Thursday was the last Endurance class of the year. It really was a shame that I couldn't make it to this class earlier in the year. I'm not sure I would ever describe an Endurance class as pleasant, but it is hard to argue the benefits. My cardio the last two years was much better than it was this year and there's no doubt in my mind that it was due to my regular attendance at Endurance.
The lineup at the Upper Merion HS track consisted of Jen and Alona ("Jalona"), Mr. Intensity (John), Flounder, Kevin, and myself. Perhaps the intensity was ratcheted up because it was the last class for 2015 (or because they don't call him Mr. Intensity for nothing), but John was pushing the pace during our warmup. Not sure whether that had an effect later on, but it's worth noting. We did some stretching after the warmup laps were complete and then we were on to our first task: burpee broad jumps. Coach Tim brought us off the track and on to the football field and told us we were to do 20 burpee broad jumps for distance (not time). This is where I found out that I hate burpees more than I love broad jumps. Even doing these slowly sucked. Alona was a speed demon, moving down the field much faster than the rest of us. Kevin and I were moving at about the same pace, covering about the same amount of distance on our jumps. When Alona reached midfield, Tim had her stop and asked her how many reps she had done. The answer was 16. Tim let the rest of us know that we could stop when we reached midfield as well. Kevin and I both got there in 14 jumps. Not sure how many jumps it took for Mr. Intensity and Flounder, while Jen did 20 before reaching midfield.
Tim then laid out what we'd be doing on the track: a set of 200M-400M-400M-200M, followed by a 4 minute break, then a 4 minute tabata sprint, with one more 4 minute break before another set of 200M-400M-400M-200M. Now I'll warn you in advance: for someone who usually remembers how many reps he did in each set or what time it was at the end of every round, I have little recollection of what my times were during the 200M-400M-400M-200M sets. Tim rattled them off to us at the end of each round, but it basically sounded like gibberish at that point. Here is what I can tell you for certain: in nearly every one of those runs, the finishing order was Kevin-Mr. Intensity-Me-"Jalona"-Flounder. Mr. Intensity won the final 200M sprint. Flounder was ahead of "Jalona" on the first 200M run (if I remember correctly). During the tabata sprints, Alona was definitely ahead of me. And at the end of the second set, Tim accused me of sandbagging the first 200M run. (For the record, he claimed that I ran it in 44 seconds, while Mr. Intensity ran it in 36 seconds and Jen ran it in 45 seconds. I guarantee the gap between me and Mr. Intensity was not 8 times as large as the gap between me and Jen on that run.) In general, my 200M runs were in the low 40's range while my 400M runs were in the high 80's range.
With the curtain closed on another Endurance season, I made my way over to the gym for my 6x2 back squat session. My first four sessions using 265 pounds had not gone very well. Maybe 5th times the charm? I finally felt comfortable with the weight during my small sets of 2 reps. As usual, I started with 5 reps at 135, 4 reps at 185, and 3 reps at 225. My first set of 2 reps at 265 wasn't easy, but after I had put the barbell back on the rack, it wasn't long before I was eager to do set #2. I felt like that eagerness was my body's way of saying "that wasn't bad, let's get back after it". From that point on, I knocked out set after set with a lot of confidence. Will I still have that confidence when I take on 6x5 at 265 pounds next Tuesday? I'm not sure, but it was nice to get the feeling that my body was finally adjusting from using 235 pounds as my regular weight in the last back squat program to using 265 pounds this time around.
A workout would not be complete without pull-up practice. Samson had texted me that my problems with pushing away from the bar at the top of the pull-up may have had to do with the grip I was using. I have been using a monkey grip (hand completely over the top of the bar) for quite some time. Matt B had shown me this once upon a time, explaining to me that it decreased the range of motion necessary for the pull-up. And since I was struggling mightily with pull-ups, having less range of motion to deal with sounded ideal for me. Samson's comment got the wheels turning and I may go back to a normal grip (all fingers over the bar except for the thumb, which wraps underneath the bar) from now on. Why? Several reasons:
- Better ability to push away at the top.
- My need for a smaller range of motion has decreased. When I get tired while doing pull-ups, I resort to strict pull-ups. That indicates that I still have the strength to do the pull-ups, but my kipping form is falling apart. So if I have enough strength to do pull-ups even when I'm fatiguing, I can probably handle a little more range of motion.
- This grip is much safer. Earlier in the year, I flew backwards into a wall while attempting to kip in front of a class. Would that have happened with a normal grip? No. Also, there is more potential for me to slide off that bar using the monkey grip when my hands inevitably get sweaty.
The results when I practiced using the normal grip? The kip looked better due to a better push away from the top, but I wasn't able to do as many pull-ups per set as I had been doing. Still, if I can be consistent with knocking out 5 reps in a row and feel safe on the bar, I think that is a tradeoff that I am okay with.
I am headed out of town from Saturday through Monday, so Friday will mark my last class before a much-needed break. My body is a little beaten up at the moment, but I think I can make it through one more class to cap off the week. How bad could the Friday WOD be?
Friday preview: It's bad. Really bad. A true test to see if I have any chance at Wolverine in two weeks. A workout that includes 90 pull-ups. I give you...Badger!
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