Light jerks

Strength: jerk... worked up to 95# (I think, no heavier)
4 rounds of 8 DB single arm snatch (35#) / 16 slam balls (20#) / 16 slam ball sit ups (10#)
13:36

Situps with the heavier slam ball caused some discomfort with the stretching in the belly so grabbed a lighter weight.

Mike N programming continues

In 12 minutes:
A. Row 2K for time
B. Shoulder to Overhead (rx, 95#) for reps

Rest 2 minutes

In 6 minutes:
A. Run 800m for time
B. Pullups for reps

2K row: 9:17
SH to OH: 10
800m run: 4:24
Pullups: 22

Paced the cardio a bit. Jerked all the SH to OHs.

Press PR!

PR: 77.5# Strict Press


Press: 45(10)-55(7)-60(3)-65-70-75-77.5
Metcon: 14min AMRAP of 6 C&J (95#, bm) / 10 v-ups / 6 bar burpees
5 rounds + 3 C&Js

I knew I had to retest my press after having hit a Press 5RM of 65# about a month ago. Here was my chance and I knew I had to nail 75#. It went up easier than expected so I gave 77.5# a shot. There was some struggling but in the end, I made it and was very excited that I hit another goal!
Decided to go 95# today. First time with a 95# overhead barbell movement in a WOD ever. It was tough. First 2.5 rounds were push jerks. Later rounds, I had to resort to split jerks. That may have been too much impact for my right knee which has been bothering me since. Foam roll, fish oil, stretching, and rest are much needed.

C&J PR!

PR: 130# C&J
PR: 135# jerk


Strength: C&J 1RM: 65-85-100-115-125-130(PR)-135F
From rack, Jerk 1RM: 135F-135(PR)

Metcon: 5 rounds of 15 push ups / 20 WB (14#, 10ft, rx) / 30 DU
17:44

Super excited about the C&J and jerk PRs! Not long ago, I wrote down my goal of a 125# C&J. I had struggled getting to 125# since the WCCF Meet more than a year ago (mostly failing the jerk). I failed a 130# squat clean 4x just two weeks ago! I didn't expect to see these PRs so soon but I'm happy! I did some snatch pull work last week which may have helped. Pull still needs work.
The jerk part was funny because I wasn't expecting to do it. After I failed my clean at 135#, Trey had me try the jerk from the rack since the racks were already out from other people using it. I failed the first 135# but he told me to try again. The second time, I had a more aggressive dip and drive and nailed the 135# to my surprise!
I suppose if I did add both oly lift PRs over the last week, I'd end up with an Oly Total of 210# (97.5kg) but I can't call it that because I didn't do it together. Would love to get to an Oly total of 100kg! Gotta get that 135# clean!
Metcon was horrendous... wall balls are probably at the top of my suck list because I am not good at the movement even though I am decent at squatting. I really think I need to practice breathing through those. Push ups ended up in 2s/3s but that was to be expected. DUs were aggravating my side shins a bit from all the jumping on Monday but I managed to get them unbroken in the last two rounds.

Love Friday WODs!

Strength: DL (Week 3)
5 reps @ 40% (90#)
5 reps @ 50% (115#)
3 reps @ 60% (135#)
5 reps @ 75% (170#)
3 reps @ 85% (190#)
1+ reps @ 95% (215#): 5 reps

Metcon: 4 rounds of 6 C&J (95# rx) and 40 DUs
10:29

Post: Muscle up transitions on rings with fat red band (got 1!)
4x5 ring dips with skinny red band

I love Friday WODs because I get to DL and then I get to do a WOD that I like. Last week was FS and box jumps. This week was C&Js and DUs. Maybe it's not a coincidence that these fall on DL days.
DLs felt good. I had one more on the last set but my grip gave out. In the metcon, the 95# did not actually feel that bad. I had a few ugly power cleans but when I remembered to drop a bit lower, they worked out. No squat cleans necessary. Jerks were also better than expected. All singles though. DUs were broken up on purpose to catch my breath.
JJ has been working on muscle up transitions lately so I gave it a go. I was surprised to get one but couldn't get any more despite subsequent attempts. I probably spent too much effort pressing out that ring dip. As a result, thought I needed some ring dip work too.

Crossfit Invictus!

Dropped in at Crossfit Invictus today during my stay in San Diego (for work).

Nice facility with a receptionist, large bathrooms with change rooms, and two coaches to a class: one takes care of the people doing the Fitness WOD and the other one, the Performance WOD. I think the Competition class is run elsewhere but in this space, there are about 5 groups of people doing 5 different things at any one time. It's nuts! All the evening classes (4:30/5:30/6:30) were packed! 15+ people each!
Got to meet CJ and chatted briefly. Also saw a modern gypsy (Taylor) while I was rolling out before the WOD but he disappeared before I got a chance to chat. Drop-in fee is $20, but first time is free.

Today's WOD
A.
Jerk 1RM
Warm up sets with bar
I don't remember my sets exactly so this is a guess:
68#(5)-83#(4)-103#(3)-118#(1)-123#fx2
3# off PR
The 123# jerk was so close. I lost it because I didn't keep my back and core tight. Good tips from Cody and Nicole to 1) rack higher / closer to neck, 2) dip straighter (but it was mostly good... should be fixed with higher rack), and 3) tighter core.

B.
For Max Reps:
3 Minutes of Box Jumps (rx 18″)
1 Minute of Rest
3 Minutes of KBS (rx 16 kg - swing to forehead level)
1 Minute of Rest
3 Minutes of Thrusters (rx was 83#, I used 73#)
80+75+13=168

I already knew that my thrusters were going to be awful but this was really awful. I scaled because I thought I could keep moving but after the first set of 3, I hit a few doubles before resorting to singles. I can't breathe during these things!

Lots of Olys

Day 6 at Sasquatch CF

30 Power Cleans at 65# (Rx)
800m run
30 Push Jerks at 65# (Rx)
800m run
30 Power Snatches at 55# (Rx was 65#)
21:48 (the time on the board is wrong... only noticed it after this got posted)

Post-WOD: Made up my own... 3x3 deadhang pullups with a skinny black band

PCs were 10-4-4-4-4-4. PJs started in sets of 5s, then 3s and 2s in the last 10. PS... I should have just fought through 65# in retrospect. I had 1 at 65# but wasn't sure I could pull off all 30 so I dropped the weight. Since I had a 45# bar, I had to use the metal 5# plates to get to 55# so I couldn't just drop the bar. Probably was harder on my back in the end.

DL 3RM PR

Day 4 at Sasquatch CF

Every Minute On The Minute for 16 minutes
2 C&Js at 75# (Rx)
# KBS at whatever round (1 in 1st min, 2 in 2nd min, etc)
Score is whatever round you get up to
Score: 14

Post-WOD: DL 3RM: 95-135-165-185-200(5# PR)

I like WODs like this. I just made the 14 round of KBS! All I could think of in each round was to not let go of the KB.
This box likes to program an RX weight and a beastmode weight. Beastmode in this WOD was 95# for women. I feel like back at CFC, the RX weight would have been the BM weight.
My 5# PR on the DL 3RM but last done in like September 2010.

8/30-9/4

Tuesday: 8 x 1:00/1:00r on C2: 237-240-239-240-240-240-241-243
Average pace was 2:05/500m at 32s/m. Looks like I paced a bit too much in the first round.

Wednesday's WOD
Metcon rx’ed: 18:18
First round of PUs were 10/5. Then some 5s in the second and third rounds but mostly singles. Fourth and fifth round runs were slow but tried to pose throughout and it felt okay. Popped blood blister about 3 PUs in the last round and tore hand another 2 PUs later. Last 10 PUs probably took 2 minutes... ugh. Thanks to Karen for suggesting deadhangs!

Friday's WOD
PC&J Int: 1×103# and then 2×93# to work on dip and jerk stance.
Smaller and more upright dip instead of trying to dip lower and end up folding forward. Back leg heel out for more stability. Stance has been a little narrow in the past as well.

Metcon at 80# and purple band: 7:01
Tried to get in sub 7 but couldn’t lock out the last two reps so I had to break. Unbroken FS on the 20 and 5 rounds but broke once on the rest.

Post – 4×8 JM Press with 5# DBs

Saturday: 2 hours of rock climbing at Vertical Endeavours
Sunday: 18 miles on the bike (9 miles one way) to the Chicago Botanic Garde

8/1-4

Monday's WOD
Snatch 6×2 at 63#
I can’t seem to chain these as I needed to reset my feet each time.

Metcon (subbed 20# DBs strict presses for HSPUs / 24″ box / 1 pood): 9:01
Sub due to wrist. Kept presses strict throughout. Left shoulder is weaker than my right… resulting in a bit of back arching. Quite happy that I managed to string some 24″ box jumps. KBS broken only once in the 4th round.

Post – Snatch Grip RDL 4 x 8 at 65#
Not 110% of snatch but had some trouble gripping the bar. Hamstrings could have handled more weight though.

Sweet! I got an article posted on the blog! Yay!

Wednesday's WOD
C&J 6×2 ish at 83#. Did a couple at 105#... felt good. Per Bryce, don’t pull/bend arms before bar hits upper mid thigh.

Metcon at 55# and regular pullups: 6:57
Blood blister on my right hand... every time!! :(

Post: tabata row max: 84, min: 78 (84-84-83-79-79-78-78-80)

WCCF Results!

All I need to do for next time is to up a weight class or get a 100kg Olympic Total ;)

Nice job, CFC ladies!


Women's Division:

48kg Class:
Laura Kocelko WCCF 37 - 50 - 87

53kg Class:
Kristen Athkinsaon WCCF 40 - 58 - 98
Tiffany Varney Crossfit Chicago 39 - 54 - 93

58kg Class:
Heather Refenes Chi-Town Crossfit 56 - 68 - 124
Kristen Eide Crossfit Fire 40 - 54 - 94
Laura Hammdorff WCCF 37 - 56 - 93
Donna Chung Crossfit Chicago 37 - 55 - 92
Amy Allegretti Crossfit Chicago 30 - 46 - 76
Sydney Groen Forreston HS 30 - 39 - 69

63kg Class:
Rachel Kellington Derby City Crossfit 37 - 54 - 91
Halley Brown Crossfit 312 35 - 53 - 88

69kg Class:
Jennifer Ismar WCCF 56 - 82 - 138
Alida Bray CF Arlington Heights 43 - 58 - 101
Jonina Hernandez WCCF 34 - 46 - 80
Holly Gingerich WCCF 32 - 45 - 77

75kg Class:
Elisabeth Akinwale Crossfit Chicago 64 - 80 - 144
Sammy Olson CF Arlington Heights 43 - 70 - 113
Amy Procarione CF Arlington Heights 49 - 62 - 111
Liz Glazer WCCF 30 - 45 - 75

75+kg Class:
Michelle Larson Crossfit 847 52 - 76 - 128
Laura Mode CF Arlington Heights 42 - 63 - 105
Gwen Chamberlin WCCF 41 - 56 - 97
Elizabeth Hipp WCCF 36 - 45 - 81
Stephanie Hoffmeyer Tri-Cities CF X - 57 - 57

WCCF Summer 2011 Weightlifting Meet

This was my first WCCF weightlifting meet and I'm proud to say that I've finally got one of these under my belt!

I'm happy to report that I PR'ed on both my lifts!

Snatch: 32kg(70#)-35kg(77#)-37kg(81#)
C&J: 50kg(110#)-55kg(121#)-57kg(125#)F

This was a really great experience as I now know how it feels to work through nerves in competition. Although I didn't really treat this like a competition for me, I think the nerves felt no different. Coming off of that first lift, I couldn't believe how much I was shaking from the adrenaline! It's true though that when you step on the platform, there really is no time to be nervous (didn't even have time to picture anyone in their undies haha) and you just do what you do. I was lucky to have Elisabeth, Tiffany, and Amy there to go through this with. I'm super lucky that JJ was there to support me too! Congrats all around, especially to Elisabeth for taking the whole thing!

C&J!

C&J day
Arguably one of my favourite lifts!
C&J 1RM: 120# (10# PR!)
Progression: 65-85-105-115-120f-120
Next time, try: 65-95-115-125-maybe 130. Need to work on FS at 130# and up.
Thanks for all the pointers from Alex, Bryce, Rudy, Val, and Kurt!
Clean:
Kurt's were especially helpful for me... set my glutes (which I think I always did but I made a conscious effort here) and open up hips by punching the floor through heels. Made a huge difference when I cleaned 120# after the first fail. I didn't think I could get under it but I trusted the pull by using more hips and it felt like a proper clean! Rudy pointed out that I needed to get those elbows through faster/higher which helped after I failed my first 120#. Elbows could still be higher. FS work needed!
Jerk:
Really happy to get under 120#. Gina was working behind me and I had some inspiration to commit to it like she commits to her lifts! Felt slightly lopsided (left arm locked out first) but stuck with it.
Bryce noted that I need to get that lift in my head before I approached the bar. I psyched myself out on one of the attempts.

Glad to get a feel for this so I can plan what to do over the next month before the WCCF weightlifting meet rolls around!

2 mile run: 18:10
Pretty slow. I could have gone a little faster in retrospect. It was really hot and felt like we had head wind almost the entire way but really didn't feel as bad as I expected!

4/11-4/15

Unbroken WOD
FS 3×5 at 100#. Based off of prior week's FS 1RM of 120#. I think I've built up back enough strength so that the 1RM has gone up but working with this and focus on activating glutes.

Metcon: DNF (4 rounds + 16 WB)
6 blue banded pullups (probably should have done all 10)
20 WB at 6# (unbroken but should have gone up to the 10#er and scaled the reps)
10 DUs (a mess… was shooting for 20).

Was really about going unbroken so I scaled it a bit too far. The DUs were just a mess this week and I never strung more than 10 together. This was quickly turning into a DU/burpee WOD as I had unimaginable trouble getting to a string of 10 in the FIRST round! Very uncharacteristic of me since I can actually string 30 DUs together fresh.
So what happened? I let the short rope get to me mentally. I wasn't jumping high enough, the cycles weren't the right rhythm and I just got really frustrated. So I bought a brand new rope and I can't wait to try it out.

Lots of burpees
4 Rounds of ring rows, 3 rounds of clapping knee push ups. Skipped 4th round due to skinned knees (a week later, the scab is STILL there and the left one keeps reopening... yuck).

Metcon: 17:57 at 55# (50% of squat clean 1RM), 16″ box
I was not looking forward this but goals were no DNF and no breaks on the burpees. Happy to achieve both so a nice small redemption from Monday. The row was better than expected too. Still feeling the shin muscle soreness here so I wasn't quite able to string them.

Max
BP 3×5: 55-60-65. I could have done more weight but I didn't really push it.

5 min of max cal row: 66
7 min to find max jerk: 105
Total: 171

This was so much more fun than I expected. I was pretty happy with the row. Jerk progression: 65-85-105-125(fx2). I have a fear of getting under the bar when the weight gets heavy. I pulled the 125 plenty high enough but I just couldn't get under it. JJ said I basically bailed before I gave the lock out a real shot. 125 is definitely possible. I just need to practice bailing the bar behind me or jerk the bar from behind my back more often.

Post – 20 ring dips with a red band. Shoulders were done.

I skipped 11.4 because I didn't really want to do more burpees oops. I do need to work on some OHSes though.

Open WOD 11.3

Reading everybody's post on the blog really inspired me to give this a shot rx'ed. 110# is a lot of weight for me, especially after my hiatus, and I just wasn't sure I could do it. Then, I looked up to see what I've done in the past
Squat clean PR: 115# (10/26/10)
C&J PR: 105# (10/26/10)
Jerk PR: 110# (9/28/10)

I know it's been a while but I've done it before and I've been back at CF for a month or so now and I've been feeling a little stronger. I thought... I could do this! I was giddy and nervous for a good chunk of the afternoon.

Open WOD 11.3
1 C&J and 1 clean!
After a 5 minute break, went at it again with 85#: 11 C&J and 1 clean

Yay for 5# PR! Huge thanks to JJ for coming to talk me through this and count for me. Also thanks to Bryce, Glenn, and Rudy for pointing out flaws with my form and also Val for sticking around to cheer me on. It felt great.
The thing is, I did another 4 squat cleans but never got another jerk. I failed because I was scared of dropping the bar on my head. But if I just believed that I could do it and throw it up with active shoulders and push my head forward, it would have worked out! I needed to get lower, I knew that much... but I definitely was jerking the bar plenty high enough.
Neck's a little stiff right now but I am really happy with the result. It was really encouraging when Bryce said to me, "If you think you can do this, I want you to try." You can't fight what you want to do!

Toast

Man, I'm sore. First two in a row again and I really felt that fatigue. I don't think my triceps have fully recovered from last week's push up WOD yet but they're finally not too painful to roll out with a lacrosse ball. Damn. Today, my traps are super sore from those super fast HPCs on Monday! Good thing I have my trusty lacrosse ball here at work with me!

Monday's WOD
BS 5RM: 120#
Metcon: 4:56 (40# HPC, 6# WB)

Apparently, the last time I have a recorded BS 5RM was from 8/24/09 at 105#. I'm not exactly sure how comparable it is. 120# was rough on the 5th rep but thanks to Val and Megan, I got through it. That Metcon sprint was fun but even at a 6# WB, I still hate that movement. The cool thing is that I felt like my cardio and muscle strength was around the same... they both fell apart around 3:30.

Tuesday's WOD
Deadhangs: 0/5/5/4/3 (0 was my attempt without a band. remaining with red)
HSPUs on box: 5/5/5/4/4

I have a DH but I really have to be fresh to be able to do one. I was nowhere near fresh though...

Metcon: 11:59 (Jerks at 55#, 1 pood KBS)
Post: 2x500m: 2:22/2:19

I walked into this WOD with super sore traps so the goal was not to put the bar down on the jerks so I wouldn't have to clean the damn thing again. Success! I really fought hard to not put the bar down in the last two rounds. Thanks to Kurt coaching my breathing, I was able to make it through but man, I couldn't help but take those hyperventilating breaths to match the speed of KBSes. Burpees were consistently slow but unbroken. Broken once on the KBSes at each of the last two rounds.

Traps feel destroyed this morning. If it wasn't for that, I'd totally come in to do WOD 11.2 with everyone else but given that and also with my triceps still recovering, I guess I should wait one more day.

C&J PR

Finally in a groove... diet is pretty paleo, minimal cheats, feeling strong in WODs...
I can't remember how long I've been eating paleo again but I like to not think about it. As long as it makes me feel good, that's really all I care about.
For the last month, I have been trying to avoid gluten, even in any cheat meals or unavoidable cheats. It's been a long time since I had a craft beer... I switched to red wine and NorCal margaritas. Just one bad cheat last weekend at a wedding where they had Molly's Cupcakes, so I'm feeling pretty good in general.

WOD-wise, I think my cardio is finally back but still need to get used to pushing past that muscle burn. Been feeling strong in the strength portion lately but still need to maintain awareness of things like a recovering hip and shoulder. I need to do more shoulder and mobility WODs more frequently.

I'm pretty happy about cleaning up my rack position since Rudy's article. I haven't smashed a bar into my collar bone/chest in a while and that's a real improvement. I think it helped me get my C&J PR (105#) and my squat clean PR (115#) even though it was a bit ugly (dropping elbows). Still have trouble bringing the bar back down from a Jerk. The 5x3 FS felt good at 103#... my last PR was 125#... I might be ready to try for it soon with appropriate hip warm up.

Catching up

Sunday:
Was supposed to go climbing today but I had a freak accident and bent back my big toe nail pretty bad on a vent cover. Yeah, crazy.
20 min row: 4,210m
Pace was anywhere from 2:15-2:30/500K. Not good...

Tuesday:
Clean/Burpee WOD
Shoulder to overhead: 110# split jerk from in front. PR!
I didn't really want to try the behind the back jerk since it would have meant a wider grip and I thought it would be easier on the shoulder to do a narrower grip.

Metcon @ 60#: 6:54
Burpees at a good pace with some focus on breathing. Quads burned a bit so that slowed me down on the cleans.

Post: 48 PUs on knees with elbows in. It's for the shoulder but even this was tough on it. Just not back at the strength I was before.

Post-post: 3x5 ring rows. Felt strong. Hoping to get in the pullup WOD tomorrow so I took it easy.

Fight Gone Light

Last WOD destroyed my quads for days. I'm only starting to walk like a normal person and ALMOST without pain today. That's messed up.

JJ and I went rock climbing on Sunday. Thought that would help get some blood in there. Though it didn't help, it didn't make it any worse either. I'm happy that I am seeing some improvement in my rock climbing technique. JJ bought a book and we're learning how to climb better. I can't wait to see how that improves.

Okay, finally felt decent enough to come in. Thought I'd make up Monday's but given the weather and that everyone else was doing the FGHeavy WOD, I guess I'll join in the fun but I went light myself to test out the movements.

Did I "test out" the Jerk with lighter weights? No. I felt no pain when I warmed up so I just went for it with Kerry, Karen, and Lauren.

Jerks 5-5-5: 55-75-85
First jerks since January when I hit a 1RM of 95#. Feels good to be back at it!

Metcon (35# SDHP/PP, 20″ BJ, 6# WB / 11′ target): 18:38

Fight Gone Light for me. I made sure to push as hard as I could given how light I went. Felt no pain on all the movements so that's a good sign. BJ rhythm just wasn't there today and I felt like I was hyperventilating on the WBs. Feels good to do the same WOD as everyone else!

Hopefully, shoulder won't get too sore over the next two days.

Kipping and more C&J

Kipping pull-up form:


Clean and (split) Jerk @ 95#: