Warmed up for 20 minutes with mobility, dynamic stretching, and unweighted and 8-kg kettlebell Turkish get-ups and one-sided overhead squats with the same kettlebell. Workout (based on today's workout at CrossFit Seattle but not quite the same):
6 barbell cleans - 40 kg
10 push-presses - 2 x 20-lb dumbbell (not going heavy, rehabbing shoulder impingement on left)
10 kettlebell swings - 24 kg
4 rounds
Time: about 12 minutes. Left shoulder responded better than last week when I tried light barbell presses. I rested it for the past four days and have been seeing Lonnie and Ed at IMT for physical therapy. I'll rest it again for the next two days and will see Lonnie on Wednesday.
Two days ago, Saturday, at home: Ran around the block twice (.7 of a mile); got on the black foam roller for the IT bands and quads; worked up front squats to 3 sets of 5 at 60 kg. This felt really heavy after the run and roller massage.
Last Wednesday in Dave's class at CrossFit Seattle:
Two 24-kg kettlebell suitcase deadlift x 10
Toes to bar x 5
10 rounds. Time: 12:52 if I recall correctly. Then rested the shoulder on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Not that I didn't use it at all, but I didn't challenge the impingement.
I worked as an assistant instructor at the Level 1 RKC in San Diego at the end of August and renewed my certification that way. I had to pass the new snatch test (100 snatches in five minutes with a 16-kg kettlebell for women over 123.5 pounds), as well as pass technique tests in the swing, clean, press, get-up, and squat. I learned that my technique on the get-up needs updating now that they are using a high bridge method and requiring more specific hand and foot placement than they used to; and that I need to brush up on the power breathing that they advocate. This involves inhaling, hard, into the groin through the nostrils to get "set" (for instance, right before changing direction out of the bottom of the swing or snatch), and exhaling with a sort of pinched hiss in order to pressurize the diaphragm as much as possible. For me the basic Valsalva has worked pretty well, but on the other hand my squat and DL are stalled at heavy but not really exceptional levels, so maybe a change in breathing technique (or just strengthening the diaphragm through practicing it) can help me.
I went to a training session with RKC team leader Franz Snideman after the workshop was over and I was on vacation. He coached me on the technique points I need. I designed some workouts for myself based on these, and on the lifts required in the Level 2 RKC, which I'd like to do in 2011.
I was pleased with myself because I kept my eating very close to Paleo style and close to 100 percent whole foods high in protein and fat during the three-day event, even though the days were so long and we had little choice where to eat. I could have saved money but I chose to eat the way I knew would be best instead of cheapest. I continued that for the most part during the vacation and came home down slightly in body weight.
Today's workout: warm up with the usual mobility plus 10 x 10 push-ups and squats. Practiced a method of teaching pistols by starting from the bottom up per Franz (see video below). Then I did the reverse ladder goblet squat/swings workout that team leader Joana Snideman led during the RKC, which I did not have to do as a staffer, but wanted to: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of goblet squat at 16 kg alt. with swings, same weight. For sets 3-2-1 I switched to 24 kg. The 16 kg had felt heavy on my upper back to hold the "goblet" in front of me in the bottom of the squat, but not at all heavy as a squat lift.
Then I stretched my shoulders and quads for about 15 minutes.
Today: 5 sets of 3 squats at 85 kg. Heavy but not too scary-difficult once I got into it. Next time, 5 x 5 at the same weight.
I followed this by practicing kettlebell pistols with the 24 kg. I did a few on each leg, but they are inconsistent. I'll practice these a lot the next two weeks in case they come in handy at the RKC that starts August 27. I can't wait to go to San Diego!
Several months ago I signed up as a volunteer assistant staffer at this month's RKC in La Jolla. This will let me renew my RKC status without paying full price to go through the cert again, and will give me the (I hope) fun and educational experience of assisting the team leaders. I went to the RKC (Dragon Door) website to double check the physical testing requirements and saw that they had changed the snatch test. Two years ago I had to (at my weight and gender) snatch the 16 kg kettlebell 26 times without stopping. This year I would have to snatch it as many times as my weight in kilos in five minutes. That was about 58 to 60 snatches--not at all difficult to do in five minutes. I tried it right away, with a gym friend counting reps for me and keeping time, did not stop, and finished in about 2:40. Whew. That was almost an easier test than the old one.
So earlier this week the materials arrived for this upcoming course I'm assisting at. What's this? The snatch test is now 100 reps for everyone, in five minutes, regardless of body weight. And at my weight, 16 kg is the weight I will use. Indeed the old new test must have been tried out and found to be too easy! I went out in the back yard yesterday to take this new new test, snatching the 16 kg 100 times. I succeeded with 20 seconds to spare. Now that's a hard test! I think it's great!
I wish I had looked at the website earlier to find out the test was changed, and I would have started practicing this sooner. The next two weeks I'm going to do the snatch test on Mondays and Fridays, and do pressing and maybe sprinting on Wednesdays and maybe Saturdays. The snatch test was challenging weight-wise and also winded and tired me like repeated sprints.
On Dutch Loewy's video on programming for CrossFit gyms, and in a commentary I heard on CrossFit radio by someone whose name I've forgotten - Paul Eich, maybe? - I was reminded that CrossFit is scalable for a good reason, and we should not forget to use scaling in order to make people work at high intensity. Going as prescribed or close to it is appealing and can give a great sense of accomplishment, but if there is too much resting during the workout, it's not really the same workout as prescribed anyway.
I decided I wanted to do "Elizabeth" in under 10 minutes, having done it recently in some long slow time that I'm not going to look up now. I used 25 kg for the cleans (full cleans) and did jump-assisted ring dips. I never stopped moving and finished in 6:50. Next time I'll do it just a little heavier.
Later I did back squats, 5 x 5 at 75 kg. I used to be able to squat heavier than this. Right now I'm best at agility stunts and not as good at really heavy lifts. I can't seem to be at my best at everything at once, but I guess that's reasonable.
CrossFit Seattle's workout today is as many reps as possible deadlifting your body weight (depending on the person and experience); then run 1 mile.
My workout at home:
60 kg deadlifts, 21 reps. I stopped because my legs were shaking, my lower back was tightening up, and my reset time between reps was slowing. I could have squeezed out more but honestly it was freaking me out a bit, knowing I had to run a mile!
Then I ran four times around the track at Garfield High School two blocks from home: 8:16. Slow! Heavy legs.
I'm working on full cleans, from the ground, catching in a squat. Yesterday I did sets of three or four or five and worked up two or three kilos at a time to 57 kg - my body weight. By then I was tired. I did some good ones at 52, jumped greedily to 57, did one good one, and then failed repeatedly, even at lighter weights. I was done!
Today I worked up a lot faster to 50 kg, then spent 15 minutes doing broken sets of 3, and sitting down between sets. This went great. I feel like I should keep doing 50 a couple more times until it is boring, then do 52, 54, 56, 57, each on their own separate day. There is something about jumping up with your own weight on a bar and diving underneath it. Something prohibitive, it seems!
Today after that I did yesterday's CrossFit Seattle workout: for 12 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of 5 broad jumps and 10 heavy kettlebell swings (24 kg). I did 14 rounds of this.
3 dumbbell snatches per side, 35 lbs 7 high-jump burpees Run 100 meters (or what looked like 100 to me) 5 rounds
Time: 11:40
This was just a little too easy; next time, 45-lb dumbbells. Considering I was doing 1-arm barbell snatches, which is 45 pounds, that's definitely the weight I should have used. I was chicken I guess.
I mowed the lawn right after this, including slopes, which added to the over-all sense of having done push-ups.
They did Elizabeth in the gym on Monday but I wasn't able to work out that day, so I did it the next day in our basement. I knew my ring dips would be bad but made up my mind to do them even though I'd have to do one or two or three at a time.
21-15-9 reps of: Cleans (40 kg) Ring dips, no jump My time: 20:49
This is really slow but what the heck, I got through it as prescribed. I took video of the final (9-rep) round in order to see how my cleans are looking when they're heavyish and I'm tired. Am I able to keep my arms straight until the last instant? Am I shrugging and extending with a bit of layback rather than going forward? I'm going to put together some video today to compare to the one from about a month ago, "Clean Up Your Cleans."
