DELAYED ECC RECAP, BUT WE’RE 4 WEEKS OUT!
I’m apologizing right off the bat for the delay of the Kill Cliff’s East Coast Championship recap. In all honesty, I sat down a few times to write about it right after the event and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do it justice with a few paragraphs. It was an amazing event in Boston put on by Ben Bergeron from CrossFit New England in conjunction with Kill Cliff. It was not a relatively long event (one day individual, one day team), nor did it hold any real importance like regionals does, however it was pretty significant to me personally. I headed into the day up against a line-up of athletes who’s names are staples in the competitive exercise world. The workouts had been released prior, and I was able to run through some form of them before the competition. I was comfortable with them and knew, as always, that there were some I could do really well in, and some that I would struggle through. I can’t say that I was nervous, I honestly think it really never hit me until after I was done for the day that I would be exercising next to the best in my sport.
These are the athletes that I have been watching and studying meticulously since I decided that I wanted to be a competitive exerciser. I know a lot about how they move and work and what their background stories and accomplishments consist of. I’m not an individual that gets intimidated, I have played against big names in big time arenas plenty of times in my collegiate basketball career. However, I am an individual who gives respect and credit where due, I understood that I would be competing in a field that would take complete advantage of any weakness, inefficiency, or mental lapse that I exposed. My goal going into the day was to try and limit those areas of fault in order to give me the best shot at competing.
THE WORKOUTS
PART 1
2x5m Shuttle (burpee to turn)
1 Rope Climb
2x10m Shuttle (burpee to turn)
1 Rope Climb
2x15m Shuttle (burpee to turn)
1 Rope Climb
20m Sprint to finish
*** 1 Minute Rest ***
PART 2
50′ Handstand Walk
15 Power Cleans (135)
50′ Handstand Walk
30 TTB
50′ Handstand Walk
30 OHS (135)
This was the first workout and one that I actually enjoyed because I knew I would be able to do well on the first part which would hopefully give me some momentum headed into the second part which I knew would be on the more difficult side for me. Luckily, these workouts were scored separately which presented a good opportunity for me. I stuck to that mentality and used my strengths as a running/jumping athlete to come out in the front of the pack on Part 1. I love sprinting and climbing so this was one that made me excited and was a great way to start the weekend. The second part was heavily reliant on handstand walks. This is a movement that does not come natural to me and one that I have been working hard on lately. The first time I ever kicked up onto my hands to attempt to walk was 10 months ago. Since then I have made significant progress but am nowhere near as comfortable or smooth as the elite females I was up against at ECC. Needless to say, I did not do very well on Part 2, however, the fact that I was able to hang in and actually get through my first competitive workout consisting of handstand walking left me with a positive streak and even more of a determination to keep improving on them.
3 Rounds for time:
15 C2B Pullups
12 Lateral Burpee Box Jump Overs
9 Back Squats (125)
This workout was one I had tested all the way through prior to the competition just so I would understand how it would feel. I think it is an amazingly programmed workout – one that incorporates a skilled gymnastics movement, a highly aerobic movement, and then a decently heavy strength movement all in one. My C2B pullups have been a continual work in progress that are still very inconsistent and can get sloppy easily. I knew the key for me to do well in this workout would be the ability to maintain efficient, clean C2Bs that would not leave me too fatigued or frustrated for the other two movements. I was able to do this through the first and second round, however they did get slow and sloppy on round 3 as my muscles started to reach a state of fatigue. I know this is where I could have improved significantly in this workout and this is another strong point of focus in my daily training leading up to the open and regionals. After that workout, they made a cut to a field of 24 athletes. I made the cut and was sitting in 14th place going into the next workout.
30 Wall Balls (20#)
then 3 Rounds of:
10 Axel Bar Snatches (65)
20′ OH Lunges with Axel Bar (65)
This workout I was pretty excited for. First, I knew it consisted of movements that play into my strengths, and second, I was not happy with my performance on the previous workout and wanted to let loose on this one. Wall balls might be my favorite movement in competitive exercise. I’m not sure if its easy translation to a jump shot, my length/height, or the simple fact that I get to throw a ball over my head at a specific target a bunch of times (like I have been trained for years to do), or maybe just a combination of all three. The axel bar also seems to be a non factor for me because my hands are relatively large. It doesn’t by any means feel normal or comfortable, but it doesn’t hinder my movements. This workout felt like it was over in a flash, and I felt like I was in destroy mode the entire time. It was, for sure, my best performance of the weekend. After this, they made a cut to the top 12 athletes for the Finals workout. My solid performance on this workout allowed me to snag a tie for 11th and I slipped into the finals by the skin of my teeth.
FINALS
5 Muscle Ups
50 DU’s
40 Axel Bar Deadlifts (105)
5 Muscle Ups
50 DU’s
30 Axel Bar Front Squats (105)
5 Muscle Ups
50 DU’s
20 Axel Shoulder to OH (105)
5 Muscle Ups
50 DU’s
10 Axel Thrusters (105)
This was the coolest part of the day. It was the championship heat with alot of the best female exercisers on earth. I had a smile on my face just to be there, however I knew it was gametime… especially with 20 Muscle Ups in front of me. Muscle Ups are something that have been a tireless work in progress for me. They are now at the point where I can complete them when they are presented to me in a workout, however their consistency and efficiency in comparison to the best are very sub par. I knew this going into the workout, but I also knew that the workout consisted of other movements (double unders, barbell things) that I can hang with anyone in. My mentality was to just keep moving on the rings, don’t fail on any MU’s and try and make up time on the jump rope and barbell. This plan worked through the first two or three rounds, however by round 4 and 5 I fell behind as the other girls exposed my weakness on the rings more and more. I finished the workout in 11th, and that’s where I finished on the weekend.
4 WEEKS OUT
We are exactly 4 weeks away from the release of the first open workout. This is an exciting time for me because I feel like my first real season is approaching. This season will be my first “full season” of training to be a competitive exercise and I cannot wait to see the results of my hard work. I am glad I had the opportunity to compete at the ECC because I feel like it gave me a clear idea and a reality check on where I stand among the girls I want to be considered with one day. My daily training consists of some kind of “barbell gymnastics” (snatch, clean, jerk), then some strength work (squats, bench, presses, lunges), then some gymnastics skill work, then a conditioning piece. The conditioning pieces vary greatly in length, content, and rest intervals and fall anywhere from “crossfitty” style workouts such as triplets and ladders to more single modal pieces like burpees, rowing, or running. A few times a week I do strict interval work, while doing straight “for time” or “for reps” pieces as well. My coach has recently presented the implementation of using a heart rate monitor in workout to track where we work at and build aerobic capacity. This is something that I find really interesting and think will help my teammates and I significantly when the season comes around.
*You can find this post and other posts by my peers and I at:
NICOLE ROGGOW 