The Limit Does Not Exist


Brian Hack | 04/16/2012 | 20

A recent topic among some of you Somervillians (at least the AM crew) has been limits. CrossFit is a tricky thing in that it is challenging all the time. Many people look at the class as a series of choices – “Do I go hard in the warm-up or save it for the WOD?” “Should I lift after class or come in early for volume training?” There are lots of theories on performance but we like to think we have it nailed down pretty good.

The warm up is aimed to be just that. Some are tougher than others but it’s not meant to be another workout necessarily, it is meant to simply warm you up! The stretching is not meant to be a form of torture, but it’s also not a time to take a nap on top of a lacrosse ball. Mobilization is extremely important to get your muscles ready for the strength segment as well as the WOD. Squatting, skills, and other strength movements are put first in order to focus on technique and to bias the training toward these movements so that the improvements you make will show up later in high volume training. Then comes the WOD, this is not a time to rest or sandbag it. By all means, establish a pace that you can stick with, but it is not a time to be comfortable. This is the fifteen minutes of your day where you push your mind and your body to its limits and see what you are capable of. I like to think of it as a pop quiz or a test for my conditioning and always go for an A+.

 

Strength:

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1

WOD:

Buy in: 1 minute of double-unders or double-under attempts

AMRAP 7:

7 Hang Power Snatches (95#/65#)

7 Pull-ups

*Score is number of rounds plus number of completed double-unders

 


20 comments for “The Limit Does Not Exist

  1. Cal says:

    hahaha the look on my face in this photo is really fantastic.

    deadlift: 185# and only 35# to go for my goal of 220#!

    wod: 3+4 Rx and i think 71 doubles. Many thanks to JT for pushing me for the Rx, i almost wussed out.

    • Ben S says:

      just so you know – I used this photo this afternoon to convince a coworker that an otherwise unassuming and petite woman could be a total bad-ass weightlifter. I think she’s going to come in for a trial class now!

      • Cal says:

        hahahaha. that makes me blush! also include that coach mandy can deadlift 235# which is over 100# more than she weighs 🙂

  2. Ben S says:

    DL: 305#. I realized this morning I’ve been miscalculating the weight on the bar during deadlifts (thinking 275 was 285), so this could be current PR…either way, it certianly felt like it!

    WOD: 60 something DUs, then 5+5 Rx. what really matters, though, was 4+7 at the 6 min mark.

    • Marcos says:

      ahahaha, I liked that, Ben…you really paid attention to the clock.

      I was so focused on number 7 that I simply stopped the wod when I saw it at the clock…an absolute lack of attention.

      Good job! And come on, let’s do a 5:30 am class!

      • Ben S says:

        it’s funny – I almost did the exact same thing! I turned around after the snatches, saw 7:01 on the clock and stopped for a second, until I heard JT yell “60 seconds!”

        I’m trying to figure out how I could get there by 5:30, so far all I can come up with is ‘just stay up all night’

  3. Marcos says:

    By the way, a very helpful post, Mandy! Thank you!

  4. damien says:

    deadlift: 305#, was able to get the bar off the ground twice at 315# but couldn’t stand it up.

    wod: 73 double-unders, 4 rounds Rx. Grip started to become an issue towards the end. I’m thinking chalk might be my friend as the weather gets warmer and my hands get sweatier.

  5. will says:

    Just went to sign up for the 7pm class tonight and it looks like there isn’t one?

  6. Lara says:

    Great class – my first body weight deadlift @ 150. I didn’t know I had it in me. Thanks, JT!

    As for the WOD, just 3 rounds @ 55#. Still working on those double unders.

    And here is something well worth noting: at Crossfit, writing your body weight up on a white board for all to see is a sign of pride and accomplishment, and not because it’s low. Most gals would never dream of it. LOVE that.

  7. Jaime says:

    Body weight whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

    Deadlift 145#
    10 doubles, 3 rounds + 9 (55# + blue band)

    God I love you people!

  8. amos says:

    I wasn’t planning on going today, but then I saw that one-rep max deadlifts was on the menu.

    Deadlift: 340#
    WOD: 3+9. First time using just the red band for pull-ups in a WOD.

    I felt like I still had a little something in the tank for deadlifts, so I added 450# to my goals. I got some work to do.

  9. Erin says:

    Dead: 265# match max, i tried for #275 and only moved it about an inch off the ground. Oh well. We can’t all be Amos- who killed it dead today.

    WOD: #65, green band. Still no progress on pull ups. Harumpf.

  10. Alicia says:

    165# deadlift which is a big PR

    Not going to lie – I was not a fan of this WOD. Just wasn’t working for me – next time! 55#, blue band pull-ups – 2 rds + 7.

    Nice work on all the deadlift PRs tonight – inspiring!

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