Saturday, July 8 | Full Squat
Now that I work out solo in the garage gym, I can’t imagine working out in a group setting. I can take as much or as little time as I like to set up equipment and prepare for metcon.
And I don’t have to share. I may like that most of all.
Began the day with a 4-mile walk with Luke at Carrier & French Broad Parks. I’ve decided I’ll forgo walking in any forest until I have bear spray.
1, 2, 3 … 8, 9, 10
100# full squat cleans
Twisting jump over parallette (forth & back = 1 rep)
Time = 11:50
This was quite challenging, both in that the weight began to feel heavier and heavier as the workout progressed (sometimes I didn’t know if I’d be able to rise out of squat) and the hops felt, well, high. I ensured that I wasn’t always twisting in the same direction by twisting to the left for odd- and the right for even-numbered rounds.
Sunday, July 9 | Lateral
The bad kitties awakened me early, but I placed a pillow over my head and continued to sleep. And I slept until after 8. I can’t recall the last time I’ve slept past 7! I took Luke to Biltmore Estate, and it was a beautiful morning for a walk. The sunflowers were in full bloom!
Jeff and I then enjoyed a very late breakfast at the Moose restaurant. I could only eat half of the meal I was provided, although I did eat all of the sausage. That’s what he said.
Strength
Floor press, 5 until failure, then decrease until failure at 1 rep
Box jump, 5 until failure, then decrease height
Strict pull-ups, 3
For example, the first found consisted of 5 floor presses @ 75#, 5 box jumps @ 20″, and 3 strict pull-ups.
Midway though the work, Luke decided he’d like to relax on the floor between the box and barbell. And I didn’t mind in the least. I did, however, have to adjust position of box.
Floor presses |75, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155 (3), 160 (1), 165 (10, failed @ 170#
Box jumps | 20, 24, 27, 30, 33, 34.5, 36 (3), remaining rounds @ 33″
Strict pull-ups | 3 each round, 30 total
Conditioning
18-15-12-9-6-3
Ring rows with feet elevated (body parallel to ground at full extension)
20″ lateral box jumps, alternating sides each round
Then
18-15-12-9-6-3
Lateral box jumps, alternating sides each round
In other words, I did the same number of lateral box jumps, 63 box jumps each side, in addition to 63 ring rows.
Time = 12:13
Monday, July 10 | Grip Strength
I determined that I wasn’t going to be frightened by the possibility of seeing more black bears, so Luke and I head to Pisgah this morning. I stopped by Ingle’s to see if they sold pepper spray, you know, just in case. They do not. I was vigilant, as was Luke.
Perhaps another reason I enjoy working out solo is that I can complete my own programming. This also means that I pay close attention to how my body is feeling and adjust accordingly. (For those of you wondering, I program as I work out. Yup, I program as I work out. I usually have an idea in mind, but I nonetheless adjust workout as warranted. For example, I had planned on doing power snatches today but arms were tired from 63 ring rows and 30 pull-ups the previous day; so no power snatches!)
I wouldn’t imagine programming the following at CrossFit Surmount, as much bitching would ensure. “What’s the purpose?” Improving grip strength. “Why do the deadlifts start out so light? Why don’t I start heavier?” Because in addition to improving grip strength, were improving overall strength. The goal is to increase weight each round and also complete all 10 reps. “Why Russian instead of American kettle bell swings?” I’ll let you figure that one out on your own… “Why no metcon?” If you’re not sweating by the end of the workout you’re not working hard enough.
By the way, it appears that a snake (a black snake, if I’m not mistaken) resides in our yard. He crawled under the Jeep, then across the driveway and over the retaining wall. I’ve named him Timmy, and I love him.
10 rounds not for time
10, 3-count deadlifts, increasing weight by 10# until final round; for final round lift weight you’re confident you’ll be able to lift for 10 reps
10, 53# Russian kettle bell swings immediately following each round of deadlifts
Alternate mixed grip for deadlifts each round
I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to get much past 200# without grip strength giving out.
For deadlifts, count of 1 occurred at full extension, count of 2 at full extension, and count of 3 occurred whilst lowering the bar to ground. Next rep began immediately, i.e., no resting between reps and no re-gripping.
If I had thought this through I would’ve began with right, non-dominant hand with underhand grip. Ha!
I was delighted (one of my favorite words) that I was able to complete all 10 reps the first 9 rounds (145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215, & 225#). As I still felt like I had a little in the tank, I increased weight by 20#, i.e., last round @ 245# (Yup, that’s 100# more than I weigh) and completed all 10 reps. I recorded last 2 rounds to ensure proper form and execution.
That’s 100 deadlifts and 100 KB swings for those of you keeping score. I wore my TomTom and my average heart rate was 103 with a max of a mere 135 bpm. I was nonetheless a sweaty mess when all was said and done.
I encourage to try a couple of the workouts and let me know your thoughts! Some opinions, of course, matter more than others.
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