My Steep CrossFit Learning Curve

Milk

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Kirwan" data-cid="390165" data-time="1378943752">
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Here's a good video on them, listening to Spealler sorted mine out;
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

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My mental trigger was to jump a bit higher, once I got that I stopped lifting my legs and they got much, much easier.
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Thanks. That was helpful. So apparently what I do is called 'piking'. Hopefully the fact that I've already made the mental adjustment to be able to flick the wrist twice, but jump once, that will give me a good base to start re-learning the rest of it. Fingers crossed. 180 - 200 seems unfathomable.

Milk

I took yesterday off after three days on. Just found out I am helping my sister in law move tomorrow, so have taken today off the gym too. 
Hopefully it gives my quads sometime to recover. The split squats and weighted lunges we've done over the last week or two have targeted them like never before, and they are not coping well. It feels like they are right on the edge of being just simple muscle adjustment/recovery, but on the verge of being something more sinister if I push them any more. Also, my hands are a mess after doing all those pull ups in 37 degree heat. Pulls ups and bar exercises are hard on your hands anyway, but I guess the combination of tender hands, sweat and weight ended up me ripping off a square cm piece of skin off each hand. 
That said, disappointed not to be going today. It looked like a fun workout - something called 'Spartan Maker'.

NTA

If you're wrecking your palms, and its a small bar, rotate your wrists around so you're hanging more on your fingers. Though you might not have a choice by the sounds of it Will help your grip strength too.

Milk

Yeah, I think I'll have to. Might take a little getting used to.

Milk

Apparently this week is something called a 'deload week'.
 
Anyway, after 4 days off I'm feeling good and ready to get back into it.
 
Warmup 
2 rounds 
400m run 
10 burpees 
5 dead hang pullups Mobility 
Pigeon stretch 
10 good mornings w/PVC 
2 rounds of duck walks down the gym, lunge back Strength 
Front Squat â€“ warm up and then complete 1Ã—5 @50%, 1Ã—5 @55%, 1Ã—3 @65%, 1Ã—3 @70%, 1Ã—3 @75%
 
65 to 95 pounds WOD 
â€œDianeâ€™s Crewâ€ 
21-15-9 
Deads (no more then 55% 1 RM) 
Box jumps (24/20â€³) 
250m row
 
8:53, 85 pounds, 20"

JK

Good stuff mate. You got in to this all guns blazing. Keep it up!

Kirwan

I like how your gym quantifies the scaling, that stops people being silly chasing the Rx.

Milk

Unfortunately I've hurt my neck doing dumb bell shoulder presses. Must have been tensing/straining too hard. I'm icing it now and hoping it comes right ASAP
 
Strength 
3x ME HSPU -or- 3x ME DB shoulder press (pick a weight you can do 14 to 18 reps) 
and 
3x ME push up 
3x ME dips 
Complete three max effort sets with no more then :45 rest in between 
For ever rep that you lost from your first set to your third set, complete a negative rep. WOD 
â€œEarn Itâ€ 
5RFT 
45 D.U.â€™s 
15 burpees 
5 clean and jerks (115/75#)
 
9:44, 65 pounds

Milk

Been off for six days while I waited for my neck to start feeling better. Still a bit restricted, especially in the morning. Absolutely shattered after this morning's workout.
 
Warmup 
Dynamic warmup Mobility 
Hip flexor, quad and hamstring mobility coach led Skill 
20 minutes to find your 1RM back squat. 
Warm up to 50-60% then complete a 5x5x3x3x1
 
Got up to 115 pounds. Wouldn't call it a one rep max, but by the time I got there my legs were jelly. 
WOD 
â€œRush Hourâ€ 
5 rounds for time 
400m run 
25 wall balls (20/14#) 14# 
25 push ups Mostly from knees
 
21:20 and totally destroyed

Milk

Another tough workout today. My legs were jelly for the rest of yesterday and pretty sore today
 
Warmup 
3 rounds ofâ€¦. 
250m row 
10 KBS (35/26#) 
5 pullups Mobility 
10 dislocates 
10 behind the neck press 
banded shoulder stretch 
elbow to ear w/band Strength 
1RM your strict press (3x3x1x1x1) 95 pounds 
1 RM your push press (3x3x3x1x1) 110 pounds WOD 
â€œUp Tempoâ€ 
AFAP 
1-10 cleans (155/105#) 65 pounds 
10-1 box jumps (24/20â€³) 20"
 
12:08... slowest in the class :)

Milk

Three weeks in now. Down to 184.6 lbs/ 83.7kg so have lost 6 lbs / 2.7 kgs.
 
I guess that's ok. However, I've barely touched carbs during that whole time so how hoping for more aggressive weight loss. That said, If I can keep up that rate for another few weeks I'll be very happy.
 
My CrossFit is having a 6 week Paleo challenge next month, and I've signed up for that.

Kirwan

Ignore the weight, you'll be gaining muscle remember. Keep track of things like your waist measurement.

Paekakboyz

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="392845" data-time="1379964845">
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Mobility
Hip flexor, quad and hamstring mobility coach led
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Hey Milk, could you tell us a bit more about the work you did on hip flexor mobility? Keen to hear what sort of stretches etc your coach has you doing. Hip flexibility is my focus at the moment - funny how the focus shifts as you get more flexible in other areas! there is always something to work on!

Milk

We mainly do variations of this exercise (pigeon stretch)

Milk

Warmup 
Invisible Fran w/PVC only! No actual pullups!
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>Invictus taking on Invisible Fran</a>
PVC thrusters and PVC â€œpullupsâ€. The bar must be placed on the ground in between each movements and then picked back up.
 
Mobility 
10 squat therapies 
Couch stretch on each leg
 
Strength 
9 min EMOM â€“ 3 position snatch: from the floor, hang, and high hang. The snatch from the floor can be a power snatch, but from the hang and high hang should both be squat snatches. Do not go too heavy, if you fail at a weight more then once, youâ€™re doing something wrong and we need to fix it.
Was beyong useless with these. Am useless on the hang and high hang snatch. Just too much going on at once.
 
WOD 
â€œ13 Coloniesâ€ 
3 rounds for time 
5 pistols (each leg) 
10 pullups 
30 D.U.â€™s 
5 wall climbs 
10 KBS (53/35#) 
30 D.U.â€™s 
Rest 1:00
 
Hard core...
About 16:35 I think

Kirwan

What's a high hang?

Milk

The high hang snatch seems to be the same as the hang snatch, except you don't start with the bar as low down, so you don't have as much time to generate momentum. The key seems to be an explosive start and then aggressively get under the bar.

Kirwan

Cool thanks, that will be pretty tough to generate the power through the hips. Have to have good technique to get that working.

Milk

Yep, you've got to be pretty aggressive. My issue is the coordination of getting into the squat position. It gets pretty messy.

Kirwan

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="393419" data-time="1380220500">
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Yep, you've got to be pretty aggressive. My issue is the coordination of getting into the squat position. It gets pretty messy.
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Does your gym do the snatch balance drill? That helped alot for the speed in getting to the bottom.
 
(Start standing with a PVC pipe/bar on your shoulders behind the head, then drop as fast you you can in the bottom of an overhead squat position. I hate it, it's hard...)

The Silver Fern

My Steep CrossFit Learning Curve