Tuesday, March 31, 2015

3/30/2015 (15.5- Second attempt)

AM
10:00 airdyne very easy
+
10:00 thruster mobility prep
+
10 sets:
:30 airdyne @high aerobic effort
:30 rest

PM
15.5 re-do

AM
complete
+
complete
+
complete

PM
9:51 (0:10 faster than Friday)


Going into this workout today, I was pretty nervous. I was dreading it because I knew how bad it was going to hurt and I knew I was going to have to experience that same pain again. I didn't want to go through all of it and do worse. Luckily, that didn't happen. I stuck with the plan and shaved off 10 seconds from my previous time.

I decided to break up the thrusters differently this time. On Friday I broke them up 12/9/6, 9/7/5, 7/4/4 then unbroken. Today I went 9/9/9, 7/7/7, 5/5/5 and then did all 9 unbroken for the last set. I think that was a much better plan for me mentally, the sets didn't seem as big so I just kept thinking "okay I just have to do 7, I can do 7." I kept the row at the exact same pace as Friday, 975-1000 cal/hour. During the 27 cal row I couldn't find a steady pace, it was all over the place and that made me nervous. I thought the workout was already going downhill, but I was able to control it more on the other sets. 

There was still a point in this workout where I wanted to stop. I sat down on the rower for the set of 15 calories and had an inner dialogue with myself as I was rowing. I thought about how even though I was redoing this workout, I most likely wouldn't contribute a score because Heather was smashing it, so why was I even doing it? I thought about how angry I would be if I did worse than my time on Friday. There was a moment where I was just angry at the world in general for no reason other than the fact that I was in a lot of pain. Then my dad said "I believe in you" and that pushed me to keep going. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry because I really needed it at that exact moment. So I pushed the negative thoughts out of my head, decided to quit being a little bitch, and kept going.

I ended up going :10 faster than Friday. To some people that might not seem like a huge improvement, but I'm happy with it. I gave it everything I had. I definitely recovered faster than I did the first time, probably because my body wasn't in complete shock. It still hurt like hell and laid me out on the ground for several minutes after I was done. I really think I gave it my best effort. The Open was fun but I'm ready to get back to normal training! 


All smiles because WE'RE DONE!!!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

3/28/2015

For 15:00
1st minute: :30 row easy
2nd minute: :30 airdyne easy
3rd minute: 3-5 strict fat bar pull ups
+
Not for time:
20 alternating KB turkish get ups
+
1 set:
:60 airdyne increasing effort every :15 so that last :15 is all out

complete
5 pull ups each set
+
complete w/35# KB
+
complete


I was glad today was on the lighter side, I felt really exhausted and sore from 15.5. I enjoyed the EMOM, the strict pull ups were super easy. 

TGUs took forever. The 35# KB felt liked it weight 100 pounds today.

I did the airdyne sprint on Augustus since Betty was being used, it was fine until I reach the last :15 and went all out, then the pedal started catching and it slowed me down a bit. Next time I'll just wait until Betty is available. 

3/27/2015 (15.5- First attempt)

15.5
+
10:00 airdyne @Z1
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

15.5- 10:01
+
complete
+
complete


There are no words to describe how bad 15.5 felt. Holy shit. That was fucking terrible. 

When this one was announced, I was pretty indifferent. I knew it was going to hurt but I didn't think it would hurt THAT badly. This one isn't super great for me, I'm not a huge fan of thrusters. Stephen and I decided that my game plan was to keep the calories between 975-1000 cal/hour on the row and break up the thrusters 12/9/6, 9/7/5, 8/7 and then go unbroken on the last set. On the 27 and 21 calories I was able to hold my pace but on 15 and 9 it definitely slowed down. It wasn't a drastic change but it was slower than my goal pace. I was able to stick with the plan on the thrusters for the 27 and 21, but once I got to the set of 15 I hit a wall. I broke them up 7/4/4 and I was resting way too much between sets. I definitely need to cut down rest time between sets when I redo it on Monday. The last set of 9 thrusters felt like the walls were closing in and my body was going to explode. It was so awful.

This is the most painful workout I've done in a very long time, I think the only other workout that compares to this one is the OPT row/KB/burpee test. It took me a solid hour to recover. Jesus. I figured I would end up around 10:00 but Stephen said I need to be faster than that. When I redo it on Monday I'm not going to change anything on the row, but I'm going to break up the thrusters 9/9/9, 7/7/7, 5/5/5 and go unbroken on the last 9. I also need to rest less between sets of thrusters. I'm dreading doing this workout again. On the plus side, I know how painful it is so I know what to expect. On the down side, since I do know how bad it's going to feel I'm afraid I won't want to push as hard. But I'm just going to have to go there again.


Trying to process what just happened





3/26/2015

20:00 airdyne very easy
+
10:00 mobility work 

complete

Thursday, March 26, 2015

3/25/2015

AM
3 sets @easy pace
2:00 ski erg
2:00 airdyne
2:00 row
2:00 airdyne

PM
A. Thruster gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @65 and adding 10 every :60
+
For time @95%
30 thrusters, 65
30 bar-facing burpees
+
2:00 rest
+
For reps:
:60 alternating pistols
:60 row calories @95%

AM
complete

PM
A.165 (175 F)
+
3:38
+
24 pistols
16 calories


The thruster gauntlet was fun, I always enjoy a good gauntlet. Everything felt really good, 165 ties my PR and was very easy. I thought I had 175 for a split second but I wasn't able to press it out. I think I could have hit 170 for sure but I wanted to stick to the program and go up by 10 pounds. The PR will happen another day!

The thruster/burpee workout was not as terrible as I thought it would be. At first I thought the thrusters were going to be the shitty part but the burpees actually ended up being the worst part for sure. The thrusters weren't that bad, 30 is just enough to be able to go unbroken before it really starts to get painful. I went way too slow on the burpees, I started out at a pretty steady pace but I slowed down a lot. As I was doing the burpees I thought to myself "I feel like I'm going really slow" but I felt like I couldnt' move any faster. I also hate wearing my lifting shoes doing burpees because it makes my feet feel like they weigh 500 pounds but I had to wear them for the pistols. I definitely should have pushed it more on the burpees. 

My legs were pretty tired on the pistols, I was hoping to get closer to 30 reps. Stephen said they looked faster than usual so that's good. I still have to hold my leg when I go down on the left foot, I need to break that habit because it's slowing me down. The row sucked so much. I think I did a total of :45 of rowing after transition time/pulling down my knee sleeves. It hurt real bad, my legs were fried. I wish I would have performed better today. 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

3/24/2015

3 rounds not for time:
10 strict pull ups
:30 L-sit accumulation
+
3000m row @Z1
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

complete
+
complete
+
complete


Usually in my blog I write about how the workout or training day made me feel (plus the occasional recap). Today, I want to write about my feelings in general. It's the last week of the Open and the stress is starting to hit me. This pressure is coming from no one but myself. So far, the Open has been surprisingly fun and stress-free. Everyone has pushed really hard but has kept an extremely positive attitude the entire time. Going into the Open this year, we knew we would have to work hard for a spot at regionals, and that's what we're doing. We're all working really hard and it has been awesome to be part of this dedicated community. 

A few of us were chatting with Stephen today about what the last workout could possibly be (30 bar muscle ups for time? Just kidding, I wish). It was mentioned that the female scores this year on our team are just not as strong as the men's scores, and it's true. This is not to say that our females haven't been working hard and kicking ass, because we have. But the men this year are just on another level, and our female scores haven't always matched the male scores through the Open. This is not really news to anyone, it's just a fact.

Once we went about our business, there was an offhand comment made to me suggesting the conversation we just had about the level of the female scores was meant to be directed at me. I'm not sure if it was a joke or not, but it bothered me the entire rest of my training session. I was already feeling pretty deflated about my poor performance on 15.4 yesterday, and whether it was meant as a joke or not, it made me feel pretty bad. I thought about it the rest of the night, and it caused me to reflect on my performance through these past four weeks. 

I'm very proud of what I've done during this Open season. This is without a doubt the best I have ever performed in the Open. I want CSC to send a team to regionals just as badly as everyone else, and regardless of the outcome I'm still proud of myself and I'm also very proud of every athlete at CSC. If we don't make it to regionals, it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. I watched Austin and Alex do pull ups until their hands were bleeding, I watched Eric completely crush 15.3, and there was a handful of us who repeated 15.4 three times. If CSC doesn't make it to regionals, it's not anyone's fault and there's no one to blame. We have all pushed ourselves extremely hard and will continue to do so during the final stretch. 

This was a catalyst for me to reflect on the past few weeks. We have one week left and I couldn't be more proud of myself and all my friends. Stephen has done an excellent job of preparing us and coaching us through every workout. We have all supported each other and cheered for each other and I'm thankful to be part of this group of athletes. 

3/23/2015 (15.4- Third attempt)

AM
30:00 airdyne @Z1

PM
A. 1 power clean + 1 front squat, build quickly to a single @165
+
15.4 re-do re-do
+
2 sets for even times:
25 row cals
20 box jumps, 20
15 burpees
10 alternating pistols
5 thrusters, 85
5:00 walk rest

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
+
DNF, Stephen put me out of my misery with one minute left
+
3:55
3:44
I forgot to do the box jumps. I am just realizing this now. Add it to the list of fails for the day.


Today was the literal worst. When Stephen asked me if I thought I had a few more reps in me for 15.4 for a third attempt, I wasn't sure. I honestly thought my attempt on Saturday was close to a max effort, but I was willing to try a third time to possibly get a few more HSPUs at the end. It did not happen. Here is how I felt on Saturday during 15.4:




This is how I felt on Monday during 15.4:

The third attempt was just so awful. Everything felt terrible. While I was warming up I thought I would be fine. My arms were sore but they were also really sore on Saturday as well and I ended up doing just fine. It was when I started the second set of 6 power cleans I knew I was done. I hesitated a bit too long before one of the cleans and I knew I wasn't going to beat my score from Saturday. I was too tired. I went to doubles on the HSPU pretty early but I was resting for a really long time between sets and every set was really hard. I wasn't pushing the rest at all, I would stand there until Stephen told me to go. My arms had nothing left on the handstand push ups. The whole thing was just terrible. Stephen stopped me with a minute left (I think). There was just no way I was going to beat my score from Saturday. It was a pretty demoralizing feeling, I don't think I've ever had to stop during a workout like that, but I was also relieved. I would have liked to get a few more reps but now I know Saturday was a max effort. 

The two sets for even times were pretty slow, I was just really drained at this point. I tried to stay pretty steady on the burpees but my pistols slowed me down, I kept losing my balance on the first set. Also, I completely forgot the box jumps. I just forgot to do them. I was so out of it after 15.4. Sorry Stephen, I failed multiple times today. Thrusters were pretty easy, I wouldn't mind seeing heavy thrusters in the last workout. 

I think I might need to start taking some sort of supplement before/after my workouts. For the past few weeks, I've felt completely drained and exhausted immediately after I'm done training. My eyes get really heavy and I feel out of it. I'm not really sure why, my diet/sleep has been the same. I'm not sure if it's being tired from the open or something else, but I've had no energy after my training sessions lately.  

Saturday, March 21, 2015

3/21/2015 (15.4-Second attempt)

15.4 redo

91 (+11 reps from yesterday) 


Wow, today was so awesome. The 15.4 redo went so much better than I thought it would. I actually didn't think I would do much better today, as I was warming up I was feeling very tired and lethargic. My two goals were to get back to the cleans after the set of 18 HSPU and to not get no-repped. I talked to Stephen before I started and we decided I should go to sets of two earlier in the workout since yesterday I was taking too much rest between sets of three. I stuck with threes for the set of 3 and 6, then did a set of 3 then all doubles for the rest of the workout. I actually felt a lot better than I did yesterday. My shoulders didn't fatigue as quickly, probably because I was doing smaller sets. I only had one no-rep, so that's good. Once I made it through the 18 HSPU, I had to go HAM on the 6 cleans. Stephen told me to just do them all touch and go, so that's what I did. I finished the cleans with 9 seconds left and I was able to knock out 1 handstand push up before time ran out. I was so happy with this! 11 more reps from yesterday and I also felt better physically throughout the entire workout. I really think this was a max effort, I know I will most likely redo this on Monday but I'm not really sure where I can pick up any reps. This one felt like 15.3, everything went according to plan. I would be okay with not doing this again on Monday but I will if Stephen tells me to. Very happy with my performance today! Afterwards, I went to Mazunte with my buds then came back and did some mobility since I didn't have time after I was finished with the workout. Neck and lower back are pretty sore. Great day in the gym! 

3/20/2015 (15.4- First attempt)

15.4
+
3 sets:
:30 airdyne hard
4:30 walk rest
+
sets of 3 HSPU
+
10:00 mobility 

15.4- 80
+
complete
+
complete
+
complete


15.4 was tougher than I thought it would be. I started out at a good pace, I was sticking to sets of 3 HSPU and doing all singles for the cleans. During the set of 15 HSPU I started hitting a wall. My shoulders were really tired and the sets of 3 were getting slower and slower. I was resting too long between sets so I switched to doubles. I managed to get through the set of 15, and during the set of 18 was when the no-reps started happening. I probably got no-repped about 6 times, my toes were too pointed and my  feet weren't all the way over the line. I was getting more and more frustrated with each no-rep because it was so much wasted energy. The 8:00 flew by, when Stephen said I had 2:00 left I started to panic. When time ran out, I was 4 HSPU short of finishing the round of 18. I was mostly just disappointed with myself on all my no-reps, I wasn't being deliberate with my feet and I came off the wall too early on a few of them. Not super happy with this score, will redo tomorrow and most likely Monday.  

3/19/2015

5 sets:
3:00 airdyne very easy
3:00 mobility work of choice 

complete

Thursday, March 19, 2015

3/18/2015

AM
3 sets @ easy pace:
2:00 ski erg
2:00 airdyne
2:00 row
2:00 airdyne

PM
A. 6 deadlifts + 4 hang power cleans + 2 shoulder to overhead, 3x1 @105-115-125; 2:00 rest
+
AMRAP in 3:00
10 power cleans, 85
10 handstand push ups
10 power cleans, 105
10 handstand push ups
10 power cleans, 125
max handstand push ups
+
2:00 rest
+
For time:
20 burpees w/2-hand touch to 6" target

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
+
49 reps
+
:53


I really enjoyed the deadlift/hang clean complex, each weight was extremely easy and they all felt the same. Hang cleans were pretty fast, I would have liked to go a bit heavier on this. 

The AMRAP was very deceiving, I thought I was definitely going to make it to the final set of handstand push ups. The first 10 cleans were very easy and fast, same with the first set of handstand push ups. The set of cleans at 105 felt like it was 135, I was shocked at how heavy it was. I was able to do them all unbroken but it was tough. I had to break up the second set of handstand push ups 6/4, those were rough. The final set of cleans were all singles. When I first saw this workout I thought I would be able to do everything unbroken. IDIOT. This was a tough one. 

I definitely started out too slow on the burpees, I was still breathing hard from the AMRAP. Around the 10th rep I heard Stephen tell me to speed it up so I turned it up to the pace I SHOULD have been going from the very beginning. I lost that pace around the 18th burpee, the last two were on the slow side. Meh. This should have been better. Burpees are coming up in this Open this week, I can feel it in the air. 


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

3/17/2015

3000m row @Z1
+
3 rounds not for time:
10 strict pull ups
10m handstand walk
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

complete
+
complete
+
complete
+
mobility clinic


Strict pull ups were pretty easy, I broke them up 6/4 each set but tried to only rest about 5 seconds before jumping back up to the bar. Handstand walk felt good, no pain in my hand! Also I'm really happy with how fast my handstand walk is getting. 

I stuck around and did the mobility clinic, I learned so much! Balza knows his stuff and he was really nice. He said they are going to do a clinic on shoulder mobility in about a month so I'm really looking forward to that. 

Mobility clinic 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

3/16/2015

AM
30:00 airdyne @Z1

PM
A. Back squat, 5-3-1 all moderate/tough; 2:30 rest
+
3 sets @70-80-90%
30 row calories
20 alternating pistols
10 erg-facing burpees
+
10:00 airdyne @Z1

AM
complete

PM
A. 185-215-235
+
4:50
4:07
3:37
+
complete


Back squats felt really good today, these are definitely getting better. I was a bit sloppy on form at 235, I tipped forward on my toes as I was coming up out of the squat. These are definitely not feeling as heavy as they were a few weeks ago.

The sets at increasing effort.....mehhhh....I feel like I'm always bad at pacing this. I think I started out way too slow on the first one, then by the third one I was starting to worry that I had done all of them too slow. I mean, I was breathing pretty hard after the one at 90% and my times got faster so I guess it's not that bad, but I can't tell if my times should have been faster overall. My pistols were on the slow side today also. Merrr. I liked the erg-facing burpees, those were different. 

Yay!



Saturday, March 14, 2015

3/14/2015

For 15:00
1st min: :30 row easy
2nd min: :30 airdyne easy
3rd min: 5-7 handstand push ups
+
Not for time:
20 alternating KB turkish get ups

complete
7 HSPU each set
+
complete w/35# KB 


I definitely appreciated having a light day, I was pretty tired from 15.3 and my quads were also extremely sore. HSPU felt pretty good, slight discomfort in my hand on the first set but I didn't feel it on any of the other sets. 

3/13/2015

15.3
AMRAP in 14:00
7 muscle ups
50 wall balls, 14 to 9
100 double unders
+
10:00 airdyne @Z1
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

15.3- 330 (11:44 tie break)
+
complete
+
complete


This was by far my favorite open workout I've ever done. Wow. What a difference a week can make eh? When muscle ups were announced as the first movement for 15.3, I was so excited. I wanted to redeem myself from last week and muscle ups are a strong movement for me, so I wanted to do really well. 

I don't think this workout could have gone any better. I started with 4/3 on the muscle ups, then went to doubles for the second and third round. I broke up the wall balls into sets of 10, I tried to keep the rest short between sets but they got pretty nasty on the second round. I basically used the double unders as recovery. I tried to keep them relaxed so I could get my breathing under control, but the second set felt like it lasted forever. I think I had about 2:00 when I got back to the rings for my third set of muscle ups. My main goal was to get back to the wall balls, and after I finished the muscle ups I had about :20 left. I ran over to the ball and Stephen told me to keep doing wall balls until he told me to stop. I was able to get 9 reps before time ran out. 

I am so happy with how I performed on this. My muscle ups felt great, I was never worried about failing and I was happy I was able to string them together even though I was breathing really hard. I stuck to my plan of 10 wall balls at a time even though there were a few points where I wanted to put it down. I tried to just stay calm and relaxed throughout the whole thing. Having Stephen as my judge makes all the difference in the world. I basically just turn off my brain, I let him do the thinking for me and he tells me what to do and when to do it. He was able to keep me really calm during the entire workout. I felt like I was pushing really hard on this, it was definitely a max effort. If I did it again I don't think I could really do any better. This was one of those times where everything just came together and it all went according to plan. It was a nice confidence boost after last week. Two more weeks to go!

Muscle ups with my fit friend Conner




3/12/2015

5 sets:
3:00 airdyne very easy
3:00 mobility work of choice

complete

Thursday, March 12, 2015

3/11/2015

AM
3 sets @easy pace:
2:00 ski erg
2:00 airdyne
2:00 row
2:00 airdyne

PM
A. Pistols, 3x:30 alternating, :60 rest
+
1 set:
:60 squat clean to overhead, 120
+
For time:
30 row calories
20 box jumps w/step down, 20
10 muscle ups
20 burpees
30 row calories, very high effort
+
:90 rest
+
AMRAP in :90
Double unders

AM
complete

PM
A. 15-14-17
+
10
+
8:08
+
130


Today was fun but also tiring. I really enjoyed everything today but I was extremely sore, worse than Tuesday. I guess from 15.2 still? 

Pistols were really fast today and felt really good. I had my lifters on since I was going to do the squat clean piece right after so I think that helped me keep my balance a lot better than my nanos. If pistols come up in the Open, I'm going to have to wear my lifting shoes. They were just so much better and more stable than when I'm in nanos. Also, I still have to hold my right foot when I do pistols on my left leg, but I don't have to hold my left foot when I do them on the right. I still need to work on the left leg, holding my foot wastes too much time. Glad these are getting faster though.

I was disappointed with the squat clean to overhead piece. I should have done more than 10. The first 7 felt really easy, and then I hit a wall. My legs felt like they were covered in concrete, when I would come up out of the squat clean I could barely move them. I was basically shoulder pressing the last three because I couldn't get my legs to move for a push jerk. 

The row calorie workout was a real DOOZ. Seriously, this was tough. I was happy I got to do this one with Austin. I was pacing the first 30 row calories off of what he was doing, that way I didn't start out too slow. When I got to the box jumps, my legs were so heavy. I don't know if they are still sore from 15.2 or what's going on, but the box jumps were really tough. My legs felt like they weighed 1000 pounds. I was disappointed with my muscle ups today, I thought I would do an easy 5/5 (classic) but I ended up doing 4/3/2/1 with too much rest between sets. I was breathing pretty hard and they just felt "off" today. I was catching them pretty low in the dip, which I don't normally do. I think I'm also getting used to doing them on the new rig set up. They just didn't feel good today. Burpees were probably slower than they should have been. The last 30 row calories fucking hurt, I was tasting blood during the last 10 calories. 

The double unders were really tough after that workout. My shoulders were fried and I was breathing really hard. I was able to knock out 54 before I tripped, then I think I stopped (on purpose) somewhere around 90? And then I finished it out to 130 before time ran out. I was going pretty slow on these, I didn't want to completely fry myself in the first :30 and then have nothing left. Austin said he also paced the double unders slower than he normally does, so I'm glad I did the same thing. 

Overall, I was happy with training today. I was glad to get back to doing muscle ups and I'm happy my pistols are improving. I just wish I didn't feel so heavy and sore. Hoping to see some muscle ups this week for 15.3, IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? 


3/10/2015

5000m row @Z1, off every 5:00 for :40 front leaning rest on rings
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

complete
+
complete


For some reason the row felt like it lasted forever. I was glad to have a lighter day though, I was still tired from 15.2

After mobility I decided to test out some muscle ups since I haven't done any in about four weeks. I wanted to see how it would feel on my hand. I did 6 easy sets of 3 strung together each time, they felt great! There was no pain in my hand, I had it taped and I'll probably keep taping it through the open just to be safe, but all sets of muscle ups were really easy and pain-free. Huzzah! 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

3/9/2015 (15.2-Second attempt)

AM
15:00 airdyne @Z1
+
15:00 mobility & brief warm up for 15.2

PM
15.2
+
10:00 airdyne Z1

AM
complete

PM
139 (+7 reps from Friday, +26 reps from last year)
+
complete


Effffffffffff. This was definitely not the score I wanted on 15.2. I went in with a whole different plan but I still came up 5 pull ups short of getting to the 16s. My breathing felt a lot better this time but my forearms and grip were just shot by the time I got to the second round of pull ups in the 14s. My overhead squats were faster out of the bottom and I thought my transitions were pretty quick, I just don't think I could go any faster by the end. I had nothing left in my arms, I even failed a few CTB pull ups. I can't remember the last time I actually failed a CTB. I was pretty disappointed that I still didn't make it out of the 14s, but I really don't think there was a lot more I could have done, I was moving as fast as I could. Heather and Austin both said it looked like I was moving well throughout the whole thing, I just couldn't hold on to the pull up bar anymore. On the plus side, I didn't drop the bar during the OHS this time. And at least I didn't do worse the second time like I did last year. And it's 26 more reps from last year, so I guess that's not too bad. I'm still not happy with it, but it's over and done. I will just have to do my best to crush 15.3. 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

3/7/2015

For 10:00
evens: 10-15 box jumps w/step down, 20
odds: 5-10 handstand push ups- will adjust if wrist is an issue
+
For 10:00
evens: 10 row cals hard
odds: 30-50 double unders
+
1 set:
:90 airdyne increasing effort every :30 so that last :30 is near all out

complete
15 box jumps/10 HSPU each set
+
complete
50 double unders each set
+
complete


I needed today to be a good training day, and it was. I was really excited to finally see some handstand push ups, and my hand didn't bother me at all! I went with 15 box jumps each time to prepare for those possibly coming up in the open. 10 handstand push ups each time, hand felt fine and they were fast every set. I'm getting a lot less fatigued on these which is good. 

Row cal/double under EMOM was pretty tiring. I did 50 double unders each time, I only tripped up once. I was breathing pretty hard by the time this was over.

The :90 airdyne was a lot harder than I thought it would be, I was lactic for awhile after this was done. I don't know how many calories I got on this, Betty was being used so I went with Cornelius. 

Today was a solid day, I was very happy with how everything felt. 

3/6/2015 (15.2-First attempt)

AM
24 sets:
:30 airdyne easy
:30 airdyne even easier
+
15.2 movement prep

PM
15.2
From 0:00-3:00
2 rounds of 
10 overhead squats, 65
10 CTB pull ups
From 3:00-6:00
2 rounds of
12 overhead squats
12 CTB pull ups
etc.....
+
10:00 airdyne @Z1
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

AM
complete

PM
15.2- 132
+
complete
+
complete


15.2....otherwise known as the Tale of the Littlest B

Let me just start by saying that when 15.2 was announced, my heart sank. 14.2 was by far my worst workout of the Open last year. Overhead squats have always been one of my weakest movements and I knew how much it was going to hurt. I tried to turn my attitude around because my chest to bar pull ups have drastically improved since last year, but I was still dreading it. 

Everything basically just went to shit right away. My first sets of overhead squats were pretty slow and they only got slower as the workout went on. I started my pull ups with 4/4/2 for the first set and maybe 3/3/2/2 for the second set? I can't remember. All I know is that I paced the pull ups completely wrong. I should have trusted myself more on the pull ups, my CTBs have gotten so much stronger over the past year and I can butterfly them easily, but I switched to kipping in the second set of 10. There was really no reason for me to do that, I just thought it was a good move. Spoiler alert: it wasn't. I should have just kept going with bigger sets of butterfly pull ups. By the time I got to the set of 12 pull ups I think I was down to singles. I had moved over to the bar with the gymnastics mat underneath it, but it was too low. I was using way too much grip strength to grab the bar and pull myself up, it would have been faster to stick with sets of 3 butterfly pull ups. I was also resting way too long between singles. When the set of 14 overhead squats came around, I was hurting. My shoulders were shot at this point, I could barely hold up the bar overhead. It was all I could do to do the first set of 14 OHS unbroken. I dropped the bar once in the second set and only got 2 pull ups before time ran out. My shoulders and arms were just completely fucked. 

I was so extremely disappointed when this was over. There's no reason for me to be happy or content with this score. It's 19 more reps than I got last year, but 132 is lower than the score I am capable of getting. I watched all my friends completely crush this, and I wanted to be able to say I had also done well. This is the hard part about the open. It's hard keeping one poor performance from completely derailing my sense of accomplishment and progress over the past year. I know overhead squats are one of my worst movements and I know not every workout is going to be good for me, but I also know I'm capable of much more than this. 

I felt better after talking strategy with Stephen today. Here are the things I'm going to change for Monday:
  • stand on the jerk blocks for the CTB pull ups instead of the mat, that way I'm at the correct height and my grip won't get fatigued
  • start the pull ups with singles and switch to larger sets of butterfly CTBs in the later sets
  • faster out of the bottom in the overhead squats
  • try a more narrow grip for the overhead squats to try and save my shoulders (I know that there's only so much I can do for these, I'm going to have to basically rely on my pull ups to get me through)
  • have Stephen judge me
  • go by myself or away from other people. I went right next to Heather and I was way too concerned about what she was doing. I would start to panic when she pulled ahead on the overhead squats and it took me out of the right mindset. If I go with someone else, I need to probably go a few bars over so I don't pay attention to what they're doing 
  • don't be a lil B and don't be afraid to hurt 
I know I can make it through the round of 14 if I just push. All I want is to get through the round of 14 so I can prove to myself that I can do it. 15.2 will not get the best of me!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

3/4/2015

AM
3 sets @easy pace:
2:00 ski erg
2:00 airdyne
2:00 row
2:00 airdyne

PM
A. 1 clean-grip deadlift + 2 clean pulls, 3x1 @100% clean 1RM, :10 between lifts; 2:00 rest
B. DB shoulder to overhead, 3x7-10 if the wrist isn't aggravated; 2:00 rest
+
For time @95%
50 double unders
10 burpee box jump overs
20 CTB pull ups
10 burpee box jump overs
50 double unders
+
10:00 rest
+
1 set for calories:
:60 airdyne @97%

AM
complete

PM
A. complete @210
B. 20-30-40(7)
+
4:11
+
31 calories


Merrrrr. Today was just not a good training day. I did my AM session at 7:00, ate breakfast at the gym, then started warming up for my PM session around 9:00. I really don't like training in the morning because I always feel sluggish but I wanted to get it done before the snow hit. 

The clean pulls felt pretty heavy. The deadlift was very easy but the pulls weren't getting very high. 

My hand felt fine on the DB shoulder to overhead, so that's a good sign! I started pretty light just to test it out. No pain whatsoever. Maybe I test out some muscle ups soon? Ehhhhh?

The burpee box jump piece was way too slow, I felt pretty bad on this. Double unders were unbroken both times. I was moving slower than usual on the burpee box jump overs. Before I started the workout I figured I would do the CTB in two sets of ten. Nope. I did 8, 6, 4, then 2. I  was resting way too long between sets of CTB pull ups. They just felt slow and I didn't have any energy. Mehhhhh. This definitely should have been under 4:00. 

I was a little disappointed that I got 3 less calories than last week on the :60 sprint, I started out a bit too slow. 

Overall, not the best training day. Hoping all the snow is officially done after this so it doesn't eff up my training schedule anymore! 

3/3/2015

A. Back squat, 3-2-1 all moderate, 20x1; 2:00 rest
+
6 sets:
500m row @85%-goal is moderate sustainable place across all sets
:75 walk rest
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

A. 175-195-215
+
2:01.6
2:01.4
2:01.3
2:00.9
2:00.8
2:01.1
+
complete


Back squats felt really good today, I think I started a bit too light.

Rows went really well, the pace is getting faster even though the rest is getting shorter each week. Errrrr.....I don't understand how I'm doing this. My goal today was to hit a 2:02, but the the first row was a 2:01 so I just made that my new goal. The fifth and sixth sets were tough, :75 isn't a very long rest but overall this wasn't too bad. 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

3/2/2015 (15.1- Second attempt)

AM
30:00 airdyne
+
15:00 mobility 

PM
15.1/15.1A
+
10:00 airdyne @Z1 

AM
complete

PM
15.1- 175 (+20 reps from Friday)
15.1A- 191
+
complete


WOW. Today was awesome. I knew I was going to improve on 15.1 but I didn't think I would be able to get 20 more reps than I did on Friday. My original goal was to just finish the toes to bar. There were a few differences today that really helped my performance. First of all, I made sure to tape my hand moderately instead of wrapping it tightly in tape three times like I did on Friday. That definitely helped my grip, I wasn't even really concerned about grip this time. Also, I broke up the toes to bar a lot less and also rested less between sets. I did sets of 5 for the first set, 4/4/4/3 on the second set, then 3s and 2s the rest of the time. I only went to singles the last 4 reps of the last round. On friday, I was doing singles by the 4th round. I also didn't use the gymnastics mat this time and that made a huge difference. I was just jumping to the bar like normal and I didn't have to worry about where the mat was. I broke up the snatches less this time and also didn't break up the deadlifts at all. Stephen being my judge also made a huge difference. I basically just shut off my brain and did exactly what he said. He told me when to jump to the bar, when to go down to doubles, how fast to transition, etc. He definitely pushed me to go a lot faster. I ended up getting 20 more reps than when I did this the first time. It was awesome. Thanks Stevo! I call dibs on you being my judge for the next four weeks. 

By the time I got to the clean and jerk, I was definitely breathing a lot harder than I was on Friday. I decided to start heavier this time, my first lift was 155. I took about two minutes before I went for it, I wanted to make sure my breathing was under control a bit. The clean was easy but the jerk was a little surprising, I think because I was pretty tired. I put 175 on the bar (or so I thought) and pulled it, but it turns out I loaded it unevenly. I forgot to put 10 pounds on the left side. Idiot. I loaded it correctly and hit 175 very easily. Stephen told me to go for 191 so I did and hit that easily as well. I had about :40 so I put 195 on the bar and tried pulling it with about :07 left but I didn't have the energy, it was basically just a deadlift. Oh well. I'm very happy that I was able to hit 191 again! And it felt great! 

This was a great first week of the Open. I'm looking forward to finding out what the second workout is. Fingers crossed for some muscle ups or chest to bars. 


Between the two of us we clean and jerked 392 pounds





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