brikis98's crossfit journal

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: brikis98
Monday, October 19

Rest day. I'm in even more pain today: bruises appeared on my forearm, my neck is really sore, and my hips are very sore/tight as well (is that normal after BJJ?). However, the worst injury has nothing to do with BJJ: the shoulder pain I had earlier (possibly bursitis) still hasn't gone away, even after a few days of icing it. Today and tomorrow are rest days, which I hope will help, but I doubt 2 more days will be enough for it to heal.

Yep, soreness in your hips is very common. You use your hips a lot and the ROMs you use aren't very common in normal exercise so the soreness really gets ya.

Good to know. I really felt like an old man the last couple days with all my random injuries and hobbling around because of sore hips 🙂

Fortunately, the bruises and skin abrasions are healing up just fine and the soreness is almost gone. My shoulder is feeling a bit better as well, thanks to rest + ice + ibuprofen, but it's definitely not 100% and I will probably need to give it at least a few more days off.

 

[brikis98]

Wednesday, October 21

Strength/Power

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 295x5, 285x20

Another tough set of 20 rep squats. The last few reps were damn tough and my back was definitely fatigued by the end.

Metcon

"Tabata Deadlift"
For 20 seconds do as many reps of deadlift as you can. Rest 10 seconds. Repeat this 7 more times for a total of 8 sets. Your score is counted by total number of reps in 8 sets.

Amateur - 135 lbs
Collegiate - 225 lbs
Professional - 315 lbs

I went with the collegiate weight of 225lbs.

Total reps: 56

After 20 rep squats, I fatigued pretty quick on this workout. I got 15 reps on the first round, but only 5-7 in each of the subsequent ones. By the last round or two, it was kind of funny to see myself in the mirror struggling madly to deadlift 225.

Shoulder Injury

My right shoulder is still nowhere near 100%. Even doing arm swings and dislocates, I can feel some pinching. I also tried an OH press with the bar bare and it caused a pretty sharp pain. I've been icing it every night, taking ibuprofen, and have avoided pressing motions in my workouts, but I'm not seeing too much progress. I may need to go see a doctor on this one.

 

[EvilYoda]

Damn, that shoulder injury's starting to sound worse and worse. I hope it isn't too major.

 

[KingGheedora]

That sucks about your shoulder. Any idea what caused it?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
Damn, that shoulder injury's starting to sound worse and worse. I hope it isn't too major.

When it first started, I really thought it was minor tendonitis/bursitis type swelling I get in my shoulders from time to time. However, those don't typically hurt much and go away pretty quick. This injury causes much more acute pain and even a weird effect on my traps the other day that caused them to cramp and become sore from a push-up. Perhaps the swelling is just pinching a nerve, but I'm starting to be come paranoid that I could've torn something. The fact that the injury isn't going away only adds to my worries.

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
That sucks about your shoulder. Any idea what caused it?

No idea what the cause was, but there are plenty of culprits: lots of heavy OH press, bench press, dips, push-ups, and ring work.

 

[brikis98]

Thursday, October 22

Strength/Power

Power clean: 135x2, 185x2, 205x2, 225x2, 235x2, 245xF, 245x1, 245x1

Could not get a comfortable set-up for my first pull today - I tried to get upright, but had trouble doing it while still keeping my shoulders over the bar and getting my knees out of the way. I constantly felt out of place and as a result, I wasn't getting very good second pulls.

Metcon

Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Hang squat clean, 9 reps
15 ft Rope climb, legless, 3 ascents

Scaled down to 2 rope climbs per round instead of 3. On 2 the ascents near the end of the workout, I had to use my feet to rest before reaching the top.

Time: 17:21

Just my second workout with rope climbs, but I'm definitely getting better at them. My grip is stronger as I was able to get through almost all of them without legs and my technique has definitely improved as my climbing was faster and felt more efficient. Next time a rope climb comes up in a workout, I'll probably do it as Rx'd.

 

[brikis98]

Friday, October 23

Rest day.

 

[brikis98]

Saturday, October 24

Strength/Power

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x1, 350x5 (PR)

My squat is still on a roll but I definitely feel a plateau coming on. Bar speed was noticeably slower today and I barely got the 5th rep at all.

Muscular Endurance

Consecutive dead hang pull-ups: 21 (PR)
Consecutive sit-ups: 100 (PR)

Since I couldn't do OH Press today like usual (see shoulder injury below), I decided to try a couple other upper body exercises that were my 2009 goals. I got them both and was pretty damn happy about it. Pull-ups were strict and done from full extension to chin over the bar. Sit-ups were done on the floor, feet unanchored and in the butterfly position. If I'm still injured next week, I might try for 40 consecutive kipping pull-ups and 100 consecutive air squats.

Metcon

Row 2000 meters

Time: 7:49

I was supposed to run a mile today, but the track was closed, so I did this instead. My rowing technique definitely needs some work.

Shoulder Injury

I no longer feel like my shoulder has any swelling (probably from all the ice + ibuprofen) and during normal day to day activities, it feels fine. However, if I put any real pressure on it, such as a push-up or OH press with the bare bar, I immediately feel a sharp pain. This makes me very worried that I may have torn something, although I don't remember any sharp/acute pain during any of my workouts. Could a tear have developed slowly over time? At any rate, I'm going to schedule a visit with a doctor next week to be sure.

 

[brikis98]

Sunday, October 25

Strength/Power

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 415x3

Metcon

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Took my second BJJ class today and got beat up once again. I got a bunch more scrapes and bruises again, which is getting quite frustrating. I'm hoping my body will adapt to this more as being in pain the next 2 days after BJJ is quite uncomfortable and really interferes with my workouts. Anyways, it was a pretty fun class where we practiced defending with and passing the half guard, breaking the turtle defense, and some arm locks. We finished the class with some free rolling.

Injuries

My shoulder injury actually showed some improvement today - nothing major, but the pain from a push-up was much less sharp and my ROM seems better. Unfortunately, during BJJ a guy got me in an arm bar which hurt my left elbow. He was actually incredibly kind about it - he knew I was new to BJJ and might not recognize the arm bar and tap in time, so he put virtually no pressure on it at all. However, I have so little flexibility that 10 minutes later, it still got pretty sore. As a result, I had a fun evening of alternating ice from my shoulder to my elbow. Anyways, I think it's a minor strain. Really hoping to see improvement on both injuries after tomorrow's rest day.

 

[brikis98]

Monday, October 26

Rest day. Elbow is feeling better, though not quite 100%.

 

[brikis98]

Tuesday, October 27

Strength/Power

Snatch: 95x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135xF, stopped

My shoulder was feeling a bit better today (see below), so I thought I'd try some snatches. 95lbs and 115 both felt excellent, but at 135, I felt a pretty good twinge, had to dump the weight, and decided to stop. Damn shame as my snatch technique is finally feeling good again, but I'll have to wait at least one more week.

Metcon

"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

Used a 50lb kettlebell. Ran on a treadmill.

Time: 9:58

Ugh, this workout was so full of fail. First, I found out that not only does CF Sunnyvale not have 2 pood kettlebells, they also don't have 1.5 pood kettlebells: the heaviest ones are 50lbs, or 5lbs less than 1.5 poods. On top of that, the treadmills are awful: at speeds above ~8mph, the belt seemed to slide forward when my foot hit it, creating a lovely knee buckling sensation that was constantly tripping me up. I started at 11mph, but nearly took a tumble a couple times and had to finally settle on 9mph, which was still horrible. I did all the KB swings and pull-ups in straight sets and took absolutely no breaks anywhere, but just could not make up for the time lost in running and came up 20+ seconds short of my PR. Next time I'll run outside, although that's a bit tricky in the dark. I guess the good news is that I was not at all winded from this effort and know I can set a much better time if I don't have to battle with treadmills to do it.

Inuries

My forearm/elbow are still sore, but the pain is very mild and they didn't give me any trouble with pull-ups, kb swings, etc. My shoulder also continues to show signs of improvement: I was able to do a (slow) push-up today with virtually no pain. OH press with the bare bar also felt ok on the way up, but still hurt on the way back down. Still, it's miles better than a few days ago, so I'm hoping it'll continue improving.

 

[brikis98]

Wednesday, October 28

Strength/Power

Front squat: 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 255x1, 275x1, 295x1 (PR), 305x1 (PR), 315x1 (PR), 325xF

I had not done front squat by itself (ie, not as part of a clean or thruster) in a very long time and decided to max out today and see where I was. I'm pretty happy with getting up to 315, although I think I could get 325 if I tried it again - I missed because my upper back was fatigued and I accidentally leaned forward too much and had to dump the weight.

Metcon

Rowing: 5 rounds of 500m, 3 minutes recovery between rounds.

Times: 1:41, 1:46, 1:47, 1:51, 1:46

I messed around with different damper settings on the C2 today but had trouble settling on the best one for a 500m distance. I think part of it is that my rowing technique is still not very consistent, so as my strokes varied, so did the effectiveness of various damper settings. On the last run, I had it at 8 and even though I was pretty gassed, I tied my time form the second round, so I'm guessing that might be my best bet for this distance.

 

[brikis98]

Thursday, October 29

Strength/Power

Power clean: 135x3, 185x3, 205x3, 225x1, 225x1, 235x1, 235x1, 245xF, 245x1, 245x1
Hang power clean: 135x1, 185x1, 205x1, 205x1, 225x1, 225x1

My starting position definitely felt better today, though still not ideal. I was able to get more upright without scraping my shins too badly and felt a little more tightness in my PC, but still not as much as I'd like. I'll keep working at it, but to somewhat skirt the issue, I tossed in some hang power cleans at the end. They are a great way to work on my second pull, but I can't chain them together, as I have to let the hook grip go to rack the bar and need to set it back on the ground each time to re-grip.

Metcon

"Annie"
50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

Did sit-ups with my feet unanchored in the butterfly position.

Time: 6:45 (PR)

My previous time on this workout was 11:00 and I think I had my feet anchored last time, so this is a pretty huge PR. However, I'm having trouble checking as there seems to be no way on this new forum to search a single thread or see all the posts on one page. Anyways, all sit-ups were done in unbroken sets. Double-unders were broken in rounds 1 and 2, but only because I caught the rope on my feet and not to rest.

 

[brikis98]

Friday, October 30

Rest day.

 

[brikis98]

Saturday, October 31

Strength/Power

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 315x1, 355x5(PR)

2009 Goals

Consecutive kipping pull-ups: 40 (PR)

Due to my shoulder injury, I still can't do OH press, so I decided to go for another 2009 goal as my upper body work for today. I got a very strong and efficient kip going and got through the 40 remarkably quickly. I'm tempted to try it again in a week or two and see if I can make it to 50.

Metcon

Run 1 mile

Ran on an olympic track in lane 5.

Time: 6:55

Ugh, awful run today. My previous 1 mile PR was 6:00 on a treadmill, so this is a huge disappointment. Now, I'm aware that there are a lot of differences here: running 4 laps in lane 5 is more than 1 mile (according to this calculator, about 100 meters longer), my legs were pretty beat up after squatting, and running outside is harder than on a treadmill. But a 55 second difference is HUGE and I think it's just another sign that something about my running technique is really broken. This means that improving my running has become a top priority for me, so I'm going to include a whole lot more of it in my workouts the next few months. The only good news is that this coincides well with the shoulder injury, which prevents me from doing many metcons, where as some basic running should be just fine.

 

[brikis98]

Sunday, November 1

Strength/Power

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 420x2xF, 405x1, 315x3

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually think I need a little more deadlift volume than I'm currently getting. Firstly, I need to do more warm-up before my work set - I think a big reason for missing the 3rd rep of 420 was that 420 is such a big jump from 365 that my body/mind isn't prepared for it and it ends up feeling heavier than it is. Secondly, I'm not having any trouble recovering from deadlift these days and I think more volume would produce quicker gains. I'll start gradually adding in a set or two the next few weeks and see how it goes.

Metcon

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: 2 hours

Awesome class today. A few things finally clicked, the most important being that I need to shoot my hips side to side and to not stay flat on my back. This gave me MUCH more mobility, helped me keep myself out of trouble and opened the door for a few good passes. I knew things were going well because I was spending a good proportion of the time with side control, in the mount or on opponents' backs. I also took on a 250lb newbie and was able to identify mistakes he was making to completely dominate him. Fun stuff.

 

[HN]

My previous time on this workout was 11:00 and I think I had my feet anchored last time, so this is a pretty huge PR. However, I'm having trouble checking as there seems to be no way on this new forum to search a single thread or see all the posts on one page.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=27253489&postcount=396

 

[brikis98]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=27253489&postcount=396

Hm, neat, what did you use to find it?

 

[HN]

Show Printable Version -> Show 100 posts per page -> searched for Annie (going backwards of course).

Could be even faster with an extension like firefox's Re-pagination that combines multiple pages.

not elegant but gotta make due until they figure the real search function 🙂

 

[brikis98]

Show Printable Version -> Show 100 posts per page -> searched for Annie (going backwards of course).

That was the first thing I tried, but I only see the option to show 25 posts per page on the printable version and messing with the pp param in the URL didn't seem to help. Kind of frustrating as I used the printable version to see all of my posts quite often on the old forum.

 

[brikis98]

Monday, November 2

Rest day. Scheduled an appointment for Wednesday with a shoulder specialist in the sports medicine wing of a nearby hospital.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Hey brikis, I was wondering where you actually get your workouts from. I've been looking for metcon/strength splits and have been having trouble finding them. Got a website or something?

 

[brikis98]

Hey brikis, I was wondering where you actually get your workouts from. I've been looking for metcon/strength splits and have been having trouble finding them. Got a website or something?

My overall routine is largely based on Crossfit Strength Bias, with additional o-lifts tossed in because I suck at them. I describe this strength/power bias of mine on my blog. Each day has a strength/power exercise associated with it, followed by a metcon. As I explain in the blog entry, I pick the metcons from several sources:

* The Crossfit mainsite
* Crossfit Football
* Hybrid Program Heavy Metcons thread

At the start of each month, I usually make a google doc and plug in the metcon for each day. In general, I'm trailing behind the CF and CFF mainsites by several months and just follow their schedules. The biggest rule is to NOT skip any workouts that they post - if I started to cherry pick workouts, I'd probably avoid stuff I didn't like and would not work on my weaknesses. The only exception is if a really long metcon comes up (e.g. Eva), in the interest of recovery, I'll either skip it, scale it, or not do the strength/power portion that day.

 

[brikis98]

Tuesday, November 3

Strength/Power

Snatch: 95x3, 115x2, 135x2, 135x2, 155xF, 155x1, 155x1, 165x1, 170x1, 175xF, 175x1, 180xF, 180x1 (PR), 185xF, 185xF, 185x1 (PR)

Woohoo, another one of my 2009 goals is done: snatching 185lbs. It's not really a bodyweight snatch now (I'm sitting around 190lbs these days) and it was pretty damn ugly (I was off to the side a bit and had to take a couple steps forward and back), but I got it and I'm psyched. Moreover, I was able to do it despite my shoulder injury. I still can't do pressing or pushing motions, but keeping a weight locked out overhead doesn't cause much pain. A couple of the reps that I caught too far back or forward hurt a bit, but it was nothing major and actually served as a good way to reinforce better catch mechanics/positioning.

Metcon

5 rounds for time of:
30 overhead walking lunge steps with 45#
21 burpees

Due to my shoulder injury, I can't do burpees, so I subbed them for ~28" box jumps.

Time: 15:45

This was a CF Sunnyvale workout and I have to say my substitution with box jumps wasn't ideal, as this workout became a real quad killer. Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow for 20 rep squats.

 

[brikis98]

Wednesday, November 4

Strength/Power

Squat: 135x5, 225x5, 295x5, 290x20 (PR)

My legs were pretty damn sore from yesterday's snatches, lunges and box jumps so this set of 20 rep squats really wiped the floor with me. I had to take long pauses in between reps to let my legs recover, during which my back was getting extremely fatigued while holding the weight. I seriously considered racking the weight at rep 14, but instead just forced myself to do another, then another, and so on until I somehow made it to 20.

Metcon

Run: 5x400m, 2 minutes between each run. Aim for a consistent pace.

Ran on an olympic track in lane 5, so each lap I ran was probably closer to 425m.

Round 1: 1:21
Round 2: 1:27
Round 3: 1:31
Round 4: 1:37
Round 5: 1:37

After my miserable mile run this weekend, I decided to try to learn to pace myself better on the track with some 400m runs. The goal was to maintain the same pace for all 5 laps and as the times show, I didn't do a very good job of that. I just need to keep running until I have a better feel for how fast I'm going and can keep a consistent lap pace.

Shoulder Injury

I went to a doctor today - a shoulder specialist in the sports medicine section of a nearby hospital - and had him check out my shoulder. He checked my mobility in all directions, took some x-rays to check for any bone shards, and gave me the good news that it does not look like any kind of tear or anything serious. He said that it's most likely just a bad case of inflammation and gave me 3 options: continue my ibuprofen + ice strategy, get a prescription for a stronger anti-inflammatory drug, or get a cortisone shot. He said the shot would provide the quickest results, but, perhaps stupidly, I decided against it and asked for the prescription anti-inflammatory. I'm not sure why, but somehow an injection "quick fix" just didn't seem right or safe - I mean, isn't the swelling some sign of an injury? Or maybe I'm just being dumb. At any rate, if after two more weeks of anti-inflammatories and icing I still see no progress, I'll go back to him and get the shot.