Obviously I've neglected my blog as of late! I don't know if there's a soul left that reads this, but that's OK. This is mainly for my accountability and to shed some light for anyone out there who is CrossFittting as well or considering it.
Since I last posted, I have had tons of life going on outside of the box. My family went out of state for two weeks over the holidays (didn't work out then), I had various out of state visitors (didn't work out then), GOT MARRIED (surely didn't work out then!), and have been sick here and there. Needless to say, I have really struggled to get back into the groove and push for more improvements. Nothing is more frustrating to me that seeing myself make such great gains and backslide so quickly. Mentally it is quite defeating to realize that your max one day is a good ten pounds lighter that your personal best several months ago. I've been back at it regularly now for two or three weeks, and as Celine says, it's all coming back to me now.
Before I launch into the WODs I've been doing lately, I thought I would make public the crazy committments I have recently made. In May I will be participating in the Warrior Dash at their Texas location. I have to admit a few things:
1) I'm totally in it for the awesome viking hat.
2) I'm scared to death about being able to do some of the obstacles, and I don't know if any of my friends are in the same heat as me.
3) I've never been in any kind of race or fun run before, so the fear of the unknown is killing me!
As if that wasn't enough, I have also registered to run the Army Ten Miler in October in Washington, D.C. My husband will be running as well, albeit he will finish hours before I do! He's a great runner, despite what he may tell you. I run around an 8:50 mile or so, and you have to keep at least a 15:00 mile pace, so I think time is on my side. I have never run further than two miles at once, so I have some serious training for endurance to work on. Thankfully I have a friend who is a triathlete who said she would develop a running program for me. Now I just have to convince myself to get out there and run.
Back to CrossFit. I have made a point this week to push myself and do all the WODs as Rx'ed. Somehow I have been able to do this and survive with relatively little damage or soreness!
MONDAY, 05 APR 10
WOD: 3 rounds for time of 30 wall balls (14#) and 30 SDHPs (65#)
Posted time: 17:39
TUESDAY, 06 APR 10
WOD: 1RM (rep max) front squats, 4x10 deadhang pull-ups, 3xL-holds for max time w/ 1 min. rest between attempts.
Posted results: New PR for front squats of 120#. Back to using colored bands for pull ups -- GRRR! Best time for L-holds was 0:40. This last exercise is harder than you think!
WEDNESDAY, 07 APR 10
"SUCKFIT"
2 rounds for points, 1 min. at each station, 1 min. rest b/w each round of:
Double unders
Lateral jumps (over bars w/ weights on them)
Push press (65#)
Kettlebell swings (1 pood or 35#)
Rowing for calories
I think I ended up w/ a 30# kettlebell b/c that was all I could find. Otherwise, done as Rx'ed.
Posted points: Round 1 -- 101; Round 2 -- 94
FRIDAY, 09 APR 10
WOD: 3x400m run for time, 3xheavy prowler pushes for length of building and back
Posted time for runs: 1:43, 1:45, 1:46. This was five to ten seconds slower than my last time; however, last time we were running on a slight downhill grade the entire way. This time was partially up and downhill at times. And the last time I even had to stop so some lady in a minivan could go get her glut on at the local donut shop. Ick. :)
We did a WOD last week that LAID.ME.OUT. It was 4 rounds for time of 10 box jump burpees, 20 air squats, 50 yd. broad jumps. It was probably all the broad jumps that did me in. I could hardly walk all week. Lastly, on Friday, we had to run a mile for time. I posted 8:50, but was really hurting most of the time in my quads. I suspect that: a) had I not been sore and had lactic acid already built up in my muscles, and b) had I been drinking more water all week, I would've been closer to 8:30, but it's still a decent time to post for me.
There we go -- all caught up! We'll see how long this lasts...!
Showing posts with label rowing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rowing. Show all posts
Friday, April 9, 2010
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
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??? :)
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Little Bit O' Everything
Warm up: 1000m team row, 2x5 deadlift
WOD: AMRAP in 15 minutes of: farmer walk, 21 SDHPs, 12 pull ups
Holy smokes, where did Wednesday and Friday go from last week?!? Things were outta-control-crazy last week, and I did well to get to the gym those days. To be real honest, I can't even think back that far to remember what we worked on. I do know that we worked on some power cleans on Friday in lieu of what had been programmed due to inclement weather, but I'm at a loss for Wednesday's WOD. I'll go back and blog separately about Friday -- hit a personal best, so it's worth recording!
Today I was tired and had the kids with me since the local school district was having a holiday today. But I got up and got moving, and I brought the kiddos along! We got them on the rowing machine, and my son eventually found the boxing gloves, so it was all good. I'm also trying to get my younger brother to "drink the Kool-Aid," and he came up there to check out the facility. His timing rocked, too -- he showed up near the end of the WOD, and it perked me up a little bit to see he had actually come out.
Team row was a smoker but a good warm up. I need to build up speed on this for sure for the short distances, but swapping out every 250m did afford you a little recovery time. We had a new face in class today, and it was her first WOD after Elements -- what a way to get broken in! She worked hard and kept moving and did a great job.
We also had another new face drop in today -- a brave soul, indeed. My class is prodominantly women, so when a guy shows up, I always feel a little badly for him. We may be working our butts off, but so many of these guys move a lot of weight around and work a level of intensity that would drop me dead. I feel as if they don't have anyone else working on their level to challenge or push them. On the other hand, my competetive nature comes out, and I find that I don't want to fall too far behind these guys and give them a decent run for their money. It's just fun to have new people every once in a while.
Working with the deadlift was a new one for me. For the warm up, we only did a few, but I came back to it after recovering from the WOD. I found my max at 165#! That's actually more than I weigh! I was really astonished that I was able to work that far. I'm definitely feeling the muscle soreness in my paraspinal muscles, but nothing that screams injury, just good old fashioned hard work.
The farmer walk (with 30#) was an area where I was able to make up time today. My grip didn't start to go until my third round, so I did a super fast walk with it to get through it quickly. I probably could've gone up to 35#, so next time I'll go up in weight for sure.
You all know how "fond" I am of sumo deadlight high pulls (SDHPs). Just not my favorite lift. However, I was able to perform that one as prescribed at 65#! Another milestone for me! As for the pull ups, I did them assisted with the red rubber band, but looking back I think I should've pushed myself to do this just jumping sans band.
Overall, this wasn't a bad little WOD, but I think I could've challenged myself more on the farmer walk and pull ups. The SDHPs were easy enough to do, but I need to build up consistency of speed, and 65# will be a good place to work on that.
Posted rounds: 3 rounds completed, farmer walk and 5 SDHPs into round four when time was called.
WOD: AMRAP in 15 minutes of: farmer walk, 21 SDHPs, 12 pull ups
Holy smokes, where did Wednesday and Friday go from last week?!? Things were outta-control-crazy last week, and I did well to get to the gym those days. To be real honest, I can't even think back that far to remember what we worked on. I do know that we worked on some power cleans on Friday in lieu of what had been programmed due to inclement weather, but I'm at a loss for Wednesday's WOD. I'll go back and blog separately about Friday -- hit a personal best, so it's worth recording!
Today I was tired and had the kids with me since the local school district was having a holiday today. But I got up and got moving, and I brought the kiddos along! We got them on the rowing machine, and my son eventually found the boxing gloves, so it was all good. I'm also trying to get my younger brother to "drink the Kool-Aid," and he came up there to check out the facility. His timing rocked, too -- he showed up near the end of the WOD, and it perked me up a little bit to see he had actually come out.
Team row was a smoker but a good warm up. I need to build up speed on this for sure for the short distances, but swapping out every 250m did afford you a little recovery time. We had a new face in class today, and it was her first WOD after Elements -- what a way to get broken in! She worked hard and kept moving and did a great job.
We also had another new face drop in today -- a brave soul, indeed. My class is prodominantly women, so when a guy shows up, I always feel a little badly for him. We may be working our butts off, but so many of these guys move a lot of weight around and work a level of intensity that would drop me dead. I feel as if they don't have anyone else working on their level to challenge or push them. On the other hand, my competetive nature comes out, and I find that I don't want to fall too far behind these guys and give them a decent run for their money. It's just fun to have new people every once in a while.
Working with the deadlift was a new one for me. For the warm up, we only did a few, but I came back to it after recovering from the WOD. I found my max at 165#! That's actually more than I weigh! I was really astonished that I was able to work that far. I'm definitely feeling the muscle soreness in my paraspinal muscles, but nothing that screams injury, just good old fashioned hard work.
The farmer walk (with 30#) was an area where I was able to make up time today. My grip didn't start to go until my third round, so I did a super fast walk with it to get through it quickly. I probably could've gone up to 35#, so next time I'll go up in weight for sure.
You all know how "fond" I am of sumo deadlight high pulls (SDHPs). Just not my favorite lift. However, I was able to perform that one as prescribed at 65#! Another milestone for me! As for the pull ups, I did them assisted with the red rubber band, but looking back I think I should've pushed myself to do this just jumping sans band.
Overall, this wasn't a bad little WOD, but I think I could've challenged myself more on the farmer walk and pull ups. The SDHPs were easy enough to do, but I need to build up consistency of speed, and 65# will be a good place to work on that.
Posted rounds: 3 rounds completed, farmer walk and 5 SDHPs into round four when time was called.
Monday, September 28, 2009
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.
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.
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