Back Squat

Tonight at CrossFit Confluence, I hit a long-time goal of a double bodyweight back squat. I'm weighing in at about 150-152lb and got one rep at 305lbs, full depth. The full tally of all my reps was:

Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
225-245-265-285-295-305-295

Skillz

Over the past week or so, I've achieved a number of "firsts" of which I'm particularly proud.

Rope climb:
Last Saturday (22 January), I successfully climbed a nearly 15-foot knotless rope for the first time (actually, twice). I don't know how to use my feet, so the climbs were just with my arms.

Box jump:
On Tuesday (25 January), a bunch of us were trying max height box jumps. I was able to easily hit a 42" box jump (nearly 2/3 my height). I also jumped to 36" with a 20lb weight vest.

Ring handstand push-up:
Finally, earlier this week, I tried to do a ring handstand push-up but failed miserably. After some focused skill work the rest of this week, I attempted another ring HSPU today (28 January) and although ugly, I nailed it.

A few other specific goals for the next few months are a 300lb back squat and being able to perform a front lever on the rings and a flag. As I achieve these goals or have any other significant accomplishments, I'll post them here.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!

Even though I never followed through with any specific fitness goals in 2010, there is no doubt I'm stronger and faster than I was at this point last year. More importantly, within the last six months, my back has rarely ever become an issue. I can attribute all of these accomplishments to the outstanding programming, camaraderie, and training environment at CrossFit Confluence as well as daily body maintenance from the MobilityWod.

On a different note, over the past year, I've become even busier with work, training, and (finally) leisure activities. This blog has become lower on my priority list and will likely be sparingly updated in 2011. For those interested in my own training, you can follow my posts at CrossFit Confluence. For training ideas and tips to use yourself, check out the CrossFit main site as well as the blogs I've recommended off to the right.

Any updates this year will be major accomplishments that I've achieved.

Best of luck to all of you in meeting and exceeding your training goals in 2011 and beyond!

Triple WOD

Workout 31 December 2010:

Rounds in seven minutes of:
10 Thrusters (95lb)
10 Hand-release push-ups

Then:

Time for 21-15-9 reps of:
Pull-ups
Burpees

Then:

Max split jerk in 10 minutes

Results:
Thruster/PU: 4 rounds
PU/Burpee: 7'07
Split Jerk: 175lb

Previous best:
Thruster/PU: none
PU/Burpee: none
Split Jerk: 185lb (under no time constraint, 10 Nov 10)

Today's workout was at CrossFit Confluence. What better way to end the year than with three workouts in one. Each individual workout stressed the upper body extensors, so when it was time to do the split jerk, I was just about fried. Despite that, I was able to put up 175lb which is only 10lb lighter than my previous 1RM PR. My goal for the first workout was 4-5 rounds and I hoped to finish the second in 5-10 minutes. Great end to a great year!

Shoulder Press

Workout 30 December 2010:

Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Results: 125-135-145-150-155-155-150lbs
Previous best: 115-125-130-135-140-145-150(F)

Today's workout was at CrossFit Confluence. During my last CrossFit Total, I pressed 155lbs once as my new one-rep-max. Today, I was able to press that same weight twice. Even though I knew I couldn't go up any higher, it's still evidence I'm getting stronger. Hopefully within a few months I can hit 160lbs.

Lynne

Workout 27 December 2010:

"Lynne"
Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups

Results: 41 bench press (150lbs), 54 strict pull-ups
Previous best: 49 bench press (150lbs), 55 strict pull-ups (17 Apr 09)

I haven't done this workout in almost a year and a half but showed some reasonable improvement. Last time I had 41 bench presses @145lbs and only 38 strict pull-ups. I'm still a bit off from my previous best, but should be able to get back to those numbers soon.

Squat Slash Dip

Workout 26 December 2010:

Three rounds for time of:
35 Squats
25 Kettlebell slashers (16kg)
15 Ring dips

Results: 11'55
Previous best: none

Like yesterday's workout, this one was designed to be quick. Today's "goat" is ring dips. Although I'm far from bad at them, I should be able to do more before fatigue sets in. I had to divide them up into sets of 2 or 3. Eventually, I'd like to be able to consistently do 10-15 dips straight though with minimal kipping. The squats and slashers were unbroken.