Death by Wall Ball? That Just Sounds Horrible Doesn't It?

Warm Up:

Death By Wall Ball

Start @ 7

WOD:

'Helen'

3 Rounds

400m Run

21 KB Swings (55/35#)

12 Pullups

Core:

Death By Ball Slams

Start @ 7

I will start by explaining what Death by Wall Ball, or Death by Ball Slams are:  Basically, in this case anyway, you start with 7 of either in the first minute.  For each additional minute you add 1 additional to the starting number.  Make sense?  (in Wall Balls, I made it to 13 before quitting (6 minutes), and in Ball Slams I went to 15 and then called it a day (8 minutes)

Everyone at CF's everywhere has a 'nemesis', and mine (so far) is Wall Balls.  I hate them.  They hurt me.  They hurt my legs and they hurt my shoulders.  I use a 14lb freaking hacky sack basically which is harder to handle that say, a basketball like ball, and its brutality.  Sheer brutality.

For those that don't know its not simply throwing the damn ball up the wall, but there is a target, higher for men than women, but high enough...

And you aren't just standing there throwing it...you have to begin in the squatting position, throw the ball up there, and then proceed to catch it while you are moving your body back into the squatting position.

Like this...

Brutal indeed.

This video, which is just out to announce the standards of the Crossfit Games 12.4 workout shows how Wall Balls should be done for each rep to count.  We have tape all along the walls on the outside and inside of our 'box' so we know where our 'target' is both for women and the men.

Now what I do love is Ball Slams.  I prefer when we do partner ball slams, but ball slams are indeed fun to me.  

I scaled the WOD by using 25lb on the kettlebells (up from 15/20lbs that I have been using), and I used the band for the pull ups and on the 3rd round of pull ups, I used the rings instead.

My time for Helen: 12:04

I really wish I would have had an 11:xx and I could have had I not walked for a few seconds after the 200m turnaround on the 3rd round.

Ben, C, B and I started with KB's instead of the run since we weren't shooting for Rx, so after the KB's and the PU's,  Ben was the first out of the box, with B right after him and then myself.  As I exited, R yelled to me 'CATCH HIM!'.  B passed Ben up but I was still about 20yrds behind him up to the turnaround and it wasn't until I was about 50yrds away from re-entering the box and I pushed all that I had to go past him with his response being 'you stinker!'.  He must have said something to Russ when he came in because I heard R say 'ha!  Its my fault, I told her to catch you'.

This gave me the edge that I needed and now I needed to concentrate on pushing on the KB's to try and get out the door in front of Brit.  I thought I was going to let her catch up when I hit the bar, but I jumped off with 2 reps to go and finished on the rings, and I was gone!  That 2nd 400m I had to dig deep to keep my lead on her, and she was closing in on me, but I just had to run faster.

When I hit the box for the last round, I saw the clock said 8something and I freaking laid into those KB's, ran to the rings, and out the door again.  I had left Ben in my dust long ago.  I just wanted to beat B.

As I was making my way back, I had no idea how far back B was, and as Ben went past me I asked him, and he said about 30yrds.

Once I hit the box, I laid across the top of an actual box used for box jumps.  I laid there limply and R was laughing at me.  I said "I think I'm gonna throw up", to which he said "good.  Now get up and walk around with your hands above your head.  That should help."

Oy.

B came in at 12:28.  And Ben came in at 13:28.

I was just happy I beat both of them.  :O) 

Then it was on to Ball Slams which I fared at much better than Wall Balls...


p.s. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill before going to Crossfit