Week ending July

Currently working: 80 hours/week
Eating: Roughly Paleo, approx. 2200 calories, ad lib and throughout all waking hours. Periodic alcohol, caffeine, sugar and dairy consumption.
Energy levels: generally weak; getting on the bike for the commute is sluggish, and 4 hours of sleep per night is grinding down
Upcoming competitions: O-lifting meet Aug 9, Aug 22nd, then USAWeightlifting Coach Cert in September
Training: heavy singles with both of the lifts - only getting 4 non-working shifts per week means that I have to go big every time.

July 28 - Heavy Snatch, followed by jerk practice loaded at 40kg. Tried out both squat jerks and right-food splits. Snatches went up to 75kg - form deteriorated because of early hip rise due to wrong mental state - "I have to get up and under fast." Need to stay calm in the 1st pull so that I can be sure to set myself up correctly for the second. Afraid that too much cautiousness will lead to an extremely slow 1st pull, leaving me doing hang snatches instead of full ones.
July 29 - Heavy C&J - worked up to 95kg, had a scary dump on the jerk. Still debatable as to whether I will be using a right-foot split or squat jerk for the meet. 95kg put me in the hole and I had to struggle to get out. 100kg might actually be limited by strength rather than technique.

The End of an Era...

It's been an incredible three years watching Crossfit grow throughout the UVA and Charlottesville community.  I for one know that it's been a thrill to watch as our ranks have grown, and it's been a fulfilling journey for everyone who's been involved to share, teach, and inspire each other.  As was inevitable, a fully-fledged box has finally opened up in Charlottesville, and it's time for Crossfit in Charlottesville to take the next step.

Things will be getting much quieter here.  Looking for some workout company/instruction/inspiration?  Head over to Crossfit Charlottesville for all your exercise/health/life needs....

In the meanwhile, a few of my fondest moments:

A very very VIP makes a guest appearance on our blog (read through the comments)

The Boa...an interesting tool for training, but will people come back to it?

Another tool of the trade, retrieved at great effort, but to little use...

One of the earliest group workouts...crowded and 

under-equipped, but ingenuity and creativity meant that 

all involved were pushed as far as they could go.

An experiment in true randomization - with an unknown workout,

 an unknown location, and an unknown time of day, how would one fare?

The result: three hungover individuals at 5am Saturday morning, 

lugging a 120lb sack,  doing burpees, and answering questions.

A first muscle-up.  One among many records set and 

broken at our last location, a facility that treated 

us better than we could have expected or hoped.

Thank you to everyone who's been there along the way.  It's been a privilege to train with each and every one of you.

- Bin Lu