Double-Unders. Dude.

My workout today was not magical. It definitely was not one of those days on which the WOD feels transcendent, and I am all-powerful, and I feel super-charged and knock it out like a superhero.

Today was a long slog that ultimately made me feel like about a billion bucks. ‘Cause I got really sweaty, and I worked really hard, and I did stuff I’m pretty sure I’ve never done before.

Our workout:

Skills
snatch clusters:
2.2.2.2.2.2 @ 60% = 35#, rest :30 seconds
2.2.2.2.2.2 @ 65% = 40#, rest :45 seconds

WOD
10 rounds:
3 chest-to-bar kip pullups, blue band
6 Russian swings, 16kg
9 double-unders
My time: 14:13

Bonus Fun
:30 handstand hold

The Skills Part
I’m not sure what’s been happening lately, but my snatch has gotten a bit wobbly. [pause while we all snicker at the word ‘snatch’] I’ve grown more confident with the clean, and my overhead squats have always been pretty solid, but major destabiliation was happening when I tried to smush them together into the snatch.

Working with the lighter weight this morning was AWESOME because I finally got my confidence back, and those snatches were Solid. And I got sweaty. Which is a great start to the day.

[source]

The WOD Part
First, can I point something out? TEN ROUNDS.

I know the reps om the WOD were low, but still! TEN ROUNDS.

I read a blog recently that shared advice I’ve read many times: set your ego aside, don’t worry about the clock, and use the WOD to work on skills sometimes.

People have offered that wisdom before – but this time, for whatever reason, it stuck.

So before the clock started, I decided that I was doing all the chest-to-bar pullups with the blue band, even though I wasn’t sure I could actually get my chest to the bar every time and even though I knew I absolutely, positively could do it with the green band.

I also decided that I was going to do all the double-unders in the workout, no matter how long it took.

The pullups weren’t very pretty, and it was so humid, I actually stopped in the middle of doing three little pullups to re-chalk my hands and the bar. Yes, I “rested” during a set of three. WHATEVER. I did them all with the blue band, and if my chest didn’t totally get to the bar in the 9th and 10th rounds, it was in the vicinity.

Double-unders were my triumph. Again, not so pretty. I could feel myself making a squinchy face, and my ponytail flew over my head and smacked me in the forehead on almost every hop. Pretty! I did one single jump in between each double-under, and I had a bad habit of tripping on the rope on #7 almost every round. But I did them all: 9 per round. 10 rounds. 90 double-unders.

90.

Double.

Unders.

For me? Slightly miraculous.

I’m stupid pleased with myself.

Which removed some of the sting of finishing dead last (which I don’t mind so much) while I provided entertainment for the rest of the class in the shape of my remaining two full rounds. Man! I hate having an audience for the end of a WOD – although their encouragment was very sweet.

My current PR is two double-unders in a row. Next goal: a string of three. Stay tuned…

Want to read more? Here’s a post I did way back in 2008… the day I eked out seven double-unders in a row with TWO singles in between and got the first preliminary glimpses of my thyroid odyssey.