Tag Archives: Cleans

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Five Weeks In….

Sandwich Guy

 

We just finished our fifth week of Whole Life Challenge. We have only cheated a few times, and let’s face it, when Lobster Mac’n Cheese is on the menu, you order it, and then crush it as though you haven’t eaten in days. We had some dessert for Kylie’s birthday, because what’s a birthday without cake? Or in this case, two cinnamon brownies with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, shaved chocolate and caramel sauce. Yes, it was awesome.

SG

All in all my energy level has been pretty good. I had the usual paleo flu the first week, however nothing ridiculous. I do know that i have to eat some rice or something once in a while. A full day or two without any carbs isn’t pretty. Grumpypants. Hit a few PR’s so far. Took two minutes off my Grace time and hit 285 back squat for ten reps. Previous had been 275 for 10. I have been running, scratch that, jogging on the weekends and that has been better. Five miles yesterday and three today. Knee is a little pissed at me, but let’s face it, i haven’t been kind to it. Back to PT next week where I am sure they will tell me to quit CrossFit and I’ll smile and nod.

Has anyone else tried Progenex Cookies and Cream yet? Big win. Mix some with ice and water in the blender and it is the same as a milkshake! Not, but it’s always good to hope. Remember that if you believe it, it must be true. They make the best tasting protein on the market and I think I have tried just about all of them. Maybe it was hydrolyzed and now it’s not or whatever the rumor is however I notice faster recovery times and results when I hit the awesome-sauce. Bottoms up.

progenex

Progenex Force is also a very solid pre-workout supplement. I used to swear by No-Xplode and I like Force better. It makes your face tingle so you know it’s good. I think the Beta Alanine is what gives you the pin prick fresh face feeling. Lactic acid blocking little dickens. I notice I don’t have the crash I used to get from other versions. This tends to last longer. Works great for a quick ten minute AMRAP or a longer run/jog/trudge march. Progenex: http://progenexusa.com/

force-pkg-mockup

 

What other goodies? Xendurance, PurePharma Vitamin packs, and FitAid. So basically, it looks like i just replaced booze and junk food with supplements. Whatevs. We go through this stuff just for the toys, the gear, and the awesome-sauce.

FitAid is a more paleo friendly version of KillCliff. The pre-workout/recovery/whenever you want one drink. Similar packaging with the taller slender can. Thank you Red Bull. It has all the joint friendly additives lick glucosamine, turmeric, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, green tea. You know, all of the good stuff that we never get enough of according to the supplement companies. Link: https://www.drinkfitaid.com/

fitaid

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Two Weeks In….

 

Whole-Life-Challenge-1

 

No beer. No ice cream. Did i say no beer??? Two weeks in for the latest round of Whole Life Challenge. It’s been very good so far. The Paleo flu has come and gone. Only six more weeks to go. Would I want to do it long term? Probably not, however it’s good to do it a few times a year for a tune up. I have set a few PR’s which is always good. Strength stuff which I’ll take any day of the week. Let’s not forget, why run when you can dead lift and CrossFit isn’t supposed to be track.

How do you know you are eating Paleo?

  • Dishwasher gets run twice a day, except on Sundays when it’s maybe three times
  • Two crockpots going at the same time is not strange
  • The lunchbox is significantly larger
  • paleOMG is your new favorite read
  • you’d kill for some sugar…..

One of the wonderful side effects of sober fridays and saturdays, is productive saturdays and sundays. Who else is up at five am on the weekends? This is probably my favorite time of year so it works out well because I am up and outside enjoying the fall while everyone else is in bed sleeping. It’s a beautiful world early in the morning.

What is Paleo? The chart below pretty much sums it up.

Paleo-Diet-Flowchart2-e1345400029955

 

 

This past Week’s WOD’s:

MON-FITNESS

  • Leader of the Pack WOD 1:
  • 10 Min AMRAP
  • Run 600m
  • 20 Hand Release Pushups
  • in time remaining get as far as you can in the following ladder:
  • 2 Power Cleans (115/75)
  • 20 Double Unders
  • 4 Power Cleans
  • 20 Double Unders or 60 singles
  • made it through eight cleans, i think i went up to 135 instead, or maybe 155.

TUES-FITNESS

  • Back Squat 10-10-10 ***last set should be 5-10 lbs heavier than Sept 8th
  • Worked up to 275 for 10 which was a 20 lb PR

WED-SPORT

  • 10 Rounds for time Partner WOD –
  • 3 Stone to Shoulder (145/95)
  • 6 Push Jerks (155/105)
  • 9 Pull ups
  • 12 Cals on Rower
  • Partner 1 goes through ENTIRE round, then tags off to partner 2. 10 Rounds total between the 2 people.
  • This was Kylie and I and we did well. Everything was Rx, except those stupid freakin’ pull ups

Thursday was running and wall balls, so it was a strategic rest day. I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.

FRI-SPORT

  • 1RM Clean and Jerk ***take time to go over split jerk technique***
  • 15 lb PR, hit 205
  • Poor coach Rebs…to me a push jerk is a press, or a push press…..not ever a jerk

Saturday and Sunday are running days and running errands days. Work has been busy so this gives me two days to catch up on some stuff.

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Another Week in the Books

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Another week is coming to an end. Time to take a look at what we learned.

Pre WOD Nutrition: I go to the 6:00 am class and had not been eating anything prior. Standard routine was a cup of bullet proof coffee, water and NO Xplode. It’s basically Crystal meth in better flavors. I dropped the bullet proof coffee and no xplode. Now it’s water, coffee with glutamine blended with coconut milk and a smoothie with Progenex, some frozen fruit, water and coconut milk. I get up around 430 so it gives me time to make the shake and allows sufficient time for digestion. I noticed a positive difference so I’ll be sticking with it. Sorry BSN.

Personal Training: I decided to have a session with one of the trainers and attempt to fix my reverse curl otherwise known as a clean. It still needs work but it’s better. I’ll be going back. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome makes zero sense. Get help if you need it. Apparently it turns out I need to strengthen my upper back. Probably also explains why pull-ups are challenging as well.

Running Still Sucks: I think it always will however it is a necessary evil. Its a great way to improve your wind. Heading out shortly for another one! At least I got new shoes! I am a shoe whore. I can admit and I am ok with it.

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CrossFit Dictionary

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If your friends CrossFit, you’ll know it because it’s all they ever talk about! The dictionary below should be useful to those CrossFit or who have friends who CrossFit and have io idea what their friends are talking about. Also good if you need a laugh!

21-15-9: favorite rep scheme for many of the Metcons. 45 reps in total, however it feels more like 450. Always starts out with: “That doesn’t look too bad.”

400M: Stupid, incessantly annoying runs, usually around a building. Best completed while inhaling diesel fumes, or dodging traffic.

6am’ers: Cheery, coffeeholic members who only show up at 6:00am. May be treated as Noobs at weekend classes or clinics, simply because other members do not know they exist. If one shows up at an afternoon class, look out. The world may end. Same can be said if an afternoon regular shows up at a 600am class.

Airdyne/Assault Bike: Ungood all around. Part stationary bike, part punching drills, all nasty. You are doing it right if the sweat dripping off your nose is levitated by the fan spinning. Really doing it right if the sweat comes back at you!

Burpee: Banned by the Geneva Convention in 1899 as unfair punishment. Adored by CrossFit instructors worldwide. Originally named the Squat Thrust by gym coaches. Burpee sounded more friendly. Sadly, we were duped. Squat down, kick your legs back, do a push up, bring your feet to your hands, jump in the air, clap your hands over your head. Repeat. Vomit. Could be used as punishment for politicians who cannot come to an agreement. Burpees until they resolve all outstanding issues.

Cleans: Explosive Olympic lift where you take the bar from the floor to your shoulders by jumping and pulling yourself under the bar. Otherwise known as a reverse curl. Requires lots of practice and should be practiced with a dowel or empty barbel every day.
Tutorial

Double Unders: Fap, ow. Fap, shoot. Fap, Damnit! Fap, how many singles do I sub? The rope passes under your feet twice instead of once. Easier for smaller lighter people. The rest of us look like our legs have been whipped.
Tutorial

Ewwww: Common retort when the WOD is a mix of Turkish Get Ups, Bulgarian Split Squats, Box Jumps, and Burpees

Fem-Bot: Usually starts out with a thought: “She’s cute, I’ll work out next to her.” Turns into “She has more weight on her bar, she’s moving faster, and is completely crushing me. I need to leave, now.” Worst outcome is she’s the trainer. More weight will miraculously appear on your bar if left unattended. She wants to make you better. Your ability to survive the WOD is inconsequential.

Goals: Can’t hit something if you don’t know what it is. Track your progress and set goals for thirty days out. Look at the WOD before you go in and have a plan of the weight you will use along with any substitutions. Talk to the trainer and ask if they agree.

Hand Stand Push Ups: It starts with getting upside down and the putting your feet against the wall. Then lower your head to the floor and push yourself up. Good times. You will fall. Everyone does. HSPU is the warning, I mean abbreviation.
Progression Tutorial

Innov-8’s: Minimalist running shoe favored by CrossFitters because of the simple design and low heel height. Surprisingly more expensive than regular sneakers even though they have less material. Cool color combinations, which is handy because you’ll have several pair. Addict.

Jerk: Pushing the barbels over head by dropping under the bar and straightening you arms and engaging your shoulders. I have been accused of completing a push press instead of a jerk. Obviously they can’t see the difference.
Tutorial

Kipping: Pretty much the foundation of the majority of lifts and movements we complete. Explosive hip drive movement. Takes a lot of practice to do it correctly. More commonly used with pull ups. Progression Tutorial

L-sits: Horrible. No idea who came up with them. Incredible for strong arms, shoulders, and core. Starts on the floor with PVC pipe where you kick your legs out in front holding them parallel to the floor. Torso is perpendicular to the floor. Pros do it on the rings. Example

Metcon: We lift weights to get stronger. We lift weights faster for cardio. Short for metabolic conditioning. High intensity cycle consisting of lifts and either running, rowing, or body weight exercises like pull ups, HSPU, etc. My personal favorite is Diane. 21-15-9 225 dead lifts and HSPU. You won’t die. You’ll just feel like it.

Nanos: Brought to us by Reebok. Direct competition for the Innov-8’s. Favored by CrossFitters For the low height and versatility. Favored by Reebok because of the price. Lots of cool colors and they are customizable if you want to wait two to three months.

Omergawdddd: Common response when someone tries a heavier than normal weight for a dead lift or clean. Also common response when asked “How was the WOD?”

PR: Personal record. We celebrate them all. Could be for the fastest 400 meter, heaviest triple, getting a double under or a rope climb. If the box doesn’t have a PR bell or a board dedicated to track these, find a new box.

Quit: No meaning because it doesn’t exist. Similar to unicorns and Sasquatch. There is no quit.

Rx: Completed as prescribed. Followed the weights and movements with zero substitutions. You graduated.

Sweat Angel: Think snow angel minus the snow. The WOD is over and you crushed it. Assume the position. Flat on your back on the floor, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. Eventually the walls will stop shaking. Take a picture and post on Facebook. You accomplished more in an hour than most will do all day.

Turkish Get Ups: Nobody likes these. Evil drill which consists of holding a weight overhead while standing up from the floor and them laying back down. Tutorial

Uberfit: Clothing company which one day may be as big as Under Armour. Clothing for athletes designed by one of our own! You Need A New Shirt

Victory: You did it! Celebrate every win. Ring the bell and track it in the log book.

WTF?: Common thought when the WOD doesn’t make sense or the trainer has an 800 meter run in the warmup.

X-out: What we do to goals. Hit the goal. Cross out the goal. Add a new goal.

Yowsa: Prescribed response when a fellow CrossFitter hits a new PR or when you hit one. It is a team sport. Celebrate everybody’s wins. Best way to cool down? Cheering for the people who aren’t done yet!

Zercher Carry: Carrying a significant amount of weight by making an L with your arms. The barbell or yoke rests in the crook of your arms. Usually carried for 50 to 100 feet.
Example

Links to other CrossFit dictionary’s.

CrossFit Active Performance

Arenal Fitness

CrossFit Manassas

Thank you for reading and have a great day.

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Last Week of October

Trick or Treat…no candy for you because you thought it would be a good idea to do Whole Life Challenge!

It isn’t that bad. I don’t like candy, however if they were handing out IPA’s with corn dogs, we’d have a problem! Two weeks to go in the challenge. We did break down Saturday night and have a few cocktails. That will be it until the end of the challenge.

WOD’s:

Monday:

Workout of the Day
Max Snatch(Full) in 20 min

then
7 Min AMRAP
7 Overhead Squat 95/65
7 Burpee over Bar

Three rounds and a few OHS

then

5 min AMRAP
20 Unbroken Wall Ball Shots

2 rounds and a lot of ten wall ball rounds

Tuesday:

4 sets
10 (CTB) Pull Ups
10 Deadlift 225
Run 400m
rest 4 min

Thursday:

5 sets
60 Sec Row for Cal 22, 20, 22, 23, 19
60 Sec Singles 87, 63, 79, 85, 62
rest 2 min

Friday: 

Max Power Clean in 20 min

185lbs.

then

Press 3,2,1,3,2,1; rest 30 sec

135, 155, 175 (f) 155, 165, 175(f)

Unbroken Kb Swings 20 reps 2 pood

rest 2 min

Saturday:

for time:
1000m Row
30 Db Front Squats 45/30
30 T2B

Tuesday: 

20 Min AMRAP
Row 500m
15 GHD Sit Ups
AMRAP Strict Ring Pull Ups

5 rounds, 12 pull ups

Aside by

We topped this past week with “Barbells for Boobs”, which is a great cause. We had several participants and raised a little over $6,000.00. Plus the Ravens just lost, which is a great ending for any week!

So, tell me again how CrossFit isn’t a Team Sport?Image

WOD:

Helen Meets Grace

Two-person team workout with one person working at a time, except for the 400m runs, which must be performed together.

  • THREE rounds of:
  • 400 meter run
  • 21 kettlebell swings (Rx 53/35#)
  • 12 pull-ups
  • 30 clean and jerks (Rx 135/95#)

Eric and I did it in 16:24. The run was the worst part, it just adds a lot of time for me, because, well, I hate running.

I was really proud of everyone who participated today. Everyone worked hard. I heard a few people set PR’s with the clean and jerks. Nice to see!

There are three weeks left for Whole Life Challenge and I think we are all buckling down and making a big push to get the most out of the last three weeks. We cheated on Friday night and had a few beers with some friends. We both woke up Saturday morning and agreed we were good for another few weeks. I definitely feel better and am not in a hurry to go back to the old ways any time soon. I think we’ll stick with it for a while after it is over.

This Week’s WOD’s:

Monday: 

Michael

  • Three rounds for time of:
  • Run 800 meters
  • 50 HIp Extensions
  • 50 Anchored Sit-ups (no GHD)

This was tough and my hamstrings and lower back are still tight! 150 hip extensions is no joke.

Tuesday:

Jackie:

  • Row 1000m
  • 50 Thrusters 45 pound bar
  • 30 Pull Ups

Thursday:

  • High Hang Clean(Full) + Hang (Above the Knee) Clean; 8 sets x 2 reps OTM; 145 lbs

then

  • Back Squat 225 x 10 reps x 3 sets; rest 3 min

then

  • Split Jerk 5 reps x 3 sets rest 60 sec
  • Pendlay Row 10-12 reps; rest 60 sec
  • 145 lbs

Friday:

3 Rounds

  • 10 Power Snatch 95 pounds
  • 7 Handstand Push Ups
  • 10 T2B

I took Wednesday and Saturday off. I did take Berger for a four or five mile walk Saturday morning.

End of Another Week

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Cleans and Snatches

These two lifts are definitely challenging. When done correctly they are explosive and controlled violence. Good lifters do them quickly. I usually wind up muscling them both up and then pressing out the snatch, which is obviously incredibly wrong. It is also a freight train to injury town, which is the last place we want to be.

I hear some of the same tips from trainers:

1) Slow Down!

2) Jump higher

3) Get under the bar

4) Keep your chest up

What do these mean?

The first pull, from the ground to mid thigh, is supposed to be slow. We are “loading” our hamstrings, i.e., getting them fully engaged for the explosive part.  I tend to lift from the floor, which is just wrong. Get low, and when you think you are low enough, get an inch lower. Shoulders go back, tension across traps and forearms as you are trying to snap the bar in half. This first pull should be slow and used to build the tension in one of your biggest muscle groups, hamstrings and glutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReQ2XZ5LEs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9bA4a2WjqE&feature=related

The jump…my feel hardly leave the floor, and if they do, you can barely slide a stamp between my foot and the floor. The dip, which is the first part of the jump, is straight down with you knees being open. Try not to lean forward as that will put too much pressure on your lower back. Imagine jumping backwards. Lean back with the bar hanging in front of you, as if the bar is the only thing stopping you from falling backwards. Your shoulders should be in your back pockets. Low and back. This will give you the freedom for the big shrug. Your feet should come off the ground. The higher, and more explosive the jump, the better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE-aPvYTWuU&feature=relmfu

Well, I try to remember that I am not lifting the bar to my neck, or over my head. I am lowering myself under the bar and catching the bar low. Instead of catching it high, which is harder, and then doing a full front/overhead squat? Why not catch the bar low and then stand up? More efficient, right? Of course, if it were only that easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0PITbWa0eU

Everyone, especially beginners, tends to lean forward during the squat portion. It happens. The biggest reason, is because we look down or at our feet. I know I am guilty of this. Pick  a spot on the wall, or out in the distance and keep your head neutral. Don’t look down, or look up.

I just found out heavy cleans are part of today’s WOD. Good times!