Monday's Workout: Cabo San Lucas

We're in Cabo San Lucas for the week, and we're planning on eating like rabid wolves this week, so to kick things off right, the entire family decided to work out on the balcony this morning (minus the three-year-old, who was wandering around somewhere, munching on a scrambled egg and playing with his LEGOs). 

 M got cranking on her double-unders... 

...and air squats... 

...while Big-O got his mobility on. 

I wish I could squat as comfortably as he can. 

I decided to dash off a quick home-brewed WOD: 

50 double-unders, and then 5 rounds for time of: 

5 handstand push-ups... 

 (Whoops -- nip slip.) 

10 pistols... 

...and 15 sit-ups. 

As you can see, Big-O decided to go rip off his shirt and join in the fun.

Result: 9:13. I cooled down with another 50 double-unders.

And then we proceeded to eat, swim, and do a whole lotta nothin'. (We did eat some worms, though. M'll do all the food-related play-by-play over at Nom Nom Paleo.)

Don't you love it when people bore you to death with their vacation photos?

Monday's Workout: Bloody Mary

As soon as I popped out of bed this morning, I tested my right groin and my left ankle. The groin felt pretty spiffy, all things considering. It was a little sore, but nothing a little stretching couldn't handle. The ankle, on the other hand, felt like crap. I still couldn't get up on the toes of my left foot, flex properly, or put much weight on it.

Yes, it's Labor Day in the U.S. Yes, I have the day off of work. Yes, I have a pulled groin and a sprained ankle. Yes, I still hauled my butt to the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto.

Why? Because I'm insane. But I'm not the only one. Five of us nutjobs showed up before dawn to get our WOD on. And it was a doozy:

"Mary" - As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

• 5 handstand push-ups
• 10 pistols
• 15 pull-ups

I knew I wouldn't be able to do the pistols with my left foot. I've always been terrible at single-legged squats on my left leg -- and with a bum ankle, it was a no-go. But my right groin felt okay, so I decided to crank 'em out exclusively with my right leg. I knew I'd pay for this decision with a super-sore right butt cheek, but what's one more pain in the ass (literally)?

The Terminator and I set up next to each other, and when the clock started, we went head-to-head. That man robot is fast. Every time I pulled slightly ahead, he'd close the gap. I did my damnedest to stay a few reps ahead of him, but we traded leads a couple of times.

It wasn't until the seventh round that I noticed that the pull-up bar was slick with blood.

The skin surrounding the calluses on both my hands had torn off. I've torn my hands doing pull-ups before, but this is the first time I've ever noticed it in the middle of the workout. I was leaking DNA everywhere.

My right hand was particularly bloody, so when Tim handed me a paper towel, I used it to sop up some of the blood. I then wrapped it around the bar so I could get a better grip to finish my pull-ups. I was determined to finish nine full rounds, but in the end, I was one rep short.

The funny thing is that during the WOD, nothing hurt. Not my ankle (except the one time I came off the wall after a set of HSPUs and landed awkwardly on my left foot), not my groin, not my right butt cheek, and not my hands. When the 20 minutes were up, I was more pissed about not hitting my goal of 9 rounds than anything else.

The pain didn't hit until a few minutes after the workout. Others in the class had torn hands, too, and one by one, we marched into the restroom to rinse off the blood and yelp as the water stung our hands.

(Want to see a barftastic photo of one of my hands post-workout? No you don't. I'm pretty sure you don't want to see this.)

As I type this, my hands are bandaged up like mummies. I feel like an absolute idiot for not taking better care of my hands and letting my calluses build up enough to tear my skin. My butt cheek has been seizing up all day, and my left ankle is still throbbing. But on the plus side, my groin feels like a million bucks!

Result: 8 rounds + 29 reps as RXed.

Special thanks to Rachel for cleaning the blood off my pull-up bar for me, and to Graeme for picking up the bloody paper towels I'd strewn across the floor.

Tomorrow: A post on hand care.

Wednesday's Workout

For the first time in two years, I didn't exercise for a full week. My only physical activity -- if you could even call it that -- was to scramble around the Home Depot Center to take photos of the athletes competing in the CrossFit Games. (Also, on Thursday afternoon, I speed-walked to the Reebok tent hoping to buy some bright yellow shoes.) But other than that, I pretty much remained sedentary. If I hadn't headed back to CrossFit Palo Alto for our 5 a.m. class this morning, I would've gone stir crazy.

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pistols (Each leg: 2 sets of 3, 3 sets of 1)

The same old story: Once again, I worked my way up to doing one-legged squats while clutching a 53-pound kettlebell, but my left leg remains significantly weaker and less stable than my right. Damn you, left leg.

Metcon:

2 rounds for time:

• 22 see-saw presses (45lbs / 30lbs)
• 400-meter run
• 22 box jumps (20")
• 400-meter run

See-saw presses look like something my septuagenarian dad would do as part of his morning calisthenics (albeit using 5-pound dumbbells). But after trying 'em with a pair of 45-pound dumbbells, I quickly learned not to scoff at see-saw presses. The name may be whimsical and fun, but the actual movement didn't exactly leave me squealing with delight. I decided to go with 35-pound weights instead.

In retrospect, I should have gone heavier. I got through the first round of see-saw presses without any trouble, and while I took a couple of brief pauses during the second round of presses, they didn't punch me in the face or anything.

As for the running and box jumps, they were fine. I was excited about employing a new box jump approach that I saw a bunch of the Games competitors use this weekend: Jump up on the box, pause to stand up on top, jump backwards off the box, and immediately leap back up onto the box. It worked fine, though I had to fight the urge to rocket off the top of the box instead of steadying myself to stand and ensure full extension.

Result: 11:14.

Incidentally, I wore my new yellow kicks to the gym today (as did Tim), and they felt mighty fine. A detailed review is forthcoming -- I promise. Patience.

Wednesday's Workout

Woke up feeling tired but happy. Last night’s tasty dinner at Marlowe with M and the kids might have had something to do with it. Plus, I’m just one day away from driving down south for the CrossFit Games. (Y'all are going to be there, too, right?)

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pistols (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

I worked my way up to a 53-pound kettlebell, but my left leg still feels substantially weaker than my right.

The women’s class at CrossFit Palo Alto is starting a pistol challenge in August: Each member is picking a doorway in their home, and every time they pass through it, they have to grab the doorframe and crank out an assisted pistol with each leg. I think I’m going to do it, too. My left leg certainly needs the practice.

Metcon:

For time:

• 12 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 50 double-unders
• 10 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 40 double-unders
• 8 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 30 double-unders
• 6 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 20 double-unders
• 4 thrusters (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 10 double-unders

I didn’t have much trouble with the double-unders today. I was facing Kyle during the WOD, and it helped to try to match his cadence. (He’s crazy-good at double-unders.)

The thrusters, on the other hand, were another story. At first, everything seemed fine. I went with just 105 pounds (rather than the RXed 135), and the first round felt great; my punch-outs at the top were pretty strong, and I managed to finish the first nine or ten reps without pausing. But completing my first 50 double-unders and heading back to the thrusters, I hit a wall. I wasn't able to bust out more than three or four thrusters at a time without dropping the bar. And towards the end, I found myself taking them one or two at a time.

Who knew that thrusters and double-unders could combine to form such a potent punch to the guts?

Result: 13:09.

Wednesday's Workout: 5-4-3-2-1

After missing Monday's class, it was good to get back in the gym this morning.

Strength Skill:

• Pistols (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

I love practicing pistols (a.k.a. one-legged squats). This deceptively simple movement forces us to work simultaneously on a number of physical skills -- including balance, coordination and flexibility -- and the full-body-tightness/control required is considerable. The deep butt-cheek soreness notwithstanding, I always feel great after a few sets of pistols.

Sadly, my left leg's still much weaker than my right. Pistols highlight my strength imbalance like nothing else. Clutching a kettlebell as a counterweight helps, but I clearly need to spend more time squatting with my left leg.

Metcon:

• 5 minutes of overhead kettlebell swings (70/53)
• 4 minutes of pull-ups
• 3 minutes of barbell thrusters (45/35)
• 2 minutes of Abmat sit-ups
• 1 minute of push-ups

Total up all the reps to arrive at the final score.

This WOD's the same as one that Bob, Jason and I did in March (except that when the three of us tested this out last time, we did 3 minutes of push-ups and 1 minute of thrusters instead). I used a 53-pound kettlebell that day, and my score was 238 total reps (77 swings + 53 pull-ups + 55 push-ups + 35 sit-ups + 18 thrusters).

Although I've recently been getting used to swinging a 70-pound kettlebell, I grabbed the 53-pounder today to see how I'd match up against my previous score.

So how'd I do today?

• Kettlebell swings: 94 reps
• Pull-ups: 54 reps
• Thrusters: 30 reps
• Abmat Sit-ups: 38 reps
• Push-ups: 22 reps

Total score: 238. In other words, I got the EXACT SAME SCORE.

I was happy that I ripped out a lot more kettlebell swings than the last time around (though I'm now convinced that 53 pounds is no longer heavy enough), and that I beat my previous marks in pull-ups and Abmat sit-ups, too. But switching around the thrusters and pull-ups didn't agree with me. I struggled mightily with the thrusters, and had to set down the bar after every five reps. And the push-ups were pure agony. In the end, everything evened out; while I got better and faster with some movements, I totally disappointed myself on some others.

The glass-half-full part of me wants to call this consistency. The glass-half-empty part of me wants to call this a plateau. I'm not sure which half of my brain to believe.

Wednesday's Workout

Hump day!

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pistols (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

Same old story: My right leg keeps cranking out weighted pistols just fine, but my left leg refuses to get with the program. I need me some bigger ass muscles -- especially on my weaker side. Let me know if you see any on sale.

Metcon:

5 rounds for time:

• 5 deadlifts (275/185)
• 10 burpees

This workout will always remind me of the flower shop days, with Tim trying to pump us up by showing us footage of Chris Spealler killing this WOD during the 2008 Games:

I don't know if it's because we'd just witnessed some major ass-hauling by Spealler, but last summer, I somehow managed to finish this workout in five-and-a-half minutes -- albeit with a 205-pound barbell. But when I repeated it in December with the same weight, expecting a faster time, I ended up finishing 45 seconds slower than before. Today was my chance to reverse this ass-backwards trend -- and with more weight on the bar, too. (I went with 225 pounds -- nowhere near the RXed standard, but more than enough to keep me from going unbroken.)

But I'd forgotten how nasty, brutish and short this WOD can be. My quads were fried before my first round of burpees were done, and with each successive set of deadlifts, my legs and forearms screamed louder and louder. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the workout, though; even as I was struggling through the final set of deadlifts and burpees, I knew this was going to be the highlight of my day.

Result: 6:06. While I improved upon last December's performance, I still haven't come close to beating (or even matching) my showing from last summer. But there's always a next time...

Wednesday's Workout

A couple of months ago, during a particularly pistol-intensive metcon, I chose to do all the single-leg squats with my right leg.

It wasn’t because my left leg was banged up (see, e.g., Chyna Cho in last year's Games). My decision was fueled instead by a fear that I’d fail to crank out unassisted pistols with my weaker left leg – and I really wanted to go RXed that day.

Stupid? Totally. And my right butt cheek still hasn’t forgiven me for that fiasco.

Today was my opportunity to make amends.

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pistols (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

My left leg is still significantly weaker than my right. I can bust out pistols with my dominant (right) leg all day (well, not all day), but I'm still prone to collapsing to the floor when attempting the squats from my left side.

Thankfully, I find pistols to be infinitely easier when I'm clutching a kettlebell in my hands. Perhaps it's the counterbalancing weight that keeps me from toppling over, or maybe the kettlebell just reminds me to keep my core tight throughout the movement. Either way, it works, and that's all I care about.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

• 400-meter run
• 21 dumbbell push-presses (45/30)
• 12 pull-ups

After a couple of weeks on the road, the Terminator was back in class today. It was good to have him back to explode out of the gate and set an impossibly fast pace for the WOD.

The push-presses were the most challenging part of this workout -- I had to drop my pair of dumbbells more than a few times -- but overall, this one wasn't too bad. After weeks of rain, it felt great to run outside (no puddles!). And despite my achy hands, the pull-ups came smooth and fast today

Result: 12:20 -- a good forty seconds behind the Terminator. (I like to tell myself that it's more fun to chase him than to be chased by him. But I'm starting to suspect that I'm a liar.)

Wednesday's Workout

I popped out of bed at 4:20 a.m., but didn't feel like I was awake until an hour later, after we were done warming up for today's class.

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

I love deadlifts. I'm not particularly good at them (yet!), but I continue to see progress, which puts a smile on my face. I remain just a few pounds shy of lifting 2X my bodyweight, and hope to hit that target before the end of this cycle.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

• 6 pistols
• 9 pull-ups
• 12 overhead kettlebell swings (24 kg / 53 lbs)

Pretty straightforward, right? Well, except for the pistols.

I knew I could handle this workout as RXed, without scaling down the pull-ups, grabbing something for support while doing the one-legged squats, or using a smaller kettlebell.

But as you know, my proficiency with pistols is limited to my right leg. I can't balance on my left leg if my life depended on it (unless I'm holding a counterbalancing weight). My dilemma: Should I attempt this WOD as RXed or swallow my pride and hold onto something to keep from falling over when squatting off my left leg?

Scaling, of course, is the smart, sensible choice. So naturally, I ignored it.

Instead, I stupidly decided to do all the pistols -- every single one of 'em -- with my right leg. So although I finished the workout as RXed with a pretty decent result (8 rounds + 3 pistols -- tied with Maddie, who matched me rep for rep), I'm now paying the price with a right ass cheek that won't unclench.

FUN.

Wednesday's Workout

We were jumping around like jackrabbits today.

Strength Skill:

• Pistols (2 sets of 5, 2 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

Still a work in progress. Staying balanced on my left leg remains a challenge.

Metcon:

For time:

• 50 double-unders
• 1 sumo deadlift high pull
• 10 plyo box jumps
• 2 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 9 plyo box jumps
• 3 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 8 plyo box jumps
• 4 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 7 plyo box jumps
• 5 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 6 plyo box jumps
• 6 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 5 plyo box jumps
• 7 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 4 plyo box jumps
• 8 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 3 plyo box jumps
• 9 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 2 plyo box jumps
• 10 sumo deadlift high pulls
• 1 plyo box jump
• 50 double-unders

Full description and results here.

Wednesday's Workout

It's kind of sick how easy Pavel Tsatsouline makes pistols look:



Steve Cotter, too.



Needless to say, I don't look anything like this when I'm attempting pistols...

Want the full skinny on today's workout? It's over at The Five Tribe.

Wednesday's Workout

I managed to get a full 8 hours' sleep, though not straight through. My six-year-old had to pee several times in the middle of the night, and his preferred mode of travel from bed to bathroom is to stomp/run down the hall as loudly as possible. By the time my alarm went off at 4:20, I felt like I hadn't slept a wink.

Strength Skill: 

• Weighted Pistols (each leg: 2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

This morning's session of pistols exposed how much I favor my right leg over my left -- and how much weaker my left leg has become as a result. I can crank out plenty of unassisted one-legged squats on my right leg all day long (okay, maybe not all day), but as soon as I switch to my left, I'm utterly useless. As soon as I squat down, I tip over.

Weirder still: As soon as I grab a kettlebell to do weighted pistols, I can do 'em just fine -- on either leg. And in fact, the heavier the bell I carry, the more stable I feel. Bizarre. (I'm sure that there's some law of physics that explains this, but I'm not feeling industrious enough to look into it right now.)

Metcon:

"Fran":

• 21 thrusters (95-pound barbell)
• 21 pull-ups
• 15 thrusters (95-pound barbell)
• 15 pull-ups
• 9 thrusters (95-pound barbell)
• 9 pull-ups

Holy crap, he's fast.

Result: 7:39. I'm getting (slightly) faster, but Fran isn't getting any easier. If anything, it hurt more than ever to get through this workout today -- by the time I was done, my legs and lungs were on fire. It's still a super-intense burst of brutal, explosive power -- power that I still need to develop.

I love you, Fran. But you need to start loving me back. And while you're at it, please stop punching me in the balls.

Friday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pull-Ups (3 sets of 5, 2 sets of 3)

For a long time, dead-hang pull-ups were a breeze, but I couldn't get into the rhythm of kipping pull-ups. Now that I've mastered the art of kipping, I've discovered that I've lost some dead-hang strength. I can't win.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

• 6 Pistols
• 12 Overhead Kettlebell Swings (53 pounds)
• 24 Double-Unders

Result: When time ran out, was 12 double-unders away from completing 5 full rounds.

Not too shabby, but my pistols need work. I hadn't done 'em in class since June, and forgot that my left leg is significantly weaker than my right leg. I can crank out pistols on my right leg with no problem, but I can't make it through even half a rep on my left leg without collapsing to the floor. Just one more thing I need to work on, I guess.

One thing I do love about pistols, though: They work your glutes like nobody's business. My ass is crazy-sore.

Another item in the plus-column: My double-under technique continues to improve. Looking back, it's shocking to think that just a few months ago, I was barely able to jump rope at all, let alone crank out dozens of double-unders in a WOD. Thanks, Buddy Lee.

Saturday's Workout

My entire workout took precisely 7 minutes and 50 seconds today:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1:

• 24" plyo box jumps (my new plyo boxes from Rogue Fitness arrived today)
• 5 pistols (each leg)

And then we went to Manresa and had a 4-hour meal.

Tabata Run

Today's recovery workout:

3 sets of 6 bench presses
3 sets of 5 front squats
3 sets of 3 front squats
3 sets of 6 pull-ups
3 sets of pistols

I put on my Vibram FiveFingers KSOs and took off for a 20 minute Tabata run (alternating between 20 seconds of sprinting and 10 seconds of jogging -- I covered a surprising amount of ground here in Seattle and simultaneously squeezed in a nice interval workout).

And then, I chilled out in the pool.

Round 3 / Day 103: CrossFit - Fran

Got up at 4:30 a.m., threw on some clothes, ate some blueberries and yogurt, filled my water bottle, and headed out to the CrossFit gym. I was the last one to arrive for the 5 o'clock class.

After a fifteen-minute warmup, we worked on One-Legged Squats (a.k.a. Pistols) -- 3 sets of 5, followed by 3 sets of 3.



Then came "Fran."

Fran is the name of one of the many CrossFit workouts with feminine names, though there's nothing "girly" about them. Fran consists of 21 Barbell Thrusters, followed by 21 Kipping Pull-Ups. And then 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull-Ups. And then 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull-Ups. As fast as possible.



I scaled down the workout -- using a 75 pound bar instead of 95 pounds, and using a big rubber band to assist me with my second and third rounds of pull-ups. Still, it took me 8:36 to finish, which I'm not thrilled about. But for now, I'm too damn tired to move. Time for a break!