It seems like handstand pushups are all anyone thinks about these days. That and doubleunders, which Mike has had us doing in our warmup every single day since. Strength is pretty much all I’ve been thinking about though. Tuesday, before my hands ripped, Mike asked me why I wasn’t getting my chin all the way over the bar on my weighted pullups. “Because I’m not strong enough, same reason I can’t do handstand pushups.” Tuesday night I sent Mike this article on ripped hands, and he responded by kindly pointing out that if I believe the article, then I shouldn’t be doing high rep pullups because I’m not strong enough to do them without my hands ripping. True.
Today, he wrote up this gem of a WOD:
5 Rounds:
5 Deadlift 85% of max
7 Handstand Pushups
Time: 17:04
Alex and I promptly yelled “TOO SOON!” which Mike didn’t seem to find nearly as amusing as we did.
I loaded up the bar to 240# (my max is 285, I rounded 242.25 down, thankyouverymuch), which is tough but not unbearable. I stacked up two abmats, but after my first two HSPU appeared (note the emphasis) easy to Mike, he made me drop to one abmat. 2.5 rounds in, I was back to Sectionals all over again, lowering myself down (working the negative, if you will) but unable to push back up. Mike came over and changed the rest of my workout to 30# dumbbell strict presses, which is what he keeps saying will be the magic cure for my apparent lack of strength. I’m not strong enough.
Lest you think, interwebs, that this is a pity party, I say I’m not strong enough with a certain strange sense of glee. At least we know what the problem is, right? At least we know that there are things to do to fix it, and dumbbell presses and abmats and handstand backpacks. At least it isn’t fear of something, at least it isn’t physical deformity (unless you count double-jointed elbows on extra-long arms), at least it isn’t ME … it’s my training. I have the willpower, the mindset, the ability to do high rep pullups or handstand pushups or even muscleups, I just need to get the strength.
I’m not strong enough … YET, bitches!!!
UPDATE:
Just checked crossfit.com for tomorrow’s workout and it says:
Friday 100319
With a continuously running clock, do one pull-up and one handstand push-up the first minute, two pull-ups and two handstand push-ups the second minute, three pull-ups and three handstand push-ups the third minute… continuing as long as you are able. When you cannot complete the required number of reps for either exercise, continue only with the other as long as you are able.
Use as many sets in any order each minute as needed.
Post number of minutes successfully completed for each exercise to comments. Their sum is your score.
THE WORLD HATES ME! I LIE! I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH MEANS JUST THAT AND I AM A SAD, SAD PANDA WHO CANNOT DO HIGH-REP PULLUPS OR HANDSTAND PUSHUPS! We will see if Mike makes us to Murph or this disaster of a WOD tomorrow …
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