Don't Be A Jerk

WOD: Split jerk 1RM, 10 min. of HSPUs, 10 min. of ring rows

So, yet again, I've been back out of the gym. I'm tired and jet lagged, yet again. Ad nauseum. I am getting so tired of popping in and out of my workout routine. I went on a "business" trip out of state, didn't work out for five days, ate like a pig and drank like a fish, and I wonder why I'm worn out?!?

I am fairly certain I've strained my back somehow a few weeks ago when we were working on push press maxes. I can feel a very specific spot, somewhere around T7 or so, something that feels like a spot where I could just crack in half. It doesn't bother me at all until I'm doing things at the gym, and then it only bothers me during specific lifts or ranges of motion. I'm trying very hard to be aware of it, intentionally engage my core, and know my limits. I suspect that I have lost a lot of core strength. I think this has been happening gradually, just like my shoulders seem to have lost some strength. I can't really tell what's been going on or just what my "problem" is these days with my core and arms. I just know that things don't seem right. Considering where my back is hurting, T7 would make a lot of sense. It might be worth taking a stop into a chiropractor's office sometime soon to further investigate.

At any rate, the split jerk was a new one for me. I've done plenty of clean and jerks, so this was a little bit less work on the rest of my body. I was soooo close to 95# but just either didn't explode fast enough, get under the bar quick enough, or a combination of the two to complete the lift at 95#. I think I would be able to tell what was lacking had I seen a playback, but as I don't tape this stuff, I can't look at it objectively. I suspect it was explosion that was lacking.

The ring rows were much harder than the modified HSPUs. Again, there is a lot of core involved in the ring rows, and I think that made it the harder of the two for me. I was only able to get about 35 ring rows but got around 65 modified HSPUs.

I made a point to do some ab mat sit ups, kettlebell swings, and pull ups with the green band before I left for a little bit of skill work to make up for missing class yesterday as I was travelling. YET AGAIN I will miss tomorrow to chaperone a field trip for one of my kids but will make it up on Thursday, God willing. It looks like a doozie...

Posted Split Jerk Max: 90#

"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.

Monday Morning Butt Kickin'

Warm up: 20 modified HSPUs, practice hand stands, 10 GHD sit-ups, 10 GHD back extensions.

WOD: "Christine" -- 3 rounds for time of: 500m row, 12 deadlifts (0.5 bodyweight), 21 box jumps (16" box).


First of all, I want to say how bummed I am that I missed Muddy Buddy day last Friday. Instead of doing things like bear crawls, wheelbarrows, ball tosses, and other relay-style fun exercises, I was lying on my back in a pink paper gown having my tender mercies poked and prodded for my yearly exam. Yippee.


So, after a bit of a hiatus, I was ready to get back to it this morning. It was nice outside this morning, thankfully with a cool breeze that I would enjoy after the WOD. We all gathered around the tractor tire to practice modified hand stand push-ups (HSPUs). Even modified they are still hard. I was really proud of myself when we got up against the wall to practice hand stands. I was able to get my legs up there and hold very still for at least 10 seconds at a time. I felt very stable and might have even been able to attempt a HSPU had I been brave enough. I love the GHD and really like the sit-ups the best. I am planning on adding 10-20 of them both at the end of each work out just to maintain core strength.


Christine, Christine. What can I say... Christine would be the kind of girl that seems cute and easy to get along with on the first couple of dates that reveals her true colors the day after you've made the committment to say you're exclusively dating. This was such a deceiving little sucker! I love rowing, but that was really hard. It really made my left knee, really the muscles just above it, really tight and not want to bend for the lifts or jump up on the box. Any WOD that involves rowing can be tricky because your legs feel like such jello when you get off, and 500m is a significant enough distance to have this effect on me.


I was excited to finally do some of the lifting. It's something that intimidates me but thrills me simultaneously. I realized how important it was not to ease the weight down but to let it fall, so to speak. A couple of times when my left knee was really tight I just sank down sloppily with the weight, and I just hope and pray I don't pay for it later. I was only using 65# of weight, so thankfully it was suprisingly light. When I get going fast, though, it's hard to remember that form, but it's so, so important.


Box jumping is just no fun. I was kinda proud of myself during elements for how high I can jump, but it's such a crap out during a workout. P.U., plain and simple. But I think I'd rather do that than pull-ups...


By the time I finished the last box jump, I remember thinking I couldn't possibly take one more step or do one more rep. I was tapped.out. The only position that could bring me relief was to lay out flat on the parking lot, in the shade of the building where I could catch that aforementioned breeze. I've always seen CrossFitters collapse like that but never done it myself. Now I know. I'm also proud of myself for not barfing, because that was a serious possibility today!


Posted Time: 14:47, using 65# on deadlift.