The Hook

I’m just going to say it: I don’t like the hook grip.

In case you haven’t made its (painful) acquaintance yet, it looks like this:

On the snatch and clean in particular, the hook grip is more secure and allows for lifting heavier weight. “The hook grip may not be suitable for beginners as the thumb or thumbnail may suffer pain, although this can be overcome by regular training.“

Indeed.

I repeat: I don’t like the hook grip. Mostly because it does hurt. I need to remind myself of the value of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Thinking about the hook also always make me think of the urban legend about the couple making out in a car and being attacked by THE HOOK. Which just makes me giggle and then I’m not being aggressive with my lift and then I get distracted by how it hurts and… well, you get it.

Why the obsession with the hook? Because we’ve been doing a whole lot of snatch grip practice at CrossFit Austin for the last few weeks: drills in snatch-grip, snatch-grip deadlifts, snatch clusters (Yes, my snatch is a cluster!)

But despite my achy hands – pullup tears, snatch-grip impeded thumbs, and a papercut, which frankly, just seemed like the universe f*cking with me – I’m loving my workouts these days.

Friday WOD
5 rounds:
3 snatch grip deadlifts (up for 1, down for 3) – rest :20
5 jumping pullups (lower for 2) – rest :20
5 jumping dips (hold, then lower for 2) – rest 1:00

then…

3 rounds:
5 power cleans, 55#
7 press, 55#
5 yo-yos*

*yo-yo = cone-to-cone shuttle runs, forward and backward, a.k.a., lung-busters

My time: 9:31
I’m pleased to say I was only about one minute behind the guys. I wasn’t lapped!

I’m officially over doing “negatives” on pullups, chinups and ring dips… jump, hold, lower for X number of seconds. Every workout I did this week included a variation, and I’m done, baby, done. It stopped being fun on, like, round 3 of the skill work. Over. It.

But the power cleans were fun (thanks to my breakthrough with Tristy recently), the presses felt GREAT, and the yo-yos almost killed me:

• sprint to the first cone + squat and touch the ground
• run backwards to the first cone + squat and touch the ground
• sprint to the farthest cone + squat and touch the ground
• run backwards to the first cone + squat and touch the ground
• sprint to the first cone + squat and touch the ground
• run backwards to the first cone + squat and touch the ground

REPEAT 5 TIMES FOR EACH ROUND.

Legs? Jell-O.
Lungs? Bursting.
Sweat? Flying.
Braid? Annoying.
Ego? Soaring.

It was AWESOME.