Why I Love Olympic Lifting (And You Should Too)

Power Snatch. Power Clean. Clean & Jerk. Strange sounding names if you haven't heard of them before. These are powerlifting style. I have never seen anyone perform these in the Globo gyms. Survivor Bootcamp had pink rubber bands. You can relate to my joy when I went to Crossfit this morning to meet my friends Jeff, Sterling and Mike for a Powerlifting WOD. I've been dying to get into practice for these lifts. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm inspired by these. I've been reading about squats and cleans this week and hoping they would show up soon as a WOD.

Practicing these lift is fun, if not a little difficult getting used to the movement. The big difference is that these are explosive. When the bar is traveling up close to the body, jump UNDER it. Huh, I ask? Jumping under a moving weight is a new idea for me. I practice a few with light weight to get the feel of it. It's actually easier with a weight heavy enough to be a slight challenge. Too light and I just can't feel it properly.

My mantra: Deadlift the bar, SHRUG it up and JUMP under it, arms locked out and shoulders active.

The shrug is the movement that I need to keep working on. It happens so fast that I find I'm using my arms a lot. I can tell because my inner elbows hurt after doing this. That tells me that my big fat brain has decided that the arms always lift the weights. We'll have to have a little chat, he and I.

Twice this week we have been treated to powerlifting moves. I guess that is the reward for getting your caboose out of bed early and getting to the gym. That's what is totally cool and different from big box gyms. It feels like we're all there together. You make friends and you encourage each other. How great is that? This morning, I succeeded at a pull-up using a 45lb plate. That's a milestone achievement for me. People in the gym cheered. I gotta tell you, I lived on that the whole day. When I first started, I could not do ONE pull-up of bodyweight. Seriously. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that actually. And like many things in life, it's what you do next that matters most. I got to work. I challenged myself to lift well and be honest with my rounds. There have been times when I could not go on, literally. When I can't run anymore, I jog. When I can't job anymore, I walk. So far, I can walk it off and then start running again. I haven't puked in the bushes yet, but I HAVE picked out my spot in the event that I need to. Then I'll take a deep breath and start running again.

The race isn't always to the swift, but it sure belongs to the ones who just won't quit.

Work out of the Day for Tuesday Morning

Power snatch
1-1-1-1 (light weights)
Power Clean
1-1-1-1 (light weights)
Clean & Jerk
1-1-1-1 (light weights)
3 sets of ab mat sit-ups 2x25lbs
10 reps

Work out of the Day for Thursday Morning

Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5 (95, 135, 165, 185, 205)
3 sets of weighted pullups 45/25lbs (3, 2, 2)
3 sets of weighted dips (no weight – 8, 5, 4)

 

A Fine Saturday Morning

A little strength training this time - a welcome break from Metcon. I also got the chance to practice the squat clean which is an exercise I haven't done before. In fact, there are lots of these exercises I haven't done. Rather than give in to my ego, I strip most of the plates off and try to get the feel of the movement. I'm kinesthetic and I know where my body is most of the time, but I struggled with the timing of the squat clean. I was pulling the bar too high, nearly to my collar bone and then getting under it. I could feel the stress in my arms which manifested as a 'headache' in my inner elbows. Coach worked with me a bit on the right moves and I was able to improve somewhat. Later, Sterling emailed me some good advice about feeling like I'm pulling myself under the bar when it's traveling up and I'll try to visualize that next time. I have a copy of Starting Strength and I plan on practicing the power lifts. I enjoy these and the more I try the more enthused I feel about it.

Work out of the Day
5 Rounds
5- squat cleans 95lb
Bench press 135lb as many times as you can rest 2 min and repeat
13, 10, 9, 7, 7
Finish with 3 sets of 15 straight leg raises, make sure your feet touch the bar

Teamwork

We all know that place in the WOD where you've lifted your guts out and your tank is nearly empty. Still three rounds to go. Ah yes, a very special place in my heart. I was there during the last session. A seven-rounder of hanging DB power cleans, L-pullups, rows and sandbag getups. Let me tell you something; if your house is being flooded and you call me to help you build a retaining wall, I'm going to turn you down friend. It's the sandbags, you see. I have never, and I mean NEVER, been unable to get up off my back until I tried the sandbag getup with 75lb. Halfway through the rounds, I could no longer roll to my knee with the sandbag on my shoulder. I rocked. I rolled. I twisted. I turned. Each time, I fell flat on my ass. I was a turtle on my back. Somehow, after an almost comical effort, I was able to eke out a getup to my feet, and then slowly lower onto one knee to the lying position. Five on each side, for seven rounds. That's seventy for those of you counting. I looked at the ceiling lights a lot, summoning a hysterical burst of energy to try again. It got harder and harder as I went along. The sand shifts in the bag and that only adds to the diabolical nature of it. I actually thought it was going to be easy and fun. That happy thought became a distant memory.

In that massive effort laid a core of resolve to keep fighting onward. It's amazing what Crossfit enables you to do with your mind. My body was begging me to quit. It was offering me bribes. Take it easy, it would say. You've earned a little slack, it would say. My god, you don't want to have a heart attack, do you? I knew it was getting desperate if it resorted to the old heart attack threat. And I'll be honest with you. I was listening. I wanted to quit. The thing that kept me going, struggling to my feet each time, was the support I felt from my fellow Crossfitters. We were all in pain, bulldozing ahead, and encouraging each other. "Keep going!" "Just a few more!" Sometimes it was just a nod of appreciation and other times it was Coach telling me "That was a great clean! Way to go Brandt." When the shit hits the fan, those words are meaningful. Those words are pearls.

In the end, I think it was that which made me give it 100%. It's would be easy to wimp out on an exercise. You're accountable to only yourself and it's a choice each time to go for it or to hold back. The drive to make it worthwhile comes from the experience of sharing the pain with others. You feel that high after the WOD. That same experience makes you feel like you missed out when you skip a WOD and you hear later that it was a real GRINDER, a GASSER, and a SHITSTORM. The joy comes from being part of that with your friends.

Work out of the Day

5 Rounds
7 - L pullups (20 box jump pullups)
7 - Hanging DB power cleans 45x2db
125m row
10 - Sandbag getups 75lbs, 45lbs for the last round

It’s Funny

How quickly we adjust to new realities. What at first seems like an impossible climb becomes a reachable goal when you consider it from a different perspective. Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument? At first, you fumble your way through it, hitting the wrong notes and then finish with a crash landing. Eventually with practice, it starts to sound better and your skill improves to the point where the dog doesn't howl anymore. He still hides under the deck, though. Doing rounds in a WOD feels a lot like that. Today I walked in to the box feeling a little weak in the knees with dread, after Saturday's 20 round epic battle. I heaved a bit of a sigh of relief when I saw it was only 7 rounds. That's rather interesting isn't it? 7 rounds is certainly nothing to take lightly. (Oh, I just got that) The story goes like this: 12 back squats, 12 ring dips (or equivalent), and 1 rope climb.

What I said before about different perspectives was really hitting home for me tonight. Weeks ago, the idea of 7 rounds would seem like a wide, fast moving river that I had to cross. Rough, dangerous, and no guarantee of making it to the other side. Mexican fugitives taking pot shots at me for their amusement. "Swim you fat hombre!" But after doing 150 squats, 200 jumping pullups, 20 FRIGGIN ROUNDS OF MADNESS and other crazy shit, a 7 rounder seems almost pedestrian. But you know better, don't you? 7 rounds is not trivial. Let's break it down and see what really happened.

12 back squats for 7 rounds. I lifted 135lb for 3 rounds, then switched to 115lb for the remaining 4. Total: 10,380lb

84 bench dips (84 ring dips was not going to happen)

7 rope climbs (7 more than I could do the first time I tried it)

That's a tremendous amount of effort. I mean really, who lifts 10,000 pounds? You and me, my friend, you and me.

Rx

Rx'd; as Rx'd: As prescribed; as written. WOD done without any adjustments.

Sometimes Rx'ing the WOD happens with tremendous effort and other times it only comes with herculean perseverance. Or damn near not at all. Case in point. Picture a man walking up to the loaded barbell and eyeing it up for the rounds ahead. Noting the weight, he looks at the WOD penned on the whiteboard. 100 shoulder presses with 95lb. Every time the weight hits the floor, run 200 metres. Holy. Cow.

I must break in at this point and say that Mia did warn me. Smiling like a Cheshire cat, she said, "Lift that and see if you think you'll be able to do one hundred of those". I did. It was heavy, but I was feeling confident and I was able to press it smoothly. "It will be difficult at about fifty, but I can finish". I had resolved that when I start with a weight, I finish with it – no matter how ugly it gets. I was about to test that resolve.

My plan was to break it up into sets – 20 presses at first, dropping to 15 and then to 10 when things got tough. 10 rounds in total, I reckoned. That would also add up to a nice 2 kilometre run. I began with 20 shoulder presses and I barely squeaked them out before dropping the weight and heading into my first 200-metre run. That was a little rough, I thought, but the first round usually is. When I returned from the run and continued the presses, I was dismayed to find that I could only muster 15 this time. Then, a second 200-metre run. Another lift of just 10 reps. There was trouble afoot. I revised my plan to press 10 for the remainder of the 100. What followed was a breathless, puke-inducing teeter-totter of 5 presses of maximum effort and a sloppy 200-metre death march. The weight was too heavy. If it wasn't obvious by now, the bar reminded me with its cold smugness every time I heaved it to my shoulders. Unforgiving bastard. What kept me going forward were Leanna and Mia giving me encouragement when I was able to make a good strong press. I felt like if I got sloppy, I would be letting them down. They had already done this WOD earlier and I figured that if they could do it, I could do it. Afterwards, I could go home, curl up in a ball and rock back and forth, moaning.

But wheezing and creaking to the finish line, I did press 100 times and I did run 200-metres each time I set the weight down – with a bonus run after my last press because I was too twitterpated to realize that I'd finished. Rx? Yes. Not exactly a clean fight, but I didn't give up.

The following Saturday, I was back at it again. This time the mission was to partner up for a 20-round extravaganza. 5 power-cleans, 7 burpees, and a 200-metre run, each partner alternating an exercise. So by the end each person will have done 50 power cleans, 70 Burpees and run 2km. I had Leanna as my partner and that was good fortune. Both of us were fired up to "do this thing" and have an awesome morning. I started first with 135lb cleans then high-fived Leanna to start the burpees. When she knocked them off, she high-fived me and off I went for the run. When I ran back to the box, I marked off one of our checkmarks and high-fived Leanna. She then cleaned 95lb like a champ. This girl can lift the iron! Another high five and I'm doing burpees while she rests. Then it's her turn to run and when she returned it's another check marked off on our round list. This went on and on. Rinse and repeat. At the 10 round mark, we were both pretty pooched and it was daunting to think that we had just reached halfway. With sluggish limbs and dogged determination, we kept on going, round after round, horrible burpee after horrible burpee until that final glorious round when we reached the magic number 20. I still feel good when I think about that last round. I bet Leanna does too. Partner rounds are fantastic. They pull the very best out of you because now you have someone to be personally accountable too. That person is sweating their heart out right next to you and when it's your turn, you give it your all.

So, I Rx'ed both of these WODs. I consider the first one a deposit into the bank of stubborn determination because that was the only thing that got me through. No first prize at the county fair for that performance. The second one I was high on a burn of zone-fuelled energy and a good night's sleep. I also tested the weight first and made sure (this time) that I could go the distance. I'm getting better at this and I know my limits, having discovered them frequently.

Work out of the Day

100 - Shoulder presses 95lb
Every time you put down the weight run 200m.

Partner Work out of the Day

20 Rounds
5 -Power cleans 135lb
7 - Burpees
200m run

Ten Things You Should Know About Crossfit

Over the last two months, I have learned some things about Crossfit. I offer a list of ten things that every beginning Crossfitter should know.

1 - This ain’t your average workout
Nuh uh. Ask yourself this question: When was the last time you bench-pressed a pile of books to the top shelf? Crossfit movements are diverse and they condition your body for the demands you will experience in the real world. Expect to be doing things like power cleaning, snatching and working with medicine balls and kettle bells. Expect to be surprised.

2 - There are no pretty faces during a WOD
Gut-busting, heart-pounding, honest hard work produces an expression that you won’t find at the juice bar of a beautiful spa. It’s more like what you’ll see on the field of sports. Like these.

3 - Your momma works out here and she can lift more than you can
Think Crossfit is just for sports and not suitable for the soccer mom? Think again. Crossfit attracts people from all walks of life, and all ages. From young and old, we sweat and toil equally under the weight of the iron and our own bodies. However, Crossfit isn't for everyone. You have to want it badly to keep coming back and pushing yourself further than you have ever done before. Believe me that involves facing many of your fears.

4 - Use chalk, it helps
And lifting belts. Use the tools of power lifting and you will find yourself more confident and more in control of your body and the barbell.

5 - During the last rounds, it’s better if you are feeling pissed off
Coach finishes his last round of cleans and lets the barbell drop to the floor. "Muthafucker!" he shouts. If you want to finish strong, you need to find the determination and defiance that makes you grab that sucka and hoist it up NO MATTER WHAT. You can do it. You just think you can't.

6 - Suck it up, buttercup
People in Crossfit are friendly. I joined the foundation bootcamp and I was made to feel welcome and coached through the challenging workout with understanding of where I was at with my fitness level. (Ground zero) After I got a bit better, the hand holding stopped.
Don't whine, put down the designer water, and come over here and lift!

7 - Make friends with people who Crossfit. You can talk about it and they won’t think you’re weird
I've heard Crossfitters described as intense. We talk about Crossfit, the Zone, and this lifestyle a lot. I spend my weekends practicing with a skip rope so I can do double-unders next time it's on the WOD. Yah, really. Many of the people I work with have equipment and nicely set up Crossfit gyms at home. The passion for this is much deeper than an exercise program that you have made a half heartedly commitment.

8 - Eat well. Find a sensible eating lifestyle that works with Crossfit and do it. It’s fundamental to getting the most out of this
After two months of Crossfit, I was feeling some dramatic changes in my strength, energy levels and overall feeling of well-being. However, I wasn't seeing a lot of changes in my body. Within three weeks of trying the zone diet, I lost six pounds of fat weight. For real. The foundation of excellent health is eating properly and exercising. They need each other.

9 - Don’t take yourself too seriously
Don't get pissed off when you can't Rx a WOD. When the weight truly is too heavy, put forth your best effort and feel good about that. Being anal about making progress at every workout is only going to make you feel frustrated. And don't weigh yourself every day, like a girl. Eat a hot dog now and then. Remember that life is fun.

10 - Know why you are doing this
You will not be able to blast through the wall of discomfort, fatigue and overwhelming desire to stop if you don't know why you are this. You have to be very clear about your reasons and you should have a laundry list of all the things you will gain from Crossfit and all the things you'll lose if you don't Crossfit.

---

Workout of the Day

7 Rounds

• 5 Hanging power cleans 115 lb
  
• 5 L pullups(chest must hit the bar) Started with these, and finished, but with bad form. Tired of doing jumping pullups
  
• 12 Single DB push press @ 40 lb(6 per side)
• 10 Ab wheels

The Good, the Bad, and the Not So Ugly

I hoist the weight up into a power snatch, go down for an overhead squat, then down again for a back squat, bring it up and over into a good morning, and finally push press the bar up over my head then set the weight down for a second. Do it again. Quickly.

Huff. Huff. Huff.

I like the feel of the bar in my hands. My grip strength has improved considerably since I started Crossfit. At first, my grip was awkward, like if you shake hands with someone and it goes bad. You go for the shake but you only get their fingers and you both stand there shaking each other’s fingers. It would be weird to break it off early, so you just keep going with the awkward finger shake. But now I have a confident handshake with the bar. I use chalk because it helps and I feel I can somehow lift more weight.

Hoist. Down. Up. Down. Up. Morning. Push. Down. Again. Quickly.

Huff. Huff. Huff.

I’m feeling strong tonight and while that’s great, it’s not what is amazing. What is amazing is that even though I am breathing hard, I’m staying on the right side of the oxygen deprivation line. When I usually stop and put down the weight or pause between knees-to-elbows, it is because I can’t breathe. I am winded easily. Running is brutal. It feels like no matter how deeply and quickly I breathe, it’s not going to be enough. Have you ever had a dream that you were so thirsty and you drank as much as you could but you were still incredibly thirsty? I hate that dream. That’s what it feels like to be breathless. No matter how much you breathe, you still crave oxygen – great, deep whooping breaths of it. One of my huge goals for Crossfit is to increase my lung capacity. The maximum amount of air moved in and out of the lungs is called the VITAL CAPACITY and it can be measured. I think my vital capacity is improving. I’m going to track that over the next sixty days, taking a baseline this weekend and then again every thirty days. You can do this yourself using the water displacement method.

Hoist. Down. Up. Down. Up. Morning. Push. Down. Again. Faster, if you can manage it.

Huff.

I’m done. Sweaty and exhilarated from both the WOD and the fact that I’m doing well. I grab my water and have a drink. I look back at the bar.

I could go heavier.


Work out of the Day
500m row
50-box step ups
500m row
25-wall ball
500m row
25-k2e
3 Rounds
6-Power snatch-OHS-B.squat-good morning-push press
Loading 55lb