Hallow-Bata 2: Revenge of the Screwed-Up Wrist

Perhaps if I'd dressed up as a superhero for our Halloween workout, I would've fared better.

At CrossFit Palo Alto, we were treated to (tricked with?) our second annual Hallow-Bata -- a Tabata-style workout that looks like this:

• 8 Tabata rounds of "green, slimy" grasshoppers
• Rest 30 seconds
• 8 Tabata rounds of "headless horsemen" (a variation on kettlebell palm presses) (24kg / 16kg)
• Rest 30 seconds
• 8 Tabata rounds of "cauldron jumps" (jump on/over a plyo box and onto the floor on the other side for each rep)
• Rest 30 seconds
• 8 Tabata rounds of "deadly" double-unders

Score = Total reps.

With a dozen of us in class, we split up into groups to start at different stations. I opted to hit the cauldron jumps first -- mostly because it was the least crowded station, but also because I knew I wanted to tackle the jumps while my legs were still fresh.

Cauldron jump results: 11 / 12 / 10 / 8 / 8 / 8 / 7 / 8

Next up: Double-unders. I got tripped up more than I'd care to admit, and with my swollen right wrist, I had trouble whipping the rope. Needless to say, I got nowhere close to my performance last year, when I managed to crank out 34 double-unders in 20 seconds. Argh.

Double-under results: 20 / 21 / 15 / 19 / 22 / 14 / 16 / 15

Then, it was grasshopper time. From my experience last year, I knew it was better to go at a steady clip rather than explode right out of the gate -- but even if I'd tried to hustle through the grasshoppers, my right wrist would've held me back. I can't flex it right now, so I did the grasshoppers while gripping dumbbells. Done this way, the grasshoppers felt fine at the beginning, but by the third set, my wrist felt like it was going to give out. You can see the drop-off in my reps:

Grasshopper results: 13 / 11 / 7 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 10

Last but not least: Headless horsemen. Tim and I agreed that I shouldn't do 'em with my right arm -- but that my left arm still works fine. I did all the kettlebell presses from my left side. Let's just say it was slow going.

Headless horsemen results: 5 / 5 / 5 / 6 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 6

Total: 326 (compared to 335 last year). My goal for next year (assuming I'm not injured): 350 or bust.

Friday's Workout: Feeling Chipper?

A long chipper today -- and I almost managed to complete it as RXed. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and not CrossFit.

For time:

• 100 air squats
• 80 overhead kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
• 60 walking lunges holding a bumper plate overhead (45lbs / 35lbs)
• 40 toes to bar
• 20 headless horsemen - a variation on kettlebell palm presses) (24kg / 16kg)

The air squats felt fantastic. I got through all of them unbroken, and quickly transitioned to the kettlebell swings.

The swings felt a little less awesome. Swinging the 24-kilogram kettlebell, I managed to only get through 25 reps before having to take a breather. After that, I didn't manage more than 15 swings in a row before having to set down the kettlebell and wheeze.

The walking lunges were exhausting. After the squats and swings, my legs were like jelly, and my brain turned to mush, too. I was keeping track of my lunges by counting backwards from 60, and with 12 left, Tim asked me which rep I was on. I tried to do the math in my head: 60 - 12 = ?

"51," I sputtered. "Uh, wait, no -- um, 48?"

The toes-to-bar weren't horrible, but then came the headless horsemen. I'd performed this movement in a WOD once before, back when I had a bad back. I didn't try the RXed weight of 24 kilograms that time, and I didn't think I could do so today -- especially after fifteen minutes of an ass-kicking chipper. On the other hand, all that stood between me and the completion of an RXed workout was 20 one-armed ground-to-overheads. How hard could that be?

Pretty hard, it turns out. I couldn't do it. After several attempts, I think I managed just one completed rep at 24 kilograms with my right arm, but I used my left hand to support the handle of the kettlebell. Clearly, the quest for RX today was going to be futile, so I traded in my kettlebell for a lighter one (I had a 16 kilogram kettlebell on standby) and finished the WOD. So close, and yet so far.

Result: 18:49.