Wednesday's Workout

Another fun one today.

Strength Skill:

• Overhead Squats (3-3-3-1-1)

I missed last week's OHS practice, so I was looking forward to today's session. Overhead squats are quickly becoming one of my favorite full-body movements -- it demands flexibility, strength, and stability, and forces me to stay mindful of proper posture. And although we don't do overhead squats very often, I've seen progress every time we revisit them, which makes me want to come back for more.

Plus: I got to wear my new Reebok Olys today while squatting -- and it's all about the shoes. (By the way, they actually felt a bit too spongy for my taste; I think I'm going to remove the inserts to see if that helps.)

Before today, I think my heaviest overhead squat was 105 pounds. But I was feeling pretty good this morning at the gym, and ended up with a new PR of 125 pounds. It was on my last set, and there wasn't enough time to shoot for more. Still, I felt like there was still a little left in the tank, and I really wanted to try overhead squatting my bodyweight. After class (and CoffeeWOD), I came home and did it in my garage, cranking out a 135 pound OHS. Yay for me.

Metcon:

• 20 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
• 20 knees-to-elbows
• 1 lap of badger crawls
• 15 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
• 15 knees-to-elbows
• 1 lap of badger crawls
• 10 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
• 10 knees-to-elbows
• 1 lap of badger crawls
• 5 Russian (chest-high) kettlebell swings (32kg / 24kg)
• 5 knees-to-elbows
• 1 lap of badger crawls

In CrossFit Palo Alto parlance, a badger crawl is a modified bear crawl using bent (rather than straight) legs and arms. (I know some folks do bear crawls with bent legs and arms already -- if that's the case with you, then badger crawls are synonymous with your version of bear crawls.) For today's WOD, each lap of badger crawls consisted of going down the length of the gym and back.

I discovered that I can scamper pretty quickly when on all fours -- probably because I have short, stubby legs that keep me close to the ground. The badger crawls were also a welcome respite from the forearm-numbing swings and KTEs.

Result: 5:58 as RXed.