10-10-25: A Return to Action with WallBalls and Pull-Ups

CrossFit WoD for Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Seven rounds for time of:

• 10 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball (great video for form and issues to avoid)
• 10 Pull-ups (video shows pull-up variations. Mine were between strict and kipping)

Kevin Montoya 4:15, Mat Frankel 4:55, Heather Bergeron 5:59 (14lb ball), Kim Malz 8:05 (20lb ball).

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Kevin Montoya on today's WOD - video [wmv] [mov]
Heather Bergeron 5:59 on today's WOD - video [wmv] [mov]

WallBalls and Pull-Ups. Yup. That was the workout. (crossfit.com)

 OK, insert whining here: I dislike having to try to get in my own workout while also trying to get someone else up and running on their first workout while ALSO being surrounded by kids who have been taught by the worst in the business. 1/4 squats on a squat sled...followed by one-legged 1/4 squats.  And when I tried to talk to the kid to address his form, he says "oh i was finished anyways."  Really? Only doing one-legged squats on one leg?  Followed by rowing with a side twist thrown in so that everytime the chain whipped back, it was rubbing against the guides.  Oh, and no music, because I forgot the cable for the ipod.  On a day when I could have used some deafening metal, all i had was the sucking sounds of mediocrity.

It wasn't all bad.  The kid I was working with took to his particular brand with gusto.  His workout, as crafted by his track coach and myself, was three rounds of the following: wall balls (hey!), burpee broadjumps (google "burpee mile" but then do it for reps, not ungodly distance), and pull-ups (hey hey!).  So yeah, his workout overlapped with mine pretty heavily, but while he was doing three rounds, decreasing reps, I was stuck in 7 rounds, same old reps.

70 wall balls?  Easy as pie. Height? Higher than usual, which felt pretty good. (Frustration with surroundings was taken out on that poor med ball. Ah well...) 70 pull-ups?  I thought I was gonna die. Upshot (in a crappy way) of working in with the kid (as well as other students coming by to do pull-ups with 150# of weight assist before going back to Smith machine squats), was that I had plenty of time to try to man up before the next set of pull-ups.  After four rounds, I grabbed gloves. After 6 rounds, I was down to mostly singles/negatives and only the very occasional double.  Argh argh argh.

However, I think the fact that between prepping, enjoying, and recovering from my lovely vacation out in Denver last week, I felt a lot better than I assumed I would. My pull-ups felt strong, literally powerful. I don't know if I could have transitioned the first few into muscle-ups, but I don't think it was out of the question.  By the time I was done, I was beyond playing with that.  Ah well.

Total time, including teaching/interruptions/whining about my hands = ~25 minutes.  Estimated time for the workout itself? ~10-12 minutes. Pull-ups are still my downfall, even if I did do 70 full body-weight in one workout...which is pretty freaking awesome, at least for me! ;)


Finished with a cool-down on the exercise bike and some empty bar oly lift technique work.  A few times through the Bergener warm-up and some power and squat snatches.  Not a great day, but given the time off leading up to it, a far better day than I had any right to expect! Cheers!