Sconzo.com

Crossfit:

Warm-up:
Ankle and knee mobility

Partner WOD: Labor with a Friend

Partner up, one partner works while the other rests.
– Deadlifts @ 315#.
– KB at 32kg
– Worked with Craig
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
40 Pullups, switch every 5
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
50 KB swings, switch every 10
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
60 Situps, switch every 10
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
80 Burpees, switch every 10
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
90 Box Jumps, switch every 10
5 Deadlifts, 1 bar both partners lifting at the same time
100 wall ball, line up together on the wall and angle the shot so it hits the target and your partner receives it.

Hot Diggity Dog 10k:

After the CrossFit workout, I made my way to Mercer County Park for the Hot Diggity Dog 10k. It was a great race. You can read more about my race here: http://www.sconzo.com/2013/09/02/hot-diggity-dog-10k-labor-day-2013/

I ran a 10k Trail Race at Mercer County Park at 9:30 today. I was running late and literally registered just as the National Anthem began. I arrived at the start, back of the pack, just as the race kicked off. I had to weave my way through the crowd to get closer to the front, but the leaders were already out of my reach.

I settled into a pace behind another runner wearing an orange Tough Mudder headband. I was on his heels for the first 1.5 to 2 miles, but didn’t try to pass him because of the narrow trails. He must have felt me breathing down his neck, because he stepped to the side and let me pass. I thanked him, but protested a bit, explaining that I was enjoying his pace. He insisted I proceed. This meant I was now navigating the course with no one ahead of me in sight. Fortunately, the Bucks County Speedsters did an awesome job marking the course. They must have labored for a very long time placing all the blue markers along the 6.2 miles of the course. There’s no way I could have gotten lost, even with all the twists and turns.

It was extremely humid and the course was muddy and slippery in many spots. I navigated my way around the obstacles of mud, looking forward to the finish. At one point, I could hear the crowd at the finish line cheering for runners but when I looked at my GPS I discovered I still had another mile to go. The trail took us further away from the finish before we looped back in that direction. Because I was running late for the race, I never had to chance to change into better running shoes, and did the trail run in my Crossfit Nanos. They have very little tread, and I was slipping and sliding in several parts of the course. I never did fall down, but I did have to stabilize myself over and over. When I noticed I still had one mile remaining, I was a bit dismayed because I could feel throughout the race that my stabilizer muscles were getting quite a workout. But I pressed on and tried to pick up the pace.

My finish time was 53:10, which put me in 17th place. I definitely could have done better if I hadn’t done my CrossFit workout 90 mins before, if I had switched into better running shoes, and if I had shown up on time. But I was very happy to do the race and look forward to running it again next year, if the Speedsters host it again. The results were posted to the website the very same day the race was held – nice!

It was great to see some many of my running friends on the course too. There were over 10 runners from the HATR group, and at least four from the Uptown Gentlefriends group.

Someone from my crossfit gym posted this link on our facebook page: http://agymlife.com/get-better-at-crossfit/

There are lots of great suggestions there. However, 50 things is a bit too much to focus on. So, I’ve combed through the list and these are the things I am personally going to focus on at this time. Even this list is still large. And if I could get all this stuff done as often as I would like, there would be no time left for the workout of the day.

1. Work mobility before/during/after MORE.
2. Practice handstands everyday/often.
3. Practice double-unders every day.
4. Strict pull-ups every day.
5. Progress to one-arm push-ups every day (I can’t even do a single good one right now).
6. Practice jumping: over, under, top of, sideways, backwards, long, short, high.
7. Train planks more – 30 seconds after your arms start to shake. I’ve got 4 mins down. Time to increase that, or scale it up somehow.
8. Progress on pistols once a week.
9. Hit all major lifts once per week:
   Squat, dead-lift, press, bench, snatch, clean, jerk.
   I’m really loving the Olympic lifts, and this is surprising because have never been a fan of weightlifting.
10. Shoulder dislocates with every workout.
11. Do strict dips and negative holds on the rings regularly.
12. Wake up to 20 push-ups every day.
13. Do 30 air squats and 20 push-ups after every meal (from Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Body book).
14. Practice L-sits often, and frog stands.
15. Practice heavy farmer carries.

Crossfit:

Warmup:
Lots of hip openers with bands – take about 20 mins for this.
– lunge forward left leg first, band around left hip: keep the knee back, don’t let it bend past the toes.
– lunge forward right leg first, band around left hip: keep the knee back, don’t let it bend past the toes.
– pigeon with left leg bent, band around left hip, facing away from the pole.
– lay flat on your back with legs straight pointing toward the pole, band wrapped around left ankle pulling your leg out of the hip socket.
Repeat for other leg.

Shoulder mobility – lying on floor, knees bent, hands folded behind in arch of back, lift hips. Have someone push down on shoulders. Hold for 30+secs. Alex said even if you’re injured this stretch won’t hurt you. It felt great. I was able to get my hips all the way to the floor, and that was when I felt the greatest stretch in the front of my shoulders.

WOD:
Isabel and Grace
Grace: 30 clean and jerk, 115# (approx 6 mins)
Half-Isabel: 15 snatches, 95# (this half-Isabel was more for mobility and form, not for time)

Core:
Parallelets (this felt more like a tricep workout than a core workout, because we held the “down/dip” position with elbows bent for the majority of the time)

Bike Ride:
Kingston – 15 miles
I haven’t been out for a bike ride in a while. This was a good switch instead of a morning run in the humidity. I plan to get my run in at lunch.

Lunch:
4 mile run, with quarter-mile sprints at 10.5mph; PVC rolling and stretching

Evening:
Karate – Heian Godan, Bassai Sho, Kanku Dai, Meikyo, Hangetsu
Semi free sparring
Boken training

Today is Matt Fleming’s last day coaching mornings. He’s back to school at Rowan. We will miss you Matt – good luck in school!

Crossfit:

Warmup:
3 rounds of:
– 10 Romanian dead lifts, empty bar (but I did it with 95#)
– 10 step ups onto box, with one foot on the box
– 10 ring rows

Strength:
Good mornings 7 x 3
Left upper back and shoulder pinching again, went light on these:
95, 95, 95, 115, 115, 115, 115

WOD:
7 rounds of:
– 5 power cleans (135#)
– 7 kettle bell swings (32 kg)
– 20 double unders

Crossfit:

Warmup:
2 Rounds of Fight Gone Bad
1 minute of each:
– Push Press (95#)
– Wall Ball (20#)
– Row
– Box Jump (24″)
– Sumo Deadlift High Pull (95#)
Mobility (squat therapy, PVC rolling: neck and upper back)

Strength:
High Bar Back Squat
3 x 5, 3 x 3  75% of 1 rep max
–> Worked up to 205#, which is 75% of 273, but my 1RM is 235# so I did a bit extra… getting stronger 🙂

* Immediately after each set, complete max effort deadhang pullups or rung rows

WOD: 15 min AMRAP
– 3 burpees
– 5 power snatch (95#)

Lunch:
Kickboxing

Evening:

Crossfit:

Warmup:
Practice double-unders 3-4 minutes
Ankle mobility
Squat therapy
Roll both feet out on Lacrosse ball

Strength:
Sumo Deadlift, 80% 1 rep max
3 x 5, 3 x 3 (135, 225, 225, 255, 255, 255)
Max effort ring dips immediately after.

WOD:
7 min AMRAP of:
7 ring push-ups
7 burpees

then:
800m run

then 4 rounds of :
3 push press (115#)
6 box jump (24″)
9 walking lunges (9 each leg = 18) If you’re feeling skippy, do them holding a 45# plate overhead, like Dom Aversa did today.

Crossfit:

Warmup:
400m run
squat therapy
couch stretch
down dog to up dog to pigeon stretch, 5x

Strength:
Zercher Squat
3 x 5, 3 x 3 (65, 95, 145, 175, 175, 185)

WOD:
20 Min EMOM Metcon
Odd Minute: 1 Bear Complex
Even Minute: 25 Double Unders, 5 burpees

Bear Complex: (I did 115#)
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press

Crossfit:

Warmup
400 meter run
Ten  40 yard sprints
1-5 @ 75%
6-10 @ 100%

Strength
Set up two bars per group.
7×3, 80% one rep max for both
Deadlift and Front Squat, complete the deadlift then immediately complete the front squat
Front squat: 145#
Deadlift: 225# (240 would have been 80%, but I went a bit lower because of low back soreness)

WOD:
5k Run – 20:5x – doing the run immediately after front squats and deadlifts won’t produce my personal best 5k. Nonetheless it was good psychological training to push through a 5k after the strength work.

Crossfit: