Lifting at Crossfit Metropolis

Warm-up:
good mornings
muscle snatch

muscle snatch + 2 power snatch (65,85,95,115)
power snatch + snatch (125,135)
snatch (145,150,155,2x160 [f1], 6x165 [f1,2,5,6])
3-3-3-1-1 front squat (135,165,185,205,210)

5 rounds of:
7 dumbbell swings (55#)
7 burpees

BL: 3:49

Good session at Crossfit Metropolis, a new affiliate on the upper east side. Nice big space that's perfect for lifting (3 ft thick concrete floors) and all manner of serious training. Eric, the owner, was kind enough to let me come by and check the place out. I got to lift with a shiny new Pendlay Nexgen bar, which I really like.

Snatches felt good, although a bit inconsistent from a hasty warm-up. Really happy to get 165 with minimal jump forward.

Tried to convince myself to do seven rounds of the metcon, but got lazy. Slower than last time as well.

The (Almost) Mooch

Did an extremely brief workout today--a 2/3 Mooch.

Warmup:
Barbell complex, 55#

The Mooch (2/3)
AMRAP in 10min
3x Back Squat, 225#
6x Pull Up
9x Push Up

Completed 5 rounds. Back Squats really felt like something--which says I haven't been doing enough of them. By the time I was done, I was feeling it in my arms too. I think that a full Mooch would be good for me (soon).

Pasadena

Leeat brought me to the Pasadena Equinox. I lacked energy, but I managed to do the following.

Warmup: 5 min running

3 sets of:
20 burpees
40 bicycle crunches

3 sets of strict pullups: 12, 8, 6.

10 Turkish getups with 25 pounds.

40 curls with 10 pounds plate.

The pullups were very weak, I am not sure why I couldn't do more. I also tried some overhead squats but quickly abandoned when I realized how shaky I was. The curls with the plate I like, it felt like something that could help your grip.

Warm-up:
dynamic stretching
good mornings

3x3 deadlift (135x5x2, 185x5, 225x3 then 275/295/315 x3)
1x15 deadlift (135)

5-3-3-2 snatch balance (45, 65, 75, 85)

3 rounds of:
30 steps pinch-grip farmers walk (35# plates)
10 inverted rows
10 pushups

Moving pretty slow this morning, feeling a little under the weather. Wanted to get in and keep moving a little. Deads felt solid with regular grip - squeeze up to 295/305/315 next time. Played a little with the snatch balance, but I really need to get my coordination down better. One tip that helped me was to rotate the elbows under and forward a bit to ensure the bar travels straight up and not forward.

Pinch-grip is a real burner for the forearms, I'm going to add it to the rotation...

Aikdo insights

Sometimes you need to return to the basics. One of those in Aikido is Mai or distance. The appropriate distance provides you safety, control, initiative or opportunity. The fundamental distance, derived from sword work, is the distance where you are neither vulnerable to an immediate attack (too close) nor incapable of responding effectively (too far). I was having trouble with one of my techniques today and realized that while I'd drilled on using my movements and footwork to maintain mai in the past, recently I was focusing on other aspects of the art and had lost my precision. This kept me from creating the right opening for an attack and left me using too much force. While I think I regularly remember to instruct newer students in this basic idea, I have to remind myself that you're never too advanced to return to them yourself.

I also had an insight into the opening of the tobikomi techniques. The movement is supposed to both move you into position to perform the technique but also provide the opening by taking some of uke's center and redirecting their energy. I think I always emphasized the entering movement but didn't ensure that I had uke's center, which makes applying the subsequent techniques more difficult.

I also was checked out on my Jo sanju-ichi again. I need to remain more linear (visualize the opponents) but I was given the go ahead to test. Maybe next wednesday.

Pushing it

Warm-up:
dynamic stretching

3x5 bench press (45x5x2, 75x5, 105x3, 125x2 then 135/140/145 x5)
3x5 low-bar back squat (45x5x2, 95x5, 135x3, 185x2 then 225/230[f4]/215[f4] x5)

Metcon based on CF Football WOD 11.09.09
4 rounds of:
1 Push Press @ 65% of body weight (sub 95#)
1 Strict Pull Up
3 Push Presses @ 65% of body weight
3 Strict Pull Ups
5 Push Presses @ 65% of body weight
5 Strict Pull Ups

Not quite entirely successful return to the big lifts today. Back felt pretty good, strength just wasn't there; in any case I was too ambitious with the weights given my last session went at 210/220/230. Back down to 210/220/230 or 215/225/235 next time. Bench felt good, not stalling yet but reaching the edge of the comfort zone - go to 140/145/150 next time.

Pull-up/push-press combo is rough as all the blood rushes into the shoulder girdle. Can go heavier on the press weight, it was the pull-ups that were slowing me down. Did it as untimed rounds since I forgot my watch, posted workout was AMRAP in 15 min.

Aikido Nikyu Shinsa Prep

Today Anwar was nice and ran through most of my aikido techniques and all of the bookend and jo that is on my nikyu shinsa. Everything felt good except the transitions within the Jo Kamai (postures) and Jo Sabaki (attacks). I need to do a bit more polishing on my Jo Sanju-Ichi but I think I'm going to be ready to test next week.

Kenway, back on the wall

We hit Brooklyn Boulders today for an afternoon of climbing. Kenway, Brett and Begona started with some bouldering. I arrived a bit later and warmed up on some bouldering problems (V0, V1, V1+, V2+, V3) and then joined Begona for her belay test. She passed with flying colors (well, actually, she forgot to say 'on belay', but blamed it on the language barrier). After that I warmed up on some 5.9s and Begona tackled a couple of 5.7s and a 5.8. Brett and Kenway worked on getting Kenway lead certified (and warmed up on a 5.9) and then Kenway tackled a 5.10+ and a 5.12. Brett paced through the 5.10+, a 5.11+ and a 5.12 before finally being defeated on a crazy 5.12. I finished off trying a 5.10 (turned out it had no anchor) and then a 5.9+ with some tricky first moves).

Begona and Kenway took of and Brett and I finished up with a few more bouldering problems and finally a round of pull-ups on the hang board. Unfortunately, no slacklining today as there was a kids b-day party.

Aikido for the Masses

We had a huge crowd tonight including two out-of-town visitors. One from Belgium and one from Texas, who is also a former student of sensei's and quite good. The class was good and full of energy. We worked primarily on come-to-hold techniques were uke attacks (potentially with various speeds) from a distance. We normally practice this initially with a single step and then follow that up with running attacks. I was a bit under the weather so I tried to retain my balance and work on fluid movements. One technique especially require work. The uke runs in and nage steps back so that the hand that was offered and attacked is removed at the last minute while you end up right behind uke. Ideally, you then can guide the uke for a few steps by keeping the hand that was the target just out of reach while you take control of uke's nect and then perform Kokyo-nage. I really needed work on the transition from stepping back to moving forward (guiding).

Warm-up:
overhead squat
back squat

3-3-3-3-3-2 snatch balance (95,105,115,125,135,145)
5-5-5-5-3 clean pull (135,175,3x205)

7 bar muscle-ups (+1 failure)

Light technique day. Probably should have gone heavier on the balances. Weight is light enough that I am catching bar fairly high and riding down. I assume I should be doing these at weights heavier than I can snatch. Pulls starting to irritate right hip at full extension; cut the last set short.