Dice’s Corner –
Well I missed last week’s Open update but I’ll catch up now. Since then we have had 2 Open workouts as follows:
17.2
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
2 rounds of:
50-ft. weighted walking lunge
16 toes-to-bars
8 power cleans
Then, 2 rounds of:
50-ft. weighted walking lunge
16 bar muscle-ups
8 power cleans
Etc., alternating between toes-to-bars and bar muscle-ups every 2 rounds.
Men use 50-lb. dumbbells – Women use 35-lb. dumbbells
and 17.3
Prior to 8:00, complete:
3 rounds of:
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 squat snatches, 95 lb.
Then, 3 rounds of:
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
5 squat snatches, 135 lb.
*Prior to 12:00, complete 3 rounds of:
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
4 squat snatches, 185 lb.
*Prior to 16:00, complete 3 rounds of:
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
3 squat snatches, 225 lb.
*Prior to 20:00, complete 3 rounds of:
10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 squat snatches, 245 lb.
Prior to 24:00, complete 3 rounds of:
11 chest-to-bar pull-ups
1 squat snatch 265 lb.
*If all reps are completed, time cap extends by 4 minutes.
17.2 – I didn’t mind seeing this workout and knew straight away that I probably had to go as fast as possible to get to the muscle ups in the second part of the workout. Prior to this week I have not yet managed to get a bar muscle up and didn’t really expect that to change with the lack of work I have put into that skill in the off season. I hit the workout on the Friday afternoon with the usual crew of Jeff and Kieran and went out way too hard. The way I held the DB’s in the front rack really taxed my forearms and I tried to string together larger sets of toes to bar which only gassed my grip and lungs. I struggled through the workout with lots of breaks and time spent doing nothing but looking at the ground. I managed to get through my first 2 rounds (which was my goal) but only had 1 minute to attempt my first ever muscle up and failed. The failing of the muscle up didn’t worry me but how I fumbled through the workout left a sour taste in my mouth so I decided that I would hit it again but a lot smarter and with a better plan on the Sunday.
Sunday came around and I had spent the weekend reading some tips and had a much better plan for the workout than I did on the Friday. With a better way to hold the DB’s for the lunges and a plan to break up the T2B into quick singles and move the whole time rather than going to hard and spending too much time just breathing, I knew I would get through the first 2 rounds in much better shape. Its fair to say that this was a success as I got through the rounds a whole 3mins faster than Friday and I was in much better condition to throw everything at the muscle up. I spent the next 4 minutes with 4 failed attempts before I somehow managed (I still haven’t got another since) to get my first ever muscle up with 10 secs to go.I am a lot stronger athlete than I was last Open so I can only attribute the MU to that I guess. I was pumped and getting that extra rep really helped my overall score for that week. I’m extremely glad that I decided to re test 17.2, muscle up or not, for the sake of the mental win with a better plan and execution. Thanks goes out to my brother (Merlin) for hitting this one with me!
17.3 – “WOW, this one will be short for me” was the first thing I thought whilst watching the announcement. Knowing that I have only managed a few separate Chest to Bar pull-ups in the last 12 months I didn’t have high expectation of getting too far through the workout. Also only having a current 1rm Snatch of 80kgs has me topping out after 2 rounds. Nevertheless I went into my warm up on the Friday arvo with a plan of doing quick singles on the C2B for as long as I could and getting through the snatches quickly, leaving more time for the C2B (what I thought was my weakness here). Whilst warming up I was delighted to find that the strength I have gained in the last 12 months has given me a quite competent C2B and I didn’t struggle with them at all, I still can’t string them together but quick singles were relatively easy. This left the snatch, a movement that while building some strength with a powerlifting cycle lately, I have largely ignored. Big Mistake!!! I felt good warming up with the bar and the 43kgs but knew the 61kgs was going to feel really heavy once into the workout. The clock started and I was racing against it trying to get through the first 2 weights within the required 8 mins. Knowing I would most likely not get through the 8 mins my main goal was to get as many snatches in at the 61kgs as I could. This ended up only being 2 successful ones, giving me a score of 45 reps for the workout. My C2B’s felt really good but my snatches were sloppy and slower than I would have liked. I contemplated re-testing the workout but knew it would have only been for maybe 2-5 more reps I didn’t see the massive pay off for giving my shoulders another rough day. Big lesson here is this: Everyone knows that the Snatch and/or Clean & Jerk will be in the Open so don’t ignore them in the months leading up to the Open hahaha I’ll do better next year….I promise!
All in all it has been a really fun 3 weeks so far and I am learning a lot about myself and my strengths and weaknesses. The Open really is such a unique event and I couldn’t recommend it enough for anyone to try, regardless of your current level of fitness. If you are currently doing the Open then I hope you are crushing your expectations and if you’re not, then I hope that I have intrigued you enough to give it a crack next year.
I know Amy is really missing competing this year but thanks for all of your support and awesome photos wifey 🙂
Quote of the Week –
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to chose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”
Viktor Frankl
Book/ Audio Book/ Podcast –
I’m currently nearly through the audio version of:
“How bad do you want it? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle” by Matt Fitzgerald
In this book Matt examines a collection of sports greatest moments and the surprising ways that the elite athletes in these stories strengthen their mental toughness.
Each chapter focuses on a different athlete in a different circumstance and recounts their own struggles and triumphs. During the book it becomes clear that one of the most important areas that athletes can work on is their mental toughness.
For anyone looking for a way to strengthen their own mind in the athletic realm or even general life would greatly benefit from reading this book.
Give it a listen or read and let me know what you think.
P.A.W (Pride Active Workout)–
During the Open my weekends will become recovery days or re tests so I’ll be a bit quite on the PAW front. Feel free to go back over some of the older ones if you are looking for something to do and we will be back to our regular program in 3 weeks.
Coming Up –
Still just the Open as the main focus at the moment but we are also organising an ANZAC day hike to raise money and awareness for our amazing soldiers, past and present, via Soldier On. It will be a 20km weighted hike starting at Midnight and finishing at the Millmerran Dawn Service. For anyone interested in joining in or donating then please head to our Facebook page for links to the donation page or to commit to the event! It will be an extremely memorable experience and we can raise some much needed funds and awareness for people that quite often don’t get the recognition an support that they deserve.
Here’s the link to the Event page and all our donation links can be found through here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1360189884039599/
Catch Ya
The Pride Active
Inspired Lion 
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