Monday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Snatches (3-3-3-1-1) 

Ever have one of those days when you just kind of feel...off? That was me today.

I've been absent quite a bit from the gym lately, so I was excited to return this morning. Plus, I knew it was snatch day, and my snatch technique had been steadily improving since early this year. But for whatever reason, I JUST COULDN'T STOP SUCKING TODAY.

Instead of just emptying my brain and just lifting with aggression, I over-thought EVERY. SINGLE. THING. And as a result, I froze up. My movements were disjointed rather than fluid, and my arms and legs were all over the place. I bungled more reps than I stuck. Thankfully, with some helpful cueing from Tim, I managed a few half-decent reps towards the end, but I didn't come anywhere close to snatching what I know I'm capable of lifting.

I hate starting the day with frustration.

Metcon:

5 rounds for time:

• 10 kettlebell snatches (5 per arm) (24kg / 16kg)
• 10 goblet squats (24kg / 16kg)
• 10 burpees

Lessons from this workout:

1. Goblet squats are no joke.
2. I didn't end up with big, purple bruises on my forearms, so I must have done something right. 
3. Carl Paoli's burpee technique is a lifesaver.

Result: 10:27 as RXed.

Wednesday's Workout

Crap. Totally forgot to log yesterday's workout. I'm getting forgetful in my old age.

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (3-3-1-1-1)

"Get angry," Tim said as I failed to get the bar up past my knees on my final set. I was attempting a double-bodyweight deadlift, which would match my previous PR (set waaaay back in February of 2011), and I'd gassed out after barely getting the plates off the ground.

I put on my best Hulk scowl, got set, grabbed the barbell, and pulled the hell out of it. My legs shook as I struggled to clear my knees, and as I finally stood upright with the bar, my head started to swim. I dropped the bar and plopped my butt on the floor. But I was smiling. No new PR, but close!

Metcon:

For time:

• 240-meter farmer's walk with a pair of 53-pound kettlebells
• 45 wall ball shots (20-pound ball, 10-foot-high target)
• 240-meter farmer's walk with a pair of 53-pound kettlebells
• 45 burpees

I'm glad I was able to complete the first 240-meter course without once putting down the kettlebells, but I had less success with the rest of the WOD. Wall balls are not my forte, and I ended up repeatedly stopping for rest breaks during the second farmer's walk. Plus, the burpees completely kicked my ass, despite doing my best to stick to Carl Paoli's burpee pointers.

Result: 12:17 as RXed.

Still: It's good to be back.

Hacking the Burpee

Yep -- it's that time of year. The CrossFit Games Open has started, and we're all doing a bazillion burpees this week, right? 

When I saw that the first workout is a 7-minute AMRAP of burpees, I flashed back to the 100-burpee workout from last September. It was painful. To streamline my burpees and minimize the pain, I'm going to need some help.

Thankfully, the amazing Carl Paoli of GymnasticsWOD and San Francisco CrossFit has shot an entire series on proper burpee technique -- along with a summary of tips for getting the most out of this year's first Open workout:















Good stuff, right?

Go get 'em.

[Source: OldSkoolBoarder]