Fitness - WOD 7/24

Today's WOD was another mild one. This morning focus was push ups. All different variations to play around with. No times or scores or anything, just stations set up (push up jacks (which were insane and something I'll remember to work in regularly), roving push ups, chain/plate push ups, roving push ups with a little medicine ball, elevated push ups and ring push ups) to work your form and try new variations.

I had not done much work with rings so I was at the ring push up station a majority of the time. It felt super strong on the rings. One thing I've noticed that I attribute to CrossFit and CrossFit alone, is the strength of my core these days. It has grown exponentially over only the past two months. Being able to maintain a pressurized core is so important in so many exercises/movements.

Since you're feet are elevated and your arms are on a dynamic plain (not a static plane like if there were on the ground) your midsection is the first part to fail. i.e. your stomach starts sinking or you start to raise your hips to compensate. This was a non-issue for me. I did all types of ring push ups. From moving one out to the side, forward and backward while keeping the other in close to my ribcage as I completed the rep.

Anyway, on to the WOD.

WOD: 1 mile barbell carry - 60 Kg (132.3#)

Time: 15:39
Calories burned (during push up work and WOD): 489

The 1 mile barbell carry went as follows: You and another person team up and share one barbell. While one person is carrying the barbell around the 400m lap, the other is running. When they catch up to you, they take over the barbell and you take off running until you catch up with them, then you are back on the barbell, and so on and so on. It doesn't matter how much you or the other person run with out barbell, It's the barbell that has to travel 1 mile (4 laps). If your partner is really moving with the barbell, you may have to run 500 or 600m to catch up to them.

My partner Jason was an animal. He was going about 450m when he had the bar, where as I could only get to about 350m before he would catch up to me.

We both decided the best way to carry this thing was like you were going to back squat it. But after all that push up work, my shoulders and chest were tired and I started to bend at the waist which was putting a huge strain on my back. When I had the bar I had to really try to focus on keeping my chest up, looking forward (not down) and taking shorter, but quicker steps.

I was super happy with our time. It took the only other team of two that tried 60 Kg 22 minutes to complete the mile.