As noted in my post entitled Wall Ball Hell, we have been focusing a great deal of time and effort on getting very familiar with anything squat-related.
I am not certain if this week is the grand finale of our squat marathon, but we have had a noticeable push to perform this week. In four days we have had Front Squats, Back Squats, Barbell Lunges, and Karen.
As much as I like to complain about my pain and suffering, I revel in the success that it brings. This week I was able to get a 15# PR on Front Squat and today, I PR’ed on Back Squat, finally making it past my body weight. Exceeding my body weight on Back Squat has been a 2013 goal and I am thrilled to achieve it with two months to spare. It may not be a big deal to you young pups, but to me it’s huge.
Simple and elegant, “Karen”, has the effect of three girls. The target is at ten feet, the ball is 20 pounds, and each shot requires a full squat.
But my biggest thrill this week was Karen. For those who may not be familiar with it, Karen is a CrossFit workout that consists of one movement: 150 Wall Balls – for time. It is a very grueling workout. I sounds relatively simple, but it can grind you down into a pulp. For those of us who are not elite athletes, it is important that you pace yourself so you do not fatigue. I do ten wall balls, let it drop, rest 10-15 seconds and get back up on it. Yes, I eat up the clock, but I do not dig myself into a hole from which I am unable to extricate myself.
My previous time was 14:11. Today I was able to do Karen in 10:30, a 3 minute and 41 second improvement. And I wasn’t gassed, I recovered from the WOD within minutes. As much as I hate Karen, it is moments like this when I realize that every day of coming into the gym is actually paying off in fitness and performance.
Ongoing thanks to Nicole, at CrossFit 2a, for crafting a program that even I can grow with. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get some ice for my knees.
Big week for you Chuck! Congrats!! 3 min and 41 sec less on Karen is HUGE! Even huger (not a word, I know) is a quick recovery to boot.
Jamie, I had a quick recovery in the gym, from a Cardio perspective. Little did I know I would struggle to even walk for the next day. Stairs, ugh! Stooping, squatting, bending, ugh! The response was similar from most people I spoke with who did this workout.