Clean and Jerk Complex
Every 90 seconds for 12 rounds:
Clean High Pull + Mid Hang Clean High Pull + Mid Hang Clean + Push Jerk
Post loads to comments.
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For Time:
50-40-30-20-10 Double-Unders
10-8-6-4-2 Dumbbell Thrusters
Scale the Double-Unders to Single-Unders or 1/2 attempts as needed. The Dumbbell Thrusters should be heavy for you. Rx is 45% of bodyweight.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Better Know a Member: Molly H.
Last week marked the return of Better Know a Member, a blog-favorite in which we profile members from across the CFSBK community. First, we got to know Tori P. a little better. This week we talked to a member who, among many other virtues, has a very cute dog named Reesa.
Name (and any nicknames):
Molly Hess, Moll, Mollz, and my favorite, Holly Mess (switch the first letters of my first and last names and voila)
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Morristown, NJ. It’s a big-ish suburb about 45 minutes outside of NYC, although I had very little exposure to the city while I was growing up—my parents are not city people.
How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK?
I actually started CrossFitting around ten years ago at my high school in Morristown! One of my gym teachers was a weightlifter and also ran his own box out of a garage in Denville, NJ. At the time, my prospective college field hockey coach had seen me play and told me I had to get stronger because I was getting knocked around on the field, so I went to my gym teacher and he developed Crossift-lite programming that I used to do in the weightlifting room with the football team after school!
After 2 years of college field hockey and a few years of being very into running during and after college, I got bored and had heard amazing things about CFSBK through my boyfriend. I’ve subsequently been at the gym for around 2 and a half years now.
Ask me about that time I…
Had lunch with Monica Lewinsky! My agency worked on an anti-bullying campaign with a nonprofit called Bystander Revolution that she was advising at the time. After years of cyber bullying and public shaming that was basically at the advent of viral content on the internet (she has a really good TED Talk on public shaming here), the anti-bullying cause had become very dear to her. She was very thoughtful and smart (London School of Economics grad!). It just shows how much your perspective of someone can change once you actually get to know him or her.
What TV shows are you recommending right now?
I’m almost finished with The Handmaid’s Tale, which I’m loving and is strangely relevant right now. We’ve also been binging Veep. Richard is my favorite character!
Did you have any mentors or heroes growing up?
I know this is going to sound cliché, but I have to say my mom! She was a stay-at-home of four kids who was also in killer shape and very creative. She was (and still is!) very much into the triathlon and running scene, so I grew up around a lot of runners and cyclists. She also always stressed the emotional/psychological benefits of being active. She very much comes from the mentality of pulling up your boot straps and working hard to get something done, no excuses. She also used to tell me, if I wasn’t feeling well, to “go for a run and you’ll better” (tough love, huh?). And almost always, I did!
I also used to be mortified because she would pull over on the side of the road to pick furniture out of people’s trash, but then she would refinish it into something so cool and beautiful. Both of my parents really instilled in me a good German work ethic and resilience.
What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street?
I work at a communications/PR agency called Praytell in Crown Heights. I’ve been there for just over 3 years. We’ve grown from a team of 12 in Brooklyn to over 75 in SF, LA, Austin, and Chicago and were bought by a holding company last summer! I work on social media and digital projects for mostly tech and nonprofit companies. Right now, I’m working on a campaign called Keep Birth Control Co-Pay Free!
I love being so close to Prospect Park and the solace it brings from the city in general, so Liam and I will bring our corgi, Reesa there, even in the dead of winter. I’ve also tried to be better about doing more activities around the city (not just Brooklyn) and really take advantage of all it has to offer – in the past few months we’ve gone to the Met and the Natural History Museum, and did a whiskey/wine tour at Kings County Distillery. More suggestions are welcome!
Any advice for new CFSBKers?
For the first few months, you’re going to feel pretty lost in class (am I holding this bar right?) and be pretty sore, like, all the time. But (consistent) practice makes perfect! Don’t get too in your head about comparing yourself to other people and instead focus on growing your own skill set.
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Back Rack Reverse Lunges | Row, T2Bs, Burpees
It’s Asparagus-Is-Less-Expensive-and-Tastes-Better Season The Outline
Zen and the Art of Quality NY Mag
Nice interview, Molly. Your mom is rad.
Nice Molly!
7am w McJess
135# for most of the complex. My mid hang clean high pull is awkward. Fun complex.
Wod in 5:30ish w/40# DB. Unbroken on the thusters, the mental gainz from that crush week workout definitely carried over here. Doubles weren't pretty today.
Great interview, Molly! There are so many former field hockey players at CFSBK – love it!
Complex: Started at 103#, hovered around 123 for a while to work on form, and topped out at 153. The concept of the mid hang clean high pull was just not working with my brain this morning.
WOD: 3:49 Rx (rounded up to the 35s). Unbroken for 50 and 40. Felt disconnected from my legs starting in the round of 30s and had a few trips along the way. DB Thrusters all unbroken.
Molly is great to be around in the gym – so nice and thoughtful and quick to laugh. Keep up the good work Molly! That was a fun interview to read!
Complex – I stayed on the light side for most of it in order to work on patience and keeping the bar close, It's my goal to get this mechanic really ironed out this cycle. Good cues from McDowell (just stand – seems so simple but helps to hear and practice). He also had me simply jump and that helped too. It reminds me of diving. You always feel like you want to throw yourself forward but the board does that – you have to always think straight up. Got up to 78#.
OMG that WOD! I thought I was going to be OK. Had a rope that seemed good and jumpy, grabbed 25# (less than 45% of me) and figured I'd get through. Wanted to go 1/2 doubles – I don't have many consecutives but planned to only count makes…..25# DB proved to be too heavy in the first round (even thought I did the crush 21, 18, 15…. at 20# and felt ok a couple weeks ago). I had to do 4-2-2 and decided on the spot to scale volume (8,6,4, 2, 2). Jynne was next to me with 20s and finished when I was in my round of what was supposed to be 4 so I moved over to her 20# DBs to finish. Geeeeeze Louise.
6am with McD and Jess
Complex: a couple at 95, a couple at 105, a couple at 110, a couple at 115. How many couples is that? 115 was heavy enough for me at this point. Got good pointers about keeping bar close and keeping wrists tighter in the jerk!
Metcon: 7 minutes with 35#. The thrusters were rough, had to break them all up. May have lost count on the double unders. This was a fun one!
Molly rocks! Though she be but little, she is FIERCE, as Shakespeare says.
Smallish 7 AM with McJess. It's so quiet when there's no A/B split!
Worked up to 118 on the complex. This was mostly good — for once I actually kept the bar close every time. But as it got heavier I had trouble committing to getting under the bar. If it's not one thing it's another, right? Lest I forget to eat humble pie now and then…
The WOD…eek. I should know better by now than EVER, EVER to look at the WOD on the blog and think, "That doesn't sound so bad!" 6:03, because apparently the way to make me forget how to do double unders is to pair them with thrusters of any kind. This wasn't quite as much of a disaster as 17.5 was, but dang, it was close.
At least I Rxed the dumbbells, though. 35#. About halfway through the round of 8 I was, like, "I wish I weighed less!!!!" Then after class I did the math and realized I would have to be at my marathon-running, pre-CrossFit weight for the 30s to be Rx, so…forget that, I guess?
woohoo, Molly!! Such a great athlete 🙂
A. 10am group class for the lifting portion…
Did complex as 1 clean pull (not high pull), hang clean high pull (hard), hang clean, and push jerk.
95×2, 105, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155… all pretty solid! can't way the HCHP was traveling very high, but it prepped me for being quick under the bar in the HC. Jerks felt fine, which is good b/c my shoulder has been off.
155 felt so sharp I figured I should do a bit more heavy lifting b/c I know I left some on the table last week when we worked up to heavy singles…
B. Clean: 165, 170 (PR), 175 (PR), 180… FAIL x3.
all the pulls on these felt so great and sharp. standing 170 up felt awesome. standing up 175 was a bit more of a struggle, but didn't lose much position.
180 — hesitating/over-pulling at the top (was doing this on my other lifts, surely, just getting away with it). had fast elbows and pretty good speed, but just a bit soft and not confident at the bottom. racked the first and second but wasn't ready for it. third was weird, MEET the bar better and only think about driving up into it, not thinking about being in the hole.
after some rest…
C. 4 RFT, steady pace:
400m run
10 GHD sit ups
2 d-ball ground over shoulder (80#)
2 leg-less rope pulls (jump up, swing one hand up, swing other hand up, come down)
14:27
runs: 2:05, 2:11, 2:15, 2:15
D. messed around with more legless rope climb technique and started to get the hang of it a bit more. definitely a good amount of flailing happening, but i did about 4 sets of 4 hand over hands on the way up.
Molly is awesome. Durty Jerz!
10am class
C&J Complex
95 up to 235 then finished with one at 185
WOD
5:11 @ 40#
Couldn't breathe.
10 am class with Jess and Brett
Started the complexes at 63 and
made 5# jumps each lift to end at 118#.
High pulls were mostly awkward.
Metcon in 3:35 with single unders and
40# db's (44.4%). probably should have doubled the
volume for the singles.
Pirsig article is great. Cliché as it might be, that book changed my life.
Love molly's write-up and sage advice for newbies. I just had that same exact conversation with a new member. It's okay to not know a lot of whats going on in the beginning. Show up, ask questions and have fun.
3 Rounds
10 Squats
10 Push-Ups
3 Pull-ups
Bench Press
135x8x3
Today's Clean and Jerk Complex
Worked up to 185 on the last set. Started at 95lbs and made a jump every two sets.
Double Under/ DB Thruster Metcon
Did this in 6:13 with 50lb DBs
had 2 misses on the doubles
Did all the Thrusters unbroken
Generous rest between sets 🙂
DB Curls 20x12x3
JM Floor Press 20x12x3
COLD SHOWER TIME!!!
Molly is the best–fun to read about you. Love seeing what she does in the morning and trying to match it! Also, there's something to this Field Hockey thing… so many TFBA women at CFSBK! Crazy. I didn't even know field hockey existed before this gym.
Cleans:
63-108. 108 is a Push Jerk PR! I think Whit was right: so focused on the cleans and clean technique that I wasn't overthinking the jerk! Or all that dumbbell accessory work has been paying off 😛
WOD: 4:57 RX dumbbells, Doubles 30-25-20… then things got weird. I know I did a set of 15 then a set of 16 then a set of 10. I also did 2 DBs, then thought I might be on the round of 4.
I think what actually happened is I did 15-4, 16-4, 10-2. So, an extra set of dubs and 4 thrusters. I'm okay with it.
Great cashout at AR! Definitely taking a rest day and skipping soul cycle tomorrow :*( So sore!
Great interview with Molly! Congrats on it.
Was really sore from the 50 toes to bar from yesterday.
Hit 150 for my best today. Just not feeling 100% there
Hit the 50 unbroken and was psyched…
The thrusters were rough but didn't break up the first set. The second set I had to. The rest went unbroken. 4:31
Certainly agree don't play the keep up with the Jones game or try to judge how you do vs others just focus on your own abilities and try to work on the things you hate and are not good at. It pays off working on your goats.