Category: Team WOD

For the Team.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ― C.S. Lewis

On Saturday we gathered for a Chairty WOD at Crossfit Beyond. Why is it always so hard to get up on a Saturday morning? Many reasons. Except for this Saturday… It was not difficult to get out of bed. In fact, thanks to my focus on healthy diet and the 90DC I was asleep on Friday night by 10pm and awake Saturday morning by 6:30am; busily baking protein brownies and FB’ing my cohorts asking if they were AWAKE yet.

I just want to do better in all areas of my life. Plain and simple.

There were two WOD’s scheduled for Saturday’s Charity Event; 1) Fight Gone Bad, and then 2) a Team WOD.

Fight Gone Bad:

You move from each of the five stations after a minute. 3 Rounds for total reps of the following:

  1. Wall Balls 14lbs.
  2. Sumo Deadlift High-pull 55lbs.
  3. Box Jump 20″
  4. Push Press – 55lbs.
  5. Row for Calories

My total score: 219.

Fight Gone Bad

Then onto the Team WOD:

As a team, complete each station for two minutes:

  1. Sandbag squats at 45lbs. (while one person squats the other team members hold a 45lbs. plate over head)
  2. Max burpees, one team member moving at all times
  3. Kettle bell swings, at 45lbs.
  4. Team lunges, two team members at a time in sync
  5. Pushups, two team members at a time in sync
  6. Team sit up with 1/2 of a telephone pole (no joke… as a team with the telephone pole in your lap, sit ups for 2 minutes.)

Of the two WOD’s the second, Team WOD, was my favorite. Especially the last station, telephone pole sit-ups. There’s something about working in sync as a group. Everyone working at max effort and trying not to let eachother down. Only but the fewest and most necessary of words exchanged.

telephone pole

We were Team Bas-Ass and scored a total of 325 points. That’s 325 reps of the above movements split up between our Bad-Ass team of four. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Which brings me to the final day in the weekend, Sunday. Strongman Sunday. One of our long time Strongman Peeps is moving, has moved, to Texas. We gathered as a group for our last WOD together, what our creative coach named in his honor: The Goldfuss Complex. It was a modified Bear Complex…

Goldfuss Complex:

One Rep of the following, Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) for 30 minutes. 30 Reps total. 1 Rep Equals full completion of the following:

The Bear Complex:

1. Power Clean

2. Front Squat

3. Push-Press

4. Back Squat

5. Push-Press

Completed: at 85lbs.

I love the sound of mass barbells hitting the floor in sync.

Let the barbells hit the floor… Let the barbells hit the floor… Let the barbells hit the floor…

Friday Night Fights

Nothing like a little friendly competition to get the blood moving. Friendly. Damnit.

I’m a competitive person. Call it growing up in a large family with lots of older male siblings, I don’t know. But, when the Team WoD’s come around, I show up. The gloves come off in my head, and I’m in it to push. I’m still cheering for everyone else, but I also want to be a serious Competitor.

20 reps of each equals 1 Round. The Team with the most Rounds wins.

20 Burpees

20 Power Snatches @ 75lbs.

20 Box Jumps, 24″

20 Thrusters @ 75lbs.

20 Pull Ups (scaled to Ring Dips for yours truly)

Completed: As a team 7 total rounds.  Great Team.  We didn’t win, as far as I can tell. But we were not afraid to compete. PR on the Box Jumps. First time on the 24″ Also on the Snatch and Thruster. 75 lbs. is a beast. I got some reps in, but mostly as a team, we learned quick who could do what with the best efficiency and fell into line behind this unspoken strategy, supporting one another and taking up slack and sweat at each step.

Team WOD

Love the team WOD’s. Because you work when your partner can’t, and vise versa. So it’s never really up to you how long a break you can take, because when your partner is done, you gotta pick up the ball and run. Or in this case, the bar bell, or the wall ball, or today, the 25lbs. bumper.

Just gonna insert this obvious statement here too. Because in talking with folks, seems we’re all over committed and running around like a bunch of crazy people from one obligation to the next. So, here goes the obligatory: work, busy, blah, blah, stress, blah, blabbittty, blah blah BLAH. And in the middle of all of it, left and hit the noon WOD today. Even meant I couldn’t get a shower in before my event tonight. Nothing some perfume and lotion, and dry shampoo can’t mend. I’m just going to keep telling myself no one noticed. Peeps did say I looked great, but maybe that’s just cause I was happy I took back part of my day to get my ass kicked and to tune out of the blah blah.

WOD:

I. With a partner, AMRAP in 15 Minutes

10 Overhead Lunges (45/25)

10 Pullups

*One Partner moving at a time

Completed: 17.5 rounds. That’s 8.5 rounds each! At RX no less. 25lbs. bumper. Dean said I could. And he was right. Sometimes it takes someone saying you can do something to know it yourself too.

Rest 5 Minutes

II.  With a partner, AMRAP in 15 minutes

10 Kettlebell Swings (53/35)

10 Burpees

*One Partner moving at a time

Completed: 15 Rounds total. 7.5 each. Again at RX, 35lbs! just gonna say, had the best partner ever, TJ. He is a burpee machine. You’d think he has wings. Up, down, up down.  In the time it takes me to do one, he’s well into two or three. Great way to compliment the day. Word.

what are you waiting for

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth

Today I caught a glimpse of the ACF Affiliate Team working. Working hard. Doing movements never dared to dream of. It’s pretty impressive. They’re like, really, really strong. I’m not going to say they make it look easy, but more, they make it look like they’ve truly earned what they are able to do. You can see the hard work, and it’s poetry. Proud to be affiliated with this group. They’re going to the Eastern Regionals. Proud to have them represent us. The more I do Crossfit, the more it becomes a part of who I am, the more I learn and grow, it’s never really occurred to me to take it to the next level to compete. There’s so much gained just in the day to day when hitting the WOD. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be immersed even more deeply. Perhaps that’s the beauty of the sport; you can take it, it can take you, as far as you want to go. There’s much for everyone at many different levels. You can be working out next to the top competitor in the tri-state region, doing the same movement, just scaled to your ability. It’s your stop along the way. You choose. There’s room for everyone. What are you waiting for.

Partner WOD again today. Outside on a gloriously sunny 70 degree day.

Warm-Up:

Burgener Warm-Up

WOD:

I. AMRAP in 25 Minutes with Partner:

5 Hang Power Snatches (75/55)

10 Overhead Lunges with the same weight

Run 200m

*Only 1 athlete moving at a time

Completed: 7 Rounds at 45lbs. Almost RX! Again, the partner WOD, not sure I would have been courageous enough to enter the arena with 45lbs. for the overhead lunges. But, let go of the reins and let my partner pick the weight, thinking I would give it my best. And it turned out just as it should. Felt great.

II. 4 Sets:

20 AbMat Situps

III. 3 minutes Couch Stretch each leg

Completed.

Completed

Bottom line on these partner WOD’s: I work harder. I lift heavier, I try more. Just do. It all just seems more possible when you’re working as a team. Thanks Laura for being an awesome partner today. High five on the PR’s!

Warm-Up:

3 Rounds

200m run

10 Goblet Squats

Completed.

WOD:

I. Overhead Squats

3 – 3 – 3

Completed: first at 45lbs, then 55lbs, then 60lbs. PR!

II. AMRAP 10 Minutes of:

5 Overhead Squats (135/95)

10 Shoot-Through’s

Completed: lost count on the rounds. But the overhead squats (which basically SUCK) are getting easier. Well, the body is getting more mobile. And of course stronger.

III. Tabata Grasshoppers


Team WOD

Warm-Up:

Group Dynamic Warm-Up

WOD:

I. AMRAP in 30 Minutes with Partner:

5 Push Press (135/95)

10 Overhead Lunges (45/25)

20 Grasshoppers

Completed: with the most awesome team ever.  9 rounds total. Press at 75lbs.

*Only 1 athlete moving at a time. Partner 1 must complete their round before Partner 2 can go.

II. 3 Sets:

10 Weighted AbMat Situps

10 Hip Extensions

Saturday Team WOD

Team WOD results: 

Station 1 – Box Jumps and overhead hold: Box jumps @ 20″ and Over head hold @ 25lbs.: Total reps 176.

Station 2 – Back squats @ 75lbs., team held during reps: Total reps 169.

Stations 3 – 14lbs. Wall Balls and pull up hold: Total reps 194.

Station 4 – 250 Meter row: Total meters 1634.

__________________________________________

Signed up for a Team WOD today. My first ever. Nothing like a little friendly CF competition. Charity WOD and BBQ to raise money for St. Jude’s. Feel like I might throw up from fright. But, I guess that’s why we do these things. To face that fear and see it thru to the other side. When working with a team I push extra hard. Want to match the efforts of the team and of course want to WIN. Go Team!

Ever wonder the definition of Godspeed or God Speed? Turns out: “It comes from the Middle English expression “God spede (you)”, a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.”

They just posted the Team WOD. If I thought I might throw up from fright before, pretty certain I’m destined to now. Just have to put one foot in front of the other. Show up. And the rest will come. 3, 2, 1..Go!

Team WOD:

In Teams of 3-4:

Station 1:

Accumulate as many Box Jumps/Step Ups as possible in 7 minutes (30/24)

Scale Box Height as necessary.

Jumps will only count while another teammate has a 45lb Bumper plate locked out overhead.

Scale bumper weight as necessary.

Station 2:

Accumulate as many Back Squats (Women), Front Squats (Men) as possible in 7 minutes with 95lbs.

Bar cannot come to the ground. If it does it will be a 10 burpee penalty for all teammates.

Station 3:

Accumulate as many Wall Ball Shots as possible in 7 minutes (20/14)

Reps only count while another team members is in a pullup hold with their chin over the bar.

Scaling will be on rings with their chest to the rings in a ring row position.

Station 4:

AMRAP 250m Row in 7 minutes:

Each athlete must attempt to row an entire 250m.

*3 minutes Rest Between Stations