Friday, January 1, 2010;
A new year, a new decade and a new beginning. It's the first day of 2010. Jerry asked us to post our top 3 goals of the year. These are mine below.
1) Increase WOD speed (Fran - sub 5, Murph - sub 50 min.)
2) 100lb strict press
3) muscle up (better dips)
In addition to these goals. I'd really like to clean up my diet even further. I'll be heading to the bookstore today to pick up a Paleo book. I'll be reading it all next week while I'm on the road. This will give me some time to allow all of the information to sink in.
I addition to setting my goals, I think it's important to also have a plan for how you hope to achieve these goals. One of my favorite sayings from a former coach and great friend was, "A failure to plan is a plan to fail." If you don't map out your route, it's impossible to make it to your destination.
1) The purpose of increasing my speed in the named workouts is actually part of a broader plan to improve my intensity. I have lost a lot of the intensity in my workouts. The past year was all about finishing workouts and doing it in perfect form. Finishing first was really not my main goal. An additional result of this training has been a decrease in my intensity. Over the next year I'd like to push myself more and work on beating my own times.
2) This one has a lot to do with my strength. I'm stronger than I've ever been, but I'd like to be stronger. I'll have to reach this goal with small steps. Slight increases in weight will be the way to go in order to reach this goal. High repetitions of a lighter weight. 100lbs.. here I come!
3) Ahh, the elusive muscle up. It's a love hate relationship with this bastard little move. It's all about technique. I like to call it a trick move. That's the frustrating thing about it. I have a fairly decent understanding of the body and how it moves. That's why the muscle up shouldn't be so difficult for me. I know what has to be done in order to complete the move. It's just a matter of putting all of the elements together. A massive initial pull and kip, then the second kip to get the shoulders through the rings, and finally finishing with the ring dip. I've been putting together a little solution in my head. I'm wondering if I could use the bands to get a feel for the movement. The "jerry" rig will be forthcoming.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Ropes and Running
Wednesday, Dec. 30;
This one is going to be short because I'm typing this update with my fingernails. My fingertips and palms are raw and all torn up. Blessed ropes! We climbed and ran today at the OT.
WOD:
3 rounds for time
3 rope climbs
50 GHD situps (1st round: subbed 75 abmat situps, 2nd & 3rd rounds: 60 abmat situps & 10 GHD situps)
800 meter run
Time: 29:55
Did I mention that my multiple layers of clothing may have slowed me down??
This one is going to be short because I'm typing this update with my fingernails. My fingertips and palms are raw and all torn up. Blessed ropes! We climbed and ran today at the OT.
WOD:
3 rounds for time
3 rope climbs
50 GHD situps (1st round: subbed 75 abmat situps, 2nd & 3rd rounds: 60 abmat situps & 10 GHD situps)
800 meter run
Time: 29:55
Did I mention that my multiple layers of clothing may have slowed me down??
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Getting Regionals Ready
Tuesday, Dec. 29:
The whole gym is a twitter with Regionals fever. About 10 of us have signed up for the Regionals in March. It's time to clean up the diet and increase the WOD weight. As a little hat tip to all of the preparation we're getting ready to do, we did two of the workouts that they held for last year's regionals.
WOD I:
2,000 meter row
8:59.3
This is NOT the thing you want to see the first day back from the holidays. I was slow and sluggish. Kept around 2:10 500 meter pace for the first 3:30 but then I dropped to a 2:17 and even got up to a 2:25 at one point. When we retest, I'd really like to stick below a 2:15. I think I could cut my time back exponentially.
WOD II:
3 rounds for time
10 deadlifts
50 double unders
11:08
Ugh! I got loud on this one. Felt good and bad at the same time.
The whole gym is a twitter with Regionals fever. About 10 of us have signed up for the Regionals in March. It's time to clean up the diet and increase the WOD weight. As a little hat tip to all of the preparation we're getting ready to do, we did two of the workouts that they held for last year's regionals.
WOD I:
2,000 meter row
8:59.3
This is NOT the thing you want to see the first day back from the holidays. I was slow and sluggish. Kept around 2:10 500 meter pace for the first 3:30 but then I dropped to a 2:17 and even got up to a 2:25 at one point. When we retest, I'd really like to stick below a 2:15. I think I could cut my time back exponentially.
WOD II:
3 rounds for time
10 deadlifts
50 double unders
11:08
Ugh! I got loud on this one. Felt good and bad at the same time.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Few, The Proud
Monday, December 21;
Two days after a massive snowstorm hit the DC Metro area, the roads are still crummy, the ditches are covered with feet of brown snow and people have decided to hide out under the covers. Not Crossfit Oldtown.. not the 6am crew. No way. In fact we're so hardcore that we even had a visitor from the 6:45am class! Yeah!
Tried something new.. technique work for the first 20 minutes. Then an Interval WOD.
I have to admit that we made about 6 batches of non-zone/paleo friendly cookies while trapped inside this weekend. They taste great going down, but look terrible on the hips and thighs. Gotta pick it up to work that off this year.
Technique WOD:
Snatch 1-3 reps each minute for 10 minutes
3 reps at 75lbs = 30 snatches
I can nail these with power snatches, but I still can't pull under the bar. That's something to work on from here. Maybe get comfortable with a lighter load with the second pull. Then ramp up. Other than that, my technique with the snatches is getting stronger. I've gotten better at eliminating the hip bump (like used in KB swing). I just keep patient as that bar pulls right up my body and then I pull as it passes my hips. Nice.
Interval WOD:
4 rounds:
350 meter row
25 pushups
15 pullups
3:55 / 4:08 / 4:33 / 4:50
(I may have made these times up)
I realized now that I should have scaled this workout because I was moving SLOW here. The only thing that was moving slower than me was my math skills. Terrible.
Harold stopped in for this morning's WOD. Always good to have a visitor especially one who takes his shirt off during the WOD.. hint, hint OT boys!
Two days after a massive snowstorm hit the DC Metro area, the roads are still crummy, the ditches are covered with feet of brown snow and people have decided to hide out under the covers. Not Crossfit Oldtown.. not the 6am crew. No way. In fact we're so hardcore that we even had a visitor from the 6:45am class! Yeah!
Tried something new.. technique work for the first 20 minutes. Then an Interval WOD.
I have to admit that we made about 6 batches of non-zone/paleo friendly cookies while trapped inside this weekend. They taste great going down, but look terrible on the hips and thighs. Gotta pick it up to work that off this year.
Technique WOD:
Snatch 1-3 reps each minute for 10 minutes
3 reps at 75lbs = 30 snatches
I can nail these with power snatches, but I still can't pull under the bar. That's something to work on from here. Maybe get comfortable with a lighter load with the second pull. Then ramp up. Other than that, my technique with the snatches is getting stronger. I've gotten better at eliminating the hip bump (like used in KB swing). I just keep patient as that bar pulls right up my body and then I pull as it passes my hips. Nice.
Interval WOD:
4 rounds:
350 meter row
25 pushups
15 pullups
3:55 / 4:08 / 4:33 / 4:50
(I may have made these times up)
I realized now that I should have scaled this workout because I was moving SLOW here. The only thing that was moving slower than me was my math skills. Terrible.
Harold stopped in for this morning's WOD. Always good to have a visitor especially one who takes his shirt off during the WOD.. hint, hint OT boys!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
That Girl Has Some Ups!
Thursday, December 17;
Nope, I'm not talking about myself. This 5'2" girl can barely get herself off of the ground. No, I'm talking about Grace. Now that girl can jump. As she informed the rest of us today, she also used to play basketball in grade school. Bet you didn't know that! 
Jerry brought out the tape measure this morning. The purpose was to force us to do burpees with some air! He measured 8 inches about our stretched out finger tips, and made a mark to indicate a target we had to touch for our burpees. Ugh. Seriously!
WOD:
250 meter row
20 burpees w/ 5'10" inch target
15 back extensions
Time: 24:33
I actually stopped for about 2 minutes in the middle of this workout because I felt like I was dying on the inside. Once that stopped, it was too late for me to put up a decent time. I was still able to finish though. I'm good with that.
2 days in counting for the Hopper Re-Challenge. I hear that muscle ups are now in the mix.
Crap!
Nope, I'm not talking about myself. This 5'2" girl can barely get herself off of the ground. No, I'm talking about Grace. Now that girl can jump. As she informed the rest of us today, she also used to play basketball in grade school. Bet you didn't know that!
Jerry brought out the tape measure this morning. The purpose was to force us to do burpees with some air! He measured 8 inches about our stretched out finger tips, and made a mark to indicate a target we had to touch for our burpees. Ugh. Seriously!
WOD:
250 meter row
20 burpees w/ 5'10" inch target
15 back extensions
Time: 24:33
I actually stopped for about 2 minutes in the middle of this workout because I felt like I was dying on the inside. Once that stopped, it was too late for me to put up a decent time. I was still able to finish though. I'm good with that.
2 days in counting for the Hopper Re-Challenge. I hear that muscle ups are now in the mix.
Crap!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Legs, Legs & Legs
Tuesday, December 14;
This workout was a leg KILLER. God bless Jery and his psycho lab. I was in heaven this morning, despite the nasty cramp in my side and the unbelievable desire to throw up. 
WOD:
15 Deadlifts - 175lb
45 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
12 Deadlifts - 175lb
36 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
9 Deadlifts - 175lb
27 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
Total: 17:27 (elite)
This workout was a leg KILLER. God bless Jery and his psycho lab. I was in heaven this morning, despite the nasty cramp in my side and the unbelievable desire to throw up.
WOD:
15 Deadlifts - 175lb
45 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
12 Deadlifts - 175lb
36 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
9 Deadlifts - 175lb
27 Jumping lunges
400 meter run
Total: 17:27 (elite)
Going Strict
Monday, December 14;
The only thing that got me out of bed this morning.. 1 rep max strict press. I just couldn't miss it. I've hit 85lb x 2, which means I should be able to lift more than that for a 1 rep max. Unfortunately, I did 85lb without a problem and then hit a wall. I wonder if I take fewer attempts and get to 85lb more quickly, if I'd be able to get a higher number. I'm pretty sure I have a 90lb press in me.
I'd also like to flash back to over a year ago, when I was desperately pushing for an 80lb strict press. I remember Cara and Ray assuring me that I had it in me. Thanks for believing in me! Feels good to get it.
WOD:
1 rep max
85lb
90lb - failed
87lb - failed
Strength work:
2 rounds
10 ring dips
30 double unders
The only thing that got me out of bed this morning.. 1 rep max strict press. I just couldn't miss it. I've hit 85lb x 2, which means I should be able to lift more than that for a 1 rep max. Unfortunately, I did 85lb without a problem and then hit a wall. I wonder if I take fewer attempts and get to 85lb more quickly, if I'd be able to get a higher number. I'm pretty sure I have a 90lb press in me.
I'd also like to flash back to over a year ago, when I was desperately pushing for an 80lb strict press. I remember Cara and Ray assuring me that I had it in me. Thanks for believing in me! Feels good to get it.
WOD:
1 rep max
85lb
90lb - failed
87lb - failed
Strength work:
2 rounds
10 ring dips
30 double unders
