Well holy hell, I was pretty spot on in my prediction for this!!
An ascending strength ladder with a gymnastic skill in between. We ended up with:
8min AMRAP:
- 3 handstand push-ups
- 3 cleans (power) @ 85kg
- 6 handstand push-ups
- 3 cleans
- 9 handstand push-ups
- 3 cleans
- 12 handstand push-ups
- 6 cleans
- 15 handstand push-ups
- 6 cleans
- 18 handstand push-ups
- 6 cleans
- 21 handstand push-ups
- 9 cleans
Etc., following same pattern
Of course, “following same pattern” was never going to apply to me but I knew immediately on seeing it that the Cleans would really be my downfall. 85kg is too close to my 1RM of 95kg to give me any confidence that I can throw it around with the regularity that this WOD requires. I read plenty of Facebook chat prior to taking it on where people were dreading the HSPU but loving the Cleans. For me it was definitely the other way around and so it proved to be. After coaching the 1730 session, I decided to give it a go with the view of perhaps retrying it again on Monday. It probably actually didn’t affect things in the end but I was still hungover from a leaving do the night before and had had only a few hours sleep. However, because this wasn’t going to be a ‘gassy’ WOD, I don’t think it really mattered all that much.
The Handstand Push Ups, even with the very strict standards applied (although kipping HSPU very much in vogue throughout) were my ‘rest’ period and allowed to catch up some time. All rounds of the HSPU were done unbroken and I really don’t think that carried over any effect in to the Cleans. From the first Clean onward, I was struggling. I conducted the first 3 lifts as full depth Cleans in order to save my core and not have to try to get the bar too high but they were all singles. All other Cleans were just muscled in to position; I physically couldn’t get in to the depth and perhaps should have been stopped from even carrying on, given some of the positions I put myself in.
Totalling 47 Reps, it turns out that this is not too bad of a score overall. Indeed, I do think I’ll redo it on Monday but the pressure is off. Because it is such a low scoring WOD, every rep counts and I have the chance to get back in to the top 40% from this one.
My Nomadic CrossFit Experiment 