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Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games

07-13-2021 , 06:17 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D168

Main
Deadlift: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

140, 145 (small back tweak)

----------------------------------------

Well, ****. Everything felt fine. My back has not bothered me for a couple of months. There are very, very small hints of something wrong (like a very tiny tightness in my back during warm up, or again a very small tightness after sleeping). I am usually good with making a plan and sticking to it, but it's so hard doing all the back exercises when my back feels 99%. I guess this is wake up call number 23. This tweak is the least severe of any of the tweaks I have had. I am pretty sure I could do singles at 100 and be fine. I will be playing fitness tomorrow.

I have had 4 back tweaks now - all either back squatting or deadlifting and all at heavier weights. There doesn't seem to be any glaring errors in my technique, so I definitely need to address this seriously once and for all. Here is my plan going forward:

1. McGill big 3 + hip flexor stretch (attempt 2 at doing this)
2. A deload every 10 weeks or so even if I feel fine
3. Really be conscious of the position of my lower back during every single movement (attempt 2 at this again, it worked so well last time and then I just forgot)
4. Sleep with a pillow on under my stomach when face down and under my knees when face up. I saw this in the McGill article under extension intolerance (which is what I seem to have) and tried it and it seems to help.

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07-15-2021 , 08:34 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D169

Main - The Ghost
6 rounds, 1 min per station, for max reps of:
Row Calorie
Burpee
Double Under
Rest 1 min
Try for as many reps as possible of EACH exercise, not just total score

487 - Row - 13,13,13,13,14,14, Burpee - 12,12,12,12,13,13, Double Under - 50,50,50,50,60,70

Accessory 1
Push up: 75 reps in as few sets as possible (20,15,10,10,10,7,3)

Accessory 2
Windshield Wiper: 40 reps

---------------------------------------------

I definitely did something to my back, so I took yesterday off. I made sure to keep moving - I did a 2 hour walk with my dog and cycled to and from work. Today's workout was perfect for a bad back. I could feel it before doing it, and can feel it a lot less after.

I went in aiming for an easy 50th percentile and maybe crank it up in the end if I felt like it. 50th percentile was 448, so I aimed for 75 reps per round (13,12,50). It was pretty easy after 4 rounds so I went a bit harder. It ended up being 58th percentile for a nowhere near max effort for a pure conditioning workout. I'm liking where my conditioning is at. Double unders were in 2 sets, except for the last round which was 30,20,20.

Push ups were really really hard after 330 double unders and 74 burpees.

I have decided to get serious about fixing my back. I've been to physios but not trusted that they know their stuff and not followed through with it. I don't think I have the heart to grind McGill big 3 without knowing whether it's actually working or not. I arranged a consultation with one of the McGill "Master Clinicians". There seems to be only 20 in the world. I'll see what he has to say and do whatever he says.
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07-16-2021 , 10:05 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D170

Main
For time:
48 Wall Balls
24 Pull-ups
12 Overhead Squats, 65% 1RM | 47.5kg
-- Rest 5 mins --
For time:
40 Wall Balls
20 Pull-ups
10 Overhead Squats, 65% 1RM | 47.5kg
-- Rest 5 mins --
For time:
36 Wall Balls
18 Pull-ups
9 Overhead Squats, 65% 1RM | 47.5kg

15:21 - 5:17, 4:37, 5:27

Extra
Pull-ups: 5-6 sets of 6-7 reps

----------------------------

All my pull-ups were no reps today. I thought I had figured something out that made them much smoother during the warmup and it turns out that I just didn't get my chin over the bar. It went above the height of the bar, but wasn't directly over it and was behind it. This made it easier. I recorded myself afterwards to see if my breakthrough was real, and it wasn't. I'll practice them more.

I just didn't have it today. Wall balls were all in 4 sets. Pull-ups were in 3 sets with 1 bigger set. OHS were 8+4, unbroken, 6+3. I was really careful about my back which is why I broke up that last set. In round 3, I was so out of breath after doing the first 2 sets of 9 wall balls. Something just wasn't right today. My resting HR was also 10 beats higher. Oh well, we move on, more fitness was done. Tomorrow is a nice and slow not for time day with a lot of pressing. I need it.
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07-17-2021 , 07:15 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D171

Main
For time (or not):
Row, 250 m
21 Push Press, 45 kg
21 Ring Dips
21 Toes-to-bars
Row, 250 m
15 Push Press, 45 kg
15 Ring Dips
15 Toes-to-bars
Row, 250 m
9 Push Press, 45 kg
9 Ring Dips
9 Toes-to-bars

23:07 (not for time)

Accessory 1
OHP: 40x8x3

Accessory 2
DB Box Step up: 40 reps (4x10 with 1 20kg DB and 1 22.5kg DB, super setted with OHP)

-------------------------------------------

It was a nice and relaxed not for time day. Push presses were in 3 sets, 2 sets, and 1 set. Ring Dips were in sets of 6 down to 3 in the first round. They they quickly became singles. They were so hard after push presses. Toes to bar were all in 2 sets. I broke up the last set of 9 because I could feel my hand tearing and stopped so it wouldn't. Accessories were fine.

Again, I can't really feel my back. It is so hard to judge what not to do when my back is not 100% fine, but I can't feel anything!!
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07-19-2021 , 05:39 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D172

Snatch S2 - A
Muscle Snatch: 4-4-4-4-4 (50-60% of 1RM Snatch)

32.5, 35, 35, 37.5, 37.5


Main - 11.1/14.1
10 minute AMRAP:
30 Double Unders
15 Power Snatches, 34 kg

4+5

Accessory 2
V-Ups: 80 reps (8x10)

-----------------------------------------------

My back feels fine enough to add back the extra snatch work. I stayed within the percentages and it felt pretty easy. I really worked on a longer first pull and keeping the bar close to me.

I did some "gardening" for the first time in my life and trimmed some trees to make space for double unders. It was a success! I wanted 5 rounds, which was 60th percentile, but I saw some of the scores posted of my online leaderboard rivals and knew that was a long shot. That's because of 2 reasons - it was ridiculously hot and snatches is my weakness so 60th percentile isn't realistic. I ended up at 46, which is fine for how hot it was. I didn't use chalk and the bar was slipping all over the place at the end. My round times were 1:49, 2:41, 2:42, and 2:38. With a slower start and better pacing, I could have gotten into the snatches in the 5th round. Double unders were unbroken until the 4th round, which was 15+15. They were the recovery. Snatches were 3x5 until the 4th round which was to pull until I absolutely had to set the bar down and was 3,3,4,3,2. Another workout where all movements jack your heartrate, and there is no place to hide. I tend to not do well in these.

V-ups were not easy with strict form and keeping my legs glued together.

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07-20-2021 , 08:57 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D173

Main - Nate
20 minute AMRAP:
2 Ring Muscle Ups
4 Handstand Push Ups
8 Kettlebell Swings, 32kg (American)

9+1 - 28kg KB

Accessory 1
Pull-up Bar Hang: Accumulate 3 minutes (5x36s)

Accessory 2
Turkish Getup: 10 reps (20kg, 5x2)

-------------------------------------------

Gahhhhhh, I really should have gone RX and used the 32kg KB. I've never done American swings with anything more than 24, so I thought 28 would be a decent step up and then I can do 32 next time. It was also so hot that I couldn't bear the thought of the 32 while warming up. I nearly went with 24, before I gave myself a talking to! Nate is one of the hero WODS which would be really cool to do RX, so there's something to look forward to. I suspect <10% could do it at our gym. But still doing it RX is 50th percentile on btwb! The true measure is somewhere between the two - my gym is probably not as good as the average gym, but btwb is way above average.

Anyway, I started out aiming for 10 rounds and wanted to go every 2 minutes. I went a bit quicker at the beginning. My round times were 1:03, 1:37, 2:04, 1:55, 2:11, 2:09, 2:09, 2:25 and 2:35. There was 1:47 remaining after 9 rounds and I did just the 1 muscle up!

Muscle ups were unbroken through 4-5 rounds, then singles. HSPU were all unbroken! So were the swings. The swings weren't too difficult and just got my HR up. I'm coming for you, 32. After round 6 or 7, the muscle ups just got really difficult. So the round times got longer due to me resting for those. When I saw I had 1:47 left to do the 10th round, I decided to go for it and attempt a muscle up before I woud have otherwise. Fail. I waited a while and did one. I then tried to do the 2nd just before the buzzer and failed. I didn't want to end on that, so I did one after and it felt smooth. I'm actually really happy with today and even with my muscle ups - there was just so much interference from the HSPU and swings that they became difficult.

Accessories were sweaty and k.

Linking my ring muscle ups needs a bit of work. I think I need to push away a bit more from the top to make it look smoother. The video is from round 4.

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07-21-2021 , 08:47 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D174

Snatch S2 - B,C
Power Snatch: 2-2-2-2-2-2 (60%+)
45, 47.5, 50, 52.5, 45, 45

Behind the Neck Snatch Grip Push Press: 5 rep max
65

Main
Back Squat: 2-2-2-2-2-2-2
80, 85, 90, 90, 90, 95, 95

Accessory 1
Pistols: 3x8 (alternating, per leg)

--------------------------------------

Since I can't really go too heavy with squats due to my back, I decided to do quite a bit of snatching. My coach said that my first pull is looking a lot better, but to stop bringing my body forward to meet the bar in the 2nd pull and to just extend vertically. I really tried, but the bar is still looping away. I forgot my alltime main cue of keep the bar close, so I'll do that next time. The set at 52.5 wasn't pretty. If I can fix my bar path, PRs will come. BTNSGPP was really awkward to lower the bar. I can definitely go heavier, but it just felt so bad for my neck that I stopped.

Squats were pain free. I did paused squats in the last few sets to make it harder. I also tried to get rid of my butt wink. I cut depth a bit (still below parallel) and tried to remember back to the bar on the way up. Pistols were fine.

I ran out of clean short socks to wear and I'm digging the look of long socks and shorts.

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07-23-2021 , 06:03 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D175

Main
Run - 6x400, 3' rest

8:43 (1:21, 1:26, 1:29, 1:29, 1:29, 1:29)

Quote:
30/03 - 9:11
Today - 8:43
Accessory 1
Side Plank: 2 minutes per side

Accessory 2
100 Double Unders for time: 1:08

Quote:
01/12/20 - 2:00
15/12/20 - 1:37
04/01/21 - 1:36
09/06/21 - 1:25
09/07/21 - 1:12
Today*** - 1:08
-------------------------------------------

I woke up yesterday with pretty bad back pain after sleeping on my stomach for an hour. It puts my back in an extended position, which hurts. If I sleep on my stomach, I need to put a pillow under my belly. It felt fine after I went on a walk and cycled again.

Today was at a track. It was HOT. I wanted to go out and do 1:28 across but obviously went out too fast. The last 2 rounds were a struggle to get under 1:30 in the heat, but I'm pleased I did it. This workout has gone from 62nd to 72nd percentile in 4 months. Pretty cool.

Double unders felt comfortable after 50, so I kept going. It started getting difficult at 70 and from 80 to 89 was pure flailing. I really wanted 100 unbroken, but not today. I then failed one starting again! And then finished off 11 ugly ones for a small PR. I will get 100 soon and can probably get it fresh.

I'm going to wake up at like 5am tomorrow to squeeze in some exercise, before a week away in Scotland!
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08-03-2021 , 04:54 AM
26/7 - Crossfit Linchpin - D176

Main - No Equipment
5 rounds for time of:
30 Air Squats
20 Hand Release Push-ups

11:55 - not for time
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08-03-2021 , 05:14 AM
2/8 - Crossfit Linchpin - D177

Main - The Chief
5x 3:00 AMRAP:
3 Power Cleans, 61kg
6 Push-ups
9 Air Squats
Resting 1 min between each AMRAP.

20 rounds (4+4+4+4+4), 50kg cleans

Accessory 1
Single Arm DB Row: 22.5x12x4 (per arm)

Accessory 2
DB Box Step Up: 40 reps (4x10, with 22.5s, onto 20 inch box)

--------------------------------------------------

I intended to do 3-4 no equipment workouts on holiday just to do something. I did one and then couldn't be bothered. My resting HR plummetted with the days off. In the past, when I have taken a complete week off for holidays, I have come back better for it. We went to Dunoon for 3 days and Isle of Skye for 5. Isle of Skye was just incredible and I'm already hatching up a plan to move there in a few years. I did a lot of hiking (nearly every day). The most was a 3 hour one in the morning and 2 hours in the evening with a fair bit of climbing. I wanted to do more, but the other half was having none of it. So it was still fairly active. I wanted to eat pretty clean, but Scotland had the WOAT food and food choices. Still, A+ holiday.

I wanted to do the Chief RX, but thought it would be better to ease into things. It was still really, really hard. Max HR for the 5 rounds were 181, 187, 191, 194, and 196!!! Power cleans were touch n go because I can't drop it at home. Pushups were broken only in the last round of the 4th AMRAP and the last 2 rounds of the 5th AMRAP. That was only because my HR was so high and I knew I could get the 4 rounds in.

AMRAP 1 was fine, but I knew this would get hard. AMRAP 2 was pretty tough, and I knew I had at least 1 more in me getting 4 rounds. AMRAP 3 was where I nearly decided to do only 3 rounds in the final 2 AMRAPS. But then the recommended rounds was 20, and I was on pace for it and it was such a round number, that I couldn't stop now. I did the first round in AMRAP 4 in 40 seconds and then just toughed it out. That final AMRAP was so, so, hard. 196 is my max recorded HR since I started working out at home. What a fine way to get back into things.

I was catching up on logs and loco said something about my back problems being down to a weak core. I am pretty sure my back issue is down to some imbalance between my left and right sides. Everytime I snatch (all video evidence in this log), my left foot goes back and my right foot goes forward. If I squat without thinking, the weight goes on my left foot. This happens in every single movement. One thing crossfit is great at is exposing weaknesses - my core strength is not one. Obviously having a stronger core would help my back, but I don't think that's the weak link here. If I had to put %s on it, I would say my back issues are down to 80% my left/right imbalance, 18% weak glutes, 2% weak core. Luckily, we have the Mcgill dude to give results in 2 weeks.
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08-03-2021 , 05:24 AM


Spoiler:


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08-03-2021 , 08:30 AM
Nice dog pics.


I think its your core because you do core exercises for old fat farts. Sillyness like unweighted planks and crap like bird dogs.

I mean, how many consecutive bird dogs can i do? Maybe 1000? How long can i hold a plank? I dont know but the world record is by an old fart and its like 8 hours.

Why would you do any of that crap? My man athleanx has good core exercises, for real athletes. Not sedentary, bad back fatties.
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08-03-2021 , 09:26 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D178

Main
For time (or not):
3 rounds:
L-Sit, 45 secs
Run, 1 mi

31:52 - not for time, closer to 1.7km each round

Accessory 1
Double Unders: 200 reps (4x50, no trips!)

Accessory 2
Farmers Carry: 3x80m with 22.5s (1:15 rest)

----------------------------------------

Pretty decent day. 64th percentile while running semi-casually and running a little longer distance. My round times were 10:27, 11:09, and 10:15. I took a wrong turn in the 2nd round and that made it longer. The L-Sits were all unbroken. Double unders were great - I think it's the first time I've done 4x50 with no trips. I reduced my rest time with farmers carries from 1:30 to 1:15. My body feels rested and I'm raring to go. I am not going to make the mistake of skipping deloads.

loco, yes I do planks (I gave up on bird dogs because I felt they were useless), but also L-sits, V-ups, landmine twists, windshield wipers, toes to bar, etc etc. Perhaps it's not optimal but I'm liking not having to think about programming. Let's see what the guy says in 2 weeks.
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08-04-2021 , 06:21 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D179

Main
18-16-14-12 reps of:
Dumbbell Push Press, 2x22.5kg
Chest-to-bar Pull-up
Assault Bike Calorie

17:17 - 20kg DBs because no 22.5s in my lane at the gym

Accessory 1
Turkish Getup: 10 reps at 20kg

Accessory 2
Assault Bike: 2x1 min, 2 min rest
22, 22 calories

---------------------------------------------

Excellent day. This usually would have been one of the worst workouts for me except for snatching - classic crossfit with everything spiking your HR and the assault bike. It ended up being 62nd percentile, let's call it 58 for the slightly lighter dumbbells. I didn't go allout though. Average HR 176, max 189. The true max was 184, I hit 189 only during the final 12 cal sprint. Round times were 5:02, 4:45, 4:36, and 2:52.

I went in wanting to work on my kipping with chest to bars and nearly scaled the reps down. The recommended finishing time was 16:45, so not scaling was the right decision. Push presses were all in 2 sets, except the last set was unbroken. They were easy. Chest to bars were in sets of 3 or 4 in the first 2 rounds. They then became 1 set of 3 or 4 and then lots of singles. There is work to be done. The bike was the recovery. This entire workout was about chest to bars for me. 60 is probably the most I have done in a day. If I can become more efficient in them, my time in workouts with them will plummet.

The little bike interval piece at the end was promising. I did a 5x1 min, 5 min off maybe 2 years ago and averaged 21 calories. That was fresh. Today was after a metcon and with a lot less rest between intervals.

I picked the worst week to go on holiday. There is so much olympics and crossfit games to catch up on!

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08-06-2021 , 08:22 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D180

Snatch - S3
Snatch Pull + 2 Snatch: 1-1-1 (60-70%)
40, 42.5, 45

2 Snatch Pull + 1 Snatch: 1 rep max (while maintaining good technique)
47.5, 50f, tear hair out, 45, 45, 45, 47.5, 50, 50, 52.5, 55, 57.5f, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50 (from memory, probably a few more sets)

Snatch Lift-Off: 5x3 (100%)
65, 65, 65, 65, 65

Accessory 1
Bulgarian Split Squat: 10sx12x3 (per leg)

----------------------------------------------

What a rollercoaster. Today's main part was 7x1 overhead squats. I skipped it after 100 minutes of snatching. I had a phone call with my coach before leaving on holiday and he told me to keep my arms straighter (should have listed to cockboat) and keep the bar closer while extending. I tried doing it, but as usual didn't, and when I failed the snatch at 50, I felt defeated. I muscle snatched 50 for lols to show myself how bad my technique is. Fail a snatch at 50, but can muscle snatch it! WTF. I sat down and nearly contemplated going full WL and ditching Linchpin. I then decided to do 1 more set where I HAD to keep my arms straight. Voila. Who knew forcing myself to do it would make it better. I then built back up and hit 50, then 55, and failed 57.5. But my snatches felt so good now! I was actually dropping under and not yanking it with my arms.

I then wanted to do OHS, but when I looked at the video, I realized I was keeping my arms straight for the pulls and then bending them slightly (but better than before) for snatches. I dropped down to 50 and forced myself to keep my arms straight for snatches. They felt so good! Maybe for the first time in my life. I then saw that my hand had ripped and there was blood everywhere, so I ditched the OHS 7x1 and did the lift offs and BSS. This was such a good session, job done. I now think I need to ingrain this for a while and then the heavier weights will come. I'm only attaching the best video, which was the last set.

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08-06-2021 , 09:38 AM
good work
Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Quote
08-06-2021 , 11:00 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by xukxuk
good work
Thanks xuk! Can you actually tell that something is different?
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08-07-2021 , 06:56 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D181

Main
2 rounds for time of:
20 Deadlifts, 84 kg
15 Bar Facing Burpees
10 Ring Muscle-ups

12:36 - 85kg DLs and 8 muscle ups per round

Accessory 1
L-Sit: 2 minutes (30,30,20,20,20)

Accessory 2
Banded March: 5 minutes (3,2)

----------------------------------------

TIL my ring muscle up capacity is a bit lower than bar muscle up capacity. I went in wanting to do it RX, but put a 5 minute cap on round 1, since the recommended finishing time was 9 minutes. It was meant to be a sprint. I was fine with losing the stimulus a little (less sprinty, more resting to do muscle ups) in order to work on my muscle ups. Round 1 was 5:09, round 2 was 7:26.

DLs were 10+10, then 7+7+6. Muscle ups were 2, then singles in the first round and all singles in the second round. I didn't fail a rep.

When I finished, I wasn't thrilled with my muscle ups and did a max set and got 4. That ties my PR, but this was when I was tired and my arms were gone. I would estimate my maxes to be 8 for rings and 12 for bar.

We had a new coach and he seemed great. He gave me some advice on burpees (!!) which made sense and told me to keep everything tight during muscle ups like how you brace for squats. There was some other stuffas well and I'm excited to implement it.

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08-09-2021 , 08:13 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D182

Snatch S4 - A
Eccentric Snatch: 3-3-3-3-3 (50-60%)
35, 37.5, 37.5, 37.5, 40

Main
4 rounds for time of:
15 Row Calories
12 Knees-to-elbows
9 Clean & Jerks, 52.5 kg

16:56 - Pull up bar fell off after the first round. So R1 - 12 strict K2E, R2-4 - 15 V-ups

Accessory 1
Landmine Twist: 30x12x3

--------------------------------------------------

It's been a long road, but I think I'm finally learning how to snatch properly. That second snatch in the video below might my best ever one. It is still slow, but look how high the bar gets before extending and how straight my arms are! It just feels so good. I need to keep drilling and drilling this until it becomes second nature. I then need to add back the explosiveness. And then maybe I can finally hit that bodyweight snatch. I am optimistic. I'm on a mission to clean up my form everywhere so that I can perform better and get injured less. Everything from muscle ups, to deadlifts, to toes to bar. I just need to become more efficient. I am excited for the journey.

The metcon itself was fine. The row was recovery. Luckily, I didn't fall when my pull-up bar fell off. I made a quick decision to switch to V-ups and that seemed to maintain the stimulus of the workout. Clean and jerks were very promising. I didn't have to rest between reps at all. It was really annoying having to drop it onto a crash pad, then roll it back and go again. I lost a lot of time doing that. I said **** it in the last round and did a set of 5. My round times were 4:09, 4:35, 4:27, and 3:43. It would be so much quicker if I could drop the bar! Average HR 167, max 187.

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08-10-2021 , 07:55 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D183

Main
Run - 10x100m, rest 2:30

2:49.7 - (17.2, 18.3, 16.8, 17.2, 16.5, 16.2, 17.1, 17.2, 15.8, 17.4)

Quote:
07/05 - 2:56.3 - (18.8, 17.2, 18.2, 18.4, 17.0, 17.0, 17.1, 17.0, 17.8, 17.8)
Today - 2:49.7 - (17.2, 18.3, 16.8, 17.2, 16.5, 16.2, 17.1, 17.2, 15.8, 17.4)
Accessory 1
Farmers Carry: 3x100m with 22.5s (1:30r)

-----------------------------------------------

Pretty cool day, more measurable gains. I'm slowly getting better at everything and where it really is showing is in classic crossfit workouts. There was this girl doing really fast 400s. In the 9th interval, she started just the perfect distance ahead of me where it was a race for me to finish ahead of her. Obviously that was my fastest interval by quite a bit.

3x100 is the most I have done with farmers carries and with very little rest. I had started out doing 3x60 with 3-4 minutes rest. I have been debating buying another 32kg KB for this, but it seems quite unnecessary.
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08-11-2021 , 07:11 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D184

Main
6-9-12-9-6 reps for time (or not):
Lateral Burpee Over Bar
Front Squat, 84kg (or 60-65% of front squat)
Chest-to-bar Pull-up

24:38 - not for time, 75kg front squats from the floor

Accessory 1
Pistols: 4x5 (alternating, in normal shoes)

Accessory 2
Box Jumps: 25 reps (30 inches, too easy)

30 minutes 1 on 1 with a coach
Kipping practice

------------------------------------------------------------

I've had a really tiny pinch in my left bicep for the last few months that went away just before my holiday. A few days ago when I did muscle ups, I was stupid and did a max set after the metcon. I then failed the 5th rep and decided I couldn't end on a fail. I then failed one, then did a really hard one. The pinch has come back and it's slightly worse than before. I need to manage it and be careful with what I do and my volume. It always goes away after warming up, so I need to be even more mindful of it.

It was a really good day otherwise. I took very long breaks in the metcon because I wanted to do large sets of front squats and work on my chest to bars form and do bigger sets. Front squats were unbroken, except for the set of 12 which was 7-5. Cleaning the weight 6 times increased the difficulty of this workout. Chest to bars were in sets of 6, 5-4, 4-4-4, 5-4, 6. That last set of 6 is where it finally clicked. I pushed away immediately as my chest touched the bar and it FINALLY felt like I could keep my rhythm and do them forever. I need to stop being the weird guy who can do more muscle ups than chest to bars.

Pistols were fine. I had only 2 minutes left for box jumps, so just did 30 inches and it was too easy. It's supposed to be challenging reps, but not close to failing. I think 34-36 will be a decent height.

We get a 1 on 1 session every 3 months and I used it to work on my kipping. I told my coach I just wanted my kipping to be efficient and to look pretty. It was a great session. He made me really feel the hollow and arch positions on the floor. We drilled it a few times on the bar. Then linked them together. Then did them faster. Then with a slight hip pop. And then finally with pull-ups. My main mistake was not keeping my legs straight and pointing my toes and also not being tight enough in the hollow and arch positions and being too flimsy. It looks so much better now! The road to cleaning up my form everywhere continues.

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08-13-2021 , 08:00 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D185

Snatch S4 - B
Snatch: 3-3-3-3-3 (65%+)

45, 45, 45, 47.5, 45

Main
35 minute EMOM, alternating between:
1 - Max Row Calories, 40 seconds
2 - L-Sit, 20 seconds
3 - Max Broad Jumps, 30 seconds
4 - Plank, 30 seconds
5 - Rest

200 - Row calories (15,18,17,17,17,17,17), Broad Jumps 5 feet (11,11,11,12,12,12,13)

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I went into today thinking about 3 simple things with snatching - don't bend arms, keep the bar close, drop under. The warm up sets were good. Then the working sets were worse. I "kind of" thought about it and didn't focus on it 100%. After the 5th set at 47.5, I did an extra set. I still wasn't happy and did an extra single really focussing on those thoughts. That last rep was so much better (video below). I guess the lesson here is to completely commit to my cues. My bicep tendonitis is starting to make signs of resurfacing (0.5/10 pain), so I have to manage that. I am starting to get excited to see how much I can snatch in a few months.

The EMOM was easy at first and quickly became difficult. It was basically 2:30 on, 2:30 off since planks were too easy. Still, the row and broad jumps were hard obviously since they were for max reps. L-sits were difficult under fatigue. Average HR 154, max 182. Average row pace was 1:38.0. I enjoyed the EMOM.

My gym is selling used assault bikes that have been recently serviced for £450. I would snap buy it if there was a little more space in my gym. It is so bulky and would be a pain to move in and out of the way. I'm biking enough anyway to and from work so perhaps I shall pass.

Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Quote
08-14-2021 , 07:31 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D186

Main
Clean and Jerk: 4-4-4-4-4

65, 65, 65, 65, 60 (last 2 sets power cleans because of bicep tendonitis)

Accessory 1a
DB Front Rack Walking Lunge: 22.5sx16x3 (16 total steps)

Accessory 2
Overhead Carry: 22.5sx30m, 40m, 40m

Accessory 1b
Banded March: 5 minutes (unbroken)

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That was a total fail. I knew my bicep tendonitis would be an issue today, but went ahead and tried to lift heavyish anyway. Cleans are the worst movement for it. I gutted out 3 sets, then switched to power cleans which don't hurt as much. It hurts only when I receive the bar. This is not how training is meant to feel, and I'm not sure if I accomplished anything. I need these reminders every now and then. It looks like all the extra snatching doesn't agree with me. I need to find a good middle ground where it is sustainable. Probably 2 sessions of 15 minutes of extra snatching a week and not 1 hour of snatching and trying to fix my form.

Anyway, the cleans felt good. I need to really focus on keeping the bar close. Some of my jerks were forward. IDK why.

The accessories were really good. I improved on all of them. I started out doing 30m for overhead carries with 15s. Now even the 40m with 22.5s seemed easy enough.

Football starts again! Sancho, Rashford, Greendwood, Pogba, Fernandes, Cavani

Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Quote
08-14-2021 , 07:42 AM
Ignore the Chelsea shirt I'm wearing. I asked for a blue jersey as a present when I was a fat kid and have been wearing it to sleep/exercise in since.
Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Quote
08-17-2021 , 07:57 AM
Crossfit Linchpin - D187

Main - Limited Equipment
For time (or not)
Run, 1000 m
20 Strict Handstand Push-ups
20 Strict Pull-ups
Run, 800 m
16 Strict Handstand Push-ups
16 Strict Pull-ups
Run, 600 m
12 Strict Handstand Push-ups
12 Strict Pull-ups
Run, 400 m
8 Strict Handstand Push-ups
8 Strict Pull-ups
Run, 200 m
4 Strict Handstand Push-ups
4 Strict Pull-ups

37:45 - not for time, but I think it was pretty close to for time

Accessory 1
OHP: 40x12x2, 40x10, RPE - 8,10,8

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My bicep tendonitis was really bad on Sunday while "gardening", so I took an extra day off. I'm pretty proud of that actually because I never do it. It seems to have worked because today's upper body bro sess was pain free. I'm a day behind, but I'll skip a day next week to get back on track.

I spent 20 minutes measuring (with number of steps) a 200m out and back and a 400m out and back. And then off we went. I pushed the runs a little because there was so much standing around in the rest. HSPU were 5x4 | 3x4,2x2 | 2x4,2x2 | 5,1,1,1| 4. Pull-ups were all in sets 4 with a couple of 5s and 6s at the end. My round times were 12:58, 10:29, 7:16, 4:47, and 2:11. So it was all pretty consistent and my breaks were similar. I had a nice little pump at the end after 60 strict HSPUs and pull-ups. 67th percentile. I think this would be closer to 90th percentile among all regular crossfitters because of the HSPU.

I did the OHP after 20 minutes and underestimated how fried my shoulders were. I should have done 35x12x3 with short rests instead of grinding out what I did with like 5 minutes rest.

Tomorrow is my back assessment with the McGill dude. Oh, and deadlifts!
Road to the 2027 Crossfit Games Quote

      
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