1/27/2016

AM

6-8 sets easy:

:60 row

:60 front leaning rest on ground

:60 bike

2 dead hang to inverted

2x[:10 double unders + :20 single unders]

PM

A. 1 squat snatch + 3 overhead squats, 1-1-1-1-1 moderate, begin a set every 2:00

B. Snatch-grip deadlift, 2-2-2-2 @105% snatch 1RM, 31x1, 2:00 rest

+

5 rounds for even times:

6 strict handstand push ups

12 toes to bar

18 row calories

2:00

+

3 sets:

6/side moderate DB external rotation, 30x0, rest as needed

+

10:00 assault bike @Z1

AM

6 sets complete

PM

A. 105-115-125-135-145 (plus a snatch at 160 for good measure)

B. complete

+

2:03

2:02

2:03

2:04

2:04

+

complete

8#-8#-10#

+

complete

Today was a great day!

Snatches felt excellent, I had no misses and each rep was crisp and solid. Overhead squats were still a bit shaky but better than last week. I also snatched 160 just to give myself a confidence boost for the competition, and it was the easiest 160 snatch of my life. Where was this confidence last Friday when I was doing the snatch gauntlet? I'm sitting on a 170 PR, it is bound to happen any time now. 

Snatch-grip deadlifts were tough but better than last week. 

Strict handstand push ups were so easy today! What the heck. They were easily unbroken every set. Toes to bar were unbroken for the first three sets, then 8/4 for sets four and five. I felt really good throughout this whole workout. 

DB external rotation kind of aggravated my right shoulder a bit, going to do some mobility and it should take care of it. 

1/26/2016

AM
5 sets of:
3:00 bike @high aerobic effort
:60 rest
3:00 Balza/Drew rehab pieces of choice
:60 rest

PM
A. Back squat, build to a heavy double
+
2 rounds w/10:00 cap:
7 muscle ups
50 wall balls, 14 to 10'
100 double unders
+
10 sets:
:30 assault bike 90% aerobic
:30 assault bike @50% aerobic 

AM
complete

PM
A. 260
+
1 round + 45 wall ball
+
complete


260 for a double! I am so happy with how my back squats have been progressing over the past few weeks. This is only 20 pounds under my max and it wasn't very difficult. 

The workout wasn't great, I was actually pretty disappointed with this. I thought I would be able to finish this under the time cap. Muscle ups were 5/2 the first round and 3/2/2 the second round. The problem was the wall balls. On the first round I broke them up 20/13/10/7 with way too much rest between sets. During the second round I broke them up even more. I tried to pick up the pace once I realized I didn't have much time left but I was five short before time ran out. Merrrrr. I felt fatigued on the muscle ups and my breathing wasn't great. I should be able to finish this in under 10 minutes. 

1/25/2016

AM
5000m row @Z1, off every 1000m for 10 fast burpees

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5x10' forward + 10' backward, very slow & deliberate w/10 pound bumper plate on hips, :60 rest
B. Power clean and split jerk, build quickly to a single @80-90%
+
For time:
9 bar-facing burpees
12 power snatches, 95
15 thrusters, 95
18 assault bike calories
+
3 rounds not for time:
10-15 reverse hypers
:30/side plank
2:00 anterior loaded banded march (bear hug a med ball @chest)

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
B. complete @190
+
4:34
+
subbed 3 sets:
:30/side plank
5:00 assault bike easy


Split jerks were much better than last week, shoulders were not nearly as fatigued. I worked up to 190 easily. 

The Wodapalooza workout was HORRIBLE. This was the absolute worst. OMG. I think this is the worst workout I've done in a very long time. Burpees were pretty quick. I broke up the snatches 7/5 and I was already breathing hard when I got to the thrusters. Those were really tough. Before the workout started I thought I would be able to break up the thrusters 10/5 but I ended up doing 5/4/6 and I was definitely resting too much between sets. By the time I got to the assault bike I was already feeling pretty bad, and the assault calories dragged out forever. I legitimately thought I was going to vomit at one point. This hurt so much. I rolled around on the ground for a solid five-ten minutes when this was over, and my time wasn't even that good! It took me a long time to recover from this. This was just terrible. 

I was still feeling nauseous from the workout when I started my NFT stuff. I decided to try to hip extensions instead of reverse hypers since RH have a tendency to make me want to throw up in my mouth. I did one hip extension and thought I was going to puke. I just did the side planks and then sat on the bike for five minutes. 

1/24/2016

Long, unplugged hike or easy 30:00 row or bike 

DNS, Taste of Belgium for mom's birthday and then had to head to CrossFit Continuity for a coaches meeting 

1/23/2016

A. Front squat, 4-3-2, 22x1; 2:30 rest
B. Thrusters, 6x5 unbroken @95; begin a set every :60
+
both @80%
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 1
:60 rest
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 2
+
3 rounds not for time:
5-8/leg 1-leg reverse hypers, slow and controlled
2:30 anterior loaded banded march (bear hug a med ball @chest)

A. 155-185-205
B. complete
+
complete
30 KB + 24 pistols
+
complete
15 BBJ + 11 STO
+
complete
25#/side for RH
14# WB for banded march


Man, front squats are just going really well right now. These felt great. 205 was tough but I was never worried about standing it up. I'm pretty happy with how confident I've become with both front squats and back squats over the past few months. 

Thrusters were the worst! These were just terrible today. I can't believe how different these were from last Saturday. I think I am literally squatting TOO low, my ass is almost touching the ground and it's just super inefficient and a waste of energy. I need to find a way to fix it a little bit. These are going to be pretty gross at the competition, I'm assuming we'll do at least sets of five. 

The Barbell Blitz workouts went much better than last week, mostly because I didn't have to do all the shoulder work. I also got to do some pistols and these have improved so much! Huzzah! Also, Stephen gave me a good tip about following the KB down with my other hand so the transition is shorter. Thanks Stevo. The shoulder to overhead on the second workout was so much better than last week, probably because my shoulders weren't jacked up from doing a billion KB snatches. I should be able to do sets of 4-5 of these at the competition. This was really fun to do with Emily. I wouldn't mind being synced up with her a few times a month on our training, I know she could definitely push me in the aerobic workouts. Plus she's my best bro and it was fun getting to train with her. 

1/22/2016

AM
10:00 bike @Z1
+
4 sets:
:30 row very hard
4:30 walk rest
+
10:00 mobility of choice

PM
A. Snatch gauntlet, 1 every 2:00 starting @120 and adding 10 every 2:00
+
For reps @high effort
2:00 power cleans, 155
2:00 CTB pull ups, sets of 3,4 or 5 unbroken, have a plan, stick to it, and see how it goes...
+
Every :60 for 12:00
1-6: 8 kipping handstand push ups
7-12: 12 touch and go deadlifts, 95
+
3 rounds not for time:
15-20m double KB/DB overhead carry
6/side moderate powell raises, 30x0

AM
DNS
+
154m
152m 
152m
157m
+
DNS

PM
A. 150 (160 Fx3)
+
19 cleans
not sure how many pull ups
+
complete
+
complete
35# KB for OHC
12# DB for PR


Meh, today was not the best. 

Didn't have time between classes for bike or mobility, I figured the row sprints were the priority so I got those done. Once I transition to this new gym and I don't have to coach at Fitworks anymore I should have more time to complete my AM session. 

The snatch gauntlet was so disappointing. I know this was setting me up for a 170 PR and I didn't even hit 160. This was the worst. Shoulders were feeling really shaky on every rep. I didn't have any fails until I went for 160. I lost it behind me on the first attempt and it was a good miss so I decided to go for it again. I lost it out in front so I went for it one more time. I caught it in the bottom and started to stand up with it but walked it forward a bit and my shoulders gave out. This makes me pretty nervous how unstable my shoulders feel right now. Heather asked me if at this moment in time I would be able to confidently catch a heavy snatch balance and I said no, I don't think my shoulders would support it. This also worries me because I want to hit 160 at least one more time before the competition on Saturday. I don't know what the deal is. I think I need to spend more time on stability and not mobility, just like Balza was talking about last week. Merrrrr. This is frustrating because my snatches were feeling great last week.

Power clean/pull up piece didn't go very well. I got the same amount of power cleans as last week but they were slower. I tried to imagine Matt was there but I was resting more between reps this time. Pull ups were a disaster, I tried to go with sets of 4 but it was really difficult to hang on to that. Also, the clock was reset while I was doing this (I thought I timed it out better) and I completely lost track of where I was. I actually have no idea how many pull ups I ended up with but I know it wasn't very many at all. I was resting a lot between sets. This was difficult to do by myself, if we have to do this one again I'll definitely do it with a partner. 

Handstand push ups and deadlifts were easy, my kipping HSPU have gotten so fast. This was the one highlight of my day. 

1/21/2016

30:00 bike @Z1

complete

1/20/2016

AM

6-8 sets easy:

:60 row

:15-:20 planche hold w/feet in rings

:60 bike

2 dead hang to inverted 

2x [:10 double unders + :20 single unders]

PM

A. 1 squat snatch + 2 overhead squats, 1-1-1-1-1 moderate, begin a set every 2:00

B. Snatch-grip deadlift, 3-3-3-3 @snatch 1RM, 31x1; 2:00 rest

+

10 rounds for time:

3 unbroken strict handstand push ups

+

5:00 of [350m ski erg + 25 KB swings @53 + max burpees in remaining time]

5:00 rest

5:00 of 350m ski erg + 25 burpees + max KB swings @53 in remaining time]

AM

DNS- snow day

PM

A. 115-115-125-135-145

B. complete @165

+

4:14

+

24 burpees

+

18 KB swings

Didn't get to complete my AM session, I usually do it after the 5:30 class but the snow was already coming down pretty hard so I went home before the roads got bad. This turned out to be a good decision as it took me 50 minutes to drive from Lebanon to Loveland on the snowy roads. 

Snatches were good today, overhead squats were a little shaky. 

Snatch-grip deadlifts were surprisingly tough, they got heavy by the fourth set. 

I was pretty disappointed with the strict handstand push ups, they did not feel good today at all. Last week I was able to do easy sets of five unbroken and today I was struggling to do three. My shoulders were fatigued by the fifth set. Four minutes is definitely too slow for this. I was pretty disappointed but I also realized during regionals training I struggled to just get three at a time, so there has definitely been improvement since then. This was just off today. 

The five minute pieces were really hard! My goal was to do the KB swings unbroken but I dropped it with FOUR REPS to go. OMG. WHY. I literally wrote "WHY, WHY DID YOU DO THAT" in my notebook afterwards. I have no idea why I didn't do these unbroken. I tried to keep the burpees as steady as possible. The second time around the burpees were definitely a lot slower than the first set and I rested too long before picking up the KB. This was actually a pretty nasty combo. 

1/19/2016

AM
5 sets of:
3:00 bike @high aerobic effort
:60 rest
3:00 Balza/Drew rehab pieces of choice
:60 rest

PM
A. Back squat, build to a heavy triple
B. Muscle ups, 10x3 unbroken, :60 rest
+
4 sets for even times:
12 toes to bar
20 wall balls, 14 to 10
28 row calories
3:30 rest
+
2000m row @Z1

AM
complete

PM
A. 250
B. complete-ish, 2 MUs on sets 8,9,10 due to fear of ripping
+
3:17
3:35
3:35
3:30
+
DNS


Good day!

250 is definitely the most I've ever done for a back squat triple, I'm pretty excited about this. These are continuing to improve every week. I don't think a 300 pound back squat is so far out of reach anymore. 

Muscle ups were excellent again today but I had to drop to 2 reps on sets 8, 9, and 10. I tore my left palm last week doing muscle ups and I could feel my right one getting ready to rip this week. Every time I came off the rings I would check my hands just to make sure. I had a feeling if I went for a third rep, I would rip. It was a close call. Happy with how good my muscle ups are these days. 

Four sets were okay, I hate toes to bar. They were unbroken on the first set (hence why the time is faster) then broken up 6/6 on the second set and 7/5 for sets three and four with too much rest during the break. Wall balls were unbroken every set. Neat. Rowing is improving from where it was a few weeks ago. 

I forgot about the 2000m cool-down row and put my rower away after the workout, then I meant to hop on a bike for ten minutes and then I started talking to Duprie and then I had to go coach. I'll make this up on Thursday. 

1/18/2016

AM
5000m row @Z1, off every 500m for 5 fast burpees

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5x10' forward + 10' backward, very slow & deliberate w/10 pound bumper plate on hips; :60 rest
B. Power clean & split jerk, 6x1 waveload 165-175-185, begin a rep every :90
+
For time:
9 power cleans, 125
15 assault bike calories
21 burpees
15 assault bike calories
9 power cleans, 125
+
3 rounds not for time:
5-8/side 1-leg reverse hypers, 2020
:30/side plank

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
B. complete
+
5:57
+
complete-ish, made it through 2 rounds


Power clean and split jerks were tough today, my shoulders still felt like total garbage from Saturday. The power cleans were always really easy but the split jerks were tough and wobbly on every rep. 

I think the for time piece went well? I did the first 9 power cleans unbroken. I started the assault bike calories and was quickly reminded how shitty airdyne sprints are. I probably should have pushed it a little more on this. The burpees were steady but I never stopped moving. The second set of airdyne calories were definitely slower than the first set, I was breathing really hard by this point but I was still trying to push it. The second set of power cleans were broken up 5/4, although looking back I should have just hung on for all 9. I tasted blood after this was over. 

I started my NFT stuff but every time I hopped up on the reverse hyper I legit felt like I was going to vomit on account of what I did prior to this. I made it through two rounds before I called it. I just wanted to slump in a chair and drink my protein shake before class started. 

1/17/2016

Long, unplugged hike or easy 30:00 row or bike

DNS, was out until 1:30 last night so decided to sleep in. We went to Keystone for my friend's birthday dinner and then saw a late movie. 

Also, I highly recommend the movie 13 hours. It was extremely stressful but very good. 

What? Who is this person? She doesn't go to our gym, what is the meaning of this

Friends for 16 years

1/16/2016

A. Front squat, 5-4-3, 22x1; 2:30 rest
B. Thrusters, 3x9 unbroken @95, begin a set every 2:00
+
w/partners:
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 1
+
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 2
+
3 rounds not for time:
5-8/leg 1-leg reverse hypers, slow & controlled
2:00 anterior loaded banded march (bear hug a med ball @chest)
+
Balza shoulder clinic

A. 125-155-185
B. complete
+
complete w/Brandie
+
complete w/Brandie
+
DNS, not enough time before the clinic
+
complete


RIP shoulders. 

Front squats felt pretty good today, I'm trying to become more confident and make bigger jumps on front squats and back squats. The two second pause in the bottom is tough. 

The thrusters weren't bad, although I held my breath for the entire first set. Stephen told me to actually breathe at the top of each rep, so I made sure I did that on the next two sets. Oops. The weight didn't start to feel heavy until the last few reps of the third set. 

It was fun doing the barbell blitz AMRAPs with the comp group and Brandie. The part that wasn't that fun was doing all the shoulder stuff. YOWZA. Brandie is having some shoulder pain so I did all the KB snatches and she did all the pistols on the first workout. I actually think we could do this for the competition, I didn't slow down on cycle time until we got to the set of 24. I think we might have to trade off maybe once or twice but her pistols are definitely faster and I can just push through and keep cycling the KB snatches since they're so light. 

The second AMRAP was pretty terrible. I did all the shoulder to overhead and Brandie did all the box jumps. I basically felt like I was doing STO the entire time since the box jumps didn't take very long. I did the set of 3 and 6 unbroken, then started breaking it up at the set of 9. I did sets of 4-5 the rest of the time. I know we will definitely have to split the movements in this one, my shoulders were completely shot after this was over. 

Skipped the NFT stuff, didn't have enough time before the clinic. 

The clinic with Balza was super helpful and awesome as usual. He taught us more about stability instead of mobility. My shoulders were so tired during this entire clinic so it was both good and bad. The stretches felt really good, the bear crawl and pull ups were rough. 

1/15/2016

AM
10:00 bike @Z1
+
5 sets:
:25 row very hard
4:05 walk rest
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Snatch (any way) build to a heavy single for the day
+
for reps:
2:00 power cleans, 155
2:00 CTB pull ups
+
every :60 for 10:00
1-5: 9 kipping handstand push ups
6-10: 12 touch and go deadlifts, 95
+
3 rounds not for time:
25m double KB/DB overhead carry
8/side moderate powell raises, 30x0

AM
5:00 complete
+
129m
129m
129m
128m
(only had time for four sets)
+
DNS, ran out of time before class

PM
A. 160 (170 Fx4. The saddest day)
+
complete w/Matt
37 cleans (19 Matt/18 Chels)
Not sure how many pull ups
+
complete
+
complete
35# KB for overhead carry
10# for PR


I only had time to fit in four row sprints this morning but I forgot how much these hurt. Keep them coming though.

Can we just talk about my snatch misses for a second? (watch this video and prepare to be amazed at how many different ways I fail). Snatches were feeling GREAT today, this was the first time in a few weeks that I felt fast and stable under the bar. I worked up to 160 extremely quickly and easily, I wish I would have filmed it. I decided to go for 170 since 160 was so easy. The first miss was behind. The second miss was in front. The third miss was perhaps the saddest of them all. I actually caught it and stood up with it, but in the video you can see my left foot turn a weird direction as I'm standing up and then my left arm goes back too far and I lose it behind me at the very last second. This was sad, I thought I had it. There's nothing worse than thinking you're about to nail a PR and then you don't. The fourth miss was out in front. I called it there. I know I can hit this very soon, the pull was never heavy and I almost had it twice, I physically stood up with it! This was the worst. I'll get it soon. 

The clean workout with Matt went well, our cleans were good but our pull ups could have been a lot better. I thought we cycled the cleans pretty quickly, we stuck to all singles, but I know we can cycle them even faster. Our pull ups were slow and we didn't do enough. I opened with a set of 8 and then dropped to sets of 3-5 from there. Our transitions weren't fast enough, we were waiting too long to jump up to the bar. I don't know how confident I would be about doing this event. I mean, I'll do it if that's what's best. But I definitely need to cycle my CTB pull ups a lot faster. 

The EMOM was fun and easy, handstand push ups and deadlifts were no problem.

Great day in the gym!

1/14/2016

30:00 bike @Z1

complete 

1/13/2016

AM
6-8 sets easy:
:60 row
:15-:20 planche hold w/feet in rings
:60 airdyne
2 dead hang to inverted
2x [:10 double unders + :20 single unders]

PM
A. Squat snatch, 9x1 waveload @105-125-145, begin a rep every :90
B. Snatch pull, build to a single @175
C. Clean pull, build to a single @235
+
14:00 @80%
5 strict handstand push ups
5 burpees
10 ski erg calories
30 unbroken double unders
50m farmers walk, 53/hand

AM
6 sets complete

PM
A. complete
B. complete
C. complete
+
complete


Another good day!

No misses on the snatches today, although they were all "soft" catches. I didn't feel very stable and crisp overhead, I was loose in the bottom of the squat for every rep at 125 and 145. I definitely wouldn't qualify any of these as a "pretty" rep but I didn't miss any either so that's a plus. I probably should have warmed up a bit more for this. I would like to hit 160 a few more times before the competition. 

Snatch pull was super easy.

Clean pull was also very easy. 

The 14:00 piece felt really good, I was able to stay steady the whole time with really no breaks. Strict handstand push ups were unbroken every set, these have gotten so good over the past month! They were so fast. (Where were these during regionals practice?) Farmers walk was broken up 25m/25m each time. No trips on the double unders. Solid day. 

1/12/2016

AM
5 sets of:
:3:00 bike @high aerobic effort
:60 rest
3:00 Balza/Drew rehab pieces of choice
:60 rest

PM
A. Back squat, 3-2-1-1-1, 20x1 building so only last single is tough (still not maximal), 2:00 rest
B. Muscle ups, 10x3 unbroken; :60 rest
+
3 sets for even times:
15 toes to bar 15 pulls on the ski erg
25 wall balls, 14 to 10
35 row calories
4:00 walk rest
+
2000m row @Z1

AM
complete-ish....I glanced at my programming and thought I had the same stuff from last week so I ended up doing the 4 sets of 6:00 bike and 3:00 mobility. Oops. 

PM
A. 215-235-250-260-270
B. 8 sets complete (ripped)
+
4:01
3:56
4:19
+
complete


Today was good! 

Back squats continue to feel really solid, 270 is only 10 pounds off my PR and it went up pretty easily (video). I think I could hit 285 if I had to hit a true max and made the correct jumps. 

Muscle ups were awesome today. I decided to go back to catching them in a dip instead of straight arms because I'm more efficient out of the dip. Austin said it's good to have both in the arsenal and I agree. I was on track to hit an easy 10 sets but I ripped on third rep of my eighth set so I called it there. 

Stephen told me to do ski erg pulls instead of toes to bar (on account of the rip) and I actually enjoyed that. This went much better than last week. Wall balls were broken up 19/6 on the first two sets (why? I don't know) and broken up 15/10 on the last set. I definitely rested too long during the third set of wall balls, hence the reason why my time is so much slower. But overall I went into this workout with a much better attitude than I did last week. 

Feeling much better in general this week. I had a good talk with Stephen today and I'm feeling more confident about the Open and regionals. I'm not so stressed anymore about things "feeling bad", he said burpees and thrusters are never going to feel "good" and we should only start to worry if I get to a point where I'm feeling so shitty I'm failing muscle ups. I think I was just tired and stressed about my performance lately and it was messing with me mentally. I got some nice reassurance from Stevo and I'm feeling a lot better. I guess we all have to have a mental breakdown at some point, amiright? 

1/11/2016

AM
40:00 airdyne @Z1, off every 5:00 for 5 kipping handstand push ups

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5x10' forward + 10' backward, very slow & deliberate w/10 pound bumper plate on hips, :60 rest
B. Power clean & split jerk, build to a heavy single in 15:00
+
For time:
45 power cleans, 105- 5 burpees to start every :60
+
3 rounds not for time:
5-8/side 1-leg reverse hypers, 2020
:60 flutter kicks

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
B. 200
+
4:52
+
complete
25#/side for RH


I was so pleased with the 200 pound clean and jerk, this is the heaviest weight I've had overhead since I jerked 210 at the Shankle seminar in August. This was such a relief. Everything felt really solid, I was punching underneath all the jerks aggressively and all the power cleans were easy. I think I could have hit 205 if I had more time. 

The for time piece went pretty well, I'm not sure if this is a good time? I tried to move as fast as I could although the burpees definitely slowed down near the end. I ended up doing five sets of burpees. Power cleans were 13/9/8/7/9 (not unbroken, just the total amount done in the minute). Also, I just added these up and I did an extra clean at the very end. I should have only done 8 instead of 9 in the last set. Oops. Oh well. All cleans were sets of 3-5 touch and go except for a set of 8 to start out. Breathing hard but felt good throughout. 

1/10/2016

Long, unplugged hike or easy 30:00 row

45:00 walk @Loveland Bike Trail 


Thoughts, feelings, and why everyone needs a best friend who believes in them

The past few weeks have been rough and I can't really narrow it down to one specific reason. I've been feeling drained, tired, and physically fatigued. Mentally I want to be "in" my workouts but physically I haven't been able to push myself to that point. My body is very tired. Like I said in the previous post, I think I need to increase my carbs and look into some supplements to help with my recovery/energy. I want to perform better because I really care about training but I need my body to catch up to my brain. I'm going to make a few changes and hopefully things will start to improve. Until then, I'm just going to continue to do the work. 

A few days ago in a previous post I said I don't really recognize the athlete I am right now. The "fire" that I had over the summer is still there but it has been feeling pretty dim lately, sort of like when you make a fire and it burns for like two minutes and then it dies suddenly and all you have is sparks and you're trying to fan it to make it bigger but nothing is really happening. That's basically how I've been feeling. I WANT to push myself but I guess I lost motivation to do so somewhere along the way in the past few months. I think part of it has to do with how physically fatigued I've been feeling, it's hard to push myself to make it hurt if my body is sluggish and tired. Also, mentally it's been tough to get my brain into an "open" mindset because I've taken to the bad habit of comparing myself to others and worrying I might not be able to contribute once the open rolls around. 

I was feeling sorry for myself all week when Friday afternoon I got a text from my buddy Megan asking me if everything was okay. I basically told her everything I had been feeling lately. She must have read my mind because earlier that morning I was literally thinking, "I wish someone would just tell me to get my shit together." Megan basically did just that, but in a way a best friend does. 

First, she told me if I was feeling off physically then I need to take steps to get control. That means changing things around in my diet, looking into adrenal fatigue supplements, workload, etc. I'm the only one who can make a change if something doesn't feel right, and that's why I'm upping my carbs and researching supplements. I think I also need to drink more water and (try to) get more sleep.

Second (and she read my mind about this), she said I needed to find something to do other than coach and train. We make multiple sacrifices to make sure we have the proper time to train and also to ensure we feel good while doing it, but there is more to life than coaching and training. I was already thinking about playing more music this year and I would eventually like to join a band or try to perform more in some way. I think it's healthy to have something other than CrossFit in my life. I always forget I'm good at other things besides working out and I need to try and explore that more as well. Music is fun and I'm very good at it!

She told me I've lost perspective on how far I've come and not to forget I'm a Regionals-level athlete. This is true, I earned my spot on the team last year. I have the shoes and neck pillow to prove it. And I want to do it again. 

She told me that at the end of the day I don't have to prove myself to anyone and that I'm on my own journey. I need to stop comparing myself to others and keep doing my own shit because no one is going to care more about my training than me. 

She told me she believes in me, and I needed to hear that. I really needed to hear all of it. Sometimes you just need a friend to remind you how far you've come. The truth is- I want to go back to Regionals and I want my performance in the Open to reflect that. I want to be on the team and I want to go fuck shit up with my friends. I want to earn that spot just like I did last year. If we make it to Regionals then I don't want there to be a shadow of a doubt that I'm going. I want it to be a done deal. So, this is me promising I'm going to try and figure out my shit. I'm going to try and fix whatever's causing my physical fatigue and I want to get back to where I was. I'm going to stop worrying about what other people are doing and only worry about myself and my progress. I'm going to take it one day at a time and keep doing the work. I need to be nicer to myself because I'm strong and I've improved so much over the past few years. I fucking cleaned 225 a few months ago! I stood on the podium three times in one month. I'm a good athlete with good friends who remind me of that when I lose sight of my goals. 

Loveland Bike Trail
It's a good thinking spot

1/9/2016

A. Clean-thruster, build to a heavy single
B. Front squat, 3-3-2-2, 40x1; 2:30 rest
+
5 sets:
5 CTB pull ups
5 thrusters, 65
5 CTB pull ups
5 thrusters, 65
:30 rest
500m row @90% aerobic
:60 rest
+
3 rounds not for time:
20m/side 1-arm farmers walk
20m/side 1-arm DB overhead carry

A. 155 (165 Fx2)
B. 185-195-205-215
+
complete
+
complete
70# KB for FW
50# DB for OHC


Disappointed with the heavy thruster, I should have been able to hit more than this. 155 was extremely easy so I jumped to 165 and failed twice, I got the bar eye-level and couldn't press it any higher. Eff. 

Front squats went really well, these were easy today even with the tempo. I'm pretty happy I was able to get 215 for two at that slow of a descent. These were awesome. 

CTB/thruster piece was okay, although my body was pretty drained of energy at this point. CTB pull ups were fine but thrusters felt awful, shoulder fatigue again. The row actually felt pretty good today, I made sure to focus on keeping it 90% aerobic and it was the first time in weeks that I didn't feel like shit during the row. I was just really tired during this whole piece and couldn't get my energy up. I'm going to start looking into some adrenal fatigue supplements because something isn't right. I shouldn't be THIS tired after heavy thrusters and front squats. I definitely didn't have enough carbs before I trained today either, I think that's why my energy was very low. I'm going to increase my carbs and look into some supplements, hopefully that helps. 

1/8/2016

AM
2 rounds easy of:
3:00 airdyne
3:00 row
:60 single-unders w/heavy rope
+
4 sets:
:30 row very hard
4:30 walk rest
+
10:00 mobility work

PM
A. 1 hang power snatch + 1 hang squat snatch, 7x1 starting moderate and building to a heavy set, begin a set every :90
+
For reps:
2:00 power cleans, 135
2:00 bar muscle ups
+
For 10:00
evens- 9 kipping handstand push ups
odds- 12 touch and go deadlifts, 95
+
3 rounds not for time:
5-8/leg 1-leg reverse hypers, slow & controlled
2:00 anterior loaded banded march (bear hug a med ball @chest)

AM
complete
+
DNS
+
complete

PM
A. 85-95-105-105-115-125-135(failed squat snatch)
+
27 power cleans
11 bar muscle ups
+
complete
+
complete
25#/side for RH
14# WB for banded march


I skipped the row sprints in the AM session due to time, I only had 30 minutes to do everything between classes so I figured I would do the airdyne/row and the mobility. I think I might have to switch some AM stuff to Thursdays when I have more time, I don't want to cut my AM sessions short on Fridays. Also, the heavy rope is really hard! I had actually never done this before and holy shit, it was very tiring. I enjoyed it though, it was different. 

PM session started off a bit rough but got better. Snatches weren't great today, shoulders are still feeling fried. Also, I've realized that I probably can't wear knee sleeves when I do any sort of snatch from the hang position, I kept getting super distracted by my knee sleeves every time I would slide the bar down, it was annoying. Hang power snatches were all pretty easy but the hang squat snatches were a bit rough, I kept landing on my toes. I didn't have any misses until the hang squat snatch at 135, I failed behind me. I asked Stephen if I should try it again but he said it was a good miss and to call it there. Merrrr. Not sure why my shoulders have been so fatigued lately. The bar also felt really heavy whenever I brought it to the first hang position. I can't believe I hang snatched 160 at one point. 

I was really happy with the cleans/bar muscle ups. I wasn't expecting to get that many cleans, I just did quick singles the whole way. I was breathing really hard by the time I got to the bar muscle ups and probably wasted 15 seconds standing there chalking my hands. I split up the bar muscle ups 3/3/2/2/1. I didn't fail any but they definitely got difficult near the end. I need to practice these a bit more to make them more efficient, I want to get them to the point of barely any press out. Overall I was very happy with this, I think Conner and I will do really well on this event. 

The EMOM was fun, my handstand push ups are so fast and easy all of a sudden! These felt great. I sped through the deadlifts imagining I was at the competition. The cycle time on these are going to have to be fucking quick. This got me excited for the competition. 

1/7/2016

OFF

30:00 mobility 

1/6/2016

AM
6-8 sets easy:
:60 row
:15-:20 planche hold w/feet in rings
:60 airdyne
2 dead hang to inverted
2x[:10 double unders + :20 single unders]

PM
A. Barbell Blitz snatch gauntlet
B. Snatch pulls, 1-1-1-1-1 @165; :60 rest
C. Snatch-grip deadlift, 1-1-1-1-1 starting @185 and building; :90 rest
+
6 sets @high effort:
6 strict handstand push ups
300m row
30 unbroken double unders
:90 walk rest

AM
6 sets complete

PM
A. complete
B. complete
C. 185-195-205-225-245
+
1:59
1:54
1:54
1:54
1:55
2:01


I really enjoyed the AM session, it was cool doing something different. Those planche holds are no joke. 

PM session was a bit better than yesterday. My training days are very bipolar. It would be nice to have two good days in a row. 

Snatch gauntlet went pretty well, although my shoulders were fatigued as hell. Snatching on day 3 is no walk in the park. I did one rep every 2:00 trying to imitate the competition setting. I hit every snatch on the first attempt....and then 160 happened. The pull was super easy and I caught it perfectly in the bottom. I thought I nailed it so I started to stand it up and then all of a sudden I turned into this guy:

My shoulders started wobbling and I completely lost it out in front as I was standing up with it. I have literally never done that before. Heather and I were both very confused. This actually makes me sort of nervous, I don't want that to happen in the competition. I guess I'm still getting used to catching heavy weight overhead? My shoulders didn't feel stable at all. This wasn't good. So then I turned into this guy:

I threw a legit tantrum. I yelled "FUCK" at least six times. I took my belt off and threw it. I said I hated snatching and that I would never be good at it again. Then I rested another minute and tried it again. I hit it this time. It was not pretty, my shoulders were still sort of shaky and I took a few steps forward but I got it. SHEESH. I just want the catch in the bottom to feel stable because the pull feels insanely light. I flirted with the idea of trying to hit a 170 PR but Heather talked me out of that really quickly. She basically just said "no" and I knew she was right. My shoulders weren't up for it. I think if I was fresh on day 1 then I might be able to hit it. Oh well. I'm happy I only missed it once instead of three times like last week. Now I just need to be able to hit it in the two minute time frame. 

Snatch pulls were super easy. 

Snatch deadlifts went well, 245 was definitely tough but it's the highest snatch-grip deadlift I've done so far. 

HSPU/row piece was decent, strict HSPU felt pretty good today. They slowed down on the sixth set (hence why the time is slower) and I tripped up once on the double unders during the first set. Luckily it was only the third rep so I really didn't have to waste much time starting over. 

Body is tired but overall a better training day.

1/5/2016

AM
4 sets of:
6:00 bike easy
3:00 Balza/Drew rehab pieces of choice

PM
A. Back squat, 4-3-2-2, 20x1 building so only last 2 is tough (still not maximal) 2:00 rest
B. Muscle ups, 10x3 unbroken, :60 rest
+
3 sets for even times:
36 row calories
24 wall balls, 14 to 10'
12 CTB pull ups
3:00 walk rest
+
2000m row @Z1

AM
complete

PM
A. 205-225-240-250
B. complete-ish, got through two reps into the set of 9 and ripped so I called it
+
4:14
4:21
4:30
+
complete


Today started off pretty well and ended very badly. 

Back squats went really well today, 250 was solid for two reps. The second one was a bit slow on the way up but I was never concerned about failing. I wasn't sure if I was going below parallel so I filmed myself (video) and I was surprised to see I was going WELL below parallel. Not sure why I thought my squat was so shallow. These felt good though. 

Muscle ups weren't as good as last week, some sets were caught straight but some were caught in a dip. I made it through two reps in the ninth set and then I ripped so I called it there. These were okay today, not great but not terrible. I think I'm going to work on some transitions with a band because I really want to nail the straight-arm catch.

So errrr the row/WB/CTB piece went very badly. Like, it was terrible. I had no energy to do this, I can't explain it. I felt totally fine through the back squats and muscle ups, and once I started the aerobic piece I basically just gave up. So I guess I CAN explain it, I was just being a little B. My row was pretty slow each set. My wall balls were TERRIBLE. I think I broke at least two times per set and I rested a long time between sets. Austin said I looked really sluggish. The CTB were a mess, my hands were raw from all the muscle ups and I could barely hang on to the bar. I was finding it impossible to muster up the energy to do this, let alone do it well and perform it how I know I should. What is going on? I couldn't force myself to do anything. 

If I'm being totally honest, I cried after training today. I feel like I am becoming an athlete I don't recognize really. If I think back to the summer, I was so energetic and had no problem pushing myself to the point of pain every day. I was all jazzed up from regionals and all those competitions. Now I feel like I'm just going through the motions on some of these workouts. I know I should be doing better. I feel like I haven't done anything impressive or anything worthy of being on a regionals team. I'm glad this competition is coming up soon because I need it. I need to compete and have a fire lit under my ass, because right now it's not there.