#201 3x(12muscleup/75 AirSqt) 27:34@141/181

#201 3x(12muscleup/75 AirSqt) 27:34@141/181

9:01-9:04-9:29

Compare with #148 30 Baby Muscleups 17:05@129/144

#117 30 Baby MuscleUps 18:07@113/136

#47 60 PU/jumpDIP 22:15@132/158

Muscleups were scaled down as usual at should height while sitting on knees. Most of the muscle ups were honest without push from legs. But it wasnt easy at all. Also it was clear that left upper arm is significantly weaker for this particular motion and this imbalance causes problems getting body straight at top of the muscle up.

This wod has 6 more muscle ups than the other wods in comparisons. The wod also included 3x75 airsquats which is not easy either. But I was much better conditioned this time due to barbara/cindy wods and even did last set almost continuously. However, the elevated HR due to squats made muscleups less boring but more difficult.

#201 3x(12muscleup/75 AirSqt) 27:34@141/181

#200 Barbara! 67:44@158/184

#200 Barbara! Rx (incl 12min rest) 67:44@158/184

Compare with #144 57:57@145/175 (no rest/10rnds)

#74 29:54@147/167 half and

#45 27:36@136/166 half

Splits were as follows which includes the 3min break in first 4 sets. 10:02-10:26-14:00-17:12-16:04. This is my first Barbara as Rxed. #144 was close to Rx but was broken into 10 rounds instead of 5. PUs were surprisingly easy to get through. I did sets of 10-10-10-10-9 before moving down to 7/8s. Pushup were the sticky part of the wod. With 100+ pushups last two wods, I was hurting. Just like last time, it was hard to imagine finishing the wod quarter of the way in and 4th rounds was the stickiest. But it magically got easier for the last round. Next time if my pushups are in better shape, I will shoot for 1 hour target.

#200 Barbara! Rx (incl 12min rest) 67:44@158/184

#199 Cindy! 11.4 60-115-165 20:00@169/187

#199 Cindy! 11.4 60-115-165 20:00@169/187

Compare with WOD#173 11.5x(5PU/10PSH/15Sqt) 20:26@166/180

WOD#103 half 6rnds+PUs10min@171/190,

WOD#53 10rnds 20:00@153/172,

WOD#17 Cindy 5rnd 20:00

This was my fifth Cindy wod! Progression has been 5-10-6!-11.5-11.4

Today was basically same as PR in #173 (short by 5 pushups but took 25 sec less). This was a hard PR after Angie even with the two day break. I was still feeling DOMS from Angie. But by the time I reached second round, DOMS was least of my problems. HR shot up as expected making everything harder. PU and squats were fine but pushup got somewhat difficult to complete. I manage to keep decent form for PU/Push/Sqt. So this was a Rxed PR.

#199 Cindy! 11.4 60-115-165 20:00@169/187

#198 Angie Rx! 46:16@150/181

#198 Angie Rx! 46:16@150/181

Compare with WOD#157 Angie 90PU 15:36@156/180, WOD#20 Angie 50 pullups, 100 pushups/situps/squats 54:34min HR (131/158)

This is the first time I did Angie as Rxed. The timing was annoyingly slow, especially compared to 16min #157 (which included 38 burpee Push/Sqt). I started with 3x10 PU but then reverted to sets to mostly 7. Overall progression was 35/35/35/0-35/35/35/70-30/30/30/30. Pushups and PUs were the main challenge. PUs were fine but hint of blister made me slow down. I just wasted too much time in between sets. PUs took 28:30 of the 46minutes!

#198 Angie Rx! 46:16@150/181

5K row II 24:27@2:27 175/196

#197 5K row redux!@2:27 24:27@175/196

Compare with #189 2:31pace 25:10@174/196

I improved the time by more than half a minute as I paced myself better this time. Last minute must have been at 2:00 pace as I made a big push at end. It also helped to have the resistance at 8 this time. But lower back was hurting like hell. I did have a decent form so not sure what was wrong. Lower back must be a major issue with professional rowers. (Needs some research).

Couple of new tricks I learnt this time include letting legs to all the work for first half of the stroke by "hooking" arms straight. Also its perfectly okay to make a strong stroke and take a mini break on way back without loosing too much of the pace and power. This helps break the rhythm which comes handy for a long rowing wod like this.

#197 5K row@2:27 redux 24:27@175/196

Snatch 20# PR at 85#

196# Snatch 1x45-50-55-60-65-75-85 14:05@140/172

85# Snatch PR!,

Up from 65#

Two failed attempts at 95#

Need to get some depth on overhead position for improving further

196# Snatch 1x45-50-55-60-65-75-85 14:05@140/172

Frontsqt PRs 135-145-155

#195 FrontSqt 135-95-145-95-155-85ish 14:59@149/184

Score: 710#. I didnt realize that my front Sqt PR was 125# so 135#, 145# and 155# were all new PRs. Interestingly enough the high rep portions were the harder part of the wod. I had to split 30 reps into 15-15 despite lowering the weight. Also front squat form is difficult to maintain as it is and it only deteriorated in high rep sets.

#195 FrontSqt 135-95-145-95-155-85ish 14:59@149/184

1-10-1-20-1-30 Push/DL

#193 Elv Pushup 1-10-1-20-1-30 5:00@150/170

Sub for benchpress. Pushup = 95# Elv Pushup = 100#

#194 DL 7395#@165#/115# 1-10-1-20-1-30 14:30@134/175 Nice workout. I had to split last leg into 17-13 as after 49 DL it felt like arms would fall out of socket:) Also high reps get HR shoot up quite quickly.

#193 Elv Pushup 1-10-1-20-1-30 5:00@150/170

#194 DL 165#/115# 1-10-1-20-1-30 14:30@134/175

Diane! Rope PUs

#191 3x(15Rope PU/21Dip/50Squat) 20:29@160/188

5:00-7:58-7:31

15 strick PUs subed for 15ftx5 ascend. Most sets were 3 though I did a few sets of 4 and 5 as well. Squats were surprisingly tiring though I did the very last set continuously touching 188 HR. Squat form was reasonably good despite the thick running shoes heels. Dips form was disappointing and most dips did get full depth.

#192 Diane! 21-15-9 (DL 115#/ElvPush) 5:48@157/174+150m

This might be the fastest wod I have done! Too much scaling. DL PR few days back cost me pain in my old ring finger injury which has healed now. But I deliberately kept DL weight light for Diane and focused on faster time/sets. Elevated pushups were easy as well though no match for Rx HSPU. I made some progress on swimming front but still havent made the whole 25m without break yet.

#191 3x(15Rope PU/21Dip/50Squat) 20:29@160/188

#192 Diane! 21-15-9 (DL 115#/ElvPush) 5:48@157/174+150m

#190 20min 25+10Turkish getups/500m row 20:00@159/186

#190 20min 25+10Turkish getups/500m row 20:00@159/186 My first Turkish getup wod! I used 20# kettlebell which wasnt heavy though it took some time to get hang of proper form. Maintaining balance while getting up with weight in one hand overhead uses a lot of unusual tiny muscles of all over the body which are not used to heavy load. Also I didnt realize it till after the 500m rowing but the balancing gets a whole lot harder after HR crosses anaerobic levels and the getups don't allow HR to come down much as lifting load by more than 7feet is a lot of work. I finished one round and rushed to do 10 getups for the second round in the 20min limit. I did loose balance couple of time so not pushing past 20# was probably a smart move. As I got hang of the form, I tried to make the getup as one smooth move which makes it easier but exhausting.

#190 20min 25+10Turkish getups/500m row 20:00@159/186

#190 20min 25+10Turkish getups/500m row 20:00@159/186

#189 5K row 2:31/500m pace 25:10@174/196

#189 5K row 2:31/500m pace 25:10@174/196

Compare with WOD#109 500m/1000m/2000m Row 2:20-2:40min/500m and3.5K in 17:25min.

I didnt realize that I have never done 5K rowing before and assumed it will be like running 5K. I pushed hard to do the 5K strong and finished well. However the middle portion of rowing was incredibly difficult. Lower back was getting tired really quickly and I had to stop briefly at 2.5K and 1.1K. Also I miscalculated by keeping the resistance low. It really worked well when I I had 3K done and then I ramped up the resistance from 2 to 6. Last 500m were very strong and I am sure I averaged less than 2min/500m for them pushing HR to 196.

Interestingly enough, crossfit total PRs yesterday came at a price and an old finger internal injury came back. This probably did not help rowing it.

#189 5K row 2:31/500m pace 25:10@174/196

#188 Crossfit Total 3 PRs! (DL 235#, BkSqt 135#, SP 95#)

#188 Crossfit Total 3 PRs! (DL 235#, BkSqt 135#, SP 95#) 29:21@147/165

Compare with

WOD#138 DL 225#PR, SP75#, BkSqt135#(rack) 48:53@115/151

WOD#116 (SP/BkSqt/DL 85/95/215#) 43:51@109/134 and

WOD#99 DL 205# (PR), BkSquat 85#, SP 75#

Three lifts, 2 new PR (DL/SP) and one PR match (BkSqt). A week of break probably helped with this classic wod as all the muscles were fresh. Interestingly there was no muscle failure at all but mind was REFUSING to go higher in weight. Funny how the marathon training comes in handy sometimes in noticing and overcoming mental block. Idea is the same where the body can take a lot more but the brain artificially makes you feel like stopping immediately. As long the form was okay (which it was), there was no real risk of injury so I pushed on. Next up is Turkish get up which is advance skill movement so I need to do some homework.

#188 Crossfit Total 3 PRs! (DL 235#, BkSqt 135#, SP 95#) 29:21@147/165

187 Squat Clean 45-55-65-75-85-95-105 18:14@129/163+6

187 Squat Clean 45-55-65-75-85-95-105 18:14@129/163+6
Compare with #60 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 @65#
I am not sure if the bar in the gym is 45# but assuming it is, this would be a PR. Easy PR as well. I cut myself on the clipper edge and took it easy. 105# felt difficult but was with very poor form so I can improve upon it with better form. The squats were full depth for all reps.

On swimming side, I made some progress scoring 6 laps (150m). Two of the 6 laps were almost complete (about 20/25 meter). Trick is to roll the whole body with shoulders instead of rolling the neck. Also I tried to slow down the frequency of strokes which helped. Only problem with slowing the frequency was that I was running out of air since I have been breathing every 4th stroke instead of every other stroke. Breathing every other stroke breaks by rhythm too much to continue.

Also I had been keeping my eyes tight shut the whole time and effectively swimming blind. This time I tried opening eyes while breathing which helped keep myself at the center of the lane. I am temped to buy swimming goggles. I really dont want to but it will help in the initial phase. So far, I have been happy with my progression. In last three times I have used the pool, I did 3-4-6 laps.
187 Squat Clean 45-55-65-75-85-95-105 18:14@129/163+6

186 5x(Ring Push/Inv Hand descend) 22:08@131.168

186 5x(Ring Push/Inv Hand descend) 22:08@131.168
The wod involved two brand new motions. Ring push ups and straight body descend fron inverted hang (from PU bar for me). Ring pushups were harder than I thought but somehow, I got better at it as I learned how to control the rings. I had to shamelessly lean against ropes every now and then and some of the pushups were not deep enough but it got better. I improved from 5-5-5 half pushups to 15 continous and deep pushups by the fifth set.

Inverted hang was, of course, whole different ball game. There was no way I could keep my body straight even once on way down. I dont think I even managed to get a proper starting position of inverted hang with straight body. So this motion was just a deeper variation of L-hang. Other challenge was to keep hands straight on way down at elbows which was quite difficult. I had never tried this skill-drill before so I need to practice it some more going forward.

186 5x(Ring Push/Inv Hand descend) 22:08@131.168

Prechristmas workouts

182 Split Jerk (45-115@incr 10#) 11:14@135/158
Compare with WOD#170 (45-65-85-95-105-115-125) 11:08@106/150
and WOD#82 45#-65#-85#
I did missed PR 125# by 10# but I didnt try hard since I had marginal failure on first attempt at 125#. Something to do with the support bars on squat rack and inability to stoop down enough before pushing back up.

183 800m/30x(BkExt-GHD-HipExt-KneeElbow-BkExt-Sit) 15:46@160/182
Major back exercise which was made hard by the fast 800m@7:30min/mi. But apart from knees to elbow, rest of the wod felt like warmup. However, going to gym at 3pm was fun when it was all deserted.


184 Pull/ElvPush(21-18-15-12-9-6-3 17:11@154/177+4
This was much harder than I thought. The pullups were supposed to be strict but I did kipping anyway, mostly in sets of 5-6. Pushups were easy enough but I tried to do most sets continuously which became progressively harder despite drop in reps.

185 BackSquat 3x(35-55-75-85-105) 17:11@6:32@97/106
Compare with #172 BkSqt 5x5 45-65-95-115-125 9:25@122/148
WOD#125 (machine!) Backsquat 115# 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 4:37@109/134
WOD#79 Back Squat (65#, 85#) 3-3-3-3-3
This wad sucked since there is no squat rack in gym and I had to do backsquat on a machine. I was also very sore from pull/push wod yesterday

182 Split Jerk (45-115@incr 10#) 11:14@135/158
183 800m/30x(BkExt-GHD-HipExt-KneeElbow-BkExt-Sit) 15:46@160/182
184 Pull/ElvPush(21-18-15-12-9-6-3 17:11@154/177+4
185 BackSquat 3x(35-55-75-85-105) 17:11@6:32@97/106

181 Lumberjack 20! 38:15@173/188

181 Lumberjack 20! 38:15@173/188

First hero workout of the season and it didnt disappoint. I scaled the weights way down just to make it through all the routine. Wod called for set of 20 with 400m run in between. To make things worse all the treadmills were occupied forcing me to get creative and run 8 shape outside field in cool 45 degrees.

Routines in between included DL (120#), 40# DB Swing, 45-55#OHS (poor form and slowest), Burpee, PU (3set), Box Jump, 2x20# DB Sqt Clean. Most are scaled down more than 50% but 400m run makes everything hard. its funny how PU were the easiest of them all, even box jump! All in all, it was a classic wod; the kind which make everything and nothing hurt the next day.

181 Lumberjack 20! 38:15@173/188

180 1K Row + 21-15-9 GHD?BkExt 8:51@171/189

180 1K Row + 21-15-9 GHD?BkExt 8:51@171/189

1K Row took 4:21min with 700m in 3min and almost 250m in 1min. Rowing is hard as it is but I dont seem to have the hang of it as I kept sliding off the seat. HR stayed high the whole time averaging 177 for the 1K. GHD and BkExt substitutes are tough but are no match for the real deal which I cant do without a GHD machine. The one machine I do need is the one which is not there. I should check my other Gym next week when I join. All in all, not the hardest wod I have done. It always feel good to do a wod with heavy cordio component followed by rest of the wod. It takes simple acts to different level.

180 1K Row + 21-15-9 GHD?BkExt 8:51@171/189

179 5K@9min/mi hudson river park! 28:29@173/191

179 5K@9min/mi hudson river park! 28:29@173/191
It was raining and freezing cold (45degrees). I ran with old supernova (no socks) for a change. 5K is almost the right amount to run from waste treatment center at 58th street to construction zone at 86th street. Of course the run includes the giant stairs which is when the HR peaked at 191. It felt good but 5K felt long. I have clearly lost habit of running. But its nice to be next to the river side park. When the weather is nice it will be fun to go for run. Of course its quite windy so winters wont be fun.

179 5K@9min/mi hudson river park! 28:29@173/191

One year anniversary of crossfit, new gym, pool

176 15-12-9x(30# L/R Thruster, PUreg) 16:34@162/184+3

Rx called for one arm PU which is insane so I did regular PUs. It was also one year anniversary of crossfit. total 175 wods i.e. about once every other day. I will target 205 wods for 2010 (to make total 365 in two years.)

This was also my first wod in new Gym. The gym does not have a squat rack but has a full size pool. I did 3 (1.5?) laps which felt great. I started getting spasm following the streneous thrusters so I did push too hard. Also my swimming is quite rustic and I had to break each leg in three segments. Lets see how long it takes to get a hang of it.

177 Front Sqt 3each (45-125 with 10#increment) 15:03@127/160

Compare with WOD#168 FrontSqt 3x(65#85#95#105#115#) 14:02@131/158

WOD#86 45#, 65#, 85#, 95#, 115# 20:10@145/174 and wod#62(?),

WOD#86 115# 20:10@145/174.

I am pleased with the progression. 125# was not a max effort so there is more room to go. Key was to do slow controlled air squats before and hold breath while squatting.

178 3x(800m+21xHPC65#) 20:18@174/196

Runs were at 8:30-7:30-7:30 pace. HPCs at 65# were broken in 7x3 for first two sets and then continuous for last set. HR peaked at 189 for the runs and 196 max was during this last HPC marathon which is aronic. 65# is not that heavy (I had done 95# for Grace with sets of 3 before) but running makes everything hard. 174 avg HR is a quite high for a wod. I should have done all HPCs continuos.

176 15-12-9x(30# L/R Thruster, PUreg) 16:34@162/184+3

177 Front Sqt 3each (45-125 with 10#increment) 15:03@127/160

178 3x(800m+21xHPC65#) 20:18@174/196