Clayton the Crusher came in tonight, and given that it was the day after Christmas, I was really impressed with the workout he put together!
For his skill work tonight we did some air squat holds and pull-up bar dead-hangs. Holding an air squat in the bottom position really lets the athlete focus on some of the key points of the movement: Weight on the heels, chest high, knees out, lumbar curve… The purpose of the dead hang was to really drill in the concept of the active shoulder. Anytime we go overhead (Snatch, Overhead Squat, Press/Jerk) it’s critical to ensure that our arms are simply a connected piece to that super tight core, creating that straight line from our heels up through our hands. Holding the hanging position allows you to get really comfortable with your arms fully extended overhead.
After skill work we did a TIME TRIAL!!! Today’s beast: a 1000 meter row, for time. Clayton does this thing where when you think he’s going to get tired and slow down, he switches into this 6th gear of intensity. As he reached the end of his row, instead of slowing down like most people, he held the final 75 meters or so at a pace faster than 1:40 per 500. That is fast. Great finish!
After a short recovery, I explained to Clayton that he would be completing another CrossFit “Hero” WOD tonight. “DT” is a workout “in honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.” (CrossFit.com)
This workout consists of 12 Deadlifts, 9 Hang Power Cleans, and 6 Push Jerks, only you do that 5 times through. It’s definitely a grip crusher. We decided that the goal tonight was to try and do the sets unbroken, or without needing to break up each lift. After the clock counted down the 3, 2, 1… GO, he was off. Clayton didn’t break the plan once, and actually finished his entire last round in under 90 seconds!
Athlete Results:
Clayton – 1k Row (Damper at 5.5)- 3:50.6
“DT” (75 pounds)- 9:58