Workout, Interrupted

Wondering where I've been?

I've been up to my eyeballs with work these days, having recently shifted my responsibilities to cover international markets at work (on top of my existing workload). Practically speaking, this means my days are spent emailing people in the Middle East at 5 in the morning, tackling my U.S.-based workload during the middle of the day, rushing home to take calls from Hong Kong in the early evening, and talking late into the night with business partners in India. My free time's devoted to daddy duty and helping Michelle with Nom Nom Paleo-related stuff. Meanwhile, this blog has gotten the short end of the stick.

I'm still heading to CrossFit Palo Alto in the wee hours of the morning to work out, though my day job has managed to intrude upon even my sacrosanct exercise time. The most stark example came this morning, when my WOD was interrupted by an unexpected (and unexpectedly frantic) 45-minute cell phone call from overseas about an urgent work matter. Fun times.

This was particularly frustrating because I'd been looking forward to getting back into the gym this morning. This was likely my second-to-last CrossFit class before heading off on a three-week business trip to Asia, so I was hoping to get my sweat on. The first half of the class delivered, with a workout of 10 strict ring rows every 2 minutes for 10 minutes, interspersed with max height box jumps.

The ring rows felt fine, though the fatigue set in by the final couple of rounds. It didn't help that I'd gotten four (count 'em: FOUR) shots in my shoulder in preparation for my travel to India. I'm used to feeling sore, but not this kind of sore.

And then: The metcon. It involved rowing, which meant I automatically hated it:

• Row 1000 meters
• Rest 5 minutes
• Row 1000 meters

"Go all out," Tim advised. I did, and it hurt. The first 1K took me 3:47 to complete, and my stubby little Asian man legs were on fire. I logged my time into my iPhone, gritted my teeth, and stumbled back to the erg. Let's get this over with, I thought. My five minutes of rest were almost up when I heard my phone start ringing. It was an urgent work call from Egypt.

Being on call at all hours of day can be...challenging.

As much as I detest rowing, I wasn't exactly a fan of delaying the inevitable, either. Instead of resting five minutes between the two 1K rows, I ended up with over an hour in between. After a lengthy phone conversation, a short drive home, a half-hour spent making breakfast for the kids, and a few business-related emails, I grabbed my water bottle and headed into the garage to (finally) finish the workout on the rower in my garage.

"How was it?" Michelle asked when I staggered back into the kitchen a few minutes later. "3:58," I said. "I sucked."

But at least I finished it.

And then I showered, popped my typhoid fever vaccine pills (yum?), and went to work. Whee!

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.

This Week's Workouts

Upon returning from the Rockies, I figured I'd kick some butt in the gym. After all, I did all sorts of high-altitude training, like carrying our luggage from our room to the trunk of our rental car, and slowly walking to breakfast. Returning to an oxygen-rich environment should make me a beast, right? Right?

Wednesday's workout began with touch-and-go deadlifts, which felt pretty good. But then came the metcon:

5 rounds for time:

• 12 kettlebell cleans and presses (6 with each arm - 24kg / 16kg)
• 12 box jumps (24")
• Row 200 meters

I probably shouldn't have gone with the 24 kilogram (53 pound) kettlebell, because I spent the duration of the workout suffering. The box jumps and rowing didn't bother me (too much), but the presses left me gasping for air. And we're at sea level.

Result: 15:47 as RXed. I'm pretty sure I came in last in my class -- in large part because I bit off more than I can chew with the heavy KB cleans and presses.

Today's workout was much more my speed -- well, most of it. Here's what Tim wrote on the board:

• 800 meter run
• Then, 7 rounds of:
• 7 burpees
• 7 pull-ups
• After that? Another 800 meter fun run.

Sounds like a blast, right?

Actually, I was fine with the burpees and pull-ups; after all, bodyweight exercises are my bread and butter. But sadly, my running remains atrocious, and I nursed a side stitch throughout my final 800 meters. Fun!

Result: 15:43 as RXed.

Okay -- no mas. Must. Sleep. Now.

Catch Up

Crap. I forgot to post last Friday's workout. I wish I could blame it on work (which has, in fact, exploded recently), but I had all weekend to write. It just slipped my mind -- probably because I was busy teaching the boys to dance Gangnam Style.

Come on -- I know you want to watch it again.


Anyway...

Having been knocked down with a fever and sore throat for a solid week, I was looking forward to getting back in the gym on Friday. We practiced weighted ring dips  before the metcon was announced:

• 15 toes to bar
• 15 hang power cleans (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 15 box jumps (20")
• 12 toes to bar
• 12 hang power cleans (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 12 box jumps (20")
• 9 toes to bar
• 9 hang power cleans (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 9 box jumps (20")
• 6 toes to bar
• 6 hang power cleans (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 6 box jumps (20")
• 3 toes to bar
• 3 hang power cleans (115lbs / 85lbs)
• 3 box jumps (20")

Forty-five reps of toes-to-bar and hang power cleans? My wrists started weeping before the workout began. I decided to stick with the women's RXed weight because: (1) I am weak, and (2) I am not altogether stupid.

Result: 11:05.

This morning, I returned to the gym feeling like myself for the first time in ten days. (My voice still sounds terrible, but I feel fine.) Good thing, too, because I love me some kettlebell snatches. We practiced until my arms felt like they were going to pop off, and then:

"Elizabeth"

• 21 power cleans (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 21 ring dips
• 15 power cleans (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 15 ring dips
• 9 power cleans (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 9 ring dips

Remember how I said I'm not altogether stupid? Well, that means I'm still somewhat stupid -- which explains why I decided to do Elizabeth as RXed today. The last time we did Elizabeth, I used a 115-pound barbell -- a smarter move. Cranking out consecutive reps of 135 pound power cleans is doable for me...for about a dozen reps. After that, I had to eke 'em out in mini-sets of two or three.

(Clearly, my math skills are nonexistent. On Friday, I blanched at the thought of doing 45 reps of 115-pound cleans, and opted for 85 pounds instead. But today, I decided that 45 reps of 135-pound cleans sounded just fine and dandy. I'm an idiot.)

In the second round, I started no-repping. Twice, I failed to get my elbows down and around the bar fast enough, and ended up splashing the bar. Strange sounds started coming out of my throat.

On the plus side? All the ring dip practice we've been doing paid off -- I got through those fairly quickly.

Result: 10:28 as RXed.

Bonehead

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.

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Overhead Squats (5-5-3-3-3)

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!

Result: 13:29 as RXed.

Wednesday's Workout

I woke up achy and cranky. After spending two days moving back into our house, I probably should've slept in, but didn't.

Strength Skill:

• Kettlebell Clean & Press (5-5-5-5-5)

Wow. I think I'm in love. From what I can tell, kettlebell cleans and presses -- done correctly -- are incredibly efficient (and effective) at developing power, strength, and coordination. Starting with your feet about hip-width apart and a kettlebell on the floor, you grip the handle with one hand, flexing your hips, knees, and ankles, and then use your legs to drive the kettlebell up to rack position in a straight line. "It's like zipping up your jacket," Tim cued us. With our core and lats engaged and elbows down and in, we were able to quickly and forcefully transfer the kettlebell up to a rack position before pressing it up into the sky.

Twenty-five reps with each arm were enough to get me toasty this morning, but I'd like to work this movement into my home workouts. They were fun, and deliver huge bang for the buck.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

• 10 hang power snatches (135lbs / 95lbs)
• 15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 20 box jumps (24" / 20")

I scaled today's workout way down, snatching just 75 pounds and -- in light of my problematic left Achilles -- doing step-ups instead of box jumps. I could do the chest-to-bar pull-ups as RXed, but by the tail end of the workout, I had to bust them out one at a time. I can't imagine how long it would've taken me to finish the WOD if I'd gone heavier with the snatches and/or actually did some jumping.

Result: 10:11. 

On another note: As of today, the Nom Nom Paleo app has been available in the App Store for two months -- and it remains one of the top paid Lifestyle iPad apps! As of this moment, it's in the number 10 spot:

You can read more about the app here (and you can download it here), but for those of you who are interested in the backstory, I'm working on a series of blog posts about how Michelle and I created the app, from the inception of the idea and recipe development to working with a team of programmers and all the unexpected post-launch drama. Stay tuned...

Friday's Workout

With Tim on vacation, Trish led us through the workout yesterday. Afterwards, she remarked that the 5 a.m. class was extremely "coachable" -- i.e., we follow instructions well.

"It's 'cause we're not awake enough to fight back," I told her.

Strength Skill:

• Strict Presses (3-3-1-1-1)

Despite a couple of attempts at setting a new PR, I failed. It appears my max is holding firm at 120 pounds for a little while longer.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 15 minutes:

• 9 deadlifts (155lbs / 100lbs)
• 12 Games push-ups
• 15 box jumps (24" / 20")

This was a reprise of the second workout of last year's CrossFit Games Open, and I did nowhere near as well as some of the firebreathers who tackled 11.2. The deadlifts were fine -- I made sure to tap 'n go to keep momentum on my side. The box jumps weren't too bad, either. But the push-ups? Not so much.  I cruised through the first few rounds, but early in the fifth round, I suddenly hit a wall and couldn't muster more than two or three push-ups at a time.

At coffee after class with Trish and XFitMama, I griped about my strict presses and push-ups. "Do a 100 push-up challenge," Trish suggested. It was a great idea, and we all signed on. The rules are simple: Do one push-up on Day One, two push-ups on Day Two, three on Day Three, and so on. One more wrinkle: I'm going to try to do 'em all at once rather than spacing out the push-ups throughout the day. This shouldn't get hard until Day 50 or so, but I'm fine with starting at 1 for now. I need a few weeks to get my stress levels down anyway.

Wednesday's Workout: Relief

I missed class again this morning.

As readers of Nom Nom Paleo know, we hit a bunch of rough patches this week, and the upshot was that I wasn't able to indulge in my usual early-morning workouts with my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs. Monday's workout was Cindy plus double-unders (a 20 minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats, and 20 double-unders), and I've been kicking myself for missing it. I really didn't want to miss another sweatfest at the gym.

So today, after finishing up a series of meetings at work, I sped down the freeway from San Francisco to Palo Alto in time for the 5 p.m. class. While I was on the road, I got a call from Michelle and the kids, who gleefully filled me in on some big news:

The Nom Nom Paleo iPad app got approved this afternoon by Apple! (Look for it in the App Store this Friday.)



I'm not used to working out in the early evening, but I was still on a high when I arrived at CrossFit Palo Alto, and knew I was going to enjoyed thrashing around in the gym.

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pull-Ups (5-3-3-1-1, with sets of 10 varying types of push-ups between sets)

On my last rep, with a kettlebell chained to my waist, I struggled to clear my chin over the bar -- but I was determined not to crane my neck. Trish, who teaches the 5 p.m. class (and does a fantastic job of putting us through the paces), had told us to keep our heads level and eyes ahead. "It doesn't count if you're facing the ceiling." Under this rule, I'm pretty sure most of the weighted pull-ups I've done in the past don't count.

Metcon:

"Christine" -- 3 rounds of:

• 500-meter row
• 12 bodyweight deadlifts
• 21 plyo box jumps (20")

This was a fun one -- the deadlifts felt fast and smooth, and the rowing didn't get awful until the final round. It's amazing how a few days away from the gym made me antsy enough to get a kick out of a metabolic beat-down. And although I missed exercising alongside my 5 a.m. buddies, once the clock started, it didn't matter who was in the room. My only goal was to kill this workout.

But although I didn't suck, I didn't exactly murder Christine, either.

Result: 11:58 as RXed -- a few seconds slower than the last time I did Christine. No PR today, but I still have a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I don't know whether it's because I finally got my butt back into the gym or because the app we've long slaved over is finally ready for release, but I suspect it's a little of both.

Monday's Workout

The boys were up all night crapping their pants. M knew I was still recovering from a cold, so she looked after our sick kids, generously allowing me to sleep through the worst of the ass-explosions so I'd be (relatively) well-rested for the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto. I know I don't say it often enough, but my wife is all kinds of awesome.

Strength Skill:

• Single-Leg Deadlifts (5-3-3-1-1)

I'm tightening my gut and keeping my hips down low. I'm pushing off my heel, and I'm keeping my head in line with my body. But I still suck at one-legged deadlifts -- especially when I do 'em while balancing on my left leg. I'd make a horrible evil one-legged space pirate.

Metcon:

2 rounds for time:

• Run 400 meters
• 20 ground-to-overheads (75# / 55#)
• 15 box jumps
• 10 toes-to-bar

This was reminiscent of this year's Open WOD 12.3 -- you know, the one that murdered me. Thankfully, today's version was a lot more sane, but it was still a kick in the pants.

I'd like to say I held back because I'm not feeling 100 percent, but the truth of the matter is that I simply got my butt handed to me. The ground-to-overheads weren't a problem (I did a mix of snatches and clean & jerks), but the box jumps knocked the wind out of me today.

Result: 10:12 as RXed.

CrossFit Games Open WOD 12.3: Bring the Pain

All I can say is: Ouch. This workout -- an AMRAP of 15 box jumps, 12 push-presses, and 9 toes-to-bar -- was indeed a punch in the face. And gut. And crotch. Simultaneously.

My box jumps and toes to bar weren't too bad, but my push-presses stunk up the place. I resorted to split-jerking most of my reps because I'm evidently still too puny to push-press dozens of reps at 115 pounds. Even so, I lifted at a glacial pace and no-repped a half-dozen times. In the end, I managed to only get through 4 full rounds and 10 additional box jumps.

As I said before: Gah.

But look at all the fun we all had at CrossFit Palo Alto!

Monday's Workout: Fight Gone Bad

I've been sick for the past few days (hence my absence from the gym on Friday), and was hoping to ease into the week with a nice little 5 a.m. workout.

No such luck. On the menu today: Fight Gone Bad.

Rotate through five stations, spending one minute at each:

• Wall ball shots (20lbs / 14lbs), 10 foot target. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Sumo deadlift high pulls (75lbs / 55 lbs). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Box jumps (20″ box). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Barbell push-presses (75lbs / 55 lbs). Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Calorie row. Each calorie burned (according to the monitor) is scored as 1 point.

Rest one minute, and then repeat the five stations. Rest another minute, and then repeat all the stations again, for a total of three rounds.

The first time I did FGB was in September of 2010, when I eked out 209 points as RXed. It was ugly.

A year later, I attempted FGB again, and improved slightly, with 229 points as RXed. It was just as ugly the second time around.

But while Fight Gone Bad is certainly a grueling ass-kicker, it's really not much worse than any other grueling ass-kicker we've experienced at the gym. The difference is the nervous anticipation. We know months in advance that the Fight Gone Bad fundraiser is coming, so we end up psyching ourselves out. For a week before last September's FGB at CrossFit Palo Alto, I spent a few minutes each day working on my wall ball shots and push-presses in the hopes that the extra practice would pay off. I was excited about FGB, but I was also nervous about it.

A while back, Freddy Camacho wrote about "that anxiety you get when you first read what the workout is. We often experience what I like to call 'The Dread.' Nervousness, anxiety, making up excuses on why you don't need to work out that day...'The Dread' can kick your ass."

I suppose that points to another reason why I prefer going to the 5 a.m. class: The workout doesn't get written on the board until it's time to do it. All the subsequent classes eyeball the metcon as soon as they enter the gym, and I imagine they think about it as they warm up and complete their strength skills practice -- especially if the workout's particularly heinous. In contrast, those of us who show up at 5 a.m. are always surprised; after the WOD's revealed, we have just enough time to set up our equipment before the workout begins. We don't have the time to dwell on "The Dread." There's barely any "Dread" at all.

(Besides, we're barely awake enough to comprehend how challenging a workout's going to be until we're in the middle of it.)

Today, we jumped right into Fight Gone Bad without a second thought -- and it was great. Yes, it still whupped my butt. But even without practicing sumo deadlift high pulls in my garage all week, and despite still recovering from a cold, I set a new personal best.

Result: 239 as RXed. But before I get too carried away with myself, I should point out that a good number of my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs beat my score this morning, including the Terminator, who competed in the NorCal 40s yesterday, where he finished in 13th place out of dozens of athletes. He found out we were going to do FGB today, and despite having completed 7 crazy WODs yesterday, he still showed up at 5 a.m. this morning. Clearly, the man is insane.

Monday's Workout

It was freezing cold this morning, but I got warm fast.

Strength Skill:

• Thrusters (5-5-3-3-1)

I paired up with Jay today, and managed to work my way up to 135 pounds (my bodyweight). Still, I didn't match my previous PR -- and I think I had a bit left in the tank. I guess we'll see how much I can put up next week. Jay's looking strong, too -- it was his first day back in a while, but he got a lot of weight overhead.

Metcon:

4 rounds for time:

• 250-meter row
• 10 Games-standard push-ups
• 10 box jumps (20")
• 10 deadlifts (225lbs / 155lbs)

A few months ago, I decided to stop pushing myself to go RXed on heavy, high-rep deadlift WODs. Back in August, I cranked out close to 50 deadlifts at 245 pounds during a metcon, and literally saw stars. I wrote that I was "damned proud" of finishing the workout in under 25 minutes -- but that was before my back seized up. And then in October, after chasing a deadlift PR, I tore a muscle in my lower back. I love deadlifts, and I want to work at getting at them, but right now, I need to be smart about this. I can still challenge myself with a gut-puncher of a workout without going RXed and possibly putting myself out of commission -- right?

Well...I can't say I wasn't tempted to put 225 pounds on the barbell today. I think there's something wrong with me.

Thankfully, I snapped out of it. I put on 165 instead, figuring that the rowing would be bad enough.

And it was.

On the plus side, I got through everything unbroken. On the minus side, I still felt like I'd been hit by a truck afterwards.

Result: 9:54.

Friday's Workout

I know you've been waiting with bated breath, so before I conk out, here's a quick recap of today's WOD.

Strength Skill:

• Strict Pull-ups (5-5-5)
• Kipping Pull-ups (10-10-10)

I enjoy pull-ups, so this was a pleasant way to start the morning. At Tim's suggestion, I finished by practicing some chest-to-bar pull-ups. They felt a little awkward at first, but got a lot easier once I wrapped my thumbs around the top of the bar.

Metcon:

2 rounds for time:

• 22 see-saw presses (45lbs / 30lbs)
• Run 400 meters
• 22 box jumps (24" / 20")
• Run 400 meters

Back when we last did this workout in August, I wrote that 35-pound dumbbells were too light for me. So today, I hoisted a pair of 40-pound dumbbells -- and ended up finishing almost two minutes slower than I did a few months ago.

Ugh.

Result: 13:06.

Monday's Workout: Fat Gripz & PTP

CrossFit Palo Alto's closed for Turkey Week, so for the first time in a long while, I got to play around in my garage with some of my toys. Some of them -- like my Fat Gripz -- have been sitting in a box for a month, waiting for me to get off my ass and try 'em out.

Now that my back's feeling better, I want to work on getting it stronger -- and so my plan is to start doing some low-rep sets of deadlifts and strict presses, mixed with some super-short metcons. Sound familiar?

Yep -- I'm revisiting the Power to the People protocol.

Dallas and Melissa of the Whole9 have a PTP template from their CrossFit 603 days, so I decided to jump right in with their programming for Day One. First up: the "Buy-In":

3 rounds:

• 20-second handstand hold
• 15 Russian kettlebell swings (24kg / 16kg)
• 10 box jumps (20″)

This was a fun way to kick off the morning and get the blood pumping rushing to my head. Once I was nice and toasty, I was ready for PTP.

Deadlift:

• Warm up: A few reps at a light weight
• Set 1: 60% of 1-rep max, 3-5 reps
• Set 2: 90% of Set 1 weight, 3-5 reps

Just to keep things interesting, I decided to wrap the Fat Gripz around my barbell -- I figured I might as well work on my grip strength, too. (Yes, I know that some folks say that increasing open-hand grip strength isn't necessarily going to help with support-grip moves like deadlifts or pull-ups, but I'm happy to settle for just generally increasing the strength of my hands.

I had trouble wrapping my thumbs around the width of the Fat Gripz -- my grip felt much more awkward than I expected -- but the starting weight was light, so I managed just fine. We'll see what happens as the weight on the bar starts creeping up.

Press:

• Warm up: A few reps at a light weight
• Set 1: 60% of 1-rep max, 3-5 reps
• Set 2: 90% of Set 1 weight, 3-5 reps

I used the Fat Gripz on the strict presses, too, though I don't think it made much of a difference. Presses don't rely much on finger strength, so I'll probably skip the Gripz for this movement next time.

Cash Out:

3 rounds for time:

• 30 double-unders
• 15 knees-to-elbows

This sounded easy, but the KTEs rocked my world. I cranked out the double-unders without much trouble, but they wiped me out enough to make the knees-to-elbows a royal pain in the butt. Also, to be consistent, I'd stuck the Fat Gripz on the pull-up bar, too -- and it didn't take me long to start regretting it. Getting a handle on the bar was much more challenging than I anticipated, and my hands kept slipping off. Ugh.

Result: 4:27 as RXed.

I need bigger hands. My teeny little baby hands aren't cutting it.

Monday's Workout: Hallow-Bata

To kick off Halloween in style, the 5 a.m. crew at CrossFit Palo Alto threw ourselves into a devilishly challenging Tabata-style workout.

"Hallow-Bata"

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

Score = Total reps.

With a lucky 13 of us in class this morning, we had to begin at different stations. I decided to start with double-unders, figuring I'd save my favorite -- the box jumps -- for last. Besides, I knew I had a better chance of cranking out more double-unders early in the workout, before I ran out of gas.

I was right. In the first 20-second set of Tabata double-unders, I ripped out 34. In the second set, I managed 28. But by the time the third set was done, I'd managed only 18. It wasn't exactly a shocker that my drop-off in movement efficiency, energy, and number of reps was exponential. I was pleased, though, that I was able to bust out almost 2 double-unders per second -- albeit only for the first 20 seconds of the workout.

• Double-under results: 34 / 28 / 18 / 18 / 17 / 17 / 16 / 15

As soon as I saw grasshoppers pop up on a CrossFit.com workout last week, I had a feeling we'd see it at the gym one day. That day came sooner than expected. Grasshoppers look simple enough: You start in a push-up position, and then kick a leg forward until your shin hits your opposite arm. That's half a rep. Repeat with the other leg for a full rep. In practice, though, grasshoppers are anything but easy -- especially with a lower back injury. But while I'd like to blame it all on my boo-boo and current lack of flexibility, the truth is that these are just plain hard.

• Grasshopper results: 15 / 10 / 8 / 8 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 6 / 

Next up were the "headless horsemen" -- a modified kettlebell palm press. Starting with the kettlebell on the floor, we lifted it up with one arm, palmed it with the other hand at chest level, and then pressed the weight overhead. To keep from straining my recovering back, I didn't even attempt the RXed 24kg -- but let's be frank: Even if I was 100 percent, there's no way I would've been able to get through 8 Tabata rounds of these presses at that weight.

• Headless horsemen results: 5 / 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 / 5 / 4

Last but not least: "Cauldron jumps." "Get over the box whichever way you can," Tim had instructed. "You can jump all the way over the box, or do a regular box jump and then jump to the floor on the other side. You can do sideways box jumps. Or step up and over."

Before the workout, I had planned on hopping like crazy over the box, but I thought better of it after two things happened: (1) One of my 5 a.m. pals took a nasty tumble off his box soon after the WOD started, and whacked his elbow something fierce; and (2) the double-unders, grasshoppers and headless horsemen left me too tuckered out to go nuts. Plus, I reminded myself of my current goal: Recovery, not PRs. There would be no attempt to jump clear over the box.

I did, however, start with lateral box jumps, which saved me a bit of time. I didn't have to turn around to jump back the way I came; instead, I just hopped sideways to change directions. But after three rounds, my lower back gave me a warning twinge, and I knew I had to dial it down some more. For the remainder of the workout, I stepped up and over the box -- which, oddly enough, allowed me to rack up more reps than I would've completed had I kept jumping.

• Cauldron jump results: 10 / 8 / 7 / 9 / 8 / 6 / 6

Total: 335

Happy Halloween, boys and girls. And take it easy on the candy tonight.

Wednesday's Class: Back to School

It felt good to return to the 5 a.m. class.

Strength Skill:

• Zercher Squats (5-5-5-3-3)

Mark and I paired off to tackle the Zerchers. I only made it through four sets; I dumped the bar on my final rep, even though I was squatting 30 pounds lighter than my 1RM from last December. Ankle permitting, my goal for the cycle is to hit a new PR -- which means I have a ways to go.

Metcon:

• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of pass-throughs;
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of wallballs (20lbs / 14lbs);
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of dumbbell ground-to-overheads (45lbs / 30lbs);
• In 3 minutes, run 240 meters and then max reps of box jumps (20").

Score = Total reps.

Sadly, I'm not yet able to run on my ankle, so I rowed 250 meters each time instead. I'm not a huge fan of the erg (to put it mildly), but it was better than trying to hobble around the block.

This workout was clearly intended as a tune-up for this Saturday's Fight Gone Bad (and if you haven't donated yet, shame on you, you big mooch). My at-home attempts at wallball shots and box jumps didn't go so well last weekend -- my ankle didn't appreciate the pounding -- so I was hopeful that I'd see marked improvement during today's WOD.

Not so much.

The wallballs didn't feel too bad, so long as I didn't jump up into the throw. But prior to spraining my ankle, I'd been able to string together over two dozen unbroken wallball shots -- something I couldn't come close to replicating today. And my box jumps were just miserable. I winced every time my left foot smacked down on the box and on the floor. After a few reps, I started slowly stepping off the box after each jump.

Result: 80 (using RXed weights but rowing instead of running). As a point of comparison, the Terminator beat me by 58 reps. In other words, I got schooled -- but it sure beats sitting at home.

Friday's Workout

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.)

Result: 12:30.

Wednesday's Workout

I felt a lot less wrecked this morning, but some residual soreness is still cramping my style.

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts (5-3-3-1-1)

Near the end of my deadlift practice this morning, Tim reminded me that I was able to rip out 49 reps at 245 pounds in a WOD just a couple of weeks ago. By all rights, I should be able to pull a lot heavier in a low-rep workout like today's. But for whatever reason, I couldn't. Just like last week, I struggled with 255-pound deadlifts, and didn't get anywhere near my previous PR. What happened to my mojo?!?

As a result, I'm contemplating incorporating deadlifts back into my routine at home. Maybe I'll revisit the Power to the People protocol again. A couple of short sets of deadlifts every other night shouldn't destroy me, right?

Metcon:

For time:

• 1 -> 10 ring dips
• 10 -> 1 box jumps (24")

In other words:

• 1 Ring Dip, 10 Box Jumps (24")
• 2 Ring Dips, 9 Box Jumps (24")
• 3 Ring Dips, 8 Box Jumps (24")
• 4 Ring Dips, 7 Box Jumps (24")
• 5 Ring Dips, 6 Box Jumps (24")
• 6 Ring Dips, 5 Box Jumps (24")
• 7 Ring Dips, 4 Box Jumps (24")
• 8 Ring Dips, 3 Box Jumps (24")
• 9 Ring Dips, 2 Box Jumps (24")
• 10 Ring Dips, 1 Box Jump (24")

I did this workout back in March in my garage, and it took me 7:28 to finish. Today, I fared better, shaving two-and-a-half minutes(!) off my time. I'm not sure if it's because I was in the gym with the 5 a.m. crew this time, but I certainly felt a lot speedier than when I was slugging it out alone at home.

Result: 4:57 as RXed.

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.