Baseball Practice: It was 40-45 degrees at dusk but it was still amazing to throw outside, even in the waning sunlight. After six weeks of indoor throwing, what a nice change of pace to air it out for 100-150 feet. A steady diet of rotator cuff exercises, ice, and regular throwing have kept my arm in good shape. Both my velocity and accuracy have improved.

* 20 minutes of throwing and pitching (fastball, sinkerball)
* Long toss whenever the ball got away
* Infield/Groundball practice
* 6 x 50M Sprints (75% speed)

These were my first sprints since the end of baseball season. I've got some hard training to do if I want to improve my on-base percentage this year.

GTG:
10 x 5 kipping pull-ups

Dumbbell swings:
1 x 20 (15#)
5 x 10 (25#)

Rotator Cuff Exercise:
2 x 10 (35#, 25)
1 x 21 (15)
1 x 15 (15)
1 x 9 (35)

5 x5 L's (for form, no hold)

Bench Press:
5 x 110#
3 x 160
3 x 160
3 x 180
3 x 200
3 x 200
1 x 220
1 x 250 (PR)

Climbing: easy top roping on 5.7, 8, 9, 10

Warm-up: 20 squats, 5 dive bombers, 20 squats

WOD:

Round 1: Barbell thrusters (35#)
50 reps for time (20, 15, 8, 5, 2)
1st place - 2:35
(A few did more weight)

Round 2:
75 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
150 Squats
(broke up into 5 rounds of 15, 20, 30)
Failed to make the 13 minute cut-off by a full 1 minute.

Round 3: 100 Jumping Pull-ups
3rd place time

Round 4: 1-arm Dumbbell Snatch
(5 minutes, switching hands allowed)
Count: 61

Cool-down: hip flexor and calf stretches.

Extra WOD: Got some instruction from Tom and Russ who are helping me fix my atrocious squat clean form. Barbell thrusters are fun.

(4 rounds, 85#)
1 x Squat clean
5 x Thrusters

- - -
Threw of the mound today and my pitches are picking up better location and velocity. Sinker still doesn't sink all that much, but the curve ball had a really late break. It was cool to watch. I'm still hanging a few that will get crushed a long way.

Baseball:

- 10 minute warm-up tosses
- 20 minutes pitching off the mound

6 x 12 medium cage
4 x 12 fast cage

GTG: 100 Push-ups

Warm-up: 10 Push-ups, 15 Squats, 40 Windmills (3# each arm)

WOD: Dumbbell Fran
(21, 15, 9)
Pull-ups
Thrusters (25#)
Time: 4:47 (PR)

Dip ladder: 1...12...1
Pull-up Madness: 14
Good Mornings: 3 x 10 (15#), 1 x 10 (25#)

I had to check the clock several times because I couldn't believe my Fran score. The key continues to be the kipping pull-up. In the first pull-up set, I did all 21 in one set. It didn't occur to me until later that I could have easily hit my goal of 30 in the first set. In any case, I blew through Fran motivated by my friend Matt who posted an enviable 5:30 score earlier this week. Doing Fran today was out of rotation because it's "Mary night," but I had to do it. I had to know.

I was unable to speak for almost 20 minutes afterwards, and it was almost 45 minutes before my head and heart both felt like they weren't going to collapse within my body.

I hit some sort of CF groove in the last 3 weeks. My body is cooperating in ways that it hasn't been since I was a high school gymnast. I know this is going to elicit the "no, duh" response, but CrossFit really works. I'm becoming a better athlete and it manifests itself daily in both my climbing and baseball.

I have always had power, balance, and flexibility, but new friends stamina and endurance are welcomed additions to the mix.

GTG: 100 Push-ups (am), 100 Push-ups (pm)

For Form: broomstick
10 x Clean & Jerk
5 x 10 Overhead Squat

Baseball:
4 x 12 (Med, Slow cages)
Throw for 15 minutes
Pitched BP (35 balls)
Hit BP (35 balls)

CrossFit DC was so fun I went back

Warm-up:
10 squats, 5 dive bombers, 10 squats

WOD: Dumbbell Clean and Jerk (20#)
(10 Rounds for form, 1 minute each)
Rounds 1-10: 5-5-7-7-7-7-6-7-9-10 (70 total)

Tabata: 4 rounds each, 20 secs on - 10 off
* Push-ups
* Squats
* Sit-ups
* Burpees/Mountain climbers

Cool-down:
Various yoga stretches (5 minutes)

Rest, ice, and three episodes of The Wire. More ice for the throwing arm.

First Visit to CrossFit DC

I finally made the trek down to CrossFit DC to meet Tom Brose and the crew. It's definitely more fun to have others around who encourage, teach, and critique. My first foray into Olympic lifting took me no further than a five foot PVC bar, where I'm likely to stay for a while. I'm excited though. It's the logical next step in my training.

It's sort of a mixed bag that I enjoyed myself so much. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to give up to get in more CF WODs. My choices are baseball and climbing. I've already shelved gymnastics and kick boxing for the year.

Warm-ups: with PVC pipe (15-20 each round)
4 Rounds Squat
2 Rounds Dead lift
2 Rounds Push press

WOD: 4 Rounds for Time (5 min each)

5 Dumbbell dead lifts (15#)
5 Burpees
5 Dumbbell thrusters (15#)
5 Sit-ups

Round 1: 5.75
Round 2: 4
Round 3: 4
Round 4: 4
Total: 17.75

3 Rounds (30 sec)
L-sit holds

Cool Down:
Hip flexor stretch
Shoulder stretch against the wall

- - - -
Baseball

6 x 12 rounds cages (slow, med, fast)
Short toss & pitch (fastball, sinker, curve, knuckle)

GTG: Active Rest
150 Push-ups, Squats, Sit-ups

Total Weekly Body Weight Movements
* Push-ups: 599
* Pull-ups: 120
* Chin-ups: 0
* Squats: 150
* Sit-ups: 150
* Dips: 30
* Handstand Push-up: 0
* Lead Climbs: 0
Total: 1050
YTD: 8468 (about 1600 off the 100K pace)

(1050, 1600, 1127, 2505, 2186)

Active Rest:
100 Push-ups before work (50, 30, 20)

GTG: 100 Push-ups before work

WOD: Pull-up Madness
1...2...3...15 (Pull-up ladder with remainder of 60 seconds to rest until the next sequence of PUs can't be completed in 1 minute)

Score: 15 (PR)

Lot of Shoulder Pain Going Around

If there's one injury I hear about over and over from Crossfitters, it's shoulder pain--especially the rotator cuff. There's got to be a conditioning program that we all don't know about. The sports that I enjoy doing--baseball, climbing, and gymnastics--all require strong rotator cuffs. The CF movements I love the most are all rotator cuff dependent. I love doing push-up, dip, and pull-up ladders, among other body weight exercises but I often have to back off.

When I get that warm, dull burn in the shoulder I know it's time for the only treatment I know:

• Twenty minutes sessions of ice
• Ibuprofen (accompanied by days off)
• Conditioning:
• Elastic band excercises
• Should flies (light weight)
• Windmills
• Stretching (easy)

Crossfit can be very strenuous, obviously. And as we become better athletes, we train harder putting more stress on our bodies, especially in muscle groups like the shoulder that get overused relative to others.

I would love to see crossfit.com post conditioning recommendations beyond the standard "take a day off" recommendations. I'm just saying is all.

No Gym Tonight

It was ugly out there tonight.

GTG: 200 Push-ups

WOD
2 Hrs Climbing
Top roping 5.7-5.10

10 x 3 Ring dips
60 Ring push-ups
(Tried them on Elite rings. These are hard!)

5 attempts at muscle up. All unsuccessful.

GTG: 100 Push-ups (50, 30, 10, 10)

Make-up Day: 74 Push-ups, 80 Squats, 50 Sit-ups

Weekly Totals:

• Push-ups: 604
• Pull-ups: 195
• Chin-ups: 0
• Squats: 500
• Sit-ups: 200
• Dips: 100
• Handstand Push-up: 0
• Lead Climbs <>

Body Weight Movements = 1600

Hypertrophy vs. Innervation

I'm a big fan of Jonathan Gilson who wrote an interesting entry about hypertrophy vs innervation. For those who don't know (and I didn't), hypertrophy is strength from increased muscle mass, while innervation uses existing muscles to move more weight.

The latter seems to be the key to my goals. I'm cursed with my grandfather's short in stature, sink-like-a-stone frame in which minimal lifting causes me to bulk up. I'm 5'4" and 180 lbs. I suppose that would be great if I were a bodybuilder, but I'm a climber. Increasing climbing difficulty hinges on my ability to engage every ounce of power I can muster from my body while staying as light as possible.

There is a video of Pyrros Dimas power cleaning 400 lb @ 180. That's what I weigh. I can't do power cleans, but it seems like if I did a third of that weight it would simply crush my spine.

Active Rest
100 Push-ups before work

I was running late so I did the last forty in one set. I was surprised that it wasn't that difficult. It's been years since I did that many consecutive push-ups. Grease the groove is definitely working, though it'll be some time before I reach my goal of 100 in a single set.

I'm totally wrecked from yesterday's baseball WOD. My lower back is really tender, and I think the back extensions and wood choppers from Tuesday started me on this course.

Hopefully, a day or two of active rest should do the trick.

Baseball WOD
6 x 12 Slow cage
6 x 12 Fast cage
20 balls hit live BP
40 balls live BP (pitched)
20 minutes of toss

GTG: 150 Push-ups, Squats

Fran: 10:45 (easy pace)
Dip ladder: 1... 10... 1
Seated Rows 4 x 10 (80#, 60, 60, 60)
Back Extensions 4 x 5 (6#); 1 x 10 no weight
Isolation crunch 150 (should have done sit-ups)
Wood Choppers: (Low) 3 x 10 (45#); (High) -- 3 x 10 (45#, 60, 80)

Bench Press
7 x 80#
5 x 140
4 x 180
4 x 180
4 x 200
1 x 220
1 x 240 (fail, old PR)
6 x 160

Pull-up Madness: New WOD idea from Matt
Do a pull-up ladder resting for the remainder of the minute. Example: 1 pull-up, rest for the rest of the minute. 2 pull-ups, rest for the remainder. The WOD is over when you can no longer finish the set number within one minute.

Weekly Body Weight Totals

• Push-ups: 400
• Pull-ups: 85
• Chin-ups: 0
• Squats: 250
• Sit-ups: 250
• Dips: 140
• Handstand Push-up: 0
• Lead Climbs > 5.9: 2
  

Total: 1127

Baseball
6 x 12 Medium cage
25 pitches of the mound
60 Balls live BP
40 Pitches live BP (fastball, sinker, curve, knuckleball)

1 hr Climbing
5.8, lead, warm-up
5.9+, lead, Ophelia (3 hangs) - this is getting frustrating

WOD: Cindy
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Score: 18 +5 (New PR)
+ 1 full set (misread clock)
Old PR: 12

10 x 10, 20, 20, 20 Good mornings
3 x 10 Shoulder flies (30#)
4 x 10 Rotator cuff work (25#)
3 x 10 Wood choppers (70#)

GTG:
100 Push-ups, Squats, Sit-ups
50 Incline Push-ups (handstand push-up pre-requisite)

Rest

Watched two episodes of The Wire and did glorious nothing.

2.5 Hrs Climbing
5.6, lead, warm-up
5.7, lead, warm-up
5.9, lead, hang on every clip
5.9, lead, Ophelia, 4 hangs
5.9, lead, Ophelia, 3 hang bail

WOD: Fran
(21, 15, 9)
Thrusters (25#)
Pull-ups
Time: 9 min
PR: 7:30

4 x 20 Reverse curls (8#)
1 x 20 Door knobs (8#)
Dip Ladder: 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-3-8-7-5-5-4-3-2-1