Friday, August 29;
Remember those fun little books you used to read when you were in elementary school where you got to choose the outcome? If you wanted one thing to happen you'd turn to page 15, and if you wanted another thing to happen you would turn to page 18. I loved those books.
Why is it that when you get the same options in life it just doesn't ever seem that fun??
This morning I went to my doctors to discuss the options with the shoulder.
If you'd like Option #1 read the below paragraph.
If you'd like Option #2 read the second paragraph.
Option #1:
Don't have surgery. If I don't have surgery to fix my shoulder I could live a perfectly normal life. I'd be just like other perfectly normal people. I may be able to do workouts on the elliptical machine, and I will probably be able to run and do other physical activities like hiking. I will always have to work around small amounts of pain or maybe even lots of pain. I will always have to be careful about my shoulder.
Option #2:
Have surgery. There is a 4 to 6 MONTH recovery period. My arm will be in a sling for the first month. That means no driving and definitely not much movement for it. After the recovery period I could be back to normal and working on getting my strength back. I will have to be very careful not to push it too much because I could tear the suture that the doctor put in. Basically, the surgery would tighten up my muscles in my shoulder much like what Jen Conlin had done on her shoulder. There is a 90% success rate. My doctor will pretty much know when he goes in for surgery if the procedure will work or not. It involves four small incisions in my shoulder. It's an hour and a half long, out patient surgery. There will be a minor bit of scarring, but I always tend to think scars are kind of cool. Someone much smarter than me once said interesting people have scars and bruises. I agree!!!
I guess it comes down to which option I'll choose. The final outcome will be the same.. a little bit of pain and surgery.. it's just do I want to have it now or do I want to have it later in life when the repurcussions could be more serious?
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Swimming in Sweat
Thursday, August 28;
You've got to be kidding me! I walked up the steps this morning and walked past a wall of some of the sweatiest people I've seen in a long time. Craig has soaked his shirt.. The entire front part of Pat's shirt was dripping.. Everyone was just nasty and damp. Everyone said it's a bad one.
You've got to be kidding me! I walked up the steps this morning and walked past a wall of some of the sweatiest people I've seen in a long time. Craig has soaked his shirt.. The entire front part of Pat's shirt was dripping.. Everyone was just nasty and damp. Everyone said it's a bad one.
This picture has nothing to do with this post, but what a good looking group of people!
I checked out the white board. Famous last words, "Seriously, this one doesn't look too bad." Have I learned nothing in the year and a half I've been doing Crossfit??
Jerry gives the 3,2,1 and Go... and we're off! The first three rounds weren't bad at all. I was flying, and right on tap to hit 10 rounds in 30 minutes. It was nice because this workout was ALL LEGS. No shoulders!!! No shoulders (except for the TGU). I went pretty light on the left side, so it wasn't too terrible at all.
Workout:
AMRAP in 30 minutes
6 TGU (15lb left & 20lb right).. I know the right was a little weak, but my shoulders were dead
9 Slamballs (15lb)
12 Box Jumps
15 Abmat Situps
Total: 9 rounds
Oh yeah, by round 6 I was hurting, HURTING! I also joined the group of sweaty crossfitters as well. Yum!
Tonight, Keturah and I are off to watch a Nationals game. These are $45 tickets that I got for free, and they could have been yours. I guess between Obama's convention speech, college football and the Nat's poor scoring season.. they were easy tickets to pass up.
Tomorrow, I'll hit an early workout and then head to my doctors office to talk shoulder! Wish me well.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Full Range of Motion
Wednesday, August 28;
Today was all about full range of motion.. Crossfit preaches full ROM for everything we do. Why do bicept curls when you could do cleans and jerks or snatches? Why do squats if you can't break 90 degrees? Why do pullups if you can't go all the way down and then get all the way over the bar?
The other day my boss was telling me about her experience with her trainer at her gym. My boss is in her 50's and she's a pretty strong lady. She's not a crossfitter, just a normal gym-goer. She was proud that she could do "boy" pushups, but couldn't understand why her trainer wasn't reciprocating her excitement. I asked her to explain her pushups to me. She described a pushup similar to what many women do. It's the same kind of pushup I used to do before coming to Crossfit Old Town. She gets on her toes and then bends her elbows until it hurts and then comes back up. She would do this 10 times and say, "I've done 10 pushups."
Thank goodness her trainer knows better. He said, "It's not a real pushup unless you go all the way down." She was having trouble understanding why it wasn't good enough to go until it hurts and then go back.
So why is it so important to have a full range of motion on all movements? There are two major reasons that I gave to my boss. First, it's the best way to get stronger. You may only get a few reps with perfect range of motion, but it is preferable to get just a few perfect movements than getting partial movements. Second, it's the best way to measure progress. How can you tell if you're getting stronger unless you have a constistant standard to measure yourself against?
That's my preaching for the day!
Workout:
800 meter run
7 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
800 meter run
5 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
800 meter run
3 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
Total Time: 33:20
You may be wondering what that whole schpiel was above if I only did Hand Stand shrugs.. well the explanation is perfectly clear. If you can't do the full range of motion, then you are forced to do modifications until you are strong enough to complete the full range of motion. I will work on shrugs and negatives until I can get all the way down and then all the way back up again.
Today was all about full range of motion.. Crossfit preaches full ROM for everything we do. Why do bicept curls when you could do cleans and jerks or snatches? Why do squats if you can't break 90 degrees? Why do pullups if you can't go all the way down and then get all the way over the bar?
The other day my boss was telling me about her experience with her trainer at her gym. My boss is in her 50's and she's a pretty strong lady. She's not a crossfitter, just a normal gym-goer. She was proud that she could do "boy" pushups, but couldn't understand why her trainer wasn't reciprocating her excitement. I asked her to explain her pushups to me. She described a pushup similar to what many women do. It's the same kind of pushup I used to do before coming to Crossfit Old Town. She gets on her toes and then bends her elbows until it hurts and then comes back up. She would do this 10 times and say, "I've done 10 pushups."
Thank goodness her trainer knows better. He said, "It's not a real pushup unless you go all the way down." She was having trouble understanding why it wasn't good enough to go until it hurts and then go back.
So why is it so important to have a full range of motion on all movements? There are two major reasons that I gave to my boss. First, it's the best way to get stronger. You may only get a few reps with perfect range of motion, but it is preferable to get just a few perfect movements than getting partial movements. Second, it's the best way to measure progress. How can you tell if you're getting stronger unless you have a constistant standard to measure yourself against?
That's my preaching for the day!
Workout:
800 meter run
7 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
800 meter run
5 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
800 meter run
3 Rounds
6 Hand Stand shrugs
3 L-sit pullups
Total Time: 33:20
You may be wondering what that whole schpiel was above if I only did Hand Stand shrugs.. well the explanation is perfectly clear. If you can't do the full range of motion, then you are forced to do modifications until you are strong enough to complete the full range of motion. I will work on shrugs and negatives until I can get all the way down and then all the way back up again.
Free Baseball Tickets
Wednesday, August 27;
I have FREE tickets to a Nationals game of Thursday. Keturah may be taking one of the tickets.. but I have an extra one. The seats are really good... Please don't make me beg!!!
The game is against the Dodgers and it starts at 7:10pm. Did I mention that the seats are good?
I have FREE tickets to a Nationals game of Thursday. Keturah may be taking one of the tickets.. but I have an extra one. The seats are really good... Please don't make me beg!!!
The game is against the Dodgers and it starts at 7:10pm. Did I mention that the seats are good?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Dirty Dozen
Tuesday, August 26;
A quick workout that kicked my butt. When I saw this one up on the board I thought it would take me forever. I was surprised at how quickly I went through it. I did the modified deadlifts as prescribed, but used the floss on my ring dips. Still not doing the workout as prescribed. Argh. Annoying!
Before I started doing Crossfit, I did 10 deadlifts as a warmup at 135. At the time it was my body weight. It would take me a good while to bang these suckers out. I'd do 3 or 4 and then put the bar down. Then I'd do 5 and then finish off the last 1 or 2. I have since dropped ten pounds and now I can do 12 deadlifts without stopping. I did the modified suckers each round without putting the bar down. I felt really good, but by the end I could feel my back rounding, and I could feel it getting tighter. My lower back is sore now, and it'll be worse by the morning.
Workout:
5 Rounds
12 Deadlifts: 135lb
9 Ring dips: floss (my lats still hurt from last Tuesday's ring dip workout. That's sad)
6 burpees
Total: 13:20
A decent time, but not nearly as fast as Chriss and with the modified ring dips. I liked today's workout though. I got a few good grunts in. It's nice to push myself to that point. It's a good stress releaver and I know Gar likes it.
Just kidding!!!
A quick workout that kicked my butt. When I saw this one up on the board I thought it would take me forever. I was surprised at how quickly I went through it. I did the modified deadlifts as prescribed, but used the floss on my ring dips. Still not doing the workout as prescribed. Argh. Annoying!
Before I started doing Crossfit, I did 10 deadlifts as a warmup at 135. At the time it was my body weight. It would take me a good while to bang these suckers out. I'd do 3 or 4 and then put the bar down. Then I'd do 5 and then finish off the last 1 or 2. I have since dropped ten pounds and now I can do 12 deadlifts without stopping. I did the modified suckers each round without putting the bar down. I felt really good, but by the end I could feel my back rounding, and I could feel it getting tighter. My lower back is sore now, and it'll be worse by the morning.
Workout:
5 Rounds
12 Deadlifts: 135lb
9 Ring dips: floss (my lats still hurt from last Tuesday's ring dip workout. That's sad)
6 burpees
Total: 13:20
A decent time, but not nearly as fast as Chriss and with the modified ring dips. I liked today's workout though. I got a few good grunts in. It's nice to push myself to that point. It's a good stress releaver and I know Gar likes it.
Just kidding!!!
Front Range Fire Breathers
Wednesday, August 20;
Sorry it's taken me so long to get this pictures posted. I wanted to revisit last week's workout with Front Range Crossfit. This is a workout that we should totally try at CFOT. I've been so excited to share the story of my Crossfit visit.
I pulled up in our big old black suburban with DC plates (Sometimes when I'm driving that vehicle, I pull down my sunglasses, put on my nastiest scowl, and pretend I'm Secret Service. I'll never be Mike though). I pulled up and sat down on the side walk to put on my socks and I get the best Crossfit greeting I could ever ask for. Two dogs.. one barking, little rat dog, and one glorious bull dog.. greet me as I pull on my socks and shoes. Many of you don't know, but I have a huge affinity for ugly, cute dogs. You know the dogs that are so ugly that they become cute?? this bulldog was the perfect example of ugly cute, and all he wanted was for me to pet him. I knew this workout would be good.
I walked in and was immediately greeted. You have to love crossfitters. They are nice any where you go. I signed my life away and then hopped into a quick warmup. Then we got right to setting up the workout.Here it is.. it may need a little explaining.
Workout:
5 Rounds, You have 1:30 to do each set, and a 2 minute break between each round
5 Weighted pullups
5 Heavy push presses
5 Deadlifts
Add up the total of each round, then multiply each round by 5, then add all of the rounds together for your total score. Got it? Here are my rounds:
Round 1: Pullup: 125 + PP: 75 + DL: 135 = 335 (x5) = 1,675
Round 2: Pullup: 137 + PP: 70 + DL: 135 = 342 (x5) = 1,710
Round 3: Pullup: 142 + PP: 70 + DL: 135 = 347 (x5) = 1,735
Round 4: Pullup: 142 + PP: 70 + DL: 135 = 347 (x5) = 1,735
Round 5: Pullup: 142 + PP: 70 + DL: 135 = 347 (x5) = 1,735
My Total weight moved: 8,590
So, I thought that was pretty good, right? Yeah, I was proud that I was able to do the weighted pullups. I could have gone heavier on the push press, but I was afraid to hurt my shoulder. I also wish I had gone heavier on my first few deadlifts. I was rounding out toward the end, so I guess that weight was okay. Anyway, I was happy with my score.. until I saw these girls' scores..
Yowzah!!!
Then they posted the results on their mainsite and I was right in the middle (even on the lower end of the middle). Also remember these girls were doing this workout at altitude. Imagine with a full breath of air. SCARY!!! The girl with the short hair was doing 40lb weighted pullups, 135lb push presses and 245lb deadlifts.. really, really sick stuff. Look at the scores of the girls above!
So much respect for the ladies of Front Range Crossfit. I didn't feel too sweaty after this one, and I was actually ready to do another workout, because I didn't kill myself with this one. Lesson learned, "Go heavier next time!"
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A Run in Mile High City
Saturday, August 23;
I've been sluggish for the past few days. Sluggish or busy (which ever one you prefer). We've been traveling around Denver for the past few days. Yesterday, we stopped at the Colorado Convention Center to talk with the College Democrats of America. We did a quick interview with the President of the College Dems and then opened up the Campaign 2008 bus for tours.
After wrapping up there we headed to the American Presidential Experience (APE) where we did tours of our bus in a big exhibition hall. Across from us is a replica of Airforce One and then at the end of the hall is a replica of the Oval Office. Right. My life is super cool! It is nice to run into C-SPAN fans, and to get to chat about the Education Department.
The major downside of traveling is that it's really tough to eat well and it's even harder to find time to workout. I have been skipping workouts for the past few days. This morning I just decided to go for a good run. I was out for about an hour. It was a nice 5 mile run. Going out was pretty easy and smooth, but going back in was terrible. The entire way back was uphill and at this altitude it really hits you. I felt good after getting it done and didn't feel guilty eating food at the press party at night. Returning tomorrow.. looking forward to getting back.
The major downside of traveling is that it's really tough to eat well and it's even harder to find time to workout. I have been skipping workouts for the past few days. This morning I just decided to go for a good run. I was out for about an hour. It was a nice 5 mile run. Going out was pretty easy and smooth, but going back in was terrible. The entire way back was uphill and at this altitude it really hits you. I felt good after getting it done and didn't feel guilty eating food at the press party at night. Returning tomorrow.. looking forward to getting back.
