows. I knew I had the core strength to do them. What it took was figuring out the kipping-style motion to rock back and get them up there. During the first round, I did 45 of them on the bar when Jodi told me to move down to the mat to finish doing the modified ones. From that point on, for the sake of time and efficiency, I did half on the bar, half modified. My wrists and shoulders were really sucking badly between doing the lifting and the hanging, and I'm hoping to avoid any kind of joint injury while still pushing through stiffness to increase strength and flexibility.
Posted time: Well, there was a small problem here. The timer wasn't working properly, and we didn't catch this until I'd completed my entire first round; coincidentally, it was the longest round, too. I did the rest of them in 12:48, but this WOD was probably closer to about 18:00 or so for me.
Friday
WOD: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 power cleans
I just really like these lifts. I'm getting better at the mechanics; although, I will say that once I get up to the challenging heavier weights, I hit a sort of mental block about getting underneath the weight fast enough. But these are some of the most gratifying days when we're just lifting, adding more weight, seeing if we can keep on increasing in weight and pushing our limits. I love the mental focusing that is required on these lifts. Hit a personal record, too! Last time I maxed out at 80#, and I blew past that today. Hot damn! :)
Posted weight: 65-75-85-95(F)-95(F)-95-95(F)
Wednesday
WOD: For time, 10 squat cleans, 50 KTE, 8 squat cleans, 40 KTE, 6 squat cleans, 30 KTE, 4 squat cleans, 20 KTE, 2 squat cleans, 10 KTE
I can't remember what weight I used for squat cleans -- perhaps 65#? Most likely. I FINALLY got the hang of KTE, or knees to elbows. I knew I had the core strength to do them. What it took was figuring out the kipping-style motion to rock back and get them up there. During the first round, I did 45 of them on the bar when Jodi told me to move down to the mat to finish doing the modified ones. From that point on, for the sake of time and efficiency, I did half on the bar, half modified. My wrists and shoulders were really sucking badly between doing the lifting and the hanging, and I'm hoping to avoid any kind of joint injury while still pushing through stiffness to increase strength and flexibility.
Posted time: Well, there was a small problem here. The timer wasn't working properly, and we didn't catch this until I'd completed my entire first round; coincidentally, it was the longest round, too. I did the rest of them in 12:48, but this WOD was probably closer to about 18:00 or so for me.
Friday
WOD: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 power cleans
I just really like these lifts. I'm getting better at the mechanics; although, I will say that once I get up to the challenging heavier weights, I hit a sort of mental block about getting underneath the weight fast enough. But these are some of the most gratifying days when we're just lifting, adding more weight, seeing if we can keep on increasing in weight and pushing our limits. I love the mental focusing that is required on these lifts. Hit a personal record, too! Last time I maxed out at 80#, and I blew past that today. Hot damn! :)
Posted weight: 65-75-85-95(F)-95(F)-95-95(F)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Cure For Migraines
Warm up: Pick a "goat", Coach Burg's snatch clean progressions
WOD: Power cleans, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
I went to bed last night sick to my stomach from a migraine. I can tell you that my pulse was probably in the upper 60/lower 70 bpm because I could feel the veins pulsating in my head. I have had some sort of headache since the 13th of September, on and off, but mostly on. I woke up with the same headache and having hot flashes that would've made me look like I was up in flames had you looked at my image through a thermal lens. Yet somehow, after I got up and started warm ups today, my headache dissipated. As I sit here typing, however, I can feel it coming back. I think the physical activity I'm doing at CF every morning somehow diverts the flow of blood to my muscles and lessens the pressure in my head. Just a theory.
What is this goat thing? you may ask. Are you guys doing CrossFit with farm animals? While I wouldn't put that past some of the local yokels, no goats were harmed at the gym today. A "goat" is something that is a roadblock for you, something that you could use some practice on. Box jumps can be a goat for some because of the tricks your mind will play on you about the height of the box. For me, pull ups will always be a goat until I can get up there and knock them out like a pro, doing the kipping and going all the way up on my own strength. I worked on doing good jumping pull ups and then practiced kipping back and forth. I can tell I'm getting a better range of motion on the kipping but still lack the strength to pull up my body weight. With a little practice, I think it will come.
The snatch clean progressions break down each step of this olympic lift into three reps each, finally putting them all together in one fluid movement at the end. We did these with the PVC pipes, so we weren't bearing weight but working on form and warming up those joints we would need for today's WOD. Pretty easy, pretty fun.
When we got ready to do power cleans, we did lots of practice with PVCs before actually handling the bar. It was a little intimidating to finally pick up something heavy, but once I did that and did it with the proper form, I was so proud of myself! Now for the real test -- adding weight...
I started off with 65# and got that up easily. Once I added what I thought was 10#, I just couldn't get up past the shrug. I was so bummed! Long story short, I had not added 10# -- I had added 10 kg! Big difference! Basically I had unwittingly gone from 65# to 85#. No wonder that weight wasn't going anywhere! So the girl working with me swapped out kg's for lb's and we got to cranking them out. She and I finally topped out at 80# successfully! WOO HOO!!! I worked well past the WOD requirement of seven reps because I really wanted to see how far I could go, and once I got up to 80#, I was sooo close. I failed a couple of times but was just too close to walk away from it. Finally, that last time I got it up there, and let me tell you -- that felt gooood. :)
Side note: I have learned the art of a good bail. A couple of times I either lost balance and rocked too far back or just couldn't get underneath the weight properly. Allowing myself to fall and just letting the weight go was all I had to do, and I was able to dump the weight safely. Check!
Posted weight: 65-65-85F-85F-70-70-75-75-80F-80F-80
WOD: Power cleans, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
I went to bed last night sick to my stomach from a migraine. I can tell you that my pulse was probably in the upper 60/lower 70 bpm because I could feel the veins pulsating in my head. I have had some sort of headache since the 13th of September, on and off, but mostly on. I woke up with the same headache and having hot flashes that would've made me look like I was up in flames had you looked at my image through a thermal lens. Yet somehow, after I got up and started warm ups today, my headache dissipated. As I sit here typing, however, I can feel it coming back. I think the physical activity I'm doing at CF every morning somehow diverts the flow of blood to my muscles and lessens the pressure in my head. Just a theory.
What is this goat thing? you may ask. Are you guys doing CrossFit with farm animals? While I wouldn't put that past some of the local yokels, no goats were harmed at the gym today. A "goat" is something that is a roadblock for you, something that you could use some practice on. Box jumps can be a goat for some because of the tricks your mind will play on you about the height of the box. For me, pull ups will always be a goat until I can get up there and knock them out like a pro, doing the kipping and going all the way up on my own strength. I worked on doing good jumping pull ups and then practiced kipping back and forth. I can tell I'm getting a better range of motion on the kipping but still lack the strength to pull up my body weight. With a little practice, I think it will come.
The snatch clean progressions break down each step of this olympic lift into three reps each, finally putting them all together in one fluid movement at the end. We did these with the PVC pipes, so we weren't bearing weight but working on form and warming up those joints we would need for today's WOD. Pretty easy, pretty fun.
When we got ready to do power cleans, we did lots of practice with PVCs before actually handling the bar. It was a little intimidating to finally pick up something heavy, but once I did that and did it with the proper form, I was so proud of myself! Now for the real test -- adding weight...
I started off with 65# and got that up easily. Once I added what I thought was 10#, I just couldn't get up past the shrug. I was so bummed! Long story short, I had not added 10# -- I had added 10 kg! Big difference! Basically I had unwittingly gone from 65# to 85#. No wonder that weight wasn't going anywhere! So the girl working with me swapped out kg's for lb's and we got to cranking them out. She and I finally topped out at 80# successfully! WOO HOO!!! I worked well past the WOD requirement of seven reps because I really wanted to see how far I could go, and once I got up to 80#, I was sooo close. I failed a couple of times but was just too close to walk away from it. Finally, that last time I got it up there, and let me tell you -- that felt gooood. :)
Side note: I have learned the art of a good bail. A couple of times I either lost balance and rocked too far back or just couldn't get underneath the weight properly. Allowing myself to fall and just letting the weight go was all I had to do, and I was able to dump the weight safely. Check!
Posted weight: 65-65-85F-85F-70-70-75-75-80F-80F-80
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
