AWF Iceland Day 5

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…
Partner smashing and static stretch

WOD 2 – in the morning…
Establish a 1RM barbell Turkish Getup
2 x max rep back squat at 120 kg (265#)

WOD 3 – in the evening…
In teams of 2, complete the following for time:
200 meter wheelbarrow walk (switch after 100 m)
200 meter partner carry (switch after 100 m)
200 meter burpee broad jump (2 people working at a time)
50 thick bar pullups
400 meter downhill run
80 meter ocean swim
400 meter uphill run

Coming off a rest day and starting day 5 with a long stretch was just what the doctor ordered.  Everyone was lighthearted and excited for what they knew to be a hard day of training. 

Heading out we didn’t know exactly where we would stop to do the TGU’s and squats, but figured we would find a good spot along the way.  And boy did we ever.  Nestled back at the far end of one of the fjords we drove through was a town that time forgot.  At one point one of the largest herring harvesters in Europe, this place now was almost completely deserted.  All that remains are a few private residences, a bed and breakfast, and the ruins of the herring factory and an old steel tanker.  Rising above it are cliffs on all sides, one of which houses a towering and majestic waterfall.  It felt like something out of Lord of the Rings.  Knowing we were unlikely to find any place better than this, we pulled the bus over just outside of town at a lonely wood dock and started unloading the weights. 

After a brief technical review on Turkish getups, the group wags off and working.  To limit the risk of injury and structural damage to the dock we only required that the lift be controlled to a standing position.  The majority of people had never done this lift with a barbell before, so it was fun to watch how quickly they picked it up, made adjustments, and gained confidence.

After a solid 30-40 minutes of this we transitioned to back squats.  Everyone had to choose a weight and complete two sets of max reps resting as needed in between.  The weights to choose from were 40 kg, 60 kg, 80 kg, 100 kg, and 120 kg.  Surprisingly, many individuals scored better on their second set of squats then their first, myself included.  I went from 22 reps to 25 at 120 kg, and I don’t have any good explanation for it.  It was as if my legs just went numb during the second set and I could continue to execute repetitions without pain.  Kelly went from 27 to 40 reps, Dan from 24 to 35.  The scenery was surreal, so much so that I’m hard pressed to remember a more unique combination of nature and town.
To cool down the legs we walked into the village and spent a short time enjoying coffee and shopping for souvenirs.  Soon after we drove on to a pool by the sea to have lunch and relax before heading back to Dragsnes, our home for the night.  Here we took advantage of the full sized soccer field overlooking the sea and partnered up according to weight.  This WOD was cool because different partners were better at different elements, making it a true team effort to finish the workout.  Teamwork was displayed fullest during the swim, as few of our group had ever swam in waters as cold as the North Atlantic.  Although the distance was short, it took plenty of moxie to stay relaxed and avoid the feeling of panic that cold water tends to induce.  The fastest team through this gauntlet was Erik and Jessica, who made it look easy.  But all who completed it were brimming afterwards for the experience.