Drills and More Drills!

So today, I got some solid weightlifting form drills in with Coach V today. I do miss Coach J's mix of infectious energy, insane genius, broad technical background, and enchanting singing, but Coach V also has a very solid technical background and is also very patient with those of us who need more time to process and occasionally struggle with verbal directions.

Today we focused on form, with an emphasis on engaging the lats throughout, especially at the thigh to force improved leg drive.  Results? I caught the bar lower and didn't feel as much of my typical piece-wise function.  Now the rest of what Coach J has been teaching me has become much easier to execute properly!

And then there was work on clean and jerk.  Thank goodness Coach V was quite aware that I'm a squat jerker!  My cleans tend to be a lot more effective, but I was able to integrate the cues I had from Coach J with some of the new materials I got today, and I think things got a little less piecewise.  My jerks suffered a bit from being fatigued from this morning's WOD plus some archery drills I did, but the cleans are getting to look, well, cleaner.

Besides barbell, I also did the CrossFit Iron Legion baseline workout.  Suffice to say, it's been so long since I did it that we didn't have any verifiable record of me actually doing it.  My time today: 5:35 for a 400 meter run, 40 air squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 strict push-ups, and 20 burpees, with me completing the run in just under 1:50.  The first time I did it, it took me over 10 minutes to do it, and I think a couple years ago, I was still pushing 8 minutes.

And the best part of today... archery drills.  Amusingly enough, this is how I found my lats a little more accurately! I had some trouble with premature releases, plucking, and maintaining back-tension throughout, so I ended up going back to blank baling and using the Form-Master to correct my form. 

Pre-corrective drills blank baling... I'm having a lot of creep forward...

Corrective drill with the Form-Master to address back-tension issues...

Post-corrective drills... release has gotten cleaner and there's significantly less "creep forward".  

Taikatalvi: Winter Magic

So part of not having much of a functional respiratory system and having some do-not-disturb time also means I get to spend some time on the keyboard. For your musical amusement, here's a few pieces I got to play with... at least the ones that came out looking better than my protein-and-fiber Reese's cups style brownies that were jokingly dubbed "BM Brownies"...

":Taikatalvi" apparently is Finnish for "Winter Magic" and it was one of many random pieces I dug up, so I figure, why not? The score was a bit sparse, so I had to do a little improvisation here and there.  It's the opening track for Nightwish's "Imaginaerum" album. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it!

And then there's a holiday classic, "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", although this rendition is probably better for either a tortoise or a 250 lb Battlebot! 

I also stumbled across some Metallica sheet music from their self-titled album.  The first is "Nothing Else Matters". This was a logistical nightmare with repeat signs, codas, and page turning logistics, but technically, this was relatively low-key and gave me a great chance to play a bit more with phrasing and expression. 

The second Metallica piece is "The Unforgiven".  This one was a little less of a repeat sign and coda mess than the other one.

Also, here's a little shout-out to my camera crew, although I did give him a bit of a break here and there, especially today!  Killer Parakeet certainly earned his time in the audience!

Killer Parakeet and I also wish you a happy whatever holiday you may celebrate! And yes, he's very happy that he actually gets to spend time with me.  I think he got a little flustered that I was taking more pictures with my fellow humans than with him this year, especially in the CrossFit and weightlifting meets! 

New Barbell Program

So I'm still reeling a bit at not having Coach J around, but he's given me the tools to at least help me get by until I can get my schedule back and see how well I work with Coach V.  Whenever I do my lifts, I keep hearing Coach J's cues in my head as well as recalling all those times he's poked and prodded me.  All I can say is that I have been spoiled pretty badly!

First was the three position snatch... I have a tendency to not always remember to engage my lats and glutes upon setup as well as sending my balance a little too far forward because I have a tendency to have a more forward balance than most.  By engaging my lats and glutes, I can maintain better connection throughout the lift, increasing my probability of a controlled squeeze up and facilitating my ability to pull myself under the bar.  Granted, I still catch VERY high, and it seems like I'm having some trouble transitioning at my knees.  I did remember the "chest up" cue though! So far, that seems to have been my best verbal cue, although I still have some form of asynchrony between my glutes, legs, and shoulders. 

And then there were the snatch grip push presses with overhead squats.  I'm pretty comfortable doing overhead squats and need to mostly remember to keep my balance a little further back than I usually tend to keep it so I don't lurch forward and to remember to keep pushing my knees outwards.  For the push presses, I have to generally remember a smooth dip and a more powerful drive as well as NOT to do a push jerk or snatch balance. 

The snatch pulls are where I tend to be very hit or miss.  Basically I need to remember my starting position and balance as well as to engage my lats and glutes while keeping arms and shoulders relatively relaxed so I don't row the barbell in once I get above my knees.  I also have a tendency to disconnect my posterior chain and need to focus on squeezing upwards in a smooth, controlled motion. 

Yuletide Celebration, Valkyrie Photography Style

As always, I. Ramirez of Valkyrie Photography, our resident photographer, did an AMAZING job of taking some great pictures!

Reindeer Rumble 2019: 4/n, Strict Press Media WOD 3.. Plus Odds and Ends

WOD 3 was the ultimate groaner for both me and Larry because it involved running through the woods with awkward items including Atlas stones, kettlebells, weight plates, and partner.  I chose Atlas stones and weight plates because he sure as heck didn't want the little Hobbit to carry a normal sized human being even if I did warn him that on a full stomach, I weigh in at a full 145 lbs.

And then there were a few other adventures since these pictures came into existence as well... including an epic chess game that resulted in the defeat of my little apprentice while I was attempting to focus on my lifts. I'm hoping to eventually have a duel of wits against my mentor (Coach J), but we shall see...

And then there was the Yuletide Celebration at CrossFit Iron Legion, where even the Grey Wolf had to masquerade as a swan... or a peacock.  More photography will be coming once I. Ramirez of Valkyrie Photography gets a chance to process all the pictures she took. 

Team MisFits, helmed by Coach T. Zapata, for the win in the intramural CrossFit Open 20.x!  We got the skull!

And here I am with Coach T, who is a gymnastics prodigy, even if he and I don't always function on the same wavelength on technical details!

And here's S, who (along with the Alpha Wolf clan) helped convince me to come to this event so we wouldn't be the only people who struggle with being human!  Missing, though, were the other three Muskateers along with my musical mentor. Then again, this was a huge stretch for me, and I was glad I took that chance!

Reindeer Rumble 2019 3/n: Strict Press Media, WODs 1 and 2

The pictures from Strict Press Media (R. Rivera) are slowly trickling in. First there was WOD 1, which was a maximum squat clean with one partner and a maximum shoulder-to-overhead with the second partner.  I took the squat clean, and it was a great thing that I spent some time with Coach J on refining my clean technique because that allowed me to hit a 110 lb squat clean, although I still missed several lifts.  That being said, I think L and I did pretty darned well!

And then there was WOD 2, where we did pretty well considering neither of us is very coordinated with throwing balls, especially that wonky wall ball that even our RX level athletes were swearing at!