Wednesday. Double Grace with Toni @ 80kg. Time, 8.30. Pair wod, 300m run, 30 power snatch @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 c&j @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 deads @ 60kg, 300m run, 40m front rack lunges. Time, 16.20.
What a day! We moved some barbell around with a purpose in the morning with Toni. Double Heavy Grace was in the program to start the day, and then another metcon with quite a bunch of barbell action, with running between movements. Then we spent the day with Pauliina and our little girl in the city of Helsinki.
Double Heavy Grace. Time, 8.30
60 clean and jerk @ 80kg
You go, I go, with Toni
This sounded like a good idea yesterday evening. Today as I woke up it sounded monstrous. And it kind of was to be honest. As we built up to this weight it started to feel like it's doable. The first lifts felt heavy as shit but time corrected this and it started to feel more comfortable. Or at least manageable.
It's pretty mind blowing that we were actually able to smash 80kg barbell like this for so many reps. And without having to slow down tremendously. We are freaking pumped to hit double Grace at 80kg. Great job Toni! This weight seemed to be perfect for a pair work.
Doubel Grace
Wod. Time, 16.20
300m run
30 power snatch @ 60kg
300m run
30 clean and jerk @ 60kg
300m run
30 deadlift @ 60kg
300m run
40 front rack lunges @ 60kg
Divide the barbell movements as you wish, run together as a team
After the first piece shoulders were shot but after warming up a little bit for this one they were in full action again. It was an awkward feeling that the barbell felt light'ish on the first snatches (as it was 20kg less than just before) but the movement was different so it needed some work to get used to it.
Metcon's parts
Great workout to say the least. Only thing I would have changed was the deadlifts. They were too easy and light so the breathing that was through the roof came down a notch. Had there been front squats it would have been a different ball game. Let's make the order like this: snatch --> front squat --> c&j --> lunges = horrible.
Sunday. AM: Complex, hang snatch + snatch, build up to a heavy set (62kg). Heavy Grace @ 70kg. Time, 4.30. PM: Metcon, 4rds of: 10 thruster @ 40kg, 10 ring dip, 10 t2b, 10 burpee. Time, 10.45.
I really needed a rest day on Saturday. Body felt very tired after a busy week. It was action from morning to evening every day and I tried to struggle to get some good sessions in the schedule. Succeeded in that too but it took its taxes during the week. Today I felt great again after a relaxing day spent with the family.
Oly.
Complex, hang snatch + snatch
Build up to a heavy set (40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 62kg)
Couple of sets snatches to start the day. This was a rather short session so I took just a few sets and focused on those lifts. I'm happy on all of the lifts this time. Bar path was okay all the way. Everything over 60 kilos starts to get heavy pretty soon but today those were good. I took 62kg and left it there.
Grace. Time, 4.30
30 clean @ jerk @ 70kg
This is a benchmark workout that gets me nervous every freaking time! Somehow Grace and Fran are the most classical benchmarks for me. Every now and then this pops up in my program and then it's time to go. I walked around the gym for a while and tried to find excuses to postpone this one but couldn't find any =)
It was a little heavier workout than normally. Rx'd version is at 60kg but this was 70kg. That means it's gonna burn my shoulders and legs much more than normally in a way. On the other hand on the regular version I'm able to go faster which makes it more intense, thus resulting in probably even more pain in the above mentioned areas, plus the lungs.
My strategy was simple. Go singles all the way from the very beginning. Don't keep too much rest between reps, just grab the bar and put it overhead. First reps were quite easy but somewhere between 5-10 the reality hit me and I recognized it's gonna be an awkward ride to the finish line. And it kind of was.
It got heavy but somehow still manageable. My legs started to get fired up and shoulders too. My jerks were quite good though and the technique stayed right on the point. Steady work through the finish. I'll take this one with a pleasure. It's over 2min improvement compared to the previous 70kg Grace.
Grace @ 70kg
Metcon. Time, 10.45
4 rounds of:
10 thrusters @ 40kg
10 ring dips
10 toes-to-bar's
10 burpees
After couple of hours I returned to the gym as this metcon needed to be completed. I wanted to do this in the morning but didn't have enough time. Plus I was done after 30 clean and jerks. I kept the thrusters light in order to keep the intensity high. That means I was able to go unbroken on them all the way. It sky rocketed my breathing every time and on the last round my shoulders needed to work big time as they started to go numb.
There were three elements that pressured shoulders. Basically everything but the t2b's. Ring dips were the most challenging part. Those have always been challenging for me. First round was unbroken, then I had to start breaking them up. I guess my shoulders are tight and that has an effect on the dips. T2b's were unbroken. Usually burpees keep the breathing up (this was no exception either) but today they mostly shot my shoulders. It felt heavy to push myself up from the floor because of all the shoulder pressure in this workout. Good metcon.
Monday. AM: Working out at Liikuntamylly. Skills, handstand. Couple of clean & jerks (60-80kg). Benchmark workout Grace. Time 2.50. PM: Sandy action.
I'm on a holiday this week. Didn't use much of my leave last summer so I've had the possibility to take some time off of work and focus on training. That gives me a possibility to train at these magnificent places in the morning times. After a Super Bowl night, after sleeping all 3 hours I gave Pauliina a ride to work and went directly to Liikuntamylly, my favorite place as an athlete. It was time to take a nap and do another workout in the evening with a sandbag at our backyard.
Skills.
Handstand
This skills movement is sick, I love it. When you give me the possibility to do it, I'll do it. It felt like my body was very tired in the morning but once I got to go inverted it was getting better. First I did some handstand hold, trying got stay as firm and balanced, having my legs together pointing in the air. Then I practiced the handstand walk. It went okay. Was able to stay still pretty well and move forward as planned.
Grace. Time 2.50
Benchmark workout
30 clean & jerks, 60kg
This workout is something sacred for me. Grace and Fran, 2 of the most classic and prestigious workouts that come to my mind when you talk about benchmark workouts in crossfit. They both make me nervous like nothing else. They are cruel workouts. Quick ones, it should always be an all-in effort from the very first rep. There's short amount of repetitions and no excuses to keep rest periods. I've been working my ass off to get strength in my shoulders in order for this 60kg weight to being something I'd be able to manhandle every time I touch the barbell.
Both of these benchmarks should be repeated once in a while in order to see whether development has taken place. This test of an athlete's muscle endurance is brutal and it got me nervous for a reason. Still, I was able to smash this one. I was hoping to get a PR from my previous time of 3.48. But never in my dreams did I see this time coming, a new record with a time of 2.50! That was sick, I'm on cloud number 9 right now for the performance I was able to do =)
I didn't quite know what kind of tactic to use on this one. Thought 6 sets of 5 reps would make it nicely if I'd do one set per 30 seconds for as long as possible. That would make it to 3:00 exactly. However, on the first set I already changed my strategy on the fly and completed 6 reps. On my 10sec break I thought to change it to 5 sets of 6 reps. On the second set I felt like I had unbalanced grip so I dropped the bar after 3 reps, readjusted and took another 3 reps. I was at 12 reps.
After another 10sec break I was looking to get another 6 reps. No way man. I took 3 reps in a row, break and another 2 reps, total of 17 reps. From there on I decided to throw those strategies in to trash bin and as Jason Khalipa says it: "throw balls to the wall". Just close your mindset and give your everything. The bar felt very heavy after 19 reps and that might be seen from my face also from the video. Each rep hurt in my shoulders and legs. Grace has never felt this bad on my thighs, they were burning in a smilier was as my shoulders.
It was a totally different ball game to complete Grace here in Liikuntamylly where you can drop bar compared to my home gym. You save tons of energy by dropping the bar instead of bringing it down gently. Of course you can go faster by doing touch'n'go reps but once you're hammered already, you simply can't do multiple reps. Afterwards, I realized it was a good strategy drop the bar after 20 reps every time I got a rep and grab the bar right away.
I was super stoked after I saw the time after the 30th rep. Probably my best performance every, the improvement was such great compared to last Grace. This one took all my energy and I was left with nothing in the tank. I hung around in Liikuntamylly for a while and stretched before going home for a lunch and a nap.
Sandy-metcon.
4 rounds of:
20 walking lunges with a sandbag, 25kg
20 strict press with a sandbag, 25kg
I thought another metcon is about to happen. Thought about what elements to utilize at our backyard. I have some stuff in the storage: kettlebells, weighted vest and self-made sandbag. Decided to go with the sandbag, a.k.a. Sandy.
Didn't want it to be an extremely long one so while I was warming up I came up with a simple workout: 10 walking lunges, then turn and complete the same steps back to starting point. Followed by 20 strict press with the sandbag. Those presses killed my shoulders! Even though the weight wasn't heavy, the odd object element might have made a difference.
I went unbroken on the strict presses for 2 rounds. On the last 2 rounds it was 15+5 and 12+8. Lunges went ub all rounds. It was a good evening workout to get some body fluids flowing. Now I'm gonna just eat for the rest of the evening and get ready for tomorrow's workouts. I'm eager to hear how Toni demolishes Crossfit Total at his Box today!
Tuesday. Handstand skills. 10 x (2 hang squat snatches + 2 ohs). Heavy Grace (70kg). Time 7.12.
Another day in Eltsu, probably our favorite place to workout. Together with Toni we had plan to go for olympic lifts, we scheduled certain workouts especially for this venue. It's easier to drop weights here when you're doing snatches and / or clean & jerks. Can't do that in a regular gym. Some skills to start with, then snathces, and finally it was time for another benchmark workout, Grace.
Skills. Handstand skills. I'm thinking I managed rather well. Was trying to find stability in the inverted position and I'm simply feeling more and more confident being upside down. Even though I start to fall to some direction, I'm able to correct my form and get it back together. That's valuable. There was a time when I dropped from the position each and every time I started leaning too much to some direction. Handstanding / handstand walking feeling good nowadays.
Snatches.
10 x (2 hang squat snatches + 2 overhead squats)
Weights between 30 & 45kg. One set at 35, about 5 @ 40, the rest @ 45kg
Not the best day of snatches for me. Had a few misses at 45kg. Somehow the bar stayed way too forward up there. And I noticed from the video that the bar path is somewhere else it should be. It's way too front of me. Should be much closer to my body and the path should be vertical. Have to keep on training more.
Tough! Simply tough. Went after benchmark wod Grace. I've done it a few times, twice as rx'd and then as a pair wod with Toni we've done double Grace. Today was the first time I put on a heavier barbell than it should be as rx'd. The original weight is 60kg, decided to add 10kg to make it a bit tougher. Toni did the same workout with the original weights. We completed the workout simultaneously. Nice variation!
It was difficult to come up with a plan how to proceed with this one. Decided to go by feeling. It soon turned out to be a game of single reps. Take a look at the show below. I didn't count that last rep of mine because I don't think there was full extension in the top position so I repeated it. Toni's plan was to go in sets of 5 for as long as possible.
Today was the day of the week when I met my friend Marko to work outdoors. Pirkkola is the classic venue for our war field. As usual, we integrated running with bodyweight movements to get the sweat flooding and the heart pumping. My training partner worked hard today and I'm sure his overall fitness jumped forward due to Loredo. My legs are still incredibly sore and I did a lot of mobility today during work day as well. I had some petanque balls at my office so I placed them between my hamstrings and the office chair to cause positive pain in my legs and thus ease the tension there.
Loredo. Time 22.49
6 rounds of:
24 squats
24 push-ups
24 lunges
400m run
There's a total of 144 reps each bodyweight movement accompanied with 2.4km run, for time. A lot of leg work. Today I'll have to repeat yesterday's cold / hot treatment in the shower to get the fluids running in my legs. I don't quite know what's the hardest part of this workout. It was a steady performance and legs were burning. Yeah, but still it was totally manageable. The amount of reps per round was not huge so they were also moderate in difficulty level as well.
I was afraid of the push-ups in advance, thinking about the number of total reps to be completed. But, I performed well with them. 3 rounds unbroken, then 16+8, and on the last 2 rounds 14+5+5, with just a 5sec rest between sets. The lunges were burning my legs the most. Luckily there were only 24 of them per round. Going for 50m would have been very tough. On the running I also consider maintaining a pretty steady pace throughout the workout. Below you'll see my round times.
Round times
03:15
03:34
03:53
04:08
04:11
03:49
My strategy was not to gas myself out early in the workout. Remembering all metcons with running and bodyweight moves combined, the first feeling I have that once you rush in the start, you'll be too exhausted in the finish. By maintaining a steady performance, you'll usually achieve a better result. Well, go figure. This was my strategy today and I enjoyed this workout.
Toni's workout. Grace. Time 4.50
Benchmark wod Grace
30 reps for time
Clean & jerk, 60kg
This guy went for Grace. It's been a while since he's done it. I found his Grace from last December. However, it was with 50kg, time was 4.04. Don't know if he's done it since then with rx'd weights. I believe he has but I need some confirmation. How is it Pony?
Third clip from Dusty Hyland & Virtuosity: "Shoulder taps". Enjoy!
Monday. Grace. Time 3.48. Handstand hold, headstand & handstand training.
There are a couple of benchmark workouts that make me nervous. Some of these make my stomach go upside down and just before the zero-hour for a second I try to find an excuse why not to do them. That's only because they are cruel and make your body scream for pain. Then I get a grip and talk myself up to crash the workout. The feeling after these workouts is something that can't be described in words. It's freaking awesome, the reason I love crossfit and today was no exception!!!
Grace. Time 3.48
30 clean & jerk, 60kg
It's unfortunate they forbid videoshooting your own training sessions at our Box so I don't have video material to offer from my newest Grace. Sometimes it's possible to take pictures or videos if there are no other people working out but today there were plenty of them. This was the first time I did it with the original weights, rx'd weight is 60kg. For the first time I did it back in September 2012, then together with Toni we completed a double Grace in October 2012, and the last time was in December 2012, all were done with 50kg on the barbell. That weight is history, the only possibility is to do it with 60kg nowadays.
My strategy was to do sets of 6 reps for as long as possible. I recall doing the previous Grace in sets of 6 reps. Today the sets were 6-6-5-4-4-2-1-1-1. The breaks between sets were rather short in my opinion, at least they felt like it =) The first 6 reps were done in about 20+ seconds and 12 reps were in records after 60 seconds. I tried to keep the breaks somewhere around 10-15 seconds in the beginning. From 17 reps on the burden was going up rapidly. It was a tough mental play from then on. I forced some reps up even though my body wanted to take a rest. From 21 I got to 24, then a double and finally 3 singles in the end with no rest between them, only dropping and lifting again. Finally the clock stopped at 3.48.
Tension in forearms was tingling and definitely the most difficult part was the jerk. I believe my clean is at a pretty ok level and I didn't have problems in getting the bar at my chest. Some of the jerks were more like push press or even a shoulder press. For some reason you might sometimes forget to utilize the legs and hip drive and that was exactly what happened at some reps. That's why they felt heavier than they should have felt in the end. Luckily I had no failed reps during the workout, managed to push the bar all the way up to full extension with each attempt. I was extremely satisfied after the workout as I felt I gave my everything to Grace. My goal with both Grace and Fran was to go under 4 minutes and I reached those objectives with both of these benchmark girls.
Inverted. Headstand and handstand practice
3 x ME static handstand hold against wall
Headstand training
Handstand training
My bro has strong handstand skills and he's been talking me into testing max effort of static handstand hold against wall. I took three attempts, first attempt was 1 minute, then I had to drop off the wall, the following attempts were half a minute each. It probably wasn't the easiest one after doing 30 clean & jerks =)
Then I did some headstand and handstand training. Once again, headstand rolled well. I had no problems in finding a stable form and holding a straight body from head to toes. I also tried another type of approach. Previously I've held my hands close to my head, actually they are located just beside my head, touching the back of my head. The stability comes from head, forearms and elbows touching the ground. The other option is to create a triangle from both palms and a head. Both versions worked for me. In the end I did some free handstand training. To finish the training I did mobility for lower body.
Toni's workouts.
Back squats 5x5, 100kg
For 10 min, 30sec on, 30sec off. Distance 1.751m
Pony's goal was 5 sets of 5 reps and he managed to complete them as planned, all sets with 100kg. From the other side of the gym I heard some growling so I guess he really had to focus on the last reps =) That rowing metcon starts to become a classic among us, it definitely is a good workout. You can do it for 10, 20 or 30 minutes, all are good versions.
Wednesday. Morning: EMOM for 12min, 4 x hang squat cleans, 60-70kg. DB Grace (2x15kg), time 1.36. Evening: handstand push-ups and headstand.
Plan was to do one workout in the morning, focusing on heavy hang cleans. In the evening Pauliina got an idea to go and workout together so I joined and concentrated in handstand push-ups and headstand. Toni did another long metcon in the morning.
Workout.
Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes
4 hang squat cleans, 60-70kg
Complete 4 reps in the beginning of each minute, rest the remaining time of the minute and repeat for a total of 12 rounds. I started with 70kg and my goal was to do the whole set with same weights. Managed to do so for 6 total rounds. On the 7th minute I got 2 reps, tried the third twice but couldn't get it up. From then on I took 10kg off the barbell and finished it with 60kg. The difference was huge. It wasn't that bad to clean 60kg.
Can't deny that I love cleans. I have added the training of them and especially taken from hang position as well as squat cleans. I believe these two elements have increased my upper back strength and technique has definitely improved as well. This was a cool workout. Even though it's purely one strength movement, it makes heart bounce after a few rounds. You still have time to recover before the start of next round. I recommend this one!
Db Grace. Time 1.36
30 clean & jerk, 2x15kg dumbbells
After couple of minutes I decided to do a mini-Grace. I took 15kg dumbbells and completed 30 reps of clean & jerk with them. The weight wasn't heavy and intentionally so. Didn't want to go all in, more like a cashout type of training. It would be cool to do this with heavy weights because doing Grace with dumbbells has probably totally different character compared to regular Grace, which is done with 60kg barbell.
HSPU + headstand.
4 x 7 hspu
3 x handstand hold
3 plank hold
In the evening we walked to the nearby gym in order to give Pauliina the possibility to train. I utilized the chance to do inverted training. After cycling and rowing I took some handstand holds against a wall, then continued to do 4 sets of handstand push-ups. On the first round I did 7 strict reps, that was the highest number ever with strict hspu. My max is 8 reps unbroken but those have mainly been kipping. I was very pleased to complete 7 strict hspu.
Handstand push-ups
I did 7 reps each round but the number of strict and kipping varied. First round 7 strict, second round 3 strict, third round 4 strict, last round all kipping. You find the videos on Youtube. Then I did 3 sets of headstand practice, searching for stable inverted hold. I believe I managed quite well. Then to finish it all, we did 3 plank hold sessions with Pauliina.
Headstand
Toni's workouts. 18.06
5 rounds of:
500m row
10 box, 61cm
10 front squats, 30kg
Not sure if it was like this, the number of boxes and squats may have been something else. I believe Toni's time was 18.06, correct me if I'm wrong Pony!
Tuesday. Front squat (max PR 120kg). Grace (50kg), time 3.10.
I had planned to wake up eagerly and go to the gym. For some reason I slept too late and had to hurry myself on the way. No prob, I had enough time to do some PR's with Toni & Joni =) I went for front squats and hero called Grace. Toni did took bench press, front squat and Grace, Joni concentrated in front squat.
Toni front squatting
Strength. 2-2-2-2-f (90, 100, PR 115, PR 120, f 125kg).
Yeah baby! I wanted to see how much further I could push it with front squats so I took doubles to new digits. I was pumping it with Joni who also managed to squat his new PR of 110kg. I took sets of 90 and 100kg. My previous max was 112.5kg. We thought we put 107.5kg on the bar but after having done my squats I realized there were 115kg, a little miscalculation so to say :) Luckily this way and not downwards. I new it already at 100kg that it's going well today. That 115kg PR lift was easy two rep set so I added it to 120kg and took it up twice as well. I got greedy and wanted to add bets, plates worth 125kg came down but not up. Hey, 7.5kg improve on the max load of my front squat, damned I felt strong!
Front squat, 120kg
Toni shared his old record in bench press with 95kg and front squatted 90kg, which also happens to be his max, dating back to week 47.
Grace. I modified to 50kg. Time 3.10. Grace = 30 x clean & jerk.
This was the third time we've done Grace. First time was 7th September, my time was 5.40, on the same day I PR'd my front squat to 95kg. Hmm, 25kg up in three months time, guess that's ok. Mid-October we took a pair wod with Toni, Double-Grace, and we timed it 5.50. Today my time was 3.10 with same weights, 50kg on the barbell. Next time there are no options, better upgrade it to Rx'd weights, 60kg.
I took 5 sets of 6 reps to reach 30 reps in total. It was mentally easier to go in sets rather than push to the limits and then struggle to the end. I planned to do 6 reps a minute but because my first set was done in about 25 seconds and it didn't feel that bad, I decided to go further rather quickly. I was done two rounds little after one minute. On the second round the bar started to feel heavier and rest periods didn't make their purpose anymore. After fourth round I didn't rest much - at least it didn't feel like it - because goal line was looming somewhere ahead. I pushed through in 3.10 and improved my time with 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Grace, Don
After I finished, Toni got a boost and wanted to have piece of this girl as well. He had same strategy of 6x5 reps which proved to be a success for both of us. The first time Toni did Grace with 40kg and timed it 4.09. Today he went with 50kg and clock stopped at 4.04.
Wednesday. Pair workout: double Grace (50kg). Time 5.50. Technique for 2-position clean, hang snatch high pull, snatch and overhead squats.
Double Grace .Today’s goal was something very much different compared to traditional training. We took good warm-up with Toni - who was my partner today - in a workout that we completed together as a team. I’ve been thinking and pondering what kind of pair wods we could do and in which kind of workouts we would be in equal level with Toni. Please throw some ideas if you have some in the comments section below. One idea that I have in mind is the other one rowing and the other one holding a plate overhead during the row. At some point change roles on a fly, repeat for 2-3 rounds. This time we did something else anyway. Classic material, Grace was ahead of us.
On September 7th, I did individual Grace with 50kg for 5.40.
Toni’s time on the same day with 40kg was 4.09.
Today our combined time with 50kg was 5.50.
Now, about 12 hours after the workout, I'm still smiling as I think what happened in the morning. However, I'm wondering about the time we completed the double Grace in. If I think about our performances and times in September and today, some thoughts come to my mind. First of all, the weights felt so much lighter now. That difference was remarkable. How about the time? First reaction was that damned our time was fast for 60 reps! Then, our "individual times" in this workout were about 5.20. I began at 00.00 and was done with 30 reps at 5.20. Toni had about the same time, he just started about half a minute later. How about the strategy? The planning ahead was from another planet compared to previous Grace. That time I just started doing the reps as fast as I could. And the result was that I managed quite well up to 15 reps but from then on the workout was a nightmare. This didn't happen this time because of doing 5 reps at a time and then rest while the other guy did his 5 reps. Okay, breathing got heavy today as well but not intolerable. And I was able to keep my technique similar throughout the workout, even as tired. Last time the last third of it was purely struggling, not cool. This time both of us completed all sets unbroken. So now I'm thinking what happened if we did this individually. Would we have the patience to take it wisely and keep short pauses or would we be too eager and ambitious which would have definitely hit us back at some point. And how long pauses should we keep if the bar didn't feel that heavy? I don't know the answers but my head is full of these thoughts. Would it be a good idea to do for example 6 reps, step back for 20 seconds and repeat for 5 rounds. Could I go like that till the end with the same pace or would fatigue hit me big time? And finally, I should definitely go for heavier weights next time. You'll see the last round of our double Grace below.
As a summary, we both improved our performance clearly. Next time heavier weights. We were both extremely satisfied with this workout and will definitely go for it together and as individuals again. Pair wod was definitely worth trying for and I think we will try to be creative and do other type of metcons together as well. Clean & jerk is one of the favorites for both of us. I was full of energy after Grace and wanted to do other workouts as well. However, my upper body really felt the burden of it so it was out of question to do anything heavy. I learned some technical issues for 2-position clean, hang snatch high pull as well as normal snatch, some overhead squats too. I haven't really snatched at all so I'm learning it little by little. That hang snatch high pull really made its purpose, I got closer to doing them all the way. I also took some snatches with the bar and mysteriously it didn't feel that difficult. I've had some issues with this movement so I have been avoiding it for some time. Now it's about time to start learning this movement seriously, as well as overhead squats. Joni was also with us at the gym, he did:
5 rounds of
20 back squats (50kg)
10 burpees
In the evening, I had my floorball training for 2 hours. Our coach was clearly not satisfied with our performance in Monday's game and made us do a bit different type of training this time. Definitely not only floorball, there was actually quite a number of shuttle runs, abdominal movements, push-ups, sit-ups, back extensions etc. I liked it! Tomorrow I will travel to Stockholm to see Pauliina, I'll be back on Monday. We are anyway going to train hard at Pauliina's local gym so I'll keep you informed what's happening in Sweden :)
Friday. Front squat 5x3 (PR max 95kg). Wod. Grace, time 5.40. Awesome workout! Grace have been tickling me for a while and finally I got a good chance to measure where I’m at. My bro and Toni were also at the gym so there was also some training partner pressure involved ;) We took off by warming up with rowing, pull-ups, double unders, front squats and clean technique. The schedule was to do front squats and workout called Grace, i.e. 30 reps of clean & jerk, we modified the weight slightly lighter. Strength. Front squat 5x3 (80+80+85+90+ PR 95kg). Sami took 100kg, Toni 80kg. Toni had never front squatted so this was a huge day of progress. There was some technique learnt in the beginning and finally he lifted 80kg as his new PR. We took sets of three reps each, my sets started from 80 and ended up in new personal record on 95kg! There was still energy left to lift more, I’ll save that for later. I love to squat, these strength movements have taken a piece of my heart, I’m really into them, it makes good to confidence level as you can witness some quick development. Grace. Time 5.40, scaled to 50kg. Toni scaled to 40kg, time 4.09. This day was all about Grace. I had some positive nervousness in the morning as I woke up ‘cause I knew this workout was awaiting. And it was perfect that these two fellows were along as you can’t be too merciful to yourself as there are people shouting you forward in your workout. My PR in clean is currently 65kg, and 60 in push press so it would have been absurd to try Grace with 60kg, which is how it's originally meant to be done. Grace means you’ll have to clean & jerk the bar with 60kg from the ground to overhead position, 30 reps. Each time the bar has to come back down to the ground. In the overhead position ears can’t be seen if you look from the side. I used 50kg as my bar weight, which is about 80% of my max. Taking this into consideration, it was a tough weight to start with.
I really enjoyed doing the workout! It isn’t easy but it really gives you the opportunity to input the best you have to offer from your upper body strength. I had no strategy entering Grace so I just started lifting it as fast as possible because I figured fatigue will hit me anyway at some point. So why waste any time waiting for it? The first 7-8 reps went smooth, then the weight started to feel tougher. I had some problems that occurred at the latter half of the workout. The last 5 reps were disastrous as you can see, the bar felt so heavy that it was difficult to get it even to my chest. My back arched and it was hard to get any assistance from my legs. So the technique is horrible to watch afterwards =) The last rep was inches away from a full extension but legitimately my training partners didn’t let it through, I lost another half a minute in the end because of this. I’m happy that all those counted jerks were good and acceptable ones so this is comparable the next time I’ll do it. Hopefully with the original 60kg that time!
Toni did his workout with 40kg bar and was able to perform Grace quicker, time 4.09. He said he'll do 6 reps in a minute and rest the remaining minute. That would have been precisely 5 minutes. However, he did the reps quicker. Especially Sami's encouragement made him go fast with the last reps. I think he could have taken the same 50kg bar and soon go with the 60kg. He has strength in there but he just haven't done these moves before. He will be a serious competitor once he gets the movements familiar. Well done big fella =)
Sami didn't take Grace this time, he just finished Diane the day before yesterday, 21-15-9 deadlift (100kg) + HSPU in 7 minutes. Today he went with 10 rounds of rowing, 30 rowing, 30 seconds rest, total of 1.700m in distance, average speed of about 1.38 / 500m. The original wod at crossfit.com was a total of 30 rounds. I'm going after that workout some day.
