Group Warm-Ups
Get well soon to Leonid R who sustained a hamstring injury playing Ultimate Frisbee and Ashley F who injured his knee playing Soccer.
The first batch of Workouts for the North East Qualifier have been announced! What do the competitors think?
Which workout do you dread most, a The Dumbbell Bear, 2K row or "Fran"?
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The Free Standing Handstand Again Faster
Ultimate Frisbee is no joke; I got a concussion playing once. (That explains a lot, har har.) Get well soon guys!
Cleansw/up (22#, 42#, 47#)work 52x3x3 57x3x3x3
These felt pretty good. Do I dare say I’m getting the hang of it?!
AMRAP in 12 min of:20 kbell swings, 1 pood10 box jumps, 20″5 dbell push press, 15#
5 rounds + 20 swings + 3 jumps
Fun times with Sam H, who never fails to crack me up.
Most dreaded workout: 2000 m row. Blech. I won’t change my mind until we have actual boats and I can get a tan during the workout.
And can I just say how sad I am that some of you are planning to do a half marathon together, oh!, just a few short weeks after I leave. *Insert knife into heart and turn*. I’ll be with you in spirit.
No contest. A 2K row is by far the most intimidating and mentally taxing.
Shortly after I joined CF, I started to experience the almost-frightening way that CF workouts can mess with your head and body. I think it was a Reverse Jackie that first took me into a headspace that I had never experienced before. (Funnily enough, that featured a 1K row).
I quickly came to realize that of three kinds of workouts we have, the timed workouts and lifts were the least mentally taxing. The worst thing that can happen to you in a timed workout is that you get a low score. But the clock runs out inexorably and if you’re fainthearted that day, you can cheat. In the case of lifts, you can go easy again.
When the workload is quantified, things get harder. You have to finish it (of course, you can scale) and the pressure of not wanting to be WOD’ing while people are heading home, and of having to chip away at an intimidating number of reps can make it quite intense.
But when it comes to a 2K row, you are trapped. The machine traps you, holds you in its vise. And when you start to sprint, the gas runs out pretty quickly. So there you are, stuck on this beast, your legs hurt, your arms hurt, your lungs are exploding, and you can’t go anywhere. You can’t put the bar down. You can’t come off the bar. You have to keep going. People are closer to you than in any other workout, and they all want you to keep going. And you can’t stop.
I’ve only felt fear a few times at CFSBK and they were all on the rowing machine. Pull-ups are hard for me as everyone knows but I can always come off the bar, and stand there heaving for breath.
On a rower, you can row, but you can’t hide.
I would have to say Fran, but only because I’m supposed to meet her tonight. Gulp.
NEQ workouts look like a blast; I’m sure our individuals and team will rock the doors off!
First two workouts look like fun, challenging but exciting! I am gittery with nerves now – somehow knowing the workouts makes the whole thing suddenly real.
I’m not really sure what 21 95lb OHS feels like. The sectionals had 30 in a row at 55lbs and I had to break it into two sets of 15.. mostly because I got a little off balance in my 16th and dropped it. 95lbs is a lot more. I’m wondering if I can do sets of 7,5, 3 for the OHS rounds… they get exponentially harder as I get out of breath though. The C2B will be all broken up and probably down to singles pretty quick. I just hope to finish within the time. It seems like this workout is a forearm/shoulder buster.
I have no idea what 40 seconds feels like in terms of getting 3 clean and jerks done at heavy weights. Anyone have experience with this? Thoughts? I do like cleans, the jerk part is still a bit cloodgy.
The team workouts look crazy! I can’t wait to be cheering you all on.
2k row. Vom. And I like rowing.
What Samir said…2k row, by far.
Of those three I would say Dumbbell bear. I suck at rowing so there is little if any ego on the line. Someday I will have to lose this attitude but at the end of a row I think something like “Hey that wasn’t as bad as I could have done”.
With Fran such a big deal gets made on all the crossfit sites that you get over it. Yes I will not get a 3 minute Fran anytime soon but I am chipping away at it over time (still need to make this up, not sure when I can fit it in).
With the dumbbell bear it just hurts and then once you are no longer completing the complex in time you get to continue to hurt and have your ego beaten.
I dislike rowing, but only because I’m so bad at it. Something tells me I’ll hate it more once I get better at it…
Wow, Samir, that was the most eloquent description of why the erg sucks I’ve ever seen. The only thing I would add to the litany of things that makes it impossible to slack: the display. If you pull just one crappy stroke, your split is there for you and the world to see, 10 seconds higher and oh-so-shitty.
2K row, BY FAR.
(Obviously this means one is in our near future. Gaah.)
Hell hath no fury like a 2k row.
DB Bear isn’t quite so bad if you get into your rhythm.
I’ve found the best thing to do w/ Fran is to not let it get into your head. Stay relaxed, stay consistent and try and keep moving. And it’s a short enough WOD that I can tell myself “It’ll be over soon. Keep going”
And re-reading what I wrote I think that’s the best way to approach a 1k or 2k.
But it still sucks and nothing has laid me out harder than 2000m.
Fran’s the worst. For me, with all these WODs, it’s all about keeping focused, and with the row, there’s the split time to watch and think about. Plenty of little games to play (power 10s, keep it at odd numbers, whatever) to pass the time. With a time domain one like the bear, you just have to keep moving the whole time. But Fran? Have to chip away at it and think about how long of a rest you really need vs. how long you want, etc. (Plus, it’s the one I’m the worst at which is no fun.)
@Charlotte: You’re right. I’d forgotten about the display, that unblinking, incorrigible reminder of how far I still have to, and how my performance is decaying. It never counts wrong, and even if it did, you can’t challenge it. It’s not like your WOD partner counted a rep wrong, and you get to say “Dude, that was like, my 11th pull-up, not the 9th”. On the rower, the machine says you suck, and you bow your head. And keep pulling.
Samir preaches the truth – 2k row is most dreaded no doubt. I think having a game plan and something to focus on during the row (like the power 10s in last night’s 1k) help with the mental aspect, as does having someone there to cheer/encourage/coach you through, but nothing I’m aware of can really take away from the physical agony. 😛
i don’t really “dread” any of them – each of them are daunting but really get me excited and fired up to push myself a little bit more each time.
i’m actually really sad that i was away and missed fran – and look forward to making it up soon (tonight, perhaps?)
@Malcolm: Just saw your post about the 1K. Remember that power 10s can be at the *same* stroke rate as the rest of your piece. They are about power, not speed. You can even just use them to focus on length, or breathing, or keeping your chest up. Mostly they are a strategy to help keep the thing a little less monotonously/generically painful.
Also, in re: qualifier workouts–Yikes, chest to bar madness! Have fun, all.
i don’t dread any of them. not sure i really look forward to them, but…i think i do look forward to a wod. reading what it is, prepping prior and then showing up and just getting in there and doing it. also, knowing the more i do any wod, the better i’m going to get. of course it’s gonna suck but knowing the end is constantly getting closer helps me. and…i feel a hell of a lot better after than if i had not done anything at all.
Active Recovery is at 7pm tonight !!!
It will likely move back to 8pm next week.
I’ve got some psychological hang-ups with Fran that get me real nervous about it. The last time I did it wasn’t too bad though. i kept telling myself it was just a workout like any other. That being said, I plan on doing it on Wed between the noon and evening classes. Will have to see how she feels this time around.
After developing a little strategy ala Nick Peterson, I’m less intimidated by the 2K row. last time i did it i PR’d but never felt like i was going to explode except for the last minute. again, Ill see how it feels next time.
The DB Bear really destroys me every time.. i have a hard time dealing with not being able to control my rest periods, i sort of panic a little.
offhand. the DB bear bites me the hardest.
I’ve nver done the bear so I’m actually excited to try it one day .
2k row I don’t remember being that bad…but it could just be my memory. Need to look it up.
Fran I hate in the moment but always look forward to the challenge.
This needs to b said again, but till ha e some if what Samir is smoking. The crossfit poet/philosophizer.
Lonely Fran tonight at 6:00
10:57. First time Rx’d.
Didn’t hit my goal, but, hey, it was Rx’d, so yeah.
2K = awful..and for what it is worth I never read the blog prior to a workout, because at one point it ALL scared me. Old habits die hard, i’d rather not know and deal with it when i get there…
speaking of fran…
7:29 RX’d
pr by 1:34 since last time i met with franny
thanks everyone for the support, and thank you margie!!
joe – sorry you had to do it solo!
Cleans w/ Asta75x395x3105x3115x3x5 (pr)
1000m row 3:42:9
Hail to all the Franners tonight!
Great work to the 7pm crew! Stephanie kicked some Frass. Oy.
Lovely to see Richard back!
Welcome to group class Luca!
How many more exclamatory statements can I make?!
Oh yes, good strong rowing from my power cleaners!
To all that are injured, I hope you get well soon.
2K – Brother Samir said it!But what I really hate is over eating spicy Indian food for lunch thinking I digest faster than I really do.
Work has kept me away for too long!