3/4/2016

AM
16.2 movement prep

PM
16.2

AM
complete

PM
259


I wasn't sure how 16.2 was going to go for me. I'm not good at large sets of toes to bar and my core fatigues quickly on those but I'm very good at heavy squat cleans. I broke up the first set of toes to bar in sets of 5. I tripped up a few times on the double unders which was annoying. The cleans at 85 were no problem but I was definitely breathing hard by the time I got back to the bar. I started with a set of 5 and then it was down to twos and threes, and they were slow. I was resting a lot between sets. The cleans at 115 were surprisingly tough, at one point I actually wasn't sure if I was going to finish them in time. I was definitely resting too much here. When I got back to the bar for the next set of toes to bar I was so tired. I was doing singles and each one was at a snail's pace. I would do one single, take my hands off the bar, bend over, and wait for Heather to tell me to go. This was way too slow and way too much time wasted. When I got to the cleans at 145 I only had a little over a minute. I somehow managed to get six cleans before time ran out but they were shockingly hard. When I redo this I'm going to break up the toes to bar earlier and move faster on the cleans at 85 and 115. 

3/3/2016

10:00 bike @Z1
+
10 sets:
:30 bike @high aerobic effort
:30 bike easy
+
10:00 bike @Z1

complete
+
complete
+
complete 

3/2/2016

AM
30:00 airdyne @Z1
+
15:00 mobility 

PM
A. Snatch, build quickly to a tough single
B. Back squat, build quickly to a moderate single
+
For time @95%
30 handstand push ups
20 deadlifts, 155
10 assault bike calories
+
10:00 rest
+
For time @95%
500m row
+
10:00 assault bike @Z1

AM
complete

PM
A. 160
B. 245
+
2:35
+
1:49.4
+
complete


Snatches were not the best today, I basically have no idea what I'm doing with my set up anymore. Every snatch felt different. After the Open is over I'm going to schedule a session with Chelsea Kyle to work on snatch set up, I know I'm starting with my butt way too high and I need a fix a few other things. I wasn't sure how high I would get today on snatches, the warm up sets felt heavy. I worked through 125 and 135 relatively easily but failed the first rep at 145 and 155 (both out in front). The second attempt at 155 was actually pretty crisp so I decided to go for 160 and hit it very easily. I took a few steps forward but it was fast overhead and I was fast out of the bottom. Just waiting for that 170 snatch any day now...

Back squats felt really tough today, 245 was slow so I called it there. My legs were toast.

The HSPU piece was too slow. My handstand push ups started out really fast but I could tell the cycle speed was slowing down so I came off the wall at 20. When I kicked back up on the wall my arms were really fatigued so I had to break up the last 10 reps 6/4. Ugh. Deadlifts were surprisingly hard, my hamstrings were blown up (I'm guessing from 16.1?) and I had to break these up 12/8. This is lame, I should be able to do 20 deadlifts at 155 unbroken. Assault bike calories were as fast as I could go. This time was definitely too slow. 

The 500m row SUCKED. I wasn't fully recovered from the first part so this was really tough. I tried my best to keep it under 1:50, I was running on fumes by the end. Yeeeeesh. I was lactic as hell when this was over. 

Today was tough but I enjoyed it. 

3/1/2016

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

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5x10' forward + 10' backward, very slow and deliberate w/10 pound bumper plate on hips; :60 rest 
+
For 10:00
Evens: 3 touch and go power cleans-you pick the weight
Odds: 45 double unders
+
For 10:00
Evens: :30 row @90% aerobic 
Odds: :30 assault bike @90% aerobic 
+
3 rounds not for time:
9-12 light/moderate reverse hypers
+
Crossover Symmetry recovery

AM
complete

PM
A. complete
+
complete w/145
+
complete
+
complete, 45#/side
+
complete


Today was much better than yesterday. 

145 was super easy for the touch and go cleans, I definitely should have gone heavier. All double unders were unbroken. 

I enjoyed the row/bike EMOM, breathing felt good (my congestion is FINALLY starting to go away). 

Overall a nice, chill day. 

Also, I feel like I need to vent a little bit about what's currently happening with HQ vs OPEX.


In defense of OPEX and Small Plate Gate 

I just have a few thoughts on this. 

First of all, it actually made me sad to read through the comments people were making about OPEX. It really bothered me, and it made me sad for the athletes of OPEX. Those guys are the last people you would find cheating. You can tell from the detailed and extensive life coaching/nutrition/program design courses OPEX offers, they do things thoroughly and the right way. They are constantly posting videos of their athletes and I don't think I've ever seen a bad rep or a squat that wasn't legit. They train quality athletes and several of those athletes have made it to the Games and were also drafted for the NPGL. You can't cheat your way through regionals or the Games and you certainly can't cheat your way through an NPGL match that's being broadcast to thousands of people. 

Second, after what happened with 15.1A last year, I'm honestly surprised that HQ isn't over-explaining everything. This is why, at every competition, there is a standards briefing before the competition starts. Athletes always have questions about the standards and if it was such a huge deal to HQ, they should have specifically listed the EXACT equipment necessary. You can't assume the athletes are all going to think the same way and use the same things. What if a female was doing this in her garage and she only had a men's bar and two metal 10 pound plates? HQ needs to be thinking of everything at this point. You can't say one thing and then do another. It's like when you and your friend have a crush on the same guy and you ask your friend if it's cool that you and this guy go out, and your friend says yes but secretly she means no, and then you go out with this guy and your friend gets mad at you because she didn't think you would actually do it and you should have KNOWN it would upset her! HQ needs to stop laying down the law AFTER the fact. Be ready with all the possible scenarios before you explain the workout, and give people time to rectify their mistakes. 

It is really too bad how this whole situation was handled by HQ. OPEX does not deserve to have their name tarnished like this, it's a shame. Hopefully this type of situation doesn't happen again, I really hope HQ learns from this (ehhhh) and starts over-preparing with their standards and expectations. 

2/29/2016

AM
3000m row @Z1, off every 500m to walk around for a minute

PM
16.1 redo 

AM
complete

PM
198 (2 reps less than Friday)


Eeeeeeeesh. Today was rough. 

I went into this redo truly believing I could do better than my first attempt on Friday. I was running on more than three hours of sleep, I wasn't sick anymore and I was feeling pretty good. I definitely wasn't looking forward to doing it again but I thought I could improve a lot. WRONG. 

I started out a bit slower than Friday, my first round was 1:47 or something around there. My goal was to stay steady but keep my transitions short and rest less during the pull ups. I was trying to stay moving on the burpees and take wider steps on the lunges. I thought I started out pretty well but I still lost it on the pull ups. They felt like total garbage today, I think I switched to kipping pull ups by the third round. I was still resting way too much during the pull ups and I was also breaking them up a lot more than I did on Friday. I don't know how many times Stephen told me to stay upright, I kept bending over even though that's the exact opposite of what I needed to be doing. I was breathing so hard, I just couldn't force myself to do pull ups. That was the absolute worst part. Not the burpees, not the lunges. The pull ups were the worst. I think mentally I was "in it" much more than I was on Friday, so I guess that's a plus? During my first attempt I remember thinking "I don't even care, I just want this to be over." Today, I was surprised to look at the clock and see 13 minutes had already passed. I wanted to do better. 

I really tried to push the last two minutes. The sad part is, I thought I was a round ahead of where I actually was. I thought I was into my ninth round instead of my eighth. I thought I was moving a lot better throughout the whole workout and as I was doing the burpees at the end I thought it was just racking up extra points. Once I was done, I asked Stephen if I had done better and he said "actually, I think you did less" and I almost burst into tears. That was the worst. Stephen said I was moving better but I didn't start out as fast so I didn't have any room to slow down. I just didn't stay ahead of the pace and I still rested too much on the pull ups. This was so disappointing. 

I knew when this workout was announced it wasn't going to be a good week for me. I honestly think I tried my best today, I don't think I could have done much more. I definitely could have cut down the rest on the pull ups but I don't think I could have added that many more reps to my score. I wanted to go faster but I just couldn't. This just wasn't a good workout for me. I was mostly just disappointed because I want to contribute for my team as much as I can, I want us to get to regionals. It's over and done, so here's hoping this week is muscle ups and a heavy barbell. 

2/28/2016

Long, unplugged hike or easy 30:00-60:00 bike

30:00 bike complete
+
10:00 mobility 

2/27/2016

A. Power clean clusters, 3x1.1.1.1.1; :10 between singles, 2:30 rest
+
Partner work TBD
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

A. 145-165-175
+
For time w/a partner:
120 row calories
30 wall walks
120 KB swings
240 double unders
800m run

18:03 w/Byrd 
+
complete


I forgot about the terrible "day after" feeling during the Open, I came in this morning tired and sore. Power cleans were okay but I was very indifferent about lifting today. 

Byrd and I partnered up for the class workout. I was planning on doing this at a nice, chill, 85% effort but Byrd had other plans. He wanted to beat Duprie and Brandie's time of 19:23 so we pushed pretty hard on the workout. We split up the row calories 20 each. At one point I was rowing 1200 cal/hr and Mark's exact words were "why are you rowing so slow?" Classic. Wall walks were singles traded back and forth, those were actually the worst part. My arms and shoulders were extremely fatigued. KB swings were split up 10 each, these were basically a break before the double unders. I started out with a set of 64 double unders and then we both traded large sets. Mark ran first and then I finished. That 400m run was painful, I was hauling ass because I could hear Mark yelling at me to go faster so we could beat Brandie and Duprie. We ended up beating them by over a minute, but god, at what cost? My legs were BLOWN UP afterwards, to the point where I was almost concerned. My calves were cramping and I had to sit on a bike for about ten minutes to cool down. I probably went a bit too hard on this. I can't help it during partner workouts, that shit is the best!