1/25 - LLF

SNATCH day. boom.

Pre-warm up:
Russian babymakers
Spiderman stretch
Ankle mobility stretches
Squat holds
Superman stretch

Warm up:
4 rounds/:30 each
KB swings @ 1pd
OHS
Push ups
Hollow Rocks

Strength: 1RM Snatch (full)

Went with a few triples before going for a heavy single

3 @ 65#
3 @ 75#
1 @ 85#
1 @ 95#
1 @ 105# (f)

Had to start setting up for the WOD during the my last attempt, so I definitely think I rushed it. 95# was my previous 1RM, so matching it is a little frustrating. Would like to try it again when I have time to rest and think in between.

WOD:
AMRAP 20 minutes
10 Box Jumps (24"/20)
10 Power Snatch (95#/65#)
150m row (there was an option to do 20 T2B, did that for 2 rounds)

Rounds: Honestly, I don't really know. 6 maybe? stopped on the rower, so it was an even whatever it was.

Fairly big class today so all the boxes were taken and had to share. Didn't think about not having a box to do the T2B until after the WOD started, so I gave up on that endeavor 2 rounds deep. Should have probably stuck to the normal WOD. I hate power snatch...makes me a little uncomfortable in terms of pressure on my lower back, so I found myself sort of taking it easy during the 10 reps. Overall, just a "blah" day today. Hoping it gets a little better :\

1/23 - LLF

Back in the box, refreshed, and ready to learn!

Warm up:
2 rounds
1 minute of consecutive (no misses!) jump rope singles
Air squats
Push ups
Hollow rocks

Did some Supermans after this to get the lower back fired up

Skill/Strength: Snatch grip deadlift

Snatch grip deadlift Complex:
2 SDL/1 SDL + pull for 10 rounds

Max at 115#, but hovered primarily around 95# to make sure I reach full hip extension and elbow pull (and to practice holding the bar with the hook grip)

WOD:
12 minute ladder
3-3, 6-6, 9-9 etc.
Deadlift (went with snatch grip deadlift instead of regular DLs) (135#/95#)
Wall Ball (20#/14#)

Score: Round 18 + 4 DLs (Rx)

Post WOD:
Snatch work @ 70-80% of 1RM

5 @ 63#
5 @ 70#
5 @ 73#

Goal was to be absolutely stabilized when I got under the weight. Scary to think how it's only Monday and I've already started to forget some of the important cues I learned. Didn't have much time for anything else and had to run out the door to get to work ASAFP.

1/22 -Day 2 of Catalyst Athletics Oly Seminar

Skill: Clean & Jerk

Notes from today:

Jerk rack position: Lats should be up. Elbows should be pointed down towards the ground and not perpendicular to the ground. Chest should be out, neck should be back, standing up tall. Bar should rest in the shoulder groove, not on the collarbones, and not directly on the shoulders (that was a bad description, but I think I got it).

Push press: Bend is in the knees so to keep the bar in the same line from the start position (prevents from bending forward and being too forward on the bar). Explosiveness comes from the knee bend, not in the shoulder press up.

Push Jerk/Power Jerk: Make sure to the a breath BEFORE you start the dip, not during the dip. Taking a breath will also prevent from hollowing out the chest area and letting the bar pull you forward.

Split: Back foot should be slightly turned inward. Stance should be the same width as squat. Make sure to utilize the dip before the split out. Make sure to step out vs. stepping forward (stepping forward makes the stance too narrow)

Clean: Remember to keep elbows out and up until reaching full extension. I get the feeling like I'm delayed on the pull from the hip, but that's actually on the right trajectory of being correct.

Went through a ton of progressions leading up to a full Clean & Jerk. Did two heavy singles @ 55kg and felt like my squat was being compromised even though I could finish the lift. Ultimately went down to 45kg and practiced getting around the bar quickly, and working on the Jerk part of the move. I still need to get my weight equal on both feet, and utilize the anchor leg better. Will made the observation that I need to limit the adjustment before the jerk to one (not three, which is what I'm doing).

This was honestly one of the best learning experiences I've ever had. The entire seminar was informative, well-run, and incredibly helpful for all of the feedback I received this weekend!

1/21 - Day 1 of Catalyst Athletics Oly Seminar

Skill: Snatch

Some of my notes from today:

Some critical warm ups to do before doing snatches:
-Russian Babymakers (same as getting into the squat position, hands on the feet, and using your elbows to drive your legs apart)
-Spiderman stretch
-Ankle flexibility:
Version 1: Forward lunge so that your knee is over your foot
Version 2: In the squat position, lean over one foot at a time

Note: In realizing that I'm very lucky to be as flexible as I am, I still need to do things like the ankle flexibility drill, so I'm glad this was highlighted.

Breathing: Make sure to push the air down and not keep it within your chest cavity. Pushing your air down into your abdomen doesn't create this hollow position where there's "empty space".

Snatch balance drills: Make sure to lock out at the top before descending into the squat. Also make sure to keep the head up and facing directly forward during the squat (the tendency today was to start looking forward and then down once I made it down into the squat position).

Hook grip: Get the bar into the webbing between the thumb & index finger. After today, I feel much more confident about my hook grip, just need to make better practice doing it more often.

Elbow turnout: Elbows should be slightly turned out facing towards the ground so that when you transition the bar to overhead, your arms in the correct position to have the quickness needed to get the bar overhead.

Overhead: The bar should be in the cradle of the palms, with a modest to light grip on the bar.

Stance: Weight should have even distribution across feet, towards the front of the heel. You should be able to keep the squat position comfortably for 3 minutes without needing to adjust too much. The receiving position can vary from the start position.

Full Snatch notes:

Start position:
-Start with the barbell over the balls of the feet
-Start position should include the butt down (not raised up) and the shoulders should be slightly over the bar.
-I got into the routine of being in my start position and adjusting the hook grip as needed before lifting it. So going forward, it's critical that I feel confident in my grip before starting.
-Keep the head forward, focusing on a point that keeps the head level.
-Reminding myself to take that important breath before starting is critical.

First pull:
-Pulling the bar straight off the ground and keeping the same line with the arms from off the ground. By the time the bar reaches mid-high thigh level there should be some pull in the hamstrings.

Second pull:
-WAIT UNTIL THE BAR HITS AT THE HIP! My biggest issue in this lift will be this point. I discovered that I released too early and let the bar get too far in front of me and let it lose contact with my body prematurely. Going forward, this is going to be my biggest focus, especially if I'm looking to lift heavier.

To overhead:
-Need to keep fast elbows once I've started the ascent up overhead
-A helpful tip I received was to help the elbows get up faster is to pull the muscles in your back together
-Need to keep head up and look forward
-KEEP FEET ON THE GROUND! I had the tendency to "donkey kick" and let my feet off the ground more than I should. A tip I received was that it's just easier to think about not losing contact with the ground to force myself to stay down. By kicking up too high, the bar is overhead longer than it should be. By keeping contact ensures that I'll have a solid squat position.

Overhead:
-Full lockout
-Push up the bar at the bottom of the squat to maintain positioning

Molly and I worked up to about an 85# snatch, which felt like a great training weight. Definitely wasn't going to PR with so much to keep in mind. Maybe next time

Day 2: Clean & Jerk!

1/19 - 24hr @ 9:00pm (BLEH!)

Warm up:
1000m row

DB Squat Cleans
7@25#
5@30#
5@35#
5@40#

Bulgarian split squats: 2x5 each leg @ 30#

Finisher: 2500m row

Time: ~12 minutes

1/18 - LLF

Hit the 1pm for the first time in a loooong time!

Warm up:
LLF warm up

Strength/Skill: Push Press - 7x2, 2 min rest between

15@33#
10@55#
5@65#

2@75#
2@85#
2@90#
2@95#
2@100#
2@105#
2@110#

Definitely didn't go heavy enough at the start. For next time, starting at 80-85# should be reasonable.

WOD: "Betty"
5 rounds
12 Push Press (135/95#, did 85#)
20 Box Jumps (24/20")

Time: 11:26

Wanted to get this under 10 minutes but completely died after round 3. Could have been that I hadn't had a full meal until then...awesome job Alyssa for going RX on this and getting it done under the time cutoff! Special treat to make it to an afternoon class today

1/17 - LLF

Warm up:
8 movements/30 seconds each:
1. Walking lunges
2. Hollow rocks
3. Push ups
4. Superman/arch rock
5. Kipping pull ups
6. Dislocates
7. Overhead squats
8. Samson stretch

Skill: Rope Climb

It may not be as high as before, but I got my first rope climb EVER!! Learning how to hold the rope with your foot is something that I still need a ton of practice with, but I'm glad that I can do it.

Strength: Hang Squat Snatch - 5x3, rest 3 minutes in between
15@33#
12@55#
8@65#
3@75#
3@85#
3@90#
3@95# (failed after #2)

Didn't have enough time to go another round, but it would have probably been at 95# again anyways. The hardest part about this (and anything from the hang, for that matter) is the grip part. It's incredibly difficult to keep control from overhead and back to the hang. Pretty damn proud of getting 95# as this was the weight I was full snatching back in July, pre-marathon training and pre-injury.

WOD:
9-7-5
Hang Squat Snatch (115/75#)
Burpee Pull ups

Time: 8:10 - Rx

Hang squat snatch weight was OK, but it was difficult to try and string these together without getting a little nervous that my back not be in the right position. Towards the end I had to do them one at a time.

FYI, I had to the pull ups as: Burpee-Box Step Up @ 20"-Pull up. In the words of Skee-Lo, "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller"

1/15 - 24hr

Warm up:
Hamstring stretches
Pidgeon
3 rounds of back extensions

Front Squats: 3x5

5@95#
5@105#
5@115#

Hang Clean: 3x3

3@85#
3@95#
3@105#

Deadlift: 2x3

3@135#
3@155#

Had to shut it down after this since I felt my lower back starting to bark and thought it best to cut it off before I'm hurting for the rest of the week. best decision.

Strict HSPUs: 2x10
Handstand hold to freestanding: 2 tries, didn't last for more than a second on both occasions

Pull ups: 1x5 w/ palms out, 1x5 w/ palms in, 1x5 w/ mixed grip
T2B: 3x5
Dips: 3x5, all the way to the negative position

W/ 15# dumbbell:
10 front squats
10 ground to overhead
10 burpee deadlifts
10 jumping squats

Not a great workout day, even though I didn't realize how much I had actually done. Good to just get moving around after a day of indulgence the day before.

1/13 - Back to running...bleh.

1 mile run (w/ 1 hill sprint)
10 30m sprints
1 mile run (w/ 1 hill sprint)

Cardiovascular situation needs a lot work. Feels like I'm starting from ground zero.

1/11 - LLF

Pre warm up:
Lots of hip mobiity and hamstring stretching

Warm up:
1x around the block

4 rounds:
10 med ball cleans
10 burpees

Strength: Squat clean

Not much a strength workout today, worked up to 105# and then had to figure out the weight for the WOD

WOD:
AMRAP 30 minutes
1 squat clean (Rx:165#/105#, used 85#), 1 round of Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats)
2 squat clean, 2 rounds of Cindy
3 squat clean, 3 rounds of Cindy, etc.

Rounds: 4 full rounds + 5 squat cleans + 4 rounds of Cindy

The regular workout called for just one round of Cindy after each squat clean, but Rob L. and I took Mike's recommendation and decided to turn this into more of a metcon workout. I scaled down the weight since I had my big strength workout yesterday on the bench, and wanted to make sure that I had enough mental space to get set up on each lift, practice good form, and then reset. Definitely not the most exciting workout, but my body hurts between yesterday and today.

1/10 - LLF

Warm up:
2x around block

Baseline: 5:43...this is insane. the last time i did this i had the exact same time. sort of disappointed that i wasn't faster than before. the rower takes too much of my time, and i sort of fell apart on the push ups. would like to try this again and get under 5:40.

Strength: 2 reps every 2 minutes for 7 rounds @ 105#

Worked with Amy on this, and she is an absolute beast. Glad she challenged me to take on 105# since I tend to play chicken on this.

WOD:
Abbreviated "Lynette"
15-12-9-6-3
Bench Press (135#/95#)
Pull ups

Time: 18 and change - RX!

This got hard REALLY quick. Got through the first 9 on the 15 and then died. I was smoked beforehand, and this took me straight to exhaustion. Ended up doing one bench press at a time at the end, and needed a spot. Surprisingly, the bench press got to be so taxing that the pull ups felt really easy. Butterflied most of them and didn't tear my hands in the process. Thanks to Amy, Emma, Ryan, and Chris for all the encouragement. This was the first time I've done a bench press workout at Rx, so I'm actually quite proud of myself

1/8 - 24hr

Warm up:
3 rounds
10 back extensions
10 cobras
20 second hamstring stretch

Deadlift: 1x5, 1x3, 1x2, 1x1

5@135#
3@155#
2@165#
1@175#

Power clean: 2x2, 2x2, 2x2, 2x2

2@75#
2@85#
2@95#
2@105#

Box squat: 5-5-4 (5 45# plates stacked) @ 95#

Bulgarian split squats: 2x5 each leg @ 25#

Box Jumps - 24" box:

3x8 - normal
2x8 - from seated position on 12" box
1x8 - "death" jumps starting on 12" box

Single leg box hops - 12" box w/ 8lbs.
Rep count: 19

Side by side leg box hops - 12" box w/ 8lbs.
Rep count: 19

Disappointed with the deadlift today. Lower back was starting to bark after 135#. Box squats were a new move for me today, but felt good in terms of working on the right depth and more glute activation. Worked on the low bar positioning and actually am starting to get used that. Didn't do the usual box jumps, but worked on having more explosiveness from off the ground rather than doing them for a high rep count. Overall, a big glute day today, but learned that there's a lot I can do at a non-CrossFit establishment. Big thanks to G today for all of the fun stuff

1/5 - 24hr

Strict Pull-up - 2x3 normal grip, 2x3 palms in
DB Bent over row - 3x6 @ 25# DB
Strict Pull-up - 2x as many as possible (4/3)
Chest to Deck Push ups - 1x10 (regular), 1x10 (hand release), 1x10 (hand release)
Incline DB Bench - 3x6 @ 25# DB

WOD:
DB Complex @ 25#:
10 front squat
10 swings
10 ground to shoulder press on each arm
10 jump squat

1000m row

Time: 10:50

I hate the rower....bleh. hurting from yesterday's ring dips/squats.

1/4 - LLF

UGH. Walked into the gym half awake and not motivated at all to do anything...got about 6.5 hours of sleep, but felt like it was only half that. i can't tell if me being tired is related to Paleo at all, but i had a dream about cheesecake last night, so..........

Warm up:
400m run
50 DUs - got the new Rx rope, but...a) it may be a little short for me, b) heavier than what i'm used to, c) i didn't want to do DUs today.
40 walking lunges
30 hollow rocks
20 pull ups
10 burpees

I won't lie...i was tired after this. #fail

Strength: Back Squat - 3 reps every 2 minutes for 7 rounds

3@85#
3@105#
3@115#
3@125#
3@130#
3@130#
3@115#

Rob L. and Mike noticed that I go ass-to-grass on the back squats, and that my descent into the squat is WAY too fast. Scaled down the weight at the last round to start getting more familiar with what "just below parallel" feels like. to be honest, it feels like i'm shorting it, but then again, that would make sense.

WOD:
5 rounds
250m row
15 back squats (used 85#)
10 ring dips

Time: 26 or 27 minutes

BLEH. being exhausted from the start of class and into the WOD makes it SO hard to keep pushing. glad i did the ring dips instead of the ring rows on this. didn't like this one at all, and will start focusing on sleep more now going forward.

1/2 - CrossFit Code3

Warm up:
Some really great mobility stretches!
500m row
More mobility drills/stretching

Strength:
High Bar Back Squat - 3x5

5@95#
5@105#
5@115#

Largely concerned that this was sort of difficult for me. bleh.

WOD:
21-15-9
Med Ball Cleans (20#/14#)
Med Ball Burpees
Wall Balls

Time: 8:56 - Rx

Don't really feel like being around the med ball for that long ever again. Med Ball Burpees were interesting, thought that the cleans were pretty easy. Per usual, the wall balls just never get any easier for me.

Post-WOD: Muscle up practice