Yesterday I met up with Mathias at lunch to give the first of three on-line qualifiers in the Solid Open a shot.
The first WOD a 15 minute AMRAP

As many rounds as possible within 15 minutes of:
6 CHEST TO BAR PULL UPS
9 SHOULDER TO OVERHEAD 30 KG
12 FRONT SQUATS 30 KG

There was an option to scale the workout to regular chin-ups but I have improved my technique for C2Bs that I thought I would give the Rx a short.  Last week I managed 7 rounds plus 12 reps doing chins, so my goal for the Rx was 7 rounds.

The 30kg was not an issue, I was solely concerned about the 6 C2Bs. Luckily for me Mathias went first, so I could see how he managed the WOD and try to do the same if it worked, or make slight adjustments, if needed. Mathias managed to get in 8+2 but what I got out of it was the C2Bs increased his pulse and caused heavy breathing which after 3-4 rounds slowed him down.

So when it was my turn, I decided not to risk any “no reps” on the C2Bs and did 6x singles. I jumped up to the bar, and did the first chest to bar pull up and I got Mathias and a few that were in the box attention. I was so nervous that I was not going to be able to hit my chest to the bar each time, that I used a little too much force and the entire rack shook. I did the same full force C2B for all six.  I then move over to the Shoulder to overhead and at 30kg I easily get all 9 up with a little push press. Going to the squats I planned on resting after 3, 6 or 9 if need be, but manage to get all 12 unbroken. it was just under 1:30.  Wow, I think, maybe I can get in 9 rounds if I can keep up this pace. I continue with singles on the C2B for round two, but notice that I am starting to get winded. Just under 3 minutes after two rounds, but now my pulse is racing away, and I am breathing heavy. I slow down the C2Bs with a 1-2 second pause in between each. Start the shoulder presses with 2 squats, before Mathias reminds me it’s shoulder presses. Crap, but it only cost a few seconds. The shoulder to overhead continue to be problem free, but I am concentrating on  slowing down my breathing on the shoulder presses so I am ready for the squats. at 4:45 I was done with the 3rd round, nearly 15 seconds slower than round 2. But I have 10 minutes left, and I really think I can get 5 more rounds in.

During the fourth round my stomach turns on me, and now I am not only fighting my pulse and breathing, but trying to control my stomach. The pauses between each C2B gets longer.  The time it takes me to go from the bar to the weights is longer and longer.  But once I get the bar up, I can push through the shoulders quickly. But the squats become a mental challenge.  I try slowing down with controlled breathing, but still have to pause.  I don’t remember my time after four rounds but it was closer to 2 minutes. During the 5th and 6th round I am doing what I can not to rest, but my stomach keeps me from pushing through. It’s actually just as bad doing the C2Bs as squatting, the only time my stomach can rest is during the shoulder presses. I finish the 7th round and consider giving up and running to the bathroom, but there are 40 seconds remaining.  I do the 6 C2Bs as fast as I can, “run” over to the weights and in the final 5-6 seconds manage two push presses.

Final score 7 rounds + 8 reps.  That’s 48 chest to bar pull-ups in 15 minutes.  During The Open, I only managed to get 3 of them in 2 minutes. So I am definitely seeing improvements.  The next step will be to do several in a row with out having to release the bar after each rep.

My score puts me in the bottom 10% with one day remaining.  I do not imagine there will be lots of people registering scores lower than mine tonight, so there is a risk I wind up down around the bottom 5% before midnight.

Good thing there are two more rounds.