Saturday. Intervals, 6 sets of: 10 hang power clean @ 60kg + 10 burpees.
After almost 3 weeks of traveling in France and Italy, it was time to dial back and return home, back to grinding. I missed my barbell big time. There were some training abroad as well but weights were pretty much non-existing.
Intervals.
6 sets of:
10 hang power cleans @ 60kg
10 burpees
Got outdoors in the evening as you can see from the video. Not much to be seen as it's getting darker this time of the year. Didn't have a timer but I checked from tape that the recovery was around 1-2 minutes between sets. Basically the idea was to settle the breathing a notch before hitting another set. Unbroken every round of course, otherwise it would have been a bit awkwardly written workout. The purpose
Only had time for a short session. A total of about half an hour so it was a quick workout. Took couple of deadlifts up to 140kg after foam rolling, then just put the timer on and went to work.
Metcon. Time, 21.29
5 rounds of:
10 deadlifts @ 100kg
20 burpees
30 wall ball shots
This got nasty. Deadlifts were the "easiest" part of this. Burpees were horrible, and wall balls were also obnoxious after the burpees. Got the deads unbroken. Burpees were ub too, just paced myself throughout the metcon. Wall balls were the only ones I broke from round one. They were 18-12 each round.
Main focus was on killing my legs. Goal reached. Front squat doubles in the beginning and a longer amrap in the end. Legs and breathing were definitely taking big hits.
Strength.
Front squat 6x2 @ 110kg
This is something I have taken from weightlifting101. Not being that strict with it though. Regarding the schedule. There should be squatting 3 times a week but I squat when I squat. Then I follow that program. The sets are destined at 80% which is less than I am used to go when I squat.
Metcon. Result, 9 rounds
20min amrap of:
5 front squats @ 70kg (from ground)
10 burpees
20m sled push @ 55kg (+sled)
This was unbroken stuff for sure but it got tough pretty soon. Legs were under tension continuously so I had to take some recovery before and after sled push. However, the round times stayed quite consistent, and I'm happy on the performance. It was a sweaty 20 minutes and felt like pure crossfit. Good session!
Got a chance to hit a workout with a bunch of guys at Crossfit Kehä. Toni had pulled some strings and there ended up to be 5 studs working towards the same goal. Improving overall fitness with the boys.
Metcon. Result, 7 rounds + 100m run
30min amrap of:
10 burpees
15 box jumps
20 wall ball shots
Long workout with heavy breathing from quite early on. First round went by without that much blood and tears. Maybe on the second or third round I started to count a little that wait a minute, this is gonna take something like 7 rounds before the 30 minutes are full.
It felt like it's gonna be a long workout as it felt bad already before 10 minutes were full. I'm very happy on being able to maintain my pace throughout the workout, even with that gnarly feeling. I went unbroken on all bodyweight movements. Maybe the transitions from burpees to box jumps, and box jumps to wall balls grew a little towards the end but run was probably pretty much the same and I dropped directly to burpees when I came back in from the run.
Some forecasts said it's the hottest day this summer so it wasn't a surprise it was a bit sticky running outside. It wasn't easy to breath compared to a crispy autumn air. It was kinda intimidating to throw down with a bunch of dudes for the same workout as I have used to do metcons by myself, and against only myself. Especially as I knew there was one masters-aged guy who has been dominating the scene in competitions. However, it was a blast to hit the workout with them!
Tuesday. AM. Death by ring dips. Result, 87 reps. Ring push-ups, emom x 20. Total of 160 reps. PM. Pair wod 20min amrap, other one does lunges 30mx30kg. In the meanwhile the other one does 10 burpees + amrap of db snatches @ 25kg
Rings.
Death by ring dips. Result, 87 reps (12 rounds + 9 reps on the 13th round)
Every minute on the minute x 20min: ring push-ups
2 sets of: 10-10-9-9-8-8-7-7-6-6
Started the day after breakfast with a stroll with the family. Then right onto playing with the rings. Death by ring dips was interesting. Got very tough at around 10 reps. I believe they were unbroken until that set. On the 11th round I needed to break it. Couldn't finish the 13th round anymore, 9 reps completed there.
Ring push-ups emom wod wasn't that much of a conditioning piece. Just needed to burn my chest, triceps and shoulders a bit more. Worked perfectly. Took 10 reps for the first 2 minutes, then dropped one rep for the next 2 rounds and so on. After the round of 6's, I started it all over again. That means it was a 20min emom workout.
Pair wod.
20min amrap
The other one completes back rack lunges constantly for 30 meters @ 30kg
In the meanwhile the other one does 10 burpees + an amrap of dumbbell snatches @ 25kg
It was super cool to get my friend Antti throw down with me in the evening. Women went for a walk with the babies and we got ourselves some bro-sesh. It was pretty much the first touch for Antti with crossfit. Sure he knows what it's all about but it was freaking cool to get him to try it out. And he beast modes through the workout all the way!
The idea was that one of us was doing lunges for the entire 20 minutes. Every time the other was doing lunges, the other one did 10 burpees and as many snatches as possible in the remaining time that the other guy was still doing the lunges. The movements hurt legs, butt and lungs. Very good combo and nice to get a training partner. Plus Kari was cheering us up and giving check point times in the middle of the workout. Great training day!
Monday. Gymnastics, death by hspu. Result, 55 reps. Metcon, 6rds of: 300m row, 10 burpees. Time, 11.03.
Started the week with a quick session of two metcons. First started with skills based portion, then pure conditioning to finish the session. We went out with wife afterwards for dinner and stroll in the sun. I like the way this week started for sure =)
Gymnastics. Result, 55 reps (round of 10 reps completed)
Death by handstand push-ups
It's been ages since doing "death by" workouts for the previous time. The idea is that you put the clock on, and complete one rep on the first minute. Two reps on the second minute, 3 reps on the 3rd min and so on. It ends when you can't finish the reps needed within one minute.
My shoulders felt yesterday's push jerks already before this session began so it was challenging enough to smash these handstand push-ups. It was easy in the beginning but once it gets taxing, the difference is suddenly quite big compared to the previous minute.
It was somewhere at probably 7 reps that I felt it's gonna be tough to get 10 minutes done. Had to break the reps on the last rounds but still got the work done.
Metcon. Time, 11.03
6 rounds of:
300m row
10 burpees
I had decided to have a short training session so I basically jumped on to this with just short recovery. I was sweaty already so why waste time as you can also hit it right away. This was a good wod indeed. Rowing and burpees never fail. Rowing was 1:40+ and from there I walked couple of meters to my burpee area.
The strategy was to walk those few steps deliberately and start working the burpees right away. No standing still and waiting the breathing to settle. And after burpees I walked back to the rower and took the first stroke immediately. Then adjusted the foot handles during the process. Focus was on these transitions today.
Thursday. Metcon, 3rds of: 30 cal row, 30 ghd, 30 box jump overs. Time, 14.10. Metcon, 8min amrap of db snatch (25kg) and burpees.
The playoffs started today in the Ice Hockey World Championships. Had to rush home after work to check Finland win Denmark. Got to say there seemed not to be a lot of feeling and will to win but on either team's mentality. Still, Finland won and moved on to compete against Germany or the comp host Russia. I found a chance to hit the gym after the game.
Metcon. Time, 14.10
3 rounds of:
30 cal row
30 ghd sit-ups
30 box jump overs
This was all about hip flexors. Every movement put pressure on those areas and it took a while after the metcon to recover. No idea of the row pace, I just looked at the calories and kept pulling. Ghd's were unbroken on the first round. On the second round I broke it to 18-12, and 12-10-8 on the last round. Core stayed good on these, it was all about the hip flexors. On the box overs I paced myself but never stopped moving.
Metcon. Result, 116 reps
8min amrap
2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
Dumbbell snatches @ 25kg
Burpees
My plan was to hit another metcon today so after recovering for a while I came up with this one. One training partner hit something with db snatches and burpees and it sounded good so I modified it to this one. This was a perfect conditioning piece. Got my breathing high and the overall fatigue hit me little by little.
It was a recreational day at work. Together with Toni we arranged so that a good bunch of my colleagues got a chance to get a first taste of crossfit in their life. It was a 90-minute class of introducing crossfit as a sport and hobby, then warm-up, metcon and cool down. Great way to close the work week.
Metcon. Time, 228 reps (7 rounds + 10 burpees)
12min amrap of:
8 wall balls
10 burpees
12 box jumps
Got to be proud of these guys! It was a blast throwing down with good people. And Toni did a good job hosting our team this Friday. The metcon itself was a lot more brutal than I anticipated. It looks so deceptively easy. I'll tell you, it wasn't.
Bodyweight movements all the way. No need to stop at any point. That made it mentally challenging. There were no excuses. I kept moving and got through almost 8 rounds. Those burpees sucked butt. Really nasty. That seemed to be the general opinion. It was great to see these guys attack it from the very first 3-2-1-go command! There was a lot of eagerness in the air, and they went all in right away.
Thursday. Back squat, singles up to 140kg. Chipper, 30 hang power clean (60kg), 30 box, 30 front squat (60kg), 30 pull-ups, 30 jerk (60kg), 30 burpees. Intervals, 30sec on, 30sec off, for 10min: row.
Nice! It was great to get back to the gym. Had to take two days off of training. One day would have been okay but there have been so much things to be taken care of lately that I simply don't have time to hit the gym. I leave home early in the morning and come back late in the evening and go to bed. This has also taken some of my energy, and it showed today.
Strength.
Back squat
5x60, 90kg
3x110kg
1x120, 130, 140kg
There was no chance in going heavy today. It felt tough from the very beginning. Body wasn't very receptive to big loads on my back. But these weights were okay anyway. I'll take these for now.
Chipper.
30 hang power cleans @ 60kg
30 box jumps
30 front squats @ 60kg
30 pull-ups
30 push jerks @ 60kg
30 burpees
This was a great workout, c'mon! Alternating between barbell and bodyweight for six different elements in a chipper style for time. I went 10-7-7-6 on the hang cleans and was able to maintain a solid breathing. Box jumps unbroken, then squats were 12-10-8. My front squats with light weights are at okay level. I can maintain a good form on those, they just burn legs a lot.
Pull-ups were 10 reps at first, then 5's to the end. At this point I started to feel like a car had driven over me. Jerks were not cool at all. At this stage of the workout those felt heavy. I went 8-6-6-5-5 on those but had to take longer breaks than I hoped for. There were elements of mental breakdown =) Once those were done the burpees felt like an eternity. Rarely have those felt so miserable but somehow I crawled to the finish line. Damned it was heavy. For sure my preparation was not on point leading up to this day but this probably would have been bad wod in any case.
Intervals.
30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, for 10 minutes:
Row
After recovering for a while and trying to get myself back in the game I did a short interval work. Rowing pace was at 1:40 on average. Something between 1:38 and 1:41. Felt bad on my legs.
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.
Friday. Back squat, up to 3x140kg. Metcon, 5rds of: 300m row, 200m shuttle run, 10 burpees. Time, 14.07. Skills, 5x5 bar mu's.
Late evening workout. My body was definitely very tired due to not having enough recovery the entire week. Don't know if it was the best idea to go to the gym. Afterwards I was pleased though.
Strength.
Back squat 5x90, 3x110, 1x120, 1x130, 3x140, 2x138kg
This was absolutely a disappointment when working out as I didn't hit the numbers I was looking for. On the other hand I feel it's okay that I can hit a triple @ 140kg even on a very crappy day.
Metcon. Time, 14.07
5 rounds of:
300m row
200m shuttle run (10x20m)
10 burpees
This was a good one, and my round times were consistent. The rounds varied in just seconds, it was somewhere at 2:50 per round. Rowing was maybe 1:45 pace, no idea about the run but it took a little more than the row. That turn after every 20 meters caused that. Burpees went smoothly
Skills.
Bar muscle-ups 5x5
It was great to get some skills action also in the books. Got these nicely, some reps were tough on these sets but mostly it was alright
Monday. Emom x 10min: 3 c&j @ 70kg. Benchmark wod Air Force. Time, 7.51 (PR)
Rough day huh. That Air Force is one nasty maddafakka. I took clean and jerks in emom style with a little heavier weight than normally in barbell conditioning workouts. Then a blast from the past in the form of that benchmark workout. That sealed the day perfectly.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
3 clean and jerks @ 70kg
It was great to smash that barbell up and down. Focus was to keep the barbell moving touch'n'go on the ground and on the front rack. No pausing at any stage. Went for triples at 70kg which is basically 10kg more than normally when keeping a bar moving constantly. These felt pretty good even though I haven't done c&j's in a while.
It's been about 1.5 years since I've done this benchmark workout. It's been in my mind in the past weeks and months but it's a nasty one so maybe that's the reason I've been putting it in the background. Those punishment burpees are cruel.
My mental game was clearly better than before and I'm extremely happy on this matter. Especially on thrusters and sdhp's. Jerks were okay but it would have been cool to smash then faster. Overhead squats looked ugly and felt miserable. That was not a surprise though.
What I'm super happy about is the way I finished the workout. Grabbed the bar after ohs's to get couple of reps done before the hopefully last burpees. I was definitely not going to complete a single burpee anymore so I fought through the 15 front squats even though my legs were very weak at that point and my mind wanted to put the bar down and go to bed.
It took me a good time to recover from this but I'm super happy for completing this! This was a 2min personal record on this benchmark wod.
Tuesday. Back squats 1x5 @ 140kg. Metcon, 21-15-9 of: power snatch @ 40kg, row for cal. Time, 6.16. Emom x 10min. Odd min, 10 push jerk @ 40kg. Even min, 10 burpees.
It was about time to get my feet at the gym for heavy barbell. This was a rough mental battle as 140kg squats were waiting for me. That's heavy for me. Then intense metcon, and some accessory emom stuff. Very good training day!
Squat set
Strength.
Back squat 1x5 @ 140kg
This was the crown for the squat sessions I've put up lately. It's been 7x5, 5x5, 3x5, and 1x5 sets with ascending weights. Got to say truthfully that I was nervous of this weight, and wasn't sure if I have what it takes to move this weight correctly. Then I told myself up shut up earlier today, and decided to hit this. I'm glad that I made the decision at noon because this definitely needed my entire focus.
Warm-ups included 5x60, 5x90, 3x110, 1x120, 1x130kg lifts. Those were light so my confidence and self talk were good when approaching the barbell. The view on the camera is a bit questionable but you probably get the point anyway. This must be some sort of personal record. I usually count only the one rep maxes but it is a fact that I have never lifted 5x140kg on back squats.
5x140kg
Metcon.
21-15-9 of:
Power snatch @ 40kg
Row for calories
Nasty. Snatches were 15-6 on the first round, 10-5 on the second round and 6-3 on the last one. God damn my forearms were shot after this metcon! Holding either a barbell or the Concept2's handle all the time hurt forearms big time.
Rowing was also pulled with a purpose. I checked the last set's pace after the workout and it showed 1:36 on the screen. Very happy on that too. It was a decision to keep myself moving. The only thing that bothered me was the distance between the platform and the rower. I wasted a lot of time there, and had to people as the place was maybe more crowded than ever.
Accessory.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Odd min, 10 push jerks @ 40kg
Even min, 10 burpees
Some more work needed to be done, and because my forearms were shot I had to change my plans of deadlifts / burpees to jerks and burpees. I probably wouldn't have had the grip strength to hold on to the barbell. Jerks and burpees were a funny combo, my shoulders said. Towards the end strength started to fade away but the pace remained consistent. Good shoulder burn!
Monday. Every 4:00, perform 15 cal row, 12 wb, 9 burpee. For 7 total sprints. Accessory, 75 ghd's.
This day was all about sprinting as fast as possible. I left the barbells alone. My legs are still tired so today's effort was a good battle. This was entirely bodyweight stuff. In the end I did core accessory work.
Intervals.
Every 4:00, for 28min
15 cal row
12 wall ball
9 burpee
Each set took me about 1:20, couple of seconds give or take to some direction. Rowing was somewhere at 1:30 pace. At least on the two sets on which I checked the digits afterwards. Can't see the pace when the digitals show the number of calories so I had to come back, push some buttons and see the pace after intervals. I just wanted to go max effort each time I had my hands on the handle. Happy to see the pace was fast for me.
The reps of each element was planned so that I can push through even with the dark place crawling in. It's a funny feeling when legs are almost out of gas but you just keep going forward. It's not the first intervals that are bad but after couple of those the last ones are miserable. It finally made my legs hurt already after the rowing.
Burpees started to burn legs big time, and 9 reps were definitely enough. I had thought about the rep scheme in couple of different styles but this was eventually the one, and I liked it.
Recap
Accessory.
75 ghd sit-ups
Some core work in the end. I basically did this as an emom workout. One set of 15 reps per minute. It took quite precisely 30 seconds so it was 1:1 work:rest ratio. It got hard on the last 2 minutes but there was no doubt of hitting each set.
Thursday. Back squat 3x5 @ 135kg. Workout, 9-15-21 of: kb swing @ 32kg and burpees. Rest 5min, then 21-15-9 of: power clean and push jerk @ 50kg.
What a day! Toni called me to get my ass at Crossfit Kehä. He had assembled couple of guys at the Box for a training session. I needed to get my squats done before hitting the actual workout. The other guys played around with the bar for cleans, jerks and stuff.
Strentgh.
Back squat 3x5 @ 135kg
Huh, this ain't that light anymore. This is part of my progression towards stronger legs. Doing a bunch of squat sets of 5 reps with ascending weights. Today's focus was three sets at 135kg. It's been ages since going this heavy for 5 reps. Or even a single rep. I'm very pleased on the weights and how well I was able to carry that load.
Metcon. Time, 3.56 on the first one / 7.16 on the latter one (if I counted them right)
9-15-21 of:
Kettlebell swings @ 32kg
Burpees
Rest 5 min, then
21-15-9 of:
Power clean @ 50kg
Push jerk @ 50kg
After squats I walked over to the whiteboard and had another glimpse on the upcoming workout. I started to get a feeling it's gonna be nasty. This was one workout with exact 5min rest period in-between.
The first one was a good mental battle. It's all about pure grind. Keep the body moving. My mental game had one small deviation of the unbroken-plan at 12 kb swings on the last round. Other than that I was able to put my head down and move forward. It was a quick wod and shot my shoulders.
The latter part of the workout was tough. It's rare that 50kg barbell weighs that much. The boys had planned on doing 8-7-6 on the cleans on the first round. That sounded like pretty ambitious strategy but I figured on going by feeling. Took 8 reps on the first set, then 4's and 3's to finish it. Jerks were better, 8-7-6 on the first round.
Second round was pretty much triples on the cleans. I believe the first was tng style, then three quick singles and a break. It's surprising how heavy it starts to become. Jerks were 6-5-4 on the round of 15's. On the last round I'm happy that I got the cleans done rather quickly in singles. But then had to step down before going for the jerks. Those were 5-2-2. I'm telling you my shoulders were killed on this one. It was definitely a lot of fun to do this with the boys!
Wednesday. Emom x 15min: Snatches (up to 60kg). Metcon, 4rds of: 3 squat clean @ 90kg, 12 ring dips, 15 pull-ups. Right into 20 burpees cashout. Time, 11.54
Back at OPC for a regular training session. Got to say my legs were smashed when I woke up from yesterday's squats. Huh, it kinda feels good to have pain in the entire lower body. Today I focused on snatches and then a different stimulus on the metcon.
Oly.
1-5min. Every 30 seconds: 1 snatch @ 50kg
5-10min. Every minute on the minute: 1 snatch @ 55kg
10-15min. Every minute on the minute: 1 snatch @ 60kg
I went on totally by feeling. Started at 50kg. The weight is not heavy but I still wanted to focus on singles and "perfecting" my technique. That's why it was one rep every 30 seconds. After 10 reps it changed to 55kg singles, and at the same time the time frame turned to 60 seconds. Third part was the last 5 reps that I took with 60kg.
I'm happy on these lifts. They were pretty similar. I was able to bring the bar rather high on the hips, extend the hips and shrug the shoulders. What I'm still lacking is the catch position. It tends to stay forward instead of the barbell locating right above the heels when looked the vertical line from the side. Considering the last lifts were at 60kg there's no other option but to be happy as those looked pretty much the same as all the previous ones.
Metcon. Time, 11.54
4 rounds of:
3 squat clean @ 90kg
12 ring dips
15 pull-ups
After 4 rounds right into 20 burpees for cashout
This was a variety as the barbell was kind of heavy. Definitely heavy for a metcon. And it also felt like it. Completed these in three quick singles. At some point I started to feel the burden in my legs on the cleans. Quads were usually on fire on the last rep.
Ring dips have been ignored without any good reason. They are a weakness anyway so this was definitely a good choice. Got the first round unbroken, then there was no chance anymore. I cut them to pieces, they changed from round to round. Second was 7-3-2, third was 5 reps in the beginning and then triples and doubles. Last round was 4 reps to begin and then doubles and singles to finish it. Once the ring dips are gone, it's not easy to recover.
Pull-ups. First round unbroken. Then two rounds were 10-5 reps, and the last one was probably 9-3-3 reps. This is my best recall of those sets. The point was that right after the fourth round was completed I needed to drop down for 20 burpees as cashout. Must admit those were some of the heaviest burpees I have ever completed. Yes, at this point my lungs were breathing quite heavy but I mean they burned my shoulders a lot. It almost felt like I was doing some barbell movement, and it was challenging to push myself up from the floor. Kept telling myself there's only couple of reps left.
I took a day off on Wednesday because of issues with timetables. Thursday was a real blast. We directed to Lahti with a bunch of colleagues for workshop purposes, and then relaxed at the Vierumäki sports resort. That is one heck of a mecca for a sports dude. You can practically do anything there, either solo or then in a team.
We had the pleasure of getting familiar with curling to kick the sports piece off. I've played this sport once before in my life couple of years ago when I still played floorball. That time we had a training camp in Kisakallio, similar sports center near Lohja. This was as fun as it could possibly be. We enjoyed this one a lot, hilarious stuff.
Then I got my chance to hit crossfit session and I definitely utilized that. Got some friends accompany me and they were down for a real metabolic conditioning session. I'm very proud of these two studs for giving their best effort in the form of rowing, kettlebell swings and burpees. Looked nasty but they made it through their first cf wod with winning mental attitude!
Oly.
A - Clean complex: Clean + Hang clean + 3 Front squat (60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95kg)
B - Clean singles (100, 105, 110kg)
There was really no plan whatsoever. That's because I had no idea if there will be a good time slot for a training session or not. So I just grabbed the barbell and started moving it around as we got to the gym. Took some front squats at the end of clean + hang clean combo. Thought about doing that for light weights to get legs warmed up properly but during time I realized I was going heavier and heavier with the same format.
These felt pretty good and I'm happy on being able to do the front squats easily right after the second clean on each set. After taking couple of sets on the complex I added some weight for couple singles. Wanted to have bigger weights. I'm pleased that I can clean 110kg any day as my one rep max is set currently at 118kg.
Clean complex @ 90kg
Metcon.
7min amrap
2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
Front squats @ 60kg
Burpees
As I put the guys sweat their butts off in a pair workout there was no doubt I would go for burpees myself too. This was a short-ish metcon where the idea is to keep grinding. I went unbroken on the burpees for every round and for front squats up to the round of 10. The 12's were 8-4 and 14's were 8-6. These really shot my legs big time. They were cramping in the evening. Loved this wod!
After recovering in the sauna and eating a fabulous dinner it was time to get some bowling done. It's been years since I've had my fingers on a bowling ball but it came back quite quickly. Best result for one round was 172 points for me so I'll take it!
Monday. Cleans (up to 110kg). Front squats (up to 130kg). Pair wod, 100 box, 150 burpees (emom 3 hang power clean @ 60kg).
Uuh, what a training day! As I have written earlier, Toni is about to open his own Box in April with his pal in Varisto, Vantaa. It's called Crossfit Kehä. He invited me to go and test the gym today so it was a no brainer. I was all in right away!
Oly.
Cleans
3x60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100, 105kg
1x110kg
We started with cleans, then continued with squats and finished with a partner workout. Those usually rock big time. Today was no exception in this sense. Cleans felt great all the way! Maybe it was the atmosphere of this affiliate or something but it was just freaking great. These guys have made a good job with the layout. There's plenty of space for metcons, awesome pull-up / squat rig, and the equipment is right on point. I give 10/10 points for this Box.
On the cleans I built up by feeling. Started with triples without thinking about it that much. I kept adding stuff on the bar up to 105kg for a triple. Felt smooth on those too. Unfortunately didn't get that on tape but 100kg triple is there. On the 110kg I wasn't fully satisfied on that rep as I had to re-bounce on the bottom but it was alright anyway.
Strength.
Front squat
5x60kg
3x90, 100, 110, 120kg
2x125kg
1x130kg
It was a natural choice to continue with front squats after squat cleans as legs are already warmed up. Sets at 60kg and 90kg felt awkwardly stiff on my knees for no reason but then as I kept going heavier they felt better and better. And in the end I'm very happy on getting a rather easy 130kg single up.
Pair wod. Time, 12-13min
As a team of two:
100 box jumps
150 burpees
On top of every minute: both complete 3 hang power cleans @ 60kg
This was brutal in its own way. Those cleans started to wear me down at some level. Yes, this definitely was a good metabolic conditioning piece and I'm proud that we were able to have either of us moving constantly. No resting on knees at times. That was no option. It was good to have a partner to push you mentally further. It was a big thing.
We completed both box jumps and burpees in sets of 5 reps pretty much all the time. Some minor deviations from this plan but quite accurately we stuck to the plan. Got to say that every time you put something on top of every minute - this time it was cleans, usually it's burpees - it gives the workout a twisted turn. It doesn't help to rest as the clock doesn't ease the pain. The reps are coming there on top of every minute anyway =)
Saturday. Skills, mu's and burpees. Emom x 10: snatch (mostly 50kg). Emom x 12min: power clean (up to 95kg)
Saturday wasn't the most glorious of days as I attended grandpa's funeral. It was couple hours drive away so it was a road trip ahead with my bro. Emotional day for sure. It was a warm-hearted family gathering for sure. Anyway, I needed to get to the gym early in the morning to get my mind on something else.
Saturday's set-up
Skills.
10 ring muscle-ups
30 burpees
Hands were pretty sore which made gripping basically anything awkward but I wanted to get some muscle-up action done. The big take away was that I got to finally take the mu training on video and analyze it on the technique. I found out that my gut feeling of getting the back swing a lot better is true. It's been poor in the history but now it's much more fierce. I'm very pleased on that! Another key issue is keeping the legs together, another win.
What I'd like to see get done in the future better is that my body would create a more hollow body position and not that many angles. That would create a good tension in the body and elevate the body over the rings more easily. This concerns the swing on both back and front positions. Finished these ring muscle-ups with 30 burpees in a row to get heart rate up.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Snatch (mostly 50kg)
Light weight. Definitely felt a morning training. Body was stiff all the way and really didn't get loosened up at any moment of the session. I took 40kg and 45kg reps in the beginning, then finished with 50kg singles to the end. First snatches at 50kg fell forward which made me correct the position with footing when coming up. I consider those pretty much a failed lift. Towards the end I got the bar path corrected and those felt alright. Then on the video I realized they were power snatches even though I thought I was sitting below parallel. That morning stiffness shows there =)
Had some extra time so I loaded the bar up to 80kg and took some singles. First at every 30 seconds, then from 85kg on it was singles every 60 seconds. Was supposed to end at 90kg but I decided to add it to 95kg anyway. Those were not the cutest ones but the rest of these power cleans were about on point.
Thursday. 4min amraps of burpees and snatches with ascending weights. Metcon, 20 to 2, down by 2's ghd's. 10 db press between ghd's.
Another long day at work. This thing called crossfit is a perfect way to zero my thoughts and get back to life. It was a productive day indeed but energy levels start to come down at some point. Then it's time to gear up and go to work, to the gym though. By the way, the Crossfit Open is upon us! They will publish the first event, 16.1 on the upcoming night. It's gonna be spectacular to kickoff the crossfit season. I love to watch and follow the pros doing their job to find the fittest on earth.
My camera's battery went dead on the first amrap so I couldn't relive the moments but fact is that on the first round I went unbroken on the burpees. Actually every round. That was the easy part. Then came the snatches. First round was 10-10-5-7 reps to finish it with 32 reps.
Second set was with slightly heavier weights at 50kg. First 20 burpees, then use the rest of the remaining time of 4 minutes to complete as many snatches as possible. It was triples all the way until the last set where I took one extra rep.
Third amrap was at 60 kilos which meant it's gonna be singles from the very first lift. This was a good strategy, and I don't know how many fails there would have been had I tried to do doubles. In the beginning I was a bit too ambitious and tried to do fast singles. This led to one failed rep. Other than that it was okay. Definitely not the best snatches I've had but the barbell came up.
Metcon.
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 of ghd sit-ups
10 dumbbell presses @ 2x15kg
This was created on the fly. Just started moving and came up with this during the first set of ghd's. That was a good time pressure to think what to do after the 20 reps are done. Walked right onto dumbbell rack and picked up two pieces of 15kg db's, and went for 10 reps. That was easy in the beginning.
During these 10 rounds they got tougher towards the last rounds. Core got also stiff in the metcon and both movements brought pressure there. Went unbroken still, and refused to take any rest between elements. Walked over to the dumbbells, picked them up right away and put them overhead. Same with the ghd's.
