I was going to do a big write up about the Hopper Challenge, and my thoughts after seeing many of our Outlaws in person. But, I’d rather hear from you guys. Some of you have competed on this level a thousand times and for some it was one of your first few experiences. I’d like to hear how well prepared you think you were. It doesn’t have to be long, just let me know what you thought.
WOD 111114:
Strength
1) 5X1 1 Halting Snatch Deadlift + 1 Snatch (yes, full squat) @ 85% – rest 90 sec.
2a) 5X3 1 Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Push Press + 1 OHS – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
2b) 5X5 1 1/4 Front Squats @ 70% – rest 60 sec.
Conditioning
“The Final WOD From the Hopper”
7 Hang Snatches 135/95#
25 Pullups
20 Back Squats 135/95# (no rack, take bar from floor)
25 Pushups (hand release)
20 Hang Squat Cleans 135/95#
25 GHD Situps
10m High Prowler Push 90/50#
10m Low Prowler Push 90/50#
20m High Prowler Push 90/50#
20m Low Prowler Push 90/50#
30m High Prowler Push 90/50#
30m Low Prowler Push 90/50#
For time.
Notes: Upon finishing the GHS Situps, use the plates from your bar to load the Prowler. Prowler Pushes should be done “suicide” style. Mark off 10m, 20m, & 30m then push the sled out high and back low.
To mark the completion of my first year of Crossfit I thought what better way than to compete in my first Mid-Atlantic Hopper and second Crossfit competition. Going into the Hopper I was just looking for a good performance and not make a fool of myself out there. I was not expecting to even make the final event especially since I was all the way down in 20th place after the first two events…one of which was a 3 min AMRAP of Ground to Shoulder of a 145# atlas stone (something I have never attempted). I knew that I really needed to do something special to make up the points. I ended up winning WOD 3 (21-15-9 275# DL/20” Box Jump) which moved me up to 15th place and only 9 points out of 9th after day 1…the finals were within striking distance but I had no idea what WOD 4 would be or if I could even close the distance. When WOD 4 was
announced Sunday morning I was pretty happy…strict pullups was something that I can do. Heck, after a year of Crossfit I still don’t have the butterfly down. Since we did max effort pullups a few weeks ago as an accessory strength work I had a plan to do two sets of 15 and then max rep the final 40 seconds or so. All was going as planned 30 done and
I was feeling fairly good. Rudy told me to hold and get back on with 40 seconds to go….watching the clock it seemed like forever away…at 50 to go I couldn’t wait any longer and jumped back up and mustered up the final 7 reps. 37 total reps ended up placing me somewhere in the top 5. The high placement was just what I needed
to move me into 8th place overall and into the finals. The last event was a bear of a chipper. The rep scheme and weight meant for a mad dash to the end. I started out strong but faded ¾ into the workout last (the GHD and Prowler took my soul away) and finished 10th in the final event. Not sure how many points ahead I was so not
really sure where I finished…to me its still 8th. At the end of the day all I can say is that I felt very prepared for this competition. It also, showed me that I have a long way to go to meet my training goals but I am certainly on the right track. The training that we have been doing everyday gave me the confidence that I would be able to perform well. The only time I had some doubt was the atlas stone event…again because I have never touched an atlas stone before.
Off to the gym to do the strength work. Will post results after.
Conditioning: 9:04 (I think timer was inside and that was the only time I overheard the judge say)
Here’s a shout out to Drywall. Let the jokes commence although it really is to easy. Apparently kipping makes you weaker! Shocker. I came into day 2 in 12th place and just our of 9th place by 3 points. Then the hopper reared it’s ugly head.its was a 3 min Amrap of a body weight movement. Fuck my life, Strict Pull Ups. Thought this was a Crossfit competition! The words than ran theough my mind was i should if got drunk last night. May of helped. The amazing 20 reps I did gave me a 43 for the WOD and dropped me down 8 positions to 20th place. This is not a flaw in Rudy’s programming. It’s just my fat weak ass doesn’t do strict pull ups. Lats, what are those? I don’t need em because I have my hips! Guess again.
Conditioning: 11:45
My thoughts on the weekend:
-Very upset I was not able to get real time scoring via ESPN mobile.
-Upon hearing the news of WOD 3, I texted Rudy asking him to get video of your performance, Corey. I hope we’re in luck. And I heard it was only 19 reps.
-On that subject, Mrs. Wall: “Only 19? In 3 minutes? How is that even possible?”
-Excerpts from Rudy’s text messages:
“I’m literally gonna knock a motherfucker out.”
“Corey just ordered a 7oz steak because it’s right around 5 blocks.”
“…told him to ‘shut it the fuck down’ and ‘shut the fuck up’…He sat down like a good boy.”
Yeah that sounds like what Rudy wished he would of said as he was eating his bang bang shrimp and puréed cauliflower.
1) 155 for all sets
2a) worked up to 145 should have taken bigger jumps but was afraid of the front squats
2b) 205
5×1+1 HDL+ Snatch 155#
5×5 Front Squats 1&1/4 155#
conditioning
sub’d ring pull-ups, toes to rings and no prowler
13:11
How well prepared were we? We literally could not have been any better prepared. Plain and simple.
Obviously, JT didn’t go so well, but that had nothing to do with a lack of preparation. I just got way too carried away and chocked. It was a real learning experience and I am glad it happened (although if we had lost, I would not say that).
I was nervous when they announced the last chipper was going to be heavy. Immediately, my mind went to 155 hang snatch, 185-205 hang squat clean, and 225+ back squat. It would seem our gyms definition of heavy is not typical. I know that sounds pompous, but I do think it is true.
Awesome programming, Rudy. I <3 Outlaw.
1) 140
2a) 115, 135, 145, 155, 165
2b) 230 for all sets
– that was very difficult.
Conditioning: 14:45. I was having a lot of fun until I turned around and tried to low push the prowler. That was comical… to the people watching.
1) 130 – trying a new pull style. Felt all jacked up.
2a) 140 across
2b) 140-3+2/140-2+1+1 (fugly!)/120 UB on the rest
Conditioning
Had a raging case of the prowler flu when I initialed this yesterday at the Hopper but I think it said 7:11. Definitely was 7 something if I’m wrong!
MFS: 5/5/7 Frustrated learning a new pull, tired from flying in late then working early, and sore from this weekend’s shitty form on deadlifts. But hey at least tomorrow’s pay day, back to a 4 now!
I will post my thoughts on the Hopper when I get to my laptop.
WTF. The 1 1/4 squats and the accompanying WOD were the Iron Sheik while I was Brian Blair. I feel this adequately describes today’s workout.
Made me humble.
Man, what a weekend! I posted up a big review of the whole thing on my blog, check it out:
http://www.CouragePerformance.com
So for the workout, my dyslexia (which I don’t actually have) must have taken over and I super-setted the first two exercises… Also, i stayed light to work on keeping my feet closer together with everything like Rudy and I talked a bunch about this past weekend. Went for an easy 3-mile run in the woods to loosen things up first.
1) 125, 145, 165, 165, 165
2) 135, 155, 185, 185, 185
3) 185, 185, 195, 205, 205
No clue what i got on that crazy metcon. If anyone saw what i got, please let me know! So fun meeting and chatting with most of you!!! Looking forward to next time!
First day back after a 2 week bout with bronchitis. Was rough!
1) 185 all sets
2) 205 all sets
3) 255 all sets
Metcon: no prowler tonight and no time worth reporting 🙁
Now that I’m at my laptop with a glass of wine in hand, (hey it’s a muscle relaxant, my back is tight, and it’s not Jan. 1 yet!) I will recap my thoughts on the weekend. I could not have been more prepared for wod 1, especially after we did 2 of the 3 movements that week in workouts already. Got a first there and even though I was using 90% back and 10% legs on the eccentric portion of the squat cleans my back still felt good after. Wod 2 was just about going HAM on a new and awkward movement with a ball of concrete. I’m glad I’m a “bigger” girl by Crossfit standards and could muscle out a #2 on this one with 30 reps. I wish I had a better story to go along with the hickey on my clavicle from it! Wod 3 could not have been a more bitter reminder of regionals for me if they had tried. It showed me I still have a lot of work to do in this area. At Swamp Monster I did 255# Deads for 4 UB reps then 3+2 and thought I had killed this goat, but string together 21 then 15 at 185 and my back turned into old mother hubbard. The goat is obviously not dead yet, but his assassination is being plotted as I type.
Day 2 started with the 3min max strict pull-ups. I felt very prepared for this one after all the pull-up work we’ve been doing weighted and the strict attempts we did a couple weeks ago. Got 1st or 2nd here with 32 reps. I also felt prepared for the final event, but was surprised how Christy just kept coming at me. I was first 2nd after snatches to Jenn Jones, 1st off the pull-ups, we were all head to head after back squats, I got off the push-ups first, got passed on the squat cleans (big surprise, mother hubbard showed up again), and came off the GHD’s first. The prowler just destroyed everyone. I did all the pushes unbroken, but was probably 5m behind Christy in the end. I remember lying on the ground moaning and thinking this doesn’t look good with the Reebok camera on me, but the new born foal in me took over as my quads burned and adductors cramped too badly to compose myself to walk.
Overall I ended up 2nd. Sorry Rudy, but he said he was happy to see the destruction of my posterior chain so we know the weakest link now. To sum up what I learned from the weekend: the Outlaw programming is great preparation, I’m doing better than I’ve ever done in competitions because our weekly wods are regularly harder than the competitions, and I still have a major goat pulling off the floor to kill!
Looks like everyone did a great job at the event. Good job!
1) 5X1 1 Halting Snatch Deadlift + 1 Snatch (yes, full squat) @ 85% – rest 90 sec.—135# Still stink at squat snatches……
2a) 5X3 1 Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Push Press —175#,185F,175,175,175
2b) Front squats—–175# all sets
WOD- Did “Filthy Fifty” from the other day—-16:48 PR by 9 seconds…..and I did the jumping pull-ups at the proper height this time….
Cliff Lewis
1)165 all sets..felt pretty good
Didn’t do lifts 2&3 due to time. Wanted to do conditioning.
conditioning:
11:27…I knew how bad it was going to hurt knowing my body was still on key west time…and I was fucking right. It took me an hour to recover after rolling around in the street post 30m low prowler push. Horrible/great way to finish a wod though.
111115
Due to timing I did Conditioning first, was forced into doing this one…
3 Rounds:
15 OHS (95/65)
15 Pull-Ups
15 Split Jerk (95/65)
15 Box Jumps (24/20)
15 Hang Clean (95/65)
15 Back Extensions
21:48 (terrible)
About an hour later…
1)95,105,115,115,115 improving some, but still as week as Russian toddler and as flexible as a steel pipe.
2a)115,115,105,95,95 shoulders were not happy
2b)145,155,155,165,165 see Russian toddler comment…
for the record split jerk at 95 was shoulder to overhead…