Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 2.5-5 pounds to last week’s exposure.
Performance: 92.5% x 2, 82.5% x 10
You’re getting into territory where 10 reps might not be a given. Use spotters, but try to leave a rep in the tank.
Post loads to comments.
e6/8
_____________________
21-15-9 Reps, For Time:
Wall Balls
Burpees
Rest 5 Minutes
40 Calorie Row for Time
All out efforts on each. Score time for each WOD individually.
Post both times to comments.
Coach JB brought the heat on Saturday at Iron Maidens, winning both first in the Pixies division and Best Overall Lifter with a total of 640 (at body weight 105). She PR-ed her bench and met her current PRs for the squat and deadlift.
News and Notes
- Don’t forget to submit your Open scores for 15.1 and 15.1a by 8pm tonight!
- DON’T FORGET TO RSVP TO CLASS: Click on the Class Schedule and RSVP tab in the left-hand column (under General Information) and select the class for which you’d like to RSVP.
- Happy birthday, Sam F.!
A Few Notes From the Iron Maidens Raw Open
From Allie B.:
Iron Maidens was an incredible experience. I’m astonished by the power, strength, and determination of the amazing ladies who lifted. The meet itself was run so well and I felt so prepared thanks to Margie and her clear communication of what to expect, rules, etc. I will definitely participate again next year and would highly recommend the experience to anyone. The number of pounds on the bar is not as important as you think—it was all about testing your personal limits in a highly supportive environment! Great job, everyone!
From Lauren B.:
There was zero doubt in my mind that this would be a world-class event and it exceeded my expectations. On every level I am so happy to have been a part of it. Some highlights for me:
– Seeing first-timers like Sam and Jenny train and crush their first meet with excitement and great attitudes.
– Warming up in the holding room with super strong veterans and friends like JB, Whit, Harper, Dubie, and Dolce and watching them lift weights that I will too some day, dammit! … with lots of hard work and a little pixie dust.
– Representing SBK and welcoming athletes from the greater CrossFit community, including Lorin Blake from CFPH who I watched train hard, had never competed before and came in 2nd in her weight class.
– Watching Margie run this thing from conception to completion with conviction, compassion and poise… talk about an inspiring lady.
– Competing for the 3rd time and finally feeling like I came into it mentally strong! I achieved what I set my mind to achieve and felt a sense of satisfaction the whole day, that I gave it everything I could, along with a pleasant aftertaste of excitement for the next challenge ahead. 🙂 A big thank you to David for helping me with perspective before and during the meet.
ABOVE ALL… the thing that made the biggest impression on me was a tremendous sense of gratitude for and pride in CFSBK. To see members who have become very close friends as well as those whom I have recently met all working together to pull of a flawless event, using strength and skills that they’ve honed HERE, supporting each other with sincere interest and a spirit of competition, taking their abilities and hard work seriously, and dedicating a substantial chunk of their time and energy to making this event and community what it is—I’m looking at Kate R., among others, who wore many hats beautifully.
This was a LONG day—12+ high-energy, physically-taxing hours. THANK YOU to all who participated, attended, and brought me so many bottles of coffee.
My best #s yesterday were: SQ 200, BP 110, DL 205 (PR)—all of these felt great!
From Jenny M.:
Iron Maidens was SO much FUN yesterday. Thanks to everyone who organized and volunteered. Congrats to everyone who lifted!
It was a weekend of PRs for me!
At Iron maidens I hit a 195 HBBS (+15# PR) but missed a cue because my foot but hey—it’s still a PR even if it didn’t count in the meet.
Got 190 for the official squat, 100 for bench (+3# PR) and 220 for DL (+10# PR). 510 total. So happy since my goal when I signed up at the end of December was 450 and my goal after several weeks of training was 500. 🙂
_____________________
Be More Human Experience Reebok
Carl Sagan Explains the Life and Death of Stars
If you competed this weekend at Iron Maidens/the Strength Cycle Total/C.R.A.S.H.-B.’s and haven’t reported back, tell us how it went!
greetings from the Dublin airport! Just wanted to throw in a quick word about Iron Maidens!
what a crazy day! biggest shout out ever to Margie and all the judges, spotters, weighers, and data enterers. you guys were awesome and so so smooth.
one of the most fun things I've done in a long time. i got a chance to get to know and warm up with some of the strongest ladies at our gym (Becca, serene, Kayleigh, lady fox, Charlie etc etc etc). you guys are awesome and a huge inspiration for a novice lifter like me. so happy to have gotten to get a chance to hang out/powder your legs/steal your belts etc.
and damnnnnn do you guys know how to make a girl feel special. pr'd all my lifts (245, 140, 290) and I really have to attribute that to the energy of the crowd (and also drake of course). felt the love and encouragement up there and was reminded how psyched and lucky I am to have come across this awesome community.
best part of the day had to be seeing all the ladies I had trained with (and who have become awesome friends) hit their lifts. overall, a great experience.
okay, back to napping on airport floor.
6am with JB and McDowell
Bench was challenging this week with the 82.5% on the rep-out. Hit 235# x 2 for my 92.5%, then 210# x 10 for the rep-out. First 8 felt fast, last 2 were a little bit of a grind.
Got tasked with the row first for the WOD. Managed about 1 calorie per stroke and completed the row in 1:55. Took my 5min break, then hit the wall balls and burpees. I used a 20# medicine ball – contrary to what BK noted on the whiteboard 🙂 – and finished in 3:55. I thought it would go a little faster but I was a bit all over the place with the wall balls since my core felt super smoked from yesterday. Managed to do everything unbroken and hit the gas pedal during the round of 9.
Congrats to ALL the competitors this weekend. I was only able to witness the Saturday festivities. The energy in the gym during Iron Maidens was incredible and the #'s that went up, as mentioned, were sick. Love watching lovely ladies liftin' . . .
6am with JB (what?) and McDowell
Bench Press is still moving well.
92.5% X 2 = 215#
82.5% X 10 = 195# Hit all 10 reps. The last two were pretty slow.
WOD
Started with the Row and did the calories in 1:47.
I think I did the WB.Burpees work in 5:47 or 5:27. Cant recal which. First round of WBs were unbroken and then the 15s were three sets of 5 and the 9 was three sets of three.
6am
Bench press: 195×2 (92.5%), 175×7 (82.5%). During the 10, I felt my mid-section give out and lost my rib cage. Still feeling the affects of 15.1
Metcon: Row @ 1:53. Couplet: 4:53(?) Again, mid-section didn't feel so hot during the wall balls. Set of 21 unbroken, then 15 broken into 3 sets (yikes). The burpees were slow today and I was choking on the Michael's dust as he blazed by me.
Makeup post from the weekend:
Margie very kindly said yes when I asked if I could just bench press at Iron Maidens. I also volunteered in the morning, so I got to see almost the whole morning's worth of amazing performances from the Pixies and Ladies. I was afraid going in that I was going to be an emotional wreck (because I miss being able to squat and deadlift!) but it really was an unqualified joy to watch so many women move so much weight, and especially to watch quite a few ladies surprise themselves with what they could do.
I was pretty chill in the afternoon while people were squatting. Normally I get nervous as hell at a meet, but I had only one job this time so I was able to be calm…at least until Charlie hit 265. And when Serene hit 320 I pretty much lost my sh!t screaming.
When it came time for the bench, I was SO nervous. Never mind that I had a pretty good guess coming in of what I'd be able to hit. I had decided earlier in the day to open at 130. I knew I could hit more than that but I was still nervous as all get-out, especially with people cheering for me! Basically I had one thing on my brain and that was to listen for the rack command, because the last time I did Tough Titsday, I racked the bar too soon after making the lift and earned myself a fail. I did it perfectly this time, and again at 140. This is where I got a little greedy and asked for 150 on my final attempt. I fought with the bar a little bit before the judge called a spot. I'm not sorry I tried, though a little bit of me wishes I'd opened at 135 because I bet I could have hit 145 on my second attempt.
So once that was over, I got to watch some dear friends pull a LOT of weight! Highlights: Kayleigh not only joining the 300 club, but making it three WHEELS, and of course I lost all composure when Serene pulled 345 to end the meet.
Thank you to Margie for organizing such a kickass event (and for letting me participate even though I couldn't do the whole shebang), to DO for the moral support and a place for all this magic to happen, and to all the inspiring women who lifted yesterday. I cannot WAIT to join you all on the platform again!
Weekend Recap:
Iron Maidens was so great. The energy in the gym was electric and it was beyond awesome to see so many ladies lifting some heavy weights! Really proud of all of the SBK gals because we represented HARD. Big thanks to Margie for deciding way back when (2011?) that we needed a All Women's Powerlifting Meet and for deciding to make it even bigger and better this year. Thanks to David for continuing to support this and to all the judges, volunteers and the hardest job of the day…the spotters/plate loaders. Oh, and of course the spectators!!! If you haven't been there before, it's unreal how the cheering of the crowd will keep the bar moving. You all are awesome and I'm so happy to be a part of this amazing community. Now for the deets…
Squat:
(45×5, 135×5, 185×3, 225×1, 245×1, 265×1)
275
285 PR
290 fail
-overall a 5# PR. Really I had been PR'ing my squat in training for that past couple weeks so I wasn't sure how much more I had. Before I got sick, I did think that a 300# squat was within reach, but being sick kept me away from training anything heavy for a full week leading up to the meet. I've already signed up for a USAPL Meet in April so provided that I don't get sick again (or just get over this one) maybe I'll get a little closer to 300 then. 😉
Bench:
(45×5, 75×5, 95×3, 115×2, 130×1, 140×1)
140
145 (meet PR)
150 PR
-I know these aren't big numbers compared to my squat/dead but I might be most excited about the progress I made here. My last lift at 150 actually felt the best and I feel like there's room for more there. I think I also like the bench the best because I don't have to face the crowd. Guys, I get really nervous!
Deadlift:
(135×5, 185×3, 225×1, 255×1, 285×1)
305
320
330 PR
-didn't train the deadlift as much for this meet so wasn't really sure what I'd be capable of. Honestly, 305 felt so heavy that I didn't think I had much more. This is the hardest I've ever worked for a deadlift so very happy to have finished with a 5# PR!
Total: 765 (50# PR).
Placed 1st in the Ladies weight class and ended up going 8/9 and hitting PR's in all lift. Not a bad day! I also have to thank my amazing husband for being a great coach and for being so supportive in every stage of the game. Love that guy.
Oh also did the Open wod yesterday with the 12pm class:
15.1
131 reps
-I strongly dislike toes 2 bars. all snatches unbroken.
15.1A
155
-got greedy and went for 170 and missed twice on the jerk. should have dropped down to 165 since I know I would have had that.
my body is tired and I'm looking forward to a massage and a couple days off of training.
I am still on a post-Iron Maidens high! What an amazing day. Having done several other TTD meets at the gym, I have to say that the addition of ladies from outside the gym was really the icing on the cake. I loved both being in the company of both my awesome gym friends and meeting other new lovely strong ladies. I'm so full of gratitude for Margie and all of the volunteers who made this special day happen.
As for my lifts, although I didn't PR any individual lifts, I surprised myself by PRing my raw total. This was a surprise to me because I'd had a little over two weeks of really disappointing training sessions due to being sick. My intent for the meet was to hit a squat that was heavy but not grindy and go for it on the bench and deadlift. Squat I achieved a post-natal PR of 170. Bench I matched my previous PR at 85, and deadlift 225 was a little ugly but I did it.
My only regret was having to leave the meet to go attend to my kiddies and missing all the amazing closing lifts! But so happy to see there are some vids on Flickr.
So inspiring, maidens! Congratulations to all who participated! Looking forward to competing next year!
After writing the novel above, I realized I didn't log yesterday's and today's work…
Came in to OG last night hoping to squat, since I can air squat OK now. I thought I was going to do something light, meaning like 95 or even 135. I asked Ro what I should do, thinking he'd say something similar. HA! He said, "Start with the 15# bar, and if that feels good try the 33." He was so right. 15 was OK but 33 was weird. Not painful, but weird. So I guess it's two steps forward, one step back. Better than the other way around, I suppose, and I'm SO glad I asked for advice instead of just haring off on my own, which clearly would have set me back!
So I switched to strict press, 72.5x5x3. Heavy but doable. I may repeat this weight on Wednesday, or go to 75 if I'm feeling good.
Then I messed around with the erg, chinups, and some weighted lunges. Also judged a couple of people doing 15.1. I'm #sorrynotsorry to be missing out on that sucker. It was super fun to talk Colleen through her first Open WOD. She surprised herself with a jerk PR, yay!
Today I stuck with fitness programming on the bench because of Saturday and unexpectedly pressing yesterday instead of squatting. 120x5x3, definitely heavier than this weight normally feels!
Then I did 3, then 2, then 1 minute each of assault bike/rest, for calories. I have only been on that sucker twice and I already have a love/hate relationship with it. Love, because at least I still get to do something with my legs while I'm injured. Hate, because it's TERRIBLE. Seriously, I think I might have found something I hate more than burpees.
Giant thank-you to JB for encouraging me to come back to group class, and ESPECIALLY to DO for providing me with special-snowflake programming so that I can do it.
Sunday OG
Linear Progression HBBSQ – 3 X 5 at 290. Have 6 more exposures and am adding 2.5lbs per exposure. Weight feels solid, and I've been feeling stronger each set.
Sidenote: Watching everyone attack 15.1 was a joy to watch last night. From Crumsho, to Spencer to Melo and Flynndogg everyone seemed super focused and like they were having fun. There was a quiet intensity that was really evident. Congrats to everyone, those toes 2 bar looked narsty
I do not even know where to begin here. My eyes are filled with tears as I write this, which I know you might find hard to believe because I have such a tough, thuggish exterior…But, truth be told, I am soft and emo on the inside. There I said it. Now you know! (but don't tell anyone. Don't want to blow my cover).
MY IRON MAIDEN RECAP
I was actually told to sign up for this by KH – it wasn't really a choice. I agreed, because I am always up for a challenge, and I knew it would be a lot of fun. As soon as I told coach Tur, he got me setup on this Russian cycle business. I was pumped, and ready to get after it. I agreed to come to the gym on Sunday nights, Monday mornings, and my usual Thursday mornings. I did not miss one day of training. I was damned and determined to see how far I could come in the seven weeks of preparation.
This was my first time to ever compete in a weightlifting competition, so I did not know what to expect. I'll talk about my physical gainz (best word ever) first.
We tested my 1RMs to calculate my training numbers, and this is how it went:
LBBSQ: 160#
BENCH: 85#
DEADLIFT: 175#
At the end of my training, we tested again, and this is what happened:
LBBSQ: 185#
BENCH: 102#
DEADLIFT: 235#
I could have just ended with this and been happy! I could not believe how much stronger I had become is such a short period of time.
Competition Day:
LBBSQ: 185# / attempted 195# and failed because I didn't get deep enough, but I stood it up, so it's there!
BENCH: 100#
DEADLIFT: 240# PR! Couldn't believe I did this! Ahhhh! So exciting!
Total: 525# !!!!
I finished fourth overall in the pixie weight class, which was INCREDIBLE, considering I was among so many freakishly strong women. I was so proud of myself and my fellow competitors. It was truly amazing to see so many hot, intelligent ladies kick serious fucking ass. Sexiest thing ever.
I was also so proud to represent Crossfit South Brooklyn. There are loads of other gyms much more conveniently located to me (I am the token CFSBK member who lives in Flatiron) that I could go to, but I will never. There is something special about our gym – the people, the exceptional coaching staff, etc. that have me hooked.
I feel like I just won an Oscar and this is my speech, and they are starting to play the "get the fuck off the stage" music right now, but I have to thank Coach Tur for being just as committed as I was, Margie for putting on such an amazing, well-organized, empowering event, all of the women who judged, spotted and helped things run smoothly, and KHizz for, again, not giving me an option as to which gym I would try when I was deciding to give this whole Crossfit thing a go one year ago.
That's it. I'm done. Yay!
What a great weekend! Anyone who attended Saturday's Iron Maidens can attest to what an inspirational, fun filled day it was. Congratulations to Margie for having the vision and to everyone for making it happen. Sunday was another impressive Strength Cycle Total. Congratulations to Jeremy who cycle after cycle coaches people to make impressive gains on their lifts. If you haven't watched a Strength Cycle Total, you are missing out. Special thanks to Jeremy "the bar whisperer" for telling us spotters on Saturday what weights to use. Congratulations to Nick and his Crash Beasts! Word is that Nick killed it and made the erg cry!
Iron Maidens was filled with lots of emotion, and I was just so pleased to be around so many supportive, incredible, strong women! There were many bonding moments of hunger before the weigh-in, nerves before the lifts, and celebration after! I felt honored just to be amongst my flight of crazy strong dames and broads (Charlie, Stella, Sam, Lady Fox, Becca, Serene, and many more). The women from the other gyms also brought a great energy. Many thanks to Margie, the spotters, and all the volunteers that made it happen. The crowd was great and really helped push through the last inches of each lift.
Squat: 210, 220 (F – didn't reach depth), 225 PR!
Was bummed to not make depth on the second, so I was initially going to repeat the weight, but was positively peer pressured to go up (thanks Charlie). I also thought to myself that 225 meant 2 wheels, which is kind of a milestone, so just go for it!
Bench: 100, 105, 110(F)
105 matches a PR. Almost had 110 – I messed up my breathing because I was so focused on cues and didn't take a deep breath before coming down. I feel like this is close within reach.
Deadlift: 275, 300 PR!, 315 PR!!!!!
THREE WHEELS! I was really hoping to get there after Fox quickly mentioned that number to me in my last deadlift exposure. So glad to make it – and was very surprised at how many people afterwards were telling me that it looked like I had even more room to grow. After watching the video, it did look a lot faster than it felt. I'd like to retest this again at the end of this cycle and keep focusing on bracing.
Such a great experience! It was also extra special for me because my parents were in the city for the day and came to watch. My mother, who is terrified of every CrossFit story I tell her, was really impressed by how supportive the environment is and asked me tons of questions afterward. My father was sold on the gym upon hearing "and there is beer in the fridge" as soon as he walked in – although he did not partake because he felt he did not earn it. I'm glad that I was able to share this part of my life with them.
Congrats to all the iron maiden competitors! Sounds amazing.
I had a great time at Crash Bs… It's been so excruciating training for 16 weeks for a 7 minute race – I kept being afraid I would get sick at the last minute, slip on the ice, eat the wrong thing before the race or just be too nervous to compete. Just before I went to do my heat, I saw someone being treated at the first aid desk because they had fallen off their erg! So my new definition of success became "Completing the 2k without falling off the erg!"
We met the night before at the Harvard Men's Boat House – an old and beautiful boat house – Nick got us special permission to practice there – where we got to see the 0%bodyfat nordic nineteen year olds row with blasé perfection… then after Nick gave up on the idea of walking across the frozen Charles River, we had a nervous group dinner.
The morning of the race I hibernated in my hotel room. My heat (Senior Master Men i.e. the Very Old) was at 3:15. Nick came in 5th in my heat with an amazing time of 6:15. I was in another bank of ergs, getting great help from Katie, who agreed to coxswain me. I executed my race plan perfectly until the last 500, when I couldn't keep up the pace – I ended up with a 7:03. A tiny bit disappointed that I didn't get under 7, but mostly elated that I got an 11 second PR. Also a 24 second improvement since we started training in November. Also happy that I arrived at the race in one piece and left in one piece (didn't fall off the erg)!
I definitely feel like I learned a lot about rowing, about mental focus in workouts, and I think in general my conditioning has really benefited. Also a great group of people! As always at CFSBK, everyone involved was kind, funny, interesting, diverse, smart. Thanks to Nick and all the 2015 beasts!
I popped into OG last night to do 15.1 (I intended to do it with the 6am-ers on Sunday morning, but work got in the way). I had very low expectations going into this, since I only recently gained the ability to do any toes-to-bars and really haven't been able to string them together yet, and 115 is only 10 pounds off of my snatch PR. But I wanted to seize the opportunity to challenge myself, so Rx'd it was. I definitely met my low expectations by completing 2 rounds plus 6 toes-to-bars, for 66 reps total. The real challenge here was the snatches. I have the strength, but my technique was just garbage – I was consistently failing to get under the damn bar, which is my consistent problem with snatches (at least I'm consistent?). Toes-to-bars were slow and not really strung together, though I managed to stay on the bar through consistent sets of roughly 3-5. A lot of encouragement and pacing cues from my judge Karl helped me not be a complete mess on this and a helpful cue from MeLo re getting under the snatches helped me actually get through them.
I was a little bummed out about my performance here (and I do think I have better in me), but considering how close 115 is to my snatch PR and the fact that I did 10 of them while pretty damn fatigued, I've decided to cut myself a little slack.
For 15.1a, I started my C&J at 125, which was lighter than I expected. Then I hit 135. Then I hit 155, which was, I believe, a PR (it's been a while since I did any jerks, but I think my last PR was somewhere around 140). I went for 165 in the last few seconds, but failed the clean. I'm pretty happy with this portion, though.
Congrats to all of the Iron Maidens – reading all of these accounts of the event has been great. I'm going to keep bringing my daughters around the gym so they can soak up some of those strength and confidence vibes.
I'm not one for complaining, but the snow has to stop.
6AM McD and JB
Bench: #130, 3×5
Still moving very well. My partner Jon noted that I'm probably underselling myself, I would agree. Previously I never hit 130, and now I'm hitting it with some ease. I have no idea how to explain this.
WOD: WB + Burpees: 4:47 40 Cal Row: 2:15
Went #14 ball for a 9' target. I need to upgrade at some point but WBs are not my strong suit. Did the first round of WBs unbroken, broke up the second round into eight and seven, and then did the last round unbroken. I was surprised by how winded the burpees made me feel.
I felt especially tired this morning and tried to pull the row out at a good intensity but there wasn't much energy available.
My Iron Maidens Recap:
I have one regret from Saturday, and that is not stealing the mike to officially thank Margie. The supportive energy was a testament to Margie’s hard work and vision. I have cried so many times in the last couple of days over how lucky I feel to be a part of the community of women at CFSBK. I keep rewatching my final deadlift video, but not looking at myself—looking at the reactions of everyone around me, whose support was EVERYTHING. My non-gym friends who were in attendance that afternoon commented that their stereotypes of lifters had been shattered that day.
I am excited to have placed first in the Broads category with an 805# total and the following lifts:
Squat: 300, 310, 320 (5lb PR)
These all felt great. I wanted to go for more in the third attempt, but Jeremy wanted me to focus on attempts I wouldn’t fail to focus on winning. He was right, as usual, but 330 next time!!!
Bench Press: 135, 140, 145 (F for uneven lockout)
My upper body was clearly transplanted onto me from some other creature when I was a child. Moving on….(Actually, I really need to work here. I was counting on the squat and DL to pull me through, but at the end of the day I won by a hair, because Lorin from CFPH, who came in in second place in my category had a giant bench!)
Deadlift: 325, 335 (PR), 345 (PR)
I know my squat is more impressive, but the things you work hardest for meant the most. I struggled for months with a weak grip (miniature hands) and a weak lockout. Jeremy really helped me train these weaknesses this cycle. All of a sudden a few weeks ago it started paying off—and I began PRing in training for doubles and triples. I had underestimated how tired I would be by the time of the deadlift in the meet, though. These things are long! I think I made that 345 partly because of all of the energy being channeled to me for having the last lift of the meet.
Friend and community highlights:
Silly chats with Bree and Erin as I waited my turn to lift and snacked at their table. Watching my gym wife, Charlie, PR her squat at 265. Watching Sam P who told me in the warm-up room that she sucked at deadlifts pull an easy 290. Becca’s bouncy bouncy bouncy 315lb. squat. Every single lift from Jess Fox, whom I have been mentally chasing this entire cycle, and JB who is just effing strong. Welcoming Kayleigh to the 300 club, who pulled a very easy 315. (and Val, too, though not in the meet. Also, non-iron-maiden related, watching my beloved platform-mate, David Cohen, pull an easy 390 at the total last night.)
Oh, and one last reason to thank Margie—for managing in the middle of her MCing to produce baby powder from her magic bag. (And to Sam, for powdering my legs!) Who knows if I woulda made those deadlifts in shorts without it?!
Hey old gym with the awesome blog I still come read! I wanted to post about Iron Maidens which I participated in on Saturday.
First, thank you to Margie for pulling off such an amazing event! It was so well run. 2nd to the judges and volunteers and spectators for spending their Saturday with us. And 3rd to all the awesome ladies I got to lift with!! What a great first meet experience. Congrats to ALL the winners and everyone who participated!
As I said this was my first meet, so I learned the hard way about pretty much everything. It was a crappy day for me overall (no PRs), but that didn't even matter!! I came for the fun and experience and those I had. My tips for anyone going into a meet: hydrate well the day before and don't worry about making a certain weight class, warm up properly before squatting, listen to the judges cues and don't be so anxious!! My best scores were:
Squat: 165#
Bench Press: 102.5# (although that didn't count because I didn't wait for the start cue)
Deadlift: 175# (nursing an injury from flex in the city so went lightish on this one)
Total: 442.5 (but really 340 since my bench didn't count due to technicalities)
So, not what I was hoping for but there is always next year!
This gym is really special and I love reading the comments because I know none of you take that for granted. I am happy I got to spend a year with you! Hopefully one day my new crossfit can be half as cool! Thanks for inviting other gyms and hopefully I can come participate at the next event you have.
btw Laura, those gains in 7 weeks are crazy!!!! And Kayleigh I love the story about your parents. No one in my family gets what I do either and so maybe next time I will invite them to witness!
I’ve been holding off on posting anything because I—theoretically—have a lot of work to do today (before I leave at 2:30 to do 15.1….I guess my priorities are clear…), but after reading everyone’s thoughtful and joy-filled reflections, I have to add my own:
First, Saturday was SO fun. At this point it might sound cliché to mention how inspiring and empowering it was to lift with/watch lift so many strong, determined, beautiful women, but the experience really was incredible. Part of this stems from the fact that it’s just pretty darn cool to be around a whole bunch of women who are into being strong and lifting heavy shit; who value their bodies for what they can DO, rather than simply how they look. But, as many of us have been saying, there’s also something really special about the community we have here, and I think that really showed on Saturday. I’ve done all-women’s strength cycles before and have participated in an all-women’s powerlifting meet once before. These were great events, but the support and positivity from the crowd and competitors was nothing like what I experienced on Saturday. I was so inspired by everyone who came out and competed—regardless of numbers and successful attempts, and despite the fact that too few of you wore glitter (Sam gets a pass on this because she rocked the Drake shirt.)
Training for this meet was great—I feel like I made some great friendships and pushed myself to some delightfully uncomfortable places. On the day of, I had such a great time up in the warm-up room and off on the sidelines waiting for attempts, cheering on friends I’ve lifted with before (many of whom I’ve seen make incredibly gains over the past several weeks!), and getting to know ladies like Dubie and Nicole, both bad asses that I hadn’t met before. And then, of course, watching the super strong Dames and Broads lift all the weights was just awesome. Thank you so much to all the ladies who lifted with me; the (big!) supportive crowd; the tireless spotters and judges (seriously spotters, how sore were you yesterday?!); DO, Ro, Jeremy and Fox who were over in the waiting area for most of the day providing us with motivation, feedback and humor; and Margie who did an amazing job organizing everything, keeping the event running smoothly, and adding flare to the announcing like no one’s business.
Lifts:
HBBS:
205
220—previous PR, felt pretty smooth
230 (fail)—bailed this, embarrassingly. I wish I had fought a bit harder. As soon as I started having trouble, I just gave up (clearly not giving my spotters any time to come help me). I was a little upset about this because I KNOW my squat has gotten stronger since I hit 220 a couple of months ago, but I moved on fairly quickly. I hope to get this soon.
Bench
120
125
130 (PR)—felt easy!
DL
265
280
290—OOF! I had originally wanted to try 300 here (290 was a previous PR), but given how 280 felt and that it was the end of the meet, I was fairly certain it wasn’t going to happen. I’m glad I stuck with this, because I don’t think I could have done one pound more than 290! It wasn’t a pretty lift, and I don’t think I’ve ever fought for any lift so hard in my life! In any other context, I probably would have given up, but the combination of feeling like I gave up too early on my squat and the awesome cheering of the crowd, kept me, inexplicably, pulling the bar slowly up. The picture on the blog today was shot right after this lift.
This deadlift, combined with one small cup of beer, necessitated a short nap up in the office mid-afternoon. I consider my ability to fall asleep amid cheers and weightlifting grunts one of my accomplishments of the day.
Oh yeah! I forgot to mention—even though I only PR'ed in one lift, this was a 75lb meet total PR for me from my first meet in November 2013.
First of all BIG congrats to Coach Nick, all of the CRASH Beasts, all of the Iron Maidens and all of yesterday's Totalers. What a weekend!
Iron Maidens recap.
So proud of all of the badass ladies who took part In this event.
A few thank yous- Laura I too feel like this is a bit of an Oscar acceptance speech. Ha.
Margie- thank you so much for putting on this amazing and empowering event. Thanks for your coaching, for writing my programming and answering all of my stupid questions over the last while. It's been truly awesome to have your support.
Jeremy- without whom I would definitely never have realized how strong I could get. Serene and I embarked on the Strength Cycle journey this time last year and it completely changed the course of my CrossFit journey. To have you there coaching and believing in me on Saturday, as well as the whole lead up to this, was extra meaningful.
Coach Fox, whose eagle-eye has helped me fix many issues I have and who, on the day, somehow managed to say exactly what I needed to hear between lifts to keep me going.
Thanks so much to everyone who was involved in the running of the event. DO, Mare, Josh, Kate. R, Mel, Michele, Joy, Ruth, Bree, Erin.. Sorry if I am missing any morning people!!
It was an incredible and inspiring day. I spent much of the day fighting back tears watching friends and strangers PR their lifts. Who knew lifting could be so emotional?! I mean, I kind of had an inkling since I cried the whole way through Tough Titsday last year…Seriously, I still can't watch the video of Serene squatting 320 without crying.
I also want to say that I am so grateful for the coaching here- I went in with a good strategy which is how I came second in my weight class. There were women there on the day who were much stronger than some of the people who placed, but had ill-advised openers, failed on technicalities, and bombed out of the meet. It is so important to get number on the board, even if it is not a PR. This was my first meet and I am so glad I listened and opened with numbers I knew I could definitely hit. I also somehow magically did not miss any of the commands, which was a huge surprise to me.
As for how my lifts went, I was a bit disappointed as I know that I should have a bit more than what I actually lifted, but, like Jess, I was sick for the week before and my back has been feeling off since my last heavy rack pulls two weeks ago. I was pretty exhausted going in on Saturday and part of me was even thinking I should skip the deadlift.
LBBS
255
265 PR
270 F
I was so nervous for this lift. I was fully convinced I would not wait for a command or something. I had to re-rack the 270# attempt because it was uneven on my back and I totally got in my head then and failed the actual attempt. I think on another day I should have had this weight.
Bench Press
130
135 PR
140 F
I was pretty surprised at how difficult 130 felt as I was doing this paused for reps two weeks ago. Fox said I was losing tension at the bottom, so I focused on that, hit 135 and tried 140 with my belt. Fox said I hit my chest too high for that one. I pushed as hard as I could but somehow was unable to drive through my legs to finish the lift. It felt like I was stuck there for about 10 seconds!!!! Definitely the least nerve-wracking lift of the day.
Deadlift
300
315
The second I pulled 300#, I knew it was not my day to PR. 315# was really tough; far slower and shakier than when I pulled it last July. At ine point I didn't think I was going to get it but I was determined and really fought for it, and am glad I did. I was pretty upset and sore at that point and I knew I had nothing left so I did not make a third attempt.
I got over myself fairly quickly and was able to watch everyone else PR. Favorite moments- watching the ever-inspiring Lady Fox pull 330, watching Kayleigh pull 315, the amazing energy of the crowd all day, but especially when Serene pulled 345. Also Sam Peltz, you are a beast and those leaderboards are just a few months away. And a special shout-out to Bethany, who has made a truly impressive comeback to lifting, against all odds. Respect.
I also had so much fun meeting strong and truly inspiring women from other gyms. The feeling of genuine support and mutual respect and admiration was something I have never experienced before to this extent.
I feel so lucky to have found this hobby and made such great friends at this point in my life, so far from home. Love you all!
Loving the comments today. Echoing what everyone has said, Saturday was wonderful. So proud of all of you. I wasn't able to compete but I'm so thankful I could help and be part of it, especially alongside such incredible volunteers and with Margie at the helm. It was a very cool experience to be so close to the lifters while spotting, feeling all that energy. JB, witnessing your nap upstairs was also a highlight, and point of envy. I wasn't that sore yesterday, but I'm still wiped.
More photos of the Broads and Dames are up!
I did 15.1 yesterday and it was frustrating. I still don't have T2B but I refused to do it scaled… which meant I got 7 reps for 15.1. After struggling to get singles and failing for about 4 minutes, I moved on and did the deadlifts, snatches, and hanging knee raises. Then I channeled my frustration into PR-ing my clean and jerk at 145 (failed twice at 155), so I can't be too mad. Huge shout-out to Asha for her encouragement and strategizing, and for crushing the workout and hitting so many snatches at 75, which is her PR.
I need to decide how bad I want to attack my weaknesses. I'm tired of them.
Weekend post!
Needless to say, I'm still EXHAUSTED/wish I had more energy to post my true inspirational thoughts. But Saturday has to be one of the best days I'm going to have all year. All of the positive energy in the room was infectious, and I was so happy my parents were able to make it to finally see what a wonderful, supportive community I'm a part of! So happy for all the ladies who hit their goals, extremely thankful for the support from all of the coaches on the sidelines, and Margie you did an amazing job, you all freakin RULE!
Squat: 215, 225(PR), 235(PR)
This was a 20 lb PR, which was SO exciting. Was nervous about making that last 10 lb jump, but after receiving the nod of approval from Jeremy, I was all in. The squat felt great, and shockingly I feel like there's room to grow here.
Bench: 115, 125(PR), 135 (F)
Up until that last lift, this went as well as it could have. I have been nervous about benching with my shoulder, thus avoiding bench up until 3 weeks prior to the event. The last attempt was a bit scary, lost the bar path and actually almost dropped the bar on my throat. BIG THANKS to my spotters for saving my life (looked up and all I could see was Kate Reece, my hero!, grabbing the bar just in time)…for the record I was completely unharmed. I shouldn't have gone with such a big jump on my last attempt, but i truly didn't know how much I had in me, so i figured it was worth a shot. In retrospect, i'm a little disappointed in my poor judgment for the sake of safety, but it was my first meet so I guess I can't be too hard on myself.
Deadlift: 285, 295, 305(F)
Had initially anticipated hitting closer to 305 for my second pull, but 285 felt HEAVY, so I could tell that I was starting to run out of steam. So glad I started out where I did for my opener. 295 was a grind, but still manageable…and then…. 305, GRRR. I just couldn't get myself braced properly, and when I started to pull I swear that bar didn't even move a millimeter. I really wanted it, I was pulling so hard that when I finally let go i'm pretty sure I flew up into the air. Kinda funny. Jess Fox said she thinks someone glued the plates to the ground, I agree : )
Sunday OG:
Had no choice but to take on 15.1, because i'm stuck in class until 6pm tonight. Surprisingly wasn't sore, just a bit of fatigue in the back.
WOD 1- 149 reps
WOD 1.a- 160# C&J
I was keeping a pretty good pace with the WOD, wish I would have gone a little faster with my snatches and deadlifts to squeeze out a few more reps, but I wasn't willing to risk messing up my shoulder with a sloppy power snatch, so I was really happy with how this went. Obviously toes to bar were the limiter. I broke them up into sets of 5 for the first 2 rounds or so, then did almost all singles in round 5, which ate up all of my time.
Clean and jerks were on last night! I was on another planet during this section of the workout, (I apologize for the aggressive noises that may or may not have been coming from my side of the gym)
145, 155, 160 (F- failed clean, didn't open up my hands), 160#! GOT IT! current PR!
Rest day today, thank goodness. I <3 CFSBK : )
Came in to throw down with McD for 15.1 this morning. Big rest day yesterday that included a lot of sleep, a lot of dog-snuggling, many many carbs, and some Arrested Development bingewatching. Probably should've done a bit more A/R, but feel pretty good all in all.
15.1 – 123 reps, RX'ed. 15.1a 140#
Really thought I could crank out 5 rounds of this, but those damn T2B just shut me down! Wore gymnastic hand wraps so I wouldn't tear. makes it a bit harder to grip the bar. But this was just ALL GRIP for me anyway. My game plan was to hit 2 rounds by 3 min, 4 rounds by 6:30, and then have the last 2.5 min to get a 5th round and maybe some bonus reps. Here's what actually happened:
round 1: done 1:26
t2b: 5, 4, 3, 3
dl & snatch unbroken
round 2: done 3:30
t2b: 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 (i think)
dl & snatch unbroken
round 3: done 6:00 (WOMP WOMP)
t2b: ALL SINGLES BABY
dl & snatch unbroken
round 4: done 8:40 (ouch)
t2b: singles
dl unbroken
snatch: 3, 2
3 single t2b to finish at 9:00.
added plates. changed shoes. breathed for a few seconds.
11:00 – 105# make
12:00 – 125# make
13:15 – 135# make
14:30 – 140# make (PR!)
-these were all power cleans. my previous power clean pr was 128, so that's cool.
-after 135, Fox said to throw 10# on the bar cuz it flew up, but i was nervous to push it, since my previous 1RM clean and jerk was 138 and I have barely split jerked since… uh… July.
-he was probably right. after time was called, I waited another minute and then hit 145# for another PR (ugly power clean cuz I just couldn't bring myself to squat all the way down. pretty solid jerk.)
-now I know 150# is within reach, and then McDowell will have to buy me ice cream!
this is why I love the Open every year… cuz you do something outside your comfort zone and then end up sometimes surpassing your own expectations!
My Iron Maidens recap:
It was an incredible day, exciting, and just so f*#%ing fun!! I am still on an emotional high, i'm still tired, and i'm still sooo hungry!! BIG shout out to all the volunteers, judges and spotters!! I loved that this meet was open to women outside of SBK, they were all amazing and really were the icing on the cake! A million thanks and lots of love to Margie for keeping these events alive, running a well organized event, and for support throughout the day!! And, of course, endless thanks to Jeremy whose coaching is priceless in so many ways!!
Here's a breakdown of the day:
SQUAT:
285, 300, 315 (PR!!)
I squatted 285×1 last week during training last week and felt this was a good opener. I was confident with it, just wanted to get a number on the board and get my nerves out of my system. This felt so solid at the meet that i progressed to 300, which also went smoothly. I've had #315 as a goal for a while and wanted it bad! I AM SO SO SO HAPPY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! #315 was solid!! I'm very excited to see where squats go from here!
BENCH:
140, 150, 160(F)
140 was smooth but 150 was a bit weird. The judge gave the wrong command ("rack" instead of "press") so i halted the lift for a second but was able to complete it. Jeremy suggested jumping to #155 to finish but i think i got a little overzealous thinking i could hit #160. I failed #160 at the USAPL meet last year too so this will be my new goal for benching. I will also listen to my coach.
DEADLIFT:
255, 265, 275
As soon as i picked #255 from the floor my low-back was not the happiest camper but was still able to pull it. I did some Psoas mobility and #265 was much smoother and i was happy to hit #275, which was my goal for the day. Feedback from many people was that i could have hit 285 but my deadlift training had been pretty rocky leading up to the event, and although 275 is 10lbs less than my PR i was very happy to meet this goal for the day!
I ended the day placing 3rd in the Broads!!!
Again this was just an amazing day!! Congratulations to every woman who stepped onto the platform and participated!!! Each of you are inspirational and motivate me to continue to grow!!
Congrats to CRASH-Bs and my fellow Strength Cyclers (i'm sorry i missed yesterday's total – i fell asleep)!!!
makeup post from yesterday:
9am
15.1: 124 reps ttb were 8/7, 8/7, 5/5/5, 5/5/5, 4, but I lost the kip around rep 45, and had to reset each time thereafter.
15.1a: 185 lbs Failed the jerk at 195. I was rushing to get in under the clock and didn't set it up right.
15.1 seems to have torn up my shoulder a little bit, which I didn't feel until later in the day. Hurts a bit to raise my right arm above shoulder height. Skipped class today and monitoring the situation.
Iron Maidens was an incredible day. Thank you so much to all the volunteers, lifters, spectators and organizers!
Just Finished 15.1
Triplet: 4 Rounds + 6 T2B (126 Reps)
C+J:
177
197
207
217
Triplet:
Did all the toes to bars in sets of 5 with 5-8 seconds rest
All deadlifts unbroken with a switch and hook grip
Snatches were all singles that I dropped
Grip was never a factor and I felt good. Kept it at about 80% intensity until the last round where I jumped up to about 90%
Clean and Jerk
No misses on the clean and Jerk. I should have started at 197 then worked up to 227. They all felt crisp and clean, no press outs or anything. Rested about 2:00 before my first attempt which was perfect. Did my last one with :30 to go.
Really enjoyed this workout, I thought it was going to crush me and destroy my grip but I did a good job sticking to my pacing plan and I felt great throughout. Again- Just wish I could have been more aggressive on the clean and jerks!!! Alas.
Onward to 15.2!
Helloooo… First time posting here…Figured the start of the Open is as good of time as any to do so! 🙂
Special thanks to Coach David and Coach Fox for letting me run 15.1 at the noon class today. A bit disappointed to have to scale due to the snatch, but at least I know my goat. Grip was crazy by the end, and I literally landed on my "end" off the bar as the clock finished. lol Split jerk was a PR so that was a nice surprise. Looking forward to 15.2!
15.1 (scaled @ 55#)
220 reps
15.1a
105#
Iron Maidens was awesome on Saturday. Didn't get to stay all day but saw some awesome lifting and the crowd and environment were a testament both to Margie's hard work and the CFSBK ethos in general. Great job to everyone who participated, really enjoying reading the meet reports here.
I need to start posting again so here goes!
I did 15.1 with Jake at OG on Friday. My first proper WOD in a long time and I didn't die. 1 rep short of 4 rounds on 15.1 (119), T2B were the limiter as I started cramping up in the 3rd round and had to drop to singles to prevent a total lockup. I kind of wish I had pushed for that last snatch. 215 on the C+J, which was a fight to stand up because my core and lower back were smoked. Excited to see what the rest of the open holds.
Office workout today
hbbs
95×5 135×5 185×4 235×3 275×8,8,8,5(F)
Supposed to be 4×8 but I took too long at my desk between attempts and I had no juice left for that last set, we'll see what happens next week at 285 before I back off on the weight.
push press
45×5 95×4 135×3 150x8x4
DB tricep OH extension
35#x8ex3
Ab wheel roll outs w 10#
3×8
Ring dips w 10#
3×8
Squat
285×4
285x3x4
New tat on my thigh is really hampering me. This is the most post tattoo pain I've ever experienced!
O man, 15.1 was a grip burner!!!
127 reps and 225 clean and jerk.
Broke up the t2b off the start insets of 5, great idea from Noah, Ro, Jason, AND David. Went unbroken with the DL's for each round
Cycled through the snatches for first 2 rounds and quick singles on for the next two.
I started c&j at 205, probably should have warmed up a little more before the actual WOD. The. Hit 225 (should have did 227), went up to 237 hit the clean but missed the jerk. My legs and arms were shot and I just couldn't get under it fast enough.
Great WOD all in all. I love the idea of lifting after a hard WOD. Great advice from all the coaches, always super helpful.
Second post today, about my second visit to the gym today.
15.1 with Matt Katz around 4pm
155 reps.
Grip was definitely a limiting factor here. I never really felt gassed, and probably could have gone a little faster on the deadlifts (though this was a nice active recovery). Had to break T2B's into sets of 2 and 3 by the end of round 5, and the 5 t2b I did in round six we weird, struggling strict ones. Even got a couple no reps! Broke the snatches down to 3/2 in rounds four and five, but, again, most because of grip. This weight felt nice and light, though I had some messy snatches.
C&J's were a bit of a disappointment, but it's been a while since I've worked on these, so I can't complain much. Hit 125, which is more than 20 lbs off of my PR (and a pretty big percentage at this weight). Was having trouble with both the cleans and the jerks today, but the jerks were especially a struggle!
Thanks DO for judging me and giving me some great coaching tips before and during the workout!
I've been in the SBK community for a minute or two, and have experienced many events I thought were "the best day ever in the gym."
The 2010 FGB where Matt Ufford raised $23,000 by doing the workout shorn and virtually naked.
Anytime Jacinto Bonilla did Murph, usually with Charmel working out beside him, and we all ran the final lap together.
The fifth-anniversary party.
The early strength cycle Totals, which were held during regular gym hours and people would find themselves spectating because the whole spectacle was so damn awesome.
The first Tough Tits Day.
The Big Lebowski movie night.
The first Starting Strength seminar in the gym.
You get the idea.
But Iron Maidens… man, that was some seriously awesome chart-topping goodness. I'm honored to have been part of it. Thanks for the opportunity.
205 Bench 3×5 as planned. Pretty tough on that 5th rep.
Finished the 21/15/9 in 4:37. Row in 1:42.
After some iffy training and injury stuff over the last 6 weeks I hit 15.1 today. It was…interesting.
126 reps on the first part. T2B were consistent 5s til the last round, DLs were fine, I gave up some time bailing every snatch, but my back has been really angry lately and I figured dealing with the eccentric on the touch and go wasn't worth it. I think I could have gotten close to 5 full rounds if I had stayed on the bar.
C+J: 207, 227, 237OHMYGODFAIL. I have often had trouble with getting light headed when I squat clean and don't immediately start letting air out as I stand. Well, I fucked up pretty spectacularly on that, cause I stood the clean up, wavered and quaked for a bit, and then quite literally blacked out and toppled over like a felled tree. Woke up on my back and heard DO say "Whoa", had about 3 seconds left on the clock, so that was that. DO, McDowell, Katz, and MRavs faces were all pretty priceless.
Hoping to get through the remaining Open workouts fully conscious.
@Noah……………yeah. thats a no rep