21-15-9 Reps for time of:
Overhead Squat 135/95
Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
Barbells come off the floor in this workout.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Coach Noah and Joe get mentally prepped for 13.3
Scheduling Reminder
We’re hosting renound coach Mark Rippetoe this weekend for the Starting Strength Seminar and will be closed on Friday evening and this weekend. If you usually come to one of these times please bank your class(es) and use it in the upcoming week or after. If you’re a 5 time a week athlete you can use up the missed classes at Open Gyms. Thanks for your understanding!
MCA Day on Degraw Street!
On Saturday May 4th, the Littlefield Performance and Art Space across the street will be hosting a free event to celebrate the life of Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch. There will be art to check out, music to listen to and some entertainment to pay proper tribute to the musician, rapper, activist and director and Brooklyn native. For more information visit www.facebook.com/mcadaynyc.
What do you think about right before a hard workout or lift?
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Mig says
MCA.
JB says
What do I think about right before a hard workout or lift? Better go pee just in case. Nobody wants to piddle (or have to stop to) themselves in the middle of a hard WOD or lift. AMIRITE?
samirchopra1@yahoo.com says
A little remembrance of MCA that I wrote last year:
http://samirchopra.com/2012/05/05/mca-still-do-what-you-please/
ginacatto says
i think about unicorns, naturally.
JR says
He was my next door neighbor back around 2000. Nice guy.
What do I think of before a big lift? I guess it's cliche, but true. Usually I think about beating somebody senseless. Sorry. Can't help it.
David Turnbull (D-Turn) says
Before a heavy squat or dead-lift, I try to clear my head completely of discursive thoughts. At most, I'll put a visual image in my head of where the bar needs to go.
Dan L says
This WOD was pretty tough for me. Glad I went with 135 even though it was really a struggle. 135 required me to go pretty slowly between reps to keep my balance and that fatigued my shoulders and made it hard to maintain good positions. Ended up with 10:19 (I finished up since there were just a few reps left at the cap). Definitely got more out of it than I would have doing it quite a bit faster at 115.
Joel W. says
I definitely used to try to psych myself up before a big lift, get angry, etc. Then at some point I realized I'm not an angry person, and that focus was the issue I most needed to address, so I changed my approach. I now am on the Dave Turnbull plan. I basically try to just zone in on the bar, and when the bar is on my back, I just try to go as inwardly calm as possible and think about getting set and going down smoothly. For deadlifts, it's similar, maybe a bit more high energy, but still about getting in place.
kevinjrooney@gmail.com says
Today's WOD Rx'd: 8:18. Dan L. and I did this together. It was tempting to scale down, but glad we did it at 135. Haven't done OHS in a while, so it was tough. Tried to do them in big chunks to avoid putting the bar down. CTB got really broken fast. Really need to work on those.
This is probably weird to some people, but for heavy lifts, I try to put myself in action hero mode and I picture my wife and/or daughter in danger. It actually works pretty well. For Met-Cons, I just tell myself not to stop–to try to make rests as planned and relaxed as possible, but never to actually quit. I think it really helped me in the Open as I didn't waste precious seconds MF-ing myself or walking too far away from the bar/weight/box etc.
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
A lot of how I mentally prep depends on how I've warmed up beforehand. If I feel really warm and limber I dont have any mental excuses. If I feel like I rushed into what I'm doing I often start to doubt myself.
WODs:
I'll try to get amped up beforehand, thinking about what my strategy and mental intention will be. (go to a bad place or smooth and steady, for example). About 3-5 minutes before I actually start I try and calm myself down and control my breathing. Something about getting a little jacked up to bring up confidence then slowing it down to instill control seems to work really well for me.
I was able to do this well on 13.1,4&5 which were my best performances. I rushed into 2 & 3 and sort of bombed on them.
Lifts:
I usually repeat the something simple in my head and pace around trying to build some adrenaline. For example if I'm about to snatch heavy I might be saying "Finish. Finish, Finish" or "Pull the fuck under" in my head. It gets me more confident but I think I lose some control in the lift nuances when I do that. It seems like most powerlifters get jacked up and weightlifters stay really calm. I'm still finding what works best for me
Peter says
6am with Josh and McDowell. Did one rep at 135 in warmup and chickened out. 115 seemed sufficient for the day. 8:58. Had trouble stringing together CTB pull-ups after the first round. The overhead squats were ok, though I missed 2 reps when I lost the tension in my shoulders. Need to remember to push up on the bar!
Before metcons I think "here we go". Before heavy lifts I try to think of nothing. If I think about the weight or the movement I over analyze. I find my best lifts occur when I just pick up the bar and move it. Often that coincides with a good chat with a lifting partner which distracts me from thinking about the movement.
Fox says
For lifting I've changed my approach in the last few years. I used to get really amped up and try to muster anger. Nowadays I use a quieter, calmer approach. Every so often I still geek myself up (like for a big dead lift or press) but more so a steady focus on one mental cue helps me move the weight. I'll often repeat the cue out loud to myself over and over as I approach the lift. For WODs I try to keep smiling and remind myself that I'm lucky to have a healthy body that I can use to do the things I like. I watched a parent suffer the effects of cancer and it's various horrific treatments a few years ago and it really gave me perspective on what being healthy means to me. My step dad, Michael, was always an active and fit person really up until just after his diagnosis. Skiing, swimming, biking, jumping from planes, were among the things he enjoyed doing and once he got sick that was all over. I realize that life can be too short to stress out about my performance in these things and so I try to keep perspective. Easier for me maybe since I'm not going to the Games but it works for me. Apologies for the possible downer of a post. Writing this out actually made me really happy 🙂
DH3 says
A lot of my mental approach relates to how I feel, warmed up. I generally think I perform better when I go into a workout with a good sweat. When I'm cold, I tend to fly out of the gate.
For heavy lifts I try to get angry, and I really try to focus on my breathing.
I really look forward to becoming more mentally prepared. It's a big goal for the next few months.
-d
Looking forward to doing this workout (or some variation of it later)
Crystal says
Before every workout I'm nervous. For what seems like irrational reasons as soon as it's over. So my mantra goes "be calm, don't go crazy, you can get this done at your own pace, and you don't really have to go to the bathroom right this second."
samirchopra1@yahoo.com says
I'd written what will serve as a response to today's QOD in a post over at ESPN-Cricinfo a while ago: (http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/622352.html). Here is the relevant section:
"The other way I've turned to cricket when confronted with a number of interest to me is in a rather far flung domain: weightlifting. For the past three years, on many occasions while lifting weights in my gym, I have used a rather simple technique for focusing my mind before I attempt to lift a weight: I think of a cricket score that is the same as the weight on the bar and imagine myself scoring that number. When I say 'a cricket score' I mean an individual achievement. So, as an example, if the weight in question is 220 pounds I might imagine myself as Sunny Gavaskar in Port of Spain in his debut series; if it was 185, as Michael Atherton, pulling off his epic rescue against South Africa; if 155 then I am Sachin Tendulkar laying the Australian attack to waste in Chennai in 1998 … the list goes on. For some reason I am never able to summon up a score in a one-day international, not even Kapil Dev's 175 in the 1983 World Cup.
There is a pattern here, of course. I lift in pounds not kilos, and the weights are almost always whole multiples of five: they end with a 5 or a 0 (fractional weights introduce a challenge that I've not yet met). This makes my mental hunt for a matching score a little more interesting but, of course, since many of my weightlifting numbers repeat, once a score has been located, I use it again and again. I have not mentioned this concentration technique to any of my lifting partners at my gym for obvious reasons: it would take too long to explain and I'm not sure I could handle all the eye-rolling that would follow; I'm already considered a serious nerd with a bizarre interest in an obscure game, and this story would push matters to the brink."
Robert F. says
i really like that Fox…I've been feeling/thinking the same way recently and i'm glad to hear someone else say it.
deesha.narichania@gmail.com says
Hey CFSBK, I'm looking for someone to split a vegetable share with me. Any takers, please email me directly at deesha.narichania@gmail.com. Thanks!
-d
michele says
veggie csa! veggie csa! don't miss the april 15 deadline – sign up now!
before and during a difficult lift, i repeat the one cue that is key to the lift's success. i recently PR'd my deadlift after struggling for some time and the mantra was "keep pulling" – because my coach noticed that I tend to give up well before even five seconds have elapsed. when i don't give up, i generally make the lift.
i've tried to "get angry"on the platform and it doesn't work for me at all – anger feels disordered, whereas i need to be focused and calm.
it's too bad it doesn't work, though, because i'm pretty much continually furious about something. i guess karma's a bitch 🙂
Stella says
I've been working a lot — and I think successfully — on my tendency to panic when a weight feels really heavy and give up too soon. So part of my mental prep for a big lift is actually prepping my spotter and telling him/her "do NOT help me unless you see the weight going down instead of up!" And then I take that in and remind myself: My spotter has my back if I truly need assistance. So don't panic and keep fighting.
Noah says
Oddly enough I have the exact same strategy as Samir.
Also, you might think I'm getting mentally prepared in that picture, but in reality I'm sleeping.
Matt Krebs says
7am with McDowell and Josh
Was happy to beat the 10min cap with 95# OHS and CTB pullups. Got 9:53
Before a tough metcon or heavy lift I like to get angry, but once I start my mind is usually blank. I was joking with Todd the other day during 13.5 about the music choice but then I realized I can't really hear anything once a workout starts I'm really out of reality.
Michelle B. says
6AM w/Josh & McDowell
WOD: 5:40 min -55lbs front squats (due to mobility issues) & box pull ups
I get nervous with heavy weight, sometimes I even start hyperventilating. All I say to myself is 'You can do this'. I really need the reassurance, even if it's from myself.
Other than that, I make a mental check list of the corrections all the coaches have pointed out to me, and just try to focus on my technique once I'm going.
MattyChm says
Before a Metcon I try to stay very calm. With 10 seconds before the start I remind myself to be aggressive and steady throughout. During a Metcon I remind myself to take big deep breaths.
Before a heavy lift I think about the stories of people executing unfathomable fits of strength when confronted with danger (95lb women lifting cars off of of their kids etc…) I try to get a burst of adrenaline by thinking that lives depend on the lift. Silly I know but it works most of the time.
I like Fox's post a lot. I think similar thoughts but not before a lift. For me, it is when my alarm goes off for the gym and I have that split second of thinking how great it would feel to just roll over and go back to sleep. I remind myself that I have a healthy body and all four limbs and there are many people that would kill for the ability to go to the gym in the morning. On the walk to the gym in the morning I like to look up at all of the dark windows and I feel proud that I am up and on my way to lift things up and put them down.
robis@robis.org says
Thoughts before a lift…
Basically, instead of trying to get rid of thoughts, I try to solely focus on 1-2 thoughts and repeat them over and over like a mantra. These are generally coaching queues to myself.
Recently for squats it's "get tight" and "straight bar path." I don't really know how providing a queue for a straight bar path works, but I also visualize it frequently and saying it seems to help. For bench it's "shoulders back" and "drive feet" and DL it's "drag bar along shins" "push with feet."
Flynndogg@gmail.com says
Did this last night on my first day at CFSB (wife and I just moved to the hood)…pumped to join and be back at a box, everyone seemed very cool so far. RX'd at 6:46 – OHS felt great, kipping pull ups were total crap after the first round – a goat to work on!
shawnsadjatumwadee@gmail.com says
before I lift I just try and focus and get in a zone. No real emotion usually cause that wears me out.
Before a metcon im always nervous. Usually have to pee, Never like to go first. Im not good at staying in a zone/focused for "THAT" long. Once I watch someone else do it I can develop my own strategy.
For anyone doing Carb Back Loading or interested in it. While I can definitely see body comp changes with my experimentation. Im also definitely feeeling joint pain and inflammation in my knees and elbows. Something I havent experienced in a LOOOONG time. Nothing major, but annoying nonetheless.
Todd says
QOD: I have been doing a lot of visualization exercises lately. This is pretty easy for big lifts or sets of 3-5, just run through a successful lift or set in your head first. For WODs (mostly for the open WODs since I knew them well enough in advance) I'd try to run myself through the entire workout from start to finish in my head the night before, just before going to bed. It is HARD to keep focus for that long, but I feel like it helped prepare me to go into the workout with a little less stress/nervousness. I have also recently really tried to slow down my breathing with some focused breathing/counting exercises in the minute or two before a workout starts. Going to keep playing with both of these techniques to see if I can dial something in that I really feel helps.
crossfitsbk@gmail.com says
Not a good day today
Clean and 2 Jerks (kilos)
60x1x3, 65x1x3, 70×1, 70M (176lbs)
Shoulders are feeling beat up from all the overhead work I've been doing. Was soft catching the bar on a lot of these so I went much lighter than I thought I would. I also fucked up a little and forgot I was supposed to do 6×1 and ended up working up towards a single.
Overhead Squat (kilos)
60x3x3
Again, shoulders are a fried, worked on staying active, slow and balanced.
Bench Press (lbs)
135x5x3
Starting light
Deadlift (lbs)
320×4
Shifted forward on the last pull and missed it. Was sort of dragging myself around by this point.
Energy level and mental focus were really low today. Confidence overhead wasn't there
One of those days where it's just a matter of getting things done I suppose
Cloyde says
For both WODs and lifts I say a bunch of derogatory things to my self. Think Gunny Hartman to Private Pyle. Not quite sure the reason I go in that direction but I do. When I get under the bar my mind usually goes blank and I think "this shit is fucking heavy, better not die".
For the few that don't get the reference (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NP8y63Ms4o).
isaac.green@sonymusic.com says
there is some good advice here. i'm going to try and take it pre-metcons.
i did 115 ohs and c2b pull ups. a first time for both in a wod. great! i also only did 21-21 in 9 minutes. not so great!
i think i now have the confidence to do c2b pull ups in another wod and i'll know that even if 95 lbs is doable 115 is a world of difference in ohs.
oh, and my elbow is feeling funny. can c2b's throw it out of whack a bit?
cows_ski@hotmail.com says
8:40 at 135# front squats and c2b pull ups.
My squats went something like 11, 10; 7, 5, 3; 9
My pull ups went something like 12, 9; 5, 5, 5; 4, 3, 2
QOD – I empty my mind and try not to think at all. Might be a factor in my inability to do simple math in the gym.
Fox says
I always giggle a bit to myself when DO curses on the blog…anyone else?
JakeL says
For WODS- I dont really think about anything other than going hard.
Oly Lifts- I think of certain cues in succession that I find comprises a successful lift.
Snatch- Hips slightly above the knees, Arch your back, shoulders back. Balance Mid-foot. Keep your shoulders over the bar as long as possible, start the knees moving back ASAP. And most importantly, MOVE FUCKING FAST under the bar.
Clean and jerk- PULL HARD. Focus on HEELS for the jerk.
Courtney says
Fox, what a lovely post. Though I feel the same way about being lucky to be healthy and hale regardless of what I'm doing, including CF, it's when I'm running that I especially experience sudden bursts of gratitude.
Honestly, I don't think I've necessarily yet worked out a flawless approach that works for me when approaching a heavy lift – I just try to take a few couple of deep breaths and calm myself. For metcons, ditto Joel – I'm very slow to anger, so hyping myself up by trying to get pissed just doesn't work because…I don't get pissed very easily. :). (Oh, except for during 13.5 when I accomplished more reps dropping the f-bomb than I did getting the ball up to the godforsaken target).
Viva Las Vegas and all that, but really looking forward to coming back to the box tomorrow.
Todd says
Strength day at the office w/ a coworker.
Squats 45×5 95×5 135×4 185×3 225×2 255×1 260×5,4(F) 225×5
Press 45×5 75×4 95×3 115×2 120×5,4,5
Pendlay Row 135×5 145x5x3
Power Clean 145x5x3
Squats felt heavy from the very beginning today, maybe from the run/row yesterday, maybe I'm not rested enough. Lost that last press rep on set 2 with a sloppy descent, final one on set 3 was a grind but it went up. Then some pulling and light cleans since I won't have a chance this weekend.
crystal says
I smiled when I saw David's usage of the F word.
6:30 with Noah, Arturo, and McDowell. Fun night.
I really havent had much practice with OHS. So I was very conservative. I almost did the empty 33# bar because I was wobbling and shakey, but I went for 43# which ended up being too light.
I did jumping C2B pull ups. 4:16
Last nights run/hspu/row made me feel so extremely bad, and Im missing that feeling tonight.
Richard G says
Fox: it wasn't a "downer" at all. As a matter of fact, it struck a chord with what I've been thinking this past year. When I'm playing sports, or at Crossfit, biking to work, walking the kids to school, my first thoughts are how lucky I am to even be able to do this.
What I said this morning was "It's ok to be last" – and I mean that. I enjoy Crossfit and it's helped me this past year, and last summer. But I don't really care if I'm first/last or in the middle – all I care about is just getting it done for my own self.
Not sure of the details for Fox, but I also lost a parent last year – someone who hiked, biked, skated, played hockey once upon a time. It wasn't easy for either of us to watch all that slip away.
But it has made me thankful for my own health and the simple things – walking, jumping onto a box and skipping a rope.
Wod-wise, I had to scale the movements because of mobility issues – can't do an overhead squat with anything other than a pvc. So I front squated 73lbs and jumped from a box on the pull ups. I forget my time – somewhere around five and half minutes I think.
Richard.
samirchopra1@yahoo.com says
High bar back squats @185 lbs and 15-9-6 strict chins.
Finished in 8:21
JB says
<3 Fox (we already know enough about my opinions/feelings/thoughts on a parent)
DO swearing is definitely giggle inducing. McDowell on the other hand shocks me into silence. The first time I heard him say "shit" was truly memorable.
Gina – of course you do!
NOTE: Anyone have a faux beard I can borrow? To pick up at the box on Friday morning? This is serious and fairly urgent. I can't knit or sew, I'm only really good with glue and glitter, or would make one really quick. Help! Will return in good shape with a bomber of tasty beer as thanks.
Shawn$ says
See if we can get Josh to curse more on the blog.
I definitely get a good giggle out of Josh's passion for all things crossfit women.
noahbarth@gmail.com says
No-mind
When I wrestled in high school I saw a captain work himself up so much before a match he was crying. That approach really turned me off even at 14 and is probably part of why i didn't stick with wrestling (that Captain placed 3rd in the city that year and went to states by the way).
I take a breath or two to center myself and just let go. Same as when I spar or when I use to go on-stage or into hard test at school. Just gotta trust that your prep was sufficient, that everything is there waiting to be accessed, get your active mind the hell out of the way and let your training kick in. Excessive cues, last minute cramming, anger/anxiety I find clutters the mind and scrambles the energy. Unless of your course you're recalling cricket scores.
Rest day part 2. Low back has been stiff, Rippitoe is coming to town. Rest day 3 tomorrow.
Jon Shea says
More overhead squats, please. They’re my favorite but we hardly ever get to do them. Overhead squats are the best.
jack says
I like Kirk's approach, and I try to keep it in mind. Doing a set of 5, no matter what the weight is, takes about 20 seconds or so. There aren't too many things I can't endure for 20 seconds, so I make up my mind to just grind it out. It doesn't always work, as I saw bench pressing Tuesday night.
mcdonald.kevinc@gmail.com says
6:30 last night
did the workout w/Luca: OHS at 115 and C2B – DNF
I had 8 C2B left and should have just finished them – the OHS ended up trashing my forearms I think because pull-ups usually aren't such a problem for me but my grip just totally failed last night. I was doing doubles and singles by the end of the first round – OHS rounds were (11,5,5 / 6,5,4 / 9)
Whit H says
Late post to log this one:
Did this with Shaye, and we were very happy to choose a light weight on the OHS. I don't think i've done overhead squats in at least a year…
time: 8:47
OHS @ 43#
Pull-ups: regular kipping
Pull-ups felt way harder than usual during this. Maybe it was the grip/wrist fatigue from OHS, maybe still feeling it from 13.5 on Sunday? Think I need a little more lat activation so I get more from pressing the bar down before I pull into it.
FUN! OHS were tough on the wrists but I actually like them. Would love to start working technique and some weight on there, as I think I can get into pretty good position for them.