Matt's Training Log

[Matt]

Apparently it's time I started a training log. No idea what I'm doing here, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. ;D These 4 entries bring me up to date:

18/7/11
First night and bricking it. Started off learning air squats, then with a PVC pipe learned front squats and most of the Clean movements. Then a 'Barbara', heavily scaled (ring rows and pushups from knees):

• Round 1, tried 20,20,30,30: 7:49
  
• Round 2, tried 10,10,15,15: 17:32
  

Couldn't complete Round 3 as my arms were completely tapped. Couldn't even get myself off the floor (had to roll over) and waited 10 minutes before I could take a drink from the bottle, and a good half hour before I could hold a steering wheel. Thanks Thong.

21/7/11
Spent the last few days like a T-Rex. (What arms?) Made good use of Mobility WOD #44 (triceps) and the lacrosse ball. The shoulder is holding out well.

Team event tonight (all for time; I think the durations are right?): 3km rowing, 5m wall balls, 10m jump-rope (individual), 5m overhead squats. Did okay with the rowing and jump-rope (haven't swung a rope since I was 12), not so good with the overheat squads, and dismally in the wall balls. Didn't have the power in my hips or arms to reach the target. It'll happen, I've no doubt. Thanks Thong.

25/7/11
The warmup knackered me, then we started!

• 5x back squat: 40kg each (I think)
  
• 5x overhead press: 20(fail), 5x12kg, 5x14.5, 17(fail), 5x17kg
  
• 2x 500m rowing sprints: 2:30/500m (avg)
  

Almost met Pukie with the rowing. Thanks Paul.

28/7/11
Power Clean: 6x2 at 40kg. First time trying this. Really need to practice, as they look so straightforward but there's a lot to do and remember, and trying to find the confidence to squat with a racked, weighted barbell.

Helen WOD (3 times for time):

• Run 4x100m (scaled: ran/walked where necessary)
  
• 21 kettlebell swings (scaled: 16kg, Russian style)
  
• 12 chinups (scaled: jumping ring pullups)
  

Completed a WOD for the first time! Time was 15:12. Thanks Gareth.

[paulo]

Welcome mate! Great start!

[markt]

Seconded, great start fella!

[Matt]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

4/8/11
Warmup: 200m run, 3 each of 10x air squats and 10x pushups (on knees). Feels like pushups are getting more manageable.

Weightlifting training: Snatch. First from high on chest (triple extension?), then just above the knee, and then from the "ground" (deadlift snatch?). It's another technique that I'm going to have to practice a lot.

WOD (don't know its name?) - do for 9 minutes each:

• 3x Row 500m in 3 minute blocks (sooner finished = more rest). Surprised myself at being able to do this.
  
• 50x Wall balls. Managed 35x7kg, but usually only 5-7 at a time as started getting tunnel vision a few times.
  
• Per minute: 5x Burpees and 5x Pullups (scaled: 3x Burpees per minute). I didn't have much left, so there was zero form to my burpees.
  

Nearly managed to complete this WOD, so I'm happy. Another one I'm looking forward to comparing in the future.

[markt]

The snatch is uber technical! Good work on the WOD

[Matt]

Cheers Mark

8/8/11
Warmup: jumping rope and air squats.

Weightlifting training: Deadlift. Started with 5x3 lifts using 40kg (2x10kg plates and barbell) to focus on technique, then upped to 5x3 lifts at 60kg. Having a longer torso and still having a big belly makes keeping my spine straight and chest out challenging (try to bring your knees to your chest when you have a medicine ball on your lap), but that should continue to improve over time.

WOD (name unknown) - 5 rounds, for time, 20 each of long-jump burpee (onto a bumper plate) and weighted step-lunge (holding 20kg bumper plate overhead). Hope I got those names right.

Thong scaled this for me by reducing the burpees to 15x and the lunge to 10x (and with a 10kg plate), but could barely finish. Round 2 I tried 10x burpees but that still killed me, so for rounds 3-5 I did 5x burpees and 10x lunges. Finished in 17:28.

Soon after we finished I regretted scaling it down that much, but wanted to finish within the allowed 20 minutes. If I did it again, I'd try 8x burpees.

So that's the end of my induction course! Apparently I'm now a certifiablecertified CrossFitter - albeit a slow, fat and wheezy one. ;D

[riley]

well done mate, stick at it and watch out for the progression to take place!

[markt]

As Riley says, stick at it and work hard, you'll see some serious progression.

[Matt]

Thanks guys.

Monday 15/8/11
Warmup: 2x100m run, and 3 rounds each of 10x squat jumps, 10x front squats (PVC pipe) and 10x pullups (scaled: ring rows).

WOD1, for time: Row 500m, 40 air squats, 30 situps, 20 pushups (scaled: knees on ground), 10 pullups (scaled: ring rows). Completed in 9:09.

WOD2 (referred to as "the benchmark"), all AMRAP:

• 10 minutes: 15 air squats, 10 pushups (scaled: knees on ground), 5 pullups (scaled: ring rows). Completed 3 full rounds, plus 15 squats and 9 pushups (that don't count).
  
• 2 minutes: Toes to bars (scaled: knees to chest (almost)). Completed 5.
  
• 10 minutes: Squat Clean (scaled: PVC pipe). Did the easy option as I kept getting dizzy. Completed 42.
  

Found myself unable to get off the ground again thanks to the pushups (but a stark contrast to my first night) and shaking for an hour or so afterwards whenever I tried to use my arms. A couple more benchmarks I can measure myself with, though it's going to hurt in 24 hours...

Thanks to motirunner for letting me try out a pair of Merrell Barefoot (Trail Glove, I think) shoes.

[jules]

Hey Matt awesome start dude ;D keep up the hard work and the rewards will be worth it

[Matt]

Thanks, Jules.

Thursday 18/8/11
Warmup: 3 rounds of 40x jump rope, 10x air squats, 10x push-ups (scaled: knees on ground), and 5x squat jumps. Felt I may have managed the push-ups, but this was the warmup (long way to go)!

Strict Press, 1RM: 5x20kg start, 30kg (fail), 25kg, 30kg (fail), 27.5kg. Properly crap.

WOD: 5 rounds of wall balls, 24" step-ups and rowing, doing each part 1 minute each with a 30s rest between rounds and totalling reps and calories (rowing). Result: 40,37,36,30*,34. (Round 4 was only 30 because the netball group inadvertently pinched my medicine ball, so I spent 40 seconds finding a replacement.

After we'd caught our breath, a few of us decided to have a go flipping the tractor tyre that we'd been using for the step-ups (150-200kg?). Had a go and stopped (worried about my back), then Thong showed us how and found it was pretty straightforward.

Loving this stuff. I must be deranged.

ETA: Typo

[markt]

Solid mate, solid!