CFM Diet Challenge Re-Test - Day 1
WOD Tue Feb 2 @ CrossFit Markham
6 weeks ago
This morning at the 6 a.m. class ... PRs (Personal Records)!
Max push-ups (1 min): 36 (old: 30)
Back squat: 305 lb (old: 265 lb)
Push press: 175 lb (old: 155 lb)
Then
(unplanned) cash-out of wall ball shots
Push-ups
These have improved, but still need work. I just need to be consistent and persistent in my practice. Push-ups are definitely a "goat".
Back squat
I finally broke 300 lb! Around a year ago, I hit 295 lb (low bar). In my excitement, I went for 315 lb. And failed. Thrice. A month later, I stopped going to CrossFit Markham as work was getting busy and money was a bit tight.
I've been doing a bit of strength work on my own, but I never went heavy nor was I consistent. I switched over to high bar squatting after reading an article from Outlaw North. While both have their merits, high bar was harder for me and it was something I wanted to develop.
The lack of consistency was discouraging at times. At one point in the summer, even 185 lb was too heavy. At the beginning of this 6 week challenge, I was back at 265 lb. I started back at CrossFit Markham with Carmelina around Christmas last year and have been trying to incorporate the Starting Strength routine in my regimen. While I was on/off, I did a lot of squatting over the past 6 weeks.
This morning, I was a bit nervous. My ideal goal this morning was to break 300 lb, but my back already felt a bit tweaky at 135 lb. And even worse at 225 lb. Maybe I squatted too much the past few days. Maybe my body is broken today. I decided to let go of the PR, save my back + think long term, and just give the best I had today.
I added 30 lb. 255 lb was less than 6 weeks ago. But that's okay. Long term health. It was still a struggle, but my back ... felt better??
20 more pounds. Skip the PR! I mean, all or nothing right? Down and up it went!
20 more? This is my PR from 1 year ago. And I actually hit 295 lb last month with a weightbelt and a spot. Yup! I was a little slow at the bottom, but pain free!
Okay, 3 plates (i.e. 315 lb)? "No, not this time. Think long term, Josh." I don't want to make the same mistake as I did a year ago. So I added 10 more pounds. 305 lb. This would break the 300 pound mark, a huge milestone for me (and a warm-up set for Jireh).
I was getting ready to go for it. The music pumped me up. I got under the bar. Two stomps (copied from Jireh). Stayed tight. Remembering the cues of the Level 1 Seminar Staff, still fresh in my mind. And watched by two great coaches (Ben and Gord).
Big breath ... and down I went. And up I went. Halfway.... I was stuck. My mind started to think. I told it to shut up and just move! It felt like a solid 10 seconds. The yelling around me got louder. My body kept fighting. Then breakthrough! I was up! I finally broke 300 lb!
The journey has just begun. 300 lb isn't the magic number. It was just a number that evaded me for over a year. I'm going to keep getting stronger. Keep doing those 5x5's. Keep targeting my weaknesses. And having fun along the way :)
Push press
I have relatively little to say compared to my back squat. Still, a 20 lb PR is a 20 lb PR. I definitely believe that the coaching I got over this weekend helped dial my technique in. Staying tight throughout this movement was key. Abs tight. Butt tight. Ribs down.
Cash Out
So, I was on my way out when I saw Andrew by the wall with a 30 lb wall ball. Curious, I went over to see what he was up to. 100 wall ball shots to a 10 ft target at 30 lb.
"Wow, cool! Good for you!" I thought.
"Do it with me."
What?! I just PR'd and felt great. But hey, I want to get stronger and fitter right? In reality, I was a bit scared. Scared to "go there". To go to that threshold of fun and pain.
After thinking for all of 10 seconds, I walked over and picked up a 30 lb wall ball. "Hey, this feels pretty light." I thought. I didn't think about the rep scheme much. Who has time for that?
I started with the first 20 unbroken. Then 10's. After 60, I started to break it into 5's. It was really hurting. But Andrew reminded me that "the burn you get feels amazing, but you have to work for it!" I thought back to this weekend, to what Matthieu Dubreucq said, "To be excellent, you need to be willing to do the unsexy stuff, the things that few are willing to do." (paraphrased)
At 91 reps, I was toast. 9 more right? "Let's do 20 reps unbroken." Andrew said. He was pretty much doing an AMRAP of these while I tried to hit it.
At this point, I was doing sets of 3-5. It was not looking good. But I kept pushing and finally finished those 20 reps (111 total).
As Austin Malleolo mentioned, "Intensity is where the good stuff's at." For a long time, I have been unwilling to really go there. I would focus on technique alone. There's a balance though. Finding that threshold is key.
Like my back squat PR, hitting this level of intensity was new and exciting for me. But it's just the beginning. I have to keep hitting it hard day in and day out. It's not always fun and happy, but the "good stuff" comes from doing the "unsexy" stuff (not cool, don't feel like it, not heavy, boring ...).
Whether it's my lifting, met cons, running, stretching/mobility, or even rest days, I need to move/rest with purpose.
6 weeks ago
This morning at the 6 a.m. class ... PRs (Personal Records)!
Max push-ups (1 min): 36 (old: 30)
Back squat: 305 lb (old: 265 lb)
Push press: 175 lb (old: 155 lb)
Then
(unplanned) cash-out of wall ball shots
Push-ups
These have improved, but still need work. I just need to be consistent and persistent in my practice. Push-ups are definitely a "goat".
Back squat
I finally broke 300 lb! Around a year ago, I hit 295 lb (low bar). In my excitement, I went for 315 lb. And failed. Thrice. A month later, I stopped going to CrossFit Markham as work was getting busy and money was a bit tight.
I've been doing a bit of strength work on my own, but I never went heavy nor was I consistent. I switched over to high bar squatting after reading an article from Outlaw North. While both have their merits, high bar was harder for me and it was something I wanted to develop.
The lack of consistency was discouraging at times. At one point in the summer, even 185 lb was too heavy. At the beginning of this 6 week challenge, I was back at 265 lb. I started back at CrossFit Markham with Carmelina around Christmas last year and have been trying to incorporate the Starting Strength routine in my regimen. While I was on/off, I did a lot of squatting over the past 6 weeks.
This morning, I was a bit nervous. My ideal goal this morning was to break 300 lb, but my back already felt a bit tweaky at 135 lb. And even worse at 225 lb. Maybe I squatted too much the past few days. Maybe my body is broken today. I decided to let go of the PR, save my back + think long term, and just give the best I had today.
I added 30 lb. 255 lb was less than 6 weeks ago. But that's okay. Long term health. It was still a struggle, but my back ... felt better??
20 more pounds. Skip the PR! I mean, all or nothing right? Down and up it went!
20 more? This is my PR from 1 year ago. And I actually hit 295 lb last month with a weightbelt and a spot. Yup! I was a little slow at the bottom, but pain free!
Okay, 3 plates (i.e. 315 lb)? "No, not this time. Think long term, Josh." I don't want to make the same mistake as I did a year ago. So I added 10 more pounds. 305 lb. This would break the 300 pound mark, a huge milestone for me (and a warm-up set for Jireh).
I was getting ready to go for it. The music pumped me up. I got under the bar. Two stomps (copied from Jireh). Stayed tight. Remembering the cues of the Level 1 Seminar Staff, still fresh in my mind. And watched by two great coaches (Ben and Gord).
Big breath ... and down I went. And up I went. Halfway.... I was stuck. My mind started to think. I told it to shut up and just move! It felt like a solid 10 seconds. The yelling around me got louder. My body kept fighting. Then breakthrough! I was up! I finally broke 300 lb!
The journey has just begun. 300 lb isn't the magic number. It was just a number that evaded me for over a year. I'm going to keep getting stronger. Keep doing those 5x5's. Keep targeting my weaknesses. And having fun along the way :)
Push press
I have relatively little to say compared to my back squat. Still, a 20 lb PR is a 20 lb PR. I definitely believe that the coaching I got over this weekend helped dial my technique in. Staying tight throughout this movement was key. Abs tight. Butt tight. Ribs down.
Cash Out
So, I was on my way out when I saw Andrew by the wall with a 30 lb wall ball. Curious, I went over to see what he was up to. 100 wall ball shots to a 10 ft target at 30 lb.
"Wow, cool! Good for you!" I thought.
"Do it with me."
What?! I just PR'd and felt great. But hey, I want to get stronger and fitter right? In reality, I was a bit scared. Scared to "go there". To go to that threshold of fun and pain.
After thinking for all of 10 seconds, I walked over and picked up a 30 lb wall ball. "Hey, this feels pretty light." I thought. I didn't think about the rep scheme much. Who has time for that?
I started with the first 20 unbroken. Then 10's. After 60, I started to break it into 5's. It was really hurting. But Andrew reminded me that "the burn you get feels amazing, but you have to work for it!" I thought back to this weekend, to what Matthieu Dubreucq said, "To be excellent, you need to be willing to do the unsexy stuff, the things that few are willing to do." (paraphrased)
At 91 reps, I was toast. 9 more right? "Let's do 20 reps unbroken." Andrew said. He was pretty much doing an AMRAP of these while I tried to hit it.
At this point, I was doing sets of 3-5. It was not looking good. But I kept pushing and finally finished those 20 reps (111 total).
As Austin Malleolo mentioned, "Intensity is where the good stuff's at." For a long time, I have been unwilling to really go there. I would focus on technique alone. There's a balance though. Finding that threshold is key.
Like my back squat PR, hitting this level of intensity was new and exciting for me. But it's just the beginning. I have to keep hitting it hard day in and day out. It's not always fun and happy, but the "good stuff" comes from doing the "unsexy" stuff (not cool, don't feel like it, not heavy, boring ...).
Whether it's my lifting, met cons, running, stretching/mobility, or even rest days, I need to move/rest with purpose.
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