Super quick warmup of 20 jumping jacks, 10 pushups, 8 dislocates x 3 and then into today’s crazy WOD:
The good news is that I was really close on all of my failed attempts. My form on the PP and PJ is shite but I did get some good tips on how to move more efficiently. Ran out of time and had to cut out before the last 2 sets of the PJ, but my poor hands were ok with that. That heavily knurled bar exfoliated my scabbed up hands nicely.
I was feeling a little rundown today so I was glad to see something not too intense on the board. Brief jump rope warmup followed by some hip and quad DROMS and then right into a new movement - the snatch balance. Shane set me up in a high bar back squat position, had me move my hands out to snatch width, then drive the bar up with my hips and jump under the bar. I started with an empty 45lb bar and moved up in 20lb increments until I got to 165lb. The goal is to simply make the bar weightless and not to push press it up, but it’s going to take some practice. I realize that I’m going to need a lot of this type of skill work in order to get a handle on these movements as they come up in the WODs.
Another rowing-based warmup this morning - an easy tabata cycle. Then we did some PNF hamstring stretching, which is always a joy. Since I’ve been MIA for the past two days I opted to make-up yesterday’s power clean work. The goal was to find your 1RM. After about 4 light warmup sets, I got to work:
Power Clean
- 1 x 185lb
- 1 x 205lb
- 1 x 215lb *FAIL*
- 1 x 215lb
- 1 x 225lb *FAIL*
- 1 x 225lb *FAIL*
- 1 x 225lb *FAIL*
That sure looks like a lot of failing but I’m actually pleased with my work today. Dave gave me great tips to get into a much stronger starting position (I lifted my arms up and out as a dropped my ass back to approach the bar) so I had no issues with my back. I matched my 1RM from September, but I really should’ve gotten 225. I was so damn close and the weight felt perfectly manageable. Maybe I should have tried 220 but I was short on time and had to run. Low sweat index because mornings at the box are like lifting in a meat locker.
On the turf at good old Washington Park:
Repeat 12x
Trying to get fast. Chilly day + short shorts = low sweat index.
Since running, burpees, kung fu practice, and pretty much everything else wasn’t an option with my aching hip, I took a serious row around the lake to get the blood pumping. Serious meaning I left my girls napping at the cabin and went for speed. It was a clear, breezy day on the lake, so the sweat index was low, but the sunburn index was high.
Found a nice quiet spot by the Old Stone House after my run tonight and worked on Tiet Sien Kuen for a while. Good connection and I felt like a million bucks by the end but damn my feet were aching by the time I was done. I wonder why this form bothers my feet so much when I wear shoes.
It was a nice cool spring night for a run. Mapped out a 2 mile loop starting and ending at Washington Park, finished in 14:39. Felt alright but need to pick up the pace a bit.
It was a crisp, clear 28 degrees this evening so I jogged over to Washington Park for some below-freezing sprints:
Repeat 10x
Total time: 7:01. The bulk of the time was spent resting on the pushups - my pushups need work. The low sweat index is a result of the cold weather.
Very quick warmup to make sure my hands aren’t too sweaty to hold the bar:
- Overhead Squats
- 3 x 95lb
- 3 x 115lb
- 3 x 135lb
- 1 x 155lb
Injured myself bringing that last rep down to the rack. Same thing that I tweaked last week, but a bit worse. I’m gonna cool off on the weights for about a week and see how it feels.
This is how I feel:
- Standing Wheel Rollouts x 5
- Abmat Situps x 10
- Lying Hip Swings x 16
- Supermans x 10
Repeat 4x
No time today so I squeezed in this quick home workout at night.
No newbies showed up today, so we opted for a weapons night. We started by working on some partner pole drills followed by some form work. Helped out with Ng Lung Ba Gwa Gwan and Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung, but didn’t work out too heavily myself.
Worked out some of my frustrations for missing the seminars with Sigung out in Washington Park. Ran through Tiet Sien Kuen on the fake grass and felt lousy connection on the rubbery turf. It was also unseasonably chilly and my mind wasn’t as focused as it should have been.
I took it pretty easy today since I haven’t had an official rest day in a while (and I ate shortly before class). Ran the foundations group first and worked them pretty hard. Then I warmed up the second class and took a back seat assisting Sihing Malcolm. We worked a lot of crane techniques and practiced getting the feel of whipping power.
Tracy and I had our own private little tour through Kayak Kauai. In total, we did about 4 miles of kayaking and about 2 miles of hiking with our guide Josh and his dog, Sugar. The Secret Falls at the end of the hike was amazing. We did a little swimming, took a lunch break, and headed back. The hardest part of the whole trip was coaxing Sugar to cross the river. She was being a big baby.
