Friday's Workout

I'm doing the first CrossFit Games Open workout (7 minutes of burpees) tomorrow, so I was initially hesitant to show up for this morning's workout. Maybe it'd be better to get some rest, I thought.

But I'm glad I joined the rest of the 5 a.m. crew. Not only did I get to work on front squats again, but we got to practice burpees, too. Plus, with Tim on the East Coast, we were treated to another 5 a.m. coaching appearance by Trish.

Strength Skill:

• Front Squats (3-3-3-1-1)

On my fourth set, I matched my previous PR, and felt strong doing it. Sadly, we ran out of time and I didn't get to shoot for a new personal best, but I definitely plan on continuing to keep front squatting at home. My immediate goal: New PR by the end of next week.

Metcon:

3 rounds:

• 1 minute of overhead squats (45lbs / 35lbs)
• 1 minute of burpees
• 1 minute of knockdowns (a.k.a. deck squats)
• 1 minute of shuttle runs
• 1 minute of rest

Score = Total reps

I was psyched to get a little preview of how tomorrow's burpees will feel, and used the WOD to try to practice what I learned from Carl Paoli's videos. The "kipping" motion doesn't feel smooth and natural to me yet, but I bet that after 7 minutes of burpees tomorrow, muscle memory will kick in. Either that, or the wheels'll come off in spectacular fashion. Regardless of what happens, it should be fun, right?

Result: 183 as RXed.

Monday's Workout: Mr. Magoo

Loved this morning's workout for three reasons:

• My ankle continues to improve (I was able to run on it today -- kind of!);
• I got to work on squat cleans; and
• Today's metcon was bodyweight-focused -- my favorite!

But in part due to my exuberance, and in part due to the fact that in my rush to get out of the house, I forgot to put in my contact lenses, I screwed up the workout anyway.

More after the jump...

Monday's Workout

A great one today.

Strength Skill:

• Snatches (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

I've been re-reading Greg Everett's book on Olympic lifting, and the chapter on snatches has been incredibly helpful. (I got his new DVD, too, but haven't had a chance to watch it.) The book's detailed instructions and Tim's in-class coaching/cueing have helped a lot with my snatch technique; I'm nowhere near proficient yet (especially with heavier weights), but at the very least, I feel like I'm no longer awful at snatches.

This morning's snatches felt good and smooth from the floor, with a solid first and second pull. It's the third pull -- getting under the bar explosively -- that gets a little awkward for me once I start loading more weight onto the barbell. Homework!

Metcon:

• 21 pull-ups
• 21 knockdowns
• 15 pull-ups
• 15 knockdowns
• 9 pull-ups
• 9 knockdowns

Bodyweight WODs are my favorite, and this one was especially enjoyable. The pull-ups flew by quickly. And although knockdowns (a.k.a. deck squats) are new to me, they're fun: You start flat on your back with your knees tucked up near your chest, and then explosively drive your feet to the floor, rolling up into the bottom of a squat position and standing up -- all without using your hands to push off the floor. (It looks like this.)

Result: 3:47 as RXed.