Cindy 0800128

Pack
AMRAP 20
3 pull-ups
6 push-ups
9 squats

17 rounds. Same as last time dammit.
The pull-ups would have been faster if I could string two kips together. I ripped my hands up pretty good and they're stinging a bit now. What's that superglue thing you do? The kips got "lighter" toward the end, or at least a few did, so I think I still haven't been kipping properly. I've been very heavy on my hands until today, but on the "lighter" ones I wasn't heaving myself up, more of a flick if that makes sense. I'll pursue that now that I know about it.
Push-ups were hard. My form was good until it wasn't and then I rested. I'd say they are what hurt my result the most.
Squats felt good. 50 squats is a slog, 9 is not so bad. I didn't use my butt correctly on all of them, still grinding my hip a bit. I'll pay for that.

I'm happy with the work I did, but I really wanted the 20 rounds this time.

Skill day

I need to do some stretching, so I did 3 Sun Salutes and 3 thingummy B's, the sun salute type thing where you do like a samson stretch in the middle.
Hamstrings are still bowstring tight, but my shoulders are way flexible from OHS and similar movements

Nasty Girls 080125

Pack(ish)
3 Rounds
50 squats
10 Jumping muscle-ups
10 x 50kg Hang Power Cleans

20 minutes

Last time 7:50 for buttercups

Squats were better than in the past, but not startling. I went for a 5km walk with Lynette beforehand, so that may have contributed.

Jumping muscle-ups were infinitely better than last time, because last time was completely and utterly, hopelessly terrible. I could only get better. They were still more of a jumping dip than anything, but; I had a false grip for almost all reps, I kept the rings pretty close to my body, I pulled to the front first and then rotated out. The beginnings of the technique were there. I'd guesstimate at this rate of improvement I'll get a muscle-up in about, ooh, 2050.

Hang power cleans were good. Scraped my belt buckle a few times, so my worst sin, travelling the bar too far away from my body is diminishing. No idea if I bent my elbows too early. Started the first set with 60kg, which felt "OK" before I started, but after the other 2 exercises, it just wasn't going to happen, so 60kg changed to 50kg after 3 reps. Lost time because of that, but it was a more honest run at it that way.

Hot, very sweaty, no injuries I think, so happy. For now.

Snatch 080124

Half-assed squat snatches

22.5kg
22.5kg
22.5kg
22.5kg
22.5kg
22.5kg + 3 OHS
22.5kg + 3 OHS
22.5kg + 3 OHS

Attempted squat snatches, but only got low on the last couple and then it wasn't low low. I wasn't going to go up until I got a solid full squat snatch in.
Toward the end I added the 3 OHS straight after the snatch to practise the movement and that made it easier to drop into the bottom, or closer to it. I must remember to do that next time all the way through. I mean my first and second pulls are ugly, but it's the catch that I really suck at. I've got to practise being rock solid on the way into the bottom of the squat when the weight settles.

I'm never going to get these things without a coach

Skill day

Played

3 rounds for fun
20 12" box jumps
20 rope jumps
20 body rows

Nailed the rope jumps.
Got better extension on the box jumps which improved my accuracy. If you're jumping up off the box it's easier to control where you land than if you bounce back without hitting full extension.
Needed the body rows to work on my scapular retractors. I can feel my shoulders rounding as the lats, chest and shoulders get stronger.

On the last round of rope jumps I just jumped away until I blew a rep. Made it to 46, so I'm nearly back to easy 50s.

Only trouble is I'm still sweating an hour later. I hate hot weather. I absolutely hate it.

HSPU, L pull-ups, walking lunges 080121

Pack
AMRAP 15 minutes
5 HSPU - piked, feet at chest height
6 L pull-ups
9 walking lunges

7 + 5 HSPU
I knew I wasn't going to get another round, so I did a bit of HSPU practise.

Ohmigod the L pull-ups sucked!
I think one set of 3? The rest singles and doubles and some of those were pretty dodgy.

Skill day

Played on my brand new abmat!
Part of the package of stuff Laura shipped me. I bought some bits and pieces and got them delivered to her house, then she put them in one box and shipped them off. Saved me heaps on shipping.
I got:

• The Abmat
• An official bought in Ramona Brand X "Fit Happens" T-shirt
• A copy of "Starting Strength"
• An Eva T calendar - she's right where I can see her at work

See?

God and genetics were very good to that woman, and then she worked bloody hard and got even better.

• A can of pumpkin pie mix and a little bottle of pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie basically doesn't exist in NZ and I was intrigued that you could buy the ingredients pretty much ready made.
• Some really yummy peanut brittle. I'd never had that before either. If LauraR ever offers you any, take it!

Alright the abmat is deceptive. It feels like you're getting a good launch off it, but somewhere around the 15 rep mark it starts to bite like a bastard. Cool! What was absolutely brilliant was my back popping and click back into line, including some real big jolts as some knots I haven't been able to get out for quite a while popped back. My back feels easily a hundred times better than it did this morning. I've been hunched over and couldn't straighten up for a few weeks now. This is magic.
I'll see if it works every time or if I need to use the other back stretching tools I've developed sometimes and this other times.

Nancy 080119

5 rounds
2min 30s row
15 x 20kg OHS

23:40

Getting sick of having to row instead of run.
OHS were interesting. I taped myself to finally see what I'm doing and also tried some things I'd been working on with a PVC pipe. Really struggle to keep my shoulders active so I'm going to need to nurse my right shoulder as usual. Adding to that, when I keep a real tight arch there's far less load on my shoulders because my chest stays much more upright.
I'll be checking the tape to see if what I feel as a tight arch means my chest doesn't dip forward at all, so my arms don't have to travel behind my head at all, unloading my shoulders.
I see that as one of the "secrets" to Nicole Carrol's OHS. Her back is in a tight curve, so shoulder flexibility or lack thereof doesn't come into it for her. From the chest up her position doesn't change, so she might as well be standing there with the weight overhead as far as her ability to hold the weigh goes.
Trying to get to that stage myself.

Watched some of the tape as it streams to disk and I didn't succeed. I came close a few times, but I'm squatting way high and my weight is way forwards. More to work on.

Did some skill work (played)

12" Step ups
Skipping
12" Box Jumps
Skipping
12" Box jumps
Funnily enough the box jumps helped the skipping and vice versa, although I had no control on the last round of box jumps. Plenty of bounce, but no precision. I nearly jumped over the box once and had to jump off the far side instead of back where I started several times. Quite fun. It will be different when I get the 20" and 24" boxes together I'm sure.

Then
30 x 30kg front squats. I need to them back in the groove. I'm nearly there, but the low reps they appear as in the WODs aren't giving me time to embed the pattern in my memory. So I figured I'd just pound a few out.

Pull-up ladder 080113

7 rounds
The 8th took 1:40
All full pull-ups.

I tried a different "strategy" this time. Simply did the number of reps required for the round and then looked at my watch to see if I made it in the minute.
In the past I've been watching the clock and stopping at the minute mark when I couldn't complete the required number, and sometimes early when I knew I wasn't going to make the target if I'm to be honest.
This way didn't get me a better score, but it was a more honest workout.

And apparently the last time I did this I did 5 rounds of full pull-ups and another 5 of jumping.
Not so bad after all then.

Next time I'll put jumpers back on the end, unless I get this kipping business locked in.

Diane 080111

Nearly Pack
21-15-9
80kg Deadlift
Pike press-ups - feet about chest height

14:56

Deadlift form was not the best? Hard to tell without video. I'll be resting my back for a bit.
HSPUs varied from set to set. A mixture of 5, 6es and 3s. Sometimes knocked them out until I couldn't move and others I barely got one and then it got worse. Probably inconsistent body or hand positioning.

About the same time as before, but with 10kg more and much more ROM for the HSPUs.
Good.

So why do I feel like death warmed up?

Skill day

6.2km walk in a loop the long way to the supermarket and back

Back.
Hot.
Buggered.

Actually it's just my ankle that fits the last statement. I figure I need the walking to get it better. I think.

Michael 080109

Pack
Three rounds for time of:
5 min. rowing for 800m
35 x 20kg good mornings
35 Sit-ups

31:19

Lost some time getting the rower back to countdown timer mode after the kids have been playing with it. I should have re-started my stopwatch but I knew this one was going to be slow, so I figured what the heck.

First round of situps were way easy.
Second round were way hard.
Third round were closer to the first except for those last 5. Those were a tad arduous.

Should have gone as rx'ed with those same subs then worked on hauling my time in.

Skills day

I practised presses and body rows and some handstand work.

And I went for a 'round the block after dinner.

I couldn't pull of the negative HSPU again. I'm back to being scared of lowering to the ground. I couldn't even get to a headstand easily. I don't what was different the other day when I did it, but whatever it was, it's gone now. I think I'm a bit tired.

But that's enough for one day.
Michael tomorrow and I'll have to row the runs again I guess, dammit.

Front squats 070909

Right, to unequivocally prove that I have no right to be telling anyone how to front-squat I did:

40kg
40kg
40kg
45kg
45kg
47.5kg
47.5kg
50kg
50kg
52.5kg

First time with any weighted squats in any form for about 2 months I think

Better form than the last time I ran through front squats, but not as much better as I hoped. The curvature in my mid-spine was worse than usual today and I absolutely must work on that or I'll start to have lower back problems. My knees didn't wander in, but my weight came onto my toes a little more than I like

So I'm better than I was, just not as much better as I want to be, yet.
It will do, I suppose.

Skills Day

Jump rope.

My problems when I tried jump rope the other day may not have been the curse of Jeff Martin. I'd started jumping on the lawn instead of concrete because everyone says not to jump on hard surfaces.
Just to see what would happen I moved to the concrete and found I was knocking them out pretty well. Move back to grass, sucked again.
Apparently I don't have enough spring to cope with a deadening surface.

Velly intelesting!


Did something else too (besides sweating heaps, it's hot here!) but can't remember what it was.
Posting this on Friday to catch up.

I got a bit carried away with the power clean and did way more reps and sets than I was supposed to. I kept trying to get the exercise right.
Note to self the WOD is the WOD, practice lifts on practice days. Pillock.

So it wound up being:
40kg x 4
50kg x 3
60kg x 5
60kg x 4
60kg x 5
60kg x 3 + 1 really ugly extra.

I'm not unhappy overall because:
The weight is 7.5kg less than my heaviest hang power clean for a single and I haven't done anything like a power clean in months.
I don't do too badly until I get tired.
I know what keeping the bar close feels like because I caught the damn thing on my belt buckle twice. Getting a new belt to wear with those shorts. That and a less saggy gut will stop me wearing them old man style, somewhere near my armpits.

Not a total disaster. Now to make good lifts the rule rather than the exception.

You know, the way that 60kg felt I think I could have split jerked it. Grace as prescribed (slowest time in recorded history, but as Rx'ed) may happen sooner than I thought.
Warning
This video contains explicit views of legs that have not seen the light of day in many years. And most of the video runs at half speed so I can see what I'm doing, ie it's a tad boring.

Muscle-ups 080103

Puppies(ish):
For completion:
20 Jumping muscle ups
20 kippingish ring pull ups
20 jumping ring dips.

Could have timed me with a year planner.

The difference between my jumping muscle-ups and jumping ring dips was only visible to a bystander with exceptionally finely honed observational skills. Basically they'd have had to have been a mind reader because the only difference was what I called them in my head.

Good to see my dips and muscle-ups haven't lost anything over Christmas. Still completely pathetic.

The other day I was meditating/sitting under a tree thinking and I noticed a sturdy tree branch I can hang rings from that is high enough for me to raise them over my head, so I did all this out there. To the immense puzzlement and amusement of the kids. At least I can finally work on these suckers.
If I can find a section of the correct diameter pipe, I can make an "again faster" style pull-up bar and hang it from there and practise kipping pull-ups too. Gonzo told me how he made his and it's well within my abilities.

At least I did something.

Plyo-box building

Rediscovering hibernating carpentry skills and wishing for more tool, and some saw-horses. Sheets of plywood sitting on old PC cases I hadn't gotten around to throwing out are rough on the back to work on.
No time. And I haven't even finished one yet, but the next will be faster now that I have the dimensions and techniques to work around the lack of tools sorted out.

Kids are queuing up to try them.