I forgot to blog yesterday. My bad. I did indeed work out yesterday after coaching the 11:45 session.

Strength
Bench press
EMOTM for 5 10 minutes
5 reps @ 55 – 65% of 1RM

As the weights were relatively light, I didn’t need a spotter. I completed 5 rounds @ 120 (65% of 1RM), 2 @ 125, 2 @ 130, and 1 @ 135 (73% of 1RM). That’s 50 reps. Good thing I wasn’t going to be doing any dead-hang pull-ups.

Conditioning
4 dead-hang pull-ups & KB sumo dead-lift high pulls 
Run 200m
8 pull-ups & SDHPs
Run 400m
16 pull-ups & SDHPs
Run 800m
8 pull-ups & SDHPs
Run 400m
4 pull-ups & SDHPs
Run 200m

I used the 70# KB, i.e., half of my bodyweight. I completed all rounds of KB SDHPs unbroken, and the first 2 rounds of 4 & 8 pull-ups unbroken. I completed the rounds of 16 in reps of no more than 4 (out of the gate) and the last 6 or so as singles. My arms were dead. I completed the last rounds of 8 in reps of 3, 2, 2, & 1 and 4 in reps of 3 & 1.

Running was a welcome relief. I heart running.

Time = 14:10. That’s 1.25 mile and 48 dead-hang pulls and KB SDHPs.

There were but 3, in addition to yours truly, in attendance at the 8:30 session this morning, so Jeff was kind enough to lead the workout and cool down.

EMOTM for 10 minutes
Snatch grip dead-lifts & hand release pushups, alternating activities each minute

Rest 2 minutes

EMOTM for 10 minutes
Hang power snatches & slam balls, alternating activities each minute

Rest 2 minutes

EMOTM for 10 minutes
Overhead squats & burpees, alternating activities each minute

The prescribed weights for males 100 to 150# were 185 for dead-lifts and 85 for HPS and OHS. That shit got heavy very, very fast.

Those of you who know me well know that I am very good at pacing myself, and today was no exception. Those of you who know me well also know just how awesome I am, and again — today was no exception.

Totals:
Snatch grip dead-lifts | 10, 10, 10, 11, & 10 = 51
Hand release pushups | 25, 25, 25, 25, & 26 = 126
Hang power snatches | 9, 7, 6, 5, & 5 = 32
Slam balls (30#) | 20, 20, 20, 20, & 22 = 102
OHS | 5, 5, 7, 7, & 8 = 32
Burpees | 14, 15, 16, 17, & 17 = 78

A few things to note:

• I set 10 as my goal for snatch grip dead-lifts, but was able to complete an additional rep the 4th rounds. I usually had 10 or so seconds remaining in the minute, but chose to rest.
• I was bound and determined to complete 25 HRPUs a round.
• I hit my head on the first power snatch and said, “That’s not a good way to start.” Hang power snatches are much more difficult than power snatches.
• I completed slam balls in sets of 10 reps. Thirty pounds felt very heavy today.
• I was determined (but not bound) to complete the same number of overhead squats as snatches, and I really had to focus to do so. My mistake the first round was power cleaning and then jerking the bar overhead. I wasted much energy doing so. I made sure to power snatch the bar for the remainder of the rounds, and my reps increased.
• I grunted loudly throughout. Once again, I offer no apologies.
• I completed unbroken burpees each round.

…of dead-lifting. Thus, I was happy that today’s WOD at CrossFit Coastal included dead-lifts! First, thanks to Zeke for allowing us to attend! Unannounced, I might add. You must visit CFS, Zeke. I mean it. You know you want to.

We worked out at 10:30 am with our very good friend, Kelly, and her daughter Ameron. Kelly is a coach at CFC, and led the Tabata warmup that consisted of 4 rounds (2 minutes) or jumping jacks, air squats, plank hold (I held for the 2 minutes), and mountain climbers. We then prepared for the workout. Kelly, sadly, did not lead [insert frown face here], but instead partnered with Ameron.

The box was mighty cold, and my toes remained numb during the entire workout. That made box jumps particularly challenging.

EMOTM for 5 minutes
12 KB swings

I faced Jeff and he & I both used a 52# kettle bell. We also snatched and then pressed said kettle bell. We immediately began the rest of the workout, although as it usually took both of us about 20 seconds to complete KB swings we did get to rest 40 seconds before beginning the next part of the workout.

28-min AMRAP
5 dead-lifts (255#)
13 hand release pushups
9 box jumps, 24″

Uhm, this was somewhat of a partner WOD. Uhm, this wasn’t really a partner WOD. I began working first, and as soon as I was finished with dead-lifts Jeff began. I then completed HRPUs and box jumps. The only rule was that we couldn’t pass each other, i.e., I couldn’t complete an activity until Jeff had done so.

Poor Jeff. I quickly caught up with him, and got to rest quite frequently. He, however, didn’t get any rest. My goal was to complete all rounds of activities unbroken, but failed to do so in that I didn’t extend at the top of one of the earlier box jumps. I did, however, rebound from the floor for all box jumps. I also completed all rounds of HRPUs unbroken (and rather fast). Completing 5 dead-lifts presented little challenge (and I kinda sorta wished we had dead-lifted 275#).

I completed 15 rounds + 3 dead-lifts while Jeff completed 13 rounds + 5 dead-lifts, i.e., he stopped working when he had completed 5th dead-lift at the start of his 14th round. See how that works? I’m good at math.

Total reps:
80 dead-lifts
195 HRPUs
135 box jumps

And I hardly felt winded. True story. I even felt somewhat guilty for consuming so much during Thanksgiving lunch. That was 2 and a half hours ago, and I’m already hungry.

Brussels sprouts!

I arrived at the box ready to coach. Coach Chris asked, “Did you get a picture of yesterday’s WOD? Is it okay to erase?” I said, “Yes, I posted on Facebook.” I thought, “Why is Chris asking?” He then asked, “What’s a good warm up for today?” I thought, “He’ll see the warm up in a moment. Why is he asking?” I nonetheless answered his question.

Uhm, yeah, so Chris was acting like the coach because he was coaching the 6am session. Ha! We had discussed this and I agreed to cover the 4pm session for him. I don’t have the best memory.

I wasn’t, however, prepared to work out at 6am as I was certainly feeling yesterday’s 4 workouts. When in Rome…

“Unbroken”
Complete UP to 11 rounds of UNBROKEN reps:
11 weighted air squats (45/33#)
10 wall ball shots (20/14# & 10′/9′ target)
9 pushups
8 box jumps (24/20″)
7 KB swings (52/35#)
6 pull-ups

I once again stationed myself at the far end of the box, as I know I can be a distraction.

I’ll begin by saying I was most definitely the loudest one in the box this morning. Or maybe I just couldn’t hear the grunting and swearing over my own. (Let me know, 6amers!)

My goals were to complete 11 rounds and to complete all rounds of reps unbroken. That’s a lot harder than it may sound. I knew the key was to rest as needed for as long as needed.

I’m Paul. I’m awesome. I scaled up.

“Unbroken”
Complete UP to 11 rounds of UNBROKEN reps:
11 weighted jumping air squats (45#)
10 wall ball shots (20# & 10′ target)
9 pushups negative pushups (45# plates)
8 box jumps (30″)
7 KB swings (52#)
6 pull-ups

I set aside 11 poker chips and began. Nate and Emily were stationed closest to me. Nate and Emily are strong, and I enjoyed working out beside the two of them.

I completed all rounds of unbroken reps in that I had no failed reps. Whew. I almost had a failed rep during 10th round of wall ball shots in that the ball almost slipped out of my hands after the 7th rep. I really had to work hard to keep a hold of it. The ball was sweaty. That’s all that I’ll say about that.

Not too surprisingly, jumping air squats, well, hurt. During the last rounds I found myself counting down from instead of up to 11. That seemed to help.

I most dreaded the rounds of wall ball shots, given just how many damn wall ball shots I completed yesterday. I was exceedingly pleased with my performance today, and can honestly say that every rep counted.

Negative pushups presented little challenge, and I didn’t struggle completing any reps.

The first of the box jumps was always a challenge. Lots of folks have been missing box jumps as of late, and I didn’t want to be one of them. Keep in mind that 30″ is nearly half of my height.

At one time during the workout I stood atop the box after the last rep and shouted, “I’m the king of the world!” I don’t think anyone was amused. I was.

KB swings presented little challenge as well, and I began each round with a good rep, i.e., I didn’t complete a half swing first. I also snatched and pressed the KB overhead for the majority of the reps.

Pull-ups presented the least challenge, as I only had to complete 6 at a time. I didn’t complete any butterfly pull-ups today. I didn’t have to. So, there.

During the 7th or 8th round it dawned on me that it would be a struggle to complete all 11 rounds. I convinced myself that it didn’t matter if I wasn’t able to do so, as I feared that if I got caught up in completing 11 rounds that I’d rush and not rest enough — and then fail reps. I certainly wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Coach Chris did an excellent job of coaching and leading the session! He even said to me, “Paul, you are stupendous. A true marvel of nature. You are both fabulous and abulous. It’s no wonder that people admire you so.” I may be paraphrasing.

Coach Chris was counting down the time. I had less than 3 minute to finish the last round, so I knew that I’d have to pick up the pace. Eleven jumping airs squats, 10 wall ball shots, 9 negative pushups, 8 box jumps, 7 KB swings, 6 pull-ups, fiiiiiive golden rings!

I yelled “Time!” at 34:48. Just 12 seconds to spare. I yelled, “F@ck!” I honestly thought I was going to hurl, so I ran outside and stood in the cool rain. That was nice.

I truly enjoy working out with others!

I sat down on a box, completely exhausted, and said, “My vagina hurts.” Yes, I said that.

Uhm, yeah, so today was indeed an exhausting day. A very wonderful, yet exhausting, day.

The programmed WOD at CFS was a partner WOD. I knew that I might need to do the metcon once or twice if an odd number of people attended any one session.

I completed the metcon 4 times. Gah!

Conditioning
Partner WOD
21-minute AMRAP
Cash in 100m (10m shuttle springs) partner carry
Then
11 wall ball partner air squats
11 wall ball partner Abmat sit-ups (20″ box)
11 partner wall ball shots

I partnered with Lisa during the 6am session. Lisa is an absolute delight to work with, and I truly enjoy her company. We used a 14# medicine ball, and things went swimmingly. We completed 14 rounds + 13 reps. I usually completed 6 sit-ups and 6 wall ball shots. And that’s okay. I also carried Lisa for the 100m partner carry. And that’s also okay. I enjoyed Lisa saying, “Thank God that’s over” after each round of wall ball shots. Ha!

Sum total = 75 reps

I partnered with Kelly-May during the 11:45 WOD. I heart Kelly-May! Kelly-May insisted that she begin the workout by carrying me piggyback style. I expected her to do so for, at the most, 50 meters — but she carried me 100 meters! Ha! As she noted post-workout, “I have three boys. I can easily carry you.” And easily carry me she did. Kelly-May and I also used a 14# medicine ball and completed 13 rounds + 14 reps.

Sum total = 140 reps

I partnered with Felicia during the 4pm. Felicia was a delight to watch, as she relied less upon verbal and more upon nonverbal communication as the workout progressed. “Let me know when you’re ready, Felicia.” “I’m ready”. Then “Ready.” Then “Ok”. Then just a look. Ha! Felicia easily carried me all 100 meters, knowing that Kelly-May had done so earlier. Felicia & I also used a 14# medicine ball, and we completed 13 rounds + 16 reps.

Sum total = 205 reps

I let Chris, Kelsey, and John decide who would partner with me, and was somewhat surprised when John volunteered. John is an NCSU student and a very strong athlete. I was somewhat dreading using a 20# medicine ball, but knew that we had to. Or at least knew that I had to. Things went very smoothly, and John and I quickly developed a rhythm. We also equally shared the work. For example, I asked if he’d do 6 wall ball shots to my 5 (as I did 6 sit-ups to his 5) and he readily agreed. When I could tell that he was getting tired, we switched, i.e., I completed 6 wall ball shots to his 5. We switched forth and back a few times. John and I completed 15 rounds + 15 reps. Oh, he also carried me all 1oo meters.

Grand total = 280

Uhm, that’s a very conservative grand total, as I only counted 5 reps of sit-ups and wall ball shots per round and didn’t include additional reps beyond rounds. It’s safe to say that I completed well over 300 sit-ups and wall ball shots.

And now the air squats, as I completed 11 each round.

165+154+154+176=649 air squats. Is it any wonder that my hip flexors are sore?

I also completed today’s programmed strength before the start of the 11:45 session.

High bar back squat
3 sets of 10 reps

I instructed athletes to begin at 5o to 55% or 1RM and, based upon how the lifts looked and felt, increase by 5% remaining 2 rounds.

I completed sets of 10 reps at 55, 60, 65, 70, & 75% of 1RM. I’m an overachiever, I suppose. That’s sets at 135, 145, 155, 165, & 175#. I recorded and reviewed all sets.

I sure to breathe loudly. And often grunt after the last rep.

Grand total (not including warm up reps and demonstrations throughout the day) = 699 squats. Holy shit, that’s a lot of squats.

 

I’ll admit that I was slightly upset that I only got to program — and not complete — yesterday’s “Competitor” metcon. I was biting at the bit to do so.

I worked out at 1 pm.

5-min AMRAP ladder
Power snatch, 75#
Barbell facing burpee & lateral bar hop

Rest 1 minute

10-min AMRAP
5 box jumps, 24″
5 American KB swings, 52
5 slam balls, 30#

Wow, this was tough. I completed 6 rounds + 11 reps (i.e., 7 power snatches and 4 barbell facing burpees & bar hops) of the ladder and 13 rounds + 10 reps of the AMRAP.

Power snatches felt surprisingly light. I love burpees as much as I love running. That’s a tremendous amount.

I worked continuously during the 10-min AMRAP, and paused only to move a poker chip. I had completed 7 rounds in a time of 5:10, so I had a close to even split.

Uhm, yeah, so that’s 70 box jumps & KB swings and 65 slam balls.

I very much wanted to complete today’s metcon, and Jeff was kind enough to lead the metcon during the 5:15 session. Thanks, Jeff!

14-min AMRAP
Cash in 500m row
7 man makers
14 Abmat sit-ups
14 Abmat back extensions

What a fun workout this was! I rowed 500m in 1:53. Most importantly, I did so averaging 22 strokes/minute. I was thus able to quickly transition to man makers.

Uhm, yeah, so I settled on 35# dumbbells. Do the math: 35+35 = 70. That’s half of my body weight.

Things went smoothly. The weight of the dumbbells began to feel progressively heavier while completing any round of 7 reps, and significantly heavier as the workout progressed. Imagine that! That’s science. Or math. Or physics. Or something like that.

I wanted to completed 4 rounds, and was able to do so. I did, however, push myself a little too hard during the 5th round of man makers in that I missed the 5th rep of the set, i.e., I was unable to lock out arms (left arm, specifically). I redid the thruster and continued.

I completed 4 rounds + 17 reps (7 man makers and 10 Abmat sit-ups).

I enjoyed the workout so much that I wanted to do it again with the 6:30 session! Jeff wouldn’t let me do so. Dammit.

I sound like a broken record. Uhm, that’s somewhat of an antiquated saying. Going on.

I coached the 21 athletes who attended the 9:45 session and led warm up and strength, worked out with, and led cool down with 15 athletes at 11 session.

We have amazing athletes and wonderful members. Very, very true story.

My shoulders and right wrist are a little sore, so I took it somewhat easy today. I nonetheless demonstrated muscle up as well as kipping and butterfly pull-ups.

Conditioning
7-min AMRAP ladder (3/3, 6/6, 9/9…) 
Dead-lift (185) & wall ball shots (20# & 10′ target)

Rest 2 minutes

AFAP
30 muscle ups OR 30 ring dips & 30 pull-ups

I set up barbell and wall ball at far right side of wall. I own the box, so I can do what I want, right? Ha! This allowed me to have a target for wall ball shots.

I completed rounds of 3, 5, 9, & 12 dead-lifts unbroken and rounds of 15 & 18 in reps of 3 and, uhm, well, some singles.

I completed rounds of 3, 5, 8, 12, & 15 wall ball shots unbroken and last round in reps of 5, 5, 5, & 3. I didn’t miss a single rep nor did the ball touch the floor during rounds.

Total = 18 rounds + 4 dead-lifts. 

I had initially planned on doing muscle ups, but was smart not to do so. I completed rings dips & butterfly pull-ups in reps of 10 and then 5, and completed in a time of 2:22.

I then led a group of competitors through an additional workout — that I desperately wanted to complete as well! I may just have to do so tomorrow.

Jeff has gotten incredibly strong, and cleaned 195# and clean & jerked 185#. Wow!

I mentioned to Jeff that I completed the most rounds of dead-lift and wall ball. I said, “I guess I’m strong.” “It’s not that,” he replied, “you just don’t ever stop. Everyone else but you rests, but you never seem to.”

He’s right.

That’s how long the WOD lasted, and that’s how long it’s likely to take me to compose this very brief blog.

Yup, I know I should take a rest day. I do, however, feel obligated to try many of the workouts I create so that I can know what CFSers may expect and so that I can modify if necessary.

I very much wanted to attempt power clean 1RM but my right wrist is still somewhat sore. It’s apparent, however, that my wrist is merely sore and not injured or damaged. Yeah!

5-min AMRAP
5 pull-ups
5 stiff-legged dead-lifts, 95#
15 double unders

Rest 1 minute

5-minute AMRAP
5 toes to bar
5 floor presses
15 double unders

This was as much fun as I thought it was going to be! For an added challenge, double unders had to be completed unbroken. I only had to restart 1 round.

I completed first round of 5 pull-ups as kipping. How, kipping seems very slow when compared to butterflying, so that’s what I did for the remainder of the rounds. While I wasn’t always able to complete all 5 reps unbroken, I didn’t drop from the bar.

Stiff-legged dead-lifts are always fun.

I completed all toes to bar by, well, touching toes to bar, i.e., not touching any other part of shoe or body. I completed all rounds unbroken.

Floor presses went much better than I anticipated. Perhaps I am developing my chesticles.

I completed 6 rounds + 9 reps the first workout — and I almost completed 1 last dead-lift. The timer sounded, however, before I was able to place the bar on the floor.

I completed 6 rounds + 10 reps the second workout.

I completed 275 air squats yesterday and my quads weren’t the least bit sore today. Why not? I need to know.

I coached the awesome 7am Boot Campers, took Luke for a long walk, had lunch with my good friend, Dave, napped with Luke, Meg, & Zac, mopped the floor at CFS, and then completed the following.

1-2-3…8-9-10 shuttle sprints & wall crawls
5-10-15…40-45-50 air squats

Confused? Don’t be. A sprint from blue wall to grey wall and back counted as 1 shuttle sprint. Thus, first round was shuttle sprint from blue wall to grey wall and back, 1 wall crawl, and 5 air squats.

My right wrist is still somewhat sore, so perhaps completing wall crawls wasn’t the smartest thing to do. I wore wrist wraps, and for the most part my right wrist felt fine. Walking up the wall, however, was easier on my wrist than walking down the wall.

While not lofty, my goal was to complete all rounds of air squats unbroken. Uhm, it should be a given that shuttle sprints would be done unbroken, and I most certainly didn’t want to set a goal to complete wall crawls unbroken. Maybe I’m smarter than you think.

This took a looooong time, and I’m glad that I gave it a try before programming. I’ve since modified in that athletes will only complete 1 wall crawl per round. I’m just that nice. You can thank me when you see me.

I set up markers at opposites sides of the box, by the blue and grey walls. It’s about 56′ sprint from wall to wall to wall to wall. I’m not even going to attempt to do the math. Someone please do it for me, i.e., meters and mileage.

Sprinting after squatting is never easy, and today was no exception. Wall crawls are never easy, but all wall crawls went reasonably well, i.e., my chest touched the wall, my hands were near the wall, and I walked down as well as up the wall. I also completed the first 6 rounds unbroken, and even completed the first 5 reps of the last round unbroken.

Time = 21:58

I had to push through the last round of 50 air squats to finish in just under 22 minutes.

That’s 55 wall crawls and shuttle sprints (3,080’/.58 mi <– I did math!) and 275 air squats.

Doreen once again led an incredibly wonderful yoga session. Unfortunately, I was a wee bit sore from massage and workout, and wasn’t able to get into quite a few of the poses. My Boot Campers than full-time members attend yoga. Boot Campers are smart.

Yet another very busy day. Just they way I like them. Pat from Stronger Faster Healthier visited the morning sessions and provided samples. Best. Fish oil. Ever. No fish burps!

I worked out at 4pm as Coach Chris led the session — the first time he’s done so from start to finish. I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to work out at all, and let Chris know that I’d either observe his coaching, work out alone, or, if needed, join one of the teams.

As luck would have it I was indeed needed (and perhaps even wanted) on a team that consisted of myself, Stephen, and Andy. Andy immediately dubbed us Team Awesome.

And a befitting name it was.

I don’t always enjoy completing team WODs, and for a variety of reasons.

1. I’ve been a member of overly competitive teams. Behaviors included criticizing others as well as own teammates. Poor sportspersonship.
2. I sometimes get overly competitive with myself, as I think/feel that my teammates are relying upon me to carry my share of the work. Sometimes I feel like I’m expected to carry even more than my fair share of the work.
3. I sometimes get lost in the moment and disregard how my teammates might react to my behaviors.

While I thoroughly enjoyed today’s workout, I may have, you know, done a little bit of #3.

First, a few words about Stephen and Andy. Stephen is a very strong athlete and a very hard worker. He also enjoys musical theater. He and his wife have 6 children, and I am the youngest of 6. Even I don’t know how that’s related to anything. Going on. Andy is a high school student and sometimes wrestler. He’s genuine. He’s a hard worker. He has a funny sense of humor. I like them both very much!

Teams of 3 (1 working, 2 “resting”)
AFAP
9x200m run
150 push press (95/63)
150 SDHP (95/63)
150 bent over row (95/63)
9x200m Run

Resting teammates take turns holding a single KB (weight TBD by coach) the entire duration of the WOD. If the KB touches the ground during push press, SDHP, or bent over rows, the entire team immediately completes 10 burpees. If the KB touches the ground during run, entire team completes 10 burpees after teammate completes 200m run. 

Here is, to the best of my recollection, what transpired. Perception is reality.

I was the first on my team to run. I love running. I’m a fast runner. We took turns running and holding the 52# KB. We each ran 200m 3 times, i.e., we evenly divided the work.

I was the first to begin push presses, and completed 10. I was exceedingly happy that I was able to do so, as I feared the my sore wrist would prevent me from doing so. Yeah, wrist wraps! Andy began to struggle with push presses, so Stephen and I completed extra reps. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re on a team — help out your teammates.

We completed PPs and began SDHPs. I usually completed 10 reps when it was my turn. I remember Stephen saying, “I don’t think I can continue doing 10.” “That’s okay,” I replied, “do as many as you can.” Stephen continued completing 10 reps. Uhm, this may have been because I continued doing 1o reps. Maybe. Andy certainly completed his fair share, although Stephen and I would occasionally do extra sets. Again, that’s what teammates do for each other.

We completed SDHPs and began bent over rows. I usually completed 10 at a time, and both Stephen and Andy sometimes completed even more than 10 reps. Stephen and I completed more reps than Andy. Stephen and Andy held the KB as I often took a turn after they completed their reps. Poor Andy had to hold that damn kettle bell an awfully long time! I

“Stephen,” I said, “would you like to run first?” “No,” he replied, “I’d like the extra rest. I ran 200m and as I approached the box Stephen was waiting. I yelled, “I love you, Stephen, that’s why I’m going to run another 200 meters!”

Perhaps I should’ve let him run. Perhaps I shouldn’t have assumed that he didn’t want to run.

Stephen ran 200m, Andy ran 200m, and I once again ran 400m. We each ran 200m, and I was the last to run.

Uhm, maybe I shouldn’t have done that. I promise that my intentions were sincere! Nonetheless that was a shitty thing to do. Stephen and Andy, if you’re reading this I offer my apologies. I’ll apologize the next time I see you as well.

Our time was 34:16.

A few things to note…

All 3 of us usually held the KB on a shoulder. This was most comfortable for me.

Lorraine said, “I’ve never seen you run before, and I’ve never seen anyone run like that. You’re so fast!” Ha! I let her know that I practiced POSE running, and that I’d be happy to teach her.

Robin and I had a collision while running. I blame Robin. You should, too.

 

 

What a morning. I dropped my laptop yet again, only this time it appears to be irreparable. Good thing I have a spare Mac (as everyone should).

I had planned on completing the 50 OHS as programmed, but my right wrist is still somewhat sore. I’ll consider this a rest day from lifting.

Uhm, yeah, so I listened to Christmas music while completing the metcon. My favorite will always be Bing’s and David’s version of Little Drummer Boy. I detest any tune by Trans Siberian Orchestra or Mannheim Steamroller. Two stupid names for 2 shitty artists.

Conditioning
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
American KB swings (52/35) (60, bitches)
Burpees

That’s 84 reps of both activities.

I haven’t swung a heavy kettle bell in a very long time, so I decided to do just that today. I had forgotten just how heavy a 60# KB can feel.

My goal was to complete all rounds of reps unbroken. That didn’t happen. It almost happened. Nonetheless, it didn’t happen. But it almost happened.

I completed all but the round of 18 KB swings unbroken, breaking that set into reps of 12 & 6. Did I mention that the 60# KB felt heavy? It did.

My thoughts are always focused on the workout, and today was no exception. For example, at no time during any round of burpees did it even cross my mind to pause. I merely needed to count.

However, during rounds of KB swings I often had to truly talk myself into completing round. I obviously was unsuccessful doing so during the round of 18. As often happens, my mind focuses on the rep that will be the last rep of the next round, e.g., the 12th rep of the 15th round. I think, “I don’t know if I can make it past 12 this round. I know it’s just 3 more reps, but I don’t know if I can make it. Okay, that’s the 12th rep. Thirteen, 14, 15.”

If only I hadn’t paused during the round of 18 I could’ve completed the workout in under 10 minutes. Dammit.

Time = 10:03

I picked up a very late lunch from Panera. I was wearing my CFS shirt and the often-seen manager asked, “Do you work out at CrossFit?” “I own it,” I replied. Yup, I said that. He said, “I’ve heard quite a few customers say how much they like CrossFit Surmount.” That was nice to hear. We continued our conversation, and I made sure to give him a Free Visit Card.

I’m just that nice.