Other than going on a run* every other day while vacationing in Hawaii, I've been laying low to give my wrist the time it needs to recover. It's still not 100 percent, but there've been signs of improvement, and I've been slowly reintroducing some light barbell work in the past week. Last Friday, I did a workout at CrossFit Palo Alto that involved overhead squats (I used an empty barbell), and yesterday, I practiced light (very light) split jerks before cranking out "Helen."
For what it's worth, the OHS workout consisted of:
50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
20 overhead squats
20 toes to bar
50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
15 overhead squats
15 toes to bar
50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
10 overhead squats
10 toes to bar
It was my first workout in a couple of weeks, and I felt a bit more sluggish than usual, but was happy that I was able to get a barbell overhead without discomfort. Result: 13:03.
Yesterday's "Helen" was an eye-opener, though. Helen, as you'll recall, consists of 3 rounds of a 400-meter run, 21 kettlebell swings (24kg), and 12 pull-ups. In August of last year, I completed this workout as RXed in 10:14 -- a new PR. No such luck this time around. Instead, I finished in 11:23 -- more than a minute slower. I'd like to blame my less-than-healthy wrist, but the truth of the matter is that I'm de-conditioned right now -- I was out of breath sooner than expected and got a side-stitch for the first time in forever.
This doesn't feel good. I need to jump back into the saddle.
*One time, I went running with Michelle. Before heading out, I asked her if she wanted to grab a pair of earbuds and listen to music while we ran. She said no. "I want to talk to you while we run," my wife said. I shrugged and we began our run through Kilauea. Michelle spoke throughout our run, but the only words that came out of her mouth were: "I HATE RUNNING. I HATE RUNNING. I HATE RUNNING."
I still can't put any weight on my flexed wrist, which has put me in a sour mood. It's been more than a little frustrating; I can't even lift the strap of my work bag over my shoulder without discomfort, let alone clean a barbell up to my shoulders. I've done what I can to keep pressure off my wrist -- recovery requires rest -- but I'm also determined to keep going to the gym. After all, just because I can't perform certain movements right now doesn't mean there aren't a host of other things I can still do to stay active.
For example, last Friday, while the rest of the class at CrossFit Palo Alto practiced barbell cleans, I worked on bottoms-up kettlebell cleans. I had to modify the metcon, too. Here's what everyone else did:
21 chest-to-bar pull-ups
15 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
Run 400 meters
15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
12 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
Run 400 meters
12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
Run 400 meters
No chest-to-bar pull-ups for me -- too much wrist flexion. Instead, I did chest-to-ring pull-ups, using a set of Olympic rings set high. I didn't have to twist my wrists to get all the way up, though generating any sort of momentum was a challenge. (You can't push off the rings horizontally like you can with a bar to start a big kip.)
Result: 11:36.
I rested on Monday (mostly because I didn't have a babysitter to watch the kids in the morning, but also because everyone at the gym did "Nutts," and I was too damned tired to attempt it in my garage).
On Wednesday, the strength skill was weighted pull-ups. My doctor said that pull-ups are a good exercise for my wrist, so I did 'em, though I didn't load up with as much weight as I did in previous sessions. Better safe than sorry.
The metcon:
4 rounds:
10 overhead squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
12 hang power cleans
14 lateral bar jumps
No barbell for me. In place of the overhead squats and hang power cleans, I did single-arm overhead squats with a kettlebell, and double-kettlebell cleans. It bugs me that I can't do the same workout as my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs. It's weird how much I miss being able to just grab a barbell and clean it. Yet at the same time, I was happy to be able to join the gang in doing something -- and feeling just as exhausted and sweaty as I normally do after one of our workouts. The kettlebell OHSs and cleans were surprisingly good approximations of their barbell analogs, and I enjoyed a fine, ass-kicking workout without exacerbating my wrist injury. Win-win, right?
I must not have been fully awake today. You'll see why in a sec.
Strength Skill:
Zercher Squats (5-5-5-3-3)
It's been half a year since we last practiced Zercher squats, and I'm feeling a little rusty. Nonetheless, I love strongman exercises (despite being the very opposite of a strongman), and it makes me happy to pull out the thick bar and squeeze it in the crook of my elbows.
I got nowhere near my previous PR (of 225 pounds) today, but by the time I finished the last set, I was feeling solid, and think (hope?) I have a shot at besting my previous record by the end of this cycle.
Metcon:
"CC Flyers" -- 3 rounds for time of:
400-meter run
12 overhead squats (95lbs / 65 lbs)
21 box jumps (20")
I watched Tim write the workout on the whiteboard, and studied it before I changed out of my weightlifting shoes. But for whatever reason, I transposed the "1" and the "2" on the overhead squats, and thought it said TWENTY-ONE overhead squats instead of twelve.
"You're going RXed, right?" Steph asked. "You just did twenty 95-pound overhead squats during Air Force WOD, and you won't be doing all the other lifts."
"Uh, no," I replied. "Too many reps today." There's no way I'm doing 63 overhead squats at 95 pounds, I thought to myself. I'm sure Steph thought I was nuts.
So I scaled down to 75 pounds. And did 21 overhead squats per round. And finished slower than a sloth on pot.
Result: 12:57.
It wasn't until an hour after class -- after we'd returned from guzzling coffee and I cracked open my log book to enter in today's workout -- that I realized I'd misread the workout.
Perhaps I need to drink coffee BEFORE my workout instead.
Diving into overhead squats this morning, I was actually pretty happy with my form. I made sure to drive my knees out and keep my chest up and armpits forward; as a result, my reps felt stable and strong. I cautiously worked my way up to 125 pounds today, but feel like I had more in me...
...but then I saw the metcon on the board:
"Air Force WOD"
For time:
20 thrusters (95lbs / 65lbs)
20 sumo deadlift high pulls
20 push jerks
20 overhead squats
20 front squats
Plus: Every minute, on the minute: Drop whatever you're doing and do 4 burpees.
It took no time at all to get through the thrusters and sumo deadlift high pulls. But by the time I finished the push jerks, the burpees had taken their toll.
And then came the overhead squats.
It didn't matter that we'd practiced them just minutes before. At this point, my arms and legs were noodles. I snatched the bar up overhead to get in position for the OHSs, but almost fell backwards. By the time I stumbled through a handful of reps, it was time for more burpees.
Result: 13:50 as RXed.
It took me almost four minutes just to complete 20 overhead squats.
It's been a while since I last practiced overhead squats, but they felt good. I kept the weights relatively light, and focused on keeping my knees out, chest up, and armpits forward. I wouldn't have said this a year ago, but I'm looking forward to doing more overhead squats this cycle.\
Metcon:
For time:
Row 500 meters
21 pull-ups
21 box jumps
Row 400 meters
15 pull-ups
15 box jumps
Row 300 meters
9 pull-ups
9 box jumps
Row 200 meters
6 pull-ups
6 box jumps
Row 100 meters
3 pull-ups
3 box jumps
On the whiteboard, this workout looked like a fast one. In real life? Not so much.
Despite my dislike of rowing, I got on and off the erg fairly quickly. And I cranked out the first couple of sets of pull-ups unbroken. But a few minutes into the workout, my grip started to weaken, and I had to hop off the bar a few times. On the plus side: My Achilles is getting better. It's not yet 100 percent, but I got through the box jumps without any painful twinges. Win!
The pros of being back home after two and a half months of living in an extended-stay hotel due to a flood-damage:
New floors that give our abode a "new house" smell!
The joy of sleeping in our own bed and cooking in our own kitchen.
The relief of being back home in time for our seven-year-old to recuperate from surgery.
The fact that the WiFi connection is a bazillion times stronger here than in the hotel.
Being reminded that bathroom towels aren't crispy like the ones at our hotel.
No overpowering odor of powdered "eggs"in the morning, and no industrial cleaner smell in the hallways.
No surly desk clerks!
No de-magnetized hotel key cards that bar your entry to your room when you have two kids and three heavy bags of groceries with you.
The dishwasher in my house actually works.
The cons of being back home:
The sawdust.
Having to devote two solid days moving everything -- clothing, electronics, kitchen supplies, food, books, etc. -- back into the house after it had all been thrown haphazardly into storage.
The sudden realization that we are pack rats, and that we accumulated an embarrassingly vast amount of utterly useless crap over the past six years -- all of which needs to be donated or thrown away.
Not remembering how to hook up the speakers to the receiver to the TV to the cable box to the wireless router to the phone jack to the whatever.
Paranoia about scratching the new floor.
No more daily housekeeping.
No free breakfast in the morning. (Of course it was crap, but IT WAS STILL FREE.)
Being so exhausted from moving that I can barely type, let alone remember yesterday morning's workout.
(See what I did there? Nice transition, right?)
Strength Skill:
Pistols (5-5-3-3-3)
I was happy to see pistols in this cycle -- I need the practice. When I'm doing 'em with my right leg planted, I can crank out pistols like no tomorrow, but I've always had trouble with my left (weaker) leg. Like a lot of other folks, I need to clutch a counterweight (like a kettlebell) to keep my balance when doing pistols from my left left. I suspect it's an ankle mobility issue for me, and it didn't help that I had -- and still have -- a left Achilles tendon that's been bothering me for a couple of weeks. That said, after massaging it with a lacrosse ball, I felt good enough to push through the sets.
Here's how I know I did 'em right: My butt cheeks are sore.
Metcon:
For time:
400-meter run with a medicine ball (20lbs / 14lbs)
45 medicine ball sit-ups (20lbs / 14lbs)
45 medicine ball overhead squats(20lbs / 14lbs)
400-meter run
45 Abmat sit-ups
45 PVC pipe overhead squats
The most challenging movement? Hands down, the med ball OHS. With your hands on either side of the ball, your shoulders and arms are in a much narrower position than with a barbell OHS, and you're pressing in on the ball instead of punching up on a bar. It's crazy-awkward, and I kept having to fight the tendency to bend my arms and let the medicine ball rebound off the top of my head.
The Terminator and I kept pace with one another until the very end. Although I started the final movement (PVC OHS) before him, he turned on the afterburners and zoomed ahead right at the end of the workout. He beat me by one measly second.
"We're going for speed," Tim intoned as we scurried off to grab barbells and plates. None of us were going to overhead squat 135 pounds. And frankly, I knew I wasn't even up for the women's RXed weight. I've never managed to snatch over 95 pounds, so there was no way I was going to speedily get through 30 reps at that weight. Seventy-five, I decided.
It was a manageable weight -- heavy enough that I had to set down the bar in the middle of my last few rounds of snatches, but light enough to whip through this workout fairly quickly.
Result: 5:48.
But here's the sad part. One third of this WOD consisted of 30 snatches at 75 pounds. If a workout consisted of just those 30 snatches at that weight, I could crank through them fairly quickly. (Granted, it might look super-ugly, but whatever.)
At 5 p.m. tonight, the second WOD of the 2012 CrossFit Games Open was announced:
As many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 snatches (75# / 45#)
30 snatches (135# / 75#)
30 snatches (165# / 100#)
Max rep snatches (210# / 120#)
I'm not doing this workout until Saturday, but I already know my score: 30. That is, unless I somehow figure out how to add forty pounds to my snatch PR in the next two-and-a-half days.
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.
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?
The same old story: I can crank out endless pistols on my right leg, and fall on my ass when I attempt 'em on my left -- unless I'm clutching a kettlebell as a counterbalance. I've always figured that this points to a strength imbalance, but after chatting with the Terminator this morning, I'm starting to think that a lack of flexibility in my left ankle could also be contributing to my utter suckitude when it comes to pistols on my left side.
This looked simple enough. As I warmed up, I found that the deadlifts and snatches were definitely doable with 45 pounds. But then I tried to squat while holding a dumbbell overhead with my left hand. That, my friends, was not easy. Feeling the strain across my back as my torso twisted on the way down into the hole, I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the RXed OHS weight. Instead, I went down to 30 pounds.
It was probably a little too light for me. I ended up whipping through the workout without pausing at all (except briefly to switch hands when necessary) -- though the Terminator still smoked me as usual. While the workout was more difficult than I'd originally anticipated, and the overhead squats remained the most challenging, I think I could've gone a tad heavier. C'est la vie.
I missed last week's OHS practice, so I was looking forward to today's session. Overhead squats are quickly becoming one of my favorite full-body movements -- it demands flexibility, strength, and stability, and forces me to stay mindful of proper posture. And although we don't do overhead squats very often, I've seen progress every time we revisit them, which makes me want to come back for more.
Plus: I got to wear my new Reebok Olys today while squatting -- and it's all about the shoes. (By the way, they actually felt a bit too spongy for my taste; I think I'm going to remove the inserts to see if that helps.)
Before today, I think my heaviest overhead squat was 105 pounds. But I was feeling pretty good this morning at the gym, and ended up with a new PR of 125 pounds. It was on my last set, and there wasn't enough time to shoot for more. Still, I felt like there was still a little left in the tank, and I really wanted to try overhead squatting my bodyweight. After class (and CoffeeWOD), I came home and did it in my garage, cranking out a 135 pound OHS. Yay for me.
In CrossFit Palo Alto parlance, a badger crawl is a modified bear crawl using bent (rather than straight) legs and arms. (I know some folks do bear crawls with bent legs and arms already -- if that's the case with you, then badger crawls are synonymous with your version of bear crawls.) For today's WOD, each lap of badger crawls consisted of going down the length of the gym and back.
I discovered that I can scamper pretty quickly when on all fours -- probably because I have short, stubby legs that keep me close to the ground. The badger crawls were also a welcome respite from the forearm-numbing swings and KTEs.
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.
I matched my PR of 215 pounds (from back in December!), though my attempt at 225 failed. When my ankle is 100 percent, I'm definitely going to give it another shot.
Metcon:
3 rounds for time:
400 meter run
15 overhead squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
10 toes-to-bar
I'm sick of not being able to run properly. Skipping is fun and all, but it's not the speediest way to get around.
Also, looking back, I wish I'd gone with the RXed weight instead of scaling down to 75. The overhead squats felt pretty good, and even though it would've taken me a lot longer to complete the workout, I'm confident I could have gone heavier.
Good news: The groin's feeling better! Granted, it's still not in tip-top shape -- I still have twinges of pain discomfort when I push myself too hard -- but I'm definitely on the mend.
How do I know? After practicing L-sits, pass-throughs and skin-the-cats, I was able to join the rest of the 5 a.m. class in cranking out a benchmark WOD created by CrossFit Central called "CC Flyers" -- and I didn't require a wheelchair to leave the premises thereafter.
CC Flyers consists of 3 rounds of:
400-meter run
12 overhead squats (95lbs / 65 lbs)
21 box jumps (20")
I successfully fought off the urge to stupidly load up the barbell with more weight than my groin could handle, and went with the women's RXed weight instead. Sixty-five pounds was just enough to challenge me without (further) wrecking my adductors.
Snatching the weight wasn't a problem, and for the most part, the overhead squats didn't feel too bad, either. I felt myself holding back, though, especially during the run and the box jumps. Paranoid that I'd pull my groin again, I tried to keep myself from doing more than my bum leg would allow. (Not I would have performed much better if I'd gone balls-to-the-wall, though -- I'm not exactly what you'd call a fast runner.)
It's the final week in our strength cycle, and I wanted to join the rest of the 5 a.m. class as they practiced overhead squats today. But thanks to my pulled groin, I still can't properly squat without pain.
Grudgingly, I sat this one out. I certainly don't want to tear up my adductors even more, but being sidelined annoys me to no end. I tried to stay productive by working on my handstand holds this morning, but it wasn't the same.
Thankfully, our metcon today didn't require any squatting:
"Grace" - 30 clean-and-jerks (135lbs / 95lbs) for time.
After my last encounter with Grace (when I used a too-light 95-pound barbell), I'd promised myself I'd go up to 115 pounds the next time we faced this workout. But I already got a good taste of my stupidity on Friday, so to be safe, I went up only to 105 -- in other words, just a few pounds more than 17-year-old Kallista Pappas clean-and-jerked during the "Heavy Grace" event at the 2008 CrossFit Games.
During the WOD, I felt slightly more tentative and restrained than usual, and babied my right leg more than probably necessary. Still, the power cleans felt good, and my lockouts overhead were strong. I finished in 4:41 -- a half-minute slower than the last time around -- but frankly, I was just happy I got to play.
After waking up sore from head to toe (thanks, MovNat!) and a throbbing left sole (thanks, bumblebee sting!), I thought twice before hauling my butt out of bed for the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto. But who am I kidding? I can't stay away.
Strength Skill:
Overhead Squats (5-3-3-1-1)
After playing around with asymmetrically-loaded weights (a.k.a. big-ass rocks) yesterday, it felt good to hoist a perfectly balanced barbell overhead and just squat. But I didn't press my luck shooting for a new PR today. Just like last week, Kyle and I got up to 105 pounds; next week, we can try for more.
(I keep forgetting to ask Tim about the new rep scheme. I like it, though.)
I love Helen, and I wish I wasn't feeling like crap this morning during the WOD. The pull-ups felt great after the overhead squats loosened up my shoulders, and the kettlebell swings were fine -- I did 'em all unbroken -- but my running was painfully slow. I'd like to pin the blame on the swollen bee sting on the bottom of my foot, but the sad truth is that I'm an awfully slow runner regardless.
Is there anything better than an early morning workout?
No, there is not. The fact that thirteen of us arrived before dawn at CrossFit Palo Alto to get our butts handed to us is a testament to how much we love this stuff.
Strength Skill:
Overhead Squats (5 sets of 3, 2 sets of 3)
Kyle and I paired up this morning, and we methodically moved from squatting light (65lbs) to moderate (105lbs) weight on the bar, taking care to focus on our technique above all else. It's amazing how difficult it is to overhead squat even a fraction of what we typically load onto a barbell. To hit my goal of cranking out a full bodyweight overhead squat by the end of this three-week strength cycle, I'm going to have to work at it.
The beauty of properly-executed overhead squat? It's a crazy-good full-body move that demands strength, balance, flexibility, and keen attention to form. The lack of any one ingredient will result in a missed rep and a dumped bar. It's virtually impossible to compensate for bad form; change the angle of your arms by a couple of degrees, and the weight's coming down. I love that there's no way to cheat this move.
Metcon:
Three rounds for time:
20 flag push-ups
25 Abmat sit-ups
30 kettlebell transfer swings (24kg / 16kg)
This one was awesome. But then again, I love all bodyweight workouts -- they're right up my alley.
What made this one even more enjoyable was that the Terminator and I were neck-and-neck the entire way through, just like old times. The guy is unstoppable: He never once even paused during the WOD. I took a knee twice during the last round of flag push-ups to catch my breath, but luckily, I was able to make up time by going balls-out through the Abmat sit-ups. In the end, I edged him out, but only by a few seconds.
By the way, I used the Danimal 24kg kettlebell. It's pretty fantastic, but would be even better if it sported the patented Danimal moustache and possibly some old-timey striped shorts.
With M at work and no available babysitters, I wasn't able join the rest of the 5 a.m. crew at the gym this morning. (I suppose I could've snuck out of the house and left the kids unattended for an hour. So long as they remained asleep in bed, no one would have been the wiser! But I'm not that bad of a dad.)
Our garage has no room for cars.
I hate missing class. My garage is stocked with just about everything I need (except maybe a 2-pood kettlebell) to tackle a WOD, and I don't mind working out in my PJ-pants, but it's just not the same as kick-starting the week alongside the other early-morning nutjobs at CrossFit Palo Alto.
As soon as I realized I was going to be stuck at home on Monday morning, I sighed and shot Tim a text message asking what he had in mind for today's WOD.
He responded last night via Twitter. "Ready?" he asked.
"Always," I responded, eager to find out what was in store for the morning.
"Get off the floor," Tim wrote a minute later. I'm not on the floor, I thought. Not yet.
But hey: I asked for it. So I hustled off to bed, determined to rest up for the morning shenanigans in my garage.
Strength Skill:
Snatch to Overhead Squats (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)
My three-year-old cried out at 4:20 this morning, frantic because he couldn't find his stuffed cat. I located his fuzzy toy (it was right next to him) and tucked him back in bed, but I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Might as well get up and exercise at the same time as my 5 a.m. compatriots, if not in the same place.
Resisting the temptation to go heavy, I managed to get into a groove after a couple of sets. Most of my reps felt solid (with the exception of a couple towards the end, when I failed to keep my chest up and ended up stumbling). I suspect I was distracted by the knowledge that it was almost time to mount the erg.
Metcon:
Row 2K
I have bad news and good news about today's workout. (Yes, believe it or not, there's actually some good news.)
The bad news first: My goal was to finish sub-8 minutes, but I finished in 8:07 -- 3 seconds slower than the last time I attempted this workout (and 22 seconds slower than the first time I pulled 2K). By this objective measure, I'm moving in the entirely wrong direction. Plus, immediately post-WOD, I was flat on the floor for a good few minutes, panting and leaking fluids. (From my pores, people. My pores.)
I know exactly why I didn't beat my previous times. For the first 1000 meters, I deliberately kept a slower-than-usual pace in an attempt to conserve energy for the back half -- and it was a spectacularly dumb idea. At the 1K mark, I'd already let 3:57 slip by, and yet dialing back my speed hadn't stopped my legs from burning like crazy. At the midpoint of the workout, I realized my plan to save some gas in the tank had backfired. Try as I might to speed up and make up some time in the last 1000 meters, I couldn't. Live and learn.
But here's the good news: This time, after completing the 2K, I did not topple off the erg and curl up into a fetal position. My thighs did not clench up so hard that I had to pound on my quads to make them release. I did not roll around on the floor with my face contorted in a rictus of agony. My butt cheeks were Charley-horse-free. And I did not feel like barfing all over myself.
Instead, after a minute or two, I picked myself off the floor, walked into the kitchen, and ate a sweet potato.
Progress!
I dropped by the gym in the afternoon and watched Tim and Paul row 2K. This was the aftermath.
After practicing strict and kipping pull-ups in class this morning, we were treated to "Air Force WOD":
20 Thrusters (95lbs / 65lbs)
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95lbs / 65lbs)
20 Push Jerks (95lbs / 65lbs)
20 Overhead Squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
20 Front Squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
Plus: Start with 4 burpees -- and every minute thereafter, on the minute, drop whatever you're doing and bust out 4 burpees.
When we did this back in November, I'd used a 95-pound weight for all the movements EXCEPT the overhead squats. It was the first time we'd encountered overhead squats in a workout, so when we got to them, we stripped the weights off and squatted with the bar. Afterwards, we loaded the plates back on to finish up our front squats. It took a whopping 15:27 for me to finish.
But that was eight months ago. After eyeing the whiteboard for awhile, I decided to try to go RXed. Ninety-five pounds is just Fran weight for the thrusters, right? And I can easily sumo deadlift high pull, push-jerk and front squat 95 pounds. Yeah, the overhead squats'll be challenging, but I got this, I told myself. I got this.
It may seem crazy that M and I got up before the crack of dawn -- WHILE ON VACATION -- to get ready for the 6 a.m. class at Kauai CrossFit this morning. But hey: 6 a.m. in Hawaii is 9 a.m. in California, so we actually got to sleep in. Besides, how could we possibly pass up a chance to WOD in paradise?
Open since last October, Kauai CrossFit is the only affiliate on the island. Owned and run by Jerome Hromiak, a recent transplant from the Bay Area, the gym has physical features resembling that of San Francisco CrossFit (which makes sense when you consider that Jerome was introduced to CrossFit by Kelly Starrett). Members exercise under a large waterproof tent and a wooden pull-up structure that offers some extra protection from the rain -- but otherwise wide-open to the sea breeze and sunshine. It's perfect, given the jaw-dropping tropical setting.
We showed up a few minutes before 6 a.m. to sign some waivers and learn a bit more about the gym and its programming. Since February, Kauai CrossFit has followed the workouts posted on CrossFit.com, though the WODs aren't necessarily done concurrently with the Main Site. And, of course, Main Site WODs tend to lean towards long metcon beat-downs -- something we do at CrossFit Palo Alto only one-quarter of the time. "People here like the 30 to 60 minute metcons," Jerome said. Holy hell.
And just to drive home the point, he warned us (with a smile!): "We have a really hard one planned for today."
But first, he led the eight early birds in the 6 a.m. class through a directed warm-up, and then three rounds of:
But honestly, I knew nothing of the context when the WOD began. I just knew I wanted to survive the damned thing. Even at six in the morning, the air was moist and warm. Rain had soaked everything around us, and as I loaded my barbell with plates, I started getting worried.
And in fact, it took a while to get through this one -- not because it was technically challenging (aside from the overhead squats), but because there was a ton of stuff to complete, and a lot of running, too. I had little-to-no difficulty with the deadlifts (though I scaled the weight down to 225 pounds), kettlebell swings, burpees or chest-to-bar pull-ups, and the first few 400-meter runs felt good. (Probably because I was so dazzled by the view from the running path.) The overhead squats were a killer, but at least they came fairly early in the WOD. I was proud of myself for snatching the barbell overhead, even though I'd scaled the weight down to 95 pounds.
It wasn't until the last two rounds that I really hit the wall. Box jumps at 24 inches are typically one of my favorites because I can whip through them quickly. Today, though, I was slow as molasses -- and even took a tumble off the rain-slicked surface. The dumbbell squat cleans seemed impossibly heavy. And my ragged running looked more like stumbling -- though whenever I felt tired, I just stared out at the blue of the Pacific and imagined I was stretching out on a beach towel instead of hustling back to the box to lift more heavy stuff.
Result: 30:12. Seemed like a lot longer, but I had it better than M, who -- because she didn't have her contacts in -- didn't see that the WOD kept going after the burpees. I'm sure she silently mouthed some expletives before powering through the rest of the workout.
The folks we met this morning were pretty kick-ass. They're clearly used to regularly grinding out long metcons, and all of them tackled the Lumberjack 20 with an unbelievably cheery, can-do attitude. For the first three rounds, I did my best to keep up with the leader of the pack. While we ran, she shared with me that she's currently recovering from knee surgery -- but by the end of the WOD, she'd lapped me. In fact, the thing that impressed me most was everyone's running prowess; even after over a hundred reps of fairly heavy lifts, these folks could still hustle like jackrabbits.
During the WOD, Jerome calmly walked around, helping us strip our bars to transition from deadlifts to overhead squats, and helping folks with squat clean technique. Even with all the clanking bumper plates and grunting CrossFitters around him, Jerome maintained a friendly, low-key approach that's perfectly matched to the environment.
As M and I gobbled down our post-workout purple sweet potatoes, we agreed that a good butt-kicking was the perfect way to start a morning on Kauai. To be frank, though, I don't think I could handle a bunch of Hero WODs three times a week on an ongoing basis. I think my head would explode and the cortisol would erupt like a volcano from the top of my neck-stump and slowly ooze down the front of my shirt, mixing with the briny sweat and blood. I can't help but have mad respect for the members of Kauai CrossFit, who throw down like this regularly.
No max-effort strength workouts this week. That's right, folks: For the next six days, it's nothin' but metcons at CrossFit Palo Alto. On tap for today:
Having not previously done overhead squats in a metcon with any real weight on the bar, I played it too safe today. Although I put 30 more pounds on the bar than before, it was still about 10 or 15 pounds shy of what I should have lifted. How do I know? 'Cause I managed to get through each of the five rounds of overhead squats without dropping the bar (except once in the final round, when I clumsily lost my footing and tipped forward). And as Tim says, if you can get through the workout without having to dump the bar in the middle of your sets, you should have added more weight.
(I'm secretly glad I didn't, though. The workout was already an ass-kicker, and cranking out two Abmat-sit-up-centric metcons in consecutive weeks made my butt crack want to weep.)
