“Diane”
21-15-9 Reps For Time:
Deadlifts 225/155
Handstand Push Ups
Post time and Rx to comments.
Compare to 11.4.2013 and 2.16.2013.
Kristie F. at the top of her push-up
News and Notes
- There are two spots left in Ken H.’s gymnastics strength training class, which meets Sundays from 2-3:30pm, 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, and 2/8. $80 for four weeks, register here!
- LAST CHANCE to sign up for Coach Frank’s Olympic Lifting Program! The PM Cycle starts TODAY but there’s still space left! Learn more and sign up here!
- Zach H. wants you to know about Frostbite 2015, a competition at CrossFit LIC on January 24th. Learn more here, and register here. Email z.hodge [at] live.com if you have any questions or want to coordinate going together.
All The Good Reps, and Only the Good Reps
By Chris Fox
We’ve almost all been there before. You’re tired, it’s your 50th pull up, handstand push up, power snatch, or whatever. You sort of, kind of, maybe executed full range-of-motion—but then again, maybe you didn’t. Then, you maybe even tried to squeeze in another (no) rep! Coaches see this, your fellow athletes see this, and you see this.
With a judge in front of you—whether it’s a regular group class, during the Open, or at a local throwdown—you’ll have a harder time getting away with garbage reps. I’d suggest that you shouldn’t let yourself off the hook in your daily training either. Your continued progress over the long haul is the ultimate goal. You want your movements to be truly quantifiable. If you count reps where sometimes your chin gets over the bar and sometimes it doesn’t, then you’re left comparing apples to durian fruit.
At CFSBK, we strive for virtuosity—the principle that you should aim to perform even the simplest movements exceedingly well. With effort and practice, your 300th squat in “Murph” can and in fact should be a mirror image of your first. Be honest about your reps and if you’re not 101% sure, then don’t count them. It sucks, yeah, but don’t be that person who moves really fast but really poorly. Don’t be the person who the next class coming in looks at and says “Uh uh… that’s not a rep.” Be the person with whom you’d be impressed, even if it slows you down a bit. Consider that you may need to scale WODs sometimes. The Rx isn’t for everybody, and even if you do some or most of our WODs Rx’d, there may be some that you should scale load and/or volume. Then, even when you really, really tried to do a good rep but didn’t, resist the urge to count your effort as execution. Only count the good ones.
Crush Week begins today. Remember: all the good reps, and only the good reps!
_____________________
“Diane” WOD Demo by TX Annie & Pat CrossFit
The Comments Section For Every Video Where Someone Does A Pushup The Toast
5 Pieces of Exercise Equipment Trainers Hate Yahoo Health (!!!)
The 2015 LFPB Challenge started one week ago! How’s it going?
Great article by Fox and something I really take to heart. I really do try and make every single rep I do in the gym as perfect as possible regardless as to whether it's an air squat in the warm-up or a PR attempt. It's true that practice makes permanent and I've been training with this intention and strategy for long enough that it actually feels very odd not to be so type A about it. IMO setting a high standard for your movement quality builds character and integrity in your training. It will certainly be easier for some than others to move well given movement restrictions and motor control issues, but the point is to not let your ego or laziness get in the way of attempting to do your best every rep.
Really enjoying the LFPB Challenge. It's helped me refocus on my nutrition, take my damn fish oil and I already feel better than I did in December where I was eating for pleasure rather than performance or health more than I'd like to admit.
Looking forward to class today!
I have to admit my kipping pullups sometimes (often) look like garbage. I don't want to just give up and scale every time, though, especially since I can't necessarily predict what days I'm going to have them and what days I won't. So maybe I need to just start scaling on the fly to strict chins/reduced volume if things are really looking bad, because I think I may be just teaching myself to have my chin not quite clear the bar.
Diane: 5:10 at Rx weight, regular pushups. I knew this time was nothing to write home about, but then I saw JB do it in 4:34 with handstand pushups! Damn, woman.
For all: Since not many people are checking the LFPB forum, I'm putting it out here: following Allie B's call for non-drinking buddies, a bunch of us got together at my place on Friday night and played board games and drank sparkling water. 🙂 It was a blast and we're going to do it again next Friday (the 23rd). Email me, stellavision, gmail, if interested and I'll forward you the details.
6am with Nick and McDowell
Diane with Rx weight and strict HSPUs to 1 Abmat. Finished in 12:10. Deadlifts were fine. Split up 11/10, 8/5/2, 5/4. No real problems there. I did strict HSPUs because I tweaked my shoulder last time I tried kipping and now I am all up in my head about it. That is a lot of strict HSPUs which broke down to singles at the end.
Congrats to Alex C. Who stuck with this at full Rx. Impressive showing.
LFPB challenge is going okay to far. I am used to mobilizing at night and taking my fish oil so those weren't big changes for me. Water is not difficult if I am in the office and have access to a bathroom. But on days when I have meetings all over town it is tough to stay on top of it. Being a 6am-er, sleep is the tough one. I get 7 hours on the weekends but that's it.
6am session at the Y
Warmup – 3 rounds:
5 assisted pull-ups
10 push-ups (from the knees)
15 air squats
LBBS: 135lbs x 5 x 3
Press: 55lbs x 5 x 3
Row: 10' easy
It's been a rough start to the new year for me. I got a bad cold after Christmas, thought I was feeling better and did the crash b's 6k and the snatch workout last weekend, only to come down with another cold/infection a few days later. I'm finally starting to feel better, but wanted to ease back into things and stay healthy, so no crush week for me 🙁
6:30am Strength Cycle (woop! woop!)
Still 'easy week', which won't last much longer. Making a conscious effort to focus on technique now, so I can get it ingrained and continue to add weight without losing my form later on.
LBBS: 95lbs 5 x 3
Press: 50lbs 5 x 3
Deadlift: 145lbs 5 x 1
PS: Thanks Stella for hosting Paleo Chilly/Cards Against Humanity night last Friday!
LFPB Challenge is going very well for me so far. I always hydrate well and I'm usually pretty good about taking fish oil, but even though I know I should mobilize each night, chillaxing on the couch usually seems like a more enticing option. So, it's been good for me to have an incentive – and I've been sticking with it, which I think is paying off in terms of improved performance and recovery. Also, I've experimented with eliminating or reducing sugar and simple carbs before, but I've never eliminated dairy, which (to my great disappointment) actually seems to be quite helpful. I'm also totally cutting out alcohol for the duration of the challenge, which I think is also helping with increased energy and better sleep. However, I'm basically in the same boat as Matt with respect to sleep. 7 hours happens on weekends (if the kids cooperate) and usually on weekday rest days (again, assuming the kids sleep OK), but otherwise my work hours make that a challenge to pull off. It's good for me to have an external reason to think about it anyhow.
Calling all 10am or nooners!! Help!! We need some more people to sign up for the AM Oly Cycle or it won't run!! I added 20# to my power clean and want to add more! Getting so close to executing these lifts properly and I will probably die if I don't get to do it again. If you are thinking about doing it, please sign up now! Frankie is awesome and you'll get to lift with me and Lauren B and Mirko and it will be lots of fun.
Pretty please?!
Diane in 6:12 with 155# and kneeling push ups. I've done Diane twice before with 125# and DB presses, so this was my first time attempting 155# on the bar – and I only finished 16 seconds slower than my previous best time with 125#. I'll take it. Broke up the DLs 11/5/5, 5/5/5, 5/4. Hamstrings and triceps are currently lit up, feeling good.
LBFB has been a disaster so far frankly. Partner away, alone with the kids and since we all have colds,and they're waking up in the middle of the night I haven't been sleeping well. Then I threw my back out snatching on Day 2(Sunday) and when I tried to row on Tuesday I pulled a muscle around my knee! I was eating well until the weekend when I lapsed a little…
But it's just Week 1 right? None of the injuries are serious – my knee and back and cold will all heal. Pushing the reset button today.
Came in at 7am to squat and do Diane.
LBBS:
5×95
5×135
5×165
3x5x175
I had intended to go up to 185, but, on inadequate sleep, it just wasn't happening today.. I haven't low-bar back squatted since October (and only did it a couple of times then), and was having some trouble with balance and positioning. The final set felt the best of the three, and I could feel myself getting into my groove. I would like to stick with these until Iron Maidens and too where I land.
Diane: 4:34 Rx. (I'm not sure if this is a PR…I did this in June back in Oakland and think I got low 4's, but can't find it written down anywhere so I guess it doesn't count!). I should have read Fox's article before I did this. The deadlift weight is relatively light for me, but I got a little sloppy and was not setting my back completely (thanks, Nick, for the video). HSPU's felt much better than they did a couple of weeks ago, but I foolishly did all 21 in a row on the first round. I was able to hit the 15 unbroken as well, but was very slow on them. On the nine, I went 4-4-1 (falling off the wall on that last one was frustrating!) Very much appreciated the encouragement of the 7am-ers and strength cyclers who watched me do this on my own!
6am
Diane Rx'ed in 17:59 (although I fell away from the wall at the top of most of these, so I suppose they wouldn't pass as good reps in a competition)
My kip wasn't very organized today, and HSPUs were definitely the limiter, as I did singles on the last 30 reps or so. Still, I was able to keep at them at a slow, if regular, pace. I noticed in retrospect that the better reps happened when I anchored my front ribs before kipping, and brought my head and chest through at the top, just as in the press. Kind of obv but I was so focused on the kip that I didnt think about it.
Thanks to Michael and Matty and everyone else for the encouraging words
6am with McD and Nick
Diane Rx'ed in 7:05. I did all of the deadlifts unbroken, then hit 7/7/5/2, 4/5/3/3, then 3/2/2/1/1 for the HSPU's. My best Diane time was last year at 5:55, I was hoping to get close but my HSPUs fell apart today. I started seeing Dr Fiddler about this inflamed elbow thing and I was definitely babying it today on the HSPU's; I had to break them up much more than I wanted. All the deadlift work this cycle definitely made the WOD easier (for that part).
Quick pile on to MattyChm's comments about Alex C. kicking some serious ass through the last round of the WOD. Nice work!
Also–I forgot to add: though I am not doing the LFPB challenge, I have been focusing more on nutrition lately, and especially in making sure I get enough protein and calories after working out (and in general). I've been prepping a lot of food at the beginning and making sure I have really balanced lunches and healthy snacks to get me through the day. This is something I've been lazy about the past couple of months, but since I've been focusing on making sure I'm getting enough to fuel me and getting good fuel, I've definitely noticed improvements in my mood and in how I feel during workouts! 🙂
Echoing Charlie to say, if anyone's tempted to sign up for Oly cycle DOOO ITTT, you won't regret the chance to work on these incredibly exciting and dynamic lifts. Frank is such a great coach and all the time on the platform really adds up to big gainz both physically and mentally. I'm coming back for round 2 and I'd love to see some newcomers, especially gals!
This video of Gaston's push-up challenge in Disney World, went viral last week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3bp59Eci_0
Amazingly, even this video has the same comments from the "The Toast" article!
I'm going to be cleaning up my diet along zone-ish lines once I'm done Smolov on Friday. Alex has already been doing it, so I've been getting a taste of weighing/measuring/etc. Looking forward to getting a little healthier.
Make-up from the weekend…
FRIDAY
HBBS – tapering off for a new 1RM test this week:
375×3
450×4
3 sets of 4 at 475
Felt good. Good depth.
BENCH
300lbs – 3×5
Failed on the very last rep, once again. This keeps happening to me, but glad I got most of them at 300lbs. Want to try for 350 at some point over the next few weeks.
SATURDAY COMP CLASS
First time olympic lifting or doing a metcon in about a month. Felt pretty good all things considered.
SNATCH –
225 – Got deeper in the hole than I usually do. Can't wait to work more on this.
235 – was mostly a power snatch. Hoping to work on this, but glad this moved pretty easily. I've got the strength, just need to get the form down.
C+J
275 – Felt great. Thanks to Fox for helping me with my jerk – I had to push the weight behind me a bit and get my head through.
300 – Did this weight with Alex and we both PRed! Was more of a wide-legged power snatch than I wanted, but something to work on.
WOD – 7 min AMRAP
3 C+J 135lbs
3 T2B
6 C+J
6 T2B
etc
Chased after Melissa and got 5 T2B into the round of 15. Clean and jerks were easy breezy on this one, but I started to break up the toes to bar in the round of 9. Need to get on these.
1000M row cool down
100 hollow rocks ab burner
I saw that Gaston video when one of my friends posted it last week. It made me want to go to Disney World and challenge him — and then yell at him, "Chest to deck, ya wuss!"
I am glad to see Gaston's antagonism extends all the way to his inability to properly compete in a push-up challenge.
Week one of the challenge went…okay. Birthday and other celebratory meals cost me a few points. Bolting things down as of yesterday.
6am. Diane in 10:48 with 1 abmat and kipping HPSU. Going into this, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get all of these HSPU, so this was a nice surprise. 14 months ago, I did Diane in 8:37 at 185# with piked push-ups, so today feels like awesome progress 🙂
Don't miss the Yahoo article in today's post! You can't ask for better experts…
Omg the comments on that yahoo article are killing me. People are so very quick to jump to conclusions and hope that Jess and Fox aren't qualified …..since they cannot bear the thought of giving up the elliptical.
Yahoo comments sections are like the sarlacc pits of the internet. Ugh.
Fun session today.
Squats before noon class:
45×5, 95×5, 125×3, 145×1
155x5x3
-am exaggerating hip drive a bit on some of the reps, coming up ass-first then getting chest up, as opposed to keeping it all together. focused on fixing this in third set, first two reps were good, 3 okay, 4 was shitty, and 5 better. focus here on warm-up for next time. BRACE TIGHT.
-bar speed feels good. no hip pain. sweet. keep on keepin' on.
12pm:
3 RNFT:
12 pvc good mornings. right outer leg down thru calf felt tight. (with lifters) good stretch here.
:30 hang with :02 shoulder activation. this is great. left side grip/lat are weak so able to concentrate on that.
DIANE: 155#, kipping HSPU with 2 abmats
Time: 10:02
DL: 11-10, 8-7, 5-4. Felt heavier than I wanted them to!
HSPU: Started with two sets of 5, then mostly 3's, some 4's some 2's. Failed I think 3 reps total in the workout, maybe 1 in round 2 and 2 in round 3. (just couldn't quite press out and fell off wall)
First time with Diane. Happy with this since I have been avoiding dynamic OH movement in favor of strict versions. As Fox pointed out, I could have done this maybe 9-6-3 (or even 6-3-1) without an abmat and that may have been preferable to get ROM.
Was using a smaller leggy kip and needed to switch to a bigger one (knees to elbows) sooner.
Felt stronger in lowering phase than I have before (more control); will work these into warm-ups and such.
I had to post again; I just read the Yahoo article comments and am having a solid laugh. My fav is from Sir Longrod Von Hugendong.
I swear they should require everyone gets a license before using the Internet.
Not doing the challenge but trying to install better habits for sleep and mobility.
1) No screens in bedroom (on weekdays). So far so good. Screams, David, have not been banned.
2) Drink less: doing ok on this so far. Mack and I are trying to go dry until Valentine's day starting today, with perhaps some cheats for things such as "my family is crazy and we have to visit them."
3) Been to A/R twice so far in New Year. Would like to restore it to the regular rotation. My lack of mobility is not only aggressive, it is asymmetrical. I am working to fix that in the New Year and to get rid of this damn him pop i have on the right side.
****
Make up post from Saturday:
LBBS 325x5x3. Can't believe how well this moved, esp. on the cramped rest. Will probably come to open gym to continue this LP over the next two weeks.
WOD: I have no ideas how many rounds of that WOD we did, I just know that Michael A and Joe Lastname Unknown kicked my ass, moved way faster than me, and I was moving like 1:1 work to rest.
my favorite comment
"…but there is an overwhelming need for GROOMING, REFINEMENT, MANNERS, and ETIQUETTE classes!!!!!!!! Yes, classes, for now and into the future. For all the children."
I loved the Yahoo article but besides the comments, the abductor machines were my favorite. Yes I have "pulsed" it out on one of those things when I was young and stupid and didn't know about barbells. My thighs were incredibly sculpted then, so don't hate…
LBFBPB…I had been doing pretty good but over the weekend I celebrated a birthday, and it was pretty much a haze of ice cream cake, rum and delicious sandwiches. The judges may create a new -12 penalty for me. Monday, Monday, I am back on track.
Mandy-Mac, I think people with birthdays in January and the first half of February get a pass. I mean, a birthday without cake is…I don't even have an analogy for that. It's just not to be contemplated.
The CFSBK Blog is a utopia of decency and intelligent conversation compared to literally, the rest of the internet. I avoid almost all comments sections on every other site, because, I just can't. It literally bums me out to read the garbage that people find it necessary to put out into the world.
Pre Class
Bench Press
(45×5, 95×5, 135×5, 155×3, 165×2)
175x5x3
4:30pm Class with NoRo Medicine Show
3RNFT
12 Good Mornings
:30 Hollow Hang
"Diane"
DL 225
HSPU Strict
9:04 Rxd
All Deadlifts Unbroken
HSPUs, broken up mucho.
I think my favorite HSPU set-up is two DC Blocks and an abmat.
I did one round of the cash-out then I got really sleepy and decided to eat my protein before I got too lazy. I'm considering adding a couple scoops of melange to my post WOD shake. Tryin to get on that muad dib level.
I come for the fitness, but I stay for the Dune references.
Big ups to the Foxes for offering up some excellent tips! 😉
5:30 class, "Diane" 5:40, using only 75# (too light, I think) and the occasional knee push-up. I was annoyed I had to drop to the knee a few times. Also got some great advice from Stephanie (I think) for some quick exercises to get closer to a HSPU. I'll have to work on these!
LFPB is going well! I haven't had a drink in 2 weeks (started a few days before the challenge) and feel really good! I've been very good with my diet. The tracker is definitely holding me accountable.. even if I want something non-paleo, I can't give in because of the looming guilt and disappointment I'll feel when I type in the tracker at night.
Thanks for hosting Game Night, Stella! It was so fun! I also hung out at Stella's trivia night on Sunday with some gym folks–also super fun! Great to have other non-drinkers around, plus watching football without a beer just doesn't seem right.
Good job, everybody! We're all gunna look and feel so sexy while slaying our workouts when this challenge is over. And hopefully have built some lasting habits in the process. 🙂
7:30 class. Ahhh crush week I hate you.
7:35
125# and strict pushups
The DLs probably a bit light and the pushups… well… it was a struggle. Not ashamed to say I dropped down to singles at the end of the 15 round. Pushups are still tough for me so I'm happy I finished it.
Doesn't help that I benched at open gym last night 😉 That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
5.30pm with NoRo.
'Diane' in 3.49 rx'd weight, strict push-ups. All DLs unbroken and fast. Push-ups not unbroken but still pretty fast. Would LOVE to be able to do HSPUs. Inspiring to watch Stephanie killing the workout (see Instagram).
Stayed and mobilized afterwards and Asha and I got two abmats and practiced strict HSPUs and I could actually do two at a time, which was a surprise as the last time I tried I was nowhere near. Makes me think maybe next time this WOD comes up…maybe, just maybe….
5:30 pm
5:41 @155# and strict pushups. Charlie was flying through this WOD right in front of me, so she motivated me to keep moving. I think I broke up the DLs as follows: 11,10 then 8,7 and the last set was unbroken I think. Pushups felt great at the start, but def struggled by the second round and did singles at various points.
Been mostly on track with eating. I've had one item off here or there and one meal off, but have been making better choices overall. I have an enormous sweet tooth, but so far have kept it tamed with banana "ice cream" on WOD days. Normally, I would eat it daily, plus other sweets over the course of the week, but I haven't been. I'm trying to be realistic so I create habits I sustain rather than eat strict paleo, then go back to all of my old habits after the challenge ends. Getting 7 hours of sleep each night is a struggle. I'm a night owl by nature, but my job requires me to wake up early!
Oly Class
Lots of bar work. Frank already called bullshit on a few of my habits. Looking forward to consistently moving better and lifting more weight.