Ms. Milano, I think I’m in love…

”What’s meant to be will always find a way..”

Out with the old, in with the new!

Thursday, 29th, WOD

”Unbroken Russian Annie” – 50/40/30/20/10 of:

• Russian KBS, 32kg
• AB-Mat Sit Ups, anchored

Time: 11’26 min

Today, 10am, WOD

On the minute, for up to 20 mins:

• 3 Strict HSPU, -5cm first 7 rounds
• 3 Right Leg Pistols
• 3 Strict Toes To Bar

Score: 20 rounds

Kind of programming what I am able to do right now. Russian Annie was perfect since full swings would have made the emphasis on KBS too big, now I got through it all unbroken with short rests in between the sets. Definitely feeling the upper side of my forearms today as a result.

Today’s wod was something I just threw together. Want to work my legs but left knee is still swollen and stiff so right leg pistols was a good choice, hoping for some ”cross over effect” for the injured leg. Strict Toes To Bar was cool, didn’t even expect to be able to do one, but almost kept my legs completely straight throughout. Worked on keeping a hollow position and funny enough the transition between 2nd and 3rd rep was the best for every round. HSPU with extra ROM was just too much after a while.

On another note, I finally got my new scooter!! So cool, bright red and retro style and she runs so smoothly. I don’t wanna stop riding ffs! This one is more of a ”cruiser” than my crashed one so I’m hoping that she will also keep me safer by simply just cruising.

Plan is to do an awesome hike up Skeleton Gorge tomorrow morning, something I wanted to do for a long time, and then we’ll see what the eve brings, wouldn’t mind waking up in 2012 without being to hungover though.

Happy new year and so on!

Namaste!

 

The 80% Comeback

”The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”

- H. Norman Schwarzkopf -

25th of December, Christmas Day WOD: Pipe Track Hike, approx 2h

26th of December, 1.30pm, WOD from OPT:

4 min AMRAP @ 80%:
7 KBS – 1.5/1 pd
7 burpees
rest 4 min, Score: 6 rounds + 7kbs

4 min AMRAP @ 80%:
15 double unders
10 toes to bar
rest 4 min, Score: 5 Rounds

4 min AMRAP @ 80%:
Row 150 m
10 push ups
rest 4 min, Score: 4 Rounds + 50m 

4 min AMRAP @ 80%:
10 step ups with sandbag, 2*20lbs Med Balls.
7 chin ups
Score: 3 Rounds + 7 Step Ups 

First day back in the gym after the accident and since I haven’t healed up 100% yet, a 80% effort wod felt perfect. My friend Michael, owner of CrossFit Dublin and damn good athlete, is in town and our plan was to hunt each other in a lot of wods during the festive season. Accident is of course holding me back but we decided to do this one together at least. Michael is an OPT licensed coach and also gets his personal program from OPT so he knows about the intensity prescriptions, he told me that 80% means ”constantly moving pace”, which made the workout so much better.

Pretty satisfied with my numbers, but knee didn’t like row and step ups so it swelled up today again.

27th, Today’s WOD:

12 min amrap, unbroken at 80%:

• 10 Dumbell Push Press, 2*20kg
• 20 Hollow Rocks
• 30 Double Unders

Score: 7 rounds, 10 DPP, 20 HR

Couldn’t come up with anything else I could do due to knee, bashed up wrist and an elbow inflammation.. Even this was prob a little much because the knee got really stiff after. Iced it a good 15 mins and that helped. Pretty decent pace here too.

None of the workouts right now feels really important to any other issue than to get me back in pace. Gonna take it slow until 2012 and hopefully I have then recovered properly enough to start following OPT’s ”Will” group for real!

Oh yeah, 80% seems to be the number for me right now. These two wods was perfect at 80%, I am currently eating like 80% Paleo, (rest of calories kind of comming from wine), I’m about 80% convinced that getting up at 5am tomorrow to catch the sunrise at Lions Head is really insane, but will still do it, and my computer decided to erase 80% of my cool pics I wanted to upload here when copying from my camera.. Well, well, 80% is closer to 100 than 79 I guess…

Namaste!

CrossFitters are harder to kill…

”Heroes die hard..”

Not the best of camera angles…

12, noon, WOD: Throwdownseries Holiday Workout!

A. 12 Days of Christmas, 1/2+1/3+2+1 etc… (30min cap)

1. Christmas Power Snatch, 95lbs/43kg
2. Ring Dips
3. Burpees
4. Pull Ups
5. Toes to Bar
6. Push Ups
7. Air Squats
8. Jumping Lunges
9. Box Jumps, 20″/50cm
10. Wall Balls 20lbs to 10 feet
11. KBS @ 24kg
12. Thrusters, 95lbs/43kg

6 min rest

B. 8 min to find 8 RM Over Head Squat

6 min rest

C. 5 Rounds for time:

• 20 Unbroken Double Unders
• 12 Deadlifts, 205lbs/93kg

My Scores:

A. 18’31 min
B. 175lbs/79kg
C. 4’00 min

Actually happy with my scores. At the end of the day none of them mattered though.

Think I cheated death with a pretty small margin in the afternoon while driving my scooter home and a guy decided to turn straight into my way, (I was going straight on Bree str, he was turning right so I had every right of way there is. He ”didn’t see me even though he was sure he looked”..).
Had to lock the breaks, realized that I was sliding straight into his car, decided to dive and hit my knee, elbow and then bounced on my shoulders and upper back until I stopped on the other side of the intersection.

Scooter in pieces, but considering the witnesses thought I was in pieces, to be able stand up 5 seconds later and be able to walk away with only deep scrapings on knee & elbow, a swollen wrist and bruised shoulders, is nothing but a bonus. Weird how much one can think in a few seconds when push comes to shove, ”hands in, head up” was the first thing that went through my head when hitting the ground. ”It’s my turn” was the second. Very surreal emotion.

Anyway, maybe sounding a bit dramatic and glorifying things, but honestly don’t think I would be standing if I wasn’t doing the training I am. Reflexes and everything luckily just worked perfect.

Guess I will finally listen to the universe trying to tell me to take some time of from the gym after all.

Namaste!

Every second counts!

”Thats part of life, but you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life is game of inches…”

9.30am, WOD, Cape CrossFit Spring Throwdown:

A. In 2 min:

• Row 300m
• 100 Double Unders
  Unperformed DU’s = 1s added to your time

Immideately following A:

B. 3-6-9-12-9-6-3 of:

• Box Jumps, 60cm
• Thrusters, 43kg

My Scores – A:74 DU, B: 6’11min 

In the end, it actually came down to exactly one second for me to win the Challenge. I had on the second the same time as Andrew M on part B, which was the best male time of the day, if I would have gone ONE second slower the total ranking had given JP and me the same score and a shared 1st place. Small margins…

Not so happy with part A, misscommunication with Lynda who judged me got me off focus and it took me about halfway through part B before I let it go, good lesson for me: don’t mind the judge, just go!

Gave my self one goal and that was to stick with unbroken thrusters, may have left me resting from the box jumps every set, but mentally that was the best way to go. Sprinted pretty hard in the end, so good for me to be in a competitive environment! Legs was in pain a good 5-10 min after this wod, brutal to say the least..

Team competition at the beach tomorrow morning, (what’s up with all these 8am wods?), and then I’m probably jumping on the OPT Big Dawg programming from next week. Need better variation to stay motivated and to not shred every part of my body into pieces.

Namaste!

Explosive Technique

”Fall seven times, stand up eight…”

11am, WOD Part 1

A. 6*100m Swim, approx 60s rest

3,5h rest

3pm, WOD Part 2

B1. Double Dip Squats, 5*3 @ 31XX1-tempo, (10s to B2):
102kg/3, 111/3, 120/3, 120/3, 120/3

B2. High Box Jump * 3, (3min to B1):
100cm/3 for all sets 

Swimming felt fine today, except for my damn goggles that refuse to stay put so I get that salty chlorine water in my eyes all the time, buhu…

Shoulder and elbow kind of out of order completely today, so gave them another rest day and wanted to work on explosiveness. Goal was to have impeccable technique and super good moving pattern for the squats and really try to drive fast up from the second dip, worked ok. BJ’s only to add some plyo training, which I might regret within a few hours when knowing that THIS is the events for the Cape CrossFit Spring Throwdown tomorrow.

Rowing and Thrusters, Why did I sign up for that one again?

Namaste!

Need a pacemaker

”Only those risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

- T.S. Elliot -

1.30pm, WOD

A. Every 3rd minute – 10*approx. 420/380m Run:
Goal sub 1’23min on Long part, sub 1’17 on Short @ 85-90% 

1. 1’14min – Effort Experienced: 85%
2. 1’09 – 85%
3. 1’23 – 90%
4. 1’14 – 85%
5. 1’26(!) – 90%
6. 1’16 – 85%
7. 1’31(!) – 90%
8. 1’15 – 85%
9. 1’26(!) – 95%
10. 1’10 – 95%

Felt really strong on the first two runs today, was actualy really surprised at the times at that point. But then I started paying the price. Right calf stiffened up, think I’ve been over using it due to the infection in the left foot, and I lost the speed.

Really glad Anton joined me today, no way I would have sucked it up and finished without him breathing down my neck. Not too upset about not being able to keep the speed I was looking for, on an average I still went faster per 400m this time (1.18.4min vs. 1’21.3min), and I am positive I will perform much better next week with fresher calves.

I’m also confident this training in combination with the swimming is really good for me, I NEED to get better at keeping pace and knowing how hard I am going compared to my max.

Namaste!

Holy smoke Batman, the volume is back!

”Life is gonna beat you to your knees and keep you there, if you let it…”

- Rocky Balboa -

Not sure if I should read too much into the poor technique right now.

11am, WOD Part 1

WU: Cathletichs Standard WU, (Thx Mackie!)

A. 5*3-pos Snatch OTM (hip/mid thigh/knee):
43kg*5

B. Snatch Balance, Max for Day + 3*3@70% (otm):
52/3, 61/2, 70/1, 79/1, 84/1 PB?, 89/F, 3*3@63kg
C. Snatch Push Press, 3*3@80% of 1RM SB:
3*3@70kg

3h rest 

3.00pm, WOD Part 2 & 3:

D. ”3 More Challenge”, 6 min amrap 3-6-9-12-15… of:

• KBS @ 32kg
• Box Jumps @ 70cm (standing on box)
• Hand Release Push Ups

Score: 15 Round + 13 KBS = 148p

 20 min rest

E. Death by OTM 2 Squat Cleans@80% of 1RM, (cap 20 min):
20*2 at 90kg

Started the day doing yoga on the rocks in Bakoven, couldn’t have a better start to any week!

Not very comfortable with the SB’s, jumping forward and not trusting neither shoulder or foot, but still ok with how it went down.

3 more Challenge was a disappointment again, wanted to finish the 18-round, but not even close. Need to work harder still on my conditioning for ”regular” metcons.

Squat cleans was a nice surprise. Honestly wondered if I was gonna get to 10 rounds considering how messed up my body felt, yeah I’m still suffering from those +60 deadlifts over 100kg on Friday, but after just a couple of rounds it starting feeling really good. Only struggled on the last lift of the last three rounds when the lower back had resigned. Don’t see how the 20 reps at 90% next week is ever gonna be a problem actually!

Only way to get through hard times is to push harder than the issues them self, so here’s to all my injuries and other demons: I’ll beat you by pushing til I prevail or it kills me. And if it does, see you in hell…

Namaste!

I’m a genius!

11am, WOD

A. Bench Press, Weights + KBs in bands:
61+36/3, 61+48/3, 70+48/2, 79+48/1+F

B. Max L-sit Hold: 31s PB!

C. Inverted hang to Tucked Front Lever
3 attempts with a few seconds each

D. GHD-Sit Ups, 3*20 (45s):
34s, 34, 35

Eureka! Not only did I find a solution to eating more by getting my self a six pack of chocolate chip muffins, (ok, maybe I shouldn’t be so proud of that), and not only did I manage to get some kind of workout in with basically something wrong with most parts of my body, (ok, maybe the workout it self wasn’t that impressive), but as you can see I also managed to fix my L-button!

Simply used some violence on one of the buttons that I never use and – voiLLLa! May not be so impressive to most of you, but if you knew my skills with technical stuff you would know this is basically me building a space shuttle in my back yard using parts from old cars or something…

Anyway, training wise it wasn’t so exciting as said. Bench with KB’s in bands are awesome for extra stability and speed and they felt good today. L-sit was as always a piece of cake until the last two seconds when I suddenly just dropped.

Anyway, foot is a mess but should be healing over the weekend and I’m fat & happy with some muffins in my belly. Next week can only get better!

Namaste!

PB’s are PB’s, even when they suck…

”Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.”

- Buddha -

Front Squat, TNG Deads & Diane

11am, WOD Part 1

A. OHS, 1-1-1:
93kg/1, 102/1, 111/F (Push press F * 2)
B. Front Squat, 1-1-1:
125/1, 134/1, 143/1 PB! (+5kg)
C. Back Squat, 1-1-1:
152/1, 165/F…

3h rest 

3pm, WOD Part 2

D. TNG Deads, 12-15 reps
(+15 increase weight next week):
152kg/15 PB!

E. ”Diane”, 21-15-9 of:

•  Deads @ 102kg
• HSPU

Time: 4’55 min, PB! (-50s).

OK, you know what comes after ”K”? I don’t have that button on my computer anymore, so bare with me…

Mackie said one thing when I showed him this programming: ”You aren’t setting up for success…”. Spot on. But besides a F-ed strength day, I’m not gonna stress too much about it. Beat up right about everywhere, with my short career as a fakir being the icing on the cake, (stepped on burning braai wood that turned into some kind of infection), with me running around with the stride of Quasimodo..

Of course my rotator cuff on the opposite side of right, (this is fun), is aggrevated and stiff, enough said. I think that I may have an origin for my body’s poor response to training, I might not be eating enough! I do eat three big servings a day, but gonna start adding snacks of good Q food.

Anyway, hit a few PB’s, not aware of my form in the deads so have to work hard on that next week. Dream is to smash my 5 rep max into 15 tng reps within a month or so.

Wow, kind of managed to write the entire post without using what comes after ”K”……..

Namaste!

 

Minor Injuries – Major Weaknesses…

”It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”

- Buddha -

11.45am, WOD Part 1

A. Press 1-1-1:
70kg/1, 79/1, 86/F

B. Push Press 1-1-1:
93/1, 102/1, 107/F

C. Behind the neck Push Jerk 1-1-1:
111/F, dnf…

D. HSPU, strict 2*15 (60s rest):
28s (UB), 1’25 (10/3/2)

3h Rest

3.30pm, WOD Part 2

E. 21-15-9 of Burpees & TTB:
Time: 5’10 min

Hnnnng, not happy with today’s training at all. Have some kind of inflammation in my left elbow from all the excessive MU and Rope Climb last weekend, (that usually happens with overdoing those things), and it made the front rack position very uncomfortable. Still think I should be stronger than this. 86kg in the press basically just left the shoulders, not even close. Same with 107 PP and then I lost my motivation for the Jerks.

Metcon was supposed to be after rowing sprints, but that didn’t feel like a good idea with the elbow. Started out really good with everything unbroken at a good speed in the first round, then when I got taxed I lost the ability to string the TTB’s together without loosing too much energy. This should easily be a sub 4 min wod.

Well, well, swimming and resting tomorrow and then hopefully I will do better with the squats on Friday. Need to make sure to work harder on all areas of being an athlete, sleep, recovery & nutrition (including no alcohol) can all be improved and shall so be!

Namaste!