10-07-12: Dumbbell snatches and Pull-ups

CrossFit WoD for July 12th, 2010
"Joshie"
3 rounds for time of:

• 40# DB squat snatch x 21, R
• 21 10 L-Sit Pull-Ups (anyway possible)
• 40# DB squat snatch x 21, L
• 21 10 L-Sit Pull-Ups (anyway possible)

In honor of Army Staff Sergeant Joshua Whitaker, 23, of Long Beach, CA who was killed in Afghanistan May 15th, 2007.

Boy, did this ever suck. Doing a workout that kills your lungs in a room bordering on 95 degrees, nearly 100% humidity, and sun pouring in the glass ceiling...not all that smart.  Thanks to early Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, etc for keeping us going.  Oh, and the big stinking fan.

So, the scaling:  Did the dumbbell squat snatches as Rx'd, though there were a few power snatches that worked their way in occasionally that I counted. For the pull-ups, HA!!  I did them off the top of a smith machine frame, knowing that the L-sit would quickly devolve into a jumping pull-up, which it did.  First round (ie, two sets of 10 pull-ups) were all L-sit, though with feet touching down between every rep.  2nd round pull-ups were all jump-pull-ups with VERY slow negatives (ie, jump up into top pull-up position, and then sloooowly let gravity pull me down, to full extension).  3rd round pull-ups were straight jump pull-ups, with minimal slow-down on the negatives...at this point, I was lucky i was still holding onto the frame!

Why?  Because this workout is MURDER on the wrists and on every core muscle between the legs and the fist.  Managed to do the first several sets of dumbbell squat snatches in unbroken sets, but that ended when I lost the ability to breathe the nearly liquid atmosphere.  Fun!!  Typing hurts...let me tell ya!

All the sets and exercises were done with minimal rest times, though I did take time for the occasional drink or spell in front of the fan.  I was definitely having problems with my face going all red and feeling like it was going to pop from overheating.  I have NO idea how people workout/run/work down south, where this kind of crap is hell of a lot more common.  Ugh.  Either way, hit this one as hard as I could in honor of "Joshie" Whitaker.  It sucks that there's a need to pay these guys homage, but it does NOT suck to actually do so.