They're Just Push-Ups

Workout date: 10/7/15

Wednesday was a fairly light day at the gym in terms of things I could blog about.  Sometimes it just works out that way.  Don't worry, I still manage to fall apart during a workout and I even get heckled while it's going on.

I started off the day by heading over to the annex to do my 6x3 back squat session.  This was my first time doing this with 265 pounds and it certainly wasn't easy.  As I had done on Monday, I tried to think about the weight on the bar in terms of percentages.  265 still sounds like a lot of weight to me, but 80% of my max?  That doesn't sound nearly as intimidating.  I did my warmup routine of 5 reps at 135, 4 reps at 185, and 3 reps at 225 before taking on the three-rep sets at 265.  During the first four sets, I had the same routine: I did two quick reps while holding my breath, then reset for the final rep.  I have gotten used to doing both reps during the 6x2 day without a reset, so I saw no point in resetting after every rep if I didn't need to.  For the final two sets, I wasn't feeling as spry, so I took my time and reset after each rep.  The weight itself wasn't unbearable, but I did notice my legs beginning to tire as I got to the later sets.  It made me concerned about how I am going to handle the 6x5 and 6x6 sessions that will be coming up.  I think I went through this same thing when I started the last squat session, so I'm going to try and not overthink it (imagine that!).

With my squats done for the day, I headed over to the main gym for the 6:30 class.  The WOD would round out my work for the day as it was very upper body intensive, giving my legs a little bit of a break for once.

Wednesday WOD:
3RM Shoulder Press (3-3-3-3-3)

Cash-out:
400 meter run
50 push-ups
400 meter run

While it was nice to follow up my squat routine with a WOD that didn't crush my legs even further, this workout was no bargain either.  As is usually the case with my body, I tend to feel the effects of a rough workout two days later rather than the next day.  The payment for doing that unholy workout on Monday was having sore shoulders on Wednesday.  It wasn't just me either, as nearly everyone that I talked to at the gym who had done the Monday workout was dealing with sore shoulders on Wednesday.  With that in mind, I was not expecting a peak performance with my shoulder press.  I had greater hopes for the push-ups, but 50 was a lot to ask.

#keithie recommended partnering up for the shoulder press, so I worked with Cline.  (Is his real first name Calvin?  You decide.)  My plan was to do a warmup set at 75, then do my 5 sets as a progression of 95-105-115-125-135.  I had done 135 for 3 reps once before, but the last rep was very shaky.  With my shoulders feeling sore, I had no expectations of surpassing 135.  75 and 95 were no problem for either of us.  When we got to 105, I was able to finish all 3 reps, but Cline ran into a roadblock.  His first 2 reps were very smooth and the third rep began that way as well.  But just as the bar got to about forehead-level, his momentum stopped and he was unable to get the third rep.  He stayed at 105 for his next few sets and repeated this exact same pattern each time.  For his final set, Cline went down to 100 and did three reps like he was holding a PVC pipe in his hands.  Maybe 105 was a number that got in his head?  Not sure, but I have little doubt that he will be able to shoulder press 105 for three reps the next time this workout shows up again.

I moved on to 115 and got in one more decent-looking set before progressing to 125.  That is where my progression almost came to an end.  For me, the shoulder press is similar to the deadlift.  Getting that bar moving at the very start is the hardest part of the battle.  If I can get it moving, then I'm usually okay.  When I deadlift, it is rare that I get the barbell off the ground and then fail to stand straight up with it.  Usually that barbell remains glued to the ground when I fail.  Same deal with the shoulder press.  When I took on 125, the first rep was extremely shaky, as I could barely get the barbell off of my shoulders.  As I slowly extended my arms, things got better.  After finishing the first rep, I knocked out the second and third reps pretty quickly.

Time to try 135.  After the initial struggle at 125, I wasn't optimistic about getting 3 reps at 135.  However, after another struggle, I did manage to get the first rep at 135.  That was when Cline cracked a joke along the lines of "luckily we're only finding a 1RM".  My ears must have been on a delay.  I started to press out my second rep when I caught a case of the giggles.  At that point, I was done.  I continued to laugh as I placed the bar back on the rack.  A few minutes later, I gave it one more weak attempt, but it wasn't happening.  Honestly, I don't think I would have gotten the 3 reps at 135 even if Cline was a mime, so 125 was going to be my score one way or another.

We put our weights away and prepared for the cash-out.  I knew Cline and Laura A were much faster than me, so I wasn't even going to worry about how fast they ran the 400 meters.  All I wanted to do was get through the push-ups quickly.  We went out on the first 400 meters with Cline and Laura finishing about 100 meters ahead of me, while "Megs" and Ashley M were in close pursuit behind me.  For the push-ups, I made sure I did all 50 reps legitimately.  My new style of ramming my chest into the ground ensures that I am not hitting the ground with my belly during push-ups.  It also gives me momentum to push back up into the plank position.  The downside?  As I discovered during this cash-out, it results in involuntary grunting.

When I started, I did 10 push-ups, then paused to shake out my arms.  It would be great if I could knock out 5 sets of 10 and head back out on the run.  Next set: 4 push-ups.  Wow, that fell apart quickly.  A little bit angry at myself, I resolved to push harder through the next set, even if that meant pausing in the high plank position before grinding out another push-up.  There were several pauses in the high plank, but I got 9 more push-ups in before shaking out my arms again.  Up to 23, nearly halfway done.  Keep moving!

Sadly, that was the end as far as longer sets went.  I got up to 33 after two sets of three and a set of four.  Then the heckling began.  Christine and I often trade zingers when we are doing strength in the annex.  She had finished up her work over there and was watching the end of our class.  Seeing me beginning to fade, she offered the following advice: "Come on Dave, they're just push-ups".  I don't remember my exact response, but it was probably something along the lines of "I hate you".  I was now down to sets of two.  When I got to 39, I attempted a set of two, only to have my arms betray me as I rose from the floor on the second rep.  That left me at 40.  I did the missed rep, then another set of two.  Everyone in the class was still doing push-ups and I only had 7 to go.  Maybe I'd be the first one back out the door!  I did another set of two, getting me to 45.  As I shook out my arms, Cline ran out the door.  So much for that.  As I did my next set of two, Laura ran out the door.  Having reached 47 reps, I did three singles to finish up my 50 reps.

I didn't expect to run fast on the second 400 meters because I thought I would be spent from the push-ups.  But my legs showed some appreciation for not having to work hard beyond the squats I did earlier.  I wasn't going to catch up to Cline and Laura, but I didn't lose a lot of ground to them on the second run either.  In fact, I had a decent sprint back from Frosty Falls to the entrance of the gym.  Final time: 7:53 or 7:57 (I think).  #keithie didn't post the scores on the KOP blog and I don't remember my exact time, but it was barely under 8 minutes.

Thursday preview: Squat cleans, front squats, and burpees.  I believe the burpees were supposed to be the easy part.  They were not.