Heck of a day to start back

I took last week off. My back felt funny after my last press session, and I was just generally feeling run down, so a small break seemed in order. My grand plan to hit the lifting starting today was derailed by the weather.

We didn't get the 10 inches that was forecasted (yet, it just started snowing again), but it was heavy snow with a nice layer of ice underneath, and Hubby busted the cheap plastic snow shovel trying to clear the driveway. We couldn't put down the salt without at least clearing a path, so there was no way anyone was leaving our house in a car today. I watched our neighbor make several futile efforts to get his car up his driveway, and our driveway is even steeper than his. If we had to go somewhere, we would have to walk.

So no lifting done today, but after doing the couch potato thing for the last five days, I was ready for a WOD. So I randomly chose a date from the main site and came up with...the Filthy Fifty. Damn.

Buy-in: 3 x CFWU

WOD: "The Filthy Fifty" scaled to "The Dirty Thirty"

30 Box Jumps (18")
30 pull-ups
30 KB swings (25#)
30 steps walking lunge
30 KTEs
30 push presses (w/25# KB)
30 back extensions (subbed supermans)
30 wall balls (subbed thrusters w/25# KB)
30 burpees
30 double unders (subbed tuck jumps)

Time - 20:59

It's been a long time since I've done a Dirty 30, last April as a matter fact. I did then as a Dirty 35 in 23:20. My subs were a little different this time. I could tell I haven't done a chipper in a while - I was sucking wind by the middle of the pull-ups. And the burpees majorly kicked my ass. As usual. Why do they bother my back so much?

Cash out: Fought off Pukie, gasped for air

A Day - Squats and Presses

Hustled to the Y today - Sunday is the day that a couple of seriously big gym rats typically stake out the only two power racks in the fitness room and monopolize them for a couple of hours. Now, they're serious about their lifting and I don't begrudge them the racks, but I didn't have two hours to wait for one to be free (they're not big on letting other people work in). So I made sure I was the first person in line when the doors opened at noon.

I got my rack and unfortunately for the two gym rats, someone else got the other one before they got there. I was on the receiving end of a few dirty looks, even thought I offered to let them work in. I think the older one was just pissed that there was a woman using the power rack (I am generally one of the few women in that area of the gym).

Buy-in: Walking lunges, walking knee lifts, mountain climbers

WOD: Squats and Presses

Back squats 3 x 5:

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 8 x 65#
2 x 5 x 85#
1 x 5 x 105#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 120#

Presses 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#
1 x 5 x 55#

Work sets: 2 x 5 x 65#
Push press 1 x 5 x 65#

Squats felt great - I might have been able to do 125#. I think 120# may be the most I've ever done for reps. Actually, I'm a little suspicious - the last time squats felt this easy, my form was off and I was doing most of the work with my quads and not getting any hip drive. Time to take some more video.

Presses were pretty much a disaster. I struggled with the first two work sets, and my back felt a little twingy. So I punted - did the last set as push presses just so I could say I didn't give up completely.

Cash out: Running 3 x 4:00 on/2:00 off
Done on the indoor track; walked during the off periods.
Total distance: ~2 miles.

The indoor track is nominally 1/10 of a mile. However, one of the trainers told me last year that he had measured it with an engineer wheel and that a mile was actually 11 laps + 36 feet.

Deadlift/Metcon Day, and some new confidence

Went to the new YMCA branch on Robinhood Road today. I had checked it out a few days ago - it's in an old Peak Fitness building and has a little bit of a warehouse feel to it, but it will be a nice facility once they finish it up. Of course, it has all the standard cardio/Nautilus/Cybex machines, but little in the way of free weights (other than benches, of course). No power rack, just a Smith machine. But it did have Oly bars on the benches and plenty of plates and - most importantly - very few people. I'm sure that will change over time, but for now I'll enjoy it.

I was going to do this particular workout yesterday, but since most of my day was spent deadlifting and palletizing surplus tech equipment, I decided it could wait.

Buy-in: Burgener warmup x 2

WOD: Deadlifts + Metcon

Deadlifts 1 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45 RDL
1 x 5 x 95#
1 x 5 x 115#
1 x 5 x 135#
1 x 3 x 155#

Work set: 1 x 5 x 175#

Metcon: Bear Complex AMRAP 10:00
1 round = 7 reps of deadlift, hang power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press. Do not take your hands off the bar during the round.

Rounds - 3 rounds + 3 reps

I did my work set at 175# for one reason only: the new Y has no plates lighter than 10#. 155 is too light for a work set, and the next jump in weight could be no less than 20#. So I decided "screw it, I'll do 175. If I fail, I fail." Every rep was hard and I wasn't sure I'd get the last one locked out. But damn, I did it. I feel like I'm really making some progress.

Have to work the grip, though. It seemed harder than usual to hold on to the bar today, especially with my left hand. I think part of the problem may have simply been loading the bar. I often find putting 45# plates on a bar that is on the floor to be more difficult than the actual lift - one of the reasons that I like to do deadlifts in a power rack, even if it's not strictly necessary. Having the bar on the pins a couple of feet off the floor makes it so much easier to load.

Of course, finishing up with the Bear Complex fried my grip even more. I love that WOD, though - it's one of my favorites.

Cash out: 20 leg raises, 20 hollow rocks, 40 swiss ball crunches

C Day - Squats and Bench presses

Buy-in: CFWU x 2

WOD: 3 x 5 Squats and Bench Presses

Back Squats 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
2 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 95#
1 x 3 x 105#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 115#

Bench Presses 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 85#

Added 2.5 pounds to the squat weight from last week's C workout, but kept the bench press the same because I felt my left shoulder tweak during the warm-up sets. Not painful, but enough to make me want to proceed with caution.

I'm trying to be systematic about adding weight on this program. Justin's article says increase 5# per workout, but I suspect that guidance is more applicable to young males than middle-aged females. If I can add 2.5 - 5 pounds per week to my squat, I'll be happy with that.

Cash out: Weighted pullups 3 x 5 x 10#

I actually made a New Year's Resolution!

I usually forego the whole New Year's Resolution deal. Why would you want to make a promise to yourself that you will inevitably end up breaking, and then deal with feeling guilty and disappointed with yourself? Fortunately, I think this resolution should be fairly easy to keep.

I resolve to post my workouts on my blog again.

There. That doesn't seem very hard. We will see.

In keeping with my new resolution, here is my workout from today:

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing

WOD: Power cleans + metcon

Power cleans 3 x 5
Warmup sets:

• HPCs 2 x 5x 45#
• 1 x 5 x 65#
• 1 x 5 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 90#

Metcon: For time
Run 400m
15 box jumps (20")
15 DB thrusters (20#)
Run 400m
12 box jumps
12 DB thrusters
Run 400m
9 box jumps
9 DB thrusters

Time - 10:45

Cash out: 20 hanging leg raises

As part of this resolution, I am going to enter all of my other workouts in the log and backdate them. You see, I didn't stop working out or logging my workouts. I just got out of the habit of transferring them to my blog. I realized that going through a notebook to find the last time I did a particular workout or what I deadlifted before was a real pain. It's so much easier to find them when they're tagged.