[Franz29]

OK, so as some of you may recall from another thread over in the CrossFit section about hybrid programmes, I was thinking of adding more strength work into my workouts similar to the MEBB method from Coach Rutherford over at Performance Menu. It was my feeling that power output was becoming more important to CrossFit HQ, ignoring the strength component (and certainly gymnastics, flexibility etc). Kempie, and others, had a different opinion which lead to a conversation as to whether following the posted main site WODs is now sufficient since Coach Rip has been embraced into the fold and the CFT stuff has become more prevalent. The discussion can be found here.

As a short term test I am going to be doing the following;
August: Posted WOD 3/1 routine (plus any external work normal to my routine - martial arts/sprint work etc)
September/Oct/Nov: MEBB with 3/1/2/1 routine, strength on days 2 and 5, posted WOD on other work days (plus any external work normal to my routine - martial arts/sprint work etc). Strength days will be a modified Starting Strength programme with alternating Squat/Press/Deadlift and Squat/Bench/Power Cleans in a 3x3 rather than 5x5 progression.

As a measure I will be doing three benchmarks at the start of each month and comparing the results. The benchmarks are;
Fran
CFT
Angie

I have been following the posted WODs for about five months, hence the one month of pure WOD work versus three for MEBB. Prior to that was a bb type routine with other things thrown in for sports and MA.

I am in the process of the benchmarks right now. Fran was completed yesterday, CFT this morning and Angie will be done on Sunday (I am away tomorrow). Once complete I will be following the posted WODs from crossfit.com with a one cycle delay.

Looking forward to tracking my results and sharing with you all. I think either way I am going to see good results, and it will be interesting to see what the differences are between the two (if any).

[Chet]

Brilliant stuff mate - this is going to be very interesting.

Thanks for sharing

Good luck and have fun. Oh, and kick a**

[Franz29]

Benchmark 1: Fran
Date completed: 7/31/08
As RX'd: Yes
Result: 5:51
Previous completion date: 7/5/08
Previous result: 7:15

Difference: -84s

Notes:
Different pull-up bars. Prev result was on straight bar at CFWS; my regular gym only has split angled handles covered in rubber. I am faster on the straight metal bar, but for consistency I will continue to use the split bars at the gym for all benchmarking.

Benchmark 2: CFT
Date completed: 8/1/08
As RX'd: Yes
Result: 825 Sq:135 P:75 DL: 165
Previous completion date: 7/10/08
Previous result: 808.5 Sq:130 P:72.5 DL: 165

Difference: +16.5

Notes:
Screwed myself with the dl due to a plate miscalculation. Was going for 170 on the last lift and had a brain fart - added enough plates to make 190 (I thought I had removed some plates before adding but hadn't)! Failed the attempt and under the rules had to stop.

Benchmark 3: Angie
Date completed: 8/3/2008
As RX'd: Y
Result: 20:43
Previous completion date: 7/11/08
Previous result: 21:02

Difference: -19s

Notes:
I hate Angie. The pull-ups and press-ups kill me every time. Ripped calluses at about 55 pull-ups and triceps cramps in the push-ups. Oh well, got it done and shaved some time off the last attempt.

[Franz29]

WOD: 30 Muscle Ups for time
Date Posted: 8/1/08
Date completed: 8/5/08
As RX'd: No
Result: DNF
Previous completion date: N/A
Previous result: N/A

Notes
Muscle-Ups: the bane of my CrossFit life. I really struggle with these and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I can do the Pull-ups, I can do the dips, I just can't get the damned transition phase. I have been trying for ages now and always get stuck; I end up with the rings in front of me like a triceps pushdown rather than at the side as in the dips mid-phase position. I have managed one or two from this position but then I get really sharp pains in my elbows and I have to stop training.

I am trying to get them "dead-hang" rather than with a kip and cannot get my shoulders through the window. I really want to get them without kipping so I can do them as expected by a gymnast and then get a kip in later for speed. Trouble is, without knowing why I am having problems I have real issues with visualising what I need to do to fix it. I even tried with a kip to see what happens but I end up kicking the legs out in front rather than down and back so I end up further away from where I need to be. It's very frustrating at this point - I've watched countless videos on form and technique but I just can't nail it.

I didn't want to do the 120 pull-ups and 120 dips because I know I can do this, so I practised my muscle-ups for 30 minutes. As normal, I get to the sticking point and struggle to move from there. I managed a couple but now have to ice the elbow or it will be useless for the next few days. I already know it's going to ache in bed tonight, it always does.

If anyone has any advice on getting these things please let me know. I am thinking I may have to see about setting up a private session with Miles down at CFWS when i get paid at the end of the month to work just on these. Maybe a critical external eye will be able to tell me what I am doing wrong. I was hoping to have them by the Cert in September but I am not altogether hopeful right now.

Another thing; I never understand the sub for a MU. On the CF forum people say it's 3 or 4 ring dips and pull-ups per MU. Now the sub for ring dips is 3 P-bar dips if you don't have rings so for a MU does this mean 9 or 12 P-bar dips per MU? Very confusing and you will get different answers depending on who you ask.

[Chet]

Sent you a PM bud

[Franz29]

WOD:
Row 1000 meters
85 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 Pull-ups

Row 750 meters
85 pound Thruster, 18 reps
12 Pull-ups

Row 500 meters
85 pound Thruster, 15 reps
9 Pull-ups


Date Posted: 8/2/08
Date completed: 8/6/08
As RX'd: Yes
Result: R1: 8:36 R2: 6:16 R3: 5:01
Previous completion date: N/A
Previous result: N/A

Notes
Fun little workout - not! Almost met Pukie on the last set of Thrusters. Times were a little compromised by the 2 floor run between the C2's and the free weights, but it kept things interesting

[Franz29]

WOD: Griff
Date Posted: 8/2/08
Date completed: 8/7/08
As RX'd: Y
Result: 13:00
Previous completion date: N/A
Previous result: N/A

Notes
I have done this before, but I can't find my results for it which is odd. It's not on Logsitall and not on the google calendar I was using to track the results. PITA

Had SPARQ work afterwards, 5x20m, 4x40m, 3x60m, 2x80m, 1x100m, ladder and hurdle agility work plus tabata squats and push-ups. LOL, the players didn't appreciate the last two Then we had a 45 minute pickup game of non-contact American Football. Twinged my hamstring; it's not pulled or torn but it is sore this morning. I think it may be due to the over stretching the kickboxing instructor made me do Wednesday evening, as it was tender after that.

Really need to look at a sports massage to try to work out some of the knots in my legs.

I was supposed to go weight lifting with Brian Hamill today but it looks like work will interfere again. At least I can make the most of the rest day to stretch the tender legs.

[Franz29]

WOD: Back Squat - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Date Posted: 8/5/08
Date completed: 8/9/08
As RX'd: N
Result: 100, 110, 120, 125, F

Notes
The hamstring really killed me on this exercise. I managed to push through on the first three sets but the fourth really gave me some pain. I managed all 5 reps but felt I would have done damage had I continued with the final set. I was actually hoping to get 130 for 5 reps, which would have been my old 1RM.

Could have done 3/4 squats to negate the hamstrings, but I know what Rip would have had to say about that!!!

Finished with 15 minutes on the bike to get home.

[Franz29]

WOD: "Karen" For time: 150 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
Date Posted: 8/5/08
Date completed: 8/10/08
As RX'd: Y
Result: 8:44

Notes
My son was sick today so I couldn't get to the gym so I switched today's workout with the one set for tomorrow. First time using my home made 10k med ball and it held up well (an old leather soccer ball with sand bags stuffed inside). I need to duct tape it together a bit more, currently it is fixed with athletic support tape but unless I do slam balls it should be fine for the time being.

This was one of those, "Hey, this isn't so bad.." workouts for the first 50 throws or so, then the suckage sets in Had to break it down into a set of 30, then 20, then 25, 17, 8. Hamstrings held up well (and hurt a lot less today in general) so that's good.

[Franz29]

WOD: 45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 21 reps
45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 21 reps
42 Pull-ups
45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 15 reps
45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 15 reps
30 Pull-ups
45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 9 reps
45 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 9 reps
18 Pull-ups
For Time

Date Posted: 8/6/08
Date completed: 8/11/08
As RX'd: Y
Result: 15:41

Notes
OUCH, my hands hurt Those rubber coated pull-up travesties are really not conducive to high rep pull-ups. I had to be really careful not to rip off my callouses, depite filing them yesterday. The last few sets I had to slip on my Reebok grip masters. Oh well, as they say over in the US at Crossfit Morris County;


DBSquat snatches were interesting. I haven't done these before and the balance is different to regular snatch (which isn't my strongest lift as it is). Once I got into the rhythm down they were fairly easy, even at 20Kg which I had thought may be a little heavy at the start.

Provisionally booked the ropes for Wednesday morning. Hopefully they should be fine, but the system was down so i have to call later this afternoon and confirm.

[Miles CF Hove]

I think you should come down for some muscle up practice-bring money!

[Franz29]

What is this "money" of which you speak? I sure as heck never seem to have any of it! Aiming to come see you again late Aug/early Sept after I get paid and have some of this mythical stuff

[Miles CF Hove]

better stop wearing your hat then!

[Franz29]

Miles CFWS, on Aug 11 2008, 09:35 PM, said:

better stop wearing your hat then!

It is a cool hat......

Rest day today so no workout. I do have 90 minutes of Krav Maga this evening so at least I will get some form of exercise.

I have confirmed the ropes for the morning; had to sign all sorts of waivers to get them to let me have them. No-one there could remember the last time they had been used for real and they even had to ask me if I knew how to work the pulley system to deploy them. Sad state of affairs really, but at least they even have ropes, most schools/gyms now don't have them due to the ubiquitous health and safety rules. I remember looking forward to the ropes and apparatus PE sessions at primary school, they were the highlight of my week. My wife is ten years younger than me, and even when she was at school that stuff had been removed from the schedule. All my son seems to do in PE now is football or cross country!

Anyone know where to buy decent rope? I have some but it is too thin to grasp properly so it's next to useless.

[grole]

Franz29, on Aug 12 2008, 11:26 AM, said:

Anyone know where to buy decent rope? I have some but it is too thin to grasp properly so it's next to useless.

Franz

You could try Euroropes

I don't know if they are any good, but I came across them when I was thinking about buying a rope myself. That idea got quashed at the time, but hasn't totally died.

If I remember correctly I found them and a number of other suppliers by searching on google and ebay for 'sisal rope' or 'manila rope'. At least one supplier I found (I can't remember which one) would also splice a loop into the ends of the rope if you wanted, or put a protective cover onto the end of the rope.

Hope that helps

Peter

[kempie]

newitt's of cheap kettlebell fame sells tug-of-war ropes which aren't too pricey. Haven't tried one but given that they are designed to be gripped strongly they should do the job.

Cheers, kempie

[Franz29]

Thanks guys, I will give them a go. Have to figure out the correct thickness for my hands. Too thick and the grip is shot after a couple of climbs, too thin and you can't grip it in the first place.

WOD: Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Hang squat clean, 9 reps
15 ft Rope climb, legless, 3 ascents

Date Posted: 8/9/08
Date completed: 8/13/08
As RX'd: N
Result: 22:26

Notes
Had to lower the weight on the power cleans to 35 Kilos (so half the weight).
Man those rope climbs are tough. First two sets they seemed fine, three onwards were a nightmare. Couple of times (and every climb on set 5) I had to stop about half way, clamp the feet and then get the grip going again before starting up again. My left elbow ached for about an hour afterwards and my bicep strength was non-existent, but having said that, it was a lot of fun climbing the ropes and a great workout. I think I may see if I can add it to the mix a little more often now I know they are available for use.

Time was affected by running between locations, but I am used to that by now. At least I am going to be consistent in future events.

[Franz29]

WOD: 5K run
Date Posted: 8/10/08
Date completed: 8/14/08
As RX'd: Y
Result: 24:01

Notes
Not my best 5K time by a long shot but I am happy with it for a variety of reasons. It was the first where I really tried to POSE all the way through and the first where I ran for distance in bare feet. Have to say, my calf muscles are in pieces today so they are being iced and stretched at regular intervals. I was not fatigued at all when I finished, although I did have to stop twice to stretch my lower back. It got really tight after about a mile and a half and was really painful to run on. This is due to my tight hamstrings so I really need to keep working on stretching them.

Worst part is that I tweaked the same damned hamstring playing football after the sprint and agility work. I should have sat out the pick-up game because I was still not 100% from last week but stupidly I decided to play. I was doing fine, just going at 75% or so and making sure not to cut too aggressively, but then I really had to stretch to make a catch and I felt it go again. I was supposed to go to the gym this morning, but I am resting up until the afternoon so hopefully I can get through the GHD stuff and thrusters with minimal issues.

I have decided to start doing a full stretcing routine after each session. I have been skimping recently and it may help. I may try Pavel Tsatsouline's "Relax Into Stretching" technique, maybe when watching TV or playing on the 360/PS3, that way I won't be bothered by the time I spend in any one position. Has anyone tried this technique?

[chief]

Sorry if this is a stupid question cos I haven't read all your log but why are you running in bare feet? That sounds horrendous to me!!

Out of interest, what speed and agility work was it? Oh, and what is GHD stuff?

[Franz29]

chief, on Aug 15 2008, 09:15 AM, said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question cos I haven't read all your log but why are you running in bare feet? That sounds horrendous to me!!

Out of interest, what speed and agility work was it? Oh, and what is GHD stuff?

POSE running is designed to teach you to run as nature intended (mid-foot landing, no over-reach etc) and recommends shoes with no padding etc; bare foot is the optimal for this and also builds up foot strength and increases proprioception and balance. I was running in Nike Free 5.0 (with the 4.5 insert) for distance and my Vibrums for short work, but figured I would give barefoot a go seeing as it felt so good doing last week's Griff workout. It actually feels pretty good on grass, but you find it places more strain on the calf muscles because your ankle is more dorsiflexed than would be considered the norm in traditional runing styles.

GHD is the Glute/Ham developer - Situps and hip/back extensions on the Roman Chair. The extensions especially put strain on the hamstring so I want to be careful with it.

Speed and Agility was sprint progressions, 10m hill starts, 20m/40m acceleration starts then some 80/100m repetitions. SAQ was some plyo work followed by ladder drills. I was going easy on these last night.
Couple of good books are Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness (Brown/Ferrigno) and High Powered Plyometrics (Radcliffe/Farentinos). I pretty much use these two books to design my SPARQ work for myself and the American Football team I coach.