All Good Things...

So after two and a half years of waking up in the middle of the night to get ready for 5 a.m. CrossFit classes, our merry bunch of early birds is abruptly disbanding. Turns out the gym has residential neighbors who aren't super-jazzed about being woken up by the sounds of barbells and grunting.

When I joined CrossFit Palo Alto in the summer of 2010, Steph was the only other person crazy enough to stick to a 5 a.m. schedule. But after a few months, we were joined by the Terminator. And then Mint came (and left). And Jackie joined, and Jason, and Jay, and Jake, and on and on, until there were 15 of us "regulars" in the class. 

Three days a week, these were the folks with whom I'd start the day. Half-asleep, I'd stumble into the gym, bedheaded and bleary-eyed, and spend an hour sweating alongside my fellow sleep-deprived nutjobs. It's not like we spent a lot of time chatting in class -- I'm not nearly awake enough to engage in intelligent conversation before 5:30. But our class had a great, supportive vibe, and the friendly competition kept me on my toes.

Could I have attended class at a later (and saner) time of day? Sure -- but I always looked forward to seeing the 5 a.m. crew. It's hard not to like the people with whom you've spent hundreds of hours over the course of the past 30 months, and it's the primary reason why I always set my alarm clock for 4:20 a.m.

But at least for now, the 5 a.m. class is kaput. Most of us are moving to crashing other classes, and the rest are finding other ways to lift heavy and move fast. I'm joining the 6 a.m. class along with a handful of other 5 a.m. refugees, so the silver lining is that I'll get three extra hours of sleep each week. And hopefully, we'll get to drop our weights without fear of the cops getting called.

Last order of business? The 5 a.m. class's two final workouts:

Wednesday

On Wednesday, we practiced Zercher squats -- a favorite of mine. Even better: This is a strength skill that doesn't require the use of my wrists, so my injury was irrelevant. (And yes, I'm still -- STILL! -- on the mend.) We also got a metcon that I didn't have to modify: AMRAP in 7 minutes of burpees.

The workout required that we jump and stand atop of a 45-pound bumper plate at the end of each rep. I did the burpees on my fists, and kept a fairly steady rate throughout. I was aiming for 100 burpees, and despite my best efforts to accelerate towards the end, I ended up one short. 

Result: 99 as RXed. So close! Still, I'm pretty happy with my score -- especially given that it took me almost a minute longer to complete 100 burpees last year.

Friday

I had much more trouble with the assigned movements in our final 5 a.m. workout. While the class practiced strict barbell presses, I had to settle for kettlebell and dumbbell presses. And the metcon looked like this:

• 15 chin-ups
• 10 wall balls (20lbs / 14lbs)
• 12 chin-ups
• 15 wall balls (20lbs / 14lbs)
• 9 chin-ups
• 20 wall balls (20lbs / 14lbs)
• 6 chin-ups
• 25 wall balls (20lbs / 14lbs)
• 3 chin-ups
• 30 wall balls (20lbs / 14lbs)

I can't yet catch a wall ball without destroying my wrist, so I did thrusters with a pair of 15-pound dumbbells instead. And I did the chin-ups from a pair of Olympic rings to reduce the strain on my wrist, too. Looking back, I'm glad the chin-up ladder was descending; by the end of the workout, my chin-ups were ugly and slow.

Result: 7:48.

With any luck, the 5 a.m. diaspora will be short-lived. But who knows? I suspect I might get used to the extra sleep...

Wednesday's Workout

The workout started off just fine. I'd gotten a decent amount of sleep, and during the first half of class, I matched my previous Zercher squat PR.

And then I saw Tim write the day's metcon on the board:

• Row 2K.

I'm not exactly sure what happened next, because my brain was preoccupied with this thought:

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

Before I sat on the erg, I could already predict what lay ahead: Roughly two minutes of solid rowing, followed by two minutes of oh-crap-we're-not-yet-even-halfway-done, and then two minutes of extreme mental and physical anguish, and lastly, two minutes of just-a-few-hundred-more-meters-before-I-can-fall-off-and-die. And afterwards, I knew I'd be in for a good five minutes of rolling around on the floor, wincing in pain, and trying (and failing) to stand up.

I was right.

Result: 8:01. I've done worse. But I've also done better.

Wednesday's Workout

I was still sore from Monday's workout when we began knocking off the rust with five sets of Zercher squats. By the time the metcon was written on the board, the achiness had mostly melted away.

"Diane"

For time:

• 21 deadlifts (225 lbs / 185 lbs)
• 21 handstand push-ups
• 15 deadlifts
• 15 handstand push-ups
• 9 deadlifts
• 9 handstand push-ups

We hadn't done Diane since October of 2010 -- back when I was a relative newbie -- and I was curious how I'd stack up against my old self. Although I'm no longer a fan of heavy, high-rep deadlift metcons, I figured I could handle the RXed weight, given that I'd managed to do it two years ago. With more experience under my belt, Diane should be a piece of cake, right?

Of course not.

Although my handstand push-ups were fast and fluid -- I did almost all of 'em unbroken -- the deadlifts were agonizingly hard. My form started deteriorating by the middle of the second round, and my final nine reps were ugly, and done in doubles and singles. My hamstrings were on fire.

Still: I beat my old time by over three minutes. (So what if my only previous experience with Diane came less than six months after I started CrossFit?)

Result: 10:52 as RXed.

Bonehead

I must not have been fully awake today. You'll see why in a sec.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (5-5-5-3-3)

It's been half a year since we last practiced Zercher squats, and I'm feeling a little rusty. Nonetheless, I love strongman exercises (despite being the very opposite of a strongman), and it makes me happy to pull out the thick bar and squeeze it in the crook of my elbows.

I got nowhere near my previous PR (of 225 pounds) today, but by the time I finished the last set, I was feeling solid, and think (hope?) I have a shot at besting my previous record by the end of this cycle.

Metcon:

• "CC Flyers" -- 3 rounds for time of:

• 400-meter run
• 12 overhead squats (95lbs / 65 lbs)
• 21 box jumps (20")

I watched Tim write the workout on the whiteboard, and studied it before I changed out of my weightlifting shoes. But for whatever reason, I transposed the "1" and the "2" on the overhead squats, and thought it said TWENTY-ONE overhead squats instead of twelve.

"You're going RXed, right?" Steph asked. "You just did twenty 95-pound overhead squats during Air Force WOD, and you won't be doing all the other lifts."

"Uh, no," I replied. "Too many reps today." There's no way I'm doing 63 overhead squats at 95 pounds, I thought to myself. I'm sure Steph thought I was nuts.

So I scaled down to 75 pounds. And did 21 overhead squats per round. And finished slower than a sloth on pot.

Result: 12:57.

It wasn't until an hour after class -- after we'd returned from guzzling coffee and I cracked open my log book to enter in today's workout -- that I realized I'd misread the workout.

Perhaps I need to drink coffee BEFORE my workout instead.

Wednesday's Workout

Alright -- let's break the good news first:

I got a new Zercher squat PR today (225 pounds)! (It's about time -- my previous PR was set way back in December of 2010.) It made me puff up my chest for a few minutes -- that is, until...

The bad news: Today's Tabata-style metcon. It knocked me on my ass.

• Tabata grasshoppers (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
• Tabata shuttle runs (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
• Tabata dumbbell snatches (40# / 25#) (6 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest)
• Tabata ring rows

Take the lowest number of reps in any single 20-second round at each station. Add 'em up, and that's your score.

The first round of grasshoppers wasn't too bad -- I cranked out 30 of them in 20 seconds, and felt pretty good about myself. And then the second round came, and I managed only 23. The next round: 22. It was a struggle to stay above 20 -- and by the time my three minutes of grasshoppers was up, I was panting like a dog.

The shuttle runs and dumbbell snatches were interminable.

Finally, we came to the ring rows. By the time we started our second set of rows, Jake and I were loudly grunting and groaning in pain. My arms were on fire, and I never managed more than 10 per set.

Ugh.

Result: 47 as RXed.

Wednesday's Workout

Is it possible that we've never done Elizabeth in class before? I combed through my blog archives, but can't find any mention of having previously done this workout. It's probably for the best, though, 'cause this crap was intense.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we did Zercher Squats. I tried my damnedest to hit a new PR today, but fell just short when I realized I couldn't get up out of my squat during my final rep. The Zerchers had felt fine up to about 200 pounds, but once I got past that point, I struggled mightily, and ultimately had to dump the bar. Next time...!

Then, as I mentioned above, we tackled Elizabeth as our metcon workout today:

• 21 cleans (135# / 95#)
• 21 ring dips
• 15 cleans (135# / 95#)
• 15 ring dips
• 9 cleans (135# / 95#)
• 9 ring dips

Before the workout began, I practiced cleaning 135 pounds. It was totally doable, but I had to be honest with myself: There was no way I had enough gas in my tank today to speedily rip out 45 reps. I opted instead for a 115 barbell.

When the clock started, I quickly cranked out a dozen or so cleans before stopping, but once I did, I had trouble regaining my momentum. The ring dips were even worse; I never did more than 8 in a row today -- and more often than not, I was struggling through one or two at a time.

Still, I couldn't have asked for a better workout to slap my sleep-deprived face and tell me to get to work.

Result: 9:36

Wednesday's Workout

So...tired...

I gotta make this quick. I'm about to pass out.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (5-5-3-3-3)

I paired up with the Terminator. His first set was 225 pounds. Mine was 135.

My last set (at 195 pounds) ended with a missed rep, but otherwise, the Zerchers felt pretty good.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

• 12 power snatches (95# / 65#)
• 10 knees-to-elbows
• 8-calorie row

Yup -- snatches again. Given the high-rep nature of this WOD, I went with 75 pounds, but even with the light weight, my form was all kinds of terrible.

Weirdly enough, I found myself looking forward to the rowing during this workout. And I hate rowing.

Result: 4 rounds.

On the plus side, I got to do this WOD with the entire 15-member Five Tribe of CrossFit Palo Alto. Amazingly, it's the first one we've all done together at the same time.

We almost look awake!

Wednesday's Workout

Five a.m. feels like eons ago...

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats (3-3-1-1-1)

I matched my PR of 215 pounds (from back in December!), though my attempt at 225 failed. When my ankle is 100 percent, I'm definitely going to give it another shot.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

• 400 meter run
• 15 overhead squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
• 10 toes-to-bar

I'm sick of not being able to run properly. Skipping is fun and all, but it's not the speediest way to get around.

Also, looking back, I wish I'd gone with the RXed weight instead of scaling down to 75. The overhead squats felt pretty good, and even though it would've taken me a lot longer to complete the workout, I'm confident I could have gone heavier.

Result: 12:02.

Wednesday's Workout: Easier Said Than Done

A great one today.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (5-3-3-1-1)

Other than a little twinge when I dorsiflexed my ankle at the bottom of the squats, the Zerchers felt good today. I matched my previous PR of 205 pounds (1.5X my bodyweight), so I'm happy.

Today's metcon -- after the jump...

Wednesday's Class: Back to School

It felt good to return to the 5 a.m. class.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (5-5-5-3-3)

Mark and I paired off to tackle the Zerchers. I only made it through four sets; I dumped the bar on my final rep, even though I was squatting 30 pounds lighter than my 1RM from last December. Ankle permitting, my goal for the cycle is to hit a new PR -- which means I have a ways to go.

Metcon:

• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of pass-throughs;
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of wallballs (20lbs / 14lbs);
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of dumbbell ground-to-overheads (45lbs / 30lbs);
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of box jumps (20").

Score = Total reps.

Sadly, I'm not yet able to run on my ankle, so I rowed 250 meters each time instead. I'm not a huge fan of the erg (to put it mildly), but it was better than trying to hobble around the block.

This workout was clearly intended as a tune-up for this Saturday's Fight Gone Bad (and if you haven't donated yet, shame on you, you big mooch). My at-home attempts at wallball shots and box jumps didn't go so well last weekend -- my ankle didn't appreciate the pounding -- so I was hopeful that I'd see marked improvement during today's WOD.

Not so much.

The wallballs didn't feel too bad, so long as I didn't jump up into the throw. But prior to spraining my ankle, I'd been able to string together over two dozen unbroken wallball shots -- something I couldn't come close to replicating today. And my box jumps were just miserable. I winced every time my left foot smacked down on the box and on the floor. After a few reps, I started slowly stepping off the box after each jump.

Result: 80 (using RXed weights but rowing instead of running). As a point of comparison, the Terminator beat me by 58 reps. In other words, I got schooled -- but it sure beats sitting at home.

Wednesday's Workout: Rope-a-Dope

I don't know why I can't bring myself to hit the sheets. Last night, after putting the kids to bed and hanging out with M as she practiced her deadlifts in the garage, I spent a couple of hours fumbling around with Illustrator and Photoshop. Trial-and-error ain't the most time-efficient way to cobble together T-shirt designs for my enterprising wife's website -- but if all goes well, they'll look something like this and this.

Finally, at 11 p.m., my phone buzzed with a Twitter message from Tim: "Go to bed. Got a good one tomorrow."

Don't we always?

The 5 a.m. workout, after the jump.

Wednesday's Workout: Sumo Fran

There's no better way to start a morning than with a workout named after a 1930s strongman, the national sport of Japan, and a nasally-voiced nanny from Queens.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

By the end, I thought I'd PR'ed, given the effort it took for me to complete the final rep. But then I checked my notebook and saw that I managed to squat 30 more pounds back in December. I guess that's the target for next Wednesday.

Metcon:

Time for some Sumo Fran -- essentially Fran, but with sumo deadlift high-pulls in place of the thrusters.

For time:

• 21 SDHPs (95lbs)
• 21 pull-ups
• 15 SDHPs (95lbs)
• 15 pull-ups
• 9 SDHPs (95lbs)
• 9 pull-ups

In a word: Awesome. I can't feel my forearms any more, but it was totally worth it.

Result: 5:35 as RXed. My Sumo Fran time's about a minute faster than my regular old Fran time -- probably 'cause I suck at thrusters. But I also prefer Sumo Fran because: (1) I can dump the bar between reps without losing a ton of time, and (2) it gives me an excuse to poorly Photoshop Fran Drescher's head onto a female sumo wrestler's body.

Wednesday's Workout: Zerch & Destroy

Back in the 1930s, you couldn't exactly roll into your local Dick's Sporting Goods and pick up a squat rack for your home gym. Even big-name competitive powerlifters and professional strongmen like Missouri's Ed Zercher didn't have one.

So Zercher did the next best thing: He loaded a barbell on the floor, deadlifted it up to mid-thigh, squatted down and balanced the bar on his quads. From there, he reached his arms under the bar and grasped it in the crook of his elbows -- and stood up.

This combo came to be known as the Zercher Squat. For decades, it's been used across the globe by lifters looking to improve their squatting; more than almost anything else, it boosts strength in the deep squat position, where folks are generally weakest and least stable. An added bonus: Zercher squats are fun. In the ten months since I joined CrossFit Palo Alto, we've done a few Zercher cycles, and they've been among my favorites.

We don't do 'em from the floor, though. (Why? Probably because Tim doesn't want to put everyone in traction. Go figure.) Instead, our Zercher squats are done from racks. They look something like this:

As you can see, they are awesomely awesome. And we got to do them again this morning.

The details of today's workout, after the jump...

Wednesday's Workout

It was a good one this morning.

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats (3 sets of 3, followed by 2 sets of 1)



I hit a new PR of 205. It wasn't by much, but I'll take it. My final rep actually felt pretty good -- my form didn't wildly degenerate, and the weight didn't crush me -- which suggests that I may be able to go heavier next week. We'll see how that goes.

Metcon:

For time:

• 21 kettlebell snatches - right arm 
• 21 kettlebell snatches - left arm 
• 21 pull-ups
• 15 kettlebell snatches - right arm 
• 15 kettlebell snatches - left arm 
• 15 pull-ups
• 9 kettlebell snatches - right arm 
• 9 kettlebell snatches - left arm 
• 9 pull-ups

Fun!

I used a 1 pood (16 kg / 35 lb) kettlebell instead of the RXed 1.5 poods, but it was plenty for me, and certainly enough to destroy my forearms and hands -- in a good way. I hadn't done kettlebell snatches in a while, but found 'em easy to pick up again, like riding a bike. And although this workout appears to be all about the arms, kettlebell snatches are actually a full-body exercise; your hips generate the power for your swings and punch-outs. 

Result: 8:40.

The only problem? Kettlebell snatches + pull-ups + icy-cold bars and handles = Risk of tearing up your hands. I've developed some leather-tough skin on my palms over the past few months, so I didn't rip any skin, but I can see some blood blisters under the surface. Take care of your hands, folks.

Wednesday's Workout

The temperature was 32° F when our 5 a.m. class arrived, shivering. "Balmy!" our coach exclaimed as we shuffled into the unheated gym. He's obviously insane.

Strength Skill:

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

Remember these? They're fun, but not easy. I'm familiar with the movement now, and can handily Z-squat significantly more than my own bodyweight (which I've kept at just under 140 pounds), but today, I maxed out with 175 pounds on the barbell -- 25 less than I managed less than 3 months ago.

I'm going to blame it on the cold weather.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

• 6 barbell cleans (95 pounds -- RX'ed is 115, but I wasn't feeling it today)
• 12 pull-ups
• 24 double-unders

Result: In 12 minutes, I made it through 4 rounds plus an additional 6 cleans and 2 pull-ups.

The pull-ups were easy (despite the cold, cold bars) and the cleans went fine. But the double-unders were a major pain in the ass.

Double-unders aren't new to me, and I can usually fly through a dozen or so before getting tripped up. The first round of today's WOD was no different; I think I cranked out 12 in a row, paused, and then finished with another string of 12. Even my second round wasn't horrible, though I was definitely slowing. But by the time I got to the third round of double-unders, I was completely smoked. I had trouble getting through even two or three double-unders in a row without getting tangled in the jumprope, and my arms were like noodles.



Oddly enough, I recovered on my fourth round and managed to string a bunch of 'em together again: 12 in a row, 8 in a row, 4 in a row.

The weird thing? My legs weren't gassed from the double-unders. My arms were.

"For those people who can't do double-unders," our coach said, "they don't understand how taxing the movement is for your wrists and forearms as you whip the rope around. Do double-unders in a WOD with pull-ups, and your arms are going to be nice and toasty."

Well, I certainly wasn't still cold by the end of the workout.

(Photo: Jon Tunnell)

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats

I tried for a new PR today, but ended up dumping the bar. Still, I matched last week's weight, and was able to crank out more reps today, so I'm not too bummed out.

Metcon:

"777"

7 rounds for time:

• 7 barbell snatches
• 7 plyo box jumps

Result: 8:05

My legs and shoulders are still creaky and sore from Monday, so I dialed down the weight on the bar for my snatches (I used 65 pounds instead of 95) and scaled down the height of the box (24 inches instead of 30). It was a fun workout, but completing 49 snatches and 49 box jumps wasn't easy; my transition times (from bar to box and from box to bar) kept getting longer as I got increasingly winded.

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats

I got up to 200 pounds, which is about 1.5X my bodyweight. But I think I can do more. We'll see -- next week.

Metcon:

For time:

• 600 meter run
• 30 overhead kettlebell swings (53-pound kettlebell)
• 30 push-ups
• 400 meter run
• 20 overhead kettlebell swings (53-pound kettlebell)
• 20 push-ups
• 200 meter run
• 10 overhead kettlebell swings (53-pound kettlebell)
• 10 push-ups
• 600 meter run

Result: 12:29. The one other guy in class (visiting from out of town) took off like a bat out of hell, leaving me in the dust on the first 600 meter run, but he gassed out shortly thereafter, and finished almost 2 minutes after me. When I first started CrossFitting, I did the same thing, but have been trying to pace myself better. It's helped, but the rush of adrenaline at the start of the WOD still makes us all go a little nuts.

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Zercher Squats

Today was my first encounter with Zercher Squats -- an old strongman exercise -- but it was love at first sight. These barbell squat variations are much kinder to my spine, and allow me to pile on the weight. They're also kinder to my wrists than front squats.

Zerchers are known to murder the skin in the crook of your elbows, but thankfully, our gym has fat bars, which helped my puny, sensitive arms stay scratch-free.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

• 200 meter sandbag sprint (i.e., run while carrying a 50-pound sandbag on your shoulders)

• 10 sandbag hang cleans & overheads (i.e., clean the sandbag to your chest, and then press it over your head -- that's one rep)

Result: 6:24 (plus some sand in my eyes and a few bloody knuckles).

I love this stuff.