Workouts Lately & A Snatch PR!

I haven’t blogged my workouts lately because they’ve been few and far between. I had a lot going on in September and while I planned to go hard in October, it hasn’t quite worked out that way; though, there’s still time! 🙂
On the upside, when I did finally get to the gym this past week I set a new personal record on my snatch – 95 lbs, up from 85! Woo hoo! I also got to my work gym this past week, which is a good thing! However, I have to say– working out alone is so much harder than doing it at a box with all my friends! The workout below that I did on Tuesday was only 9 minutes but gosh, it felt like forever! I also took way too many breaks, switching songs and tallying up rounds… I know I can do better! I needed my workout buddy there! (Ahemmm, I’m looking at you, Karlye!)

AMPRAP in 9 minutes of:

9 KB swings
6 lateral over-the-bar burpees
3 shoulder to overhead*

*I have no idea how much was on the bar, but it felt kind of heavy!? Again this is part of doing CrossFit outside the box; it’s just different! The bar looks different and so do the plates… I think this was a men’s bar, so 45 lbs, and I put on 10 lb plates on each side, equaling 65 lbs.

This workout as a modification of the programming at my box that day (I substituted kettlebell swings for deadlifts). I finished with 6+5 rounds but like I said, I think I could have done better! I didn’t warm-up for very long either (I just did a 750 m row and a few handstand holds) and I’ve *heard* the shorter the workout the longer the warmup should be… lesson learned!

The day before this workout was Columbus Day, and I hit up CrossFit in the evening with Aaron.

Part A:
Every 2 minutes for 16 minutes (8 sets*), complete:
1 Heave Snatch Balance
1 Snatch Balance
1 Snatch

Rest 3 minutes, then:

Part B:
Snatch Classic**
1-1-1 (Rest 2-3 minutes between attempts)

*Add weight for each set
**Target weight should be near 80%+ of a known 1RM or heaviest set from Part A

As you can see from the picture below, I gradually added weight 45-55-60-65-70-75-80 to 82, and then for Part B, I started at 80…

I hadn’t been to CrossFit in awhile and although I was excited to come back on a night we were practicing snatches, I didn’t have any expectations for achieving a PR. However, as I steadily moved up in weight, and received a lot of encouragement from my coach and peers, I braved 5 more lbs and then 5 more! I couldn’t believe I got to 95 lbs! That made me really want to break 100 but it didn’t happen. Maybe next time! Nevertheless, I’m happy to have gotten up to 95 lbs!

Ok, so rewind to last Thursday, I did this WOD:

Part B:
AMRAP in 8 minutes of:
5 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Air Squats

Rest 5 minutes, then:

Part C:
EMOM for 8 minutes of:
25 second Max Effort Row (meters)

Now, it may not look like much but this workout smoked me! My arms were dead from the push-ups and about halfway through I dropped to my knees because my form was shot. I didn’t get chest-to-bar either; I just practiced my kipping pull-ups. I was super proud of my friend Lynn– this was her first workout doing all kipping pull-ups, no bands! She was coming back from a two-week vacation to Italy! I guess time off can be a good thing?

Finally, tonight’s workout:

Buy-in 750 m row, then:
4 rounds of 20 box jumps (24/20)
15 hand-release pushups
10 ring dips

Phew! So, I’m not sure about that time off thing! Haha. I felt pretty winded during this workout and pretty weak, too. While I felt good doing snatches earlier this week, body weight movements are a whole different ball game for me; they’re so much harder! I definitely struggle with ring dips–even using a band, they’re tough!

I kept reminded myself tonight that I have taken some time off and it’s normal to feel a little out of it. What’s most important is that I got there– I got through it — and I’m planning my workouts so I don’t miss too many more!

The plan for the rest of this week and next? CrossFit Friday, Saturday and maybe even Sunday! Off Monday and Tuesday (I have other obligations after work) but back on it Wednesday and Thursday. Friday we go to Williamsburg so it’s important to get in what I can this weekend as we’ll be away next weekend!

What’s your workout plan?

Do you map out your workouts?

Have you had a PR after some time off?