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Monday’s workout was not particularly fun, not going to lie. There are some days where I just cannot jump rope without violently whipping myself in the arms, legs, or occasionally, my face. Burpees are terrible all the time, and also seem to inflict the same sort of ouchiness on my thighs as lunges.

I warmed up with a 400m run, to try and to get some meaningful running in this week. I’m really feeling lazy about it lately.

The strength component was to spend some time finding your max snatch balance. I got up to 105#, which is a 10lb pr! It’s a weird lift to do, but very beneficial for lots of different lifts because it targets all the weak spots in your mobility. My ankles really need some work.

The WOD:

10 Overhead Squats, 65#
15 Burpees
60 Single Unders

I finished around 11 minutes. Burpees = do not want! My overhead squats felt incredibly heavy. My 1 rep max is about 115# so it shouldn’t have been that bad. I just felt kind of off.

The post-WOD was a bunch of ab movements – windshield wipers, v-ups and inchworms.  Feelin’ the burn there, man.

Tuesday’s  WOD was great. I love ones like this.

Every 90 seconds, 10 rounds:

1 full squat clean

1 hang squat clean

1 front squat

I did 3 rounds at 85#, 6 at 95#, and did my last at 105#. That’s apparently a 5 pound PR on my hang clean, according to my records at Fitocracy. Not bad!

The post-WOD was unexpectedly dirty.

5 Minute AMRAP

10 KBS

10 Toes 2 Bar

Coach Sara said to do less toes to bar if 10 takes you a long time to keep up your heart rate. I still can’t do toes to bar, so I did 5 of my best knees to elbows each round. I finished 5 rounds + 10 kettlebell swings, American style, at 35#.

I was a little nervous about the swings because it is a trigger for a mobility issue I have with my lower back, but it never materialized. Really glad I’ve been keeping up with my stretching!

<b>Thursday’s</b> WOD was a total beast. I like long WODs that have weight lifting elements, but get nervous when it’s upper body stuff because it’s a weak spot for me.

We started with doing 3×3 push presses. I attempted to do my last set at 120# but only managed two. I’m happy with the PR!

The WOD was:

• 30 Push Press (60% of your last set of Push Press in 1)
• 30 Box Jumps
• 30 Push-ups
• 30 Med Ball Cleans
• 30 Knees 2 Elbows

Coach Sara challenged us to not put the bar down for the first 30 push presses. I didn’t put it down, but I did let the bar hang for a bit when my shoulders were tired. But I didn’t put it down! I used 65 pounds for the push presses.

I was still having some achilles pain from my mostly uphill/downhill 5k on Saturday, so I did quick box step ups. I usdd the 14 pound med ball for the cleans and did my very best interpretation of knees to elbows, which I should really call “kipping butt in the air” because it’s more accurate representation. I don’t know why I struggle with K2E so much  - is it my kipping, or am I getting in my own way? That’s something I need to work on.

The post-WOD was 5 wall climbs. You start by laying on the ground, and you walk your feet up the wall into a handstand. I get about 2/3 of the way before I fall over, haha. I really need to get out the mat and work on handstands. It’s all about confidence. I definitely have the strength. I blame my brain.

Monday’s weather was so nice that I had to replace the 500m row in the warm up with a 400m run.

After the warm up, I did my 5/3/1 squats (Cycle 2, Week 2):

• 70 lb x 5 reps
• 90 lb x 5 reps
• 110 lb x 3 reps
• 125 lb x 3 reps
• 145 lb x 3 reps
• 160 lb x 10 reps

I probably could have hit a few more reps on my last set. I’m not sure if I should be going to total exhaustion. The app I use says how many reps I need to beat, based on last week’s number (I think?) so I hit 10. I suppose given Monday’s WOD it was a good idea to leave a little in the leg tank..

7 Minute AMRAP

2 Front Squats(135/95)
2 HSPU or 2 MU’s

4 Front Squats
4 HSPU or 4 MU’s

continue increasing sets by 2 for the 7 minutes

I did the weight RXed and did half handstand push ups. My handstands are still awful. I’m too close to the wall so I can’t really do a proper push up. I definitely need to step up my practice. I ended up finishing 8 front squats / 8 HSPUs. Not bad.

The post-WOD was 1 minute max wall balls, followed by 1 minute max push ups. I got 20 wall balls and 18 push ups. My biceps were still pretty fried from Friday’s workout of bench presses and pull ups.

Wednesday’s WOD was right up my alley! For the strength portion we had the option of doing our 5/3/1 presses or 5×2 push jerks. I haven’t jerked in a long time and really enjoy it (simmer down, I see you giggling) so I opted for that. After warming up I hit my sets:

• 45 lb x 3 reps
• 65 lb x 3 reps
• 85 lb x 2 reps
• 95 lb x 2 reps
• 105 lb x 2 reps
• 110 lb x 2 reps
• 120 lb x 2 reps

I probably could’ve gone heavier but I ran out of time. It felt really great. It’s kind of crazy, the way the bar feels almost weightless as you throw it up and get under it. I wish I could transfer that feeling and skill over to snatches and cleans! I have such a hard time getting under the bar.  I did the last two sets as split jerks instead of push jerks which is a little easier.

The WOD was:

3 Rounds, rest as needed between rounds, score is total time

1 Strict Press (90-95% of max)
7 Pull-ups
3 Push Press
5 Chest 2 Bar Pull-ups
5 Push Jerk
3 Strict Pull-ups

I haven’t tested my strict press 1 rep max in a while, but the 5/3/1 app I use estimates it at around 90. I bucked up and put 80# on the bar, and it was the perfect weight. I was sort of confused about scoring because I’m dumb and wrote down that the first round took me about 2:52 minutes. I rested a  little more than a minute between rounds, as I knew the kipping assisted pull ups would put a lot of strain on my shoulders. My total time was 10:40. I was pretty sore the next day, but nothing too bad.  These are the kind of workouts I really enjoy – nothing too aerobic, quick and dirty, and lots of lifting heavy stuff.

The post-WOD was tabata wall sits! How evil. I have not-so-fond memories of doing these during volleyball practice in junior high. Towards the last few rounds the coaches had us put our arms out and put one leg up! Ouch ouch ouch.

That’s it for this week. Other obligations kept me from the gym this week, but I got in some good workouts and some great running so I’m happy.