Monday's Workout

Is there anything better than an early morning workout?

No, there is not. The fact that thirteen of us arrived before dawn at CrossFit Palo Alto to get our butts handed to us is a testament to how much we love this stuff.

Strength Skill:

• Overhead Squats (5 sets of 3, 2 sets of 3)

Kyle and I paired up this morning, and we methodically moved from squatting light (65lbs) to moderate (105lbs) weight on the bar, taking care to focus on our technique above all else. It's amazing how difficult it is to overhead squat even a fraction of what we typically load onto a barbell. To hit my goal of cranking out a full bodyweight overhead squat by the end of this three-week strength cycle, I'm going to have to work at it.



The beauty of properly-executed overhead squat? It's a crazy-good full-body move that demands strength, balance, flexibility, and keen attention to form. The lack of any one ingredient will result in a missed rep and a dumped bar. It's virtually impossible to compensate for bad form; change the angle of your arms by a couple of degrees, and the weight's coming down. I love that there's no way to cheat this move.

Metcon:

Three rounds for time:

• 20 flag push-ups
• 25 Abmat sit-ups
• 30 kettlebell transfer swings (24kg / 16kg)

This one was awesome. But then again, I love all bodyweight workouts -- they're right up my alley.

What made this one even more enjoyable was that the Terminator and I were neck-and-neck the entire way through, just like old times. The guy is unstoppable: He never once even paused during the WOD. I took a knee twice during the last round of flag push-ups to catch my breath, but luckily, I was able to make up time by going balls-out through the Abmat sit-ups. In the end, I edged him out, but only by a few seconds.

By the way, I used the Danimal 24kg kettlebell. It's pretty fantastic, but would be even better if it sported the patented Danimal moustache and possibly some old-timey striped shorts.

Result: 7:39 as RXed.