Crossfit Total

December 30, 2007

Warmup:
1,000 meter row
4:50 (time didn't kill me.. it was pretty liesurely)

Workout:
Max Back Squat:
115x5, 135, 155, 165
Tried 170 and had to bail out of it, which was kind of scary. The weight had me leaning forward. The only option was to bend forward and keep the weight on my neck until the bar hit the catches in the rack, which was about a 10 inche drop. I didn't try it again after that. I may have been able to do more if I had had someone spotting me.

Strict Press:
45x5, 65, 70, 75
I was happy with this since I haven't been working my left arm on anything.

Deadlift:
135x5, 155, 165, 170
Tried 175 but hit that same old sticking point and couldn't go anywhere. I think I've gotten weaker on these since we haven't been working on them as much in class. Wondering what will happen once the New Year comes and we don't have that Tuesday/Thursday bar class.
I hope we can continue our work on this lift.

Total: 410

I'm not thrilled with this score, but not unhappy. It hasn't really moved much since my last total. That could be a good thing because I haven't been doing much work on my left shoulder. I was hoping my deadlift would have improved. I was expecting to do better on my back squat as well, since my legs have gotten much stronger. Argh..

To end on a positive note.. As I was warming up I noticed this guy rowing next to me. He finished his row set and quickly walked over to do reverse situps, then did about 50 squats and he was back at rowing. After I finished my row I asked if he was a Crossfitter. He affirmed. Then I followed up with a question about which affiliate he went to. He told me he just worked out from the website. Of course I went in for the shameless Jerry Hill/Crossfit Old Town plug.
Hopefully we'll get a new CFOT junkie coming our way!!

New Zone Blog

Just started the Zone.. which means of course I have to blog about it.

http://adriennezoneblog.blogspot.com/

Knowing myself I'll probably stay true to this new blog for about a month or so, and then I will stop because I've never been good about food journaling. So enjoy it while you can. I'll be using some of Leslie's staple meals and other meals from some books and websites.

What a Team!

Saturday, December 29


I am constantly reminded what a wonderful team we have created at Crossfit Old Town. There's no doubt in my mind that I am a strong athlete because I surround myself with other strong athletes. I am always so proud when we get to show off our skills when guests come in to work with us. It also reminds me of how strong we are as athletes and how solid our technique is.

Warmup:
Turkish getups:
3 right arm (36lb KB) , 3 left arm (15lb barbell) .. for 6 minutes

I got three rounds on each arm. I was thrilled to be able to work in my left arm. The light weight was awesome. I felt how much strength I have lost in my shoulder. The 15lbs was perfect because it wasn't too heavy and it wasn't too light. I was able to get a good active shoulder and maintain through three rounds. Slow, careful progress.

Overhead squats:
Sets of 10.. increasing weight at end of every set
15lbs, 25lbs, 30lbs (I put a 5lb weight on one side and not the other.. whoops!), 45lbs

All lifts felt great... I did feel a little tweak in my shoulder when I cleaned the weight. I think that may be a sticking point. I probably won't be able to work cleans for a while.

Workout:
Team work (Andrea, Stacey and Me)

Round 1:
75 Pullups
150 Kettlebell Swings
225 Squats
For Time
Rest

Round 2:
120 Pushups (Can I just say.. Stacey did 50 pushups off the top! Wow!)
150 Full Squat Jumps
180 Slamball
For Time

Our team finished in such a heart racing pace in the first round that Jerry uped our numbers here. I don't remember what the numbers were, but it was something like a 20% increase. Like the unstoppable women we are.. we still finished first. Go team!

Here's to 2008! Get some!

Fight Gone Bad and Then Some

Friday, December 28th

Warmup:
2 rounds of cals
Shoulder warmup

Workout:
4 Rounds of
1:00 Row for cals
1:00 Wall Ball 10lb ball
1:00 KB Swings 45lb
1:00 Box Jumps
1:00 Right arm Push presses 25lbs
1:00 Rest
1:00 Rest

Total Reps: 395

I don't even think I realized I was doing a Fight Gone Bad until I finished it. It felt strange not doing pull-ups or barbell push presses. I finally broke 300, but that's with a fourth round and an extra minute of rest.

Zone Ready
I went on a second grocery shopping trip to make sure I had all the food I need. Breakfast for tomorrow is planned and ready to go. Cottage cheese/mandarin oranges/pineapple/macadamia nuts. I'm excited about mixing up my usual meals. It's been about a year and a half that I've been eating my current meal plan.. I've been pretty bad over the past six months. I'm definitely ready for a change.

I bought food tonight that I haven't bought in years.. hamburger buns, mayo, milk.. I'm excited (Day 2 calls for a hamburger with bun!!! Bring it on!!!)

Question: Do any of you zoners have a PDF or easily printable sheet that lists blocks?

Tough as (press-on) Nails

Thursday, December 27:

It was time to get back in the gym today. My last workout was last Sunday the 22nd. After about 5 days of no sweating and poor eating, I was feeling not-so tough at all. It was a small group for the 6am workout time slot. The workout... Barbara.

Warmup:
2 rounds of cals

Workout:
5 rounds for time

20 pullups (R1: 20 full, R2: 15 full/5 jumping, R3 & R4: 10 full/10 jumping, R5: 5 full/10 jumping)
30 pushups (all done modified with knees bent)
40 situps
50 squats
Total time: TBD

I can't tell if it's because of my bummed shoulder or if it was a mixture of the shoulder and poor nutrition, but this thing was miserable. The pullups were tough and by the time I got to my pansy knee pushups I wanted to cry like a little girl. The moral to this story don't screw up your shoulder... no wait.. the real moral to this story.. don't eat like crap over the holidays and expect to perform to your usual potential.

This leads me into a perfect transition to talk about something new and exciting. Mike Mann, Lauris & Leslie have all inspired me to get on the Zone. It's perfect timing, because I know several other Crossfitters are trying their hand at the palm full of protein. I bought two of Dr. Sears' books this morning (you have to love the American consumer). I read one of them today (One Week on the Zone) and I'll read the second over the weekend. Now all I need is a kitchen scale, and I'm good to go. I'll probably start this weekend, forget waiting for the New Year. I don't think life decisions should be based off of a calendar.. unless you're trying to get pregnant (I'm not).

That's enough of me talking about myself for one day. More talking about myself tomorrow.

12 Days of Christmas

Saturday, December 22:

Andrea did an awesome job in class!

Warmup:
2 rounds of cals

Workout:
Start at 1
then do 1 & 2
then 1, 2, & 3
then 1, 2, 3 & 4
and so on...

1 Frog jump across the room
2 Bear Crawls across the room
3 seconds of handstand
4 knees to elbows
5 dive bomber pushups
6 slamballs
7 KB swings 45lb
8 burpees
9 right arm Thrusters 25lb
10 right arm push presses 25lb
11 pullups
12 alternating pistol getups

Time: 31:10

This was a great workout! It was hard but not so hard that I couldn't continue working. I just maintained an even, steady pace. I did the workout nearly as prescribed. I didn't use my left arm for Thrusters or Push presses. It was the first time in 2.5 weeks that I had done pullups. I also did the dive bomber pushups and the burpees. I think the pullups felt great. I think I'd like to slowly start incorporating them. I didn't have a problem doing the dive bomber pushups. They didn't hurt at the time, but I did feel my shoulder hurting after I started cooling down. I feel better today, but I think I may have to just re-introduce one exercise at a time.

Yay slow progress

Sorry I missed class.

Friday, December 21:

I didn't make it to class today. I knew I wasn't going to make it. Lately, I've been feeling bad about not making it, because I know Jerry has thought of substitute exercises. Last night before I went to sleep I subconciously decided that I would not be working out. I didn't know I had made that decision. I diligently set my two alarm clocks to go off at 5am. I set the coffee on automatic brew, so it would be ready at 5:30.

Everything worked as it should.. alarms went off at 5.. coffee pot started swirling at 5:30.. The only thing that wasn't properly working was me. I shut off one of my alarms.. and snoozed the other. By the time 5:20 came around, I had turned both clocks off and reset one of them to 7am. Ahh loving the lazy life.

I do have a point. The real reason I didn't get out of bed was that I had decided well before I went to bed that I would probably not leave it on time. I had made a plan to sleep in and take it easy. I could have just as easily made the decision that I was going to make it. It's a tactic that can be applied to just about every we do, even working out. Before you even start a workout make a decision that you will finish it. Before you start decide your going to perform well. Tonight, I have decided that I will indeed wake up on time and get to class.

Sand in my eye

Thursday, December 20

I love the Tuesday-Thursday crew. It's good to get to work with some of the guys from the 7:30. It's also nice to see Keturah and Lauris too. Cara, we workout together every day so you're like my constant companion.

Warmup:
We did bar work with the PVC pipe. Everyone graduated up to heavier weights to continue with some high reps, but I stayed behind. I didn't want to push too much with any overhead shoulder work. I did do a few hang snatches with the 15lb bar. They felt fine. I could have done more, but this is part of my scaling back to allow myself to heal.

Workout:
Done with 15lb weight vest
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12- 15lb Sandbag Getups
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24-jumping squats

Originally, I set a goal of 10 rounds so I was going at a steady slow pace. Then Jerry piped in saying, "Yeah, I didn't think you'd be able to make it to 12." Of course that translates to me as, "I dare you to do 12 rounds." I picked it up a little bit, and hit 12 rounds right on the dot.
This workout was brutal! Every time I went down on the ground the weights from the vest dug into my lower back, which still hurts from Tuesday's workout. Thanks to a suggestion from Jen, I tried switching my legs on the get up.. using the right leg to pull myself up and then my left.

After class Lauris was talking about some shoulder exercises that focus working on the smaller stabilizing muscles in the shoulder. She explained that we use the larger muscles in the advanced motions we use in CrossFit. Often this does not utilize the smaller muscles. Jerry said he'd try to incorporate these three exercises in a warmup. I think I will do them at night before going to bed.

Tabata-a-lotta

Wednesday, December 19

We did some Tabata today, but not the usual tabata. There were also a few other non-tabata exercises to mix it up. Instead of the usual 8 rounds of Tabata, we did 10 rounds.

Workout:
1000 meter row: 4:47
Tabata Right arm Push press 25lb: 11
5 minute 36lb KB swing: 153 reps
Tabata 20" box jump: 9
Situp: 11

The box jumps smoked me. My calves are still burning. Despite my slow rowing rate, I was thrilled to get on the rower. I felt really strong. No shoulder pain at all. I guess that means I get to do it more. Yay.

This is going to hurt tomorrow

Tuesday, December 18

Today's workout was a little different than usual, but it felt good because I got to play with everyone else at least for a good bit of the workout.

Warmup:
3 rounds clock never stops:
Wall squats: 45 seconds
Plank: 45 seconds
Swinging the Rope: 45 seconds
Jumping Plank: 45 seconds (I tried a few pushups with these, but usually at the second or third pushup, I'd feel a "bad" pain in my left shoulder. I stopped.)

Workout:
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (in 20lb weight vest)

Deadlift 135lbs
Right arm Dumbell thruster 30lbs
Total time: 14:15

It's rare that I get close to throwing up and this one got me pretty close. It's tough doing heavy weight and trying to do it quickly and correctly. I kept trying to remember not to round my back as I completed the deadlifts. It's easy to do with a weight vest. The vest can hide poor form, so I was particularly aware of curving in my lower back. I know I had some bad pulls with a curved lower back and the bar away from my shines. I guess I'll find out how bad when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Round 7 & 8 were by far the worst. The reps are high enough that I felt like I would never finish, but I had already gotten through some really high reps. It really helped having my fellow Crossfitters cheering for me. Thanks all!

Cool Down:
2 laps of bear crawls (didn't hurt my shoulder. Jerry, it's another one for the list.)

Tag team jumping pullups (way to go Andrea)

No More Deep Thoughts

Saturday, December 15, 2007,

No insight on today's workout.

Warmup:
2 rounds of Cals

Workout:
5K for time
Total: 28:10
This was my first 5K for time on a treadmill. I think the time was alright for someone who is not a runner. I averaged about a 9 minute mile. I'd like to hit a 26 minute 5K.

10 pistols
5 right
5 left
These things rock! I want to do a lot more.

4 rounds
20 squats
10 pushups
I wanted to see how my shoulder felt with these. It didn't hurt, but I was going very slow and being careful. That may just be the key.

Gymkata

I always realize how against the grain Crossfit is when I talk to other people who consider themselves to be "athletic". I'll explain.. I went to the doctor's office today to get my shoulder checked out. The doctor says he thinks I have tendenitis in my shoulder. He prescribed rest and some Rx Motrin.

The doctor said he worked out a lot, and then he tried to give me some suggestions about working out. He talked to me about "breaking the horizen." I have to admit it wasn't a term I was familiar with, and I think there's a reason why. He said in order to protect your shoulders, you should never "break the horizon." For example, when you are doing butterflies on a machine you would never want to go above a 90 degree angle. That would apply when doing barbell raises as well. He suggested bench presses as a good substitute for pushups. His reasoning was that you don't move as much weight doing pushups and it tends to be more painful for the shoulder.

I tried explaining to him the complex movements that we do require "breaking the horizen" such as a barbell snatch or a kettlebell swing. Although, I disagree with his assessment of "working out"; I do get his point. Give my shoulder a rest, and when I do start lifting again go light and be careful. But I am still frustrated the people just don't get Crossfit!

I don't know if anyone else has had similar experiences. Please share! What did you do? How do you explain our love affair with functional movement to them?

A little friendly competition

Wednesday, December 12
Those of you who know me even just a little bit know how competitive I am. I have often wondered if this is a good trait to have or if it is detrimental to my long term fitness. I have no great answer. Expect to see other blogs about competition. I have one waiting for a good rest day.

My shoulder issue has offered the opportunity to learn how to push myself when I am unable to "compete" with others. Today was a perfect example. The prescribed workout (by the way, I hate not being able to do workouts as prescribed) was rowing, push press, squats & KB swings. I can squat and I've pretty much worked out a way to do one arm KB swings or do them only using my left arm sparingly. It leaves me with two other exercises that I have to sub in something. Jerry's torture of choice box-jumps and situps. Because no one else was doing the same movements I was, the only thing I could compete with were my own numbers. I'm forced to be my own motivation.

I did the first round with a decent pace. I didn't set any goals, just did the movements and waited to see where I ended up. My second round was the gasser. I decided that not only was I going to kill my first round score, but I wanted to get 100 in one of the rounds. I did some quick tallying and figured I could rack up some solid numbers in squats. I pushed really hard in the other rounds and went for it in squats.. trying to remember to keep my good form. I think I may have been relying on the barrier a bit much. I wonder if I could have made it without that bounce up. I hit my hundred and went for 10 more. The final round.. my goal was to do better than the first round.

Being your own motivation is a solitary thing.. I've never been good at being alone. It's forced me to really set goals during workouts. I realize when I compete against myself.. I end up really kicking my own ass.

Workout:
Box Jumps: 139
Situps: 211
KB Swings 35lb KB: 175
Squats: 257

Jerry, I'd love to post up the breakdown of the rounds if you still have them handy.

A little heavy up top

Monday, December 10th

I'm talking about being taped into a 15lb weight vest and doing a 20 minute workout. It's a very strange sensation. It's not at all like holding a 15 pound weight. It's more like you gain 15 pounds in an instant. It makes me look at the guys who did murph in a 20 lb vest in an entirely different light. Wow!

Strapping on the weight vest really allows me to zero in on my form. I am forced to go a little slower and think about my movements. I really used my front squat to open up my hips and push my knees outward when I'm standing up straight. I kept repeating in my head, "keep your chest up, keep your chest up." I even tried doing the front squats at the wall.. I'd like to do more of those, because they really forced me to maintain that good vertical chest position.

The weighted sandbag getups were torture. Not a technically difficult movement, but the weight of the vest and the bag really added by the 5th & 6th reps. Ugh! Try it some time.

Warmup:
3 Rounds - 30 seconds each:
Jumping Jacks
Right Arm snatches 20lb
Shuffle Splits
(don't remember, something with a dumbbell)
Hops
Right arm Kettlebell Swings 25lb

Workout:
AMRAP in 20 minutes

10 Right arm cleans 35lb KB
10 Sandbag Kipping Getups 15lbs
10 Front Squats 25lbs
10 jumping squats
All with 15lb weighted vest
Total: 6 rounds

Some unrelated notes:
To Ray, you asked how the vest smells... it's smells like determination and hard work.

Terrance, I thought you might like this one... C-SPAN founder Mr. B. Lamb read yesterday's blog entry.. maybe he'll be our newest Crossfit member??!!

Third, My shoulder has been feeling better, so tonight I tried doing 3 pushups. They hurt, so I stopped. I need to not even try it. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday.

Something like Yin and Yang

I was going to blog about another topic, but I will save it for next time. I was inspired today. For those of you who don't know, I work at C-SPAN. Anyway, I'm taking part in a little program they call "C-SPAN week." It's meant to help new employees meet different people within the company and learn about C-SPAN all at the same time. Most people do not get the chance to partake in C-SPAN week until they've been around for about a year or two. I digress.

I was sitting in our big conference room with about 20 fellow employees. We were all listening to a speech given by C-SPAN founder and Chairman Brian Lamb. He is also know as a stud of political intillectuals.. more digression, but it's for context. Anyway, so Brian's speaking about the how C-SPAN was created and about how the company is different. It reminded me about how much I believed in the company's mission and philosophy about covering the happenings across the political spectrum. Then it made me think of Crossfit.. I know it's the logical next step in the thought process...

It made me think about how lucky I am to have found two things that I believe in totally. I completely buy into the mission of both C-SPAN and Crossfit. They are two totally different entities, but within both I have met some of the most amazing people that I have every known. We all come from different backgrounds and we all have our own little quirks. We are united in a belief in something that is inherently good.

I am happy to be part of both.

Donning a Weight Vest

I've wanted to do a workout with a weight vest for a while. Today seemed like the perfect opportunity. I don't know if I was on the right track with technique, but it made the last part of my workout very interesting. I actually have nod idea what I did today.
Turkish Getups on Right - 35lbs
KB Swings - 35lbs
KB snatches - 35lbs
Weighted lunches - 25lbs
Squats
Situps

8 minutes of:
plank w/ weighted vest
squats w/ weighted vest

A Little Uneven

I owe big thanks to Cara for finding this picture. I don't know how she did it, but she did. I'm thrilled! This is the guy from "The Lady in the Water". Note the difference in the right arm compared to the left arm.

The point of the picture was to give you a nice visualization about what I worry I may soon look like. My attempt to continue doing presses and other sort of overhead work will definitely lead to an uneven strength level in my arms. Jen what did you do?

I think I may just suck it up and go see a doctor. I've rested my arm for two days, and there's still pain. Usually, the pain goes away if I'm not working my shoulder, but it hasn't this time. Maybe a doctors visit will be the perfect way to spend my flex fund money (to everyone reading.. you only have a few more weeks to spend it, and it doesn't rollover!).

I've also spent some time today looking for exercises I CAN do. Jenn has sent me some really diverse ab work, some kettlebell work and different versions of pushups. I'm also envisioning some fun runs in my future.

Thursday, December 6

Workout:
6 rounds of:
5 reps of Deadlifts - 135lbs
5 reps of right arm side presses - 30lbs (I forget the official name.. bent presses?)

Playtime:
right arm bent presses with the barbell - 35lbs
Windmill with barbell - 45lbs

Down but not out!

My Crossfit diet began today. It has nothing to do with what I eat. I have been forced to stop all overhead work, pulling, pushes, ie ... with my left arm.

Wednesday, December 5

It was really tough to wake up and get out of bed this morning. I didn't get to bed on time last night, I knew we were doing Fran and I wasn't going to get to play. I decided I wasn't going to let my newly limited workout regime get me down. I got up and made it to CFOT.

My modified workout was:

21 Right arm Dumbbell Thrusters 25lb dumbbells
42 KB swings 35lbs (I swung predominately with my right arm, but I did have my Left arm on bell)

15 Right arm Dumbbell Thrusters 25lb dumbbells
30 KB swings 35lbs

9 Right arm Dumbbell Thrusters 25lb dumbbells
18 KB swings 35lbs

Total: 5:30

8 rounds Tabata squats
Total: PR 19

I can't tell you how frustrating this workout was. I must say the squats were a nice topper, and I left CFOT sweaty, but I really wanted to hit Fran today. It would have been the first bench mark workout that I would have been able to compare my time to see if I've made improvements.

I am happy that I backed off and gave my shoulder a rest. It's going to be really tough not to be able to join in any raindeer games! I've decided that I will be positive about it though, and use this opportunity to work on other things like improving core & leg strength as well as zoning in on perfect squat form.

Here's to making changes!

My Final Workout

We decided after this workout that it was time to give my shoulder a break. After I post this workout, this blog will transfer into a modified workout blog. I'll talk about my frustrations, pain and strength improvements.

Tuesday, December 4

Workout:
3 sets
Barbell Cleans: 45 x 10
3 sets
Barbell Cleans: 66 x 5
3 sets
Barbell Cleans: 85 x 3

Cleans hurt my shoulder when I first start, but much like the snatches once I get warmed up I don't feel the pain any more.

Snatch grip deadlifts
We went up by 20lbs on each deadlift ending with 3 reps of 135.
I think the progression was:
65lb, 85lb, 105lb, 135lb

Every single pull hurt my shoulder.

Then my favorite exercise.. KB windmills
I was able to 45lb windmill without much trouble on the right arm. The left was not so good. I tried it once and the KB bailed on me, so I decided to stop.
I gave a half attempt for a right handed windmill with a 45lb barbell.
Next time.

Quick and Dirty

Monday, Dec. 3

Warmup:
1. Four Minutes of Cal's = GPP

2. Push-Pull Strength Mash-up
Super Pro Pushup x :30
Chins x :30
6 Rounds
Didn't score.. too much counting

Workout:
Barbell Snatch x 10 - 45lbs
Big Box Jump x 20
Situp x 30
Squat x 40
5 rounds for time
Total: 18:36

I was pumped. My goal was to finsh under 19 minutes. Jerry warned me about doing a 55lb barbell snatch. The snatch really irritates my shoulder. The first round was very painful, but then I got used to accepting the weight. The pain really sinks in as I'm driving to work. I can't use my right arm to drive. Is that a bad thing?

Jerry also said, "don't push it. It's not worth it." That got me thinking, what would I have done instead? Would I have been happy with the modified version? No, definitely not. I was not happy with doing a 45lb snatch when I know I can physically move more. It brings me back to a few recent discussions I have had about how the ego can impact your workout. Here it's a perfect example of how ego can be detrimental. I continue to use my shoulder, although sometimes it's quite painful. Is it ego that prevents me from putting down the prescribed weight and doing something that would be better for me in the long run? I think so. At what point do I put my ego aside and make a better decision?

On another note.. I have been raising the rings higher and higher for the jumping muscle up. I am now able to get on top of the rings when they are about level to my chin. I try it with the kip and I still can't seem to get my upper body over the bar. My confidence is increasing in the movement. This also doesn't feel good on my shoulder.

"We have a Pullup machine"

Sunday, December 3

I did Saturday's workout at my favorite big box gym (it's actually just the one I belong to at the moment). Have had several interesting experiences during my little 30 minute workout (warmup and workout combined). Not quite pleased with my time, but very pleased with some technical improvements.

Warmup:
6 Rounds of:
3 Chin
6 Pushup
9 Squat
12 Situp
(I didn't write down the time before I went to the gym, so I just did 6 rounds)

Workout:
1,000 meter row (4:42)
45 rep Barbell Thrusters - 45lb
40 rep Kettlebell high pull - 55lb (didn't have a Kettlebell, so I just used barbell w/ 5lb weights on either side)
35 rep Dumbbell push press - 20lb
30 rep Chinup
Total: 19:09

As I said earlier this was a very interesting workout. So, I got all setup with the barbells and weights and all, and headed upstairs to the row machines. I started out with my old, poor rowing technique and I again was not doing well. Then I decided to tweak what I was doing. I focusing on using a really forceful leg thrust, and then the pull with my body and arms was much shorter. I was able to increase my time, not by much, but every little bit helps. My 400 meter was about 1:46 and my 500 meter was 2:15 (my 500 meter improved by 5 seconds). Baby steps I guess.

Next, I went back to the barbells. There was this guy getting ready to hop into the leg press machine. He glared at me with my stopwatch and my "Rest Later" t-shirt. He then asked me "What are you timing?" It was like I had four heads or something. So, between my heaving I responded, "my workout." Then I picked up my 45lb barbell and continued. The thrusters were a whole lot more difficult than I was expecting. I had to sub in a barbell with two 5lb weights, because I didn't have a kettlebell. Doing the high pull with a barbell is really strange. I was worried about my technique, but I was able to make sure my back was curving in one of the dozens of mirrors that are hanging up all around sed favorite box gym. I finished up my push presses and the guy was still sitting there in his leg press machine.. resting.

Went to the pull up bar. Unfortunately, someone had attached arm straps to it, so I had to do my pullups with nasty smelling arm straps in my face. I was on pullup #22 when a female trainer said to me, "You know.. we have a pullup machine in the corner." I paused a second to make sure I had heard her correctly. Then I responded, "I know." She then continued saying that the pullup machine was much easier. To that I responded, "That's why I don't use it." I finished up my workout and went home.

I think my pullup on the stationary bar is improving. I am able to do about 8 or 9 before stopping. I think the kip is getting stronger, and I'm becoming more confident with it.

Here's to progress!

Farmer Walked my A%$ Off

I had an idea about what was ahead as I pulled up to class Friday. I saw Rob walking around the building with Kettlebells in hand. I had some chice words that I won't be writing down.

Friday's Workout:

Warmup:

Started with 2 rounds of Classic Cal's

3 Rounds of 30 sec of work / 15 Sec of Rest, clock never stops

Wall Ball
Kettlebell Swing
Slamball
Total: 135

Workout:

5 rounds for time
9 Chins (I was going back and forth between underhand and overhand grip)
9 Front Squats - 65lbs
9 Squat Thrusts
9 PRO Pushups
Finished in 13:40

Coupe de Gras:
400 Meter farmers Walk - 26lb KB
Did not drop! Many thanks to Steven!

So, a couple of things.. I need to work on consistancy in my wall ball. I can through it up and catch it correctly about 5 or 6 times, but then I don't aim the ball correctly and it ends up in a position that I can't catch it. I'd like to get it smooth and consistant. Wall balls can't be too expensive.. and they would be a great addition to a workout on the exorcist steps.. Imagine 20 wallballs and a sprint up the steps.. Do that 10 times ... OUCH!

I am fighting my lean in the squat thrusts. I know I can manage a heavy weight in the squat position and in the rack position, but the movement between the two needs some tweaking. I need to work on keeping my chest straight up. I know it's an issue for me. I was trying to visualize my chest inside a wooden box. I was thinking if I leaned too far forward, my chest would hit the box. It helped me keep my chest up, but I still need work. I also kept saying to myself lead with your elbows and keep my butt tucked in as I stand up.

Thank goodness the "Danny-up" is so exciting, because what the heck am I doing back there?

I snagged my tights on my calluses

It's like Donny and Marie Osmond, "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock and roll." Instead it's more like, I'm a little bit girlie, and a little bit hard ass."

So I wore a skirt and tights today. Unfortunately, my outfit didn't agree with my man hands or vice versa. It took one swipe of a callous and it was too late. Tights are now trashed.

But, I wouldn't trade my nasty hands for anything in the world!

Today's workout was a blast:

We did bar work with cleans, drop snatches and one arm snatches. The goal was high repetitions to improve efficient movement and eliminate over thinking each lift.

Thursday's Workout:

Partner work:
AMRAP 5 reps, you go your partner goes

Drop Snatch w/ 45lbs (this was a real test for my shoulder strength.)
AMRAP 5 reps, you go your partner goes

Hang Power Cleans w/ 65lbs
*This was the really fun part*

One arm Barbell Snatches: I maxed out with a strong 45lb on my Right

I was surprised that my Left shoulder hung on as long as it did. I know I did 25lbs.. I think I did 40lbs on the left, but don't hold me to that.


I am constantly surprised at what we are able to do at Crossfit. It's like we are all normal people with super human abilities. It's not that though. It's about learning how to utilize your body to move heavy weight. It's fun to learn what works and what doesn't work for your body, and it's really great when you really hit a solid lift.

My Forearms are on Fire, and my Shoulders feel like Mush

Warm Up:
Reverse Tabata L-sits

8 minutes AMRAP
3 Turkish Get Ups Left - 35lb kb
3 Turkish Get Ups Right - 35lb kb
12 Push Ups
18 Situps
Total: 2.5

Workout:
20 minutes AMRAP

30 squats
10 chins
15 Barbell Push Presses - 65lbs
20 Kettle Bell Swings - 45lb kb
Total: 4.5

I enjoyed today. I loved the warmup, but I got a fun little surprise when I went to do my pushups after the TGUs. I went pretty heavy on them, so by the time I got to the pushups my shoulds were fried. I think I did only 2.5 rounds of these, with poor pushup form.

Liked the workout.
Squats: I started with squats, because the pullup bars for short people were full
Chin-ups: Good
Push Presses: 65lbs was heavy to push press in the midst of all of the other exercises. I could bang 10 out in a row, but then I had to rest to finish off the final 5. For each round.
KB swings: Blew. 45lb KB swings are really heavy. They make my forearms burn like the sun burns my skin. The pullups only compounded this pain.

I also did a little muscle up work today before class. I am working getting up on the rings. I don't have any problems pressing from the dip position once I am there. My sticking point is transferring from under the ring to on top of the rings. I started out today doing jumping muscle ups. I can do those fine. I tried then only jumping from one foot. I was fine with doing that too. I am thinking I may try the transition without doing the kip but hanging with my elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. I'll try that tomorrow after working one or two jumping muscle ups. I have been trying the new grip on my pullups, so my palms are facing me. I don't know if it's making a difference, but I miss my old grip.

Working Overhead

Monday's Workout


Warmup

3 rounds of:
Jumping Jax 30 seconds
Squat thrust 30 seconds
Total ST's: 39

3 rounds of:
Shuffle jumps 30 seconds
Lateral barrier jump 30 seconds
Total LBJ's: 60


3 rounds of:
Dumbbell snatch left 30 seconds (25lbs)
Dumbbell snatch right 30 seconds (25lbs)
Full Squat jumps 30
Perfect Pushups 30


Didn't total.. too many numbers.







Workout:
15 minutes of work, AMRAP


8 Chins
10 Overhead squats (55lbs)
12 Box Jumps


Tabata Situps were laughable at this point...
Total: 10!




I was a little nervous about doing the OHS, since my shoulder has been touchy lately. It actually felt pretty good, so I didn't mind pushing it. I did notice that I felt more comfortable with a closer grip, but I'm not sure if the closer grip was incorrect technically.


It's actually pretty incredible to feel how much strength I have lost in my left shoulder just after resting it for 2-3 weeks. I could feel it wobbling in the OHS, while my right shoulder felt solid. I guess I need to strengthen that sucker up again. Bed time.

There's No Place Like Home

I have forgotten how silly big box gyms are! I had that strange nervous/uneasy feeling when I pulled up to my old big box gym. I hadn't been there in months. There really wasn't much need when I was going to CFOT and filling in off days or doing 2-a-days outside. I was thinking I miss CFOT as I pulled my banged up 35lb kettlebell out of my trunk and carried it inside and then up four flights of stairs. By the time I finished my last step I was wished I had climbed the steps to at Jungle's Gym and soon I'd be welcomed by Jerry as I was taking off my shoes.. but alas. That was not the case.

Sunday's Workout:

"Kettlebell Hell"

50 KB swings
40 push presses (alternating arms every 10 reps)
30 sumo deadlifts
20 snatches (alternating arms every 5 reps)
10 Turkish Getups (5 on each arm)

Total time: 13:48
My goal was to do it under 15, but I think I could do it under 12 next time. It is a total gasser and my arms are smoked.

Since the workout was so short I timed my rows.. my sad, sad rows...
400 meters 1:56
500 meters 2:20

If I prayed regularly, I might pray that the Lord would make me a faster rower, but since I don't it's kind of wrong to ask for something so silly. Maybe I should start going to church.. after a few weeks of attendance I could ask then?? Maybe I should just figure it out on my own and not include the Lord.

When Plan "A" Fails, Always Have a Plan "B"

The best plans can always fail the second they are implemented. The true test is how quickly you can assess failure and readjust for success!

Here goes...

Thursday's Workout:

10 Rounds for time:
5 pullups (stationary bar)
10 pushups
15 squats
Total 22:53

4 mile run.. didn't time, but it was about 45 minutes.

The stationary bar really slows me down. My pullups are so slow when I'm not using the again faster bar. I've been studying video about proper kip form on stationary bars. There's a nice little park up the hill from me that has great bars and I should be able to practice. I have found it is easier to keep my hands parallel on two bars, than doing pullups on one bar. It also prevents me from hitting my head on the bar behind me.

Friday Workout:
Workout aborted for two reasons...
1. In order to avoid family tension. It gets tense around family when I go exercise. Some of my family thinks I'm crazy. Others think I should forgo my workout for one day in order to spend time with family. Any suggestions??.....
2. I forgot my Kettlebell!! For those of you who don't know me well.. I forget things all the time. For example, I get dressed at work after X-fit and I forget my shoes at least once a week. If it's ot my shoes it's my clothes or something else.

So, I decided for my own sanity to take a break Friday and that means I would have to workout Saturday and Sunday. No biggie!

Saturday's Workout:
I called this workout "Plan B" or "It's freakin' cold in Baltimore too!"

10 rounds
5 pullups (stationary bar)
500 meter run (I have absolutely no sense of distance.. 500 meters sounds good, but I actually have no idea how far I ran. It took me about 420 paces running.)

4 rounds
20 seconds hold wall squat
10 seconds rest

10 dips on parallel bars

I scouted out a nice little school playground up the street from my brother's house. This afternoon (right when I felt a big family fight coming on) I threw on my running shoes and a light coat and ran up to the school. The winds were pretty bad and made running difficult, but I was happy to get out and get my heart rate going.

The plan for tomorrow... get back to Arlington fairly early and go to my favorite big box gym. I haven't been there since I started CFOT. I haven't decided whether to do KB hell or Helen? I'll decide when I get there probably. I'd really like to get my time in for Helen and get my dockwork time too. So I guess my plan for Sunday is to not really have a plan.

Cheers!

A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail

If I don't decide that I am working out over the Thanksgiving Holiday I won't workout.
Here's the plan:

Thursday Workout:
Out the door by 0700
Head to the playground up the hill from my house
10 rounds for time:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

4.3 mile run for time

Friday Workout:
"Kettlebell Hell"
50 KB Swings
40 KB Push Presses (Alternating Right & Left)
30 KB Sumo Deadlifts
20 KB Snatches (Alternating Right & Left)
10 KB Turkish Getups (5 Right/5 Left)

Done with 35 lb KB

Saturday Workout:
"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters1
35lb Kettlebell X 21 swings
12 Pull-ups

A Workout & a Brilliant Breakfast Idea

Today's Workout

Warmup:
AMRAP
5 pullups
5 left arm push presses (20lbs/25lbs depending on what was available)
5 left arm snatches (20lbs/25lbs depending on what was available)
5 pullups
5 right arm push presses (20lbs/25lbs depending on what was available)
5 right arm snatches (20lbs/25lbs depending on what was available)

I did 4 rounds (I think)

Workout:
As many reps/calories as possible in 4 rounds
1.5 min. Row
1.5 min. OH Lunges (20lbs)
1.5 min. Wall Ball (10lbs)

Total: 302

The Brilliant Breakfast Idea.. as promised
I bring a cooler to work with me everyday. Usually, I eat cottage cheese, fruit and cinnamon for breakfast. In honor of Thanksgiving, I decided to switch it up today. I brought in 1 serving size of an egg beater, some ham and a little cheese. I mixed it all together in one of those styrofoam coffee cup that they provide at work and stuck it in the microwave. Cook it in 30 second increments so the eggs don't go wild. It takes about 1:30 to cook. Take it out.. throw in a little pepper and there you go.. a breakfast of champions in less than 5 minutes.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Here I am, doing something I never thought I would, I am becoming a blogger. I guess everything is worth trying.

Maybe this is the perfect time to start because the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching. I will be away from Crossfit Old Town and close to family and food. Of course spending time with family has to be the top priority, but I also want to get a good workout every day. The difficulty is finding a place to run, or stairs to climb.

I am also fighting an injured shoulder and a beaten up back. My back is doing much better after some rest. My shoulder comes and goes, but sleeping on heat for the past three weeks may finally be working. It bums me out. I wish I could have completed today's workout, but instead I decided to ease up to avoid hurting my shoulder.

Today's workout

PVC pipe warmup for 5 rounds:
shrugs
hang power cleans
front squats
push presses

Barbell work for 5 rounds: 45lb, 55lb, 65lb, 75lb, .... 82lb x3
hang power cleans
front squats
push presses

Prescribed but did not attempt:
21, 15, 9 cleans & presses for time