Revelations

Have you ever felt like the universe was trying to tell you something? Felt like there were just too many coincidences that have occurred surrounding one aspect of your life? Recently I've been feeling like the universe has been banging on my door, desperately trying to send me a message.

I'll lay out what it is I'm talking about.

While recovering from surgery the main aerobic exercise that I'm allowed to do is row. So that's what I've been doing. At the same time I've been working on recovery, two new roommates moved into my townhouse.. both of them rowers (one of which now comes in the evenings. Holler!). I cut myself while rowing. In turn I write the "City of God" blog post about good vs. evil. My roommate comes home after the 2k WOD, and celebrates because she destroyed my score. She then tells me that even Jerry admitted that I just plain suck at rowing -- a very un-Jerrylike thing to say. He told her I just don't listen to cues. Then came the icing on the cake.. I ordered Chinese food the other night, of course it was Zone friendly. My fortune cookie, which was also Zone friendly, said "Everyone must row with the oars he has."

Could the universe be more clear. If I have to rely on my oars to survive.. I'm up shit creek without a paddle!

I have to fix my row form. It's pitiful. That also means that I'll have to go even slower than I already do in order to fix form, then perfect the good form and then get faster.

So that's my new challenge. If I have to row with the oars I have, then I need to figure out how to do it to the best of my ability (short legs and all).

Oly Movements are Much Better with a Friend

Tuesday, Feb. 24;

It was the Karen and Adrienne show today at CFOT. Yeah, there were other people there. As far as I'm concerned it was just Karen and I pushing each other to go harder.

Today we worked on Hang Power Squat Cleans. I freaking love this movement. I was a little nervous that it would take me a long time to get my speed back with my elbow whip. Thank goodness my fears go unfulfilled. I'm still working with a really light weight, but I have the movement down and the speed to boot. I can definitely work with that.

This movement is a little easier than just a clean, because I can use the momentum from my hips to make the weight weightless. All I have to do is pull hard enough to get the bar to my hips. Once it hits the little pocket of power, the bar has a moment of weightlessness. Then I just dive under that sucker. I catch it in the full squat without allowing the bar to crash on me. Smooth like butter.. or Roland Burris trying avoid press questions about fundraising for Blago.

What made today even better was that I had a buddy to push me along. Karen and I partnered up, and worked through this WOD at the same time. We set goals for the workout, achieved them, and then maintained the goals throughout. It was great to get to work with such a fire breather. It only makes me stronger!

WOD
7 Rounds Max Rep Hang Power Squat Cleans & Pushups
(subbed out ring pushups for elevated pushups)

45lb dumbbell
Round 1 - 15 HPSC/10 PU
Round 2 - 20 HPSC/10 PU
Round 3 - 15 HPSC/10 PU
Round 4 - 15 HPSC/10 PU
Round 5 - 15 HPSC/10 PU

Round 6 - 15 HPSC/10 PU

Round 7 - 15 HPSC/10 PU

Total: 110 HPSC/70 PU

All in a Row

Monday, February 23;

I was actually able to join in today's fun. My good old competitive side came roaring right back. There was no need to modify or tweak today's workout. I just had to grunt through it. OUCH!

WOD:
Row 2K
Damper setting: 5
Time: 9:23

Hoping next time is faster. It has to be.. I will have better stamina and more strength. I also will force myself to kick my own ass. I'll break 9 mins next time.

Also, my physical therapist suggested I try rowing longer??!! I love this woman!!

St. Augustine & Crossfit go Hand in Hand

Thursday, Feb. 19;

Over did it on the rower, but I'm happy about it. I also cut up my knee pretty badly with my fingernails. It's like my feminine side is clashing with my hard core side.

It's like Augustine's City of God.. the battle between "two cities." One is the earthly city (my feminine side) and the other is my spiritual city (my hard core side). According to Augustine the earthly city is base and filled with evil while the spiritual city embodies all things that are good. Basically, both sides live together in the earthly world. The evil (feminine side) is in a constant battle with the good (hard core side), but the good side (hard core) is ambivilant. The good side sees the earthly world like a holding place, until he is able to rise to the spiritual world where he will truly live.

Bringing this back to Crossfit.. is that really possible? I say yes... My finger nails (feminine side/earthly inhabitant) scratched the crap out of my knee during the rowing workout. (That's the "battle" part of my metaphor) . Despite the bloody attack, at no point did my mind or body (the spiritual side.. I know I'm stretching) stop the workout (all things that are good).

It wasn't until I went to put on my stockings and get dressed after the workout (feminine side) that I noticed the scratches. Many women would be upset at the scratch, but my bizarre (yes, I know this is a bizarre blog post) mind took over and thought. "Sweet, I had a good workout (spiritual world)."

Follow??

In case that whole entry was a confusing mess, don't worry. You'll certainly understand this...

WOD
"Interval Hell" courtesy of Super Sport

1,000 meter row
21 Front Squats (55lb)
18 lat pulls (shoulder rehab work)

750 meter row
18 Front Squats
15 lat pulls

500 meter row
15 Front Squats
12 lat pulls

250 meter row
12 Front Squats
9 lat pulls

Do my times really matter at this point??

Don't Let Your Weaknesses Get You Down

Wednesday, Feb. 18;



I thought this little video was quite appropriate for today. Don't let your weaknesses slow you down. It doesn't matter if your short or tall, injured or just not that strong. We all have things we would like to improve on, things that we just aren't that good at, or things that we used to be good at but we aren't any longer.

Today was a big old kick in the pants for me. I've never been exceptionally strong with my deadlifts, but I've always been able to pull a significantly heavy amount of weight. This was my first attempt at the deadlift post surgery. I didn't know what my limitations were. I've been cleared to lift heavy things, so I figured I'd like to test how heavy I can go. It's difficult to test that when doing such high reps, so I thought I'd stick to a light yet significant weight. This allowed me to focus on form.

Started with a PVC pipe. No problem. Went to 35lb bar. I can feel the pull on my shoulder, but nothing bad. Went to 55lb and thought this would be a good place to work. It's heavy enough that I build up calluses on my hands. It's heavy enough to test my form. It's not so heavy that I hurt myself.

WOD
5 Rounds for time
10 Deadlifts (55lb)
40 abmat situps

Total: 11:21

I'm looking forward to single max reps. This will really be the test of shoulder strength. It's getting better every day!

Lessons on Running

Monday, Feb. 16;

This is the first time running since surgery. It didn't hurt, but my shoulder was definitely getting tired. I subbed out just about all of the other exercises. I got a little sweat going, and it felt good though.

WOD
200 Meter run
25 KB High Pulls (25lbs)
400 Meter run
35 Push Press (PVC pipe)
800 Meter run
90 squats (rx was 45 wall ball, so I doubled)

Time: 12:21

Catching up..

Saturday, Feb. 14

This workout was filled with a lot of love. An Andrea special 100 cleans for time. If you drop the bar you have to do 10 chest to bar pullups.

WOD
100 cleans (15lb barbell) - this didn't hurt my shoulder, but my flexibility is still a little off
Dropped once, did 10 KB High pulls (25lb) - this stretches my shoulder, Yikes!

Time: 5:12

WOD II
100 Squats
100 Box Jumps
100 Deck squats

This workout killed after last Wednesday's leg burner. Thanks to Shawn/Sean for kicking my ass. My calves are still shredded from this one, and it's been 3 days.

Crossfit Prenuptials

In honor of Valentine's Day, I present the Crossfit Prenuptials...


Plenty of people go to their Crossfit box everyday in the hopes of killing the WOD, getting sweaty and having some fun at the same time. In addition to that, others also go to their affiliate with images of burgeoning love on their mind.

A young woman has her eye on the Adonis who has a sub 3 minute Fran and a flawless muscle up. The Adonis has also noticed the hot chick with the six pack, tight ass and slightly caloused hands. The two begin chatting. She encourages him to put out in the final round of a particularly nasty Tabata set. He strips the bar after she finishes her deadlifts (not that she needs him to, but she lets him because it makes him feel good). They talk smack to each other throughout their workouts, they do some situps together as a quick little finisher, and then they high five. Very cute.
Eventually, they start biking into Crossfit together. They tape each others hands up. They hit the WOD and then they go out to get something to eat and coffee. They have become a Crossfit couple and they look damn good together.

Everything is wonderful with the world... until one day... She starts to notice that he's checking out the new girl that actually loves doing burpees, and she gets frustrated because all he talks about is getting a more efficient front squat and how much yesterday's WOD gassed him. He also begins to notice that she can't keep up with him when they go running together, and it drives him crazy when her callouses scratch his face. The happy Crossfit couple isn't so happy anymore... They decide to breakup.

Breaking up sucks, but there is an entirely new dimension when Crossfit couples break up. It's almost like when parents divorce and they have to decide who keeps the kids, but the question here is, "Who keeps the gym?" This could lead to a lot of unnecessary tension, but there is a way to avoid this. At the beginning of the Crossfit couple's relationship, there should be a discussion about this. It should come up with the "defining the relationship" talk and the "STD" talk. It's a "Crossfit Prenup" discussion. This way you can avoid a Madonna/Guy Ritchie situation. Below, I have listed some of the things that should be touched upon in this conversation.
1. If we break up, will we continue to workout at [insert name of Crossfit affiliate]? If the answer is "no" here, you should decide who will have to leave and select some other nearby affiliates that may be an option for the departing party to attend. I suggest longevity of Crossfit affiliate attendence to decide who stays and who goes. The person who's been around the longest gets to pick. Sorry, short-timer!

2. Should we begin going at different times? ..ie.. you come in at 5pm and I'll come in at 7pm. This way we minimize the possibility of seeing each other.

3. We agree that we will wait a "respectable time period" (this term should be defined) before we begin dating another fellow Crossfitter.

4. If we have bought workout equipment (kettlebells, barbells, bumper plates, dumbells) together, we will divide them... (Figure out how to divide them. I can't do it all. You guys have to do some work here too.)

5. If we made paralleets together.. she gets them. Come on dude, you can make your own set.

6. If we plan to attend any Crossfit certifications you must notify each other in advance, so you both are not shocked to see each other. This also avoids any possibility of unexpectedly seeing one half of the Crossfit couple with a new Crossfitter. Ouch. Notification can be done through blogs, Crossfit friends or Crossfit coaches.

7. Attending Crossfit functions should be done with some care. We should both agree to be kind to one another if you do in fact run into each other. It's inevitable that this will happen. You, as a concientious Crossfitter, have a responsibility to make sure that your fellow Crossfitters don't have to put up with uncomfortable Crossfit couple fighting. You're an adult. Keep your crap neatly tucked away.

8. At some point in time, your hurt feelings will heal. You may even be able to begin attending the same Crossfit classes. Once this happens, I will refer you to number 7 again. There will be no snide remarks about how each of you performed in bed or nasty comments about form, strength or speed. Again, you're an adult. Keep your crap neatly tucked away.

9. You should outline what will happen, if one of you starts dating another Crossfitter. The single Crossfitter should NOT take this as an opportunity to be mean to the third party, who is now part of your Crossfit triangle.

10. You should discuss this agreement with your Crossfit coach. They may seem like they are tough as nails on the outside, but they will quickly realize that it is in their best interest that this Crossfit couple abides by the Crossfit Prenuptials. The coach can be seen as an impartial "go-to-person" if someone breaks the agreement. Think of it as a way to save money.. go to the coach instead of going to a lawyer.

All this being said, I'm sure the Crossfit couple will never have to worry about this because they will remain a happy couple. Their relationship will grow stronger as they become stronger athletes. I'm just saying, that a failure to plan is a plan to fail. Yay, Crossfit love!

Exterior Rotation and Why You Need it

Thursday, February 12;

When I decided to get surgery on my shoulder there were things that I knew I'd miss and things that I knew I wouldn't be able to do. I wouldn't be able to lift my arm over my head for a while, pick up heavy things, throw a ball, do a pull up.. these were all things I was prepared to give up. One thing I didn't plan on was the loss of my exterior rotation. It's something we take for granted.. at least I did.

Wondering what your exterior rotation is?? Stick your elbow to your waist. Now try to move your hand away from your body. Or lift your arm up to the side, bend your elbow, and then move your arm up to the sky. These are all movements that require exterior rotation.

My rotation has improved tremendously since surgery, but it's still fairly limited. I notice it most when I reach to put on my seatbelt in the car. It wasn't until very recently that I was able to even attempt this with my left arm. I still have to do some minor body contortions to actually grab the belt, but I'm getting there.

Another test of my exterior motion is the back squat. I had NEVER thought about this one. Not, at least, until today. We have racks now at CFOT, and today was the groups first run at back squats. I have a good amount of experience with this movement from my training previous to Crossfit, so I'm really comfortable with it. I was ready to get in under the bar, but the problem isn't the squat for me. Now, it's actually holding the bar behind my back. That requires exterior rotation. A good amount of it.

I was able to hold the bar on my back but with great pain. It feels kind of similar to the stretch you get when someone tells you to touch your toes or put your hands on the ground and stretch your hamstrings. The difference is that the tightness runs from my left peck, through my shoulder and across my left shoulder blade. Grimmace producing. I promise. I was happy that I was able to get into the position and happy to move some weight, although it's nothing close to the load I was once able to manage. I'll be back at 175lb back squats very soon!

WOD

5 sets of 5 Backsquats

35lb, 55lb, 75lb, 80lb, 90lb, 105lb

The World's Worst Leg Workout

Wednesday, February 11;

I'm in a great mood today. I listened to some great music on my way over to the gym. I have a good friend coming into town. Finally, I am going to put into action a seriously killer leg workout.

My physical therapist told me it would probably be alright if I started running short distances. I was tempted to join in on the workout when I saw the 400 meter run, but I decided to stick to my original plan.

The workout is based off of a Crossfit lady WOD called "Angie." It is 100 pull-ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit-ups & 100 squats for time. No partitioning. It's an awful workout and generally takes anywhere from 16 to 20 minutes for most fire breathers to complete.

My workout was more leg centric and probably a lot easier. My goal was to finish in 18:00.

WOD:
100 Deck Squats
100 Jumping Lunges
100 Situps
100 Squats

Time: 18:00 (on the dot!)

My legs were thrashed right after this workout, but they were fine throughout the day on Wednesday. I'm a little sore today. Maybe I'll put on a weight vest next time??

Scapular Mobility

A quick progress update. My shoulder rehab is going really well. My ROM is nearly at "normal". I'm still not as flexible as I once was, but I'll get there. I've made steady increases over the past month, but the past two weeks have brought the most noticeable differences. I've been doing so much more with my arm (putting on my seat belt with my left arm and actually holding my blow drier in my left hand). I've also increased my flexibility and stretched out some of those really tight muscles.

I have been talking to a few people about my next phase of recovery. Once I've reached full ROM (about two weeks or so) I'll begin working on improving strength. I've already started working some isometric exercises like bandwork and even pushups and rows. The key to these movements are keeping them slow and really stress PERFECT form. I focus on squeezing my shoulder blades together and really activating my scapular muscles.

Jerry and I were chatting earlier this week and he mentioned joint mobility exercises. These are small movements that focus on particular muscle groups and strengthen them simply by using them. So often in Crossfit (and in the gym in general), we only have a limited amount of time. We make compromises. Instead of spending 15 minutes on joint mobility, we go straight for the big movements... the pullups, the pushups, the barbell work.

For most people (including me) this is the fun part of working out. Unfortunately, these movements tend to neglect some of the smaller muscle systems that are activated by doing joint mobility exercises. Jerry's mentioned Steve Maxwell as a great resource for some examples of these movements. Maxwell is in his 50's and has a better looking body than most of my body building ex-boyfriends. Congratulations for him.. not so much congratulations for me. Sigh. I digress.. Maxwell does a lot of stretches and body weight work, but he also incorporates kettlebells into his exercises.

The second link has plenty of really great exercise videos for the injured and far from injured alike. I also found this video that has a ton of exercises. The guy isn't in as great a shape as Maxwell. But the movements are good, and he keeps his shirt on. You may want to take notes, because he goes through them quickly and without explanation. The key is to keep your mind focused on pulling your shoulders back and activating your scapular muscles.



I'll be in for a workout tomorrow. I'm thinking something crazy.. a total leg workout... maybe legs and abs.. Yikes. Any other injured Crossfitters are welcome to join!

If You Can't Join 'em, Beat 'em

Today was a team workout. Basically, we pair up into teams of 3 or 4 and try to get through a ridiculous amount of reps of various different exercises. The first group that finishes wins. Easy.

I wasn't really looking to join a team, because I knew I could only do about half of the movements. I'd blow through those half, but I'd leave the rest of my team hanging for the other half. I came in with an idea of what I'd be doing. I stole some of the movements from the group workout, then threw a few of my own in.

My goal was to finish before all of the teams. (The workouts aren't exactly comparable, but it's still a decent goal)

WOD:
3 Rounds for time
500 meter row (damper setting #4)
15 hang med ball cleans (10lbs) - this was light and didn't bother my shoulder
20 Right arm KB swings (45lb)
25 Deck Squats
20 Right arm KB cleans (35lb)
15 wall pushups

Time: 26:49

I finished before everyone else (again, the workouts aren't really comparable at all.

Forearms on Fire & Tiny Bits of Progress

I took today off, because I had to go to see the doctor. Before I went I did my shoulder exercises. My goal over the past week was to have full range of motion overhead by today. I've been pushing it and pushing it, and working on my stretches, so I could reach my goal. This morning, I laid on my back and brought my arm slowly overhead. It went past my face and then back behind my head. It's still pretty tight and it wasn't touching the ground. Then I realized how tense I was. I relaxed a bit, took a deep breath and just told myself to let go. There it was.. my hand was touching the ground overhead! Let me just tell you. It's not that I haven't done this movement since I had surgery. I haven't done this movement since I was a little kid!!! I never put my left arm up there because I said it felt "creepy". Well now I know that it was actually going out of socket.

Back to my story. My arm was there. My hand was touching the ground overhead. I couldn't believe it. I did the stretch a few more times. Just to soak up the glory of the moment. Then I went on to some other stretches.

The doctor was pleased with my ROM overhead... not so much with my interior and exterior rotations, but those will come eventually. He also said that I no longer have weight restrictions. That means I can pick things up that weigh more than 2lbs!! Yay! It's all very good news. He did say I still can't run, and he suggested that I not do jump rope. We talked about a few other limitations and he sent me on my way.

This whole period of recovery is a little hazy for me. I'm kind of unclear about what I can and can't do. I know I can pick up things now, but how heavy should those things be? I'll be able to run in three weeks, but how long can I run? It's not quite clear. That's where the danger comes in for me, because I'm prone to push it and then regret it later.

I am really working on holding back and resisting the temptation to do everything. It's hard, but like Jerry says, "It's just a small slice of the pie."

Monday, February 2;

Workout with a 12lb weight vest
500 meter row
21 R arm deadlifts
9 squats
15 R arm deadlifts
15 squats
9 R arm deadlifts
21 squats
500 meter row

10:??

100 abmat situps

My right forearm is still torn up from the single arm deadlifts, but I love the movement. I also should admit that I felt really freaking cool standing on the boxes and doing my deadlifts. :) ha!

Grace Challenge

Sunday, February 1;

The last time we had the Grace challenge I wanted to come, but I was about 5 days out of surgery and still pretty doped out of my mind. I wouldn't have missed it this time!! I got in early this morning. Right before 8:30 and started stretching my shoulder. I had absolutely no intention of actually doing the workout. I just wanted to cheer everyone on.

We did four heats of Grace (30 cleans and snatches for time). What an incredible inspiration! So many amazing stories and people who should be recognized. The guy who really should get a tip of the hat today is a fairly new Crossfitter. He was our most improved score. A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about a new member at CFOT. We were in the middle of his second workout when another Crossfitter looked at the newbie and said, "you're a monster in the making." The new crossfitter was no fire breather at this point. He was much like many others who come in for the first time. He was just a regular guy.

Today, he was no regular guy. On his first Grace attempt (I'm not using his name, because I'm not sure if he'd mind if I blogged about him), his time was about 16 minutes. Today, he finished the workout in about 4 minutes. He shaved roughly 75 percent of his time off. INCREDIBLE. It's a testiment to the training we get at CFOT, the comraderie, and sheer determination. Way to go!!


Now, I said I hadn't planned on working out, but I was dressed for a workout. Jerry suggested.. like Jerry does some times.. that I could do a one armed clean and jerk. I thought for a second and said, "I'm in!" I grabbed the 35 pound dumbell, did a few practice runs, chalked up my hand and got pumped. I know the right armed version isn't as terrible as the barbell with two arms, but it still kicked my butt enough. I competed 30 cleans and snatches in 2:28. That's one second faster than the fastest time. I don't think what I did was anything compared to everyone else, but I have to admit that I awarded myself my very own "most improved" award.

Two months ago, I was fresh out of surgery. My left arm was in a brace and I could barely walk without pain. I've come a long, long way from there. I thought a good old pat on the back was well deserved. I'm proud.

Warmup:
1,000 meter row

Workout:
"Grace"
30 cleans and snatches for time

35lbs (right arm)

2:28