11/29 Goodness Gracious!!!

Back squat 3x5
Standing press 3x5
Weighted pullup 3x5

Not much of note today, the usual Monday strength grind.  Everything's progressing nicely: back squat at 255#, press (finally on track) at 130#, and pullups at 45#, all for 3 sets of 5 across.   Power cleans and handstand pushup variations tomorrow.  Some conditioning too.
J

11/27 Stepbrothers and Applejacks



Rope climbs kill shoes

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10 for time:
Doubleunders
Situps

6:07.  Not my best.  Two flippin' seconds off my PR of 6:05.  The fact that doubleunders were broken just once, and situps just twice makes this particularly vexxing.  Not happy, and worse, not sure how to improve this.  Early this week I intend to give "Elizabeth" a go.  Maybe that'll wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
J

11/26 Shazam!!!

Deadlift 1x5
Weighted ring dip 3x5

4 Rounds for time:
6 Handstand pushups
2 Rope climbs 15'
12 Back extensions

Good to be back in the ClubHouse after yesterday's nutritional debauchery.  Yesterday I sat and ate for a solid two hours before staggering from the table, unbuckling my belt, and attempting to stay awake for another three hours of football.  Funny how a few pounds of turkey, more starch than I've had in a month, and a glass or three of a tasty chiraz will droop your eyelids.  This morning my knees were feeling the gluten and my head was feeling the chiraz.  Nothing like deadlifts and a little gut-wrenching metcon to get the blood flowing and shake out the cobwebs.
Went up 10# in the dead to 325#, again lifting and lowering slowly and deliberately, and regripping at the bottom to avoid any bounce.  Ring dips went up 5# to an even 40.  The metcon was fun.  HSPUs were unbroken until the final 2 reps.  The rope climbs went well also, though my grip and biceps were fatiguing badly by the last round.  Had to slow them down a bit in the interest of safety.  Also managed to completely destroy an old running shoe on the descent, to the point that I was starting to feel the heat from the friction of the rope on the bottom of my foot.  I threw the back extensions in just to get a bit more low back and hamstring volume in for the week.  These were unbroken.  Naturally.
Kirsten, a CrossFitter from St. Louis, dropped in to work out with the 10:30 group.  Super sweet gal with nothing but glowing things to say about the box and our community of athletes and trainers.  Great meeting you Kirsten.  Hope we see you again soon.
Afterward, I got an hour and a half of soft tissue work from Tina, our resident massage therapist.  Like a little miracle.  Left shoulder's feeling good and my sore heel's feeling the best it has in weeks.  Helluva good morning.
J

11/25 Thanksgiving

Front squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Ring row 3x max reps

A Happy Thanksgiving to all my brothers and sisters out there in CrossFit nation.  I'm thankful for a lot of things and a lot of people.  I'll not go into details or I'd be here for a week.
Front squats and bench presses are progressing just like they should be.  210# in the FS, 190# in the BP, for sets across.  I've become bored with strict pullups so I decided on ring rows today.  I set the height of the rings about 12" above the pads of my GHD, which I rested my feet on.  Reps went 16, 15, 14.
Deadlifts, weighted ring dips, and some conditioning tomorrow.  Oh, and some soft tissue work with Tina.  Yesssssssss...
J

11/23 That's My Nut F**ker!!!

Power clean 5x3
Ring dips, strict 3x max reps

3 Rounds for time:
50 Doubleunders
10 C2B pullups
10 Clapping pushups

Hit this little dilly around 8:30pm at the ClubHouse with Rick, one of our members.  My hopes weren't high, as sleep was crap again last night.  The bruised heel was feeling a little better, not to the point that I'm able to use my oly shoes, but good enough to add a little weight in the power clean from last week.  Warmed up with 135 and 155# and hit the sets across with 175#.  Kept the weight moving fast and form was good.  Ring dips went 13, 11, 14.  Need to warm up better before these.  For the 2nd week in a row, my best set was the last.  In the WOD, I had my sights set on sub-5:00.  I finished the 1st round completely unbroken, picked up my jumprope, and my forearms were just screamin'.  Last 2 sets of doubleunders were badly broken into 10s and 20s, though the pullups weren't really a challenge.  I dropped off the pullup bar in the 3rd round at 4:51 and limped through the final set of pushups to finish in 5:38.  It never fails to amaze me how doubleunders can wreck the movements that proceed them.  I've heard some (who most likely struggle with the movement, if they've even tried) say that they're just a skill, and don't offer much benefit over plain ol' jumping rope.  WRONG.  Totally different movement, with far greater demands on the shoulders, core, grip, lungs, and concentration.
Rest tomorrow.
J

11/22 Cherry Passion

Back squat 3x5
Standing press 3x5
Weighted pullup 3x5

Nothing too exciting here.  A troubling issue had me up much of the night.  Was unable to clear my head, much less find recuperative sleep, so energy was pretty shitty overall for most of the day.  Stuck with 250# in the squat since last week was such a crusher.  Felt much, much lighter today.  Also of note, I've started to use my oly shoes for back squats, which I've never done in the past, as well as using a lifting belt for my heaviest sets, something I haven't done since college.  Some argue that the use of a belt limits development of the core, but I would disagree.  I believe I have a very strong core to begin with, do lots of extra core work on top of the major lifts, and have recently read a couple of excellent articles highlighting the advantages of their use from both Westside Barbell and Justin over at '70s Big.  Worth checking out if you care to search for it.  Still trying to find the ideal starting weight in the press.  Last week went 135, 115, 125#, so I'd hoped 130# would work out for all 3 sets across.  My left shoulder had other plans.  Ended up going 130, 125, 125#.  Maybe next week.  Weighted pullups went well, pretty easy at 40#.  I do these strict, on rings, starting in a pronated grip, finishing in a supinated grip.
Hopefully get some work done this week on my shoulder and still-troublesome bruised heel.  We have an excellent sports massage therapist at CFWC who is also a L1 certified trainer.  More on that later.
J

11/20 Whispers and Giggles

Complete as many rounds as possible in 8:00:
4 Handstand pushups
8 American kettlebell swings 70# (scaled up from 53#)
12 Anchored situps

Wrapped up our latest Paleo Challenge at CFWC this morning.  This was the benchmark WOD for the challenge and I was able to jump in with the group.  This is the 3rd iteration of this WOD (which is a scaled version of one from the '09 CrossFit Games) I've performed.  The 1st was with 70# and GHD situps (6 rounds and change), the 2nd, at the Paleo Challenge kick-off (9 rounds and change on 9/11) with 53# and like today, anchored situps.  Today, I managed 8 rounds+12.  HSPUs weren't bad, situps were fast, but as usual, that bigass kettlebell was just a bitch.  Breaks my heart every time.  The next natural step, of course, is to do the full, unscaled CFG version: parallette HSPUs, 70# KBSs, and GHD situps.  Have to give it a go in the next few weeks.
J

11/19 I was just about to...OOPS!

Weighted ring dip 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

I have no idea what my max in the ring dip is, so I rolled with 35#.  That's what I started the pullup with earlier in the week, and I know from experience that my pullup and dip numbers are similar.  Not too bad, a good weight to start with.  For the deadlift I used a bit over 80% of 1RM, 315#.  Lifted the weight very deliberately to avoid bouncing and to build tension.  Re-gripped the bar between each rep, which made it way tougher.
Maybe some conditioning in the evening but probably not.  My abs are still crushed from the sledgehammer extravaganza on Tuesday.  Definitely some conditioning tomorrow.
J

11/18 Like Screaming at a Tree

Front squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Pullup 3x max reps, strict

Continued the 1st week of sets across with front squats and bench presses.  Again, with 75% of 1RM, which broke down to 205# in the front squat and 185# in the bench.  Front squat sucked but they always suck=).  Bench press was with a close grip, hands just outside the smooth part of the bar.  Weights were just about right on both.  The pullups were the toughest part of the session.  It's just a mental grind to hold on to that bar and churn out rep after sloooooow rep.  Sets went 15, 14, 11.
Deadlifts and heavy ring dips tomorrow.  Maybe some conditioning.
J

11/16 Hookgrips and Tictacs

AM                                                                             

Power clean 5x3
Ring dip 3x max reps

PM
For time:

CFWC: No shirt, no shoes, no problem


21 Sledgehammer strikes (21R/21L) 12#
5 Tire flips
15 Sledgehammer strikes (15R/15L) 8#
5 Tire flips
9 Sledgehammer strikes (9R/9L) 12#
5 Tire flips

Still dealing with the bruised heel.  Due to this, I had to wear running shoes and go fairly light on the power cleans.  Weightlifting shoes, my preference for most movements these days, would've only exacerbated the injury.  Used 155# and kept the heel stomping to a minimum.  Felt OK.  The weight moved fast at any rate.  The ring dips were unweighted, strict with no kip and a full, deep range of motion.  My biceps touched the rings at the bottom and elbows were locked out fully at the top.  Numbers went 12, 11, 15.  Don't know where the 15 came from.  Must not have been fully warmed up for the 1st two sets.
Hit a quick and dirty metcon after coaching the 6:15.  Don't know how heavy our tractor tire is.  Suffice to say it's HEAVY.  Feels a lot like 275-300# in the DL.  Finished unbroken in 3:15 and then sucked serious wind for a good 5 minutes after.  The nice thing about tire flips is when you're done, there's a nice comfy place to sit.
My training template for the foreseeable future will look like this:
M: Back squat 3x5, press 3x5, weighted pullup 3x5
T: Power clean 5x3, ring dip, unweighted 3x max reps, conditioning
W: Rest
Th: Front squat 3x5, bench press 3x5, pullup, unweighted 3x max reps
F: Deadlift 1x5, weighted ring dip 3x5, conditioning
Sa: Conditioning
Notes: 3x5 means 3 sets of 5 reps, at the same weight for all 3 sets.  Loading increases 5-10# per week, depending on the movement.  I'm starting the loading at about 65-75% of 1RM.  Ring dips will occasionally be replaced by HSPUs on Tuesday, likely with extended range of motion.  Conditioning could consist of the CFWC WOD, CrossFit Endurance, or whatever bitch of a weakness I feel needs to be addressed that week.  Rowing and/or running could figure heavily into the equation.
J

11/15 Cupcakes and Lollipops

Back squat 3x5
Standing press 3x5
Weighted pullup 3x5

Found a little time to squeek in some strength work between classes.  Decided to use sets across to get a bit more volume.  I tend to gain strength faster when strength gains are accompanied by hypertrophy, or muscle gain.  This was the case for me last winter during the best cycle of my life.  So, back to the basics.  Squat, push, pull.  Doesn't get any more basic.  Used 250# in the squat, 125# in the press, 35# in the pullup.  Squats were a bit ambitious, given what a wimp I am about squatting.  Will use this weight again next week.  Presses and pullups were about right, if not a bit on the light side.  Looking forward to some big gains on this programming again.
J

11/13 Fundraiser for St. Judes at CFNA

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:                 
30 Jump-and-touches, 18" above reach
12 Burpees
2 Seated tire drags (55#), 20'
12 Broad jumps, 6' minimum

CFWC divided forces this morning, CK escorting a group to the Gobble Hobble 10K run, while I ran the usual 9am WOD and then took a small group over to CrossFit of Naperville for a fundraiser benefitting St. Judes Children's Hospital.  In all, Jake, Bob, Tina, Randall, Randall's parents, and I made the short trip over to CFNA.  Bob had decided beforehand to compete in the WOD, while the others were going to donate and lend support to a great cause.  I was less than enthused about the WOD, as I'm nursing a bruised heel, and essentially jumping for 15 minutes did not seem like the best therapy for such a malady.  But, as everyone said would happen (rolling their eyes, I might add), as soon as I entered the facility and felt the competitive energy, the gauntlet was cast.
   Unfortunately, Jake, Randall, and his folks had to bounce before Bob's and my heat came up, but Tina stayed to cheer us on and keep score for us.  My hope was for 7 rounds, as the best score to that point was 6.  Our heat was full of TALL guys.  Read: good at jumping.  So I tried to do what I always do: set a blistering pace and dare everyone else to keep up.
   The burpees, as one should have expected, slowed things way down after a few rounds.  The tire pull was a cool, different movement that I enjoyed.  Unfortunately, completing only 2 of them wasn't enough recovery from the jumping movements to keep a high pace, nor was it enough to allow someone strong in that movement to distance themselves from the tall jumpy guys.  The broad jumps weren't particularly taxing, but were a slow movement (jump, turn around, jump, turn around...), and they weren't kind to my sore heel.  When all was said and done, I'd completed 6 rounds, 30 jump-and-touches, and 1 stinkin' burpee, which was good enough for 1st place, though not by much.  Bob gave it hell and came in just a bit behind that.  More importantly, we had both decided before the WOD that we would hold ourselves to the strictest standards of range-of-motion, as is customary at CFWC.  We both walked away knowing that every rep we performed was legit.
   Afterward, the 3 of us enjoyed some unPaleo treats from Buffalo Wild Wings, one of the fundraiser's sponsors, and a few adult beverages, soaking up the CF community love. 
   Our group over at the Gobble Hobble repped CFWC in solid fashion as well, turning in a number of 50ish minute 10Ks in decidedly less than ideal weather (cold, rainy and overall shitty).  Details on that can be found at crossfitwillcounty.com
Not a bad day
J



11/10 :O :O :O

3 Rounds for time:
30 American kettlebell swings 55#
25 Wallballs 20#
20 Pullups

Hadn't seen a time on the board below 12:00 for this.  I really thought when I programmed it that 10:00 was doable by much of our membership.  So I gave it a go.  Kettlebell swings weren't too bad.  Grip became an issue later in the WOD.  Pullups were fine as well; managed all 3 sets without coming off the bar.  Wallballs, however were a different story.  First set was unbroken, but it just got ugly from there.  The plan was 3:00 per round, for a time of 9ish minutes, but the wheels just fell off the cart with the wallballs.  When it was all said and done the clock read 9:38.  Not too bad but not sensational either.  Lots of work to do.
J

11/8 !!! !!! !!!

DE Standing press 8x3 on the minute, 50%1RM
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes:
3 HSPUs
5 Burpees
7 C2B Pullups

Used 85# in the press.  Focused on full body tensioning which increased the speed of the bar dramatically. 
For the WOD, I used a pair of 25# bumpers under my hands to increase the range of motion in the HSPU.  This slowed the whole operation way down.  I was on pace for 10-11 rounds after 3 but the HSPUs caught up with me in a major way.  Was fortunate to walk away with 7 full rounds plus 3 HSPUs.  Yesss!  Yet another glaring weakness to focus on.
J

11/4-11/5 Catch Up (Ketchup?)

11/4
Max effort bench press 5-2-2-1-1-1

The 3 reps over 90%1RM were 225, 235, 240#.  240 was a modest 5# PR.  Skipped the assistance work because I knew what today's WOD was and I wanted to hit it in the morning with the 9:30 crew.  Which brings us to...

11/5
"The Air Force WOD"
For time: (with 95# barbell)
20 Thrusters
20 SDLHPs
20 Push jerks
20 OHSs
20 Front squats
*Every minute on the minute (including the 1st minute) perform 4 burpees

This was WOD 1 from the CrossFit Games Midwest Sectional Qualifier from last year.  The one I should have entered and regretfully didn't.  Unfortunately, as much as I was looking forward to doing this WOD and seeing how I might have faired, I woke up feeling pretty gosh darned crappy.  My little boys have had me up the past 2 nights and something I ate yesterday didn't quite agree with me.  But you just never know so I rolled into the Clubhouse to give it hell anyway.  Got through the thrusters and a handful of SDLHPs in the 1st minute, the remainder of the SDLHPs and a few push jerks in the 2nd, the rest of the push jerks and 3 OHSs in the 3rd, and then the wheels fell off the cart.  The OHSs were slowwwww...Up to this point I'd been on pace for my goal of a sub-5:00 time.  Shoulders were smoked and the legs were starting to feel Wednesday's triple dilly all over again.  Thankfully, I was still able to nearly finish the OHSs before the minute was up, leaving only 3 OHSs and the 20 front squats to finish in the 6th minute.  And I needed every second.  Just as CK was about to call for burpees I finished my last front squat and called time.  5:57 was about a minute slower than I'd hoped for but it would have been good enough for 7th place at the sectional.  Which is nice to know on a day when you're not your best.  I was wrecked pretty good afterward, but felt much better after staring at the bottom of the puke bucket for a few minutes=)
Hopefully I'll have time a little later to squeeze in DE deadlifts in the garage, and stay on schedule with the Westside template.
J

11/3 Klibbus!!!

Triple dilly today

A. 12-9-6 for time:
Row (cals)
Thruster 95#

B. 12-9-6 for time:
Deadlift 225#
Burpee

C. 12-9-6 for time:
Hang power clean 95#
C2B Pullup

Worked out with the 7:15 group.  Wasn't sure I was going to, but Jenny's brother Ryan was there (stud), so I thought I'd give it a holler.  After WOD A (2:30) my legs pooled up with lactic acid from yesterday's ME lower body work, which was super pleasant.  WOD B (2:08) felt slow but was unbroken.  In WOD C (2:14), the power cleans were easy and fast.  Was able to muscle clean each rep.  The C2B pullups were another story.  Usually a big strength for me, every set was broken, the 2nd two badly.  What wasn't apparent at the outset of the WOD was that each couplet had a significant pulling element and grip requirement.  Of course, it all added up at the end.  I'm thankful that I opted to row 1st rather than last which was my 1st choice.  Afterward my head pounded every time I attempted to stand, for at least 20 minutes.  Probably atributable to undereating during the day.  Good, brutal, burner of a WOD.
J

11/2 DE Bench/ME Dead

AM
DE Close-grip bench press 12x2, 45s rest
Skull crushers 10-10-10
Ring row 12-12-12

PM
ME Deadlift 5-3-2-2-1-1-1
Weighted hip extension 10-10-10
Glute-ham situp 20-20-20

Had to double up today since I was lazy yesterday.  Used 155# in the bench, 45# for the 'crushers, and did the ring rows on a box approximately 12" below the bottom of the rings.  Stopped sets when I could no longer pull the rings to my chest.
After coaching in the evening I hit the deadlifts.  90% of my 1RM in the deadlift is 345#.  The goal was 3 reps at or above that poundage.  Weights for final 3 singles were 345-365-375#.  Used a 25# plate for the hip extensions.  All GHD situps were unbroken.
May rest tomorrow, may hit a quick metcon.
J

11/1 Westside Barbell tutorial

So we're starting a new training template based on the programming of Westside Barbell of Columbus, Ohio.  Westside is world renown for producing some of the strongest athletes anywhere.  Like 800# squat strong.  I'll do my best to explain the nuts and bolts here without getting too technical.
First, the conjugate method.  Every week there will be dynamic effort (DE) and max effort (ME) training days for both the upper and lower body.  The schedule for the near future will look like this:
M- DE upper body
T- ME lower body
W- skills and longer conditioning
Th- ME upper body
F- DE lower body
Sa- business as usual
DE days will feature small percentages of 1RM moved through a range of motion as quickly as possible, with very short rest periods.  Again, the focus is on moving explosively.  ME days will utilize high percentages of 1RM.  It is NOT neccesary to hit a come-to-Jesus 1RM every time out.  Instead, the goal will be to to hit 3 reps at or above 90% of 1RM.  Of course, there will be strong days when you may hit a new max.  Awesome.  But understand that that isn't always the goal.  Rest as needed.  One of the great benefits of the conjugate method is maximized recovery, so you won't feel so smashed late in the week.  The plan for the moment is to rotate the movements on DE and ME days every 2 weeks, further maximizing recovery.
Assistance work.  The Westside method requires the use of accessory movements to support the DE and ME movements, and balance the overall strength development.  Muscle groups assistant to the upper body include the delts, triceps, lats, and upper back.  For the lower, the quads, erectors, hamstrings, and of course, the core. These movements will be programmed for the most part into the WOD, and occasionally the cash out.  Today's WOD is a good example:

Standing press 8x3 on the minute, 50%1RM
----------
Complete as many rounds as possible in 8 minutes:
8 Bent-over rows 135/85#
8 Diamond pushups
20 Doubleunders
----------
Cash out: Handstand shrugs 3x10

Dynamic effort in the press (DE upper body).  The WOD takes care of the lats (bent-over rows) and triceps (diamond pushup).  The cash out hits the traps/upper back, while allowing for some skill development in the handstand.  The entirety of the WOD takes it easy on the legs in preparation for tomorrow's ME lower body day.
Hope this is helpful
J