Opens WOD 14.5 First Attempt
For time of...
21-18-15-12-9-6-3: Thrusters / Bar Facing Burpees
This workout was a surprise to nobody but what was unknown was the rep scheme. This is the kind of workout that starts out OK and then turns to shit out of nowhere. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to me.
I knew that I would have a REALLY tough time if I tried to do the Thruster sets unbroken so I followed my plan of intentionally breaking right from the first set (15 and 6). However; it turns out I should have backed off the pace even more because somewhere around the round of 12 or 9 I felt the wheels start to come off. Not only did the thrusters get very tough but my pace on the burpees fell WAY off to the point where it was embarrassing.
This was a workout where I felt like I killed myself but had nothing to show for it. To everyone watching, it probably looked like I wasn't even trying in the later rounds. I was trying however; I had absolutely nothing left in the tank.
I hate to say it, but I need to do this one again but with a totally different game plan. New approach will be to break the first 3 sets of Thrusters into 3 sets of no more than 9 reps at any point. It occurred to me that most of the time in this workout is in the burpees and you have to be able to maintain a steady pace here because no matter what the cycle time is significant.
My time was 15:13. I had definitely planned to break 15:00 and was really targeting more like 13:00. If I can take about a minute and a half off my time, I will walk away content knowing that I gave it all I had and let the chips fall where they may. Plan to give it another go on Monday.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Wednesday March 26, 2014
A. Snatch (all Power)
- 3 singles @ 135#
- 3 singles @ 145#
- 3 singles @ 155#
- These did not go so well. Had a couple sloppy misses at 155. My technique is shit right now as I have not done a lot of snatching lately. Need to really focus on this after Opens.
B. Clean (All Power)
- 3 singles @ 185
- 3 singles @ 205
- 3 singles @ 215
C. Jerk
- 10:00 EMOM 2 reps @ 185
D. Zone 1 Airdyne, 20:00
- 3 singles @ 135#
- 3 singles @ 145#
- 3 singles @ 155#
- These did not go so well. Had a couple sloppy misses at 155. My technique is shit right now as I have not done a lot of snatching lately. Need to really focus on this after Opens.
B. Clean (All Power)
- 3 singles @ 185
- 3 singles @ 205
- 3 singles @ 215
C. Jerk
- 10:00 EMOM 2 reps @ 185
D. Zone 1 Airdyne, 20:00
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday March 25, 2014
A. Back Squat
- 10 sets of 1 rep EMOM @ 83%
- All sets at 275# and this weight felt ridiculously heavy today!
B. 10 sets of the following....
- :30 Row
- :30 Rest
- :30 Step Down Box Jumps
- :30 Rest
- :30 Wall Balls
- :30 Rest
This was a nice workout to get a little sweat on. Never got excruciating but definitely tough in the later rounds. Pace was pretty consistent throughout.
- 10 sets of 1 rep EMOM @ 83%
- All sets at 275# and this weight felt ridiculously heavy today!
B. 10 sets of the following....
- :30 Row
- :30 Rest
- :30 Step Down Box Jumps
- :30 Rest
- :30 Wall Balls
- :30 Rest
This was a nice workout to get a little sweat on. Never got excruciating but definitely tough in the later rounds. Pace was pretty consistent throughout.
Monday March 24, 2014
Update on 14.4 : So, I ended up finishing 26th on the workout. Was hoping that I'd end up top 20 but still not too bad and not something I can control except for doing my personal best! Still overall satisfied with the performance but also know it could have been better if my muscle up skills were more polished!!
I am currently ranked 30th worldwide and may fall a bit if 14.5 is this Thruster-Burpee shit show that everyone is expecting!! I'm decent at Thrusters but definitely very slow at Burpees as they just tend to suck the life out of me!
Today was a light recovery day. I did the following...
250 Cal Row (about 17-18:00??) at light pace
20 Turkish Get Ups @ 35# KB (not for time)
4 sets of 25 Russian Swings @ 45# KB
I am currently ranked 30th worldwide and may fall a bit if 14.5 is this Thruster-Burpee shit show that everyone is expecting!! I'm decent at Thrusters but definitely very slow at Burpees as they just tend to suck the life out of me!
Today was a light recovery day. I did the following...
250 Cal Row (about 17-18:00??) at light pace
20 Turkish Get Ups @ 35# KB (not for time)
4 sets of 25 Russian Swings @ 45# KB
Monday, March 24, 2014
Sunday March 23, 2014
Opens WOD 14.4 second attempt
Not too many adjustments here. Just get through the cleans as fast as possible and make more muscle ups!!!
Row was again somewhere in the 2:30-2:40 range. Just tried to relax and breathe. Toes to bars went about the same as last time except I went even faster on the singles. Wall balls were broken into just 2 sets this time - 25 and 15. Cleans were tough but I felt like I got through them faster than last time. I finished them at the 9:55 mark!!! This was an unbelievable tiebreaker time and to be honest, I should have been able to finish 20 muscle ups with this amount of time left!! I ended up doing almost the same as last time, just one more rep. But that one rep was sooo worth it! I had one near miss also which again, was costly.
This workout taught me one thing. I am good at muscle-ups in the sense that I have the strength to do them strict. However; I am so inefficient at doing them in workouts like this. I watched others from my gym do them with a huge Superman style kip that looked just effortless. Meanwhile, every rep for me I had to struggle through it like I was giving birth. This is something I definitely need to polish up technique-wise.
Not too many adjustments here. Just get through the cleans as fast as possible and make more muscle ups!!!
Row was again somewhere in the 2:30-2:40 range. Just tried to relax and breathe. Toes to bars went about the same as last time except I went even faster on the singles. Wall balls were broken into just 2 sets this time - 25 and 15. Cleans were tough but I felt like I got through them faster than last time. I finished them at the 9:55 mark!!! This was an unbelievable tiebreaker time and to be honest, I should have been able to finish 20 muscle ups with this amount of time left!! I ended up doing almost the same as last time, just one more rep. But that one rep was sooo worth it! I had one near miss also which again, was costly.
This workout taught me one thing. I am good at muscle-ups in the sense that I have the strength to do them strict. However; I am so inefficient at doing them in workouts like this. I watched others from my gym do them with a huge Superman style kip that looked just effortless. Meanwhile, every rep for me I had to struggle through it like I was giving birth. This is something I definitely need to polish up technique-wise.
Friday March 21, 2014
Opens WOD 14.4
When I saw this workout announced, I thought to myself - this one may just be in my wheelhouse. Then I had to remind myself that I said that about 14.1 and was bitterly disappointed in my performance!!
The one part of this one that concerned me was the 50 Toes to Bar. I've come to realize that this is a major "goat" of mine and it's one I've been working on.
So, first attempt the strategy was to keep the row at a comfortable pace, break TTB's into small sets of 5 reps or less and just get through them as fast as possible. Wall-Balls, maybe break into 4 sets of 10 with short rest. Then on the cleans, do mostly singles with minimal rest. Was hoping to have adequate time to bang out a few muscle ups at the end.
I finished the row in about 2:30-something. Went right to the TTB's and did sets of 5 right up until about 25 reps. From that point, a couple sets of 3, a couple sets of 2 and then just a ton of fast singles. I was almost psyched out by how many reps I still had to do when I went to singles but I was shocked at how fast I got through them. The clock was only at about 5:15-5:30 or so when I finished TTB's.
Now on to the wall-balls. I was supposed to do sets of 10 but I felt good so I banged out a set of 20 and then 2 sets of 10. Still feeling pretty good. Cleans were a grind. I was pretty gassed by the time I got through them. I finished at 10:16 and had what seemed like an eternity for muscle ups. I gave myself almost a full minute to recover from the carnage before I attempted my first muscle-up. I got through I think about 7-8 reps before I missed one. I took about 30 seconds to recover from that and ended up completing a total of 10 reps for a score of 190. Really happy with this score for a first attempt. The only thing I would have done different is to have made more successful attempts during the time I had between 10:16-14:00. Definitely going to try this one again and see what happens.
When I saw this workout announced, I thought to myself - this one may just be in my wheelhouse. Then I had to remind myself that I said that about 14.1 and was bitterly disappointed in my performance!!
The one part of this one that concerned me was the 50 Toes to Bar. I've come to realize that this is a major "goat" of mine and it's one I've been working on.
So, first attempt the strategy was to keep the row at a comfortable pace, break TTB's into small sets of 5 reps or less and just get through them as fast as possible. Wall-Balls, maybe break into 4 sets of 10 with short rest. Then on the cleans, do mostly singles with minimal rest. Was hoping to have adequate time to bang out a few muscle ups at the end.
I finished the row in about 2:30-something. Went right to the TTB's and did sets of 5 right up until about 25 reps. From that point, a couple sets of 3, a couple sets of 2 and then just a ton of fast singles. I was almost psyched out by how many reps I still had to do when I went to singles but I was shocked at how fast I got through them. The clock was only at about 5:15-5:30 or so when I finished TTB's.
Now on to the wall-balls. I was supposed to do sets of 10 but I felt good so I banged out a set of 20 and then 2 sets of 10. Still feeling pretty good. Cleans were a grind. I was pretty gassed by the time I got through them. I finished at 10:16 and had what seemed like an eternity for muscle ups. I gave myself almost a full minute to recover from the carnage before I attempted my first muscle-up. I got through I think about 7-8 reps before I missed one. I took about 30 seconds to recover from that and ended up completing a total of 10 reps for a score of 190. Really happy with this score for a first attempt. The only thing I would have done different is to have made more successful attempts during the time I had between 10:16-14:00. Definitely going to try this one again and see what happens.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Friday March 14, 2014
Opens WOD 14.3
AMRAP 8:00 of
10 Deadlift @ 135#
15 Box Jumps
15 Deadlift @ 185#
15 Box Jumps
20 D/L @ 225#
15 Box Jumps
25 D/L @ 275#
15 Box Jumps
30 D/L @ 315#
15 Box Jumps
35 D/L @ 365#
15 Box Jumps
So, didn't know what to expect going into this but I was pretty certain that I would be able to maintain a decent steady pace by doing step ups-step downs as opposed to rebounding box jumps. After doing this workout I can say with confidence that this was the right strategy for me.
First 2 sets were easy. I didn't fly through them but I got through them very efficiently with minimal rest. Things got a little spicy at 225# and they got REAL spicy at 275#!!! Broke my set of 20 @ 225# into 12-8 and this was not too bad. The 25 @ 275# were a bit of a grind. I broke into 5 sets of 5 and I really had to grit my teeth to get through the 4th and 5th rep each set.
I actually got done with my last set of Box Jumps @ 6:23. I later learned that this was a REALLY GOOD time for that point in the workout. Unfortunately, the weight got really, really heavy for me at 315#. I got 8 reps and was halfway through my 9th rep when I just couldn't stand up any further. With 10 seconds remaining on the clock my tank ran empty. Total score was 138 reps.
If I were to just look at this score in a vacuum, I would be really proud of this effort. Unfortunately, I don't get to look at things in a vacuum. I have to compare my numbers to a hundred zillion CrossFitters throughout the world. There are some guys in my age group who crushed this one and most of the elites had over 140 reps. Once again, the 2014 Opens are proving to be a humbling experience. And once again, I will put some ice on my bruised ego and get ready to go balls-out on 14.4!!
AMRAP 8:00 of
10 Deadlift @ 135#
15 Box Jumps
15 Deadlift @ 185#
15 Box Jumps
20 D/L @ 225#
15 Box Jumps
25 D/L @ 275#
15 Box Jumps
30 D/L @ 315#
15 Box Jumps
35 D/L @ 365#
15 Box Jumps
So, didn't know what to expect going into this but I was pretty certain that I would be able to maintain a decent steady pace by doing step ups-step downs as opposed to rebounding box jumps. After doing this workout I can say with confidence that this was the right strategy for me.
First 2 sets were easy. I didn't fly through them but I got through them very efficiently with minimal rest. Things got a little spicy at 225# and they got REAL spicy at 275#!!! Broke my set of 20 @ 225# into 12-8 and this was not too bad. The 25 @ 275# were a bit of a grind. I broke into 5 sets of 5 and I really had to grit my teeth to get through the 4th and 5th rep each set.
I actually got done with my last set of Box Jumps @ 6:23. I later learned that this was a REALLY GOOD time for that point in the workout. Unfortunately, the weight got really, really heavy for me at 315#. I got 8 reps and was halfway through my 9th rep when I just couldn't stand up any further. With 10 seconds remaining on the clock my tank ran empty. Total score was 138 reps.
If I were to just look at this score in a vacuum, I would be really proud of this effort. Unfortunately, I don't get to look at things in a vacuum. I have to compare my numbers to a hundred zillion CrossFitters throughout the world. There are some guys in my age group who crushed this one and most of the elites had over 140 reps. Once again, the 2014 Opens are proving to be a humbling experience. And once again, I will put some ice on my bruised ego and get ready to go balls-out on 14.4!!
Tuesday March 11, 2014
A. Close Grip Bench Press @ 76%, on the minute, every minute x 2 reps x 8 minutes.
- 185#
B. 5 Sets of the following:
Row 250 Meters
Rest 30 seconds
Box Jumps x 10 reps
Rest 30 seconds
Airdyne 15-20 Calories
Rest 30 seconds
Muscle Ups x 2-3 reps
Rest 60 seconds
- 185#
B. 5 Sets of the following:
Row 250 Meters
Rest 30 seconds
Box Jumps x 10 reps
Rest 30 seconds
Airdyne 15-20 Calories
Rest 30 seconds
Muscle Ups x 2-3 reps
Rest 60 seconds
Monday, March 10, 2014
Monday March 10, 2014
Opens WOD 14.2 second attempt
First score = 136 (8 reps shy of round of 16)
So, my first attempt landed me kinda sorta within striking distance of the 4th round but I knew that an 8 rep improvement within a 3 minute window was a lot to ask of myself. The one thing in my favor is that I went into the second attempt with a really well thought out gameplan plus the knowledge of where and when I would experience fatigue.
My second attempt was better by 5 reps but still 3 reps short of the 144 needed to advance to the 4th round. Everything was good up to the last round of pull-ups. I got to the point where I knew I'd be doing singles the rest of the way but I just could not complete them fast enough and I started failing reps. I actually had one minute left with only 10 reps to go!!! I really thought I had it at that point.
I am not ashamed of this score but it is not going to be anywhere near good enough to keep me in the top 50. The top guys in my age group are just crushing this one.
Again, nothing to be done now except to move on to 14.3!!
First score = 136 (8 reps shy of round of 16)
So, my first attempt landed me kinda sorta within striking distance of the 4th round but I knew that an 8 rep improvement within a 3 minute window was a lot to ask of myself. The one thing in my favor is that I went into the second attempt with a really well thought out gameplan plus the knowledge of where and when I would experience fatigue.
My second attempt was better by 5 reps but still 3 reps short of the 144 needed to advance to the 4th round. Everything was good up to the last round of pull-ups. I got to the point where I knew I'd be doing singles the rest of the way but I just could not complete them fast enough and I started failing reps. I actually had one minute left with only 10 reps to go!!! I really thought I had it at that point.
I am not ashamed of this score but it is not going to be anywhere near good enough to keep me in the top 50. The top guys in my age group are just crushing this one.
Again, nothing to be done now except to move on to 14.3!!
Friday, March 7, 2014
Friday March 7, 2014
Opens WOD 14.2 first attempt
In 0-3:00 complete 2 rounds of...
- 10 O/H Squats
- 10 CTB Pull-Ups
In 3:00-6:00 complete 2 rounds of
- 12 O/H Squats
- 12 CTB Pull-Ups
Keep adding on 2 more reps in each round. Continue until you cannot complete 2 rounds
Came in feeling like I could do pretty good on this workout. The O/H Squat weight I knew would be no problem for me and my butterfly CTB pull-ups have come a long way. What I wasn't sure is when this workout would start to get hard and how I'd respond. So, went into this without much of a gameplan except to try to lay off bit in the first round.
First round was as expected - very easy. OHS's were unbroken. I split the CTB's into sets of 5 and did all butterfly. Had about a minute and a half to rest.
Round 2 was a little more taxing but still had lots of time to rest - about a minute.
In round 3 the CTB's got real tough. I went to failure a couple times and that is never good. Can't remember how much time I had to complete the 2nd round of 14 CTB's but it was not enough. I finished with 136 reps. Not terrible for a first attempt but not awful either. Still, I need to break through to the next round if I want to have any shot of being in the top 20-30 on this workout. I will obviously repeat it and I plan on backing off my pace in Round 2. I will also do regular kipping CTB's instead of butterfly up until Round 3. I just need that little extra in the tank in order to push through.
In 0-3:00 complete 2 rounds of...
- 10 O/H Squats
- 10 CTB Pull-Ups
In 3:00-6:00 complete 2 rounds of
- 12 O/H Squats
- 12 CTB Pull-Ups
Keep adding on 2 more reps in each round. Continue until you cannot complete 2 rounds
Came in feeling like I could do pretty good on this workout. The O/H Squat weight I knew would be no problem for me and my butterfly CTB pull-ups have come a long way. What I wasn't sure is when this workout would start to get hard and how I'd respond. So, went into this without much of a gameplan except to try to lay off bit in the first round.
First round was as expected - very easy. OHS's were unbroken. I split the CTB's into sets of 5 and did all butterfly. Had about a minute and a half to rest.
Round 2 was a little more taxing but still had lots of time to rest - about a minute.
In round 3 the CTB's got real tough. I went to failure a couple times and that is never good. Can't remember how much time I had to complete the 2nd round of 14 CTB's but it was not enough. I finished with 136 reps. Not terrible for a first attempt but not awful either. Still, I need to break through to the next round if I want to have any shot of being in the top 20-30 on this workout. I will obviously repeat it and I plan on backing off my pace in Round 2. I will also do regular kipping CTB's instead of butterfly up until Round 3. I just need that little extra in the tank in order to push through.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wednesday March 5, 2014
A. Above Knee Squat Snatch, 1 rep on the minute, every minute x 10 minutes.
- 155# . 2 misses but redid them within the minute
B. Power Clean and Split Jerk Cluster, 1.1.1 x 5 sets, rest as needed between sets.
- Worked with 205#
C. 20-25 Minutes of Zone 1 Work Airdyne
- 155# . 2 misses but redid them within the minute
B. Power Clean and Split Jerk Cluster, 1.1.1 x 5 sets, rest as needed between sets.
- Worked with 205#
C. 20-25 Minutes of Zone 1 Work Airdyne
Tuesday March 4, 2014
A. Close grip Bench Press @ 66%, 2 reps on the minute, every minute x 8 minutes.
- Worked with 185
B. 6 Sets of the following:
2 Muscle Ups
Rest 30 seconds
6 Handstand Push Ups
Rest 30 seconds
Row 250 meters
Rest 30 seconds
- Did really, really well with HSPU's throughout. Muscle-ups were no problem.
C1. Pendalay Barbell Bent Over Row, 4-6 reps x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.
C2. Kipping Ring Dips, 12-15 reps x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.
- Worked with 185
B. 6 Sets of the following:
2 Muscle Ups
Rest 30 seconds
6 Handstand Push Ups
Rest 30 seconds
Row 250 meters
Rest 30 seconds
- Did really, really well with HSPU's throughout. Muscle-ups were no problem.
C1. Pendalay Barbell Bent Over Row, 4-6 reps x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.
C2. Kipping Ring Dips, 12-15 reps x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.
Sunday March 2nd and Monday March 3rd
Well, there's not much to be said about the last 2 days. I attempted to redo Opens Workout 14.1 and to say I failed miserably would be putting it mildly.
I did not break 7 rounds, I did not exceed my previous score and I didn't even get back to the barbell in the 7th round!! When I look back at why I failed I really don't have any clear answers. The effort was there. I literally pushed myself to the point where I couldn't do another rep. I just don't know why my engine broke down. My double unders were also crap in the later rounds both times I redid the workout.
The hardest thing is knowing that the last time I did this workout (in June, 2012) I fucking crushed it with a score of 351 reps. I guess I should take into account the fact that I did the workout in an empty gym, counting my own rounds. But I just remember feeling really good throughout that workout and going virtually unbroken on the double unders.
So, here I sit in sixty something place after week 1. Nowhere near where I wanted to be but also not dead by any means. Need to get over this, lick my wounds and crush the next workout. That's about all that I can do.
I did not break 7 rounds, I did not exceed my previous score and I didn't even get back to the barbell in the 7th round!! When I look back at why I failed I really don't have any clear answers. The effort was there. I literally pushed myself to the point where I couldn't do another rep. I just don't know why my engine broke down. My double unders were also crap in the later rounds both times I redid the workout.
The hardest thing is knowing that the last time I did this workout (in June, 2012) I fucking crushed it with a score of 351 reps. I guess I should take into account the fact that I did the workout in an empty gym, counting my own rounds. But I just remember feeling really good throughout that workout and going virtually unbroken on the double unders.
So, here I sit in sixty something place after week 1. Nowhere near where I wanted to be but also not dead by any means. Need to get over this, lick my wounds and crush the next workout. That's about all that I can do.
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