225# Hang Snatches

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD

1 mile run
10 minutes practicing plow transitions

STRENGTH

Hang Snatch + Full Snatch 10 x 1
20 back squats (235#) + 20 overhead squats (175#) for time
30 perfect hang cleans @ 205#

Snuck this session in on a Sunday before Father's Day, mostly to practice snatches.  After not feeling great last week, I was pretty solid today.  Made it up to 225# and successfully hang snatched it three times, only to miss all three of the full snatches that followed.  All of these sets were done without a reset, so tap and go from hang to full.  I found that this really encouraged me not to think about the lift and just explode with everything I had.

The squats felt equally good, if not better.  I added 10# from last week and did it 10 seconds faster... go figure.  All 40 reps in 2:49.  More of the same on the hang cleans.  Instead of sets of 4, I did sets of 5 and felt like the weight was flying up.  Going to add weight to 215# next week and hopefully keep getting stronger.

Only one rest day before heading back down to Super Training, better be a good one.

Elbow Levers and more

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
2000 meter row
Elbow Lever Progressions

SKILL WOD
10 minute AMRAP for proficiency:
30 unbroken double unders
1 turkish getup each arm

STRENGTH
Floor Press 5 x 3 w/ pause
Push Jerk x 3 EMOTM for 10 minutes
3 rounds for completion:
100 meter waiter walk each arm
1:00 battling ropes
10 thick bar curls

Surprisingly didn't feel any massive soreness from the muscle ups and pullups in a weight vest yesterday.  I did, however, feel a little tender in my lower joints from running in the vest.  Enough for me to bag off the 4 mile run I had planned for later this evening.  Always let the body be the boss when it comes to it's joints.

The coolest part of today's training was the elbow lever progressions we did before getting started.  Everyone has really been enjoying the Tacfit progressions, and this one was no exception.  Actually much easier than it looks, going through this progression step by step was a great way to learn the basics of this skill.  As usual with things that look like circus acts, so much of this was about finding the right balance point.  Strength is a pre-requisite, of course, but it doesn't take a ridiculous amount to be able to do this lever.  After a few minutes of trying and practicing, most of us were getting close to success.  Another great example of training the brain to learn new things apart from the intensity of a workout.  You can't tell me this type of balancing won't translate to other types.

Following this we hit the skill WOD (I actually used a 50# slamball for the TGUs) and then the strength.  With Ben Alderman there pushing me, I got up to 305# for 2 1/2 reps with a pause at the bottom.  Not bad for a skinny white boy.  We did the jerks at 205#, no problems there, and the assistance sequence was great.  Really like the waiters walk as a substitute for more standard overhead carries.  Unilateral training doesn't rear it's head enough.

"McClusky"

Workout of the Day

"McClusky"

3 rounds for time in a 20# vest:
9 muscle ups
15 burpee pullups
21 pullups
800 meter run

So... today was supposed to be my rest day, but my friend and fellow sadist Brian McIntyre has been unsuccessfully inviting me to hit a hero WOD with him for well over a year now.  Not that I have anything against hero WODs, I actually really like them.  Just, for one reason or another, I keep dodging them whenever he brings it up.  So finally I decided enough was enough, and I hit this one with him today.

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't as bad as I expected.  I never missed any reps, and the hardest part was the running.  For the muscle ups I did sets of 3 the entire way, for the burpee pull-ups I picked a steady unbroken pace, and for the pullups I did sets of 7.  I never really felt in danger of bonking until the final 800 meters when I dialed myself up to full speed.  If done right, I think most hero WODs should feel this way.  They're more about pacing, consistency, and mental toughness than they are about speed.  So although I'm sure I will feel the weighted muscle ups and pullups in the morning, I don't think my body will be too destroyed from today's lack of rest.  My time was 24:15.

To limit the damage, I took a 10 minute soak in the American River (temperature hovering around 60 degrees) and then grabbed a massage.  The 10 minutes I spent submerged in the water felt so natural and relaxing I can't even tell you.  This should be a regular practice for anyone with access to fresh flowing reservoirs of water.

Blasted

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

PRE WOD
1 mile run
10 minutes scorpion transition practice

STRENGTH
Back Squat 5 x 5 with 3 second pause
Sumo Deadlift 10 x 1 from elevation

3 rounds for completion:
6 unbroken squat cleans @ BW + 10#
6 atlas stones to shoulder @ 165#
10 Glute Ham raises

WOD 2 - in the evening...

CONDITIONING
21-15-9
KB swing (32 kg)
Burpee over box (24")

After a nice weekend of recovery, today came hard and fast.  The strength portion of the workout was challenging but fun, the most difficult part being the squat cleans/atlas stone combination.  I had worked up to 300# for my top set of 5 pause squats and 475# for my top sumo DL, but none of that felt as painful as the assistance exercises.  I firmly believe that while doing the major lifts is non-negotiable, Crossfitters benefit hugely from picking the right accessory work to follow them.  Being able to apply strength in different manners and variations is what keeps us progressing.  Getting strong in specific movements is great, but it's not enough.  The truly fit are strong regardless of the implement.  Training a wide variety in the form of supplemental exercises is a great way to accomplish this.

The evening conditioning WOD almost didn't happen for me.  I'd been battling a headache for most of the afternoon and it didn't subside until during the final class of the day at the gym.  Thankfully I jumped in at the last second with a few guys and got this thing done in 4:30.  I was happy with my engine towards the end of the workout--I was able to accelerate through my final 9 burpees, sprinting to the finish rather than crawling.  This also leads me to believe I may have been able to push the pace on the burpees a little sooner, but who knows.  Overall, I was happy with that time.

Going a little off script and hitting a hero WOD tomorrow with my friend and glutten for punishment Brian McIntyre.  "McClusky" here we come.

Squeezing it in before Icehouse

Workout of the Day

10 minutes to establish 1RM snatch

5 minute to complete:
20 back squats @ 1RM snatch
20 oh squats @ 75% 1RM snatch

Perform 30 perfect hang power cleans

For day 3 of my training cycle I had to hustle in to the gym early.  A group of us were heading up the hill for a camping trip so I knew I wasn't going to be able to lift otherwise.  Overall, the session was decent.  The snatches definitely weren't going up easy, but I held myself to the 10 minute cap.  My top weight was 225#... could've used another 10 minutes to keep warming up I think.  Still, if I can always snatch 225# when I need to I'll be happy.

Taking that weight and doing the squat portion of the WOD was a lot of fun.  The goal was to finish both sets as fast as possible (back squat at 225#, oh squat @ 165#).  I did the first portion unbroken, quickly stripped the weights, and knocked out 12 on the second.  I tried to force myself to keep the break small before finishing the final 8, but at this point my legs were getting the wobble.  I managed to make it through in a total time of 2:59.  And I'm soooo sore from it!!  Crazy how such a small amount of work can crush you if you're not used to it.  Definitely a cool sequence to try if you're bored of your regular lifting routine.

Once up at the lake, it felt like everything in the world faded away.  I was on the boat wake surfing, in the middle of the lake swimming, and doing morning yoga on the shore.  The group that came up was all about playing cornhole and horseshoes, cooking amazing food, and enjoying the stars.  Not that any of this is surprising or newsworthy, just a pleasant reminder of how fun it is to disconnect from the urban landscape.

Got a big week coming up with a lot of tough workouts.  Looking forward to sharing it.

330# Floor Press

Workout of the Day

WARM UP
2000 meter row for completion
10 minutes Half Crow progression

SKILL
EMOTM for 10 minutes:
5 c2b pullups
10 meter handstand walk

STRENGTH
10 x 1 Floor Press
EMOTM for 10 minutes:
5 unbroken push jerks @ 185#
3 rounds for completion:
10 axel presses (110#)
20 ring dips
40 hollow rocks

Continuing to get stronger on floor press, go figure.  Can't quite figure out why but I love it!!  Got all the way through 330# without a miss and the heavier weights just don't feel as heavy as they used to out of the rack.  305#, 315#... they feel like foregone conclusions.

Air dyne, box jumps, and muscle ups... oh my!

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

1 mile run
10 minutes pigeon to pigeon transitions as seen here
Accumulate the following:
2 minutes in bottom of front squat
2 minutes in free handstand
2 minutes in L sit

WOD 2 - in the afternoon at Super Training...

3RM Box Squat
8 x 1 squat clean w/ 5 second pause
3 rounds for completion:
10 bent row
12 reverse hyper
1:00 plank w/ chains
10 glute ham raises

WOD 3 - in the evening...

12 minute AMRAP:
1 mile air dyne
50 box jumps
30 muscle ups

Today was Day 1 of the new training cycle, so of course the load is pretty substantial.  But it felt great today.  My box squats were solid up to 380#, squat cleans felt fine at 240#, and all the assistance work during the afternoon session sucked as usual...  Thanks Mark Bell.

Something I'm making a more diligent effort to include is the Prasara yoga flows put out by Tacfit.  If you don't know these guys, they're a cool group that meshes yoga with jiujitsu to form a ton of great mobility resources.  So often I feel that crossfit ignores non-linear movement patterns that are so useful in daily life... this is a way to bridge that gap without taking too much time away from strength and conditioning.  I'm making all our competitors practice this stuff in our pre-WOD sessions, so we'll see if it helps limit injury and mobilize training.

But without doubt the coup de gras of today was the conditioning session.  A variation of Open WOD 13.3, this was primarily a muscle up test.  When tired, how efficiently can you move through 30 muscle ups.  And if you do, can you give yourself enough time and save enough energy to get back on the bike.  I was very happy with my technique and work capacity on the rings (these just keep getting better and better), finishing my 30 at the 9:30 mark.  That gave me a little less than 2:30 to peddle the bike to the finish.  Sadly, I made it to .95 miles before time ran out.  SO CLOSE!!!

Post Regionals Swim WOD

Workout of the Day

For completion:
300 yard open water swim
300 yard overhead yolk carry

Still digesting the past weekend at the NorCal Regionals and hopefully will have some time this weekend to put down some thoughts on what it was like being on a team, where I see the sport headed, and what I'm looking forward to in the coming year.  In the meantime, enjoy the video of this workout I did with Denny out at the lake.

2013 European Regional Begins!!!

Today is the first day of the 2013 Regionals and it started in Europe, a place near and dear to my heart. I have a lot of close friends competing in both the individual and team competitions this year, and I want to send them all my best wishes and hope they perform to their potential.  From Iceland to Italy, Europe is filled with incredible athletes and a CrossFit culture that grows stronger every year.  I can't wait to see who will represent the Region this year in Carson.

I couldn't help but reminisce, having participated in the 2010 Europe Regional while in school abroad.  Some great and painful memories of that weekend, none more so than the final WOD showdown between myself and Sven.  5 rounds for time of 5 deadlifts and 20 burpees over the bar.  It was a brutal test to finish with that I still haven't forgiven Mads for programming.  I attached the video from that final WOD 3 years ago below.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

Weekend Fatigue

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

For time:
30 wall balls
30 c2b pullups
30 pistols
30 DB snatch (70#)

WOD 2 - in the evening...

7 minutes burpee muscle ups in team of 3

Had a bit of a down day today, mostly due to the long weekend.  After hitting the workouts in East Sac on Saturday, I made the rounds from birthday pool party to birthday pool party, drinking plenty of adult beverages in the process.  Then Jenn and I headed down to Napa for the last day of Bottle Rock on Sunday, where we spent the day in the heat watching bands from Cake to Zac Brown.  Not making it back home until after midnight, I didn't have much energy to train this morning.  But by the time Ben Alderman cam up to work on the 100's Regional WOD around 12:00 I was feeling a little more energy.  I decided to hit the team version of the workout alongside him and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it felt.  Besides losing my rhythm on the c2b pullups at 18, everything went unbroken and I finished in 4:25.

Later on this evening Denny, Casey, and I took another practice run at the team muscle up WOD to get more reps in.  Nothing too special on this one, other than sighting the rings on the way up from the burpee seems to help a lot.  Tomorrow I'm planning on doing the rope climb/squat clean workout after squats and deads at Super Training, hopefully the body is feeling better by then.

Team Practice at East Sac

Workout of the Day

5 rounds, rest between rounds:

2 rope climbs
4 squat cleans (225#)

Use 7 minutes to establish 3RM OH squat

7 minute AMRAP burpee muscle ups

Pretty awesome morning today!!! 12 of us from CFA descended upon East Sac for a morning session that offered a great change of scenery.  It'd been awhile since I trained down there with Justin and Travis, but the place always has a homey feel to it.  And it's always great seeing those guys.  Their team was still going through the process of deciding who was going to do what, sifting through workouts individually, so we carved out some space and got to work on the rope climb/squat clean practice.  No drama on the climbs, but MUCH tougher than I thought on the cleans.  I was expecting to cruise through those unbroken, but that simply was not happening.  Concentrating on fast singles is definitely going to be the better option on this one.

Afterwards we transitioned to OH Squats and used 7 minutes to establish 3RMs for all team members.  This was a bit tricky having to work up 3 people simultaneously, so I'm glad we got a dry run in.  Going to have to try it again a few times before game day, because I only had time to get up to 225#.  I'm hoping to be closer to 255# when alls said and done.

We wrapped things up with the 7 minute burpee muscle up sequence, each team member completing 3 reps then rotating out.  For all its creativity, this is a pretty boring exercise.  You can only move so fast between repetitions and the only real skill involved is how cleanly you can grab the rings.  Now, I really like the fact that team members have to rotate after 3 reps--this forces everyone on the team to be equally competent.  That being said, I'm not sure this is going to favor our team in particular.  Everyone can do the movement, just not indefinitely and on repeat the way others will.

After back to back weekends of field trips together, I can feel our team starting to gel a bit more.  2 more weeks to iron it all out!!

Feeling Tired

Workout of the Day

2000 meter row
5 minutes max double unders

3 Push Press EMOTM for 10 minutes @ 205#
3 minutes max Jerks @ 185#

Had more planned today but wasn't really feeling it in the morning.  Had planned to hit "Jackie" in the afternoon to test things out for the team Regional--just had to lay down instead.  Sometimes fatigue sneaks up on you and you gotta listen.  I was still able to get through the push presses and jerks, which was the main work slated, so at least the day wasn't a total loss.  I got 38 reps at 185#, same as last week, but I've noticed that my heavy days on Monday/Tuesday tend to leave me with a bit of a training hangover until Thursday.  We're planning on heading down Saturday morning to East Sac with their team, so a little extra rest and preparation isn't such a bad thing.

425# Box Squat!

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the afternoon...

1/4 mile sled push

Box Squat singles up to 425#
Deadlift triples up to 435#
3 rounds:
12 strict toes to bar
12 seated rows
12 reverse hypers

WOD 2 - in the evening...

Team "Diane"

20 partner deadlift (455#)
20 HSPU
20 partner deadlift (315#)
20 HSPU
20 HSPU
20 partner deadlift (455#)
20 HSPU
20 partner deadlift (315#)

PR'd on box squat today!!! I've never really felt strong squatting to a box, but today for some reason I was able to make it happen.  I was the only crossfitter to make it out to Super Training to lift with Mark Bell today, but maybe that was a good thing.  Staying focused and moving quickly between sets suits my style of training.  Sometimes waiting around too much in between gives your brain a chance to get in the way of what your body knows it can do.

Afterwards we headed to the deadlift bar to do some pulls for speed off the ground.  Honestly, these felt light as well.  The last set of 435# I only did 2 because my back started to round, but overall I was able to move the weight fast off the deck.

The reason I didn't want to push things on the triples was because I knew the team was getting together to do more partner deadlifts later this evening.  A replay of last years Regional WOD, team "Diane" is a cool combination of teamwork, speed, skill, and strength.  It's designed for 2 men and two women in an alternating fashion.  The men start out deadlifting 455# as a team for 20 reps, then go immediately into 20 HSPU.  Then the girls come to the bar, strip the weight down to 315# and do their deadlifts and HSPU.  Then it's the guys turn again, this time starting with HSPU and finishing with deadlifts. Finally, the girls come back and do the same.  Denny, myself, Jenn, and Stef did the workout start to finish in 6:59.  This time would've been good enough for 18th at last years NorCal Regional.  Decent time, but definitely one that could be improved with practice.  And from here on out, that's going to be the name of the game for the crossfit anywhere team.  As much as I hate the idea of knowing the workout ahead of time and dedicating training to those specific WODs, it's the only way we have a chance to be competitive with the 30 other teams practicing every day.

Simulated "Amanda"

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

1.5 mile run
Accumulate 5 minutes in a handstand hold

2 Floor Press EMOTM for 10 minutes @ 85% 1RM
3 minute AMRAP Floor Press @ 60% 1RM
3 rounds for completion:
6 weighted chin ups
10 thick bar curls
200 meter overhead carry (135#)

WOD 2 - in the evening...

Partner "Amanda"
9-9-7-7-5-5
Muscle Ups
Squat Snatch (135#)

Pretty legit training day today.  Was able to get everything in that I set out to, which often times isn't possible between coaching, etc.  A couple things jumped out from today: 1) trying to hold a handstand after running is tough.  I didn't expect one to have anything to do with the other, but there was a significant drop in my coordination after the 1.5 miles.  I guess this is one of the first times I've ever really tried to balance after doing a longer run. Something to try if you want a new challenge with your gymnastic skills.

After that I got right into the floor presses, once again feeling progressively stronger since re-introducing this movement a few weeks ago. I comfortably pressed 275# for all sets of 2, and banged out 45 reps at 195# in 3 minutes.  Hoping this muscle endurance training will translate when it comes time to doing higher volume unbroken sets at regionals.

Coming back this evening to hit the partner "Amanda" turned out to be more of a solo affair.  Most everyones hands are chewed up from the weekend down at 209 Sport with Gabe and the gang, so I was left to do a simulated version of the workout.  Jenn substituted ring swings for her muscle ups and empty bar snatches during my rest periods.  My goal was to do all reps unbroken.  I made it through all muscle up sets with out coming off the rings, but missed my 6th snatch on the round of 7.  Not really out of fatigue, just left the bar a little forward and couldn't hold it.  Overall, I was really happy with my ability to touch and go the snatches and string together the muscle ups.  Our simulated time was 6:17.

Sucking at Chest to Bars

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

2000 meter row for completion
EMOTM Push Press @ 90% 1RM for 10 minutes
3 minute AMRAP Jerk @ 60% 1RM
100 hollow rocks
100 superman rocks
100 pushups

WOD 2 - in the afternoon...

With a partner compete the following:

150 c2b pullups
150 kb swings (24/16)
150 double unders
150 overhead squats (95/65)

Charlie Zamora came out to Folsom to train this morning with the crew... always good to see him.  Although he didn't much like the idea of hopping on the rower to warm up.  He's also pretty much convinced me that doing the Scottish Highland Games is a good idea next year.  Anything involving heavy objects and a kilt has to be a good idea, right?

Again, strength sequence was great today. I push pressed all sets at 220# and never felt in doubt.  I used 185# for the jerks and got 38 reps in 3 minutes.  Stoke about this.  My ability to catch and rebound the bar with heavier weight has gone up considerably; even to the point where I'd count it among my strengths as a competitor.  There's a practiced element to it (knowing where to drop the bar on the chest) but more than anything it's a trust in your body's ability to rebound.  Muscles are like springs if you don't over-contract them.

The partner WOD was less validating, however.  I'm not good at chest to bar pull-ups, plain and simple.  Really, I'm serviceable at best.  I can't butterfly them consistently, for the simple reason that I haven't tried to learn.  For some reason I always just used the gymnastics kip and never felt the need to perfect the butterfly for c2bs.  That need has now become painfully obvious.  As Stef and I struggled to get through our 150, I watched Jenn cruise through 10 at a clip, putting her and Robert on the kb swings a solid 3 minutes before Stef and I got there.  We were able to eat away at their lead during the swings, double unders, and squats, but still finished over a minute behind.  Not being great at this movement is no longer an option, I've decided.  It's on the list and will be perfected in the next few weeks.

465# Deficit Dead

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

7 minute AMRAP:
1 to 10 muscle ups
10 to 100 double unders

WOD 2 - in the afternoon...

Camber bar back squats
Deficit deadlifts
3 rounds:
1 minute plank
1 minute kb swing (32 kg)
1 minute ground to overhead with log (100#)

WOD 3 - in the evening...

Partner Relay
21-15-9
Deadlift (275#/185#)
Box Jump (30"/24")

Big day today.  I'm still feeling a little bit of tightness from the run last weekend, but more than that I can feel the pressing from yesterday.  I was worried that it might affect me on the muscle ups, but once I got into the workout it was out of my mind. This first WOD was more about skill practice than anything else, so the intensity was relatively low.  I did as many unbroken reps as I could on the muscle ups, making it through the round of 5 before having to split them up.  In total I finish 6 full rounds +  muscle ups and 66 double unders.  So pissed!  4 reps shy of 7 rounds in 7 minutes.  Would've been a great finish.

The strength training with Mark Bell was great as usual.  Just me and Ben today down there, but we got after it.  Managed 385# on the camber bar (bar shaped like a texas longhorn) and 465# on the deficit deads.  The real surprise was the 3 round assistance work he chose for us.  KB swings aren't usually in a powerlifters repertoire, nor are the log lifts, but it seemed to fit in great with the workout.

I'll admit, by the evening I was feeling pretty spent.  21-15-9 deadlift/box jump wasn't what I felt like doing.  But with a rest day on the horizon and the entire team onhand to train, I was able to re-fire the engines.  I was partnered with Hana, Denny was with Jenn, and Casey with Stef.  The idea was to mimick the Regionals WOD from 2 years ago where the male partner completes the entire workout, tags the female, and she does the whole thing at lighter weight.  3-2-1 Go and the three mini-teams were off.  I broke my deads into 11-10, 8-7, and 9 for the three sets, but went unbroken on all box jumps.  My time was 3:35, our time as a team was 8:24.  Apart from the discomfort of the workout itself, this was a blast!!! Something short and sharp to finish of the day in that kind of atmosphere was such a great taste of what the Regionals will be like.  I really hope we can continue to build towards doing this more often.

I know my back is going to be a little sore from the heavy deficit deadliest, but I'm going to soak in the American River tomorrow and hope that helps.  Next training session Thursday.

Team Training Begins

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

EMOTM Floor Press @ 90% 1RM for 10 minutes
3 minute AMRAP Floor PRess @ 60% 1RM
Rope Pullups 3 x 10
GHD Situps 3 x 20
OH Carry 1 x 400 meters (135#)

WOD 2 - in the afternoon...

With a partner complete the following for time:
2 x 750 meter row
50 HSPU
2 x 750 meter row

(only one partner can be working at a time)

Today was the first day of our team's preparation for the 2013 Regionals.  We have a month until the contest, so minimal strength gains can be expected.  Really, the next month is about developing chemistry and staying healthy while not losing any conditioning or strength.  I want our team to be as cohesive as possible and as healthy as possible.  We're still going to train hard and push the envelope during our conditioning sessions, but trying to be smart as well.

Guiding our teamwork are the Regional WODs from the past two years.  Over the next 2 weeks until they announce this years tests, we're going to chip away at the ones from past years instead.  To engender a little bit of competition, we're going to do most of them as duos.  This way we can set times to beat and encourage the other duos to push a little harder.

Todays strength work went really well for me personally.  I was able to floor press 295# for all 10 sets and got 43 reps at 195# for my AMRAP.  The conditioning session was a little less fun.  Jenn and I were partnered up against Stef and Robert, which turned out to be a good matchup.  They had us on the row, but we were able to make it back on the handstands.  In the end they edged us by just 13 seconds overall.  But I was wrecked afterwards.  Max effort rowing just ain't no fun, no matter how you slice it. It's the kind of work that makes young people say, "I'm too old for this shit."

A good first step, looking forward to Super Training tomorrow.

The Sutter Buttes

Workout of the Day

Run the Mountain

It's been a long time coming, but I finally ran the Sutter Buttes.  For a few years now I've been trying to organize a trip to this spot in Northern California, but haven't been able to make it happen until now.  For those of you who don't know, the Sutter Buttes are the smallest recognized"mountain range" in the world.  At just over 2200 feet elevation, they're by no means the Rockys, but it's a mountain range nonetheless.  I always thought it would be a cool test to try and conquer them.  Luckily for me, a friend of mine was able to get a group of us access this past weekend and off we went.

To give you an idea of the task in front of us, the 2200 feet was to be gained in just over 2 miles.  That's insane.  I've done major hill runs that gain half as much in the same distance and been slaughtered afterwards.  To put it in more calculated terms, we were averaging about a 20% grade the entire time... or 5% steeper than the highest setting on your treadmill.  Now, I consider myself a pretty strong runner, and an above average hill runner at that.  There was NO WAY I could run the entire way.  I probably made 3/4 of a mile before I had to break stride and start hiking.  The rest of the way was a battle between walk and run, pushing on or giving in.  The mental strain of a hill this steep is debilitating.  All you want to do is stop.  The advantage I had was that I was running with a group and I didn't want to be the one to quit.

Often times on a steep hill you'll find switchbacks that flatten out and give your legs and back a break.  Not here.  Every switchback turned relentlessly upward.  My calves, hamstrings, glutes, and back were smoked right away and no part of the run offered relief.

By the time I reached the top, 28:02 had elapsed.  28 minutes to run 2 miles!!!!  Some in our group took over 40.  Talk about a test of fitness.  At the top we did our best to cool down, then did a short tabata WOD including ball slams (ball was driven up in the pickup), pushups, planks, and squat holds.  After we finished this we scaled the trolley tracks to the highest point on the mountain where the radio and TV towers are kept.  Nice little finishing bit of anywhere style training I thought.  Definitely a memorable day and a great chance to interact with a local landmark.  Not sure how soon I'll be doing it again though...

Birthday WODs

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

5 minute AMRAP:
3 kb swings/2 bar muscle ups
6 kb swings/4 bar muscle ups
9 kb swings/6 bar muscle ups
etc. with 32 kg

WOD 2 - in the afternoon...

Box squats for triples, doubles, and singles with chains
Deadlifts 8 x 1
Fat grip farmers walk 3 x 50 meters
reverse sled drag 3 x 50 meters

Today was my birthday... 31 years and counting.  Kinda funny, I feel like this is a younger birthday than 30 was.  Something about being at the bottom of an age bracket rather than the top of one changes your perspective.  Anyways, I woke up with a runny nose and was battling it all day.  I did my early workout, part of the proficiency tests our team is performing for Regionals, and was really happy with the outcome.  I completed 71 reps in total, really only feeling the fatigue in my grip and forearms on the muscle ups.  My kip is getting super efficient on this movement, if I could only glue my hands to the bar I feel like I could do 20 in a row.

In the afternoon I headed downtown to train with the boys at Super Training.  As usual, we crushed heavy squats and deads, but I felt surprisingly strong off the box.  Concentrating on sliding to the box rather than sitting to it seemed to help me stay tight at the bottom.  I was able to do a single with 285# of bar weight and 220# of chain weight, so not bad at all.

The fat grip farmers walks only added to my exploding grip muscles from earlier.  I swear if I don't have vice clamps for hands after this I never will.

Revisiting the Air Dyne

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

Floor Press 5 x 3 w/ pause
Floor Press 3 minute AMRAP @ 60% 1RM

3 rounds for completion:
10 thick bar curls
12 strict toes to bar
200 meter overhead carry (135#)

WOD 2 - in the evening...

1 mile Air Dyne for time

Overall felt good today, but maybe still a little groggy from our anniversary party over the weekend.  It went late and hard, so fun to see the healthiest 1% let loose a little bit.

Nothing overly impressive or noteworthy from this session, except the air dyne kicking my ass again.  I was 3 seconds behind my best time of 2:16, just didn't have the power to move the fan like I needed to. On the other hand, my legs didn't feel nearly as devastated afterwards as they have in the past.  This leads me to believe I might have dogged it somewhere along the line.  Will try to do better tomorrow :-)