I started training at a new box. Bear Up CrossFit recently opened in Lelystad. It’s all shiny and new and I really like it. They are just starting up so only have about 15 members, but the atmosphere is really nice.
I have a 2 per week membership with them now and still have a 2 per week membership at Almere as well. I don’t want to give up my membership at Almere yet as the level is so good there. At Bear Up I’m the one with the most experience and even though in some ways that can be nice, it’s not the environment in which you learn the most. For that it’s better to be surrounded by people that are better than you.
Also, the prices in Almere are ridiculously high if you become a new member now. I still pay the old price.. but if I would cancel now and want to come back later I would have to pay the new prices as well. So before I cancel I really need to make sure that I won’t regret it.
I do think in the end I will probably move over to Bear Up completely though. It’s nice that it’s in Lelystad, but I really just like it a lot there.
The Open is going on now.. Tonight they will announce the last one: 17.5. The open until now has been really great for me. I think I like this Open the best of all the ones I’ve done. And this is my fourth Open.
Open 17.1
For time:
10 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
20 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
30 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
40 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
50 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
Women use 15 kg dumbbell and 20-in. box
Time cap: 20 minutes
This workout was hard! Especially the burpee box jump-overs. I scored 159 reps, which means I was 1 rep shy of finishing the burpees on the round of 40 snatches. I was happy with how I did.
Open 17.2
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
2 rounds of:
50-ft. weighted walking lunge
16 toes-to-bars
8 power cleans
Then, 2 rounds of:
50-ft. weighted walking lunge
16 bar muscle-ups
8 power cleans
Etc., alternating between toes-to-bars and bar muscle-ups every 2 rounds.
Women use 15 kg dumbbells
This felt a little bit like a redemption WOD for me. I always struggle with toes to bar in the open. I never practice them and in normal wod’s I usually scale them. Last year during the open I again vowed to work on them and this year I again didn’t. So I was worried. But it went great! I ended up with 77 reps. Which is 2 rounds + 45-ft lunges. That means I did 32 ttb in the workout :). I stuck to singles and they felt great!!
The lunges went better than expected as well. Felt solid doing them. Was very happy :).
Open 17.3
Prior to 8:00, complete:
3 rounds of:
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 squat snatches, 65 lb.
Then, 3 rounds of:
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
5 squat snatches, 95 lb.
*Prior to 12:00, complete 3 rounds of:
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
4 squat snatches, 135 lb.
*Prior to 16:00, complete 3 rounds of:
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
3 squat snatches, 155 lb.
*Prior to 20:00, complete 3 rounds of:
10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 squat snatches, 175 lb.
Prior to 24:00, complete 3 rounds of:
11 chest-to-bar pull-ups
1 squat snatch, 185 lb.
*If all reps are completed, time cap extends by 4 minutes.
This was another good test for improvement. Last year during 16.1 I had my first chest to bar and managed 3 total in 15 minutes. I hadn’t tried them since. After the announcement of 17.3 I tried them a couple of times and failed miserably. I had therefore decided that I was going to scale this workout. As I did not want to spend the first 8 minutes failing chest to bars and not even get to the snatches.
However, during my warmup I decided to try one last time and suddenly got two chest to bars in a row. So in the end I decided to go for Rx after all. And I’m happy I did! I managed to get 6 chest to bars and 6 snatches in the first 8 minutes :). I did get back to the chest to bars with some time left, but couldn’t get my chest up to that bar anymore. Still, I was happy with the result yet again. The last year I felt that I have not trained hard, but a steady trip to the gym throughout the year still means progress and that feels really cool.
Open 17.4
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 13 minutes of:
55 deadlifts, 155 lb.
55 wall-ball shots, 14-lb. ball to 9-ft. target
55-calorie row
55 handstand push-ups
I thought this one was really mean. This is a repeat of 16.4. After doing this WOD last year I felt that I lifted too heavy for what’s good for me. 155lbs is 70kg and that is a lot of weight to lift 55 times. I managed to get 91 reps last year. The next week I hurt my back and I always that it had to do with doing those deadlifts prior.
So.. this year I had decided that if a weight like that comes up and I feel that it’s more than I can handle that I would scale the workout. But then they come with a repeat workout.. which is perfect to see if you have improved. But you can only really measure that if you do it the same as last year; meaning Rx. I decided to see how I would feel during the warmup and promised myself to go slow and not lose form.
I did Rx and managed 111 reps. 20 reps more than last year! The deadlifts felt ok.. I did loose form a bit on the last couple of reps.. so that’s still something I need to look out for. Damn open, it pushes you to go beyond your normal limits. Which is good in some ways, not so good in others.
But I don’t believe I have injured myself. I almost have no soreness, although I do feel some stifness in my lower back in the same spot that I had the injury. Which is still a weak spot. I’ve been trying to roll it out with the foamroller.. and hope it’s gone on Saturday when I’ll be doing 17.5. Which are going to involve thrusters again for sure.
Anyway.. I’m really enjoying the Open. I have been helping at Bear Up on Saturdays with judging and have done the workout myself in Almere on Sundays. It’s fun to enjoy both community’s this way. This week I think I’m going to do the workout at Bear Up.
Also.. yesterday I got a new PR on my deadlift: 95kg!! :D