Friday's Workout

There’s something to be said about doing a hundred medicine ball cleans. And that something is: “Ouch.”

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Strength Skill:

• Handstand Pushups (5-5-5-5-5)

I love these. That is all.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes;

• 20 medicine ball cleans (20lbs / 14lbs)
• 20 Abmat sit-ups

This looked easy. It wasn’t.

I felt great through the first couple of rounds -- but by the time I was midway through the third round, my quads were on fire. The lactic acid was searing my thighs from the inside out. Keeping my legs bent through 20 sit-ups was impossible -- I had to kick them out a few times to relieve the burn.

I felt like this guy:

Mark and I did the WOD next to each other, and we fought to a draw through the first four rounds. He whipped through the cleans, and I sped through the sit-ups. We took breaks at the same times, and when I saw him reach down and pick up his med ball, I knew it was time to pick mine up as well.

My plan was to try to sprint past him in the final round, but I ran out of gas, and Mark somehow managed to pick up speed and smoke me by 8 reps. He’s a beast, ladies and gentlemen.

Result: 5 rounds + 2 reps as RXed.

After the workout, Tim asked, “how was it?”

My response: “That felt just like a 2K row.” And I hate 2K rows.

Wednesday's Workout: Balls to the Wall

Medicine balls. Why'd it have to be medicine balls?

But first:

• Overhead Squats (5-5-5-3-3)

These felt great this morning. It's been a few months since we last practiced overhead squats, but I felt strong and stable through my midline. I kept it light and easy today, but I'm hoping to establish a new PR later in this cycle.

Metcon:

• 50 double unders
• 21 wallball shots
• 21 medicine ball cleans
• 21 medicine ball sit-ups
• 15 wallball shots
• 15 medicine ball cleans
• 15 medicine ball sit-ups
• 9 wallball shots
• 9 medicine ball cleans
• 9 medicine ball sit-ups
• 50 double unders

The first set of double-unders flew by. The final set? Not so much. And in between, the wallballs kicked the snot out of me. I wasn't bothered by the med ball sit-ups, but the cleans were tougher than I expected -- probably because I was still reeling from the wallballs.

It's a good reminder that something as simple as a stuffed ball can be a brutally effective training tool.

Result: 11:42 as RXed.

Monday's Workout: Jerking & Jumping

Looks like word is getting out about the pre-dawn class at CrossFit Palo Alto. Even with a handful of regulars missing in action today, 11 of us showed up at the gym before sunrise to get our hustle on. We're blowing up, people! (But not blowing up people. Let's hear it for commas.)

Strength Skill:

• Jerks (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

I jerked my bodyweight today. (At least, it was my bodyweight the last time I checked. I haven't cared enough to step on a scale in a few months. If I've gotten super-chubby recently, thanks for not making fun of me to my face.) My form wasn't too crappy this time -- and I'm sure I could have gone heavier. Next week.

Then: The metcon. Read about it after the jump...

Friday's Workout

Not a bad way to kick off a weekend.

Strength Skill:

• Muscle-Up Progressions

Yeesh. These aren't getting any easier. I almost regret having done that one solitary dead-hang muscle-up once upon a time -- and then never attempting them again. Now, all these months later, I'm starting to fear that it may have been a fluke.

But you know what'll banish that thought? ANOTHER MUSCLE-UP. That's my goal for next Friday.

Metcon:

Total points (reps & calories) in 3 rounds:

• 1 minute of calorie row
• 1 minute of 20-pound medicine ball cleans
• 1 minute of 75-pound barbell push-presses
• 1 minute of 20-pound medicine ball V-ups
• 1 minute of rest

Looks straightforward enough, right? But wait a second: What are medicine ball V-ups?

I shouldn't have asked.

You start by squeezing a 20-pound medicine ball between your feet. Lie down with your arms up over your head. Pike up with your legs and arms straight, passing the ball from your feet to your hands at the top of the movement. With your arms and legs outstretched, lie back down and touch the ball to the ground above your head. Then, do a sit-up while holding the ball up with straight arms until you're upright enough to place the ball between your feet again. That's ONE rep.

The push-presses weren't all that fun, either.

Result: 151 points (as RXed). It was fun, but my lack of physical coordination was a major hindrance today. Fumbling around with a medicine ball cost me a lot of time and reps.

On the plus side, at the end of the WOD, we got a visit from our buddy Mint. Aside from XFitMama and me, Mint's the longest-tenured member of the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto -- and an all-around amazing and inspiring guy. But he's been absent from class for over a month now; like the Terminator, he's recovering from surgery.

Mint probably wants me to shut up about him already, so I'll just say this: We have sorely missed his deadpan jokes, his penchant for singing along to Social Distortion during WODs, and his ugly green shoes. It's not been the same without him, so he better get his butt back in the gym soon.