Crossfit Linchpin - D143

Main
4 intervals of:
15m Overhead Lunge, 53kg
500m Row
- Rest 6 minutes between rounds -

12:00 - 43kg lunges - (3:00, 2:56, 3:05, 2:59)

Accessory 1
Snatch Balance: 3-3-3-3-3

45, 45, 45, 47.5, 47.5

Accessory 2
V-Ups: Accumulate 70 reps (5x14, super-setted with snatch balances)

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Phew, interval days are no fun, but they have to be done. I felt horrible during my warm up, probably because of terrible nutrition the last 2 weeks. I then felt pretty good during the first interval. I scaled the weight perfectly as the instructions were to have the weight challenging but unbroken.

Round 1 - Lunges were easy enough, got to the row at HR 153 and ended up at an average just below 1:51 on the rower. I lost a few seconds fumbling when strapping in. Max HR 175.

Round 2 - Lunges were still fine. I aimed to have my average under 1:51 on the rower to match my round 1 time and did it. It was definitely harder. The entire interval was 4 seconds faster because I didn't fumble on the straps this time. Max HR 183.

Round 3 - It was an almighty fight to not drop the bar during the lunges. It suddenly got harder. I got to the rower and my HR was 173. It was a different row now compared to round 1. The first 20-30 seconds were at a slower pace, but then I finished strong at around 1:50. Average 1:53. Max HR 185.

Round 4 - I made sure to lock my arms out strongly and the lunges were easier than round 3, but still pretty hard. The rower was similar to round 3 and average was 1:53. Max HR 187.

The good from all this is that my cardio gains feel pretty real now. When I was rowing at 1:48 towards the end of the first interval, it didn't feel too bad (HR only 175!). I think I might even have a 2k PR in me without rowing all that much.

I took a good 20 minutes before starting snatch balances. I can tell these are going to be really beneficial for me so I will start choosing them more when they show up in the accessories. My coach told me yesterday that my push presses and push jerks were terrible. I am dipping all wrong (weight forward, heels come off early). I noticed in the first few sets that I was doing that again. They felt pretty hard throughout, until the last set which felt amazing. I tried to push up against the bar with my arms on the last set and boom. I failed a few reps before that. I'm posting both videos because I learn more from a terrible session than a good one.

Crossfit

20 minute AMRAP:
50 Wall Balls, 9kg
40 Box Jumps, 24 in
30 Cal Bike
20 Toes to Bar
10 Bar Muscle-ups

2 rounds (5 muscle ups in first round, 40% of the reps in 2nd round + 5 muscle ups, 35 cal row instead of 30 cal bike)

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The Linchpin workout today was 14.4, which is a 14 minute AMRAP of 60 cal row, 50 toes to bar, 40 wall balls, 30 cleans (62kg), 20 ring muscle ups. It was close enough to what was programmed in class, so I decided to do the class. My goal for today was to get a bit of cardio in and work on bar muscle ups. I did 4 or 5 before starting and linked 2. They didn't feel great however.

I did the wall balls 5x10 with a quick break. Box jumps were slow and unbroken. Rowing was rowing. Toes to bar were 10+7+3 and quite easy. I think I was at around 8:40 here and wanted to do 10 muscle ups. I then failed 3 in a row!!!! WTF. I took a bit of a break and then managed 5 singles. I had to focus on the hip pop + fast sit up at the end. I also think I'm going up too vertical - all that kipping pull up and chest to bar practice has influenced my muscle ups. I need to be more vertical for pull-ups and more horizontal for muscle ups. Anyway, after the 5 muscle ups, I had 8 minutes left and I really wanted to practice them more. So I decided to do 40% of the reps in the next round. I got to the muscle ups again with 3 minutes left and decided to do an AMRAP until the end of the metcon. I did 5 and it felt easier.

I left class feeling really unhappy with my muscle ups. There is a day next week with more bar muscle ups and it will be my chance to practice them. I know what I need to do - feet together, everything tight, hip pop, fast sit up, and more horizontal on the way up.

Crossfit Linchpin - D144

Main - Grettel
10 rounds for time of:
3 Clean & Jerks, 61kg
3 Burpees Over Bar

8:54 - 52.5kg, lateral burpees over the bar

Accessory 1
Strict Pull-ups: 2x12 (2 sets at 75% of max reps)

Accessory 2
3 rounds for max reps of:
Hang Power Cleans, pick load, 30 secs
Shoulder-to-Overheads, pick load, 30 secs
Rest 2 mins between each round.

66 reps, 42.5kg (11/11, 11/11, 11/11)

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Pretty great day. Grettel is the cousin of Ingrid (same workout except snatches at the same weight). I did Ingrid in 9:14 at 42.5kg. Not being able to drop the bar is such a pain. I would love to do this RX, but I am not lowering the bar 30 times, it's just no fun. I think sub 12 would be doable RX. I wanted to do this as an EMOM and after the first round took 47 seconds, I thought I was in trouble. But I kept going at that pace without any problems and my HR only hit 182 (average 169). Increased cardio confirmed. The round times were 47, 53, 48, 58, 54, 57, 58, 59, 53, and 42 seconds. I rested 15 seconds or so in the middle rounds after a round. I could definitely do this quicker if it were a competition. I used the warm up to work on dipping straight down and extending straight up with jerks. Somewhere in the middle of this workout, I started not redipping after the clean and that saved time. /rambling

Pull-ups were k.

Decent gains in A2. It wasn't an allout effort, so more to come. 66 reps at 45kg next time is the goal.

I have hit an all time low with my energy levels - the lull after lunch is just so bad. I have been eating a huge lunch (Chinese takeaway) and dessert after dinner. I was actually really good for a while and when I saw that I had lost a bunch of weight, this started again. Today, I'm back to doing everything in moderation. I had a more reasonably sized lunch and will restrict myself to <200 calories of dessert after dinner.

Crossfit Linchpin - D145

Main
Back Squat: 3-3-3-3-3

100, 105, 107.5, 110, 110

Accessory 1
Bulgarian Split Squat: 15sx12x3 (per leg)

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Today was actually 7x1 squats, but I tweaked my back doing 5x3 a month ago so I decided to redo it and that it would be more beneficial to me. I tweaked it doing 115 on the first set, so I forced myself to do 100 this time and just evaluate how my back was and take it from there. There was no pain, but I was still a bit nervous. The weight was going up fairly easily. In the 4th set, I started going forward out of the hole. I corrected that in the 5th set and repeated the weight. I also made a conscious effort to only go as low as my back would remain in a solid position. This meant cutting my depth a little, but they all look below parallel.

I figured out how to really brace against my belt today. It felt pretty good. Split squats were no fun as always and I skipped A2 which was 5x50m sprints. It has come up maybe 10 times so far and I've never done it. I tell myself biking to work makes up for it.

The next 3 days are JT (eying sub 20 from 23:37), a metcon with bar muscle ups, and clean and jerk singles. I cannot wait!

Crossfit Linchpin - D146

Main - JT
21-15-9:
Handstand Push Up
Ring Dip
Push-up

19:32 (PR by 4:05!)

Accessory 1
100 double unders for time: 1:25

Accessory 2
Pull-up bar hang: Accumulate 3 mintues (1:50, 1:10)

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What a cool day. I wanted to go sub 20 and got that done. Round times were 6:48, 8:15, and 4:27. Average HR 160, max 182. My round times last time were 6:46, 10:14, and 6:37. That round of 15 was so hard!

Round 1 - I did the HSPU in 5,4,4,4,4 and they were very, very, easy. I broke them up a lot because I knew what was ahead. Ring dips were 7x3 and were also fine. I was just pacing myself. Push-ups were 3,2,2, singles. It is a cliche, but push-ups in JT are the hardest push-ups I have ever done. For some reason, sets of 2 seemed difficult, but singles with a 2 second break seemed easy. So I did that.

Round 2 - Last time, the first few reps of HSPU were so hard. It was the same this time. I think I did 2,2,1 and then realized that I wasn't using my legs enough. I finished them in sets of 3 with a huge kick with my legs and they were fine. I don't remember my sets in ring dips, but they started out in 3s and ended in singles. I was resting a lot less than last time. Push-ups were quick singles again and easy enough.

Round 3 - I remembered to use my legs and HSPU were 3x3. Ring dips and push-ups were singles, but easier since it was only 9 reps.

It actually wasn't a good double under day, but I knew I would PR even if I blew up. Sets were 17, 33, 25, 13, 12. The only trip up was after 17. I need to remember to grip it looser and relax. 100 unbroken really should be doable.

Crossfit Linchpin - D147

Main
3 rounds of:
15 Assault Bike Calories
10 Front Squats, 45 kg
5 Bar Muscle-ups

- Rest 5 minutes -

3 rounds of:
12 Assault Bike Calories
6 Front Squats, 45 kg
8 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups

10:41, 5:53

Accessory 1
Pistols: 5x5 (per leg, alternating in metcons)

Accessory 2
Chin over bar hold: Accumulate 2 minutes (6 sets)

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That was one of my best days ever and I walked out of the gym feeling so great. Today's main goal was just to get my bar muscle ups back to feeling good. The first round was horrible. I finished it in 4:15 and spent 2:30 doing 5 singles. I even failed one. HOWEVER, in the last rep, I remembered head through at the top. I always knew it, but did it even more aggresively. Then BOOM. Unbroken bar muscle ups in rounds 2 and 3!!!!! My PR was 4, but it was during a metcon as well, so I have never tested it. 5 with a really high HR and RPE easy is pretty cool. I think I can do 10+ when fresh now (could have probably done 7-8 today at the end of round 3). Rounds 2 and 3 were much faster obviously because the muscle ups only took like 30 seconds.

The second part was very cool as well. I was planning on doing 2x4 for chest to bars, but then figured I better do it unbroken if I can do 5 muscle ups unbroken. I ended up doing 6+2, but still hanging on to the bar, so bascially unbroken. I fell out of rhythm a bit, but it was still so easy. I fought to keep it under 2 minute rounds.

The second part was 82nd percentile!! The first part was 64th, but that would have been a lot higher without that slow first round. Pretty cool.

Pistols were fine in non weightlifting shoes. Chin over bar hold is really, really, hard. I started cycling a month ago and have biked 180km in a month just commuting. If I were to add something to my current program (pre cycling), it would have been easy 30 minutes of cardio a day, from which recovery isn't hard. I'm not hardcore enough for 2 sessions a day though. This is the perfect solution and I can feel my cardio really benefitting.

My muscle ups don't look that pretty, but I was scared of hitting my head on the ceiling. I need to keep my legs together and everything just tighter.

Crossfit Linchpin - D148

Main
Clean and Jerk: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

75, 77.5, 77.5, 80, 80, 82.5, 85

Accessory 1
Overhead Press: 40x10x3

Accessory 2
Banded March: Accumulate 5 minutes (2:00, 1:30, 1:30)

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Pretty solid day. I got to within 5kg of my C&J PR and it still didn't feel that hard. My cleans felt really good throughout. My coach told me to sit like a front squat during the jerk and not let my heels come up early. That is the only thing I was thinking about. But, I still made the same mistake even after watching the replay every set!!! It is quite frustrating. The jerks at 80 and 82.5 still felt decent, and then I fell into my old bad habit at 85 where the jerk becomes shorter and less legs when the weight gets heavy. If I sort out my jerks, I have a big PR in me.

Crossfit Linchpin - D149

Main
Overhead Squat: 9-7-5-3-1

52.5, 57.5, 62.5, 67.5, 73 (PR+1!)

Accessory 1
Dumbbell Front Rack Walking Lunge: 22.5sx14x3

Accessory 2
1 Power Snatch + 1 Overhead Squat + 1 Hang Squat Snatch + 1 Squat Snatch: 1-1-1-1

40, 42.5, 42.5, 45

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Another solid day, with more measurable progress. I don't think I had ever overhead squatted 65 before starting Linchpin, so 67.5x3 is nice and so is 73. I got the loading a bit wrong - the sets of 9 and 7 were pretty easy, and the set of 5 was really hard. I went for a small walk with it, but managed to complete it. 73 wasn't all that hard, there's more to come here.

Snatches continue to feel horrible. I got some decent feedback though, so I will keep grinding until it's not a weakness anymore.

Crossfit Linchpin - D150

Main
For time (or not):
16-14-12-10-8 reps of:
Hang Power Clean, 52.5kg
Hand Release Push-up
Knees-to-elbow
Shuttle Run, 200m (4x50m)

23:46 - not for time/strict knees to elbow

Accessory 1
Double Under Practice: 200 reps (30, 50, 40, 34, 46), 60-90s rest

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Weird day. I wanted to take this nice and easy and not for time, but I also wanted to do the hang power cleans unbroken and get out of my comfort zone. Those two don't go together apparently. I started off with 16 hang power cleans and my HR was already pretty high! I managed to do them unbroken in all rounds, which was nice. HRPU were 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, unbroken. Knees to elbows were all in 2 sets, except for the last round when my pull-up bar fell off after the first set! I nearly became a home gym fail video, but it was at the end of the rep and I didn't even fall. Pretty lucky. So I only did 4 knees to elbows in the last round, but whatever. Average HR 164, max 181. It felt a lot harder than that because my hayfever is back. I swear 27 degrees in London feels the same as 40 degrees feels in India. The heat is so intense and dry. No fun.

Double unders were pretty good. There was only one trip in the 4th round. My calves seem to approve of my better double under form and not jumping like a madman anymore. I am doing more double unders now with less calf pain.

Tomorrow is one of Linchpin's 14 tests that is an improvement on Fran. I wanted today to be easy so I could really go for it tomorrow, but I'm going for it anyway. It is 2 rounds of an 18 cal row, 15 thrusters (43kg), 12 chest to bars. It is a much better test than Fran because it is no longer about faster cycling times for the good guys since they all go unbroken. It is about how fast you can go on the rower, while still going unbroken on everything else. Sub 6 would be cool. 50th percentile is 7:12, 60th is 6:33, 70th is 5:55, 80th is 5:23.

Crossfit Linchpin - D151

Main - Linchpin Test 4
2 rounds of:
18 Row Calories
15 Thrusters, 42.5 kg
12 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups

6:41

Accessory 1
Medicine Ball Clean: 75 reps, 9kg ball (20, 20, 20, 15)

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First, the context/excuses. I woke up with about as bad hayfever as I have had. My nose was completely blocked and my eyes were so itchy. I almost thought I had a cold, but then I haven't been sick in years and the timing is too perfect, so odds are it was hayfever. Not related, but I used to get a cold every 3/4 months before I started exercising. I now never get one. Pretty cool. Second excuse - my bicep tendonitis flared up very slightly after ages during Saturday's clean and jerks. It wasn't enough to even log it. It again showed up a little yesterday during hang power cleans. Again, not enough to log it. Today, while I was warming up my thrusters and chest to bars, it showed up more than before. It just needs rest, and I'll be smart about it going forward. Anyway, I was at maybe 80% after warming up and really not loving life. The thought of an all out effort made me quite nervous. I decided to do a 90% effort and just get through it. It's just no fun working out with hayfever.

Round 1 - The row was fine, probably 65-70 seconds. Thrusters were 10+5 with a very quick break. Chest to bars was all in sets of 3s and 2s and some singles, with very quick breaks. They took me maybe 45 seconds. I wanted to do them unbroken, but I just couldn't find my rhythm when kipping. Quick sets of 2s and 3s aren't that much slower anyway. Round 1 in 3:03.

Round 2 - The row was a bit slower, mainly to get my HR under control so I could do the rest faster. Thrusters were 9+6 with a longer break. I was suffering now. Chest to bars was the same as round 1. Round 2 in 3:38. I suspect something like +10s row, +20s thrusters, +5s chest to bars.

It was 58th percentile. I'll take that for a non maximal effort, when feeling not fine. These percentiles are based on people who log religiously on beyondthewhiteboard, which are all hardcore crossfitters. My range now seems to be 55th-80th percentile, which is a lot better than before.

Medicine ball cleans are so much harder than it sounds.

All in all, a really unpleasant session, but I am really happy to get through it. I might have to do a deload to manage my bicep tendonitis, but I'll see how it is in the next few days and then decide. My deloads have usually been due to holidays, getting sick, or a minor niggle. Holidays and getting sick aren't happening, so a niggle might win. Edit - I actually have a holiday in 6 weeks, so it would be nice to hold on until then.

Crossfit Linchpin - D152

Main
15 minute EMOM, alternating between
1 - 50 Double Unders
2 - 20 Push Press, 34kg
3 - max rep Bike Calories, 30 secs

Double unders - 50, 50, 40, 40, 40
Push Press - 20, 20, 20, 15, 15 (32.5kg)
Bike - 4, 4, 2, 4, 6 (easy effort)

Accessory 1
Landmine Twist: 30x12, 31.25x12, 32.5x12

Accessory 2
Handstand hold: Accumulate 4 minutes (feet on and off the wall)

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Absolutely crazy day at work (trading STIRS can be fun every now and then) and was also hungover before this workout. I decided to take it easy and not go crazy on the bike. I ended up doing an average of 44 double unders and 18 push presses, so perhaps 40/20 would have been a good workout for me. I intended to do that and got carried away in round 1 and did 50. The last 4 rounds were unbroken!!! The bar got in the way in the first round and I tripped up. 100 push presses at any weight is no fun.

Crossfit Linchpin - D153

Main
3 intervals, each interval for time, of:
400m Run
12 Bar Facing Burpees
9 Deadlifts, 70% 1RM | 110kg
6 Ring Muscle-ups
- Rest 6 minutes between intervals -

14:48 - 4:56, 4:54, 4:58 (1200m assault bike instead of run, lateral burpees over bar, deadlifts at 68%, bar muscle ups)

Accessory 1
Banded March: Accumulate 5 minutes (2x2:30)

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Incredible day - no back pain, and bar muscle up PR! This was different to the normal interval day - HR didn't get close to 100% because you had to end it with deadlifts and ring muscle ups. So it was a question of how hard could you bike and burpee, to still do everything else fast. I took around 1:55 for the bike (12.5 cal/minute), burpees slow and steady. Then deadlifts were 5+4. I did everything controlled because my goal for today was unbroken muscle ups. And I did all 3 rounds unbroken!! PR prelockdown was 4, PR last week became 5, and now it's 6 multiple times under fatigue! My coach was training next to me, and he said they looked easy in the last round and that 12 should be possible! Pretty cool, especially for not having a bar to do muscle ups during a year of lockdowns. My form also looks better and more controlled because I was confident I could do them and I wasn't flailing like crazy.

I'm joining the slightly twisted ankle club on H&F. When I was warming up, I did a couple of muscle ups and jumped down onto the plates that you see in the video. But only half my foot landed on it, and it hurt instantly. The pain went away in 5 minutes, so I just did the workout and subbed the bike instead of running. There was no pain after that at all. I then walked my dog for an hour and a half and started fast walking in the end because I had to drop him off at a groomer's and was late, and then I felt it again. It's not terrible, but I need to be mindful of it.

I'm also getting my first vaccine now after a lot of back and forth on a personal risk assessment. I have tinnitus (please don't google what it is because I only realized I had it after reading about it) and there are a lot of reports about the vaccine making it worse, but ultimately there are even more reports of covid making it worse, so fingers crossed.

Speedy recovery, Arjun, and hopefully no symptoms from the shot.

Congrats on getting vaxxed. It's the right call.

Hope the ankle feels better.

nice to get up there 6 times in succession...hard to see from that angle but are you pushing yourself up to the top of the 'dip' at the finish of the movement?

hope the ankle isn't too bad. as someone who had a badly dislocated ankle almost 30 years ago...once those ligaments get loosened, they never fully recover. About once a year, I'll put my foot down clumsily on a bad angle/a rock and just hit the ground immediately

Heal up quick.

+1

+2,

Thank you everyone, I really do appreciate the support.

Feel, I was completing the dip at the top, it's hard to see from the angle.

My ankle was feeling pretty bad on Saturday evening. I was limping and it even hurt a non-trivial amount when sitting/lying down. I was waiting to ask the GP if it was fine to take ibuprofen for it because of the vaccine and she laughed and said yes. I took it, and the pain disappeared. I've been trying to move my ankle in different ways to find it and there is no pain at all! On Sunday, my left arm was pretty sore from the shot and I felt extra lethargic (hard to tell if that was from the vaccine).

I went in today with plans of working out (air squats and strict pull-ups on the menu), but I've just decided to take an extra day off. I don't want to do anything stupid and reinjure my ankle. My arm feels fine. I do feel a bit lethargic, but again that's become the norm of late, so who knows. I'll be back at it tomorrow. I seem to be growing up - I don't feel guilty for an additional day off and I'm thinking of the long term, rather than close eyes and exercise.

Crossfit Linchpin - D154

Main
For time:
100 Air Squats
25 Strict Pull-ups
75 Air Squats
20 Strict Pull-ups
50 Air Squats
15 Strict Pull-ups

14:54

Accessory 1
L-Sit: Accumulate 2 minutes (3x40s)

Accessory 2
DB Box Step up: 40 reps (4x10, with 22.5s, to 20.5 inch "box")

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No pain, more measurable gains - it was a good day after 2 days of being a slob with no exercise. I went in with the goal of sub 15 and round times of 6-5-4 and stuck to the plan. My round times were 5:53, 5:18, and 3:42. Average HR 166, max 180. Air squats were in sets of 10 and then 5 with 2-3 second breaks. Pull-ups were in 4s, then 3s, then 2s and 1s. All with very quick breaks. The way to shave time off this is to just tough it out and do the air squats faster. That would be no fun and the quad burn would be pretty unpleasant. There was a tiny hint of back pain in the air squats, but I made sure to have a flat back and it was very, very, minimal.

L-Sits have gone from 7 sets when I started to 3 sets now! I super-setted them with box step ups. After the first set of step ups, I realized that this is the WOAT exercises for a bad ankle. However, I couldn't feel any pain at all and just went ahead with it. My body sans back, touch wood, seems to heal pretty quickly from these knocks.

Crossfit

Buy-In: 2000m Row
Max Rounds With Time Remaining:
2 Power Snatches, 61kg
4 Overhead Squats, 61kg
8 Box Jump Overs, 30"

8 rounds - 35kg bar, 24" box

Accessory 1
Snatch Complex - 1 Power Snatch + 1 Hang Power Snatch + 1 Squat Snatch: 1-1-1-1-1

40, 42.5, 45, 47.5, 50

Accessory 2
Windshield Wipers: 40 reps (2x20)

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I was naughty today and did a class instead of Linchpin. I went in with the intention of doing Linchpin, but got overwhelmed with trying to fit everything in an hour and the class was similar enough, so I did it. No regrets, it was fun. The Linchpin workout was 6 intervals (3' on, 3' off) with snatches, handstand walks, and bike calories. A warm up, 36 minutes, recover, and 2 accessories was a bit much for an hour.

Anyway, the class was pretty fun. The coach said the goal was to get off the rower in 8-9 minutes, and then 1 round a minute. So 9 rounds was the goal. I scaled the weight way down to try and hit that. I rowed at a comfortable 2:08, and then did a 5 minute EMOM, took a minute off, and then a 3 minute EMOM. Pretty fun.

I went home and wasn't satisfied that I didn't get any snatch technique work in, so I did the accessories later. My snatches felt pretty good. I thought about dropping under faster instead of yanking it up with my arms. I'm not loving how much my arms are bending, so I've asked my coach if this level of arm bending is acceptable or not. Doing 50 pretty easily is promising.

oh man...that wod gives me wood

Lol, I can relate.

Today's WOD at our gym is -

For Time:
10 Muscle-Ups, 50 Sit-Ups, 25 HSPU
8 Muscle-Ups, 40 Sit-Ups, 20 HSPU
6 Muscle-Ups, 30 Sit-Ups, 15 HSPU
4 Muscle-Ups, 20 Sit-Ups, 10 HSPU

It's taking all my self-discipline to not modify my schedule and do this instead of Linchpin.

I get that you've been training on your own for long periods and that you enjoy/are seeing benefits from following Lynchpin, but I can't imagine going to a crossfit box and doing something different to what everyone else is doing.

so much of the enjoyment for me came out of competing against others and the culture & relationships that built while doing so.