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