Tag Archives: competition

Spartan 300 deadlift

Spartan Challenge: My first 300 workout

I’m sore all over and very happy the 2012 Spartan Challenge is behind me, because that workout was one of the most brutal I’ve ever done.

This was the sixth year my gym has done the Spartan Challenge, which is traditionally the 300 workout. This year they threw in a twist — Crossfit Total.

I showed up feeling subdued and my voice still on the fritz from laryngitis. I entered the Scaled-Women division. I actually felt a little embarrassed that I was one of only two in my division. Was I really the only woman in my gym competing who needed to scale some of the movements?

I was also nervous about the Total. We were supposed to find out max weight in the Back Squat, Shoulder Press and Deadlift within a 10 minute window. It was our responsibility to warmup as needed before our heat. I was in one of the last heats, so I waited around a while until warming up. In fact, I took advantage of the massage therapist they brought in, and I had her work on my shoulders while I waited.

I didn’t talk to many people. I tend to keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open in unfamiliar situations or when I’m nervous. I overheard one girls saying that this would be the first your she was competing RX and she wasn’t sure how she was going to do. My nervousness intensified.

About 30 minutes before my heat, I started warming up. I ran, did some kettlebell swings and presses, and then I found a warm up rack and started putting weight on the bar. I didn’t want to wear myself out, but I wanted to be warm. I tried to strategize and decide what my opening weight would be.

My assistant coach Aaron was my judge, and I felt encouraged. Unfortunately, being sick all weak didn’t help my numbers. I came in well under what I expected in both the back squat and deadlift.

Total
Back squat: 135
Shoulder Press: 65
Deadlift: 165

I had plenty of time between Total and my heat for the 300 workout, and I got to see some really amazing athletes take it on — and it pounded them. I overheard a lot of people talking about it after their heat.  The consensus: the 300 is brutal.

300
25 Pullups
50 Deadlift (M 135# / W 95# – Scaled M 95# / Scaled W 65#)
50 Pushups
50 Box jumps

Andy shot some video of me during my heat. I flew threw the pullups and deadlifts. The box jumps were a lot slower. The floor wipers murdered me.

I had to break the floor wipers into sets of 5 pretty early on. I remember looking up at my judge, Christine — who had her hand on the bar only to stabilize it and grab it if I dropped it — and saying in a pathetic and pleading voice, “This is the last set, right?”

“Yes, it’s the last set.”

The floor wipers took most of my time. I only had a minute or less by the time I finished. I picked up the kettlebell as fast as I could and did about 8 clean and press.

Time.

Andy was right behind me. I signed the competition sheet and literally fell into him, exhausted. My parents and cousins were on the side. I went to them and fell into my mom. I think if they hadn’t been there I would have collapsed on the ground. It took about 20 minutes to stop feeling like I needed to throw up.

Oh yeah. Good times.

But still. There’s something about Crossfit. It’s always dangling a challenge out in front of you — there’s always something to work on. I’d love to be able to do that workout RX. I’d love if next year I could be banging out pullups without a band. Or maybe the floor wipers won’t take so long.

There’s always a next time.

Competitions

One of my goals for 2012 is to take part in several competitions, and it seems like competitions are all everyone is talking about online and at the gym.

Registration for the Crossfit Open began February 1, plus my gym started a new campaign to encourage athletes to think of themselves AS ATHLETES
and challenge themselves in competition.

I set a goal for myself to compete in SOMETHING before March 31. I have been eyeing this clean competition at Blackbox Strength in College Station, but with my job, web project and family, I just can’t leave town. Then I really wanted to sign up for this kettlebell challenge, and Andy said “Go for it!”, but low and behold, the date falls on the first Saturday of Spring Break, which is the first full day of SXSW Interactive. I’m not missing a moment of SXSWi. It’s too important for my career.

Then I saw Bettys on Boards will be April 14, but then I realized I have this huge grand opening for the Circle C Clinic that day. There’s still hope. Bettys on Boards might happen early enough. We shall see.

So I signed up for the Crossfit Open. The gym was encouraging everyone to do it. I’m a bit nervous, but I’m also excited. It will be fun. Hard, but fun. I’m trying to think of myself as an athlete, even though I’m nowhere near the level of the elite athletes who will be competing.

Competition is important. It gives you something concrete to work toward.

I also signed up for the Cap 10K. I’ll be running the timed race alone this year (unless someone steps up and wants to run with me – hint, hint). I’ve decided to experiment a bit and not really train for this, other than the short 400s and 800s I normally run in workouts. I just want to see what happens. My goal is to beat my time from last year, which was just over an hour. I want to come in under an hour.

Crossfit this week has been tough. I didn’t finish either WOD.

Tuesday
3 rounds
500m row
12 Thrusters (M 95# / W 65#)
21 sumo deadlift high pulls

Completed 2 rounds + ½ row @ RX (cutoff 15 min)

Thursday
Floor Press 5×5 → 65-70-75-75-80 (3 reps)
3 rounds
50-50-50 ab-mat situps
5-4-3 Wall walks
50-50-50 Double Unders

Completed 2 rounds + 50 situps (Cut off 15 min)

Are you competing in anything? How will you test yourself?

Garage Gym Throwdown

Throwdown.

It’s the most awesome word in a competition name.  Ever.  Which is why I think I wanted to sign up for this year’s Garage Gym Throwdown without pondering what the workout could possibly be beforehand.  The Throwdown was Saturday, and I was fortunate to have found a partner for the co-ed competition.  I wasn’t thinking about winning.  I just wanted to have some fun and get in a really intense workout.

The night before, the WOD’s were leaked out on Twitter, and I started to get a little panicky.  The cutoff was 25 minutes, and looking at the WODs, I worried whether I would be able to finish.

My partner, Chris, and I met up just after 7am Saturday to sign in and find out our heat time.  9am.  It was at the LCRA parking garage off Lake Austin Boulevard.  We waited on the top level.

Just before the first heat, the coaches went over the workout and the exercise standards.  I continued to worry, but I tried to push it aside.

The Throwdown took place on all levels of the garage, and partners worked as a unit.  Everything was first-come first serve.

Top level — Equipment shuttle.  Eeach team sprinted with a wheelbarrow to the other end of the parking deck to pick up a tire, a 6# med ball and a 16kg (1 pood) kettlebell.  The teams also had jump ropes in the wheelbarrow.  With the wheelbarrow loaded, the teams ran with it down to the next level.

Level 3 — The Chipper
A 24kg kettlebell, 25# dumbbell, and 35# dumbbell awaited each team.  Teams parked the wheelbarrow in a lane and got down to work.  The number of reps could be divided between partners anyway they wanted, but usually it was evenly divided.

50 KB swings (M 24kg / W 16kg)
40 DB ground to overhead (M 35# / W 25#)
30 stepups with KB
20 DB squat cleans (1 DB only in rack position)

Load up equipment and run to next level

Level 2 — Burpee shuttle run
This level was actually the ramp.  Teammates took turns doing shuttle run and burpees.  The shuttle run distance increased as the burpees decreased.

Shuttle run
9-6-3
burpees

Load up equipment and run to next level

Level 3
10 wall ball throws
30 Overhead squats with tire
100 Double unders

The wall ball throws were behind a line toward an “X” on the wall.  Feet could not travel beyond the line at any point.  Arms did not have to be fully extended on the squats, but the tire did have to be above the head.  Teams could opt to scale the double unders to 300 single jumps, but they would be taken out of the prize-running.

Load up the wheelbarrow and run with it back to the top level to finish line.

My partner and I did awesome.  And I was so happy Andy and the kids were there to cheer me on.  I felt really strong, but this workout was no joke.  I’m so glad I’ve been working with the 16kg kettlebell and 25# dumbbells at home.  The 25# dumbbell felt light!

I had 3 major weak points:

KB step ups — I could do them, but I struggled
Wall throws — I really sucked at them, and Chris had to take over for me
Double Unders — I can’t do them.  We opted for the singles.

Time: 21:05

We finished!  Yay!  I’m so grateful for my partner, Chris, who really rocked the workout.