Feeling Good

I've gotten a great many compliments as of late regarding my attitude change.  It's amazing the influence you can have when you pull back the bullshit and move toward the good. The biggest thing I have learned was that I couldn't control what happened to me, but I could control how I reacted to them.   <----Truth    I'm sure there are some people who read this and might not really believe my good intentions yet. I guess only time will prove them otherwise.

I am starting to see how important goal setting can be towards ones progression. Regarding life, work, gym, or anything. When you set yourself a goal you conscious and your subconscious begin to work together to achieve it. You start to figure out ideas and plans to target that goal. Obstacles come up, but you get around them. Your subconscious is so powerful that the more you remind yourself or your goal the more it seems your mind will work towards achieving it. Set goals people. I demand it from you. Just make sure they are specific. Anything vague will not be enough. You need to have details.

I spent the better part of this weekend working. I did however have a chance to blow off some steam with some CraicHeads on Saturday night for a surprise party for one of our members. I found myself not really drinking too much as I have tried to stop drinking for only special occasions. It seems to be working as of late. I think I'll keep it up. Gotta get RIPPED!  :)

I was happy with today's workout. It was a complex of 3 Front Squats and 3 Push Presses. I was unsure about my legs a bit since it has been a while since I squatted. I was actually more worried about the push presses as I know I have lost some strength as of late. I ended up finishing at 195#'s. I was more than happy. I actually felt like I could have done 205. I was dialed in today, but I wanted to make sure I ended on a high note. It's important for me at this point to leave the gym with a positive outcome then a negative. Down the road it might be a bit different, but I am happy I got after it today.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Take That!

As I sit here in my office I start to think about yesterday. Easing my way back into things takes a lot of focus. I need to constantly remind myself why. I haven't revealed to many my reasons, but I have them clear in my head and that is what motivates me. I was walking around work last night and I kept saying to myself, "I'm only limited by my excuses." Is there anything else I need to say? I think not.

I can take a few things from yesterday and build off of them. I did the workout "Grace" in the afternoon. This has always been my favorite workout because I can just lift heavy shit. 30 reps for time of clean & jerks @ 135#.  I was a little worried coming into it because I haven't lifted like this in a while. My previous best time was 3:58. I mentally prepared myself to not be upset if it was worse. I fully expected it to be. Um... 3:14. A 44 second PR. Really? I haven't done shit in months and I PR. I'll leave it at this. As I was walking out Johnny Beefcake asks me if I had a PR. I said yes. His response, "Imagine if you were in shape." That was all I needed to hear.

I did something last night that no one would have ever expected. I got home around 11pm and figured if I was going to stay up late I might as well take advantage of it. I'm nocturnal by nature so lets get some work done. I mapped out 3 miles around my apartment  and proceeded onto my task. Yes, maybe the planets were aligned correctly. Maybe it was a little providence. I don't know. All I knew was that I had to get it done.

The run itself wasn't bad. At no point was I winded. Which I was even more shocked about. Besides my lower back raring its ugly head I was happy. Except for that giant fucking rat that jumped out of nowhere. I chased that motherfucker down like it was bacon! Shit, I gotta go. My office is out of toilet paper.

Till next time... cock punching my way through the day!

New Beginnnings

Things have been tough for me the last few months and I will admit that I checked out more often than not. In many facets of my life I found it hard to stay motivated. Well guess what? The pity party is over with. It's time to move on and "Get Living."

I recently came back from The 2012 CrossFit Games. Holy Shnickes! It was freaking insane. Between the WODS, the competitors, tent city, the fans, athletes and CrossFit celebrities, I couldn't get enough of it. I would like to talk more about this at a later time, but just listen to me for once. Get your ass there. It's an experience you will not regret. Unless you're a globo gym rat who doesn't like to stare at insanely fit women and men. These individuals give it a 110% every time they are out there. It's a sport that hasn't even reached it's pinnacle yet. It's only going to get bigger. Be a part of it or get the fuck out of the way!

What I was more shocked with than anything was the number of people who knew me or of me out there. More shockingly were the amount of athletes, the names of CrossFit who knew of me. It was fantastic meeting them and it was great to make even more contacts and establish relationships even further.

I love CrossFit and if there was a regret I had over the last few months was that I let it get away from me. No more. As someone said out there. I thought you were a bigger national presence then you are. You're wasting an opportunity.

I am in the early process of trying to figure things out. I'm focusing on myself and my body. Going to get back in shape and crush these WODS again. Learn and absorb as much knowledge as I can and hopefully by this time next year I will be helping people with their journey.  I love CrossFit and it's been good to me the past year. I just lost sight of it. I know my love for it can help someone else.  I've reached people already. Lets make it bigger!

Stay tuned...

I know this will get your attention!

Where Have I Been?

Actually I haven't been anywhere. Just lost track of updating for a week. Trying to move forward in my life so some things had to take a backseat. Not my WODS though. I was pretty consistent with that at least. Instead of boring you with everything I did last week lets just say that I have continued to make progress mentally during my workouts. I think that is the most important thing for me right now. More so then ever. My mental capacity seems to be growing and I see it transferring over to my everyday life.

CrossFit is about many things. Working out, nutrition, community, friendships, but there is also that mental toughness you can achieve. Whether you come in with it or not. In the end you can make huge gains in CrossFit and more importantly life if you open yourself up to it. I seem to be making that transition. Albeit slowly, but it's rising faster than usual.  It's up to you as an individual whether or not you can achieve this. Some people are born with it, some people need to find it.  I once had it a long time ago. It's on it's way back. I look forward to tomorrow and I haven't said that in a while.

Quick note. 12.3 sucked ass! Box jumps and I do not get along at all. Kills my lower back. I had a goal of 7 rounds, but figured I would do 6 plus. Back tightened up and I fell 7 reps short of 6 rounds. I thought about doing it again, but I chose not to because I didn't want to torture myself for another 18 minutes. 12.4 is right around the corner and it will more than make up for it.

Today's WOD...

5 x 5 Deadlifts - same weight

365#

All I gotta say is that on the 5th set that shit got heavy. Basketball and 12.4 later! Oh!  Here is our latest montage at the Craichouse...

.

This shit should inspire you!

12.2 in the books

WOD 12.2 for the Opens...

As many reps as possible in 10 minutes

75 pound snatch, 30 reps

135 pound snatch, 30 reps

165 pound snatch, 30 reps

210 pound snatch, as many reps as possible <---Yea right!

60 reps

In my head going in I imagined 70 reps. After watching a few people on Wednesday night I quickly learned that anything over 60 would separate most people. My new goal, 62.

I have snatched 175 pounds before so 165 shouldn't be a problem. That was until I realized that after doing the first 60 reps I'd have lifted 6300 pounds already.  Yea that first one at 165 should be real easy. Actually the first rep transitioning from 75 pounds to a 135 pounds was brutal. That's a 60 pound jump. Awful!

The first 30 reps at 75 were pretty easy. I broke in up 20 5+5. I thought about going straight through, but I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible. I don't remember what my split time was, but it was pretty fast. Like I mentioned earlier, that first rep at a 135 pounds was awful. I was genuinely shocked at the weight difference at first. I managed to make my way thought 135 at a steady and consistent pace. No failed reps! I was pretty focused and I had completed my 30 reps at the 9 minute mark. That left me with just enough time to get my two reps. Well, that didn't work out the way I had hoped. 

My first rep I brought it just above my shoulders and tried to push press it up.  No way that was happening after everything I just lifted. That left me with one more chance. Pretty much the same thing happened on that one as well. My body was exhausted at that point. I had planned on split snatching my 165's, but in the heat of the moment I forgot. If I could have gotten underneath those two attempts I might have had both reps. C'est la vie. 

Coach Glen pulled me aside afterward and loved how focused I was. He was happy that the snatches didn't get into my head which it can easily get into any one's. Even some of our better CraicHeads let it creep into their heads. He was impressed that I didn't do my walking around the bar bullshit,  I didn't get angry, cry :),  no kneeling down at the bar, any of my bad WOD traits that slow my times up. We were talking about how recently I have been able to go straight through on most WODS of late. My focus seems to be there along with my cardio. Part of that is definitely basketball on Wednesday nights. Every week I can see a difference with my breathing. Also, with my ability to focus at the gym. I have been able to shut out my bad habits because I have so much shit going on in my head with my personal life. I said to Glen, "I've been dealing with so much shit, there's not enough room left in my brain to worry about the WODS." My workout should be a chance to tune everything out. Hopefully I can continue to build on this going forward.

Recovered

I took a personal day off on Monday even though I really wanted to do the WOD.

Christine

Row 500

12 Deadlifts @bodyweight

21 Box Jumps

IOU

At some point I would like to sneak this in. I don't mind rowing and deadlifts are in my wheelhouse. The only issue here would be my box jumps. They are improving, but they still suck. I wanted to hit this mainly because it reminded me when I DNF'd at the Providence competition.  Tweaked my back transitioning from deads to box jumps or on a box jump. Not really sure. Mostly my pride on that one. Thank God for my boy  Bill Mello who hooked me up with an ice pack. Saved the day. I still have it if you want it back Bill.

Tuesday's WOD

Strength: 5x5 Front Squats-same weight for all sets

Skill: 20 Toes to bar between each set

185# Front Squat

Toes to Bar

Last time I did 5 reps of front squats it was, where else? Providence competition and that was at 215#. I was toying with 185# or 205#. I did a few reps of each and felt a bit tired so i chose 185#'s. Afterward I felt like I could have gone a bit heavier on the front squats, but I was happy with the weight regardless. Shit does get heavy after a while. Usually around the 4th set my wrists finally get loose which makes this movement a bit easier. 

The Toes to bar are coming along nicely. I have been able to do them for a while now. My flexibility sucks and I really shouldn't be able to do them, but my kip more than makes up for it. I tried to do the first 20 unbroken, but I lost my grip going into my 17th rep. I was pissed! The next two sets I broke up into 10's. The 4th set I broke into 5's and then I struggled a bit on my 5th set. Got them done though and as I type here 2 days later I can still feel the effects when I move or laugh. 

Wednesday's WOD

21-15-9

Row for calories

Pull ups

5:50 Rx

I actually did pretty well with this one. I kept moving the whole time. The only issue was and it was a big issue were that my hands were toast form the day before's T2B. I could barely grip the bar doing warm ups. I knew then that I was going to have a tough time. With a workout like this I would have tried to do butterfly pull ups, but with my grip issues I thought it would be best to stay with a kip instead. I just didn't have the hand strength.  

The rows were easy peasy and the first set of pull ups were done with 16 reps and 5. I was mad because I know I can do 21, but what can you do. The rest of the WOD went along like you would imagine. Was pretty happy with myself at the end even with my grip struggles. I'll just have to hold some cold beers later for recovery.

I played basketball again last night and I am really enjoying it. My shot was off a bit more than usual. I made plenty of baskets underneath, but outside... only a few. I couldn't get there early enough for the shoot around. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it! So instead I rebounded, boxed out and basically pushed people around and cleared paths for my teammates. Gotta use this strength somehow.

Stopped by the CraicHouse afterward to watch and see what WOD 12.2 was for the Opens.  This one might be in my wheelhouse. We'll discuss this later.

On a side note. TNB might be going global soon. Getting named dropped on crossfit radio tonight on the Crossfit Journal. Check it out on journal.crossfit.com   More to come.

Burpees

After my extended rest I finally hit Open WOD 12.1

7 minutes as many reps as possible

Burpees

80

So I ended up doing exactly what I thought I would do. Yes, in my mind I wanted a 100, but with the way my legs are and my lower back I wasn't really surprised with this number. It was truly 7 minutes of hell. Not a fun WOD at all. It literally crushed everybody. Even the mighty Teehan broke his cherry on this one. 

I could see why people attempted this a few times. There is always ways to improve and also game play it as well. For days I had worked out a couple of strategies and it worked, but I just couldn't get it going. In my mind I knew I could do better and I contemplated doing it again the next day. The only problem would be that my body would probably tell me to Fuck Off. Since that is a term I have grown accustomed to as of late I decided not to listen to my body this time and I dragged myself in there the next day to attempt it again.

When I walked in Johnny Deadlift asked what I was doing there.  I told him and he said that no one has ever done better the next day without rest. Gee, that was comforting. I said I might surprise ya. Inside I was regretting my decision to come in. In my head I thought that I would be lucky to hit 70 with the way I felt and past experiences watching other people attempt back to backs this week.  At that point I just decided to do it and chalked it up to extra cardio. Hey it can't hurt right?

7 minutes as many reps as possible

Burpees

83!

Oh baby! Not only did i survive, but I actually did better. Yes it's only 3 reps, but if you've done this workout those 3 reps aren't easy to get. I used a different strategy here, but basically I just wanted to keep moving as much as possible. Dare I say that I might be tempted to try this WOD from time to time?!?!?! For once I proved John wrong. It might have been my first victory over him besides drinking for time.

One final thought. I will never, ever, ever complain about burpees in a WOD again. After doing this twice 10, 20, 30 burpees in a WOD is nothing now. Thank you headquarters!

p.s. Still need to get that t-shirt made.

WOD 12.1

The CrossFit Opens have started. On Wednesday night they release the workout and you have till 5pm on  that Sunday to complete it. Over 60,000 athletes have registered for the opens. This is a worldwide event that will eventually lead to the Regionals where the top 60 compete for the top 3 spots who then move on and ends with the CrossFit Games in July.

WOD

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes

BURPEES

Ugh! Are you kidding me. Quite possibly my all time worse movement. It just taxes the shit out of my legs and back I am really not looking forward to this WOD. 

A bunch of the CraicHeads decided to hit the WOD immediately on Wednesday night. There were some impressive scores over a hundred. Considering who did what I think I will throw a party if I could manage to get to 80. Look it, I know I have no chance anyway, but to be a part of Team Craic is what it's about for me. On Thursday we ran the WOD all day for those competing and not. I went to a few classes to judge and encourage. I love yelling at people. Some great scores again. On Saturday from 10 to 12pm we will be judging the WOD again. This is when I plan on hitting it. Some people have done it or will do it multiple times. My strategy is this, do it once and leave it all out there. Why torture myself for 2 to 3 more reps? I have given my legs sufficient rest I hope and have a few strategies in mind. We'll see what happens on Saturday.

Almost go time!

On a side note, I was talking with a friend of mine about the shit storm which is my life. We came up with a great t-shirt that is relevant to this workout. Trying to see if I can get it made. It is truly brilliant.

Oh, here is a link to the Games site in regard to the first workout...

CrossFit, the Opens

OHS Still a Goat

Two days ago...

We had to establish a 5 rep max Overhead Squat. Not my best movement. I had avoided these worse than I avoided bread back in the day. I have gotten a bit better at them than before.

5 Rep Max

135

Not too bad considering not too long ago I could only do 135# once. I attempted 155# but my first 2 reps didn't count because I wasn't getting low enough. I could probably fall in the middle here around 140ish to 145ish. I dunno. My shoulder mobility is still junky.

In between rounds we had to accumulate 50 Chest to Bar pull ups. I could barely hold the bar after squatting. My wrists were junk. I think I bailed and stopped at 20 to 25. I just couldn't grip the bar.

Later I grabbed a woman's bar that was still on the rack. I think it was around 45# with the plates. I dominated that. 

Nothing like leaving on a high note!

Yesterday's WOD...

Run 400 meters

21 KB Swings @55#

21 Wall Balls @@20#

Run 400

15 KB

15 WB

Run 400

9 KB

9 WB

Run 400

13:23 

I did not want to do this WOD today. My legs have been killing me lately. Especially my shins, but i dragged myself there to try to get my legs loose for basketball later. Not really sure if it worked. The KB's and the wall balls were a joke, but the running killed me. People would obviously come in the door faster on their runs, but I was able to catch up on the sets, but in the end it wasn't good enough. 

Running is a really bad Goat for me. I am not sure what I can do to improve besides just continuing the fight. I just wish it wouldn't hurt so much.  Literally, sometimes... People can walk faster than I can run.

Played B-ball later and had a great time as usual. We only had 8 guys this week so nobody had any breaks. I gotta say my cardio is definitely improving from it. Made some good shots. J-Bone was dunking everywhere. It was a lot of fun to watch, especially the alley op from Pete to J-Bone. Sic! 

Open WOD 1 comes out soon....  

I bet it's 7 minutes for time Burpees!  

Staying Focused

Been a tough few days. It's been really hard to just keep my focus, but I have been trying to surround myself with as much activity as possible.  On Saturday I watched my CraicHeads compete at the Winterfest Competitions at Vagabond. As expected we represented well and took 2 podium spots. Here is a link with a team photo as well, Oh Baby! Of course I had to leave for work a bit early and missed yet another team picture... Great job by everyone! Love you guys!

Monday's WOD...

10 minute AMRAP

10 Power Cleans @135#

10 Ring Dips

5 + 6 reps

What can I say about this? I wish I could have just power cleaned the whole time. Ring Dips are a goat for me, but I have to say that I definitely improved from times past.  They fatigue the shit out of me pretty quickly. I was happy that I was able to do 50 of them. Might not seem much but trust me go try them. 

The problem is that if I did bar dips to substitute I could have done a million of them and I wouldn't have gotten the work I needed. As far as the power cleans go they were great. I never really had an issue with them at all. At one point I started doing single reps so I could try to save some strength for the ring dips. That really didn't matter though. Those 6 reps at the end were consecutive and I think if I pushed myself a bit harder I could have done better sets with the power cleans. Who Knows?

Uh oh. Tomorrow is Overhead Squats! 

Stay Tuned....

Resting!

Wednesday night we had our second week of basketball. What a great time this is. Running up and down the court for 2 hours is such a great way to get extra work in. It is definitely helping me in regard to my pathetic limitations in regard to cardio. I actually feel really good out there. It's funny though, right after we finish my legs go numb and I walk like an 80 year old man.

I actually played extremely well. It's not the biggest court in the world and last week we played 5 on 5 and it felt like a sardine can. This week we had to play 4 on 4 and there was so much room. The game flowed better and people could get open a bit easier. I shot the ball well and really look forward to this again next week.

As far as WODS, the next day my legs were toast and the WOD had running in it and there was no way I could even move effectively to get anything out of it. REST DAY.

Then on Friday morning I woke up with a pain in my right shoulder, sort of a hitch so I thought it wise to rest again. I am working this weekend which means I'll get my functional workouts in by moving around hundreds of cases of beer, wine and liquor anyway. Hope to be back fresh for open WOD 1 next week.

After hours B-Ball activities were a blast as well.  I still don't think a certain someone can stand on their head...   :)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Yesterday's WOD... The Good!

WOD

1 Rep Max Bench Press

275#

Oh Baby! That was a 30# PR. Last time I did it I struggled with 245#.  I crushed it. To be honest I didn't think I could even do that much. Bench is not my strongest or most well liked movement. My right shoulder always starts off really tight, I was able to do more than I expected. I figured going into today that maybe, just maybe I could get 255#.  Very Happy with this. Who knows, maybe the 300 club is around the corner with this one. It also helps when you can harness that inner anger and utilize it toward your strength movements. 

Today's WOD...  The Bad!

15 Minute AMRAP

5 Pull Ups

10 Burpees

15 Front Squats @ 75#

5 rounds + 20 reps

SUCK!  I knew going in that my burpees would be the problem. Pull ups were fine and the front squats were fine after I got my right wrist loose, but those fucking burpees!  Johnny Deadlift taught us a new technique on the burpees. I actually found it a bit easier on my legs which helped me immensely, but my back started to get tight and that was it. I slowed down big time and as a result my front squats suffered. I can front squat a ton of weight so 75#'s is nothing, but with my back telling me to Fuck Off again it crippled my score. It's too bad though. I honestly think I can get 7 rounds plus here. Maybe someday, but not anytime soon.

Monday's WOD...  The Ugly!

3 Rounds for time

10 Deadlifts @ 275#'s

50 Double Unders

8 minutes maybe...

What the Fuck! Double Unders!  Let's see, during warm up I pretty averaged 41/42 in a row just to get warm. Heck, even the first round I did over 40. That God Damn second round. It literally took me three or four times to get one. For some reason it got into my head big time and basically I ruined the WOD from a mental standpoint. I know I shouldn't let it get into my head, but it ran wild. I don't know how long that second set of DU's took, but it destroyed my time. I should have had this WOD done in under 6 minutes. Man was I pissed. When they re on they are on and when they are bad, Oh Baby they are bad.  Next time fuckers... I am sure I'll see them in the Opens during the next few weeks. Joy!

The Deadlifts weren't an issue. All 3 sets unbroken. The prescribed weight was 225#, but John had me bump it up to 275#. 

With everything that is going on with my life, getting into the CraicHouse has helped me forget and set aside everything when I'm there. For that one hour a day it lets me just lose myself in the WOD regardless of the results. Who really cares. It's about being intense and pushing your limits. Being around friends and lifting heavy shit is great therapy. Till next time.

B-Ball tonight. Should be fun! 

Friday Exhaustion

I was completely gassed and fried from this weeks workouts and events, (basketball) that I wasn't even sure I would go to the Friday's class. Somehow I managed to drag my ass in there regardless. I was extremely glad that I went on Friday. I had such a great WOD.

WOD

8 minutes to complete

1000 meter Row

and in the remaining minutes

AMRAP Clean & Jerks @ 135#

30 reps!

What? Holy Shit! I couldn't believe it. I basically did "Grace" for the WOD. "Grace" is a WOD, 30 Clean & Jerks for time. My PR was 4:10 in the past.  Pete was there when I showed up and he said I looked like I needed a cane. Ha Ha I was hobbling. Somehow though when that time started I was able to focus.

My plan on the row was to get it done in under 4 minutes so I could have 4 minutes for the C&J's. I really took my time with it so I wouldn't gas myself out and I actually stepped off the rower @ 3:40. Not too shabby and a bit faster than I thought. Unfortunately in my head though I had that 4 minute mark FLASHING and I waited to that time to start my C&J's.  Idiot! I actually think I started the movement around 4:05. That was the last number I saw before 7:59 when I repped my 30th rep! Woo-Hoo.  

Rico had put up 26 reps and J-Bone 25 reps. My goal was to come close to them, but holy shit. I am not sure of my exact start time, but if you do some quick math off my "I Think" numbers my "Grace" time would have been 3:54. 16 seconds faster than my best time. 

I was talking with Jack later, he unfortunately beat my score by one rep.  :(  and we are both super psyched to do "Grace" again. I can only imagine what my time would be if I didn't have to row a 1000 meters before hand. Can't wait now!

So glad I came in.

"To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping."

Deadlifts!

I knew ahead of time that Thursday's WOD was going to be 1 rep max deadlift. I was super psyched about this because it has been a long time since I had 1 repped this movement. I was dying to know where I would be at this point since I have improved in so many areas, but first of all let me discuss B-Ball.

11 CraicHeads showed up to play basketball last night. I gotta tell ya, we have some serious B-Ball players at Craic. Sic! By far I was the worst one out there I felt. My shot was fine and I hit a bunch of them. I was surprised actually considering I haven't shot a basketball in years. In terms of playing, I felt like I was running around with my head cut off. Everyone else were calling out plays and setting picks as I just hoped I could sneak in a shot when someone lost the ball or threw it at me. I pretty much tried to be as annoying as possible on defense and I think I did a pretty good job. Overall I had a blast and I think I held my own. It was a great cardio workout. Running up and down that court was grueling, but without Craic in my life I would have passed out within the first 15 minutes. Excited to go again.

WOD

1 Rep Max

Deadlift

435#

My legs were fried from basketball and I didn't feel a 100% for the WOD. I really wanted to crush my previous 1 rep max, 425.  I am happy that I went higher though. I actually think I could have gotten a bit more, but Dork and I decided to jump up to 455 from 425 and it got in my head and I couldn't lift it. By the time I went back down my body was gassed and 435 was a bit of a struggle.  I was talking with Caveman Steve and then later with Pete. I was 30 plus pounds heavier when I lifted 425, so gaining an extra 10 pounds on my PR at my new weight is actually very good. I am lifting twice my bodyweight and that's no joke no matter what. Me likey. 

Don't know if I'll workout tomorrow. I am exhausted.

Here is a video of Max lifting 500#'s. What a beast. You can see me goofing in the beginning of the vid.

Work Capacity Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Work Capacity Wednesday! Brought to you live from CrossFit Craic!

This WOD was pre-recorded

7 Minute AMRAP

7 Toes to Bar

7 Wall Balls 20#

7 rounds + 5 reps

When I saw this one on the site I was excited yet hesitant. Last time I did Toes to Bar I tweaked one of my flabs. It hurt to laugh for a few days. Plus wall balls...Ugh! These things tend to kill me more times than not. I don't know what it is. 

I had the luxury of having resident owner and local celebrity Johnny Deadlift for my judge.  I had no wiggle room with reps. He is a no repping machine. Actually I was only no repped a total of 3 times. 2 for T2B and 1 wall ball.  John actually miscounted 1 rep for me, but I didn't really care. I need the extra work regardless. Plus since these work capacity wednesdays are set up in the style of competitions so I can't sit there and argue with a judge over one rep. Just do it again until they say it's good.  

I was hoping I could do 8 rounds. The T2B got to me toward the end and I ended up doing singles. Who knew though that I was able to use the wall balls as recovery though.  I rather enjoyed them.

Tonight is the first night of Basketball with the CraicHeads. I am looking forward to it. Should be fun.

So wish I could grow a Fro

Shoulder Press

Tuesdays' WOD was the following...

Establish a 1 Rep Max Shoulder Press

175#

Shoulder Press, quite possibly the most boring of movements out there. Yet it needs to be done and I actually don't mind it as much. I enjoy these 1 rep max heavy days. I'm usually pretty good at them and to be honest I like the rest, especially after last week.  

I was happy with 175. I actually planned and thought I could do 185 and I almost had it. I had it about halfway up and seemed to hold it there for ever. I thought my biceps were going to burst. I tried one more time, but I had nothing left in the tank after that struggle. I even dropped done to 180, but by then my arms were toast and I couldn't even lift it off the rack. I definitely think I can do 180 and maybe 185 soon. 

File this under as... Rest Day

This is what my arms felt like afterward.  Hi Dad!

SQUATS AGAIN!

Okay, I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't worried about toasting my legs again for the week when I saw the WOD for today.

1 Rep Max Back Squat

325#

Oh Baby! That's definitely a PR.  I was nervous that I might have trouble hitting 300 again after last week, but I knew I had to try. Figured it would be less reps since we only have to do 1 rep at a time and I should be fine. 

Here's how my reps went:

135# 

185#

225#

285#

305#

315#

325#

At 305# I knew I had 10 more pounds in me. I wanted to match my friend Johnny D @ 315#. Surprisingly this weight wasn't as hard as I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, that shit is heavy and I definitely felt it afterward, but I knew I could do more.  325 was the benchmark. Johnny Deadlift was nice enough to video my last attempt. My chest comes forward a bit, but I got it. Super psyched!

I pray my legs don't go junky on me. Really looking forward to this week's worth of WODS.

Open WOD 1 revisited

Actually this WOD has just been visited. I was never able to do it last year because I lacked the ability to do double unders. Fortunately I am able to now participate in some big boy WODS because I have DU skills. Feels good, but can still be frustrating as well.

10 Minute AMRAP

30 Double Unders

15 Power Snatch

4 Rounds plus 4 Reps

I actually thought I could have done better. My legs were completely toast from the back and front squats the day before . It was extremely hard to focus when every time I jumped my legs screamed at me. I really wanted to and thought I could have gotten 5 rounds.  Maybe with fresher legs I could have. I might try to sneak this one in again down the road.

I took the rest of the week off because my legs got worse. I could barely get out of bed the next day after this WOD. I really hate my legs sometimes. I knew that after doing heavy squats that this might be a problem. Oh well, a new week begins soon.

I could sure use these sometimes

300 Club

Yesterday's WOD had me tired before I even came in.

3rep Max Back Squat

establish in 15 minutes

300#

5 min Rest

3rep Max Front Squat

establish in 15 minutes

245#

I wasn't really feeling it. John kept asking me what I was shooting for, but I really had no idea. My response was "I'll wait and see how it feels." Well guess it felt better than I thought.  I hit 300# on my back squat. For some reason I didn't have any recorded back squats listed in my book, but I knew that it wasn't 300. I was pretty psyched about it.  That's a PR Baby!

I was equally happy with my 3rep max Front Squat, 245#. I guess that's a PR as well since I don't think we have done a 3rep Max on that movement before. My 1rep Max was @ 265#.  I'd be interested to a see where that would be now.

I felt like I might have had more in the tank, but after going pretty heavy with the Back Squats earlier I didn't have enough juice left in my legs. The issue always seems to be wrist flexibility. After a while they tend to get loose, but man do they hurt sometimes.

Usually my legs are toast for days after I do heavy squats. We'll see what happens tomorrow. Actually it's the day after tomorrow I am worried about.  That's when I usually feels the worse.  

P.S.  Thanks for crushing my weight Teehan.  Bastard!!!  

My CrossFit Relationship

Wheelhouse

Been having a rough go of it lately. Everyday routines have been tough. John got on me earlier this week to get my ass in gear. To lose myself for 1 hour a day. He's right and so I did.  It helps for a bit. Just have to keep moving forward.

Today's post is dedicated to Glen though. Glen has been busting my balls to get my blog back on track. So here I stand @ the CraicHouse typing this post while Glen devours another dozen eggs. Soon we'll be crushing back room beers again my friend! Until then I'll keep up the pace up for you.

WOD

50 Lateral Bar Hops

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Deadlifts

PVC Overhead Squats

50 Lateral Bar Hops

Rx weight 185#

6:06 Rx

I really wanted to come under 5 minutes, but those last 50 jumps were brutal. My legs were literally jello. The Deads went about how I planned. I breezed through them with ease and the pvc overheads were fine. Easy with no weight. Now I know how Johnny Deadlift feels when he overheads 135# for reps. All day baby! 

Been a relatively good three days @ the CraicHouse Yesterdays WOD was a 5 rep max Thruster. I ended up doing 176#. Sic. I really wasn't sure where I would end up considering I loathe Thrusters and along with my 1 rep max being @ 195# I figured I was in for a long hour. Now I am excited to see where my 1 rep max might be at. 

The third WOD I hit this week was 6 min AMRAP 10 KB Swings @ 70# and 10 Push Ups.  Brutal. My total was 10 full rounds plus 1 rep. My hands and arms were toast. I was really happy that I did all the swings unbroken. Felt pretty good. 

Until next time, please remember if you drop a piece of meat on the ground I will still eat it!

BackRoom WOD Part 2

WOD

"RANDY"

75 Power Snatches @75#

6:48 Rx

I had a pretty busy day planned today and I knew I was going to have trouble getting into the CraicHouse. I tried to make arrangements with John to see if I could come in at another time. Unfortunately we couldn't make any times work. Ballbag! I really wanted to hit this one. Then a miracle happened.  John and Glen swung by after they were done at Craic with 2 plates and clips for the bar Glen left behind from a few days ago.  It was 7:31 at night and it was on like Donkey Kong!

Malcomb warm up. One beer and go time! Who needs to get loose?

I didn't have any clothes with me so I did it in my jeans which felt a bit awkward. Of course halfway through I pulled a Teehan. If there is one thing in CrossFit that I am getting better at at a furious rate is the Teehan Pull Off! 

I gotta tell ya, this one was tougher than I thought. First off it was later at night as opposed to my peak time of afternoon. Secondly, I had zero room for movement. Well, I had just enough room for the range of motion I needed. There was no moving around or dropping of the bar uncontrollably. Inches either way and I would be banging into something. My space was limited, which could work for me or not.

 I have a habit of kneeling down and resting in front of the bar. It usually means I am mentally dogging it as opposed to resting. Glen always calls me out on this and did so before we even started. Everyone was on a tight schedule and Glen clearly stated that if I knelt down at anytime he is just walking out. He is also keeping the time and had to leave within 9 minutes of the workout. Lets just say that there was no room for fucking around.

I banged out the first 25 right off the bat. Glen kept saying you're not stopping till you hit 25. Sometimes when I have number in my head I cut myself short of potentially maybe doing more than that target goal. Did that make sense? I actually felt like I should have gone to failure and then started again. Who the hell knows? I suck at most of these things so who am I to game play on movements I am not efficient enough to wipe my ass with.

Regardless, I gave 100% in that moment and I cannot thank Glen and John enough their friendship and their desire to make me better. Friendships aside, their devotion pays more dividends then they probably will ever know.  You're a fool not to become a part of this family! 

Here are some videos of my rather sloooow "Randy"  It was kind of funny. John sent me the vids and I responded back with mucho appreciato <--- TNBlish  It was funny. I said to John, "Well even though I suck, at least I look good."  He responded with a new TNB motto...

"Look better while sucking!"  Ha Ha  My own self deprecating humor got the best of me here.

B.C. is now B.T. <-- cryptic! I was looking good till I realized I was working out!

Can't we do deadlifts again?