Monday's Workout

For the first time in over a week, I woke up feeling halfway decent. My throat is still scratchy and I'm not yet 100 percent, but my energy levels are good, and I'm not dripping mucous all over the place. No reason not to hit the gym.

Strength Skill:

• Snatches (2 sets of 3, 3 sets of 1)

I'm finally putting some decent weight on the bar, but my form is subpar. I keep having to remind myself to be aggressive with this lift, and to get under the bar quickly. Of the Olympic lifts I've practiced, this is clearly the one that needs the most work (along with overhead squats).

Metcon:

"Annie" - for time:

• 50 double-unders
• 50 Abmat sit-ups
• 40 double-unders
• 40 Abmat sit-ups
• 30 double-unders
• 30 Abmat sit-ups
• 20 double-unders
• 20 Abmat sit-ups
• 10 double-unders
• 10 Abmat sit-ups

Chris Spealler can do Annie in four and half minutes. Sadly, I can't.

My double-unders are the rate-limiting step. I'm still adding single-unders between each double-under, which: (1) slows me down significantly (it's essentially doubling the number of jumps I have to do), and (2) exhausts me.

I found the sit-ups to be more challenging than usual today. I'm not sure if it was because the double-unders (and single-unders) had winded me, or if it was because I kept coughing up a lung. Either way, my abs hurt. And my butt, too. I hope I didn't give myself an Abmat ass-crack rash.

Result: 12:30 as RXed. My gut tells me I can reduce this by a good chunk of time once I figure out how to eliminate all the unnecessary single-unders from my double-under sets. Okay -- new goal: String together 10 double-unders without doing any single-unders in-between. I'm giving myself until the end of April to achieve this.

My calves are going to hate me.