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!  

Yuck

So today I finally made it back into the box. It has been over a week.  11 days to be exact. That is an eternity for me.  Besides when I tweaked my back this has been the longest layoff I've had besides those multiple years leading into CrossFit when I became a manatee.

I wish I was this cute

I knew coming in today my ass would be handed to me a bit. My cardio sucks anyway so with the extra time off I knew I could potentially be miserable. I haven't exactly been taking care of myself too well as of late. I haven't been able to get enough sleep. My diet has been shit. I'm not eating bad, but more of a lack of eating. I could tell something was up. My body has been in slow motion as of late and I feel like I have lost some muscle. I had to get my ass back in there. I blame Johnny Deadlift for going on vacation. Hey, I gotta blame somebody. He always lights a fire under my ass!

Don't Fart

Todays' WOD,

Row 250m

21 Box Jumps 24in

21 KB Swings 53#

Row 250m

15 Box Jumps 

15 KB Swings

Row 250m

9 Box Jumps

9 KB Swings

Row 250m

13:34

I started off well, but somewhere between my first 21 KB Swings and my 2nd Row I got wicked dizzy. I wouldn't say I was seeing stars, but I felt like I was gonna pass out. I think the lack of care toward my body caught up to me today. I also forgot my water bottle so I had to go into the bathroom and drink from the faucet. That didn't help much.  I got the sweaty pale look going on. It sucked. A WOD that I realistically should have finished within 10 minutes took longer than anyone. I was hugely disappointed, but wasn't surprised. These layoffs tend to do more harm to me than good. I felt like I got punched in the face. 

This was how I felt.

Tomorrow is another day.

Last Week's Recap

 11/11/30

I had a tough time getting back into it last week after that competition. Yes my back was still tender, but emotionally I will admit that I was bagging it a bit. I was joking around about my pussification with Johnny Deadlift. I wasn't serious about anything, but there was definitely a moment where I thought I was done with it. It sucks when you know you should be better, but your body just isn't there yet. I told him I was having a tough time focusing again. He showed me no mercy and called me out on it.  He told me to get my ass into the gym. Listen to him and he'll take care of the rest, but he can't help me if I don't come in. He's right. I am too far along to just quit. Christ I am Tony No Bread! What kind of an example would I be if I did that? He was right. Next WOD... I'm there!

Oh Shit! Box Jumps. Of course....

WOD
10 mins to complete
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Pullups
Box jumps -pause at the top
 

Rest 3mins then
 

10mins to complete
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
KB swing 53#

Situps

6:35 WOD 1

4:24 WOD 2

Total: 10:59 Rx 

Really???  Box Jumps on my first WOD back? My back isn't fully recovered yet and I was hesitate to come in and do this one, but I had to get my ass back in there. No excuses. Just take the Box Jumps slow. That's exactly what I did. 

How this WOD works is you do 10 Pullups then 10 Box Jumps. Then 9 and 9 and 8 and 8 and so on. My only focus on the first WOD besides not destroying my back anymore was to do all of the pull ups unbroken.  Unbroken! Yea Baby! The pull ups weren't hard, but sometimes I lose focus and just drop off the bar for no apparent reason. I needed to stay focused which I did. Now the box jumps started to hurt a bit toward round 7. I just took my time with them and I finished with an okay time. 6:35.

I knew I would fly through the second WOD. Kettlebell swings and sit ups are not a problem for me. I was able to transition between the both pretty well. As I got closer to the end I went beastmode and finsihed, had a cigarette, milked the cow and brushed my teeth by the time anyone else finished. 4:24.

I made up some serious time here which helped my overall time @ 10:59.  Besides my back being a bit sore. I felt pretty good after this one. It was good to get that first WOD over with and to tell my psyche to go fuck itself!  Again...

12/1/30

This one didn't look so bad. Ha Ha 

WOD
Row Your Wallballs Off
 

Row 500m
25 Wallballs
100 Double unders
25 Wallballs
Row 500

10:40 Rx

Oh the joys of rowing. Actually the last time I rowed I felt pretty good afterward. Good as in barely able to breath and flopping on the floor good, but nothing was sore afterward. Bonus!  The 1st 500m row went exactly as I planned. I took it easy and finish around 1:40. Unfortunately the second 500m row killed me! My knees swelled up and I think I added another 15 seconds to my original time. My knees and thighs were on fire for hours after. I don't think the swelling went down til the next day. I never know what's going to happen with me and the mighty rows. Less swelling would be nice though.

I was worried about the wall balls here. I wasn't sure if they would affect my back or not. Especially when the day before where those Box Jumps reignited that burning feeling in my lower back. I ended up having no real issue with these. I went unbroken on the first 25 and I think I almost went unbroken on the second 25. No pain!  

Double Unders. I felt those would hopefully seperate me from the group. Not! I had a tough time finding a rhythm early on. It was extremely frustrating. By the time I reached 50 I was pissed. It took way too long for me to get there. The second 50 I crushed. 35 and then 15 I believe. I should have had that done in a minute tops! I think I need to put a little extra time back into the DU's again. Just so I can stay comfortable with them on a consistent basis.

Overall this WOD was hard. I couldn't believe how gassed I was halfway through. Even though it crushed me it felt good as well. Trying to stay consistent here. Next time I will blow through those double unders and finish under 10 minutes. 

12/2/30

My schedule wasn't really working for me today. I texted Mr. Deadlift to see if he was around in the afternoon so I could sneak in. That didn't work so he suggested 10am. That also didn't work. Shit, I really wanted to keep this going.  Finally he just texted me, "Make Time!"

I don't know if that last text had a subconscious affect on me or not, but for some reason that may never be understood, I woke up at 5am. I tried to fall back asleep, but that was a no go. I walked around the house like zombie, trying to figure out what to do. I looked at the clock. Do you know what it said?

Make Time!

I quickly ate something, played with my son real quick and left for Glen's 6:30am class. I walked into the middle of the 5:30am's WOD and Glen just pointed to me to spot The Condor. He looks up at me on the bench and the first thing he said was, "Is that TNB? It's like seeing Santa Claus!"  Ha Ha  Lets just say that I rarely go to any early morning classes.  Afterward, Glen brings me over to the 6:30am group and introduces me.

Glen: "This is Tony No Bread. You probably won't ever see him this early ever again."

TNB: "Hi"

Glen: "Did you pull an all-nighter?"

TNB: "Not this time."

The WOD....

WOD
4 rounds – each scored separately
Max rep bench press in 1 min @ 100#'s
Sprint 400m
10 burpees

score = reps/time

post best and worst round

This WOD was brutal! I underestimated how difficult this would be.  My times for the rounds are the following. My best is is green and my worst is in red. Pretty easy to figure out.

1. 43 reps and 3:24
2. 26 reps and 3:44
3. 24 reps and 3:40
4. 21 reps and 4:05 

When I came in after my first run I could barely lift myself off the ground for my first burpee. My arms were toast form the first 43 reps. WTF did I get myself into here? I actually thought I could do more than 43 on the first set. I was flying. I think I had 30 in 30 seconds, but all of a sudden it went to shit real quick. That got heavy! I was wondering why everyone needed a spot. It's only a 100 pounds.  Geez...

As usual my runs sucked ass. Like I had on cement shoes. My times weren't that bad, but if I could ever get that leg transplant I would be all set. Fun WOD, but my chest was sore for days afterward. Glen even made us do a 5th round for shits and giggles.  Thank Glen.

By the way, I love you guys and I love Glen, but you can keep your Craic O'Dawn classes to yourselves. Way too early for me. My ass was dragging later at work. I still need a nap!

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun.

WOD 1 and WOD 2

I was looking forward to today's WOD or should I say WODS.  They both looked easy, but if there is one thing you learn real quick with CrossFit is that no workout is ever easy.

WOD 1
10 min amrap
5 Pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

9 rounds + 4 reps

Rest 5 mins

WOD 2
10 min amrap
Run 200
10 KB swings 70

4 rounds + 1 run

 

Both WODS are pretty basic and are simple. This is more about pacing for myself and not about strength. My focus was on being consistent. The problem is that I get so bored mentally with these type of WODS. They seem so repetitive to me that I tend to lose focus which in turn makes me lose count and I just wait for the time to finish.  WOD 1 is only half of a benchmark workout called "Cindy" which is 20 minutes total of the same movements.  I would need a professional counter and Johnny Deadlift holding a bamboo stick whacking me every so often to keep me motivated.

WOD 2 I had nothing in the tank for. My legs where just jello from the air squats. I literally saw an old man on a lark drive past me on one of my runs. The KB swings were  a nice break. Those were pretty easy for me. I really need to work on my running. It's getting to a point where I am starting to mentally fuck myself even before I begin.

I need to buy this shirt!

Energy Levels

Today I went to a 5:30pm class for the first time in a long time. I prefer the noon class where my energy levels seem to be at it's highest. It's funny how your body can get use to a certain time. I don't know if it's more physical than mental, but I look at it like this. There are morning people and there are nocturnal people like myself. There are people that thrive at all times of the day. Everyone is different. I used to feel great around the 5:30 to 6:30pm class, but I trained my body and mind to an afternoon mentality. Can you see where I am going with this???

I am looking for any excuse to why I wasn't better than I was at today's WOD.

3 rounds for time

200 meter run

15 Kettle Bell Swings 70#

15 Push Ups

15 Pull Ups

11:50 Rx

Who knows? Maybe it's because I expected to do better. Maybe it was because I saw the run as only 200 meters and figured it wouldn't crush me. GOAT! Maybe it's because I had to work out next to Paul T.  Maybe it was because I didn't get enough sleep. Maybe it was because the moon wasn't aligned with Pluto. Maybe it was because I stepped on that ant earlier and it gave me bad karma... 

It really doesn't matter what it was. I just didn't have it today. You know what? That's okay. You can't be a rock star every time you come out.  Not like that happens to me too often anyway. I did everything Rx. My time wasn't really that bad. Just disappointing to me, but I did it regardless of how I was feeling and that's okay.  Everything is a gain. I gained confidence in myself knowing that I can still be there without that extra something and if it was simply because my energy levels weren't there than that's fine. I will crush this WOD next time around.

P.S. I heard someone is going to the Halloween Party as TNB. I think that's fantastic. 

P.P.S. I still need a costume!

I should buy this!

Mental blocks need to be Broken to become the Unbroken!

I've been pretty sore for the last few days. As always my shoulders are tight, but I keep plugging away regardless and I continue to show improvement everyday. Today's WOD looked simple in theory, but I learned a while ago that WODS that look easy usually kick your ass.

5 Rounds for time

20 Kettle Bell Swings 53#

20 Wall Balls 20#

15 minute time cap

Rx is weight, but also Unbroken

Unbroken. Ugh! Meaning that every 20 reps of the two movements above have to be done unbroken. Can't split them up. Cant's drop it at 17 reps. Well you can, but then it doesn't become an Rx workout unless you start that set all over again. No way am I doing extra reps if I don't have to. It's funny because Sara C and I were discussing before class that sometimes we have to get past that mental hurdle of stopping short of your goal because you just feel the need to. Sometimes I call it being mentally numb. Ok I will shoot for 15 reps and then see if I can finish. Well that doesn't work sometimes because there are times you hit 15 and stop just because. You get to that point and you get mentally numb and stop. You really don't know why, but you just do it. You become numb to your surrounding and tend to feel enclosed in your own box. It's a weird feeling for me. Fuck that! You gotta just keep going. It's only 5 more reps. Sometimes you just can't because you're not physically there or your skill work on a certain movement isn't so great, but at this point for myself I am and I shouldn't really have too many excuses.

My goal was to do it unbroken. I decided right before we started that I was going to use the whole 15 minutes to accomplish this. Now I know I could have gone out there and blasted through the first 2 to 3 rounds, but I know what would have happened to me. I would have gassed myself out and I would not have had the strength to continue the sets unbroken. Plus it would have fucked with me mentally. I've been trying to set a consistent pace lately to help stop my over gassing of WODS. It seems to be working as of late and I'm not too concerned if I am using most of the allotted time. Just get it done.

I felt really good about myself after this WOD. I accomplished my goal of doing it Rx unbroken. It wasn't easy towards the end. The last two sets of wall balls around the 14/15 rep mark my shoulders reminded me how much they hate me sometimes. They were screaming. I was really happy with my wall balls for once though. I felt that I had good depth on all of them and I'm slowly starting to enjoy them. Who knew... The kettle bells weren't too difficult. My hip drive was on point. My only issue towards the end was that my hands were getting sore so it made it difficult for me to hold on.  I have been known to almost drop the bell on my head a few times. Overall I was really happy with my time today. Gonna get after it tomorrow again.

14:13 Rx Unbroken