Five rounds for time of:
12 Deadlift 155/105
9 Hang Power Clean 155/105
6 Push Jerk 155/105
Post Rx and time to comments.
compare to 12.25.11
Remember, “DT” as Rx’d is now on the CFSBK leader boards!
See Jason Khalipa do this in 6:18
In honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.
A Day In The Life of CFSBK
Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with a very diverse sample of our community. I thought I’d share with you all some of the highlights of my day in the hopes of you seeing CFSBK from my viewpoint for a day:
9:00am: Group Class
A diverse bunch of folks hitting Fran hard. Group class is the melting pot of CFSBK where seasoned veterans, sophomores and newbies come together to challenge themselves and those around them. Every single class is different, interesting and fun.
10:00am: Dr. Mike and Dr. Judy
My “Platinum CrossFitters”. Two of the more senior folks I train who came in with really modest goals and have amazed me with their progress and commitment to strength and conditioning. These guys are not only an inspiration but a wealth of knowledge and experience. Great additions to our community! We recently posted a video of Mike Squatting!
11:00am: Group Class
An even bigger bunch of folks crushing Fran. I jumped in to give Noah a second hand since we had a big turn out. Fran is a big day for lots of folks and I hoped that I could give someone that extra push or cue that leads them to a PR today. I could have easily gone upstairs and relaxed, but it’s too damn fun to be around you people.
12:00pm: Comp Class
Some of CFSBK’s competitive heavy hitters. A great combination of VERY motivated folks with big engines and the time, capacity and interest to go the extra mile with their training. Coaching at this level needs to be more refined and technical. After a warm-up we work some fine details of Snatch Pulls and Tall Snatches before getting after Fran competition style with judges. Everyone in this class could run circles around me all day so I’m humbled to get to coach them.
1:15pm: Teaser Class
9 folks who have never done CrossFit before. I take them through the name game, some DROMs, Squats, hollow holds then a WOD which consists of a couplet of Rowing and Burpees. Afterwards we discuss what’s important in a fitness program (Diversity of movement and time domains, chasing concrete performance markers and something mentally and socially stimulating). Some folks sign up on the spot, others never come back, I hope I’ve made a positive impact on them regardless.
4:00pm: CrossFit Birthday Party
Twelve 7 year old boys get put through a two hour birthday party, CrossFit Style. We play the following games:
CrossFit Tag Team Bowling:
Think of a bowling relay race where three teams try to earn max points by sprinting to knock down pins (Foam Rollers) with medicine balls. Once they make their throw they’ve got to pick up their pins and run the ball back to the start line so the next kid can start. We’re trying to build comradery, speed and accuracy.
Zombie Apocalypse
Part 1: Outbreak
A virus is spreading turning kids into zombies. 3 Zombies start within city boundaries and try to rip flags off the humans. If you get your flag ripped off you need to do 5 burpees after which you’re reborn as a zombie and can start hunting. Each game is about 2 minutes and we see how many survivors are left at the end round. Hiding in the big tire is very popular..
Part 2: Aftermath
2 Camps of survivors are left on earth and supplies are few and far between. I hide an axe (a great Zombie defense tool) in the abandoned city (a bunch of mats, boxes, the big tire, kegs etc strewn about) and call out 1-2 members from each team to find it as fast as they can and bring it back to their camp. (think, steal the bacon meets 28 days later)
The CrossFit South Brooklyn Infantry Obstacle Course
An Obstacles course with lava rocks, balance beams, handstand walks, a crawl through and ends with each kid swinging off a platform on a ring and knocking down a wall to escape. This is the “slowest” game but requires the most accuracy and control in movement.
My goal is to have the kids connect physical activity with a positive experience. Also- let kids be kids and have some down and dirty fun.
JB says
I vote bday party games be incorporated into warmups or utilized during back off week.
michele says
DO, I *loved* the Day in the Life post! Thank you for sharing that perspective. Honestly I don't know how you keep your energy up, hour after hour…. but you certainly do.
By request: Total prep
I'm neither strong nor an expert on strength, but I've done the Total powerlifting meet exercise about a dozen times since I started strength cycling in 2010. I've learned a little about how to prepare for these things, mostly by trial and error, and also by taking the advice of my coach and my betters on the platform.
With the next Total coming up Dec 9, a lifter in the current cycle asked me to reprint the original "how I prepare for a Total" post I put on the blog comments some months ago. I can't find the exact post, but my method hasn't really changed.
Coach Jeremy does an awesome job of preparing all the strength cyclers to Total by training us, week in and week out; helping us find our openers, and explaining how our programming prepares us to crush our PR's on the day of the meet. What I write below should only be taken as my personal "lessons learned" and shouldn't supersede advice he may give you.
————————————————————————————————
We don't lift much the week before the Total. Our focus should be on two things: food and sleep.
My rule of Total prep is: Everything the same, but more.
1. Food: everything the same, but more.
Same foods and meals I always eat. Just more.
If you don't normally drink a gallon of milk a day, don't start now. If you don't eat a ton of sugar normally, don't start now. By the same token, if you don't normally eat super clean, don't start now. If you have never been in ketosis, DO NOT start now.
2. Sleep: everything the same, but more.
I clear my social calendar for the couple days before the Total and try to go to bed just a little bit earlier. Simple.
Jeremy will insist you ramp down your lifts and your overall physical activity in the week before the Total. This initially felt counter-intuitive to me, because nothing makes a bar feel heavy like not having felt a heavy bar for a few days.
But he's right. The only exception to the "Everything the same, but more" rule is ACTUAL LIFTING in the days leading up to the Total. You need rest, muscle recovery, and the opportunity to develop your desire to be back on the platform.
And along with "don't lift," I do not do any other unusual physical activity. If you don't take yoga normally, don't take it the week before the Total, even something allegedly benign like "restorative" yoga. If you don't normally run or jog or do sprints or push the prowler or practice your double-unders, do NOT start now. I spend my nights the week before the meet sitting on my couch, reading, watching TV and eating my dinner off my belly like an otter. There'll be plenty of time for exercise heroics later.
So for the week leading up to the Total, my prep looks like this:
1. One week before
-I decide on a couple of protein-based meals, shop for them, and cook. My goal is to never have to make a bad choice due to lack of planning leading up to a Total. So five days out, I might roast a chicken, make a meatloaf, hard-boil a dozen eggs, roast three or four sweet potatoes, and defrost some pork chops. That way, EVERY TIME I open my fridge, I have options ready to go. Every day.
-Start ramping UP how much I eat at every meal. Start ramping DOWN late nights, and especially late nights with alcohol.
– Put Active Recovery on my calendar, and go.
2. Three days before
Make sure I have the food I want in my house for the day before + day of the meet, and a snack to eat during the meet. Find my lucky T-shirt and the rest of my gear and make sure it's laundered and ready.
I also make it a point to stand up and walk around more during the workday, so my hips stay loose.
3. Two days before
The most important day for meet prep.
I try hard to eat and sleep like a champion on this day; many people think what happens two days before a meet is more important than the day before. I keep my carb intake up. Don't spend hours on your feet today if that's not part of your everyday practice.
Sleep is crucial tonight. I can overcome a single night's bad sleep with adrenaline; I cannot overcome two nights' bad sleep.
4. Day before the meet
-Big meals of familiar foods, ideally cooked at home.
-As little physical activity as possible, excepting standard mobility work.
-Sleeeeep.
5. Day of the meet
When I first started Totaling, I sometimes took a vacation day or half day on the day of the meet. I thought sleeping in was the most important thing I could do. Ultimately I stopped taking time off to Total, because not being in the office meant I had all day to stress out and set a PR for anxiety before I even got to the gym.
So what I do now:
– Breakfast and lunch, eating more than I normally would. No excuses.
– Snack at about 3 PM of something I know won't upset my stomach (for me, that could be a cold chicken leg, a bowl of bland, meaty soup, a small slice of meatloaf, whatever. Nothing new and nothing super fatty, which can be tough to digest in time and can upset a nervous tummy.) I need three hours between my last food and a heavy squat attempt.
– Small caffeine shot after that meal.
– Leave work early to get to the gym early – I need 20 minutes of solo warmup before we step onto the platforms.
6. During the meet
– I warm up my lifts exactly the same way I always do.
– I try to keep my other platform habits the same as a training day – when I use chalk, when I put on my belt, etc.
– After my final squat attempt, I eat IMMEDIATELY to refuel for the rest of the meet. I need that snack to settle before the deadlift.
Good snacks for me: quartered oranges in a baggie, washed grapes, some cold sweet potato, a banana or apple. I drink plain water only. Folks who eat nutrition bars often eat them here.
—————————————————————————-
So that's my story on meet prep. Like I said, it's a very personal take and Your Mileage May Vary considerably.
Looking forward to seeing all the strength cycle kids, and spectators, on Dec 9!
asta says
uhm.. I want a CF birthday party…
stellavision@gmail.com says
I am picturing DO running around with a bunch of 7 year olds and I can't stop laughing.
"DT" at 63#, 10:11. I should have tried at least 68# because I feel like at some point I should have thought to myself, "This is horrible," and I didn't.
What WAS horrible: 2:00/side banded couch stretch afterward. (No, it's not a cash out, I just decided to torture myself.) Yoooooow my hips are tight.
Dan L says
11:59 Rx'd
Haven't done this in almost 2 years so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Previous was 17:03 – very pleased with the improvement
cnaclerio@gmail.com says
Michele, you're amazing! Thanks for posting! That's gonna be super helpful.
Sadly, I seem to have gotten this bubonic plague that's been going around the gym(stomach virus). Dizzy, week, and can't eat solid foods right before my first Total, sounds like my kinda luck. Hoping to be better and on Michele's plan soon!
Betz says
Morning strength cycle with coach Jeremy. The last heavy day before the total!
Squat: 325lb x 5 x 3
Press: 145lb x 5 x 4 *FAIL* (5,5,4)
Deadlift: 315lb x 5 x 1
Had a hard time fighting this weekend's inertia this morning. The warm-up squats were tougher than they had any right to be and the work sets were a grind. Presses too. The first rep on the last set was tough so I'm surprised I even managed 4. Ran out of time for proper deadlifts so I just did some warm-up sets and took off. As much as I've enjoyed the strength cycle, I'm looking forward to returning to my regular, more frequent workout routine next week.
Adele says
Kids' birthday party??? Sign us up now for Niko's 7th birthday in March!
packer says
Dt at 85, 75, then 65×3. Dan G commented that I prefer to take weight off in order to keep moving, rather than grinding it out one or two reps at a time at a higher weight. Did the opposite with fran yesterday but not really happy with that, either. Definitely going to have to work on upper body strength…
Shaye says
UM…… can the "Zombie Apocalypse" game be a WOD for back off week? Just sayin…..
JR says
My favorite kids WOD is clean up toys for time with a cool down of stop talking.
Fox says
Hoboken event 1 is up
http://www.crossfithoboken.com/2012/12/03/winter-challenge-event-1/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
I hope they are all like this…
Fox says
Packer, re: your post from yesterday…
You can go with either option. Either start doing Thursday classes where we focus on an upper body strength movement, or start doing a little DIY upper body strength work either before/after class or on your own outside of the gym. Options include doing a few sets of: presses, pull ups, chins, push ups, curlz, lying tricep extensions, etc…DBs work well for beginners and take minimal set up/break down space and time. If you really want to work on this particular weakness I'd recommend hitting it 2-3x/week with at least a day of rest in between. That may mean 1 or 2 days DIY and one day during class.
Peter says
6am with Nick and McDowell. "DT" Rx'd: 13:23. Cruised through the first round unbroken. Rounds two and three were decently paced and then it got tough. First time I've tackled DT. Liked it, though my forearms are destroyed. On the plus side, with my arms fried I felt I was doing a good job dropping under the bar on the power cleans, something I was having trouble doing during the cycle.
Fox says
Also, great post, Michele! This could be an article in the CFSBK annals. Not trying a bunch of 'new' things, especially nutrition-wise, is really important leading up to any event. Since it's fresh in my mind from this past weekend, if I may, I'd also like to add a few things.
Keep a light attitude. Don't get TOO wrapped up in your prep so that you can be flexible. What happens if you usually lift on the black platform and now you're on the one by the bathrooms? IS that really a big deal? It can be if you remain too rigid. Stay light, remember why you're doing this stuff in the first place. I intended to eat clean all last week and at the last minute wound up out for tacos and a few margaritas the night before the meet. I didn't let it ruin me. I actually ate an egg sandwich (bread and all) that morning on the drive there which I haven't had in ages. I needed some fuel and that was better than nothing. I didn't let it ruin me. Obviously if I were very sensitive to gluten it may have been a different story there but you get my point.
Another thing I'd recommend to anyone is to envision success. Mentally go through your lifts, set your mental cues, and see yourself making your attempts. For me on the squat for example, my thought is always and only "stay tight, stand up". Setting my rack, setting my feet, filling my belt, these things are all ingrained now. One or two internalized cues are all you need. There will be many things going on but in the end it's just you and the bar. If you've listened to Jeremy for the last 8 weeks and set aggressive yet realistic goals you should make all your lifts.
Have fun. Support your fellow lifters. Three cheers to success!
michele says
Thanks, Fox! I think it's fair to say that your drinking margaritas the night before a powerlifting meet adheres perfectly to the mantra of "Everything the same, but more."
🙂
Also, what in your post-meet meal food gave you food poisoning, do you know? That sounds awful!
packer says
Fox – thanks for the advice, I'll give it a try, 2-3x / week. And congrats on your lifts the other day!
soroka528@gmail.com says
David – can an adult have their birthday party at CFSBK – cause that sounds awesome!
Michele – thanks for the write up! it's nice and reassuring to see what others do before a Total.
tom glavine says
If I show up tomorrow, and since it is a rest day, how does the WOD work?
Are we doing next days WOD or the day before? Or is it up to a vote? I really want to do JT but i cant make it today.
PS: I am new to CFSBK
Dave Fung says
I'm down for a zombie chase. Sign me up!
Thanks Michele and Fox for the advice leading up to the Total.
Feel better Christine. Looking forward to watch you crush records.
rachaeltbrown@gmail.com says
Noon with Coach Fox. My first day back in….too long.
7:56 (:58? – whatever I wrote on the board) at 48#. Everything but the last two sets of cleans unbroken. I definitely could've gone heavier, but it was my first day back, so…next time.
Thank you to Fox and Jess (and everyone!) for being so supportive of my return!
Fox says
haha Mig…It was everything the same, but a bit less 😉 And the post total meal was a burger and fries…worst food poisoning I've ever had. It was rough.
Tom G – either Monday or Tuesday's WOD
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
This is the second CF Birthday party I've done, both were for 7 year olds. I feel pretty comfortable working with that age range. They're old enough to get the rules of the games and young enough to be goofy and get really excited about things. That being said, I feel like I can handle about one of these things per month. They require the energy of about 7 group classes in one hour.
JR says
@tomglavine welcome aboard! I always thought that you were an ace on the mound!
Shpetner@gmail.com says
@tomglavine, this Yankee fan concurs w @JR. But dibs on "Tom" for the blog.
@Christine – maybe a Colgate tee will make it better? Rest up kiddo. We need you.
lady fox says
Wanted to get class in before my DOMS from Fran set in…
12pm group class:
Warmup–3 RNFT:
15 squats
10 ring rows
15 hollow rocks
D.T.
12:14 rx'd at 105#
-for some reason I went into this thinking that the weight would feel lighter than last year. It didn't. This was seriously a grind and hard on the grip after yesterdays snatch work and Fran. Either way, I PR'd by about a minute so I'm happy. This is my 4th time doing DT now. It's always great for me to look back at the progress I've made. I hope you all are keeping track of your workouts as well so that you can also reflect back and see how far you have come.
12/25/11—13:11 rx'd at 105
12/25/10–14:31 @ 93#
11/4/09—16:15 @ 75/65#
Keith W says
Second WOD after coming back and shoulders where needed.
So needless to say I was nervous. I asked some advice from Coach Nick and McDowell and went for 3 rounds instead of 5 and I dropped my weight to 95 pounds figuring the push press would be the scariest thing in my mind for me to do.
The deadlifts were as I expected extremely easy considering even with 6 weeks off from lifting I was much higher up in weight there.
The hang power cleans felt good but still had me thinking about my shoulder the whole time.
Then came the push press. I focused on my pop and getting under the bar to give my shoulder as much of a free ride as possible. It worked.
After I practiced some double-unders with my new technique and saw an absolutely dramatic increase in doing them… Next up is to now shift my concentration back to my "jump".
excited to be back but I am sure it will be a while before I stop getting nervous putting weight on my shoulder.
K-dubs
JB says
GUYS! The Homebrew to the Rescue event is SOLD OUT! Hooray! This is going to be an amazing night. Thanks all! YESSSSSS!
JakeL says
One MASSIVE shout out to Sarah La Rosa for helping me through this. Without her eyes on me, her count downs and encouragement i could easily have added 2 minutes onto this WOD.
Great suffer fest this WOD is. I made one pretty big strategic error on my cleans where I would go 5+4 and then bail, instead of going 4+4…rest , finish the cleans and then get my first 3 Jerks in. Could have gone sub 14 i think with this small tweak.
14:44 RxD
JakeL says
I forgot to mention how great the energy in the 5PM class with DO. I think I might have been the last to finish, and the support from the entire class was amazing. If if werent for all you guys I would not have done the last 6 jerks unbroken. Its great when there are those special times when Crossfit brings out that great energy.
Shaye says
5pm class today with DO. Seriously great energy! I am feeling so good this crush week!
Wod at #65 in 12 flat. Was aiming for under 15, and killed it. I'm super happy. Just like yesterday was going to do ten lbs lighter and I didn't and am really happy, like ecstatic.
Have been doing a row before and after class (500 or 1000 depending on how much time I have) and it is really helpin get warmed up/cool down. Have also been working on pull ups with some extra accessory work but honestly this week after rush week workouts, I haven't been as dillligent. Will get back on that next week.
Also am signing up for Titsday if only so Jeremy stops asking me if I've signed up for Titsday.
cows_ski@hotmail.com says
As we used to say in the army – I was soup sandwich today
I wanted to do this workout at 135, was feeling the opposite of strong, tried 115 and thought that was too much so dropped to 105. At least I though I did, now I can only remember having 95 on the bar. My time was either 8:30 something or 9:0-ish. Blahh. Glad I came in but happy to drink some hot water with lemon and honey and go to bed. Grump.
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
Did DT for the first time today ever.
Big thanks to Josh for staying late after classes to see me through it. He kept me really honest.
18:01 at 135lbs
I was very nervous about all the consecutive jerks at 135, I'm not very strong overhead and 135 is like 10-15lbs under body weight. Despite my time being on the long end of things, I'm really happy with how I paced this and was very pleased with how I kept every single rep crisp and clean.
For future me trying this again:
1st Round:
11 DL
1 DL, 8 HPC
1 HPC, 6 PJ
2nd Round:
11 DL
1 DL, 8 HPC
1 HPC, 6 PJ
3rd Round:
11 DL
1 DL, 8 HPC
1 HPC, 3 PJ
3 PJ
4th Round:
11 DL
1 DL, 6 HPC
3 HPC, 3 PJ
3 PJ
5th Round:
11 DL
1 DL, 6 HPC
3 HPC, 2 PJ
4 PJ
I only taught 5pm today- one of those very special CrossFit classes where everyone really came together for each other.
lmcelherne@gmail.com says
I am attempting to post on the blog instead of just lurking on it!
6pm today with Melo. DT at 75# in 8:42. My forearms were pretty shot by the end, and I had to break the cleans up into sets of 2s and 3s and 5s by the end, but the deadlifts and push jerks were all basically unbroken. I feel like I probably should have done it at 85#. Next time.
noorialam@gmail.com says
Samir posting from Noor's account.
I thought of doing this at 115 but decided against it because I felt the DL+PC combo in rounds 4 and 5 might add up and hurt my back. Went with 105 instead.
Time: 9:52
Fras(i)er was a great partner – calm and collected.
ryanmjoyce@gmail.com says
8pm with Noah.
First time tackling this monster of a WOD, and only my third or so hero workout since joining SBK. Felt pretty good after yesterday's Fran.
Put 115 on the bar, and then bumped it to 125 just before we started.
16:03 @ 125. Last to finish (I think), but really didn't mind. Spent too much time on the bar during the DLs, which taxed my grip even more. It was less grip fatigue than sheer slipperiness that caused the most problems on the hang power cleans. Push jerks actually felt good and were unbroken on all five sets.
Rounds were about 2 min, 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, 4:00. Cleans in sets of three for most of it, some fours at the beginning and twos in the last set.
Great to have my roommate and the rest of the class cheering me on at the end. (Thanks, guys!) Two days into Crush Week and am enjoying seeing what I can do now that I couldn't last time around.
natepoekert@gmail.com says
12pm w/ Fox
I'm still a baby CFer (finished foundations about 5 weeks ago) and had reservations about doing crush week but decided to give it a go. About 30 seconds before my group started, I turned around and saw a guy who i partnered with the week before in a Press Day doing a lot less weight than me which made me insanely concerned about my endeavor. About Round 4 was when the forearms were on fire and I just couldn't do more than 2-3 HPCs. Think my last round I was doing them one at a time.
In retrospect, 75# would have been probably been perfect but I was able to finish 85# at about 14:09 (i think).
Thanks to Fox & Jess + my partner Mike for cheering me on at the end. Needed it to get those last 3 PJs in unbroken.
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
Great work, Nate!
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
And Hello, Laura!
dougjones771@gmail.com says
Made up DT on Tuesday at 12. Started with 4×6 pull-ups (last set switch grip)
DT @ 2 rounds of 135 and 3 rounds of 115: 19:40. This was hard. Had a real tough time hanging on to the bar, so ended up bailing a lot a doing more deadlifts and cleans than would have been necessary. Definitely was too aggressive with the weight. 115 could have stayed in my hands longer and that would have upped the intensity and probably made the workout harder.