Crossfit log for Monday, October 14th

Thanksgiving Monday.

The gym is closed, but thankfully I have this fancy home gym set up.

Monday's are usually cleans so I revisited a clean workout from a little while ago.

12 minute to max weight of 1 power clean, 1 hang clean.

So power clean from the floor catching above parallel and a full squat clean but starting from the hang position.

I have more trouble with the hang clean than the power.  I need to commit to getting under the bar.  I struggled with the hang clean at 155#,  tried a second time and got it.

At 165# I nailed the power clean and committed to getting under the bar for the hang and nailed it first try.

Much like last time, I power cleaned the 175# (confirmed my PR) and didn't come close to hang cleaning it. (this is also my current best full clean).

Then I switched to back squats for 2 reps, warmed up with 135#, 185# and 205#, then got serious at 215#, 225# and finally put everything I have on the bar: 240#

Stuck a bit coming up, but I got it.  Happy with that, since my 1 rep max is 245#.

Crossfit log for Friday, October 11th

OMG, I hate push ups.

We did bench press for strength, 4 sets of 8 reps.  I settled on 135# and it was a good choice.  Could only manage 6 reps on the last set.

The WOD was a benchmark workout called Cindy.

20 minutes AMRAP
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats.

In a recent workout I discovered that in order to be efficient and not miserable, 3 burpees was my limit.  We did a workout that had 3 burpees, 6 box jumps and 9 wall balls, and I found the burpees were easy in such a small number.  A week later we did a similar workout with 4 burpees and 6 box jumps and 8 wall balls, but added 10 kettle bell swings.  The burpees sucked.  So 3 is my limit.

Today I think I found my magic number for push ups: 7.

The first 6 or 7 rounds, I'd start to notice that I wasn't enjoying myself at the 7th rep.

In later rounds  I found I could struggle to get to 7 unbroken, but 8 was a stopper.

Pull ups were a snap, so much so I had to practice my butterfly kip to slow them down otherwise I'd get frustrated that I was back on push ups so soon.

Squats are pretty quick to, but as the rounds ticked by I found myself slowing... until I spotted Adam out of the corner of my eye just ripping through them, so I stepped it up to match, and a bit more.

Of course he noticed and stepped it up too, then I had to match him, and 15 reps were done.  I tried to keep that level of intensity for the rest of the workout.

Made 14 rounds plus 13 reps (5 pull ups, 8 push ups).   I'm pretty sure that's a personal best.

Crossfit log for Thursday, October 10th

With Kiza away I wasn't able to get to Physics Crossfit at all this week. Well until this morning.

I've done a lot of mobility work and strength work at the Y.  I was even able to get a WOD in on Tuesday (wall balls and double unders), but it's not the same.

The comfort level and the intensity at my box is always greater than anywhere else.

So this morning, I was finally able to go.  It was nice to be back.

Strength was 3 sets of 3 heavy squat cleans.  Aaron and I worked up to 155# for 3 sets.

Then 3 sets of heavy dead lifts with a grip width between clean and snatch, did 205#, 225#, 255#

We did hook grip, where you wrap your two first fingers over your thumb to form a vice, but man it was really hard on the thumbs!

The WOD was a long affair with a 15 minute cap:

50 double unders
40 knees to elbows
30 push ups
20 dumbbell snatches  35#
40 alternating lunges with the axle bar in the front rack position, at 90#.

Finished just under the wire at 14:45.

You know the lunges are bad when in you mind you are wishing they were burpees.

Crossfit log for Monday, October 7th

Didn't really do the workout, only the strength work.

Work up to 90% of max snatch for 1 rep.

Work up to 90% of max clean and jerk for 1 rep.

Snatch didn't go so well, I've done 130# but was struggling with 95# so I tried one at 115# and it ended up being a power snatch, so I just stopped there and switch to clean and jerk.

That went way better, made it all the way to my max of 175#. Happy with that.

Then it was front squats,  4 sets of 2 heavier than max clean and jerk.

Warmed up with 95# and 135#, then did 2 sets at 185# and 2 sets at 205#.

Felt good.

Then I did a bit of mobility since I was running out of time.

The WOD was a 10 min AMRAP of 100 wall balls, but each time you stopped you had to do 30 double unders. If you finished that before the 10 minutes was up, do 95# thrusters until the time runs out.

Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

I'm a good mother.

3 days in to Kiza's second  10 day business trip this month, I've found myself wondering if this is the life of every single parent, just single fathers, or more likely if it's just me.

Then I read this blog post I spotted on Facebook: The Good Mother and I realized that it's all of us.

My voice isn't so much "a good mother would", but "mommy would"  or wouldn't as the case may be.

-mommy wouldn't have skipped bath night.
-mommy wouldn't have put Dex down without brushing his teeth.
-mommy wouldn't have sifted through the dirty laundry basket to find the least dirty uniform shirt for Delilah to wear to school on Friday (why couldn't it have been cold out, I have dozens of long sleeve shirts).

The author, Lynn Shattuck, is right, fathers don't set the bar nearly as high and society doesn't set if any higher for them.

That doesn't mean we don't feel the pressure, guilt or inadequacy when we make the call or go it alone (even temporarily).  But being a good father isn't tied to our self worth, not at the surface anyway.

I felt sad reading the blog, most of the examples she cited I could relate to, and before finishing the sentence I brushed them off. (Edit: I felt sad for the mothers who can't brush it off, for whatever reason, the way fathers can).

-forgot the monitor? Baby will cry loud enough sooner or later, no biggie.
-forgot diaper bag while out of the house? Outing gets cut short with a stinky ride home, no biggie.
-surfing the net while feeding baby? Hell ya. Try playing Wii (but be careful not to bonk your 5 day old in the forhead with the controller when you have to jump/dive to break trough the ice in the Ice Age game, really glad she had that knitted cap on)
-can't soothe a crying baby? Lets just say I'm glad we lost the fridge in the fire, I was tired of seeing the dent in the stainless steel door where I put my fist because a certain little girl wouldn't stop crying in my arms despite every trick in the book)
-didn't notice the shirt was dirty?  I chose the dirty shirt myself and put it on her. No biggie.

There was another post I read recently, I think it was a comencement speech, and it said something about, how horrible experience will one day make great stories, so when you're in the middle of one, try to imagine telling this story one day and laughing your butt off.

My kids are happy more often than not, they are a marvel to watch, learning and interacting with each other, with their peers and with me. We're doing alright.

But please mommy, come home soon!!!!  ;)

Ms. Shattuck's final remark is important I think (as it describes most of my days of late).

I’m a good mother. Say it with me, even if your kid is wearing a yogurt shirt today like mine is. Say it if you have no idea what’s for dinner. Say it after you raise your voice because your kid won’t get in her freaking car seat. Say it out loud to yourself.

I'm a good mother.

Crossfit log for Thursday, October 3rd

More heavy squats today. Took me a long time to shake the cobwebs out.

Started with clean and jerk.  3 sets of the following complex:
1 power clean, 1 squat clean, 1 push jerk, 1 split jerk.

Worked up to 145#.  Seems like everyone else was doing like 185# or more!  I can I failed the split jerk on my first set, second set was better, but I decided to count my last warm up set at 115# as a working set and moved on to the squats.

This went much better,  worked up to 195#, as much or more than the other guys so I saved face a bit, not that it matters, I actually felt I could have done 205#, but my right glute is still bugging me and I knew we had wall balls in the WOD.  (finally booked an appointment with my physio for tomorrow).

Time was getting tight, so once again, I decided to use the last warm up set at 175# as a working set.

WOD was 4min AMRAP + 2min rest + 6 min AMRAP (start at beginning after 2min rest).

- 4 burpees
- 6 box jumps  24" box
- 8 wall balls 20# medicine ball
- 10 kettle bell swings 20kg kettle bell.

First part I did 2 full rounds + burpees and 2 box jumps = 62 reps
Second part I did 3 full rounds + 1 burpees = 75 reps
for a total of 137 reps.

Not great, but not to shabby.

Crossfit log for Tuesday, October 1st

Yeah, I'm thinking an early morning workout following a late evening workout isn't such a good idea.

I just had nothing in the tank this morning.

Strength work was max effort for 1 clean + 3 push press.  You had to squat for the clean, no power cleans allowed and you had to hold the press at the top for a a second.  No touch and go, between presses, you were to reset and reposition before each rep.

Maxed out at 135#, likely capable of 145#, but I just didn't have the juice to even try.

I didn't hold out much hope for the WOD.

It was 3 rounds, 15-12-9 of Pull ups and dead lifts 165#

Each round you "cashed in" with 5 hand stand push ups, did your pull ups and dead lifts and then "cashed out" with 7 knees to elbows.

My right glute has been sore lately, so I wasn't holding out much hope for the dead lifts, even at 165lbs, but it didn't go too bad at all.

Finished in 9:58.