Old school. Classic CrossFit. Today was a good one! We started with 4 front squats with the goal of working up to 85% of your max. I went 95-125-145. The last rep of the last set was HEAVY! It moved so slowly... Luckily I had 3 amigas screaming VENGA DAVEEE! Never underestimate the value of having friends dedicated to the same mission as you. The metabolic conditioning was a classic 15:00 AMRAP. 9 hang power cleans 15 box jumps overs 21 wall balls I used 95 on the cleans, a 20" box, and a 14 pound wallball. I did some quick mental math. 30 seconds on the cleans, minute in the box minute on the wallballs. 2:30 per round. Bit of rest. A smooth 5 rounds if I don't get tired. Did you catch that? LOL! 3,2,1...go! I went 9 unbroken on the cleans, 15 quick ones on the box, and 15-6 on the balls. I glanced at the clock. 2:27. Perfecto. 5 deep breaths, back on the bar. My brain was begging me to slow down. But how can I go faster by slowing down? 5-4 on the cleans. Started using the step down on the box to conserve gas. 15-6 on the walls balls. Clock said 5:53. Oh crap. 3 deep breaths. Round 3 is where reality sets in. 3-3-3 on the cleans. A thud, thud thud on the box jumps, legs heavy. 15-6 on the wall balls. 9:13. Don't panic. Round 4 was a repeat of round 3. But my heart and lungs were both in the fear zone. 13:08. How did I lose so.much time? Ok, recover for 30 seconds. You know how it goes. I picked up the bar at 14:04. ÚLTIMO MINUTO DAVEEEE! 5-4 on the cleans. 30 seconds. 8 box jumps and Coach Viri yelled TIEMPO! 4+17. High-fived my friends after the cool down. High-fived the 8 am class. Thanked my coach. Petted a dog. Drank a protein shake. What an amazing day.

I love training on Saturday mornings! The energy is electric. One half of the gym is doing a 1-10 deadlifts and burpee over bar. The other half is doing wallballs, box jumps and 200 m runs. And me? You'll find me and my Hyrox Doubles partner Vaughn outside on the sidewalk. We set up the 10 meters of turf and the sled. We warmed up our sled push to 328 lbs. We warmed up our sled pulls to 230 lbs. We practiced some burpee broad jumps. We did a fun little simulation. Run 400 meters, then partner A did a 10 m sled push with 230, and partner B pulled it back. Do that twice. Run again. Then alternate the pusher and puller. 4 rounds in total. Work got done. Had fun, got sweaty, high-fived my friends. Time to eat some tacos. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Sometimes a workout just tastes like a big bag of burning dog poo. Let me explain. Running? Gimme gimme! Sprints, 400 repeats, fast miles, running with a sandbag, love all of it. Rowing, burpees, gymnastics, a single dumbbell or kettlebell, great! But when a barbell enters my world, harsh reality sets in. Today I got to work on my primary weakness: barbell cycling under extreme duress. I did 8 cals on the rower. 8 hang power snatches with 55 lbs. 8 burpee broad jumps. And 8 overhead squats with 55. Rest 90 seconds. 3 rounds. Then add weight. Do 8 cals rowing. 8 power cleans with 105 lbs. 60 meter sprint. 8 front squats with 105. Rest 90 seconds. 3 rounds. I lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, flames rising off my body. No one in the gym cared. They were all encased in their own invisible bubble of struggle. My internal alarms were flashing DANGER! Red Zone! Heart rate at 95% of max. Breathing like a garbage truck on fish day. The limiting factor is not weight. It's extreme discomfort. Days like today are special. Most people will never experience this feeling accidentally, let alone on purpose. The good news? Tolerance for discomfort can be increased through deliberate practice. #fitness

BREAKTHROUGH! Remember how my max sled push was only 275 lbs on Monday? On Wednesday I went to my chiro Doctor Danny for a tune-up. Ultrasound on my shoulder, work on my neck and hips, and I showed up today ready for battle. I started with a fun little complex of 1 squat clean, 1 front squat and a split jerk with a 2 second pause in the dip. Working every 90 seconds I did 65-75-95-115-125-135. Then I practiced burpee broad jumps on the 10 meter turf. There's a lot of subtle techniques with hand placement. This is a skill that requires lots of deliberate repetition. I got the rope attached to the sled and did a 10 meter push then a 10 meter pull then rested 60 seconds. The weight started at 45 and went 90-135-180-225-270-305-340. I could both push and pull that weight. Today the magic came from feet placement on the sled push. A 2-foot start makes a huge difference over a 1-foot push off. I finished with a little burner of 400 m run, 40 ski pulls, 400 m run, 40 ski pulls, 400 m run, 400 m row, 200 m run. CrossFit Open in 49 days. Hyrox Cancun in 63 days. #fitness Happy. Tired. Hungry. I think it's time for 4 tacos and a siesta.

FIELD REPORT: confidence builder! 10 rounds for time. 400 meter run. 15 meters sandbag lunges. 10 sandbag thrusters. Fastest round: 1. 3:36 Slowest round: 7. 4:16 Final round: 3:53 A full Hyrox is 80 meters of sandbag lunges. I did 150m. And 100 thrusters which is a good analog for wallballs. The goal today was to run on compromised legs. And to maintain a positive inner dialogue when it got hard in rounds 5-7. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. #fitness #hyrox #crossfit

FIELD REPORT: Day one sled push test. I bought 5 meters of Astro turf on Mercado Libre. Set up in the gym parking lot and dragged out 300 lbs of plates. I warmed up my push with 35 lbs and worked up to 275 lbs not counting sled weight. I couldn't get 335 moving. Oh shit. I did 5 rounds of 5 power cleans at 115#, 5 lengths of 5 meter sled push at 225 lbs, and a 200 m run. The goal was to get back to run pace as fast as possible on the run. The sled push in one direction is not bad, classic Hyrox grip. The return push is a low push position, way harder. Our plan for the Hyrox race in March is to alternate after each 6 meter push of 335 lbs. For a total distance of 50 meters. I have 8 weeks to build up 50 lbs of additional push capacity. You got this. #fitness #hyrox #crossfit

Everybody says the burpee broad jumps are brutal in a Hyrox race. Today I got to taste it for myself. The metcon was 4 rounds for time. 200 meter run with a 35 lb sandbag, 15 burpee broad jumps, and a 50 meter farmer's carry with 53 lb kettlebells. I distinctly remember a strange voice in my head saying, "hey this ain't so bad!" after 5 burpees. And then the universe started laughing at me. It kind of felt like being in a boxing match. I got punched in the face 15 times, and then rested on the farmers carries. I glanced at the clock. 3:45. I finished the 4th round in 15:29. Did I forgot to mention I did these outside on the sizzling Mexico concrete in 30C? I was covered in dirt and sweat and iguana footprints. How's my mindset? Actually fantastic! That's the whole purpose of preparation, training and practice. I have 9 weeks to get ready for the Cancun Hyrox. Today I jumped into the deep end with both feet. Did you train today? What are you working on?