Friday, June 28, 2013

TGIF!

I've been horrible at blogging lately.  Just super busy with work and stuff.  I'll get back in the swing of it after my upcoming vacation.   Promise.  (I'm sure you're all breathlessly waiting for my next blog, right?)   ;)

Anyway - today was a super fun Friday!

With a 10 minute time limit, try to complete for time:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Power Clean (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)
Hand Stand Push Ups

5 Minute rest break, then:

With a 10 minute time limit, try to complete for time:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
Box jump overs (Men 24” box, Women 20” box)(these are jumps completely over the box and not on and over)
 
My score on WOD 1:  85 total reps - meaning I made it through the round of 5 power cleans

Scaling - I used 2 abmats for HSPU, but did the RX weight on cleans.  I love cleans and I would've just stood there and done them forever.  Well until I couldn't do any more.  Ha ha

My score on WOD 2:  finished in 8:25

Scaling - I did box step overs rather than jumping.  My jumping days are behind me.  Not going to risk a stress fracture or scars on my shins.  Life's short.  Pick your battles.


Strength today was power cleans.  I love cleans.  Have I said that?  I think I've said that.

rep scheme:  3-2-2-1-1-1
my loads:  85-95-105-110-115-125

TGIF!!  


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Dumbbell Hell

Oh, how I love and hate this workout.

This morning when I woke up, I had slept with my arms in such a position that both my hands had gone numb and  turning off the alarm clock  was a major effort.  I could barely pick up my phone to check the WOD.  When I saw it, I muttered something along the lines of "My damn hands don't even work, how can I do this workout?"  Ha ha!  Getting older and crazier by the minute, I tell ya!

Well, my hands woke up and I made it to the gym for one of my favorite love/hate workouts:

Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:

5 Dumbbell deadlifts
5 Dumbbell hang power cleans
5 Dumbbell thrusters
The rx’d dumbbell weight is 45% bodyweight for men and 30% bodyweight for women (that is
both dumbbells combined).

Post dumbbell weight used, total minutes completed and total rounds completed thereafter.

My DB weight: 20# ea, completed 20 rounds

Rounds 1-5:  I feel like a total bad ass, raring to go, finishing the rounds in about 23-25 seconds. I love this. 

Rounds 6-10: Reality sets in that I'm in for a long, grueling workout, but I'm still somehow finishing about 25 seconds in.  Starting to gasp for air like the fat kid on the playground and wishing for a longer recovery period.  Thrusters are starting to burn like Hell, but otherwise feeling pretty good.

Rounds 10-12: The mental battle begins.  Really,  I want to quit.  I want to puke.  I don't need CrossFit!  This is insane!  I am going to lay these dumbbells down and just leave!  Or puke.  Or maybe just lay down on this nice rubber mat for a few minutes, because no way can I walk out of here on so little oxygen.

Rounds 13-15:  Somehow I'm still finishing in under 30 seconds.  But I'm wheezing like an asthmatic kid sneaking a cigar.  I'm going to pass out.  I'm not sure how everyone else is still standing - are they even human? Some of these people don't even look like they're sweating!  They're walking around, talking, getting drinks of water like it's a damn picnic!  I vaguely hear, through the madness in my mind, "only five more rounds".  Since I can hear, I must still be alive. And if I'm alive, I have to keep moving!

Rounds 16-20:  Nothing is left in me except the sheer will to finish this bitch of a workout, and thankfully a little bit of muscle memory from having done these moves so many times.  I'm on some sort of oxygen-deprived, exercise induced high that feels like an out of body experience and the only coherent thought I can form is "please let this end".  I'm on auto-pilot.

Mercifully, the workout ended, and I made it through all 20 rounds.  I spent a good 3-5 minutes just laid out on the floor gasping for air, writhing in misery.

After a little recovery time, I felt like a total bad ass all over again.


Monday, June 24, 2013

“Mr. Brown”


4 Rounds for time of:

10 Hang power cleans (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
10 Front Squats
10 Push press
10 OHS
400 Meter run

Rules: There will be a 10 burpee penalty if bar is dropped or set down before the barbell movements are completed each round.  Burpees must be done before continuing.

My time:  27:58


Started out with 65 # as Rx, and made it unbroken through the first round, but thought I would absolutely die (seriously).  Coudn't make myself run for the first little while, but finally got some oxygen to my brain.  I dropped weight to 55# and managed to complete the lifts unbroken for all four rounds.  I was not about to do any burpees!  Probably should've stuck with 65#, but I would've had to put it down at least 3 times.  So...I did the best I could.  Still proud that I went unbroken!


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Home Sweet Home

I am SO glad to be home.  My husband and I went to Pensacola to visit his family (family reunion...40 people) and, although I love them dearly, a little togetherness goes a long way.  Every family has some "Jerry Springer" in there, and I witnessed a bit of it this weekend.  Although the beach was beautiful, I'm super glad to be home, eating healthy food and getting some exercise.  And I'm so looking forward to some peace and quiet.  And in another week or so...Jamaica!  Ya mon!

This WOD was just what I needed!!

8 rounds of:
Run 400 meters
Rest 90 seconds

My times:

1:59
2:05
2:12
2:20
2:20
2:18
2:24
1:57


TOTAL TIME: 28:06

No PR's here today, but it felt good to start sweating out some of the junk I consumed the past few days.   Although we got home at a decent hour yesterday I had very little sleep.  First of all, it took me forever to fall asleep.  Then nightmares.  Then massive calf cramps.  Then I was too hot.  Then I was too cold.  Then I woke up a full hour before the alarm. 

Strength today was "death by bench press".  1 the first min, 2 the 2nd min, etc.  I chose 75# which is roughly half my body weight and I made it through 9 rounds. 

Okay...off to work!  

Thursday, June 13, 2013

It's My Friday!

Heading out tomorrow for a few days at the beach so this is my "Fun Friday". 

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

200 Meter run
3 Muscle ups

Substitute one of the following options for the muscle ups: 3 bar muscle ups, 5 burpee pull-ups, 7 chest to bar pull-ups or 10 pull-ups.

My rounds:  5 even

I chose burpee pull ups.  Super hot humid morning, but a good workout.  I've enjoyed all the workouts the past couple of weeks, and even chose to do burpees today.  Feel my forehead...you think I'm getting sick, maybe have a fever?  Ha ha! 

Strength today was hang power snatch.  Between tendonitis in my elbow and shoulder issues, this is not my strongest lift right now. 

3 each at 35-45-55-60-65

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

"Horrible Hundred"

Okay I did this workout waaayyy back in 2009 at another box which shall remain unnamed.  I actually borrowed the WOD from another box at the time because the programming at the "shall remain unnamed" box just sucked.    Anyway, the weights were different than listed below  And I actually modified/scaled today.  In any case, I love this workout.  It's tough enough to feel like a real challenge, but not so long that you feel like you're gonna die.  My kind of WOD.  

For time:
25 Deadlifts (Men 225 lbs, Women 155 lbs)
25 Clean & jerks (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)
25 Thrusters (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
25 Overhead squats (Men 75 lbs, Women 55 lbs)

My time:  11:58, scaled

My weights were:
deadlift 155, c&j 65, thruster 45, ohs 35
We'll just call this the Masters Version.  ;)

Strength today was Overhead Squats: 5-3-2-2-15 @ 55-65-75-85-90 – Failed on 14th rep

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tabata Tuesday

The warm up was a Partners Tabata WOD.  Partners alternate work and rest for each of the 8 Tabata cyles.  My partner was Jennifer C.

1st round - Pull ups
2nd round - toes to bar
3rd round - Handstand Push ups
4th round - dips
5th round - burpees

We got a total of 244 reps, with mine being 135 and hers being 109.  I don't have the breakdown for individual exercises. 

Then we had a tabata Back Squat WOD for the strength.  My partner for this was B:

Rx weight for women was 155 lbs
Our total reps were 41 with B's reps being 20 and mine being 21.   

I really enjoyed the back squats.  Fun!


Then came the actual published WOD:
 
With a partner complete for max reps:  My partner was Jennifer C.

6 Two minute rounds of:
Row (calories)
Box jumps (Men 24” box, Women 20” box)
Both working at a time (one person on the row and the other doing box jumps for a full round (two minutes) and then they switch). Clock does not stop and there are no rest breaks b/w rounds.

Our total reps:  385
Our rowing calories:  115

Our Box Jumps*: 280

*we stepped the box instead of jumping.

Also, I am not completely positive about our total, as I couldn't read my own damn writing on the little slip of paper I wrote everything down on before leaving the box today.  *sigh*  But it was damn close.

Also, I need to point out that I fell on the 2nd box jump.  How does one fall without even jumping?  I still don't know how it happened, but I damn near face-planted on the corner of the box.  I had no time to be embarrassed, however.  Had to shake it off and get right back to work.  This was a tough one!!  Whew!!


Monday, June 10, 2013

Welcome to Monday

The warm up today was  1 Pull up, 1 push up, 1 squat; then 2, 2, 2; then 3,3,3 and so on up to 10, in 10 minutes.  I made it through 7 full rounds and even managed 7 consecutive pull ups...which hasn't happened in a long, long time.

So, yay...great warm up.  No time to stand around, however.  Off to run The Jenks Mile!j

400m 2:05
200m 1:01
400m 2:17
200m 1:00
400m 2:21
Total time of 12:44...so slow, but I am running! 

Then, off to our strength component

5 sets of 3 Shoulder Press
My loads:  35-45-55-65-75

And last, but not least, the actual published WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

10 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My rounds:  5 even, Rx

I decided not to hate wall-ball today, but to try and embrace it and see if I didn't feel a bit better about it with a more positive attitude.  I will say that it helped, mentally, perhaps not physically.  But I had some decent sets.  First round was unbroken.  I know.  It's just 10 reps but that's huge for me to get 10 unbroken wall-ball shots!

Friday, June 7, 2013

TGIF - again!

Wow!  Where did the week go?  I thoroughly enjoyed CrossFit this week.  Sure, the workouts were tough, and I had to scale a few things, but I worked super hard and I'm feeling it.  And, as always, I'm ready for the weekend.

Today was another action packed hour.  First we did 10 x 100m sprints.  Well, everyone else sprinted.  I jogged.  Actually on the very last one I did sprint.  I don't know how they do it, run full-out sprints like that 10 rounds in a row.  I'd be dead.  But I'm good for one every now and then.

Next was the Torture Component.  I mean the Strength Component:

400m barbell carry (men: body weight, women: 0.68 body weight)
3 power clean penalty for every time you drop the bar.

I went with the Rx weight of 105 lbs for my 157 body weight.  Got it up on my back, made about 1/3 of the course and dropped it.  Not because it was heavy, but because it was killing my spine and my overactive imagination ran wild and I convinced myself I was going to have permanent damage to my spinal cord, as in, paralyzed from the neck down.  (Ha ha.  Yeah.  My mind works like that.  You get used to it after a while.)

So.  

I dropped it.  

Rested a half minute, did my three cleans and could not for the life of me get that bar back over my head and onto my back.  So I carried it in a front rack position for a while.  Dropped it. Skipped the extra cleans. Deadlift carried it for a while.  Drop.  Front rack.  Drop.  Deadlift.  Rinse, repeat, about a total of 6 drops and finally I made it back to the gym in the blazing fast time of

8:16    Pretty sure no one will beat that time today!! 

And since that wasn't enough, we did:

Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit ups (I anchored)

My time:  11:26 Rx  - 3 second PR, thank you very much!

TGIF Boys & Girls!!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Leg Day

5 Rounds for max rep lunges of:

2 Minutes to complete:
10 Burpees
Max rep front rack alternating lunges with remaining time (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)
1 Minute rest

My total:  45 lunges, 65#

This was a bitch!  But I loved it.  Well...two hours later I loved it.  It was misery while it was going on, but wow.  I need to do this every single day.  I can feel it already.  And yeah, I should've gone heavier and just gutted it out.  Next time, for sure.


Strength today was a front squat ladder
1 squat the first minute
2 the second minute...through 10 minutes

I chose 95# and made it easily through all 10 rounds.

Great programming today!  Tomorrow sounds fun too!!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

"Nicolette"


Busy day.  Finally finding time to sit down and record my WOD

For time:

400 Meter run
50 Kettlebell  swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
40 Box Jumps (Men 24″ box, Women 20″ box)
30 Walking lunge steps
20 Pull-ups
10 Push press (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
400 Meter run
10 Push press
20 Pull-ups
30 Walking lunge steps
40 Box jumps
50 Kettlebell swings
400 Meter run

My time:  29:48 - scaled

Okay, it was storming so the first modification was rowing.  We all rowed.  500m rows in place of 400m runs.  I used 85# on the push press.  Breck had 95 on the white board, so I called mine scaled.  Although as you can see from my cut and paste of the WOD, he had 85 on the website.  Either way...I'm calling it scaled.  

And then there were the pull ups. I got to the first round and I cannot accurately describe the agony and suffering and lack of oxygen that was going on, but suffice it to say, I decided on the spot to scale the pull ups to 10.  And, *Bam*  the WOD instantly felt more do-able.   Some days it is everything for me just to not feel defeated.

The strength today was 2 rope climbs followed by max reps shoulder press, max reps push press, max reps push jerk.

I climbed the 10 foot rope, effortlessly!  Which means I should be  able to climb the 15 foot rope equally efortlessly.  Hmmm...fear of falling is keeping me down. 

I don't have my numbers in front of me but I don't think I got over 5 reps of anything on any given round.  But it was still fun climbing the short rope.  :)

~Peace!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Diane

21-15 & 9 reps for time of:


Deadlift (Men 225 lbs, Women 155 lbs)
Handstand push-ups

My time: 6:51, Rx weight - 2 abmats for HSPU

I managed to do all the dead lifts unbroken.  It's part of my new mental strategy of "one more rep".  The HSPU are still rather pathetic, using 2 abmats.  I should have these by now, but I don't.  I guess if I were forced into a competition and I had to learn them I might be able to gut it out.  Ha ha.  Until then it's not that important, I guess is the bottom line.  I'm still getting a good workout.

Strength today was Squat Clean & Jerk

I forget all my loads but topped out at 110#.  I was too busy visiting.  ;)

Monday, June 3, 2013

Overhead Fran

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:

Overhead squat (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
Pull-ups

My time:  8:28, Rx - PR

This one is so much more likable than regular Fran.  I'd rather do OHS any day than a damn thruster.  Anyway, I pushed myself really hard on this one, using my new strategy of "one more rep" when I think I can't do another one.  It works for me about 80% of the time.  And I tried to make sure my rest breaks were minimal (at least for me).  I wanted to be under 9 minutes and I made it!  Woot!

Strength today was Squat Snatch.  I switched to power snatch at 75#
my loads:  1 ea @ 40-45-50-55-60-65-70-75-75-75