Marianne's Handstand & the 2011 Open (Workout Recap Week of 2/25)

In preparation for the 2013 CrossFit Open, Mercer Island CrossFit programmed a week of workouts from the 2011 Open.  We'd get to practice being judged during a workout and get a sense of what the intensity might be like for the upcoming 2013 WODs.
 
Monday: Rest

 

Had a headache and a busy day...did some shoulder stability and took a short walk.

 

Tuesday: CrossFit and Running

 
Went to the 6am class.  Skill work was handstand holds and plank holds while Coach Jared gave everoyne a quick talk on Competition, Ego, and Respect.
 

Next we were on to the WOD.  My goal for the 2013 Open is to RX everything except muscle-ups (even if my scores are really low).  It was nice to be able to RX the first WOD from 2011: double unders and power snatches!
 

My double-unders are still weak, but I kept chipping away at them, and Sara, who was judging me, was really encouraging.  It felt like forever before I was done with the first 30, but then it was great to move on to something I knew I could do pretty well!  I really focused on good form and efficiency for my power snatches.  It's so much faster and less tiring if you do them right.  My second round was actually way better on both double unders (I linked 13 at one point) and the power snatches.  I got through the 3rd set of double unders and 6 of the power snatches before the 10 minute time cap.
 

 
After the workout, Ray asked if anyone wanted to run 20 laps (our track is little, so a mile is about 18.5 laps).  Normally I would say no, but I have realized that I need to work on my running a lot, particularly my attitude about it.  I had time before work, so I said I would come and run!  We took the first 14 laps or so at a pretty chill pace (okay, chill for Ray) and then he asked if I wanted to pick it up at the end.  He told me to set the pace and he'd be right behind me.  SO much more motivating than if we had each just run our own pace.  I pushed really hard and worked on my mental game.  I was totally panting and leaning on the wall for support after we finished, but I felt super proud of myself for doing it. 

Plus I was wearing my new shirt from Stoneway CrossFit:
 

 

 

I came home and did about 25 minutes of mobility, focusing mostly on my neck and traps because my headache was getting worse and I thought it was likely a tension headache.

*Alert the Media* My mom came to the 6pm class and got her very first handstand hold against the wall!  She had help kicking up but held the position for 15 seconds.  So proud!

 

Wednesday: Active Recovery

 

If you have access to an ERG (rowing machine) this is a great recovery workout!

 

For time (but at light effort):

Row 400m

Rest 2:00

Row 400m

Rest 2:00

Row 400m

Rest 2:00

Row 400m

 

I still had my headache from Monday night, so after my row I did 30 minutes of mobility, including calves (sore from running and double unders on Tuesday!), forearms, and traps/neck.

The great thing for me is I take my recovery SUPER light so I don't get sweaty which means no need to shower and change...I can head straight to work which saves me a ton of time.

 

Thursday: CrossFit

 
Thursdays are a fun day at the box because it's usually "athlete's choice" day.  If you have an unlimited membership and have already come Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, there will be a recovery WOD for you to do on Thursday.  That way you can still get a workout but you'll actually be helping your body recuperate from the last three days instead of just beating it down more with something too intense.  If you haven't been all three of the previous days, you can choose to do a workout that you missed.

No matter what WOD we were doing, we all started out with the same skill: retest of the February 2 minute challenge.  This month it was med ball cleans. 

Previously I'd used the RX weight (#14 for girls) and gotten 39 reps.  I was aiming to beat my previous score.  I should have aimed higher, because I took a second rest towards the end that I really didn't need and only ended up with 40.  I think I could have gotten 44 or even 45.  Oh,well.

I'd only been to class on Tuesday, so I could choose between Monday and Wednesday.  Monday included fairly light deadlifts and hand-release pushups, which I am fairly proficient at.  Wednesday included some REALLY heavy power cleans and wall balls, which as you know, I kind of hate.

I was a good little CrossFitter and picked the tougher WOD.

I took a little time to warm up my power cleans since my one-rep max last tested around #110.  I went with #103 instead of #100 since Heidi used #103 when she did Wednesday's WOD and I wanted to try to follow her.  I was hoping for 3 rounds, but I actually got 4 rounds plus most of the fifth!  I probably could have finished five except for failing a rep of the power clean in the fifth round that kinda scared me.  I had to take some time to build back my confidence and finish the cleans safely and correctly.  My wall balls saw a huge improvement!!!  I'm really glad I picked this workout because I got to work on some weaknesses and prove a lot to myself.

 
 

 

Friday: CrossFit and Racquetball

Friday was 5pm CrossFit in my new Mercer Island shirt from my buddy Jess B!

 

 

We were matchies, and so were Mom and Coach Allison!

 

 

It was a packed out class, but tons of fun with a bunch of great athletes.  Coach Jared kept everything running really smoothly and partnered us up so that we could WOD in waves.  First was two waves of the March 2 Minute Challenge.

 

 

I picked chest to bar pullups since my kipping pullups are fairly solid.  I decided to try them with only the purple band, which turned out overly ambitious...I only got 5.  Oh, well.  Room to improve.



 

I got partnered with Coach Allison for the WOD since we were the only girls in the class planning to RX.  I was in the first wave for this chipper-style WOD.

 

 

We warmed up our power cleans a little since (especially for me) that's a really heavy weight.  Then it was time to WOD!

 

It took me a long time to get through the cleans, but I really focused on trying to have good form on each rep, and I didn't fail a single one!  I got started on the toes to bar way after everyone else in my wave...and I got through 15 and was so excited to be done!  I looked at the board to see what was next...and realized there were THIRTY toes to bar, not fifteen.  Oops.  I wished Jared had put Allison in the first heat because I was afraid she would catch me and have to wait for equipment.  This actually turned out to be really motivating...she was almost done with her double unders when I had five thrusters left.  Normally I would have split them up, but I saw how close she was and linked all five!

 

The lunges at the end were brutal but I finally finished.

 

 

Some of the 5pm girls!

 

I got to follow up a great class with my weekly racquetball date with my daddy.  He's pretty much the coolest.

 

Saturday: CrossFit Team WOD

This was supposed to be my Wendler restest day for my overhead press and deadlift, but I was WAY too exhausted from Friday's workouts and knew it was just not a PR kinda day.  Plus my hands were in kinda sorry shape for holding barbells:

Thankfully Heidi asked me to jump in and be her partner for the team WOD!

Go, Team Neon!  Heidi's been super encouraging on my wall balls and I linked two sets of 10!  After class we took a quick cool down run and then I did 30 minutes of mobility.

I was so hungry that afternoon that I dropped Jared off for his soccer game, hit up a burger joint and ordered an avocado swiss burger AND a bbq chicken sandwich.  Just for me.

 

Sunday: Rest

Went for a little walk in the sun and did some partner mobility with Jared.  Long week!!!

Recovery Week: Workout Recap Week of 2/18 (Kelly: Girl WOD)

Recovery!!!

 

If you read much, you probably know that taking regular recovery weeks is part of a smart, healthy training cycle.  I read in one of the CrossFit magazines a while back that you should probably have more recovery weeks than you think you need.  To begin incoporating recovery into your fitness, the article suggested starting with 13 weeks of work followed by one week of recovering.  Then 12 weeks of work followed by one week of recovery.  Then so on counting down, and then start over again at 13.

 

I wasn't totally sure about how to plan things, but I put some recovery weeks on my 2013 schedule back in December of 2012 and worked down to my first recovery week of 2013: "week 0" (2/18).

2/25 is week 6, counting down to my next recovery week 0 starting 4/7.

4/14 is week 5 counting down to week 0 starting 5/19.

I based these dates in large part on knowing I will be crazy busy the week of 5/19 and wouldn't get to workout much.

 

It worked out really nicely that this week was a recovery week, since last week's workouts were crazy and kinda brutal!

 

Monday: Shoulder Stability and Mobility

 

My hands were still in sorry shape from Saturday, plus I had to pick up our car from the shop.  I did shoulder stability exercises with a band while at the office, then had time after picking up the car to go to Half Price Books!  Landed a killer haul for less than $40.  (One of the many perks of recovery weeks...you get to remind yourself that you DO have a life outside of CrossFit.)

 

That evening, I got in 45 minutes of mobility while reading one of my new books.



 

Tuesday: Mercer Island CrossFit

 

Went to 6am CrossFit.  Skill was push press - starting really light (#15) and just focusing on good form.

 



 

The WOD presented challenges even with my taped hands.  I had to alter a lot...and it took me forever to do only three rounds!

My WODHub notes on the workout:

Scaled to 3 rounds (recovery week) and scaled movements due to hand:

200m row

4 burpees

1st round 12 pull ups w red band, 2nd&3rd 18 ring rows

1st round 15 Strict Press at #45, 2nd & 3rd 15 Snatch high pulls at #65

16 V-Ups

rest 2:00

 

When I finished 3 rounds it was time to go to work!  

I got a really pretty view on my walk to the office.

Wednesday: Out Sick

 

Thank God I scored that loot on Monday.  I woke up with a sore throat and decided to take a sick day.  After 10 hours of sleep I still felt totally tanked.  I don't know what I had, but I could barely walk around the apartment to get food, tea, water, and use the bathroom.  Spent the day pretty much on the couch watching Gilmore Girls and reading Dorothy Sayers.

 

Note to the ill...I have found it helps to have a ton of tea, make sure to get my vitamins and veggies, and to avoid as much sugar as possible.  Sugar messes with the immune system.

 

Jared made me dinner which was really sweet, and then we went to bed early.

 

Thursday: Partner Mobility and Yoga

 

After 11 hours of sleep, I felt a lot better than I did on Wednesday, but not 100%.  I had the day as a vacation day but cancelled all my plans for fear of spreading my germs around.  I had the energy to do some chores but still focused on resting and fighting off the end of whatever it was.

 

When Jared got home from work, we did some partner mobility.  Nothing like a good tricep and calf smash session to bring people closer together, right?  I also did some mobility by myself...almost an hour total.

 

Later in the evening, I felt like I had some energy but not enough to throw weights around or get my heart rate up.  I hadn't done yoga at home in ages, and since the place was looking clean and pretty, I felt super zen and decided to unwind with a few sequences from my favorite yoga book.
 

 

 

 

 So relaxing.  Seriously, I wanna do this every week!

 

Friday: Racquetball and Lifting

 
By Friday I was finally back to normal.  After work I met my dad at the gym for racquetball...AND BEAT HIM BY 5 POINTS!!!  This is a milestone for me as I've pretty much only beaten him one other time.  He said it was "the smartest game" I'd ever played.
 
Afterwards I went on to my Wendler lifting.  I thought about CrossFit, but the programming was a Hero WOD and I just didn't feel like I had enough energy to do it justice.  I was on week 4 for Wendlers, which is the deload phase, and I actually took it even lighter than my normal deload.  No reason to overdo it after being sick!
 

Satruday: Mercer Island CrossFit - KELLY

 

Got to work out with some of my favorite Mercer Island athletes. 

 

 

 

We were excited about the strength and skill, but a little mutinous about the WOD since usually Saturday is a Girl WOD and the programming listed a regular old run of the mill workout. Coach Jared took pity on us and let us choose between Nancy (5 rounds for time of 400m run and 15 overhead squats at #95/65), Isabel (30 snatches at #135/95) and Kelly (5 rounds for time of 400m run, 30 box jumps, and 30 wall balls at #20/14). I voted for Isabel (which I would have scaled). I don't like running or wall balls and box jumps kinda scare me...and of course I got out voted and we did Kelly!

 

 

 

The wall balls took me forever, but I wanted to get at least 3 rounds before the time cap and I ended up getting through the fourth round and 20 of the box jumps!   It made me realize how much I need to work on my wall balls, though...particularly my attitude.

 

Finished up Saturday with a great Leadership and Coaching seminar over at Stoneway CrossFit.  I'm not even a coach and I found it SUPER helpful!

 

CrossFitters and their coffee with butter...they crack me up. 

 



Death By Kettlebells/Workout Recap Week of 2/11

Monday: CrossFit at Home

 

Couldn't make it to the box, so scaled the skill work and WOD to what I had on hand.

 

Skills (10 mins)

2 ascents – Rope Climb
10 reps – Med Ball Cleans
8-12 reps – Ring Dips

2 rounds

 

Med ball cleans I could do, no problem.

 

 

Subbed in 20 V-ups for the rope climbs:

 

 

And chair dips instead of ring dips:

 

 

WOD
15-12-9

Squat Clean Thrusters #135/93
bar burpee

 

Used my med ball on the thrusters and stepped over the ball on my burpees.  Woulda jumped, but thought the folks downstairs wouldn't appreciate that.

 

 

 

Working out at home means great post-WOD refueling options!

 

 

 

Tuesday: CrossFit Invictus

 

I scaled the competition workout from 2/11.  Even scaled, this stuff kicks my butt!

I worked my back squats and the handstand pushup/kettlebell WOD in the fitness center, then popped into the box to work my muscle snatch. 

Skipped the heavy triple snatch due to time constraints.

 

 

Wednesday: Death By Kettlebell Swings! (CrossFit)

 

Everybody's favorite WOD!  Seriously. 

 

The way it works?  Pick a heavy (for you) kettlebell. 

Set a clock. 

At the start of the first minute, do one rep. 

Rest the remainder of the minute. 

At the start of the second minute, do two reps. 

Rest for the remainder of the minute. 

Keep going up until you can no longer finish the number of reps as the minute you're on within the 60 seconds. 

(E.G. In the 17th minute, you only get 16 swings in 60 seconds.  Your score for the WOD would be 16 - the last minute you successfully completed the prescribed swings.)

 

I've done this one twice before and it's always fun.

January 31, 2012: 20 rounds with the #26

July 31, 2012: 20 rounds with the #35

 

February 13, 2013?  15 rounds with the #44!

 

Also worked front squat form and saw improvement during the warmup

in my row, toes to bar, and handstand pushups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously love WODding with Jessie!

Thursday: Active Recovery

 

After all those workouts, I knew I needed a recharge day. 

Got into the box before the 6am class and did a 10 minute recovery row at 60-70% effort. 

Ate lots of food and took a bath after work. 

(Recovery row paid off, by the way.  Totally minimized soreness.)

 

 

Friday: CrossFit and Racquetball

Worked on depth in front squats.  All the mobility time I've put in over the last few months has really helped me improve my strength and range of motion in squats.
 

 
Next we did a squat clean EMOM.  Am I the only person who loves EMOM workouts?  Started light and moved quickly up to #95 for my fifth set.  It went alright and so I kept the weight.  On the sixth set, made the first rep, but failed the second, bailed out and landed (unharmed) on my butt.  Was gonna scale the weight back down but Jared encouraged me to have another go.  Finished the 7th and 8th sets with the #95.

 
WOD was fun.  Used blue band and worked chest to bar pullups for first AMRAP, rowed for 10 calories in place of DUs in the second AMRAP.

Racquetball date after CrossFit.

 

Saturday: CrossFit Invictus

 
Worked out with Jared - a rare treat!  Got to learn some new things doing a highly scaled version of the day's Invictus WOD.

Used the #10 to learn kettle bell single arm snatches.  Did handstand "walks" against the wall.
Tore up my hands pretty badly during parts B and C...not so fun.  Used #65 for squats and #45 for shoulder to overhead in both sections.  Red band for pullups.  Score was total time for B & C including rest.

Got to see the Mercer Island CrossFit Kids in top form!
 

Kids' WOD: 

 

 

Sunday: REST - Hallelujah!