It's been a rather unusual week for me, and I know I haven't posted this week. I will get around to that tomorrow, hopefully. Some of us are going to do a sand bag run up a hill tomorrow, and for once I might have the opportunity to go. I will definitely report in if I go!
P.S. -- Did work on my power cleans after the WOD to find my new max. Successfully power cleaned 95# twice.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
"What Did We Do Wednesday?", "Thank God for Rest" Thursday, and Feet-A-Flyin' Friday
Holy cats -- where has this week gone?!? Amidst all of the things I have (or haven't) had going on, I've completely forgotten to check in here on the blog! Let's get down to it...
Wednesday, 11 NOV 09
WOD: "Tabata This" -- exercises include ring dips, windshield wipers, handstand push ups, burpees
Challenge: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups and 15 KTE
Tabatas as a general rule don't bother me at all. Twenty seconds of movement followed by ten seconds of rest for eight rounds per exercise really isn't the end of the world. Except for when your arms are so sore that you had trouble getting dressed that day and almost had to come to the gym without a bra on. You know, little things.
None of us are able to do ring dips, so we substituted this with doing dips off the side of the tractor tire with our feet up on boxes. We also had to modify the HSPUs by doing them off the side of the tire. Both of these were excruciating and terrible. Normally I can crank out dips with no problem, but those kettlebell swings from Monday were still wreaking havoc on my deltoids. The modified HSPUs weren't really bad until the last three rounds, which sucked at an unreasonable level. Burpees pretty much suck no matter what. You suffer through them like a yearly physical -- you know you have to do them, and sooner or later they'll be over with and you can go back to the rest of your day.
I will say, however, that I enjoyed the windshield wipers. OK, envision holding a 45# bar by one end, and the other end is resting at an angle on the center opening of a 45# bumper weight. The bar doesn't actually go into the center; it just pivots there. The goal here was to bring the bar down on one side of your body to approximately hip height, then twist your body to the other side as you bring the bar back up and over to the other hip. Repeat this a kajillion times, and you've got a windshield wiper.
Next, true to form, just because we had done a WOD didn't necessarily mean that we were done. As if a tabata for core wasn't enough, we did five more rounds of core, not keeping our time. Ab mat sit ups aren't that big a deal, and thankfully neither are KTE anymore. I was able to rep several out at a time but still need to work on that.
Tabata scores: (keep in mind that the score you have to keep is the lowest number you did)
Modified ring dips: 8
Windshield wipers: 19
Modified HSPUs: 5
Burpees: 8
Thursday, 12 NOV 09
REST DAY!!! HALLELUJAH!!!
On a serious note, I really wanted to get up to the gym to do the CF Football "Grace" and had something come up for my daughter that needed to take priority over my gym time. That being said, I was really glad on Friday morning that I had taken another rest day to let my arms recover. I can always do this WOD at another time or on my own. In fact, I need to figure out something to do Saturday morning, and this might be a fun option.
A side note about rest: there is a time when you push through a little stiffness or soreness, and there is also a time when you listen to your body and rest. It's different for each person, but there are times when I know that every cell in my body is crying out to simply be still. There is a such thing as overtraining, and when you reach that point, you are really running yourself down. Personally I would rather take another day to rest and be able to come out of the gate hard the following day than be sucking it up during the warm up, much less the WOD. You just have to listen to your body and discern when it really does need rest and when it's just being whiny.
Friday, 13 NOV 09
"I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." -- Habbakuk 3:18-19
WOD: Seven rounds of: 200m sprint, 10 air squats, 10 burpees
Speaking of feet like a deer...
It was damp and chilly out when we started, but by the time we finished I was ready to strip down and roll in the cold, wet grass. We headed over to the middle school football practice field (so the stripping down would be HIGHLY discouraged here, haha!) and did our WOD over there. I don't think I have had to run on wet grass early in the morning since I was in co-ed P.E. in middle school, come to think of it. I forgot how messy it can be but how good the grass smells, too.
I think I have figured out the point at which running for me stops being a sprint and transitions into a longer distance. I was out of the gate fast on the first 100m of the run for at least the first five rounds, but there was just something different about coming back across the field. I felt heavier and slower, and even the breeze I created by running seemed to be resistance I was working against on that last 100m.
I am SOOOO proud to report that I was able to do all 70 air squats without a SINGLE BIT of knee pain! It was amazing. I couldn't believe it as I was flying through those suckers at how good my knees felt and how fast I was able to move. THIS is how air squats should always be. Awesome!
Burpees... well, that's a different story. Remember how I compared them to a yearly physical on Wednesday? Yeah, well, my sentiments about these has not changed. Still don't like 'em, still have to do 'em. Oh well. What are you gonna do?!?
In closing, I'm not sure why, but we didn't time this WOD. And when it was all said and done, none of us could really venture an accurate guess on how long it took. All I know is that we left that wet, grassy field exhausted but proud of our efforts, which is worth all the burpees in the world to me.
Wednesday, 11 NOV 09
WOD: "Tabata This" -- exercises include ring dips, windshield wipers, handstand push ups, burpees
Challenge: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups and 15 KTE
Tabatas as a general rule don't bother me at all. Twenty seconds of movement followed by ten seconds of rest for eight rounds per exercise really isn't the end of the world. Except for when your arms are so sore that you had trouble getting dressed that day and almost had to come to the gym without a bra on. You know, little things.
None of us are able to do ring dips, so we substituted this with doing dips off the side of the tractor tire with our feet up on boxes. We also had to modify the HSPUs by doing them off the side of the tire. Both of these were excruciating and terrible. Normally I can crank out dips with no problem, but those kettlebell swings from Monday were still wreaking havoc on my deltoids. The modified HSPUs weren't really bad until the last three rounds, which sucked at an unreasonable level. Burpees pretty much suck no matter what. You suffer through them like a yearly physical -- you know you have to do them, and sooner or later they'll be over with and you can go back to the rest of your day.
I will say, however, that I enjoyed the windshield wipers. OK, envision holding a 45# bar by one end, and the other end is resting at an angle on the center opening of a 45# bumper weight. The bar doesn't actually go into the center; it just pivots there. The goal here was to bring the bar down on one side of your body to approximately hip height, then twist your body to the other side as you bring the bar back up and over to the other hip. Repeat this a kajillion times, and you've got a windshield wiper.
Next, true to form, just because we had done a WOD didn't necessarily mean that we were done. As if a tabata for core wasn't enough, we did five more rounds of core, not keeping our time. Ab mat sit ups aren't that big a deal, and thankfully neither are KTE anymore. I was able to rep several out at a time but still need to work on that.
Tabata scores: (keep in mind that the score you have to keep is the lowest number you did)
Modified ring dips: 8
Windshield wipers: 19
Modified HSPUs: 5
Burpees: 8
Thursday, 12 NOV 09
REST DAY!!! HALLELUJAH!!!
On a serious note, I really wanted to get up to the gym to do the CF Football "Grace" and had something come up for my daughter that needed to take priority over my gym time. That being said, I was really glad on Friday morning that I had taken another rest day to let my arms recover. I can always do this WOD at another time or on my own. In fact, I need to figure out something to do Saturday morning, and this might be a fun option.
A side note about rest: there is a time when you push through a little stiffness or soreness, and there is also a time when you listen to your body and rest. It's different for each person, but there are times when I know that every cell in my body is crying out to simply be still. There is a such thing as overtraining, and when you reach that point, you are really running yourself down. Personally I would rather take another day to rest and be able to come out of the gate hard the following day than be sucking it up during the warm up, much less the WOD. You just have to listen to your body and discern when it really does need rest and when it's just being whiny.
Friday, 13 NOV 09
"I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." -- Habbakuk 3:18-19
WOD: Seven rounds of: 200m sprint, 10 air squats, 10 burpees
Speaking of feet like a deer...
It was damp and chilly out when we started, but by the time we finished I was ready to strip down and roll in the cold, wet grass. We headed over to the middle school football practice field (so the stripping down would be HIGHLY discouraged here, haha!) and did our WOD over there. I don't think I have had to run on wet grass early in the morning since I was in co-ed P.E. in middle school, come to think of it. I forgot how messy it can be but how good the grass smells, too.
I think I have figured out the point at which running for me stops being a sprint and transitions into a longer distance. I was out of the gate fast on the first 100m of the run for at least the first five rounds, but there was just something different about coming back across the field. I felt heavier and slower, and even the breeze I created by running seemed to be resistance I was working against on that last 100m.
I am SOOOO proud to report that I was able to do all 70 air squats without a SINGLE BIT of knee pain! It was amazing. I couldn't believe it as I was flying through those suckers at how good my knees felt and how fast I was able to move. THIS is how air squats should always be. Awesome!
Burpees... well, that's a different story. Remember how I compared them to a yearly physical on Wednesday? Yeah, well, my sentiments about these has not changed. Still don't like 'em, still have to do 'em. Oh well. What are you gonna do?!?
In closing, I'm not sure why, but we didn't time this WOD. And when it was all said and done, none of us could really venture an accurate guess on how long it took. All I know is that we left that wet, grassy field exhausted but proud of our efforts, which is worth all the burpees in the world to me.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I See A Pattern Emerging Here...
Warm up: 400m run, 200 single jumps w/ jump rope, 20 double unders
WOD: Three power cleans every minute/on the minute for 10 minutes
Core: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups, 15 jack knives, 10 double count bicycles
Challenge: AMRAP in 10 minutes of 250m row, 50 jumps w/ jump rope, 25 overhead squats w/ PVCs
Am I the only one who sees a pattern emerging here of doing everything in threes?!? Seriously, this is KILLING ME! But in a good way, I promise. In fact, I noticed that I have lost two dress sizes and am at a weight that I haven't been at in two and a half years. The difference between me now and me two and a half years ago is that my BMI was about 34% then, and my BMI is approx. 24-25% now. Huge difference, huh?!? You can actually see my obliques and the outline of my abs, as well as most of the muscles in my legs. Doing CF at least four times a week, in addition to eating along the lines of Paleo or The Zone, is really paying off. Sweet!
At any rate, my double unders are really coming along. Just last week I could only do one at a time. Today I was up to doing four at a time. There is hope for me yet! We will be doing "Filthy Fifty" as a box for our Christmas event, and double unders is one of the exercises we have to perform for that WOD. Jumping rope is something that I think adults blow off as a playground activity for kids, but it really is difficult and requires speed and coordination.
Let me just tell you in case you didn't know: I freakin' LOVE power cleans. Even better if they don't involve squats, but I don't mind those too much either. We were supposed to be using 80% of our max. My max at last count was 90#. I started off at 75# but quickly moved up to 85#. I really need to find my new power clean max, because the 85# was really comfortable today. I was so pumped! Finally something that I'm good at and finish first when we're doing it. Plus my coach used 85#, and I consider her someone that I chase after, too. Making good progress!! Hooty hoo!!
The quick core torture was not something I saw coming up, and it was a real crap out. Sometimes I feel like core doesn't get addressed as often but you are definitely using your core for most of what we do, so it kind of works out even in the wash, as they say. We've been intentionally throwing in some core so that we can reap some overall benefits from it, and I think we'll see some payoff next month with "Filthy Fifty". The jack knives were pretty merciless, the sit ups were a real grind, but I was definitely able to make up time with the bicycles. This is where I am so glad I've done pilates for the last couple of years. I feel like I have an edge over some when it comes to core, but I still have LOTS of room for improvement. Our coach started the clock after we started (maybe 0:15 later). The clock said exactly 10:00 when I finished my five rounds, so I guess my time was about 10:15.
When we heard we had to do the AMRAP after the other TWO WODs, there was much groaning going on. Good grief! But we pressed through it and really gave it our best. I got in 3 full rounds and had completed the rowing for round four and was getting up to grab a jumprope when our coach called time.
I'm still trying to keep my blinders on and only focus on myself. There are some areas in which I have a loooong way to go (still need to work on my pull ups, etc.), but there are many areas in which I'm doing pretty good. I feel great, I think I'm looking pretty good, and I just cannot get over where I am now compared to where I was a couple of years ago. If any of you are considering making some kind of effort in the gym, just get out there and do it! You don't have to be doing CrossFit to be doing yourself some good. Start taking care of your body from the inside out -- get moving and watch what you're putting in your mouth. You owe it to yourself, first and foremost. I saw a show today about a girl who is a raw foodist (I thought she was a fruit loop, honestly), but she said that taking care of yourself and eating well is a way to love yourself. What a great perspective -- exercise and eating well is actually a way to show yourself that you love and are willing to care for yourself just as you would your kids, your spouse, your family and friends. Don't you deserve that?!?
Power cleans: 75# x2 rounds, 85# x 8 rounds
Core: 10:15, approx.
AMRAP: 3 1/2 roounds
WOD: Three power cleans every minute/on the minute for 10 minutes
Core: Five rounds of 20 ab mat sit ups, 15 jack knives, 10 double count bicycles
Challenge: AMRAP in 10 minutes of 250m row, 50 jumps w/ jump rope, 25 overhead squats w/ PVCs
Am I the only one who sees a pattern emerging here of doing everything in threes?!? Seriously, this is KILLING ME! But in a good way, I promise. In fact, I noticed that I have lost two dress sizes and am at a weight that I haven't been at in two and a half years. The difference between me now and me two and a half years ago is that my BMI was about 34% then, and my BMI is approx. 24-25% now. Huge difference, huh?!? You can actually see my obliques and the outline of my abs, as well as most of the muscles in my legs. Doing CF at least four times a week, in addition to eating along the lines of Paleo or The Zone, is really paying off. Sweet!
At any rate, my double unders are really coming along. Just last week I could only do one at a time. Today I was up to doing four at a time. There is hope for me yet! We will be doing "Filthy Fifty" as a box for our Christmas event, and double unders is one of the exercises we have to perform for that WOD. Jumping rope is something that I think adults blow off as a playground activity for kids, but it really is difficult and requires speed and coordination.
Let me just tell you in case you didn't know: I freakin' LOVE power cleans. Even better if they don't involve squats, but I don't mind those too much either. We were supposed to be using 80% of our max. My max at last count was 90#. I started off at 75# but quickly moved up to 85#. I really need to find my new power clean max, because the 85# was really comfortable today. I was so pumped! Finally something that I'm good at and finish first when we're doing it. Plus my coach used 85#, and I consider her someone that I chase after, too. Making good progress!! Hooty hoo!!
The quick core torture was not something I saw coming up, and it was a real crap out. Sometimes I feel like core doesn't get addressed as often but you are definitely using your core for most of what we do, so it kind of works out even in the wash, as they say. We've been intentionally throwing in some core so that we can reap some overall benefits from it, and I think we'll see some payoff next month with "Filthy Fifty". The jack knives were pretty merciless, the sit ups were a real grind, but I was definitely able to make up time with the bicycles. This is where I am so glad I've done pilates for the last couple of years. I feel like I have an edge over some when it comes to core, but I still have LOTS of room for improvement. Our coach started the clock after we started (maybe 0:15 later). The clock said exactly 10:00 when I finished my five rounds, so I guess my time was about 10:15.
When we heard we had to do the AMRAP after the other TWO WODs, there was much groaning going on. Good grief! But we pressed through it and really gave it our best. I got in 3 full rounds and had completed the rowing for round four and was getting up to grab a jumprope when our coach called time.
I'm still trying to keep my blinders on and only focus on myself. There are some areas in which I have a loooong way to go (still need to work on my pull ups, etc.), but there are many areas in which I'm doing pretty good. I feel great, I think I'm looking pretty good, and I just cannot get over where I am now compared to where I was a couple of years ago. If any of you are considering making some kind of effort in the gym, just get out there and do it! You don't have to be doing CrossFit to be doing yourself some good. Start taking care of your body from the inside out -- get moving and watch what you're putting in your mouth. You owe it to yourself, first and foremost. I saw a show today about a girl who is a raw foodist (I thought she was a fruit loop, honestly), but she said that taking care of yourself and eating well is a way to love yourself. What a great perspective -- exercise and eating well is actually a way to show yourself that you love and are willing to care for yourself just as you would your kids, your spouse, your family and friends. Don't you deserve that?!?
Power cleans: 75# x2 rounds, 85# x 8 rounds
Core: 10:15, approx.
AMRAP: 3 1/2 roounds
Monday, November 9, 2009
Ten Rounds of Torture
Warm up: 400m run, double unders, 10 buddy pull ups
WOD: Team relay -- 10 rounds for time of: Sprint 30m, 10 box jumps, sprint 30m, 15 kettlebell swings
Challenge: Tabata core -- sit ups, supermans, plank, hip pockets
After a weekend of being out of town and not watching what I ate, I really wasn't feeling extremely fit but knew I needed to get into the gym. Hard. I just needed a little extra self-punishment -- lucky me! That was just what was on the board for the WOD.
We had an unusually large group this morning. Some of the early morning gals were there, and we had a guy that puts up with our girly conversation long enough to workout with us some days. It was nice that it worked out to have some extra people there this morning since we were doing the WOD as team relays.
Once again, I finished last. This is getting to be a bit of a pattern for me, one that I don't like and with which I am not comfortable. However, I know I pushed myself hard this morning and didn't slack off, so I can't be too disappointed. I could've sprinted faster on the second sprint of each round, but I used the highest box for the box jumps and completed the range of motion correctly each time. I also kept moving during the kettlebell swings, my least favorite part of the WOD. At one point during the kettlebell swings, I noticed how my abs were engaging during the swinging and lifting motion, so I know my body was working hard.
My partner was one of the girls that I "chase" during most WODs. It cracks me up: she has this endearing personality and warm laugh, but you give her a "3-2-1-GO!" and she turns into a machine! This girl makes really hard moves look easy. She is really strong and fast, and her endurance is off the charts. She gives me something to work toward for sure, but I also just enjoy chatting with her and the other girls at the end of the WOD.
Someone -- I don't know who -- got a bright idea of doing a Tabata core WOD, so five of us got down and did Tabata sit ups, supermans, plank (which technically is sphinx), and hip pockets. I was a little tired during the sit ups, but I maintained consistency during the Tabata stuff. (Everyone else got at least two or three minutes of recovery at the end of their WOD that I didn't have before starting the second one, since I finished last.) While I couldn't believe at the time that I actually sat down to do the Tabata, I was glad when I finished that I had taken the time.
I'm really having to look at myself and stay focused on just myself these days. Everyone is working at their own levels, and in CrossFit, you are competing against yourself and no one else. That's hard to remember as you are starting off a WOD and you are having lots of knee pain and having to start off slowly instead of coming hard out of the gate like everyone else. As my boyfriend pointed out last night, the person I was two years ago likely couldn't hang with the person I am now, athletically speaking. I may never be as fast as some people in the class, and I'll never deadlift the same as most of the guys, but the most I can do is my personal best. That has got to be success.
Posted time: 31:08
WOD: Team relay -- 10 rounds for time of: Sprint 30m, 10 box jumps, sprint 30m, 15 kettlebell swings
Challenge: Tabata core -- sit ups, supermans, plank, hip pockets
After a weekend of being out of town and not watching what I ate, I really wasn't feeling extremely fit but knew I needed to get into the gym. Hard. I just needed a little extra self-punishment -- lucky me! That was just what was on the board for the WOD.
We had an unusually large group this morning. Some of the early morning gals were there, and we had a guy that puts up with our girly conversation long enough to workout with us some days. It was nice that it worked out to have some extra people there this morning since we were doing the WOD as team relays.
Once again, I finished last. This is getting to be a bit of a pattern for me, one that I don't like and with which I am not comfortable. However, I know I pushed myself hard this morning and didn't slack off, so I can't be too disappointed. I could've sprinted faster on the second sprint of each round, but I used the highest box for the box jumps and completed the range of motion correctly each time. I also kept moving during the kettlebell swings, my least favorite part of the WOD. At one point during the kettlebell swings, I noticed how my abs were engaging during the swinging and lifting motion, so I know my body was working hard.
My partner was one of the girls that I "chase" during most WODs. It cracks me up: she has this endearing personality and warm laugh, but you give her a "3-2-1-GO!" and she turns into a machine! This girl makes really hard moves look easy. She is really strong and fast, and her endurance is off the charts. She gives me something to work toward for sure, but I also just enjoy chatting with her and the other girls at the end of the WOD.
Someone -- I don't know who -- got a bright idea of doing a Tabata core WOD, so five of us got down and did Tabata sit ups, supermans, plank (which technically is sphinx), and hip pockets. I was a little tired during the sit ups, but I maintained consistency during the Tabata stuff. (Everyone else got at least two or three minutes of recovery at the end of their WOD that I didn't have before starting the second one, since I finished last.) While I couldn't believe at the time that I actually sat down to do the Tabata, I was glad when I finished that I had taken the time.
I'm really having to look at myself and stay focused on just myself these days. Everyone is working at their own levels, and in CrossFit, you are competing against yourself and no one else. That's hard to remember as you are starting off a WOD and you are having lots of knee pain and having to start off slowly instead of coming hard out of the gate like everyone else. As my boyfriend pointed out last night, the person I was two years ago likely couldn't hang with the person I am now, athletically speaking. I may never be as fast as some people in the class, and I'll never deadlift the same as most of the guys, but the most I can do is my personal best. That has got to be success.
Posted time: 31:08
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Triple Threat Tuesday
Warm up: 400m run, walking lunges, frog jumps, 40 jumping jacks, 30 squats, 20 push ups
WOD: 6 tire jammers - 25 jumping pull ups - 6 TJ - 25 JPPs - 6 TJ - 25 JPPs - 6 TJs - 25 JPPs - 6 TJs
Challenge: Team relays of 4 rounds of 200m rowing sprints and jog around two buildings
My legs are so sore -- I feel like I've done three separate WODs today. Thankfully my stupid knees held out on me! Actually, everything we did today felt like it was doing my quads and knees a lot of good, strangely enough. Even the walking lunges felt like they were stretching the sore muscles out and helping to strengthen the area, which isn't how they usually feel. Maybe this is exactly what I needed to be doing to work past the soreness and do some much-needed strengthening of this problem spot.
At any rate, we were all wondering what tire jammers were. We knew that it involved the 45# bar and the big tractor tire but we still had trouble envisioning what we were supposed to do. No one could've known ahead of time just how challenging this movement was going to be -- simple yet downright hard.
So here's what a tire jammer was: You take a 45# bar and put a bumper weight on one end. I used a 45# weight. That is the end you hold onto. The other end is pushed up against the side of the tire as it rests on the floor. You are basically pushing the bar up and down, making it look like a lever -- almost as if you are trying to pry it up off the floor. On our coach's count, we all went down into a squat, holding the bar on our shoulder facing the tire. When she told us to come back up, we had to come up as explosively through our legs as we could and push the bar up until our arms were straight. Each round we did this six times, slllooowwlllyyy. Ugh. By the last two rounds, I was really exhausted but still able to come up fast. I was proud of myself because it was 90# total I was toting around and going down into a good, deep squat. And my knees behaved for the whole thing!
The pull ups were on our own. For the most part I was breaking these up into groups of fives. I noticed how my arms are getting a little bit stronger and used to the kipping motion coming up to and leaving the bar. If I can just build up my arm strength, I'll have that kipping pull up in no time. That will definitely be a hallmark moment for me.
Just when we were so exhausted that we could hardly lower ourselves to sit down without falling, our coach announces that we had a rowing challenge to complete before we could call it a day. Had we been able to summon up the energy, we would've looked at her like she had lost her mind. Instead, we all pried our creaking bones up and waddled to the rowers.
As your teammate did their rowing and running, you got to sit still and recover. Thank God for recovery time! My partner was really strong at the rowing and got us ahead a little bit. The other team was really working hard, too. For the first time since I have started CF, I was ahead of one of the girls on the other team. In her defense, her partner and I are closer as far as endurance or speed goes, but just knowing that she was chasing me and not the other way around for once really made me feel lighter as I was running.
I won't be able to attend class tomorrow, but I definitely feel like I made up for my absence with everything we did today! They are doing sprints tomorrow, so I might do some sprints here at home on my street or even try another 5K here in the neighborhood. We'll see. Either way, I'm just glad I survived the butt whooping today!
WOD: 6 tire jammers - 25 jumping pull ups - 6 TJ - 25 JPPs - 6 TJ - 25 JPPs - 6 TJs - 25 JPPs - 6 TJs
Challenge: Team relays of 4 rounds of 200m rowing sprints and jog around two buildings
My legs are so sore -- I feel like I've done three separate WODs today. Thankfully my stupid knees held out on me! Actually, everything we did today felt like it was doing my quads and knees a lot of good, strangely enough. Even the walking lunges felt like they were stretching the sore muscles out and helping to strengthen the area, which isn't how they usually feel. Maybe this is exactly what I needed to be doing to work past the soreness and do some much-needed strengthening of this problem spot.
At any rate, we were all wondering what tire jammers were. We knew that it involved the 45# bar and the big tractor tire but we still had trouble envisioning what we were supposed to do. No one could've known ahead of time just how challenging this movement was going to be -- simple yet downright hard.
So here's what a tire jammer was: You take a 45# bar and put a bumper weight on one end. I used a 45# weight. That is the end you hold onto. The other end is pushed up against the side of the tire as it rests on the floor. You are basically pushing the bar up and down, making it look like a lever -- almost as if you are trying to pry it up off the floor. On our coach's count, we all went down into a squat, holding the bar on our shoulder facing the tire. When she told us to come back up, we had to come up as explosively through our legs as we could and push the bar up until our arms were straight. Each round we did this six times, slllooowwlllyyy. Ugh. By the last two rounds, I was really exhausted but still able to come up fast. I was proud of myself because it was 90# total I was toting around and going down into a good, deep squat. And my knees behaved for the whole thing!
The pull ups were on our own. For the most part I was breaking these up into groups of fives. I noticed how my arms are getting a little bit stronger and used to the kipping motion coming up to and leaving the bar. If I can just build up my arm strength, I'll have that kipping pull up in no time. That will definitely be a hallmark moment for me.
Just when we were so exhausted that we could hardly lower ourselves to sit down without falling, our coach announces that we had a rowing challenge to complete before we could call it a day. Had we been able to summon up the energy, we would've looked at her like she had lost her mind. Instead, we all pried our creaking bones up and waddled to the rowers.
As your teammate did their rowing and running, you got to sit still and recover. Thank God for recovery time! My partner was really strong at the rowing and got us ahead a little bit. The other team was really working hard, too. For the first time since I have started CF, I was ahead of one of the girls on the other team. In her defense, her partner and I are closer as far as endurance or speed goes, but just knowing that she was chasing me and not the other way around for once really made me feel lighter as I was running.
I won't be able to attend class tomorrow, but I definitely feel like I made up for my absence with everything we did today! They are doing sprints tomorrow, so I might do some sprints here at home on my street or even try another 5K here in the neighborhood. We'll see. Either way, I'm just glad I survived the butt whooping today!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Knees, My Old Nemesis, and Recap of Friday
I've been a little distracted over the last week. It's been crazy busy at my house: my boyfriend has been in town, I had to bake Halloween treats every day last week for my son's preschool, and let's not even go there about Halloween prep and madness. I completely forgot to blog about last Friday -- I have slept since then -- but it's worth covering quickly. Then I'll debrief today's WOD.
Friday, 30 OCT 09
Warm up: Buddy pull ups, kipping practice
WOD: Max deadlift, max shoulder press
The pull ups were mainly to build strength and practice getting our kipping motion down. Thankfully my boyfriend was there to help me, strong guy that he is, but he's also got a lot of CrossFit experience and has given me some great tips toward building up to a full kipping pull up. I know I should be working on these every time I walk in/out of the gym, but geez -- they are such a pain! But nonetheless, they are coming along slowly but surely.
I am proud to say that this was a fun day. As usual, I love heavy weight days. I blew right past my max deadlift from last time and probably could've gotten farther, but I could feel my form suffering to the point that I could've put myself at risk for hurting my back. I'm completely unwilling to hurt myself and have to take time off to recover if it can be helped. It's true that as you add more and more weight that your form might suffer a little bit, but I was sufficiently pleased with my new max and wanted to live to fight another day, as the saying goes.
The max press was the real challenge for me. It's so tempting to dip and drive to get that bar up over your head instead of just pressing straight up from your shoulders. I needed a little spotting but eventually got that weight up. This is just a hard one for me, plain and simple.
Max deadlift: 190 lbs.; attempted 195 but failed.
Max shoulder press: 75 lbs.
Monday, 02 NOV 09
Warm up: 400m run, butt kickers, high knees, high knee cross overs, walking push ups
WOD: For time, 40-30-20-10 goblet squats with 20 ball sit ups between each set of squats.
Challenge: Team 1000m row
Isn't it a bad sign when you're exhausted after the warm up that the WOD is only going to be even worse?!? That's kinda how I felt today. I felt a little off kilter but for the most part was ready to rock-n-roll.
When I saw today's WOD, I thought, Oh nice, something to work on intensity and go fast but not so hard that I'm hurting afterwards. HA! I couldn't have been more wrong!! Today was another really hard day on my knees. I could've moved so much faster had I not had such sharp, piercing pain in my knees. My muscles were burning well the whole time, but certainly nothing that I couldn't push through. It was the sheer pain associated with my knees that made me want to be sick. Today was actually one of two days where I thought I might be in real danger of injuring my knees. Thankfully I feel a lot better now, but I need to find the motrin soon.
The goblet squats weren't hard form-wise. I wanted to go heavy and just keep a steady pace. For my knees, going fast (Tabata-style) is no good, but keeping in constant motion is about as much intensity as I can handle on them. I chose a 35# dumbbell and racked it up. I was able to keep moving in sets of ten for the most part, sometimes in fives.
I was really surprised to see just how much my quads were involved in the ball sit ups. The emphasis on core wasn't bad at all, but it was how my legs were engaging getting down to the mat and then getting back up on my feet that liked to have killed me. I was able to keep doing those in sets of tens and then fives, too.
I had to pause between movements and stretch my quads. This helped some, but I just wish there was something I could do to better lengthen those muscles and tendons when they're warmed up and moving. That would make a huge difference. I know I need to do more workouts and movements that strengthen this area for me. It's really frustrating to feel like I could be doing more "if only..."
Something else that was getting to me was being the last one done today. We had a couple of new girls in class today, which was lots of fun. It's exciting to see more people get involved, especially women. But I'm tellin' ya -- these girls may have only been doing CF for a week or so, but they are strong and swift to begin with! Talk about a challenge to which I need to rise up! As much as I enjoy the motivation of seeing others to "chase after," it is hard to feel like I'm working as hard as I can but have this stupid situation going on with my knees. All I can tell myself is that I kept moving, worked as hard as I could, and will beat my time the next time we do this. The only person I'm really competing with here is ME!
Posted time: 18:07
P.S. -- Brandy, did you ever finish Elements??? :)
Friday, 30 OCT 09
Warm up: Buddy pull ups, kipping practice
WOD: Max deadlift, max shoulder press
The pull ups were mainly to build strength and practice getting our kipping motion down. Thankfully my boyfriend was there to help me, strong guy that he is, but he's also got a lot of CrossFit experience and has given me some great tips toward building up to a full kipping pull up. I know I should be working on these every time I walk in/out of the gym, but geez -- they are such a pain! But nonetheless, they are coming along slowly but surely.
I am proud to say that this was a fun day. As usual, I love heavy weight days. I blew right past my max deadlift from last time and probably could've gotten farther, but I could feel my form suffering to the point that I could've put myself at risk for hurting my back. I'm completely unwilling to hurt myself and have to take time off to recover if it can be helped. It's true that as you add more and more weight that your form might suffer a little bit, but I was sufficiently pleased with my new max and wanted to live to fight another day, as the saying goes.
The max press was the real challenge for me. It's so tempting to dip and drive to get that bar up over your head instead of just pressing straight up from your shoulders. I needed a little spotting but eventually got that weight up. This is just a hard one for me, plain and simple.
Max deadlift: 190 lbs.; attempted 195 but failed.
Max shoulder press: 75 lbs.
Monday, 02 NOV 09
Warm up: 400m run, butt kickers, high knees, high knee cross overs, walking push ups
WOD: For time, 40-30-20-10 goblet squats with 20 ball sit ups between each set of squats.
Challenge: Team 1000m row
Isn't it a bad sign when you're exhausted after the warm up that the WOD is only going to be even worse?!? That's kinda how I felt today. I felt a little off kilter but for the most part was ready to rock-n-roll.
When I saw today's WOD, I thought, Oh nice, something to work on intensity and go fast but not so hard that I'm hurting afterwards. HA! I couldn't have been more wrong!! Today was another really hard day on my knees. I could've moved so much faster had I not had such sharp, piercing pain in my knees. My muscles were burning well the whole time, but certainly nothing that I couldn't push through. It was the sheer pain associated with my knees that made me want to be sick. Today was actually one of two days where I thought I might be in real danger of injuring my knees. Thankfully I feel a lot better now, but I need to find the motrin soon.
The goblet squats weren't hard form-wise. I wanted to go heavy and just keep a steady pace. For my knees, going fast (Tabata-style) is no good, but keeping in constant motion is about as much intensity as I can handle on them. I chose a 35# dumbbell and racked it up. I was able to keep moving in sets of ten for the most part, sometimes in fives.
I was really surprised to see just how much my quads were involved in the ball sit ups. The emphasis on core wasn't bad at all, but it was how my legs were engaging getting down to the mat and then getting back up on my feet that liked to have killed me. I was able to keep doing those in sets of tens and then fives, too.
I had to pause between movements and stretch my quads. This helped some, but I just wish there was something I could do to better lengthen those muscles and tendons when they're warmed up and moving. That would make a huge difference. I know I need to do more workouts and movements that strengthen this area for me. It's really frustrating to feel like I could be doing more "if only..."
Something else that was getting to me was being the last one done today. We had a couple of new girls in class today, which was lots of fun. It's exciting to see more people get involved, especially women. But I'm tellin' ya -- these girls may have only been doing CF for a week or so, but they are strong and swift to begin with! Talk about a challenge to which I need to rise up! As much as I enjoy the motivation of seeing others to "chase after," it is hard to feel like I'm working as hard as I can but have this stupid situation going on with my knees. All I can tell myself is that I kept moving, worked as hard as I could, and will beat my time the next time we do this. The only person I'm really competing with here is ME!
Posted time: 18:07
P.S. -- Brandy, did you ever finish Elements??? :)
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