09 Dec 14 – What a difference the time of day makes. Snatches, Pull Ups and a healthy MetCon

Get up at 6 in the morning and struggle to hit targets or stroll in at 7pm and destroy everything in front of you?

I headed to CF Plymouth for the 7pm session and a chance to query a good coach on technique. What a strong decison that was. I do enjoy the morning sessions but at least once every two weeks I need to get to an evening period. Throughout the warm up, I felt mobile, fluid and very strong. Lots of thoracic and hip mobility work, some monkey bar work (swings, one handed hangs, etc), Burgener Warm Up and squats. All great stuff.

Part A

15mins to a 3RM Hang Snatch.

Coach Ben gave me a few pointers after my first few at 40kg. My arms were too narrow and i wasn’t keeping it close enough to the body. Quickly rectifying these, I threw up 50kg, 55kg and 60kg with apparent ease and good form. I was surprising myself at this point and pushed up to 65kg. Immediate fail. Drop to 62.5kg and no problem at all. I completed 2 rounds of 3 with 62.5kg and am happy with that. My best ever dirty Power Snatch was 75 while my half decent Snatch 1RM was 70. I remember having to retreat at that point and redevelop my form. With much better form, I am now getting back up there. Cheers Ben!

Part B

4 x Max Effort Weighted Pull Ups (Strict)

Definitely something I need to work on so I was pleased this came up. Strapping on 8kg, I completed:

10 / 5 / 4 / 4

Strict Pull Ups have always been a relative strength, being a bootneck, but even so I have wanted to get my PR of 15 up for quite a while. Ben is keen that more strict Pull Ups are put in to the programming (being a former bootneck himself ) and I have to agree whole-heartedly. Too many people can only kip and can manage few , if any, strict. Given that we are all about Functional Fitness, you try kipping yourself over a 7 foot wall. Furthermore, kipping without the basic strength is a recipe for disaster in the shoulders.

Part C

10min AMRepAP

40 x Burpees
20 x Power Clean 40kg
30 x Burpees
20 x Power Clean 50kg
20 x Burpees
20 x Power Clean 60kg
10 x Burpees
Max Effort Power Cleans 70kg

I was very pleased with this endeavour, completing 130 reps in total. It would have been probably 135 as I had 30secs remaining but turned to find my weights had been pinched by the guy next to me! I have logged it as a ‘technical’ 132 on Beyond the Whiteboard. The burpees were the bit I was most pleased with here. The first first 40 were smashed out at record pace in about 2mins or so. That shocked me but I proceeded to get the first round of power cleans done unbroken. Of course, the 30 burpees slowed me down but I paced them well and took a breather while adding more weight for the 50kg round. Breaking that in to 10, 5, 5, I was quite happy with that pace although should have stretched myself and done 2 x 10s instead. The 20 Burpees were done at speed as I watched the clock and desperately wanted to crack some of the 60kg work. I was very upset to find my weights missing but know what should have been.

All in all, a great evening’s work. It shows what a difference the time of day makes. In the mornings i am understandably sluggish and tight. 5-7pm is optimum time for this kind of programme and it shows. I am pleased with the Hang Snatches and have some more confidence there. The MetCon was good and shows that my engine has improved this year, even if strength has plateaued. Still, there are a few more months yet to make inroads in to strength gain.

11 Nov 14 – Remembrance Day, not a Remembrance WOD

For the UK, it is Armistice Day; the end of the Second World War. For a serviceman like me it is a time to reflect on the roles others have played before us and the responsibility we have to ensure we maintain the standards and commitment they upheld. We held our service in the pouring rain, with howling winds, overlooking a very dark, grey and stormy harbour. It was a clear and present reminder of the conditions our ancestors faced as they set off from the UK to invade France and, as the Kohima Epitaph reads, gave their tomorrow for our today.

On to today.

Back in the main gym today, all alone once more. I so wanted to ignore the Outlaw CrossFit programming but manned-up and wrote it down. I had to substitute some elements because we don’t have anywhere to set up rings here. Not only that but my muscle ups are not where they should be by now due to lack of time on the rings while aboard ship. I did follow the Lifting parts, however, and took yesterday’s too.

Lifting

5 x 5 Hang Snatch

50 / 50 / 55 / 55 / 60

5 x 5 Hang Clean & Jerk

70 / 70 / 75 / 80 / 85

Metabolic Conditioning

3 Rounds For Time:

5 x Power Snatch 42.5kg

7 x Burpees to 6” Mark

15 x Pull Ups (scaled down from 5 x Muscle Ups to Pull Ups and Dips)

15 x Dips

7 x Burpees

5 x Power Snatch

2min Rest

Total Working Time: 12:58

I won’t labour over the Snatch or Clean & Jerk weights. I’ve done that enough. I know I have to work on them. If I was willing to settle for poor shoulder form then I’m sure I would be throwing up higher weights but I’m not and am trying hard to maintain externally rotated shoulders in the Snatch. As for the Cleans, I have some mental block and it just needs to be smashed out of the way; I’ll get that done, I know it.

The MetCon was very tough. The Power Snatches were done with Excellent Form and unbroken throughout. Enough on those! The Burpees were taken at an even pace although undoubtedly could have been much faster but this was paced throughout. The Pull Ups were a bit of a nightmare. Where I lost all the skin beneath my right middle finger, it reopened during yesterday’s Kettlebell Swings and was in agony for the Pull Ups today. I couldn’t get a good grip and couldn’t string more than 5 together at once. Nightmare. The Dips were much harder than I had expected them to be but having remembered the lifting I did beforehand, perhaps I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.

The 3 rounds were: 3:55, 4:57, 4:06. That middle round REALLY slowed down and I knew I had to pick up the pace for the third, going all out until the end.

20 Oct 14 – Snatches and Running in Barefoot Shoes

Up at 0545, in the car for 0600 and in the box for 0615. Slick.

It wasn’t until I arrived, saw the WOD and realised I had brought the wrong shoes with me. Not so Slick.

Instead of running shoes for a largely running-WOD, I had my orange Merrell Barefoot shoes and no, I’m not accustomed to running more than about 400m in them. Imagine the pain then of running 4 x 800m! DOMS-tastic!

However, with the other two there early, we cracked on with the first aspect of the WOD:

10min EOM:

1 x Snatch

1 x Hang Snatch

3 x OHS

Weight: 45kg

I kept the weight intentionally lower in order to focus on form; my right shoulder is not externally rotating quick enough and there is a grinding going on that I need to rectify. Indeed, the heaviest I could have done this with would have been no more than 55kg anyway so it’s not as if I completely shirked the WOD.

Following this, and knowing before hand that it would take a while, was:

2 RFT:

800m Run

50 x Wall Balls (9kg @ 10’)

50 x Double Unders

800m Run

50 x Deadlifts (60kg)

Time: 29:40 RX

It was a shame that I had the wrong shoes as this slowed me down considerably, I feel. The runs became a bit of a rest as I wasn’t able to push myself. However, I plunged straight in to the Wall Balls with a 30, 10, 10 on both – slight breath to break only.

The Double Unders were all unbroken. The Deadlifts were split to 20, 10, 10, 10 with just enough time for 1 breath and a change of grip.

Overall, this was a pleasing WOD and I’m happy with my work rate at the moment.

23 Sept 14 – Tough Phys Day. Very productive.

Starting at 0600, as normal, it was back down in to the sweltering bowels of this awesome vessel. A few people were in the there on the spinning bikes doing their thing; I always think that you should take a look at the instructor in order to assess the effectiveness of a fitness training system. More on spinning in future, I’m sure.

After a good Burgener Warm Up, a round of: 10 x Push Ups, Air Squats, Pull Ups, Lunges (per leg), Back Extensions, Sit Ups, Burpees, HSPU.

I then headed down to the bar to get set up for:

10min AMRAP

30 x Lateral Over Box Jumps (10”) – this was a sub for 30 x double unders but there is nowhere to swing a rope here and have access to a barbell.

15 x Power Snatch + 35kg

Total Rounds: 3 + 10 Snatch

I think I should have scaled this. Despite a good warm up, I was still quite tired and not ‘with it’. Maintaining good breathing throughout, I completed the first round completely unbroken but the next 3 rounds of Snatches had to be broken in to 8 + 7 each time with a short pause. I really did push myself, or so I felt at the time, but the heat down there is beginning to get crippling; it’s only going to get worse before I get off. However, no excuse, I worked as hard as I could. The technique was good throughout and I’m pleased that it’s all coming back to me after reading back through my training manuals. To finish the session, I repeated the warmup but with only 5 of each movement, slowly and carefully moving through them with a good stretch.

This afternoon was different. I have been reading a good deal of coaching stuff today after finding a truly fantastic resource on the Australian Sport website. At 1430, I headed back in to the oven for:

15mins to a 5 x 1 Hang Snatch (just above knee).

Results: 5 x 40, 5 x 45, 5 x 50, 5 x 55, 5 x 60 (Power), 5 x 55, 5 x 50 (Power).

I got tired quickly through this but believe I maintained form throughout. External shoulder rotation is much better than it ever was and I’m pleased to see development in my overall mobility and flexibility. The 60’s were not great. Despite trying to get low it just wasn’t happening. I could throw it up in to a Power Snatch but this time I just wasn’t getting low enough and so when the timer stopped I kept going with more at 55 and then at 50. I am pleased with this though; I’ve lost a lot of strength and coordination here and there’s more work to do but I feel safe and stable.

Following the Snatches, it was another 21-15-9 (oh, yesterday’s score was 4:41 for the Bodyweight Fran, I forgot to log it – not that anyone reads it!!).

For time:

21-15-9

Goblet Squats (24kg)

Toes To Bar

Time: 3:54

All Goblet Squats were unbroken, happily enough, as was the first round of the Toes To Bar. For rounds 2 and 3 the T2B were broken after half each time; grip smashed, nothing left in the shoulders.

As if that wasn’t enough, I decided on a little finisher to test my grip:

Kettlebell Hold for Time (24kg).

Right Hand: 1:30

Left Hand: 1:34

I was going to leave at that point before spotting a good place to hang some rings!! First time in 4 weeks that I’ve had the chance to do muscle ups and it’s still there. I was worried I’d have lost a trick here but I was straight back in, both strict and kipping, despite the very sweaty hands.

The furnace was too much for me then and so I headed up on to the foc’sle for a long round of stretching and yoga moves. A Great Phys Day!!

Tomorrow…………..

I have 4 x 1hr cycling slots in a 24hr cycling event going on here. Therefore, I’ll not be recording any CF training but will certainly record distance over those 4 hours.

See you then!!

09 Sept 14 – Snatching in the Afternoon

Well that wasn’t exactly a tough session; very disappointing. With only 30 mins to get anything done this afternoon, I raced to the gym, began sweating as soon as I opened the door, cracked a Burgener Warm Up, some Skills Transition Exercises and then got straight in to:

15mins to a 5 x 1 Hang Snatch.

Weight: 55kg.

I worked up from 20kg, to 40kg, 50 and then 55, completing 10 at 20n 5 at 40 and 5 at the others. Before I knew it, I was rushing upstairs again for the next thing of the day. Given lack of Snatch practice, I was really looking forward to this one and I’m pleased with the skill-retention, to be honest. Video evidence shows some superb hip extension and all the movements in the correct sequence, I’ve just lost a little shoulder strength and some confidence under the bar. Still, that’ll come back soon enough and when it comes to the Open 15, I know that the Snatch weight will likely be 62.5kg so as long as I can keep smashing out those I shall be in a better position than CF Open 13 and 14. Of course, if there’s a Snatch ladder then I might be fooked.

I’ve not looked at tomorrow’s Outlaw WOD yet but I am very determined to put a lot more effort in than I did this morning; I need to start seeing improvements in the CV / engine capacity.

Nutrition not wholly great today; I actually ate a chocolate digestive!! I know, check me out ;o)

06 Sept 14 Pt II – Snatches and Rowing

It’s not much but completing a long round of Sntach practice, culminating in a 5 x 1 Hang Power Snatch of 55kg was a big triumph for me this evening.

Having not ‘Snatched’ for over 6 weeks, I am well aware that my strength has suffered quite considerably and will take a while to get back up. However, starting from scratch is not always a bad thing and it made me focus on form, especially as I was coaching Matt at the same time. Breaking it down and getting each component wire tight was a success in itself and I will be getting back in to Burgener Warm Ups as a matter of routine once more.

We threw in some overhead squats with 40kg to really work the thoracic spine and bottom position too; really pleased with the development here (although the shoes did help!)

After this we culminated in a round of Rowing:

4 x 500m w/ 2min Rest each time.

I broke this down in to 4 rounds of 1:47 / 500m splits which is a new best for me; there’re still the odd little progressions creeping in here to keep me motivated!

Following on from yesterday’s excellent stretching session on the flight deck, we headed up there again today for some more; superb opportunity we have here and I’ll be signing up for the CrossFit Mobility course very shortly.

Nutrition going well too:

Bacon & Eggs for Breakfast

2100mg of EPD/DHA (Fish Oil)

Chicken pie (nothing else) and some crab for lunch

Small handful of almonds mid-pm

Small steak, half chicken breast, burger, hotdog and half rack of ribs for dinner (ok, it is Saturday!)

I’ll top this off with a beer tonight but hey, “100% Paleo, 80% of the Time” ™

Hang Snatches and KB Swings

A chance to retry last week’s Hang Snatch 2RM today (Wed 27 May). Last week I stuttered to a 57.5kg after crappy sleep and no breakfast. When I saw this come back up on crawling out of bed, I was excited. I knew I could smash that crap from last week and sure enough, I added 5kg and performed a 2RM Hang Snatch (just above the knee) with 62.5kg. I gave 65kg an attempt but failed….confidence under the bar. The strength is there – it is times like this that I need a coach to be there and get me over the line.

The MetCon was 4 rounds of 3mins to complete 50 x KB Swings and as many Muscle Ups as possible. In the absence of rings or bars for MUs, I changed this and removed the MUs. Using 18kg, this was a great little engine builder. Unbroken on the first round, 1 break in the second and 2 each for the final 2. I was toast by the end. 18kg was right though, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain the momentum with 24kg so the scale was correct.

I know training this early isn’t optimal, especially without much food or drink, but its what I’ve got and I only hope I start seeing progression regardless.

A good day for nutrition otherwise though. Handful of nuts before the WOD, 50g Protein after. 2 bacon and 2 poached eggs for breakfast. Omelette (no cheese) with salad for lunch and 25kg Protein. Another handful of mixed nuts in the after before Curried chicken with no rice but piles of green veg for dinner and yes, a beer after.

Feeling pretty good at the moment, I’m enjoying the programming although not the lack of people to train with nor a coach.

2 pints of 1664

2 pints of 1664 had a huge effect on my performance this morning. Well, so did only 5.5 hrs of sleep after watching Eastenders on my tablet! So, not a great start to the blog but this is the purpose of these scrawls, to hold me to account in my training.

Outlaw CrossFit 210514 today (http://outlawcrossfit.com/2014/05/20/140521/).

Up at 0600, with a handful of mixed nuts (plus water and caffeine), I struggled through the 2RM Hang Snatch with a 57.5kg final 2RM. Halfway through I achieved a 60kg but only for 1 when I have completed them for 2 in the past.

The MetCon saw me well off the pace with the HSPU; I always complete them strict and perhaps should learn to kip these. However, the 30 in the first set blew me out so I had to scale the second set (15) for the first time ever. In good news, the toes to bar (30 and then 15) went ‘average’ and the Double Unders were all unbroken (2 x 50).

Rising at 0600 and trying to put these WODs in is tough but it’s the only guaranteed time in the day for now so is non-negotiable. Better sleep and nutrition the night before is definitely negotiable; I’m not much of a drinker though and it was nice to sit with a buddy and shoot the breeze after a long day.

WOD logged on Beyond The Whiteboard; I shall be using this to measure my improvements this year. I currently sit on the 67th percentile (which is where I finished CF Open 14 so is a good measure) and want to start seeing that number creep up.