New ways to die with a rope

Can't make it to class tonight, so went up to the Clark Kerr track with a jumprope for some fun.

Death by Double Under: 27 rounds rx

Then, figuring that since I was at a track I should do some running, I came up with this little gem:

Death March by Double-under

In the first minute, perform 1 double-under, and then run for the remainder of the minute. In the second minute, perform 2 double-unders and then run. Continue until unable to complete the required number of double-unders in time. Score is (round of double-unders) + (number of meters/100).

Score: 52rx (25du + 27m)

Definitely a keeper, and easily transferable to other movements (push-ups, squats, KB swings, etc.) The last lap was a very CrossFit exercise in frustration.

Death by Kettlebell Clean

In the final installment of his "Death by..." skill-work series, Max chose KB Cleans. I have a rocky history with these. They were part of the workout that killed my shoulder (though it was really the push-jerks that were responsible). And there's just no getting around the fact that 1.5 pood is pretty damn heavy.

With a continuously running clock do one 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell clean the first minute, two 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell cleans the second minute, three 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell cleans the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

17 rounds + 12 RX. (165 reps)

I alternated hands on each round, but it still rubbed my palms raw. Max frequently chided me that I was "too far out in space" on the cleans - which eventually I translated to mean I was sending them out too far in front of me on an arc like a KB swing. On the reps that FELT right, the kettlebell acted like it simply being pulled up on a string in a straight line. I was able to get this sometimes. Other times it bashed the hell out of my biceps and forearms.

After I was knocked out of the running, I watched others and realized that they seemed to be twisting their bodies and using their lats more than I think I was. I tried to practice a few more after taking a break to trying using more of my back, but was too tired and raw. I'll have to try again later.

Tomorrow is the culmination of all four movements, plus a little sprinting. It looks horribly brutal. Should be fun.

Double-unders, bitches!

Oh, yes. We're going there.

Given that up until now I have NEVER really successfully managed a double-under, I figured this class would essentially be practice. BUT, I FIGURED THE BASTARDS OUT. Well, sort of.

With a continuously running clock do one Double-Under the first minute, two Double-Unders the second minute, three Double-Unders the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

10 rounds + a bunch of practice

Using the "jump-jump-DOUBLE-UNDER" method, I eventually was able to keep the pattern going to get multiple reps in on one run. After making it to round 10, I stopped paying attention to the numbers, and just focused on practice: keeping the rope under control, staying upright, and TRYING to get more than one double-under consecutively. I managed to do this ONCE. Which was AWESOME.

Death by Pushup

Yikes, I'm a few days behind in my posting! Thankfully, it's not all that hard to remember what the workouts were or how I did with them.

With a continuously running clock do one Push-Up the first minute, two Push-Ups the second minute, three Push-Ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

14 rounds + 12

My form deteriorated pretty badly in the last couple rounds - probably down to a C or so. Mainly just that I couldn't get back up if I went all the way down, but there was also some snaking going on. I wanted to go to failure, though, and that's definitely what happened: when I started falling on my face, I knew I was in trouble.

Death by Kettlebell

So this week is "back to basics" week, with Max focusing on a different fundamental movement each day and combining them into some truly horrible thing on the weekend. Today: the kettlebell swing.

With a continuously running clock do one 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell swing the first minute, two 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell swings the second minute, three 1.5P/1.0P kettlebell swings the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

17 + 5 rounds, RX (158 swings)

The quick summary of this workout goes like this: "Easy...easy...easy...HARD."

I was doing just fine until round 15, and then I started to fall apart. You don't have much time to take a break mid-round, and if you do then you're killing your chances for the next round, so once you have to put the kettlebell down mid-round, you're in deep shit.

It's a shame I didn't make it to 18, but I seriously had nothing left. My grip was failing and my hands were sweating, so I was starting to fear letting go of the bell (bad, obviously). My form was also falling apart, and I think in my tiredness I was overcompensating with my arms rather than continuing to rely on my hips. Things to keep in mind.

With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Did 8 minutes + 4, last 2 minutes on gravitron -30#. Tweaked something in my shoulder that hurts tonight, I'll have to keep an eye on that tomorrow.

Did the workout after Elizabeth's spin class (focused on intervals).