When I attempted Helen back in May, it was one of the most miserable experiences I had in the gym all year. I had talked myself into believing that I could finish the workout RX, only to fall apart on the pull-ups. In round one, I fell way behind. In round two, I simply failed. Ended up doing ring rows in order to finish in a semi-respectable time. Then in August, I was finally able to do all 36 pull-ups that are required as part of Helen. My time was incredibly slow, but I got through the workout. On Monday, I'd have my last opportunity this year to take on Helen. It's kind of amazing how much my perspective on this workout has changed over the course of six months.
Helen
3 rounds
400 meter run
21 KB swings (55/35)
12 pull-ups
As I got ready to do this on Monday, I no longer wondered whether I could get through 36 pull-ups. Having done 90 pull-ups as part of Badger and 120 as part of Wolverine, I had erased any doubts I previously had regarding my ability to do that many pull-ups in a workout. My pull-up form could still use a lot of improvement, but it is significantly better than it was six months ago. Now my focus was on speed. The next step for me was to complete this workout in a decent time. Back in August, it took me 18:36 to finish when most of the other athletes in the gym were in the 11-13 minute range. Could I get my time down that low? I knew it would require two things:
- Never putting the KB down. I would need to string all 21 reps in each of the three rounds.
- Stringing together sets of pull-ups. I've been able to do this when I remain calm, but could I do it when I was trying to rush?
For some reason I have had trouble with the KB as the year has progressed, but I got the chance to swing it 90 times at the tail end of one of last week's WODs and it didn't feel as bad as expected. I think part of my issue with the KB is that it doesn't feel comfortable to me. I don't need to put it down, but it would be a whole lot nicer if I could. So if I reached that point during this workout, I was going to remind myself that I did not need to put the KB down, that I really just wanted to put the KB down. (And also, that I was almost done with the round. Because if this was happening prior to 15 swings, I had some serious issues. And if I couldn't hold on for 6 more swings, then I was a total wimp.)
As for the pull-ups, I wanted to do sets of three or four, at least in round one. If I needed to do sets of two later on, then so be it. Quick singles would be a last resort and I would need to stay on them if I was going to stay at the pace that I was expecting the rest of the class to be moving at.
The 6:30 class on Monday was well-attended, but things felt more claustrophobic than usual because the Holiday Head Start program was beginning, putting an extra 20 or so people in the main gym alongside of us. That wasn't a problem for the running or the KBs, but it was an issue for the pull-ups. We had heard that the pull-up rigs down at the end of the gym where that program was taking place would be available once we began the workout, but it still seemed pretty crowded down there. With 10 people in our class, including several folks needing to set up boxes and bands under the rig, there was almost nowhere to go on our end of the gym if you wanted to use a high bar. And, as has become my custom, I wanted to do the whole workout on the high bar.
We crossed the street to the barrier and waited on #keithie's signal to take off to begin the workout. I wanted to go a little faster than normal on these 400 meter runs, but I also knew I needed to keep my breathing somewhat calm for both the KB swings and the pull-ups. I came into the gym a few seconds behind the leading pack and made my way over to my KB. The first 21 swings weren't all that bad, although I did have some issues balancing my weight in my feet (apparently it is not only a back squat issue for me). I placed the KB down and searched for a spot to do pull-ups. There was one high bar on the Holiday Head Start side of the gym with no one underneath it, so I decided that I was using that until someone told me I couldn't. I began with a set of 3 and then a set of 2. Not ideal. The speed of the workout was testing my cardio and the result was less efficient pull-ups. I did two more sets of 2 before knocking out three quick singles to finish the round. Quick singles already? Ugh. At least I had a solid first round, heading back out the door in under 4 minutes.
For the second run, I was behind nearly everyone, but Ashley and "Megs" weren't too far ahead of me. I decided that I needed to push and attempt to catch up with them. Despite being a workout that generally takes more than 10 minutes to complete, it has a sprint-like feel to it. It was clear that I wasn't going to move as fast through the pull-ups as I would have hoped, so I would need to be faster on the runs and on the KB swings. As we approached the gym at the end of the second run, I was able to reel in both of them. The KB swings required more effort than the first round, but I held on for all 21 reps. Back to the pull-up bar.
When I got there, I only managed two reps. I believe I got two more reps right as #keithie came over. He noticed that I was struggling with my grip and encouraged me to chalk up my hands. It was good advice, only I wasn't particularly close to an available chalk bucket. I ended up walking through some of the Holiday Head Start people to get to a chalk bucket on that end. With my grip improved, I decided to go with quick singles the rest of the way. I got up to 9 reps before needing a breather. Only me and Raj were left working on round two as the other 8 folks in class were out on their final run. That was a little frustrating. I felt like I was doing well on this workout and I was still getting smoked. I did three more pull-ups and Raj and I headed out for our final run.
I won't lie: the last run was definitely slower. Maybe it was fatigue. Maybe it was frustration at falling behind. Maybe it was confusion due to everyone yelling "run two 200's instead" as I headed out on my run (apparently there were some shady characters hanging out near the 400 meter mark). Maybe I was afraid that if I pushed too hard, I wouldn't be able to hang on for all 21 KB swings or that I wouldn't finish my last 12 pull-ups. Whatever it was, I did not go as fast as I should have during that last 400 meter run. When I returned to the gym, Rachel and Michal were done, with Steph C not far behind. I picked up my KB, determined to hold on for all 21 swings. There may have been some grunting at the end, but I held on to it. With most of the class now done with the workout, space had opened up on the pull-up bars on our end of the gym. I headed towards one of those, making a quick detour to a nearby chalk bucket first.
Twelve quick singles to go! Just two problems: 1) I had begun feeling a little nauseous and 2) I was gasping for air. Getting air while standing up never seems to work so well for me, so my natural instinct was to go into my resting squat. I think I did 3 or 4 reps before needing that squat. This was totally unacceptable behavior to Rachel and Michal. There was no talk of remaining calm like usual. Instead it was "get back on that bar, you're almost done!" When I could breathe again, I began working through more quick singles. As I closed in on the end of the workout, I told myself not to squat again. But when I finished the 10th rep, I simply could not breathe. After hearing several no's, I was then informed that I could breathe when I was done. Oh ok, piece of cake. I gathered myself and jumped up to the bar. Rep #11 done. Drop, take a step back, jump back on the bar, rep #12 done. Final time: 14:39.
My initial reaction was what you might expect from me: disappointment. I had fallen behind the class again and my pull-ups fell apart way too early. A couple of minutes later, when oxygen began returning to my brain, I had a different perspective. 14:39 was not the greatest time in the world for Helen, but it was nearly 4 minutes faster than what I had done three months ago. If I wasn't going to be happy with 4 minute PR's, then I was never going to be happy with anything I did in this gym. So I laid on the floor and took a few minutes to internally congratulate myself. The work was paying off. It might not always pay off and I would need to come to grips with that. But when it did, it was okay to give myself a pat on the back.
After I recovered, I did my 6x2 back squat session. Not much has changed there. The weight still does not feel any lighter and I have concerns about not moving with enough speed out of the bottom. I might be able to save these lifts when there is 265 pounds on the bar, but will I be able to do it with 300+? We'll find out starting on Wednesday when I do my 4x4 day using 300 pounds.
Wednesday preview: 4x4 back squats, followed by running, back extensions, and sit-ups to honor a fallen vet.
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