Sunday, March 27, 2011

CF Games Open 2011 WOD #1

After we decided just to use the WOD #1 from the CF Games Open as a challenge, I thought of how marvelous this wod with over 22,000 other athlete's is going to be. My hat goes off to HQ for this opener! Like Brian mentioned, this isn't all that simple. In my opinion it is a very clever wod to fool the masses.

Why? Just look at it.
A 10min amrap of: 30 double unders followed by 15 power snatches using 35kg. May I just say, Sneaky!

Staying extremely focused is the key here. In the beginning, you have to stay relaxed during the double unders while keeping the glutes and abs tight. If not, your shoulders are going to get tight fast. Think efficiency here. Power snatches with 35kg for seasoned CrossFitters are simple enough. Yet combined with the du's and the amrap, this is one tiring wod for the hip flexors, calves and arms.

I did this wod twice. The first time I only had 5 rounds. Depressing. I couldn't believe it. In the first 2,5min the 3rd round was almost finished. What happened with the rest of the time? Did I burn myself out trying to go fast? Who knows??? So being the sport I am , I didn't argue.(;-P) Just had to suck it up and get on with life.

The second time, I followed the same recipe. We just made sure there was a visible chalk line drawn each round to know where I was at. This time turned out to be better. 6rds+30du+1snatch. Am I happy? NO. There is always going to be the desire to do better.

The competition is going to be tough. A whole lot of great athlete's out there. But isn't that how we get better at something?
Enjoy the Games!

Monday, March 21, 2011

CrossFit Games Open 11.1...Take One

What perfect timing. I couldn't think of a better challenge for this week other than the CrossFit Games Open 11.1. A 10-minute AMRAP. Simple, right? Yeah...not quite. This little bugger-of-a-workout mixed in the need to maintain acute focus while testing one's "gut" throughout the entire 10 minutes.

As of this blog post, I am sitting 228th out of 847 for my region. Needless to say, I am not completely satisfied with my current standing. Because of the deadline extension, I will be reattempting this on Friday. This time around, instead of getting it done at a registered affiliate, I will be accomplishing it in my very own garage gym. Kari will be judging and video taping, and Riddic will be there to cheer me on. I couldn't think of any better way to get it done! My intention with going to an affiliate to compete was to be surrounded by the "competitive atmosphere"--however, I should have known that after 3-2-1...Go, everything around me became a blur, and I went deep down into my own little world. This last time (as most are) was a little world of pain. And you're going to do it again, you ask? Absolutely.

Congrats to Rob and every other CrossFitter out there who finished the first of six CrossFit Open WODs.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Brob's #24

Post-WOD bath from Riddic
Half a year: that is how long Rob and I have been doing this challenge. I am fortunate to have such a loyal and true friend. So, I'd first like to say "thank you" Rob for keeping this challenge alive and keeping me honest. Now, on to Brob's #24.

It hasn't really been that long since I left Germany. However, I suppose it has been long enough to forget how the number "1" is written over there in Europe. Long story short: I thought the WOD called for 70 squat snatches and 70 overhead squats at 135lbs. After thinking that, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be a "just gotta finish it, I don't care what my time is" kind of WOD. Luckily enough, Rob and the boys completed the challenge before me--I had the opportunity to read the blog first. Oh...it was 10 reps, not 70...duh!

This challenge definitely targeted some movements I have not done in quite some time. If you watch the video, you'll know what I mean (um...like having to bail out on the first snatch!). My goal, as with most CrossFit WODs, was to just keep moving. The barbell movements were all accomplished at 135lbs--light enough to move relatively quickly, but heavy enough to become burdensome.

The heaviest kettlebell that I own is only 45lbs, so I decided to scale up the reps to 35 instead of 20. I hope this proved to be similar to 20 reps at 32kg.

My time: 12:02


Sunday, March 13, 2011

Brob's #24



Brob's #24 was a wonderful test for my weaknesses. It consisted of:

30 pistols
20 full kettlebell swings @32kg
10 squat snatches @ 135#
30 pistols (again)
20 handstand push ups
10 sumo deadlift high pulls with @ 135#
30 pistols (while it's just so much fun!)
20 toes 2 bar
10 overhead squats @ 135#

For Time.

If you have never done one legged squats (Pistols), they require a litlle practice. Back in September, I couldn't even really do them. As life would have it, they showed up at the "Fit As Fu*k" Challenge as part of the skills needed to be completed in wod 1. How terrible I was at them! I can only say this, it just took a little effort a few minutes here and there and they were off my check list!

The statement: "practice makes perfect", reall become a reality here.

Today's concoction
was mixed by one of our house matador's. Stephan Dallheimer aka Bou.

He hit the spot with this one. There is nothing like trying to do squat snatches and ohs after you have done a bunch of pistols.

Thanks Bou!

Thanks to Jürgen Mändlein, Shorty and Kiwi for being with me on this one! They helped and motivated each other to get through this today!

Our times:
Kiwi. 15:50 -mod pistols
Shorty (Johannes Knöchel) 16:01 -mod pistols / used 115# for the bar.
Jürgen :17:36. pushed himself amazingly well. mod pistols and 95# for the bar.
rob. 16:30min. rx'd

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Brob's #23

Today was an excellent day for the Painstorm! Sun was out and the temperature was perfect for getting a sweat on! I am really happy that Brian and I are pushing through with our challenge. The spice of life! I will admit, it seriously made me cringe when I saw how many muscle ups were on the table. That is something to chew on for me! It's like the lotto. Either I am doing them well or they are kicking my butt. Needless to say, I am working on my weaknesses! ;-P

As Brian mentioned, the A-Blog and all other CrossFit sites out there are a great source of motivation for me as well. I will not go anywhere without having a cup of coffee and the chance to check out CrossFit.com and several other favorite sites.

So the Painstorm:

15-12-9
Muscle Ups and HSPU
1000m run (we don't have a rower)
fib
21-15-9
Toes 2 Bar and Ring Dips
1000m run
fib
30-20-10
Pull Ups and Push Ups
1000m run

Heads up to Juergen Mändlein. He didn't give up and did every one of the mu's! Bou really did well again today! Nice effort Buddy! Fortunately our hands held up to the challenge!

This body weight mayhem as Brian decribed it, really took us to our limits and capabilities. I was a little afraid of loosing the intensity because of the mu portion. Thank goodness that didn't happen! After the first 1000m run the rest of the wod put me where I wanted to be. On the edge!

Stefan (Bou's) time: 35:24min Great effort in pushing us!
Juergen M: 52:30
rob: 50:55. The mu part took me almost 22min. That was disgusting!

Brob's #23

The Painstorm. Who out there can honestly tell me that they actually look forward to the Painstorm. I mean, come on, just the name is enough to cause you to turn your back, slink away, and hang your head in defeat. But that is just not what we do as CrossFitters, is it? No, of course not. Whether we look forward the WOD or not, we always welcome the challenge--that is just how we're programmed. The March 2011 Painstorm was no different.

I check out the A-Blog daily; it is just part of my routine. Akin to the necessity of guzzling down your daily cup of Joe, the A-Blog provides me with the everlasting support of the CrossFit Community. Great posts, great pics, and great words of wisdom and inspiration grace the pages of the A-Blog everyday. And, of course, the first day of each month, the A-Blog brings the Painstorm--this month via CrossFit Northeast England.

It was body weight mayhem! Muscle-ups, handstand push-ups, toes-to-bar, ring dips, pull-ups, and push-ups galore! Add a few 1000m rows in there and you've got one, tough challenge. My hands were borderline ripping throughout the entire WOD; fortunately enough, I was able to get away with just a blood blister on my right hand and some toughened-up callouses to boot.
My time: 33:26 as Rx'd
Kari's time: 50:57 (2 Ab-mats, mu/ring dip assist, 800m run)

Here's a short video clip of Kari and I trudging through the Painstorm. You'll notice that it says "Brob's #22" in the beginning; that was a mistake...it was actually the 23rd challenge. Also, my video camera's battery crapped out about halfway through, so I was unable to get clips for the entire WOD.