April 27, 2010

Cycle One - Week One

Strength:

Deadlift (1RM=400#; "Working" 1RM=360#)

Set #1 is 5 reps @ 65% of "working" one rep max = 235#

Set #2 is 5 reps @ 75% = 270#

Set #3 is 5 reps (or more) @ 85% = 310(x6)

This morning it seemed hard to get warm up properly and really able to "feel the weight." I rolled extra long, rowed 500 meters at a pretty strong pace and really loosened up my joints, but I just wasn't feeling the 5 am workout time.

I approached the working set differently today as I deliberately gave myself enough rest time between sets--3 mins between sets #1 & #2 and 4 minutes before the third set. I've always thought that my deadlift should be much higher and when I hit 400# in January, it was a huge milestone, but since then, it hasn't increased by a whole lot.

The deads felt very heavy in the warm up set and in the first working set, however when I attempted MAX reps in the third set the weight felt much heavier! My goal was ten max reps in the third, but I mustered six, so I suppose I should be happy with that considering how the morning started.

REST 10 minutes

Conditioning:

For Time:

20 Box Jumps - 24"

20 Kettlebell Swings - 2 pood

20 Pull ups

Rest 2 minutes

Repeat for 4 cycles.

Total working time: 11:49

1.) 2:23 (unb/unb/10-10)
2.) 2:53 (unb/15-5/10-5-5)
3.) 3:05 (unb/10-10/8-6-6)
4.) 3:28 (unb/10-10/5-5-5-5)

This WOD was a huge gut check. The box jumps provided a brief "rest" before my shoulders were crushed by the combinaion of the heavy kettlebell swings and pull ups. The swings have always been a strength and I was surprised that I broke these sets up. If I pushed harder I would've gotten them unbroken for sure. Pull ups were better than normal.

After the WOD was over I received some sad news. I saw on the CrossFit mainsite that Amanda Miller died last Friday. Although I never met her, I saw her performances on the mainsite and especially during the '09 Games Video to know enough that she was one fierce competitor. It's sad to know that someone so young and so full of life has been taken from the world, when so many others squander their natural abilities.

R.I.P. "Guns"