International Women's Day

Workout date: 3/8/17

This year's Open has involved a fascination with heavy dumbbells.  It has been an interesting twist on the types of workouts that we're used to, but it has left many people (like myself) longing for the return of the heavy barbell.  On Wednesday night, the heavy barbell emerged from the shadows and took its proper place in the spotlight.  Not only that, the barbell would get heavier and heavier as the workout progressed.  Here's what was programmed for Wednesday night:

Wednesday's WOD:
3 rounds
3 minute AMRAP
3 power cleans
3 front squats
3 push jerks
*3 minutes rest between rounds
**RX weights in each round are 135/95, 155/105, and 185/135

If good things truly come in threes, then this workout was loaded with lots of good stuff.  The combination of 3 power cleans, 3 front squats, and 3 push jerks might ring a bell as this was the format used in the "Thin Lizzy" workout we did in December.  That workout was a 30 minute EMOM where we had to get through those 3 movements every 60 seconds with the RX weights matching what we'd see in the first round of this WOD.  I only used 125 pounds during "Thin Lizzy" because I didn't think I could make it through 30 rounds with 135 pounds on my barbell.  Since I'd be doing considerably fewer rounds in this workout, I was okay with using more weight.

March 8th is known as International Women's Day and the 7:30 class would have been an all-women's affair if it wasn't for my presence (sorry ladies!).  Coach Jenna had four people in her class: myself, Julie Foucher, Marissa, and Therese.  With only a solitary barbell necessary for this workout, the four of us had plenty of room.  We ended up staying in close proximity to one another though.  We formed two rows of two, with Therese and Julie in the front row as me and Marissa set up shop behind them.

If I had any doubts about which weights I should use in this workout, they were erased when Jenna informed us that we should lean towards going heavy.  It isn't often that you hear one of our coaches say that, so this workout must have been designed to test strength more than cardio.  Most of the scores from earlier in the day were within a narrow range.  Athletes were completing about 4 rounds at the lightest weight, 3 rounds at the middle weight, and 2 rounds with the heaviest weight.  I felt that I could complete that amount of work when considering how I might fare with 135, 155, and 185 pounds.

While we warmed up, Jenna went over the rules of the workout.  Apparently someone in an earlier class had asked if you could squat clean as a transition from the power clean to the front squat.  That was not allowed because you were substituting one movement (squat clean) for two movements (power clean + front squat).  I think we all realized that this wasn't allowed before Jenna said anything, but this announcement led to confusion.  Especially when Jenna followed it up by saying that you could squat clean into the front squat if you had finished the power cleans already.  (This substitution is one for one, as the squat clean puts you into the front squat.  You aren't trimming a rep in this scenario.)  While everyone was wrapping their heads around that, Marissa got confused about the last movement in the sequence and as a result had prepared to use lighter weights.  Marissa thought we were doing push presses and not push jerks.  You can't move as much weight with a push press as you can a push jerk which is why she originally planned to go lighter.  We thought we had that mix up figured out until we practiced the push jerk.  Jenna kept saying "dip and press" to which I kept yelling "jerk".  Jenna thought I was calling her names until I clarified why I was yelling "jerk" over and over again.  This was probably one of the more chaotic warmups I've been a part of, but we eventually got it all sorted out.

There were 9 reps in the sequence we'd be repeating in this WOD and my plan was to try and hold on for the final 7 every time.  If you dropped the barbell after the last power clean, during the front squats, or during the push jerks, you were going to have to do additional power cleans.  Since we were going heavy today, you didn't want to waste a lot of energy on extra power cleans.  Early on in the first round, I'd be taking things a step further, trying to hold on for all 9 reps if possible.

Jenna got us started on our first AMRAP and I flew through 9 reps.  Cycling through power cleans at 135 is something I am used to.  The front squats at 135 were fairly light, especially considering we were only doing 3 reps at a time.  The push jerks were the toughest part of the sequence, but they were also manageable in sets of 3.  I held on for all 9 reps my first two times through the sequence and had 2 rounds done in about a minute.  I was definitely completing four rounds in this first AMRAP.  The question was whether I could make it through five.

On my third time through the sequence, I changed things up.  I held on for 2 power cleans, dropped the barbell, took a short break to get ready for the next 7 reps, then held on through a power clean, 3 front squats, and 3 push jerks.  The front squats were still not that bad, but the push jerks were becoming more difficult to control.  Jenna let us know that these had to be push jerks, as split jerks were not allowed in the workout.  My mind began to think about how tough it was going to be to cycle through the jerks at 155.  It would be a miracle if I cycled the jerks at 185.

When I completed my 4th trip through the sequence, there was about 45 seconds remaining in the first AMRAP.  I had to hustle if I was completing 5 rounds and I couldn't make any mistakes.  I did the 2 power cleans and took a break.  I wanted a longer one, but the clock was ticking.  I did the last clean, the 3 front squats, and then got through the last 3 push jerks with a few seconds remaining.  I didn't even bother trying to sneak in another power clean before the buzzer.  First AMRAP score: 45.

There were only a couple of people who had done 5 rounds RX in that first AMRAP, so I was pleased that I got so much work done.  I was also kinda tired.  I walked to the front and wrote my score on the whiteboard.  I came back to my barbell and added 10 pound plates to each side.  Then I sat in the chair Cline had left for me.  Back when we did "Thin Lizzy", we were advised to sit in a chair or on a bench when waiting for the next minute of the EMOM to begin.  The same logic was in play here.  Might as well save your legs in between rounds.  When Cline offered to leave his chair after the 6:30 class, I gladly accepted it.  I only got to sit on it for about a minute, but it was better than nothing.

I didn't bother trying to get all 9 reps of the sequence when I began the second AMRAP.  I went directly to singles on my power cleans, with the same plan of holding on through the front squats and the push jerks after that third power clean.  I was able to stick to this plan, but the toll of the extra weight caused me to take longer breaks when I finished the last push jerk of each set.  I started my second round right at about the 1 minute mark.  I began the third round just before the 2 minute mark.  Just as I knew early on in the first AMRAP that I'd reach 4 rounds, I knew I was getting through 3 rounds in this AMRAP.  The question was could I get more than that.  With less than 30 seconds remaining, I completed my third round.  My breaks between rounds had been about 20 seconds long, but there wasn't enough time for that at this point.  I didn't waste much time getting back to my barbell.  It looked like I had just enough time left to complete the 3 power cleans.  There were still a couple seconds to go when I got the third power clean, so I snuck in a front squat before time was called.  Second AMRAP score: 31.

30 seemed like a popular score for that second AMRAP, so I was happy that I got those extra reps in at the end to keep pace with those who had done the workout earlier in the day.  I repeated the same routine of walking to the front to write my score, walking to my barbell and changing the weights, and sitting down.  I was definitely moving slower because I only got thirty seconds in the chair before the 3rd AMRAP.

After moving through 5 rounds in the first AMRAP and 3.5 rounds in the second AMRAP, having a goal of 2 rounds in the third AMRAP seemed like a cinch.  Even if it took a minute to get through the sequence, I could take a minute off to recover and still have enough time to complete two rounds.  Piece of cake.  Or not.  My first power clean let me know that 185 was going to be a struggle.  I've started to squat clean routinely now, but that wasn't an option today, so the power clean at 185 was tougher than I bargained for.  I managed to hit all 3 power cleans and was even able to hold on for 3 front squats after that last power clean.  The push jerk was a totally different animal though.  I went to perform my first push jerk and it went nowhere.  Yikes.  Was I going to have to do these one at a time?  That meant 3 extra power cleans.  I just did 3 power cleans and they sucked!  Whether I liked it or not, I was on the hook for at least 1 extra power clean as I got the barbell back to my front rack to try the push jerk again.  This time my push jerk was successful.  I brought it back down to my shoulders and tried a second one.  Got it.  Maybe that disaster of a first attempt was a fluke.  I brought the barbell down, dipped, drove up, and...did 75% of a push jerk.  I was really close to pressing that third one out completely, but my arms gave out on me.

I looked at the clock and saw that half of the time for this AMRAP had passed.  So much for easily getting 2 rounds!  Unless I somehow got stronger on my second trip through this sequence, I was going to fall short of my goal for this AMRAP.  While that was floating through my mind, I realized that there was the not-so-trivial matter of completing round #1.  I did another ugly power clean, then mustered enough strength for a third solid push jerk.  With about a minute remaining when I dropped the barbell, I decided that I needed to get back to the push jerk portion of the sequence, even if I didn't complete another one.  I did three singles of the power clean, then hung on through 3 painful front squats.  There was no way that I could execute the push jerk after those front squats, so I dropped the barbell.  With only a few seconds remaining, I'd have to be happy with less than 2 rounds in this final AMRAP.  Third AMRAP score: 15.

Overall I was happy with how things had gone.  Clearly I underestimated how tough it would be to hang on through 7 consecutive reps with 185 pounds on the barbell.  If I did this again, I'd probably just drop the barbell after the front squats at that weight and accept that extra power cleans were necessary.  It was time to head home and enjoy the rest day on Thursday, when Dave Castro would reveal to us what torture awaited us in 17.3.

Friday preview: Two consecutive barbell workouts!  Castro ditches the dumbbells for barbells and I discover an affinity for a movement that I didn't consider to be one of my favorites.