5x5 Progress

Skill
Back Squat
5x5x168#

Up 5# from 2/1/10.
I am still kind of amazed by all of this. The last 5x5, 8 days ago, was pretty hard, as in the 4th and 5th rep of every set was a struggle and I desperately needed the rest between sets. I knew the 5x5 was coming today, and I was fairly confident that adding 5 lbs. to last week's set would crush me. There was no way that I could do more for 25 lifts so soon. But it worked! I almost can't believe it! It was also perfect that Vero was in class tonight so we could partner up on the squats. It is so fun to have a back squat partner. :)

WOD
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
KBS 35#
Push Ups
Box Jumps
Time: 11:35

I knew that the agony of the 18 and 15 rounds seemed very, very familiar...compare to 11/10/09 with a time of 12:32. I am going to pretend that I actually finished the last box jump 3 seconds before Kyle recorded the time, thus giving me a 1 minute improvement on this wod.

OHS PR!

Skill
Overhead Squat
33x5, 53x3, 63x2, 73x2, 83x1, 88x1, 93x1, 98(f)

PR of 10# (from 12/09) Whoo-hoo! Fun to get a PR on a lift that I struggled with for so long. I didn't get quite deep enough on the 98#. By the time I tried it again, I was just getting too worn out and after a 2nd failed attempt, I wasn't up for it again.

WOD
From CF Football
4 rounds
1 full gasser
5 Hang Power Cleans 83#
Rest 1 minute after each round
Time: 8:54

So, when I was getting ready for this workout, I had these great plans to go heavy. I was going to be the full-on heavy lifter. But I chickened out. Once I really thought about doing the cleans without dropping the bar, I didn't want to bring the bar down with anything over the 83#. Then I really thought about the fact that I had to do the cleans after the sprints. Not my thing.

So in the end, the PCs were not hard, but what was hard was controlling my breathing. It was just take a big breath, work really hard to hold it even though every fiber of my being wanted to keep taking deep breaths, lift, and repeat five times. Good times at CFWSC yet again!

Pull Ups and More Pull Ups

Skill
Deadlift
135x3, 185x3, 215x3, 245x3, 255x3

WOD
AMRAP in 2 minutes
Max Box Jumps 16"-35
Then 5 rounds
5 Jerks 83#
10 Pull Ups (blue band)
Time: 8:28

The jerks were pretty easy, and I probably could have gone up, but my shoulders are just tired... :) The pull ups are still horribly hard. After 3 rounds, part of me wanted to just move to jumping pull ups, but the other part didn't want to give up. The give up part was winning...but Joc changed the box so I could use it to get a little push with my toe. So then the keep going part of me was able to finish the wod with the banded pull ups, even though I needed that little push to finish.

Can't Breath, day 2

Skill
Front Squat
4x3x123#

Since this was the last 1RM I have recorded, clearly not my 1RM anymore!

WOD-Partner WOD (with my sis, Anna)
Part 1
20 rounds
5 ball slams 25#
sprint to the end of the box and back
(10 rounds each person)

Part 2
4 rounds
1 min row
1 min rest
Goal-260m each row
Me: 270, 260, 250, 260

Lest you think my pulls are that spot on, I rounded the numbers down since I have no number memory skills.

Another tough one...very good, but exhausting, very exhausting.

Can't Breath

Skill

Heaving Snatch Balance
33x2, 33x2, 33x2, 43x2, 53x2

Snatch
33x2, 33x2, 43x2, 43x2

No shoulder pain at all tonight! I also moved to a slightly narrower grip on the bar. What?!?Leah, the one who needs to hold the bar all the way at the collars to even hope to get the bar overhead due to those inflexible shoulders, is now narrowing the grip?!?

WOD
3 rounds
1 minute ball slams 25#
1 minute cal. row
1 minute broad jumps
1 minute rest

I made sure I had 26 ball slams each round. Kyle yelled at me to keep the rower above 900...whatever that means. I did the broad jumps. I actually got to the edge of the mat on the jumps, but could not jump over the edge, not even once.

By round 3, I really wanted to quit early on every station, but this was a fun change-move lots, have trouble breathing, but don't think about any olympic lifts. I didn't really have to even count anything, but I now count all the time. I was never one of those people who counted stairs, but now...it is getting a bit neurotic.

Will you look at that!?! Breathing matters!

Skill
Strict Press
5x5x78#

(previous 5x5x68 on 11/12/09)

Learning by experience, after being told the same thing over and over again... The fifth lift of each set was hard, but it was incredibly hard when I destabilized. There is evidently something to this whole idea of taking big breaths and holding it through the lift. Imagine that! The very last lift was hideous, rather lopsided for awhile, and looooong, but I finished it.


WOD
10 Thrusters 83#
10 burpees
Time: 10:42


Agh! This was hard. No doubt about it. I was super hesitant to use 83# for this one, but Kyle was sure I could, even if I had to break the lifts into singles. I think I had 2 or 3 singles in there. I also strongly dislike burpees, but things are improving as I was able to cycle through them at a more consistent pace. Thanks go to Kyle for urging me to accomplish what I didn't think I could.


Some days you just need a super quick meal:
TJ's chicken Italian sausage, asparagus, tomatoes, sauteed with Costco's no salt seasoning and kosher salt :) (I figure that if I control the salt, it will be less than in a salt seasoning mix!)

The 5x5 Back Squat

Skill
Back Squat 5x5
163#

My last BS 5x5 was 153, I think...
This was my first 5x5 since I realized that I have to have a clear linear progression on the BS if I am going to beat Sam in the Paleo Challenge. I'm going to have to figure out how I can do this once a week. I knew it would be hard, but it was nice and hard on the last couple of reps of round 4 and 5...nice and hard...

WOD
3 Rounds
8 Box Jumps 16″
6 Push Jerk 83#
5 Pullups Blue Band
3 Kettlebell Swings
Repeat the 3 (micro) rounds 3 times (3 macro rounds) with 2 minutes rest between each of the 3 macro rounds.
Time: 19:26