19 December 2008 - - Filthy Fifty & The All Too Messy 25

This was a tough one...one that has been in making for some time...a nemesis of which time was secondary to the seemingly simple task of completion.  No need to justify the first attempt, Did Not Finish; the second, Did Not Finish; the third & the charm, Success...Nothing To It! 

Sam's WOD:  Filthy Fifty

For Time Complete 50 Repetitions of the Following Ten Exercises in Order

Box Jump (~20" I would say)

Jumping Pull Up

Kettlebell Swing 1pood (35#)

Lunges

KNE

Push Press 45#

Back Extension 

Wall Ball 18# (Rx is 20#, I was very happy to find this guy sitting around)

Burpee

Double Under

This workout is very difficult.  The name, Filthy Fifty, does it justice.  And one can only really appreciate the notion, after going through it or just attempting it, that this workout gets almost exponentially more difficult as it goes on. Not just due to a build up of fatigue and stress, but because the sets of 50 repetitions of Wall Ball, Burpees and Double Unders is to put it simply, damn hard.  Here you are, almost at the end having completed 50 reps of seven different exercises back to back, making good time and then...yeah, this is damn hard. 

Sam: 46:00 Excellent work and a huge milestone to have completed the task.  Note: The wall clock was used so give or take a few seconds.

Steven's WOD:  Messy Twenty Five

For Time Complete 25 Repetitions of the Same Exercises As Filthy Fifty

Half the difficulty you say? Guess again.  Sure, its half the reps as the Filthy, but the added sprint like factor adds an interesting element.  The element of sneaky fast pain!

Steven: 30:30 approximately, and though the Double Unders were not done to completion, due to fatigue yes, but also to lack of adeptness at the skill as the number of attempts were on order, this WOD was called at a time rather than at DNF.  The effort more than justifies it.

The Filthy Fifty is definitely one of the most complex and involved WOD's that Crossfit has to offer as a benchmark workout.  Ten different exercises, fifty repetitions each, back to back, as fast as you can.  Its crazy, its hardcore, its madness.  But is there method?  And how often in life would you find the above applicable as it is laid out.  Break it down.  You are jumping, pulling, heaving, contracting, pushing, lifting, throwing and moving; driving through as fast as possible...thinking, strategizing and fighting comfort with desire.  And all the while under complete self support.  If life through at you a situation where you had to perform any of the just mentioned actions would you stop to ask for a bench to rest upon as you pushed, decline pulling because it is your scheduled leg day and not curl in the mirror day, ask for water because you are thirsty...giggle...bringing it back down from the pedestal, there is method.  

It is a method that is as difficult as the workout to explain to a Filthy virgin; but to one that has experienced the madness, ask yourself this, am I stronger...am I more fit physically, mentally, for having done that? To go a bit further, and this is out of pure curiosity, if you were to consider that over the course of one week you were to jog 12 miles and work your chest, back and legs on off running days...would you prefer that discipline over one day of the Filthy?

Stay Tuned For...Pictures to this post (I am working with a weak signal connection here that is not permitting picture uploads, so blame whomever I am stealing it from), my most excellent WOD experience during my first visit to Crossfit St. Charles, and of course the continuation of the Tale of the Shrinking Ass: Part II.