Monday Madness

21-15 & 9 rep rounds for time of:

Thrusters (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
Burpees

My time: 15:42 Rx

Two things I really don't like to see on a Monday morning - thrusters and burpees. But I DID THEM, and I actually finished the WOD faster than I thought I would. There was a 20 minute time limit and I was guessing it would take me 22. I obviously underestimate myself sometimes. ;)

We did our strength component after the WOD again. I'm not sure if this arrangement helps or hurts. I mean, I'm already warmed up, but I'm also pretty wiped out. I guess it's all the same?

Back Squats
10 @ 135
10 @ 145
10 @ 145


Planning to get in a few 2-mile runs this week after work - the weather is perfect!!

run

Started: Oct 3, 2010 1:49:05 PM
Run Time: 22:56
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 2.06 miles
Average: 11:08 /mile
Fastest Pace: 9:45 /mile
Climb: 108 feet
Calories: 244
Official Route: No


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"Annie"

“Annie”
50-40-30-20 & 10 rep rounds for time of:
Double unders
Sit-ups (abmat, unanchored)

My time: 12:49 Rx - major PR!

This is the first time ever I didn't absolutely hate Annie. Double Unders are finally starting to click - Yay!! I still look ridiculous jumping around all over the place - I know I'm jumping too high and working way too hard, BUT, I'm getting better at them, and actually had several big sets today. This makes Annie less of a battle with the rope and more of a decent workout for me. Still haven't gotten used to the feel of the abmat, but it makes a huge difference in my abs.

When I got to the 20 rep round, I was smiling because I knew I was going to hit a nice PR today - what a great feeling! I think that thought alone was motivation to do even better with my double unders. The last 10 I had intentions of doing unbroken, but I missed the last one. Bummer. So I did a single and went on my way. I'm all smiles this morning. What a great way to end the week!

The strength component today was power cleans. I'm having some form issues with this lift. Sometimes I think I have it down, and sometimes it just looks like a big bad ugly mess. So, today after trying to add some weight (I only got up to 85 lbs), I dropped back down to 55 and just worked on form for a while.

TGIF!!

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time of:

400 meter run
15 overhead squats (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My time: 18:49 Rx, unbroken

I was a bit off my PR this morning (36 seconds), but I knew I would be. I woke up this morning feeling very sluggish. My running felt like when you're running in a nightmare and you're using every ounce of your strength, but not getting anywhere at all.

The overhead squats felt really great today (after the warmup - for some reason those felt awfully heavy!). I concentrated on making sure my form was great on every single rep during the workout. If only I could've run just a bit faster. Oh well...next time, eh?

********
Every week I like to try something new in the kitchen. I love cooking, and with trying to eat primal, I've been adventurous in trying new things.

This past weekend, I made some coconut flour, cheddar biscuits. They turned out great! They are not as big and puffy as a normal wheat flour biscuit, but I'll definitely be making them again. They are great for a breakfast sandwich. My son came over to visit a couple of days ago, and went right to the fridge to graze, as he always does. He found the cheddar biscuits and ate one, commenting how good they were "like Red Lobster's biscuits".

I had also purchased a rutabaga during my weekly grocery shopping. I've never eaten nor prepared one of these before. Yesterday evening I peeled it, cubed it up and boiled it, and then pureed it with a bit of butter and cream. It was delicious with our grilled chicken and grilled eggplant! So, it will be included in my regular selection of veggies from now on.

Next time, I think I'll throw in a couple cloves of garlic for extra flavor. The rutabaga had just a tiny hint of flavor somewhat similar to broccoli, though very understated, and was very slightly sweet. I'm thinking it would also be great in a stew, or maybe even shredded like hash browns. I'll have to experiment.

“Jack”

It's always a little sad to me that there is a new Hero workout. I always try to remind myself of their sacrifice during the workout, and how insignificant my 20 minutes of pain and suffering is in comparison.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

10 Push press (Men 115 lbs, Women 75 lbs)
10 KB Swings, (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
10 Box jumps, (Men 24″ box, Women 20″box)

My rounds: 7, as Rx'd

Strength component today was push press. I always find it difficult not to push jerk when the weight gets heavy.

5 @ 45
3 @ 55
2 @ 65
5 @ 75
5 @ 80
5 @ 85

Yay - Deadlifts!!

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

7 Deadlifts (Men 250 lbs, Women 165 lbs)
14 Push-ups
21 Double unders

My rounds: 3 + 7 DL & 8 PU

Deadlifts felt a bit heavy during the warm up but once I got to the workout they felt great. That was the only part the WOD that was unbroken for me - 4 sets of deadlifts. Seems like it's been a while since I've done any substantial deadlifts.

The warm-up today included 3 minutes of singles and 2 minutes of double-unders, with a 3 toes-to-bar pentalty for any "misses" during the singles. Well I thought that meant legitimate misses, not rest stops. Ha ha. I didn't count my rest stops, an only had one legit miss, so I just did 6 toes-to-bar. I know...I'm a total slacker.

Then we did an 800m "sprint" for the CF Levels testing. Just to be clear here, I don't sprint unless it's like maybe 50 m, maybe 100 or 200m, but 800?! Uh, no. I honestly felt like I was pushing myself to run fast, but still I was slow as death: 4:33 - yuck! I guess that's "room for improvement".

Anyway, I'm happy I got to do some decent deadlifts today. Good workout!

Chilly!

Our weather has turned - it was about 50° this morning. Not quite ready for it, but it felt okay during the running portion of the WOD.

For time:

50 Pull-ups
800 Meter run
30 Pull-ups
400 Meter run
20 Pull-ups
200 Meter run

My time: 23:55 Rx

Whew! 100 Pull ups is always a tough workout for me. I started off strong, but quickly broke down into sets of 4 or less. Had a couple of 6's in the second round, but it was pretty time consuming doing this with short sets. Still, my pull ups all felt good and I didn't get any blisters or tears - yay! And I made it in the 25 minute time limit. Double yay!

Strength component today was back squats, which I've been wanting to do! Breck switched it up a little and had us do them after the WOD. Didn't think I'd want to do them at all, but I actually enjoyed them and made some progress. Got advice on proper breathing (when to inhale, when to exhale) for the lift and it helped a lot.

Did a warm up set of 5 at 85 lbs

Work sets:
3 @ 105
3 @ 125
3 @ 145
3 @ 165
3 @ 170

All my lifts felt good and I believe I could go higher on a 3 rep...possibly 180.

“The Nurse”

A birthday WOD for Karin at CFJ

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

43 Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
24 Burpee box jumps (Men 24″ box, Women 20″ box)
9 Handstand push-ups

My rounds: 2 even
with the most raggedy, poor-depth modified (2 abmats) HSPU ever

Tough workout. Man! Those burpee box jumps were ridiculous!

I'm so glad it's Friday. My body is tired, and I've been weak in the workouts all week long. Going to do some running this weekend and plan my meals more carefully for next week. I ate good this week, but I think the cumulative effect of last week and several long 3 or 4 day weekends eating poorly have caught up with me. So, back on track...

During the warm up we worked on skills from the "level testing" section of our spiffy new WOD books. I've done some of these in the past and will transcribe them into my new book, as well as my PR's and named wods, etc., today.

TGIF!!

“DT”

5 rounds for time of:
12 Deadlifts (Men 155 lbs, Women 100 lbs)
9 Hang power cleans, (Men 155 lbs, Women 100 lbs)
6 Push jerks, (Men 155 lbs, Women 100 lbs)

My time: 18:10 - scaled to 85 lbs

Compare to 4/8/10: 13:07 @ 85 lbs

Well, some days are great and some days are good. Today was good. Just not great.

I started the workout with 100 lbs as prescribed. I got through 4 of the hang power cleans and decided I'd never make a 25 minute cut-off that was set for the wod. And, like Breck said, if you go over 25 minutes on this one it just becomes a strength workout - you lose the intensity. And I needed the intensity. So, I stopped and dropped weight. Cost me a little time, but not five full minutes. Holy cow!

Not sure what the deal was, but everything felt heavy today. I mean, 85 lb deadlifts should not feel heavy at all, and for sure an 85 lb jerk is not heavy. I think I'll blame it on poor nutrition last weekend. I'm still feeling the effects of that. Is that possible? Hmm...Well that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Tomorrow I'll be back for more! :)

"Cindy"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

My rounds: 10 + 5 plu

Not a PR, but a decent workout still. All my pullups felt good, and although 5 pull ups in a row isn't a big deal to a lot of people, I did all sets of 5. See, sometimes I have to break up sets of 5 into 3 and 2. Uh yeah....so, having all my pullups "unbroken" was a big deal for me. And oddly enough it was the "easy" part of the WOD for me. For some reason the push ups just eat me up lately. We did some (72) on Monday and I was sore from that already. But what I noticed today was that my hips kept dropping, which means I need to tighten my core more. So, I concentrated on trying to do that after I noticed it. Definitely need work on my push up form. I guess everything is a work in progress.

In the warm up we worked on snatches, just with the bar. Not my favorite lift, but I'm getting better at the technique/form. The few snatch balances we did were horrible and ugly and painful. I do not like those at all!

We also ran a mile in the warm up and about the half way point I got that damn cramp in my right calf again. I swear...it's always something! I think I have figured out the problem, however. When I bought new running shoes, I neglected to put my orthotic inserts into them, and they are still sitting in the old running shoes. Smart, huh? I'll slip them in there tomorrow morning and hope it makes a difference.

All in all, a good morning. It's always a good morning with CrossFit!!!

Good Morning!

For time:

Row 500m
30 Burpees
10 Shoulder-to-Overhead Presses (Men: 165 lbs, Women: 95 lbs)

My time: 7:20 Rx
This is a PR compared to 2/8/10 @ 7:31 - yay!

Strength today was clean & jerk - your choice if you want to squat clean, power clean or hang clean. 10 min to warm up/practice, then 3 lifts for a max.

warm ups:
several at 85, 95, & 105

Three lifts:
115
125 (f)
125 (f)

I got the squat clean on the first attempt at 125 but couldn't lock out on the jerk, which just kinda ticked me off - I've done 135 on a split jerk before. So, I made another attempt and couldn't get my elbows turned out and release the bar quick enough and failed on the clean. I'm trying to receive it too high, rather than getting down under it. Probably I'd be better off doing a power clean, but I want to get that squat clean technique dialed in because I know with that I can achieve heavier loads.

In spite of those failed attempts, lifting felt great this morning!

If you're gonna play...

Ya gotta pay! This workout was just as hard as I expected it to be after four days of eating totally non-primal (pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, baked potatoes, etc.,) & loads of really good local brew.

3 Rounds for time of:

200 Meter run
12 Dumbbell squat cleans (Men 45 lbs, Women 25 lbs)
24 Push-ups


My time: 15:59 Rx

Front Squats: 5 @ 55, 5 @ 65, 5 @ 75
3 x 10 @ 85

**************

Just so you know, I was not a total slug the entire time I was gone. I did some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains with some friends.


Me, Allan (my husband), Barb & Randy, and Amanda before we started up the trail.

Amanda and me goofing around with a really weird tree.

Half way!

... and still smilin'. :)

Making may way to the top...well almost the top.




I stopped just short of the summit. No desire to drop off the edge of the earth. I was close enough!

Beautiful view!

Couldn't resist putting my feet in this cold mountain stream on the way down.

I sure had a great time, but it's good to be home where I can get my nutrition back in line and detox from all the great beers I had. :)

“Little C”

As many rounds as possible in 17 minutes of:

50 Meter run
3 Squat clean & jerk (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
4 Burpees

My rounds: 9 "Rx" - uh, not so fast there missy...

I was super excited that I got 9 rounds today, compared to 8 rounds in March when we first did this WOD. Yay me! I improved! Or not.

I went through the whole workout doing squat cleans, but not one jerk! Why? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because I'm getting old and forgetful? Because we did squat cleans for our strength component today? Because I saw other people just doing squat cleans? How did I get it in my head that we were doing just squat cleans?? WTF?

I couldn't begin to tell you why I did the wrong thing, and how disappointed I am that I didn't really improve by one round. Bummer. But what are ya gonna do, eh?

I'm gonna take four days off and go have fun with some friends in Knoxville. That's what!

****EDIT**** OK, Breck clarified that he did write "squat cleans" on the white board. I don't feel quite so senile now. Whew!:-)

Strength Component today was squat cleans:

5 @ 65
3 @ 75
2 @ 85
1 @ 95
1 @ 105
1 @ 115

The Best Days...

are the days when I feel like giving up, but I don't! I love knowing I pushed myself to do something that seemed almost impossible at the start. I love that there is a part of me that refuses to take a DNF.

Today's WOD:

5 Rounds for time of:

15 Dumbbell push press (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
50 Double unders

My time: 23:52 Rx

Fear and dread...that's what I feel when I see double unders posted in a WOD. This morning, a few new pointers from Breck seemed plausible and helpful, but somewhere between my brain and my body they got lost in translation. Well, most of it anyway. I actually managed to string together a set of 10 double unders in the third round, which I'm sure is some kind of world record. *snicker*

I had several sets of 5, and a lot of one-at-a-time double unders, but they all added up to 250! I was briefly tempted to just go to singles, or to scale down and only do 25 per round, but I am never going to get better if I just keep babying myself like that, so pushing through to the end was something I just had to do. I feel victorious today! Yay!!

How many box jumps?!

Yikes! That's a lot of box jumps.

3 Rounds for time of:

400 Meter run
50 Box Jumps (Men 24″ box, Women 20″ box)

My time: 19:00 Rx

Box jumps are not one of my favorite elements, but I did okay. I stopped for a short 'three deep breaths' at 25 jumps on each round, but other than that I kept a steady pace and managed to get in just under the 20 minute time limit that Breck set for this WOD. I had three jumps where I fell/tripped. Those are so unnerving, but I just had to suck it up and keep going or I wouldn't have made the cut off time.

Strength Component today was back squats:

5 @ 85
5 @ 105
5 @ 125
10 @ 135
10 @ 135
10 @ 135

I love back squats! And whatever was going on with my back a few weeks ago, it's feeling much better now. I'm concentrating on maintaining good form/posture when racking the weights and not having any pain. So...yay!

****
I'm scoping out CF affiliates in Knoxville, TN today. I'll be in Knoxville at the end of the week visiting a friend and would like to drop in for a WOD. I'm hoping to get my friend to try it as well. We shall see.

“Nasty Girls”

3 rounds for time of:

50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups
10 Hang power cleans (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)

My time: 18:43 - modified
(scaled to 75 lbs for cleans, subbed 14/14 dips/pull ups for muscle ups)

This was my first time ever with this WOD. Really wanted to do the Rx weight, but during the warmup as we were building up toward the weight for the WOD, I was having issues with 5 reps at 85 lbs, so I decided to scale down. I needed to end the week on a positive note, and struggling with a bar and getting frustrated with bad form because of a too-heavy load would not have been a positive note. So, even though I scaled, I still got a good workout, and I'm happy with my efforts for the week.

TGIF!!

“The Bear Complex”

7 Sets of the sequence:
Power clean
Front squat
Push press
Back Squat
Push press

5 Rounds
Rest as needed between rounds.

My rounds/loads:
1 - 55 lbs
2 - 65 lbs
3 - 75 lbs
4 - 85 lbs
5 - 95 lbs - failed after the 4th set

I was so wanting a new PR on this WOD today but it just wasn't in the cards. This is one of my most absolutely favorite workouts in all of CrossFit. I was telling B this morning, I recall the very first time we ever did The Bear, I thought the coaches were insane and I was just in disbelief of all that was required of me - obviously I was still pretty new to CF back then. Now I wouldn't be shocked at just about anything.

So, I'm three sets shy of that damn 95 lb PR. And I'll get it next time - no maybes. I will do it!

However, I think I more than redeemed myself this morning with an amazing feat of strength. I opened a brand new jar of Almond Butter and stared in fear at the chore ahead of me. See, almond butter has a nasty habit of separating, and stirring the oil back into the almond paste is no easy task. Anyone who has ever done this knows what I'm talking about. It's like stirring water into clay. You have to start out very slowly so as not to spill the oil, and then get more aggressive as you go along. So after about 4 full minutes of patiently, diligently stirring, with my arm about to fall off, I was rewarded with some nice creamy, yummy, healthy, delicious almond butter!

I think I'll call that Wod #2 today. ;)

Lots of Work!

When I pulled up the WOD on my phone this morning, I hoped it was just a nightmare. That many burpees is never a good sign for me. But...I went and got them done! It just took me a while...

WOD:

10, 25 & 40 rep rounds for time of:
Burpees
Pull-ups

My time: 22:06

This morning's warm-up was a workout in itself, but I really didn't mind it. I need to run. I need to run more often, and I need to run faster. I wasn't fast today, but I did feel good while I was running, and enjoyed the morning air. I guess that's the one good thing about the seasons changing - the weather will be nice after work so I can get out and do some extra running.

warm up:
run 1 mile - my time: 10:23
row 2K - my time: 9:59

****

I've been trying to find more CF women in my age group for reference on where I might rank on my WOD times, loads, etc. I know it's not all about comparing myself to others, and I have my own set of personal goals, but I think it's the nature of CrossFitters everywhere to want to see where we rank - it's just part of the competitive spirit we all share. At CFJ, to my knowledge, there are not a lot of females in my age group. At least none that are posting times/loads on a regular basis. So, I'm on a quest to find other women my age who either blog about their CF experiences or post to a website regularly. If you know of someone, please point me in their direction. Thanks!

Front Squats

21-15 & 9 rep rounds for time of:

Front Squat (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
Toes to bar

My time: 11:15 Rx

This was a fun workout. I haven't done much with front squats before, don't recall having them in a workout very often either. I was surprised by how winded I got on the toes to bar, but I kept moving as much as possible, and made sure all my squats were deep, and my toes touched the bar on every rep. All in all I felt good about my time.

Strength Component today was front squats. Again, I haven't had much experience with them, so I didn't have a great idea of where to start. In hindsight, I could have probably gone to 115 or 120 today. But, here's what I did:

5 @ 65
3 @ 85
2 @ 95
3 x 5 @ 105

I'll look forward to doing these again to see if I can increase.

What a Great Morning!

I took the day off work today and slept until almost 9 am. What a great way to start the day! We have had a change in our weather and it's a lot cooler than I prefer, but I'm not complaining - there's plenty of sunshine, and I'll get plenty of pool time in the next 4 days.

After sleeping in, I went to the 9:30 am class. The few times I've done this, I've always enjoyed it. It is always nice to put faces with names and the best part is seeing all those cute little kids in the daycare. You CF Jenks couples sure do make pretty babies!!

WOD:

For time:

Run 800 meters
20 One arm dumbbell power snatches, alternating arms (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
20 Dumbbell squat cleans (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
100 Sit-ups
20 Dumbbell squat cleans (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
20 One arm dumbbell power snatches, alternating arms (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
Run 800 meters

My time: 30:12, as Rx'd

I really liked this workout, despite being abysmally slow. Some days I'm just slow, and that's the way it is. I know I'm strong, I can do whatever comes along weight wise, but it's going to take me a while and I'm ok with that. I can get faster, and I know I'm faster than I was a few years ago, so I'm not just resigned to being slow forever. Just acknowledging my weakness. ;)

Strength Component today was Dumbbell Snatch
1 ea arm @ 25, 30, 35, 40, 45

(not sure if this is a PR or not...I know we've done them before but I'm too lazy to go look it up right now)

Bombs Away!

♫ Well I guess I'm back in love again, hey now, and around we go. ♫
~ Bombs Away by The Grateful Dead

So, yeah. I am back in love with CrossFit...again. I go through these peaks and valleys where I get disgusted with myself, thinking I'm too slow or waiting impatiently for an injury to heal, and then suddenly a week of WOD's come along that I just love, and it gets me excited about CF all over again, and I just love, love, love the feeling I get when I am finished with a WOD or a set of lifts. I know. I'm a geek. But I love Crossfit. You know you do too!!! ☺

WOD

21-18-15-12-9-6 and 3 rep rounds of:
Sumo deadlift high-pull (Men 75 lbs, Women 55 lbs)
Push jerk (Men 75 lbs, Women 55 lbs)

My time: 11:13, Rx

SDHP's felt good. I was slow on them for some reason. I usually just tear right through them, but I guess I was mentally trying to pace myself. And I was trying to be ultra-conscious of not bending my arms early. I gave 100% effort and I'm proud of my time!

*******

Strength Component today was Split Jerk - one of my faves, and I managed to hit a new PR. Yay!!

1 ea @
85
95
105
115
125
130
135 (PR!)
140 (failed attempt)

Variety.

Guess this goes along with the "constantly varied" theme today.

With a 20 minute time limit:

1 Strict pull-up (No kipping)
1 Push-up (Hands come off the floor at the bottom of the push-up)
1 Military ab mat sit-up (Hands interlaced behind the head with feet unanchored)

Add one rep to each exercise after each round completed.

My rounds: 11 + 5 pull ups
only 3 rounds strict pull ups, kipping for remainder

This was a bit tougher than it sounded, and oddly enough it was the sit-ups that seemed to slow me down. Not sure why. Anyway, my pullups felt pretty good today. Although it's obvious that I need to improve on strict pull ups.

Today in the warm up we worked on:

Rope climbs - I need to try and get enthused about this one. I'm just not, for some reason.

Muscle ups (progressions) - I just worked on ring dips, which is an important prerequisite. I'm getting a little bit better at ring dips, but far from full range of motion.

Hand Stand Push Ups - I'm getting really a lot deeper on these and feeling stronger. I need to commit some time at home to working on these if I want to get one by the end of the year!

A Good Morning!

10 Rounds for time of:

200 Meter run
10 Deadlifts (Men bodyweight, Women 3/4 bodyweight)

My time: 20:57 - unbroken
scaled up weight to 115

I really enjoyed this workout and loved being able to do it unbroken. I got right on the deadlifts each time I came back in from running, but my running was really slow. I was tentative about running since it's been a while and I wasn't sure if I'd get that leg cramp again, but I had no issues with it at all. And my back is feeling great! So, I'll really look forward to doing this one again and improving my time.

We worked on snatches today in the warm up.
3 @ 55
3 @ 65
3 @ 65

Should probably have gone heavier, more towards 75 in order to get to 80% of max. Next time.

More fun!

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

6 Dumbbell squat cleans (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 25 lb dumbbells)
12 Pull-ups
24 Double unders

My round: 2 + 6 plu, Rx

Actually had some fairly decent double unders today, but they still took me forever. The best part is, I didn't get that muscle cramp in my calf, so I think that issue is over with. Yay!

Strength Component today was Sotts Press. Until today I have only done them with a pvc in our warm-up. I started with the 28# bar and that seemed too heavy. So I went to the 18#. Actually the weight wasn't the issue - it was my hand placement on the bar. After I figured that out, I ended up increasing in weight and did better than I expected.

5 each @ 18, 22, 28, 35, 40, 45
1 each @ 50 & 55

It's a tough move if your shoulders are not flexible!

Fun start to the week! I'm feeling great. :)

“Elizabeth”

21-15 & 9 rep rounds for time of:
Squat clean (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
Ring dips

My time: 13:59, Rx weight, BAR Dips

Compare to 2/17/10 - 15:08 using a 1" band for dips. So, I've made some improvement! I think. Ha ha. I need to get a bit more depth on my dips, and then move on to ring dips so I can have one more "Rx" WOD under my belt.

This was a good workout to end the week with. My back felt tight early during the warm up and a couple of times during the early part of the WOD, but when I concentrated on form and posture when releasing the bar, I didn't have much pain at all, if any. And by the end of the WOD my back was feeling fine.

Didn't really have a strength component today. We did Squat Cleans during the warm up and worked up in weight to the weight we were using for the WOD.

It was great to see Sarah A. this morning! (Hi Sarah!)

TGIF!!!

“Berlyn”

9 Rounds for time of:

8 Shoulder Press (Men 115 lbs, Women 75 lbs)
26 Squats

My time: 25:01 w/65#

Started out with 75#, got in 4 reps and decided to scale down. What a tough workout, but it was actually kind of fun. I've never done that many shoulder presses in one day that I recall.

It was interesting to see where my failure point was each time on the presses. For the first few rounds, I could get in 4 or 5 reps without failing, as the time to do the squats was long enough to recover to that point. There was no getting the bar up when I reached full fatigue, no matter how hard I tried. All I could do was put it down and rest. So I had a lot of triples, doubles and singles in the later rounds.

Anyway, this was a good workout.

Strength this morning was Dead Lifts.
5 sets of 5
125
155
185

I stopped at 185 because I'm getting that low back pain again.

Fran

Eh...I've done better and I've done worse.

Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters (65lbs)
Pull ups

My time: 9:44 Rx

I gave my best effort, and today, it was not a PR. But I feel good about it anyway. First round went fine, second round I dropped the bar on the 9th rep, after thinking to myself "I can do the whole 15 unbroken!!" Uh yeah. Perhaps next time. Anyway, a good morning and a good workout. Can't ask for much more than that. Maybe a new PR next time. ;-)

Still not 100%

I took an extra rest day yesterday. I needed to give my back and my leg a little extra time to heal up. So, imagine my frustration this morning when we started out on the first 800 m run, and about 3/4 of the way through, I got that damn leg cramp again. I tried running it out, and it just got worse and worse. So, I finished the WOD on a rower. I'm calling to schedule a massage today! Hopefully I can get in somewhere soon.

WOD:
4 Rounds, each for time of:
800 Meter run2 Minute rest
Post each 800 time to responses

My times:
1 – 5:20 (run 800m…major leg cramp)
2 – 4:45 (row 1k)
3 – 4:47 (row 1k)
4 – 4:53 (row 1k)
Total time with rest: 25:46

Tomorrow we are doing Fran. Yeah...I hate knowing this ahead of time. Usually I'll lose sleep over it. I'm going to try and dismiss it from my mind today and not get all worked up about it. We shall see.

Strength Component today was Snatch Balance:
5 @ 45
5 @ 55
5 @ 65
5 @ 70 - failed on last rep

TGIF!

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

2 Clean & jerk (Men 185 lbs, Women 115 lbs)
4 Burpees
8 Chest to bar pull-ups

My rounds: 6
85 lbs C&J, regular kipping plu

Scaled down on the weight for the clean & jerks, trying to go a bit easy on my back. The strength component was also 7 single C&J for a 1 rep max. I went light on that, and stayed with 85.

Looking forward to two rest days, and possibly three, perhaps taking Monday off. More than likely I'll go to CF and just go light, or maybe go run. (Thanks for the idea Erin!) But I"ll see how I feel about it come Monday.

Nate-ish

“Nate”

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 Kettlebell swings (Men 70 lbs, Women 45 lbs)

Modified beyond recognition: 7 rounds + 6 plu

So what does that mean exactly? Well, here is the WOD I did:

Sub for MU: 6 pull ups + 6 ring dips of about 2" depth at best
Sub for HSPU: Head to 2 abmats with about a 50% success rate of actually touching my head to the mat
Sub on KBS: dropped to 35 lbs after one round at 45 lbs, and excruciating back pain (which by the way is becoming very annoying)


This morning I took a few minutes to mentally regroup, as I could feel myself sliding down the slippery slope into that trap I was in a few months ago, with the negative self-talk ("I'm old", "I'm wasting my time"). You know what? I'm not old! And I'm certainly not wasting my time!!

I spent some time reading down the right side of my blog this morning and look at my PR's to remind myself of how much I have accomplished in the last two and a half years. I've gone from not ever having picked up a barbell to 232 lb deadlifts and 130 lb split jerks, and running a 10k without ever "training" for it, and so many other things I never could have imagined that it still just blows my mind!

Even though I've got some physical issues going on right now, I'm not going to let a few aches and pains get me down! I am strong, and healthy and committed to staying that way. I'm not a 'firebreather' or a 'badass', but I'm damn sure not a quitter! I'm just having a little set-back, and I don't care what WOD is posted tomorrow, I will show up at 5 am and do what I can. My injuries will heal and I will continue learning new skills, setting new PR's and giving it all I've got, even if some days it's not exactly what's prescribed.

(I think, in hindsight, this post needs some dramatic background music for effect. Or maybe a picture of me at the top of Mt. Everest, photoshopped, of course. It is a bit dramatic, but it really was intended as more of a personal pep-talk. Ok...move along...nothing to see here.)

Tough Morning!

This was a tough one! Wow!!

Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:

5 Dumbbell deadlifts
5 Dumbbell hang power cleans
5 Dumbbell thrusters

Post dumbbell weight used, total minutes completed and total rounds completed thereafter.
The rx’d dumbbell weight is 45% bodyweight for men and 30% bodyweight for women (that is both dumbbells combined).

Total Minutes Completed: 20 rounds, Rx


My body weight is 146
30% of that is 43.80, which does not divide evenly into two dumbbells...it comes out to 21.9 lbs, which rounds down to 20 lbs. So, what did I do? I scaled UP. Yes, UP - to 25 lbs each hand.

Well, what was I thinking??

I made it through 5 rounds at that weight and then dropped to 20's. I believe legally it would still be considered as Rx'd, to use the 20's so I'm going with "as Rx'd" on my score. My 3rd grade math teacher would give me an A for my rounding skills. *ha ha ha*

**************

Strength Component today was Shoudler Press
I'm just not making a whole lot of progress on this one, and don't really know what to do about it.

5 @ 35
3 @ 45
2 @ 55
5 @ 65
5 @ 70
5 @ 75

Those 3 sets of 5 should have all been at 75, but I think if I can start just getting ONE set of a higher number, then eventually I can get two sets, and then 3. So, next time I'm going to try going 70, 75, 80 on the sets of 5 and see if this helps me progress to a higher weight.

Flawed thinking/strategy? Anyone want to offer an opinion?

Modifying or Scaling - it's all good!

So, apparently I'm falling apart this week. My right calf muscle is killing me from the "cramp" I had yesterday during the running part of the WOD. Perhaps I pulled a muscle? I don't know. What I do know is that by the time I got home yesterday evening it was pretty painful. I iced it for a while. I'm icing it now. It'll heal up in time. It's all good.

The issue with my back, well, I'm hoping a new mattress is in my future, perhaps as early as this weekend. We shall see.

In any case, today I was thankful for the ability to modify or scale the workout to suit my needs. The lift in the workout was not a pre-set weight, so I went with a comfortable 85 lbs after experimenting with heavier weights during the strength workout. I subbed rowing 1k's for the 800m runs. One more reason I love CrossFit - I can still train through an injury and get a decent workout.

WOD:
For time -
21 Power cleans
800 Meter run
15 Power cleans
800 Meter run
9 Power cleans

My time: 16:09 - W/ 85 lbs, and rowing 1k's instead of running

Strength component: Power Cleans
5 @ 65
3 @ 85
2 @105
1 @ 115 - two failed attempts, and back pain started up so I stopped here
1
1

Aches & Pains

For time:

400 Meter run
50 Double unders
400 Meter run
50 Push-ups
400 Meter run
50 Pull-ups
400 Meter run

My time: 23:40
subbed abmat situps for double unders

Got up this morning feeling fine. Our warm up was 3 minutes of single unders and 2 minutes of double unders. Started out ok, and about 200 singles into the warm up my lower back started hurting a bit, but nothing I couldn't handle by tightening my core a bit more.

The strenght component today was back squats. 5-3-2-5-5-5. I love back squats. Recently I've had some issues with back pain, and the little bit of pain during double unders had me concerned. So, I started out light at 105. I did 7 or 8 reps, really as a warm up and felt pretty good. But, just like last week when I racked the weight, there was that pain again - lower back, down to the glutes and into my leg. So, I stretched a bit while Samantha did a few reps. Then I added 30 lbs and went for three reps. The weight felt fine when I was under it. I could do a full range of motion squat, no problem. But this time when I racked the weight, the pain brought tears to my eyes. So, in the interest of not totally screwing something up, I gave up doing any more back squats today.

I also decided not to do double-unders in the WOD and subbed ab mat sit ups. The ab mat actually makes my back feel better.

During the first 400m run, I suppose I was favoring my left side, being a little timid about my back. So, I managed to get a huge muscle cramp in my right calf, which continued to act up through the entire WOD, slowing my already abysmally slow running to a crawl. Seriously another pain? That's all I needed. Ah, Monday. :)

I've decided these two things would probably be of great benefit to my back:

1. I need to stretch more, both before and after WOD's.
2. I need a new mattress. The one I have now has been causing back and hip problems for both Allan and me, so it's time to do something about it. (Can't have it messin' with my back squats and deadlifts!!!)

“The Fireman”

(Workout for Brody's birthday...he's a fireman, if that's not obvious by the title.)

For time:
Firemans carry your barbell and plates around the building
30 Muscle ups or Squat Clean & Jerk (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs) or a combination of both
Firemans carry your barbell and plates around the building


Rules: You will have a barbell and two plates. It is your choice on how you get them around the building. You can take one at a time or you could load your barbell and take the whole thing at once. Once you get back to your starting point with your barbell and plates you have to complete 30 muscle ups or clean & jerks or it can be a combination of both. After completing the 30 reps you must complete another trip or trips around the building with your barbell and plates.

My time: 16:12, Rx w/30 sq c&j

This was a super fun workout. When I first looked at it this morning I was thinking, "wtf?" and trying to figure out how long it would take me. I estimated 15 minutes, so I wasn't far off the mark. Originally it was posted as "clean & jerks" and then Breck decided to make it SQUAT clean & jerks to more closely match the amount of work required in a muscle up. I think if it had just been clean & jerk, my time would have been way faster. Still, I didn't mind at all doing the squat cleans - I've finally got the "release the hook grip" and "receiving the bar on your shoudlers" down and it makes a world of difference!

Clean & jerk is one of my favorite lifts. My form felt really great today and I enjoyed the entire workout.

Strength component today was squat clean & jerk. I got to 105 and stopped. I was conserving energy for the WOD. I was feeling strong this morning though, and probably should have pushed a little harder and gone for a PR.

Anyway, a great workout, and a very nice way to kick off the weekend!!

TGIF!

"Jeremy"

21-15-9

Overhead squats (65 lb)
Burpees

My time: 11:18 Rx - PR by 1 min
(Compare to 3/5/09 12:18)

Today after the WOD I was so discouraged and frustrated. I am just abysmally slow on burpees. Seems like no matter what I do, how hard I push, I cannot get faster. I knew I had done this WOD before, but had no idea of my time. Much to my surprise, I was a full minute faster today than I was over a year ago. Even though I still need to be WAY faster, it made me smile to know that I had improved every so slightly.

I suspect, however, that the minute time difference was due to the OHS and not the burpees.

I sort of laughed at my notes from 3/5/09. It was the very first WOD I did using 65 lb OHS. My notes from that day say "Wow. Heavy." Ha ha!

*****
Strength component today was squat snatch:

1 @ 55
1 @ 65
1 @ 75
1 @ 85
1 @ 90 (fail)

I know I can do 90. Just felt weak today on the lifts. I didn't have hardly any carbs yesterday. Gotta watch that!

Shoulders...

Just about everything we did today involved shoulders. Thankfully my shoulders have been feeling great lately, and althought I am slow (that never seems to change), I enjoyed the workout and the warmup, and felt good about my form on the push jerks, and the overhead squats.

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

4 Handstand push ups
5 Burpees
6 Push jerk (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs) (no racks; the push jerks start from the floor)

My score: 4 rounds + 2 burpees (66 reps total)
Rx weight on push jerk, MOD HSPU


Warm up:

First minute 1 pull up, 1 OHS (35 lb bar)
Second minute 2 pull ups, 2 OHS
etc., through 10 minutes.

I made it through 7 minutes doing both skills, and then went to just doing OHS on 8, 9 & 10.
Then Breck threw in a "bonus round" of 11 reps each. I did the OHS on that one too, so got in plenty of OHS today

Total OHS reps: 66
Total PLU reps: 28

******
Made my second batch of coconut flour blueberry muffins last night. OMG they are SO good. They only take about 20 minutes total from start to finish and they are delicious. I added a tiny bit extra coconut flour this time and the texture is perfect. I honestly cannot tell they don't have any traditional white flour in them. Next time I'll make lemon-poppyseed muffins. Yum!

3 Rounds for time of:

400 Meter run
15 Deadlifts (Men 205 lbs, Women 135 lbs)
20 Box jumps (Men 24″box, Women 20″ box)

My time: 17:53 Rx

Not sure what possessed me, but I broke up the deadlifts on the first round. WTF? I can do 15 unbroken. So, round 2 & 3 I did them unbroken. Running felt really slow this morning, but then again, when have I ever been fast? Ha! Anyway, this was a good workout, kind of fun, and wouldn't mind doing it again. I know I could get faster at it.

Strength Component today was shoulder press. Not my fave. Not my best. We haven't done them in quite a while, and I had to drop weight. Need to get back to and past 75 lbs on this lift!

5 @ 55
3 @ 65
2 @ 70
5 @ 75...failed
3 x 5 @ 70

Mmmmonday!

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Immediately following the 10 minute AMRAP:
400 Meter sprint

Scoring method :
400 meter sprint time in total seconds
Minus total completed rounds in the 10 min AMRAP = Score


My score: 117 (123 seconds run time, minus 6 rounds)

****

It sure felt good to be back at the 5:00 am class. Not that it felt all that good to get out of bed at 4:30, but I missed my 5am peeps last week! :)

Strength component today was Back Squats
5-3-2 warm up and 5-5-5 work sets

I did:
5 @ 125
3 @ 145
2 @ 155

Had an issue with lower back pain when racking the weights after the squats. Not sure what's going on here, but the squats actually felt good - no pain at all until I racked the weights, and then a catch in the low back with pain down my glutes and into my leg. So, I opted not to do the work sets. Last time we did this I hit 165 on the 5 rep work sets. I was going to go for 170 today, but I'll wait until next week.

Now...back to work!

Back on the Wagon

I have been on vacation for the past 9 days. As I planned, I had several meals or dishes that were nowhere near Primal. My list of culinary indiscretions includes but was not limited to:

Cheeseburger & fries
Flour tortillas
Sandwich bread
Tater tots
Homemade Biscuits & Gravy (worth every bite!)
Chicago Dog, including a BUN
An "ice cream" treat that I'm certain I couldn't pronounce half the ingredients
Boneless Buffalo Wings with bbq sauce (breaded & fried)
Quiche with a real crust
Beer
Beer
and
More Beer

Actually, I include beer in my regular "Primal" diet, so don't really consider it off-plan, except for the extreme volume I managed to consume in 9 days time.

So, to get back on track, today I stocked up on veggies and meats. I made a batch of fresh salsa, and I'm marinating 6 lbs of fajita meat for dinner tonight and lunches this week. I finally experimented with coconut flour and made some Primal-legal blueberry muffins, sweetened with honey. Yum!!! The texture is just a tiny bit different, but definitely worth repeating.

And, since I managed to squeeze in five workouts on my vacation, I'm hoping I didn't do a whole lot of damage.

"Virginia"

Today marks my first ever Saturday CrossFit workout. Breck arranged for a workout and going away party for Ginny, who is moving to Michigan soon, and I really didn't want to miss it. Ginny is an awesome person and one of my CrossFit Idols.

It was a tough workout, but a lot of fun. I skipped two elements of the WOD because I could. *snicker* Still, it was a great time, and it was nice to finally meet some of the people whose names and faces appear on the CFJ website on a regular basis. What a great group of people!!

“Virginia”

For time:
1 Mile trail run
33 Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
100 Meter trail run
200 Meter overhead plate run (Men 45 lb plate, Women 25 lb plate)
100 Meter trail run
33 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
400 Meter trail run
33 Lateral jumps over a telephone pole (17″)
800 Meter trail run

My Time: 28:33 - modified
(I skipped kettle bells and wall balls, and I also did laterals over the shorter telephone pole).

Karen

Ay, yi, yi! Had a text from Natalie saying she didn't go this morning because she doesn't like Wall Ball. I knew it would be Karen, but went anyway. I needed the workout.

Karen:
150 Wallballs for time (14 lbs)

My time: 13:27 Rx
Slow. As. Death.

Strength Component today was deadlifts. Kinda felt like I've lost my mojo on dealifts in the last few months, however, today I felt strong and I actually had some good lifts. I believe the little head game I was playing with myself on deadlifts is no longer a factor. :)

3 each @ 125, 145, 165, 185, 195, 205, 220

Run...again.

Got up and ran again this morning - 2.5 miles. Fortunately the sky was cloudy and the temps were not as high as Tuesday. Got a few errands run, waiting on the sun to shine, then hit the pool and the beer again. It's my duty to stimulate the economy by drinking beer.

Grace

Went to the 9:30 am class this morning, since I'm still on vacation.

Nowhere near a PR on Grace today, but oh well.

Grace:
For time - 30 Clean & Jerk (85lbs)

My time: 5:03 Rx

Resumed floating around the pool, beer in hand for the remainder of the day.

Run

Vacation: ran today 2.56 miles at 7:45 am - hotter than the gate hinges of Hell!! Spent the remainder of the day in the pool, beer in hand.

Fun & Sun, here I come!

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:

Box jumps (24″ box)
Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My time: 9:54
(Rx Weights, 20" box)

A fun, short workout. Could have been shorter if I could speed up my box jumps. I fell once this time and it scared the heck out of me, but I just kept going. I was pushing hard to get under 10 minutes, and I succeeded! And then look at everyone getting these 5 & 6 minute times. Man, I'm slow... but I'm trying like crazy! I'm giving 100%.

Run warm-up (rest 1 min btwn runs)

400m 1:54
200m 0:48
400m 1:52
200m 0:51
400m 1:55

Total time: 11:20
Total run time: 7:20 - PR by 2 sec!

And now, I'm off to Texhoma for some fun in the sun. Gonna have some bad carbs and some good beer with some great friends!

For time:

1000 Meter row
30 Overhead squats (Men 135 lbs, Women 85 lbs)
1200 Meter run

My time: 19:48 Rx

I like this workout! I had figured on it taking me around 25 minutes, though in hindsight that was a bit long. If I could have kept from breaking up the OHS so much, my time would've been much better. Broke them up 10-5-5-5-5. On the first half of the run, my legs felt like lead. But on the second half I felt great. Running actually felt so good this morning, I contemplated running some more when I got home, but decided I'd better get ready for work, since I need my job. I'll do some running next week when I'm on vacation.

Strength component this morning OHS we were supposed to find our 15 rep max. I failed at 9 reps. I should have dropped weight and tried 15, but oh well.


5 @ 55
3 @ 65
2 @ 75
9 @ 85

The Dress

Thanks to CrossFit and Primal Blueprint, today I am wearing "The Dress".

"The Dress" is a classic little black dress I bought 9 years ago to wear to my 20th HS class reunion. A former male co-worker dubbed it "The Dress", and told me I wasn't allowed in his office on the days I was wearing "The Dress" because he might get in trouble for sexual harassment. Not to worry, however, because over the years it got pushed to the back of my closet. In all honestly it was because I got too big/fat for it, even though I was "going to the gym" five days a week.

Now, after a couple years of CrossFit, and 3 months of eating Primal, I'm once again wearing "The Dress" and it feels great!!

Thank you CrossFit!

****

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

5 Burpees
10 Toes to bar
15 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lbs, Women 14 lbs)

My score: 4 rounds + 9 wall ball shots

DB Shoulder Press:
5 @ 15
3 @ 20
2 @ 25
3 x 5 @ 30

Also worked on ring dips, false grip pull ups and muscle up progressions.

Power Cleans & HSPU

3 Rounds for time of:

15 Handstand push-ups
15 Power cleans (Men 155 lbs, Women 95 lbs)

My time: 14:07
Rx weight, Mod HSPU - head to 2 abmats

This was a quick/fun workout. My form could use some improvement on the power cleans - mainly releasing the hook grip at the right time. When I get it right, it feels good, but when I don't release early enough, I know it. My collarbones have permanent bruises. But I'm getting there.

HSPU, I'm still not there yet, but it's feeling better, touching my head to the abmat most of the time. Had a couple where my arms failed and I was in a head-stand position, and kipped out of it into a handstand, but I couldn't remain upright. Need to work on that, I guess one leg or arm was doing more work and made me go sideways? Hmm...

"The Airforce WOD"

20 Thrusters (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pull (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
20 Push Jerks (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
20 Overhead Squats (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
20 Front Squats (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

With 4 Burpees on the minute every minute.

My Time: 14:55 Rx (PR by 3:52)
Compare to Feb 25, 2010

OK...wow! So I got in my car this morning and looked at my phone as I got to the main road. There was a text from B saying this is the one WOD she will never do again and she'd see me tomorrow. I knew instantly what the WOD was. Stricken with fear and dread, I kept driving. I kept thinking of reasons to turn around and go home: I left my gloves, I left my towel, I hate burpees, this WOD will kill me. (Dramatic much?) My stomach knotted up and I wanted to go back home, but I knew I would be kicking myself later if I did. So, I decided to just suck it up and go do the workout. It didn't kill me last time, it wont' kill me this time. (Note: Just for the record, it almost killed me last time!)

We worked on back squats for our strength component today, and I was able to focus on that (I love back squats!) and keep my mind off the impending WOD. I got pretty nervous when it was time to start, though. Not a big fan of the huge adrenaline rush I get sometimes. Anyway, I was able to just jump right into the workout and give it my all. And, surprisingly, I managed to:

(1) not die,
(2) not cry (though I was tempted)
(3) finish, and
(4) beat my previous time.

So, I'll call this one a success. And, I'm not quite so afraid of this one anymore. And I set a new PR.

Credit where credit is due, the coaching I receive at CFJ has made a world of difference in my strength, both mentally and physically. Granted, I am still light years away from being as fast or strong as most people at this gym, but I have improved so much in the last 7 1/2 months, and it never would have happened if it weren't for Breck. Best coach ever!!!

Back Squats
5 @ 85
3 @ 115
2 @ 135
5 @ 155
5 @ 160
ran out of time and didn't do last set of 5 (wanted to go for 170)...next time!!

Fun times ahead!

I'm so ready for a weekend; so ready to not wake up at 4:30 am!

Tomorrow I will sleep in just a tiny bit, and then it's up and at 'em to do a few things in the kitchen in preparation for a "girls day" at the pool. Four of the girls from my original CrossFit group are coming over to swim, eat and catch up on what's happening in our lives. We all started CF in 2008 together at a "bootcamp", and three of us are still regularly doing CrossFit.

I've managed to keep my food contributions for tomorrow as primal as possible. I've made some miniature lemon tarts (all primal ingredients), and will put some blueberries with them. I'll also have some caprese salad skewers - miniature fresh mozzarella, with basil & cherry tomatoes from my garden.



******

Oh, yeah! Almost forgot this is my CrossFit blog...not a food blog. So, without further ado, here is the WOD:

Run 400 meters
50 Squats
50 Sit-ups
Run 400 meters
40 Squats
40 Sit-ups
Run 400 meters
30 Squats
30 Sit-ups
Run 400 meters
20 Squats
20 Sit-ups
Run 400 meters
10 Squats
10 Sit-ups

My time: 22:46

My running was a bit sluggish, but other than that, I felt great and pushed hard. I loved this workout.

Strength component today was squat snatch:
5 @ 55
3 @ 65
2 @ 70
1 @ 75
1 @ 80
1 @ 85

TGIF!!

Burpee Box Jumps?

Burpee Box Jumps...what kind of evil hybrid nonsense is this to be throwing at a person at 5 am? Take my two least favorite elements of CrossFit and combine them, and there you have it. The only thing that could make this worse would be if they were wallball-burpee-box jumps. (Which I sincerely hope is logistically impossible.) Actually the burpee box jumps were not that bad...they just sound bad.

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

3 Power cleans (Men 185 lbs, Women 115 lbs)
6 Burpee box jumps (Men 24 ” box, Women 20″ box)
12 Kettlebell swings (Men 70 lb kettlebell, Women 45 lb kettlebell)

My rounds: 4 + 3 power cleans
(scaled to 105 on power cleans)

OK, I hate it that I scaled down on this. It was just a 10 lb difference. But when we went to try one rep just before the WOD started, I failed on the rep. And as Breck pointed out...if it's hard now, it's gonna be harder in a few minutes. So, I scaled down. I did get in a great workout, and pushed as hard and fast as I could go. So, mission accomplished. Next time, I do Rx weight. No scaling back!!!!

Strength component today was Power Cleans and (yay) I hit a new 1 rep PR! (And a good reason why I shouldn't have scaled. Ah, live & learn.)

5@ 75
3 @ 85
2 @ 105
1 @ 115
1 @ 120
1 @ 125 (PR!)

Ouch - Dumbbell Thrusters!

4 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
15 dumbbell thrusters (Men 1/2 body weight, Women 1/3 body weight)

My time: 17:02 Rx
Used 25 lb dumbbells (Body weight = 146)

This wasn't a bad workout, but once again I came in dead last. I was pushing myself the entire time. I expected I could do the thrusters unbroken, but surprisingly I couldn't! I was thinking about Nancy - it's 5 rounds and has heavier weights and I can do it unbroken. But Nancy uses an OHS, which to me is easier than DB thrusters, so my thinking was flawed there. Oh well, I have something to shoot for next time this WOD comes around - faster and perhaps unbroken.

During the warmup this morning we worked on muscle up progressions. For me, what that really means is trying to get a decent ring dip, and doing a muscle up progression from my knees. I did several of each, though my ring dips are not deep enough. We also did ring pull ups as part of the progression. I've got a bet with myself that I can get a muscle up within one year. A lofty goal, perhaps...but a girl has to have some goals, eh?

"Amanda"

3 rounds for time, 9-7-5 reps:

Muscle up
Squat Snatch (men 135 lbs, women 95 lbs)

My time: 23:13
scaled to 65 # on snatch
did 27-21-15 pull ups and dips to sub for muscle ups

*****

It was great to see Breck back from the games!! If I were him I'm sure I'd be in pieces....picture a teddy bear with an eye hanging by a thread and stuffing coming out...that's what I'd be like if I went through even half the workouts he did. But he didn't seem any worse for the wear! What an amazing athlete. I have a whole new respect for him, and feel fortunate to have him coaching me.

Today I was borderline on whether or not I should have even gone to the gym. Saturday night I started getting a migraine. Sunday I thought maybe it was going to ease up, but in the middle of the night it escalated to full blown misery, and when the migraine meds failed to work at all, I started on the narcotics, which I totally hate doing. But better than a handgun, eh? Yesterday I made it 3 hours at work and headed home with another prescription. Several doses of that and a good night of rest seem to have done the trick. It's down to maybe a 2 on a scale of 1-10.

See, the trouble with taking all those pills is, they stay in your system for a while. I feel sluggish, light-headed and dull. This morning at the gym I was dizzy every time I did a lift. I went light on the weights, and I was obviously slow. Thankfully the headache didn't return. I fail to see how people get addicted to pain meds. I cannot imagine feeling like that all the time. Yuck!!!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to tomorrow; I should be 100% again.

Wow!

I was glued to either my iphone or a computer most of the weekend, keeping tabs on The Games. The excitement was nothing short of incredible!!

We had people over for a pool party on Saturday and it was interesting to me that most of them would stop, look at the games, and just not really "get it". And it confused me. I mean, here are some of the most fit people on earth competing in extremely demanding events and people just looked at it and shrugged.

Then it occurred to me, they were not into it simply because they didn't know anything about the CF workouts; no idea what goes into it or the amazing feeling of finishing a WOD, or how totally fit those competitors are.

The more I watched, the more awed I became, knowing that I share the competitors' obsession for the sport of CrossFit. Although the Games competitors are far above the level of fitness that I am, it made me extremely proud to be part of the HUGE sisterhood/brotherhood that is CrossFit.

And geeky as it might sound, I got teary-eyed more than once watching people struggle to get one more rep, or victoriously finish a WOD and collapse to the ground or high-five someone next to them. Every competitor in the games is a hero and an inspiration to me!

So Excited!!

I'll be glued to my computer all weekend - I intend to keep the live feed of The Games up and running so I can keep an eye on all the action. Breck Berry, the owner and coach of CrossFit Jenks, is competing in the games for his fourth time. He is one of just a small group of people to have competed in every CF Games. I know he'll do well, and can't wait to see how it all turns out! Though I will never be the elite athlete that the Games competitors are, I am certainly addicted to all that is CrossFit, and inspired by every second of the competition. Let the games begin!!!


In Breck's absence, some of the classes were canceled, one of them being the 5 am. Ginny King, Certified CrossFit Badass and trainer at CF Jenks, is leading several classes. But the class schedule didn't fit my schedule, so I suggested running at 5 am. (I don't blame you for not getting up that early Ginny!!) Several of the 5am regulars showed up to run this morning. We intended to do a 5k, and did just a tiny bit more. Oh, and I'm using the term "run" loosely. This was really more of a leisurely "jog". Here are the stats and a map:

Started: Jul 16, 2010 5:05:26 AM
Run Time: 45:06
Stopped Time: 1:01
Distance: 3.89 miles
Average: 11:35 /mile
Fastest Pace: 9:36 /mile
Climb: 79 feet
Calories: 539
Official Route: No

That's a really crappy picture, now that I look at it.  But, you get the gist of it.

Oh, I love CrossFit so much...

...just some days I wonder why.

Today, for example. Really I am horrible at Burpees, and seems like I never get any faster. I try. I push. But...they just slow me down, therefore I have developed a particular loathing for them. Not a big fan of Wallball however, I've made my peace with it, just like with box jumps.

So even though today was a nightmare workout for me, there is always something to love about CrossFit, every single day. Today during the warm up we worked on kipping toes-to-bar. I sort of got it, but need more practice. It's always fun to learn something new or make an advancement on a skill. But the very best part of today was the last Burpee! There is nothing better than being finished with Burpees!

See, there is always something to love!

WOD:

5 Rounds for time of:

30 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
15 Burpees

My time: 27:17 Rx

Happy Hump Day!

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

10 Push-ups
15 Box jumps (Men 24″ box, Women 20″ box)
20 Sit-ups

My rounds: 8 + 3 box jumps

The humidity is really awesome bad this week, but I figure it just makes me sweat more, and that can't be bad, really, now can it? As long as I'm re-hydrating.

Yesterday evening, in my quest to finish these seemingly eternal projects my husband engineers, I was helping him shovel dirt and spread it out. I was literally drenched from head to to in less than 5 minutes.

So, why were we shoveling and spreading dirt?

Because tonight, we get to lay sod. If I had a nickel for every roll of sod I've laid on this same piece of land...well, I wouldn't be rich, but I'd have a shitload of nickels. :)

Anyway, I feel like I've been doing two-a-day's for a while now, with all the landscape work we've been doing. I told him last night "No more projects". Like I really have any say in it. Ha ha!

Actually I'm thankful my husband has such a good eye for landscaping and knows what to do. I'm just an extra set of muscles to help move things around. He's seeing a return on our investment in CrossFit, and taking full advantage of it. Can't blame him, eh? After all, he has to listen to me obsessively talk about CF all the time, he might as well get some good out of it!

Compare to?

For time:

1000 Meter row
20 Handstand Push-ups
15 Deadlifts (Men 315 lbs, Women 205 lbs)
10 Muscle-ups

My time: 17:18
modified HSPU (head to 2 abmats)
subbed 30 pull ups and 30 dips for muscle ups
Rx weight on Deadlifts :)

Compare to 1/29/10: Looks like I slept in that day. So, I'm calling today a PR! *snicker*

I liked this workout a lot. It felt good to do some heavy deadlifts and feel good about my form, etc. My HSPU are feeling a lot better. Need a while longer at this level, before dropping to 1 abmat, but I am feeling stronger with them, and getting closer to a "real" one. One of these days!!

Hard Work!

Saturday my husband and I finished the sidewalk project we've been working on. The cement truck showed up at 6 am. Of course, these things never go smoothly; the cart they use to shuttle loads of cement got bogged down in the yard, tore up the grass, etc., so that slowed us down a bit. Thankfully it was a foggy morning and we were protected from the brutal sun for while.

Six hours later, we finished the job! Sore, sweaty, worn out and officially retired from cement work, we rewarded ourselves with some cold beers and a nice Ron's cheeseburger.

Here is the finished product. We did a salt finish on it to match the pool deck.


























Sunday I rested by floating around the pool for several hours. And today...back at CrossFit for some more fun and games!!

Today's WOD:

5 Rounds for time of:
10 Dumbbell squat cleans (dumbbells must touch the floor each rep)
10 Dumbbell overhead walking lunges
10 Dumbbell thrusters

My time: 15:02, using 15 lb dumbbells

I really enjoyed this workout. I probably could have gone a tiny bit heavier, but those overhead walking lunges were a killer. I wouldn't mind doing this one again; it was really pretty fun.

Strength component today was Overhead Squats:
5 @ 65
3 @ 75
2 @ 85
3 sets of 5 @ 95

Rows and rows...

...of big dark clouds. I'm tired of this rain and the dreary dark skies! However, I didn't mind the rowing workout today. I didn't set any PR's, but my times were fairly consistent, and I pushed myself on every round. Looking at the "compare" to times, I'm not horribly off track.

WOD:
5 Rounds, each for time of:

500 Meter row
Rest 5 minutes between each round.

My times today:
2:11.2
2:07.8
2:03.1
2:07.0
2:11.7

Compare to 4/6/10

1:56.5 (PR)

1:59.8

2:05.4

2:07.7

2:07.1

It's been a good week. Although, I'm really glad I missed Monday's workout. I've been helping with a sidewalk we're putting in: Digging out clay/dirt. Shoveling gravel. All that, combined with this week at CF have me sore all over! I'm ready for a day of rest, which I'll get on Sunday. Tomorrow we will finish that sidewalk...at 6 am. Ugh!

***Oh I forgot! I hit 14 consecutive pullups today in the warm-up. Yay! ****

TGIF!!

What's a little rain, eh?

This morning at 4:30 am it was pouring down rain, and I really wrestled with the thought of sleeping in or going to the gym. I was so tempted to stay home. See:

Devil yawning on my left shoulder: "Driving a tiny sports car in the rain is dangerous, yo! You'd be a fool to get up out of this nice, soft bed!"
Angel wide awake on my right shoulder: "Get your butt out of bed and go to CrossFit...NOW!"

Uh...yeah, so the Angel wins again. I got up and went in for a big dose of misery...eh, I mean a dose of the wonderful goodness that sustains me and makes me stronger mentally and physically. Yeah... that's really what I mean.

Today's WOD:

5 Rounds for time of:
15 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
15 Thrusters (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My time: 17:21 Rx
(Compare to 4/14/10 - 15:46)

Looking at that "compare to" time, perhaps I should have listened to my little left-shoulder devil. *snicker* This is a tough, tough workout! I went back and read over my comments on 4/14 and laughed when I read the "I think I can get faster" part. Honestly, though, I think I CAN get faster. Today was not the day for that to happen, obviously. Next time, perhaps.

Anyway, I'm glad I got up and went to CF, despite the rain and the temptation to sleep in. I am always glad I went! Many days, it's the best part of my day.

******

And now a quote from the CrossFit Facebook page today, which I just loved (it would make a great T-Shirt slogan):

"I work. I learn. I sweat. I love. I hurt. Yeah, this is CrossFit." -- Jason Khalipa, CrossFit Games Champion 2008 and CrossFit affiliate owner

“J.T.”

21-15-9 reps for time of:
Handstand push-ups
Ring dips
Push-ups

My time: 16:44
Modified HSPU: head to 2 ab mats
Subbed bar dips for ring dips

This one just gets harder and harder. I was able to touch my head to the abmat about 50% of the time. This is actually progress. So, there's that. Then, on the dips, last time we did this (April 16) I was using a 1" band, which I'm no longer using. So more progress, even though my time was 3+ minutes longer, I know I'm doing more work.

I really thought I was going to beat B this morning. And on the last round she jumped down there and whipped out those last 9 push ups and beat me by 2 seconds!! Ha ha! Good job B!

We worked on Deadlifts this morning. The past 3 weeks my low back has been really hurting, so I took it "easy". Rather than going for a 1 rep max on the 5-3-2-1-1-1 scheme, I did several sets of 5 at a lighter weight.

10 @ 125 (warm up)
5 @ 155
5 x 4 @ 175

Oh, the humidity!

It was so humid this morning I thought I was going to drown in my sweat! Yuck!

WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

5 Burpees
10 Dumbbell split cleans (Men 45 lb, Women 25 lb ) (alternating leg each rep)
20 Sit-ups (hands interlaced behind the head and feet can be anchored with dumbbells)

My rounds: 4 as Rx'd

This was a tough workout, and it didn't help that I smacked myself in the ear with a dumbbell toward the end of the 4th round. Ouch! No damage though....I'm pretty hard-headed.

I didn't eat hardly any carbs yesterday (maybe 55-60 g) trying to compensate for the horrible carb overload from Friday, Saturday & Sunday (which was totally delicious, by the way). In hindsight, I should have had about double that yesterday, as I was weak and light headed through most of the warm up, skills and workout. Live & learn!

Fun Friday

In this workout you will have 4 five minute rounds with a 1 minute break between rounds. Each round consists of a 400 meter run at the start of each round. After you complete the 400 meter run you will have the remaining 5 minutes to complete 1 of the following 4 exercises for max reps in each round. You choose the order of the exercises for each round.

Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)

Rowing (Calories)

Burpees

Pull-ups

My Total: 110

Burpees: 26
Pull ups: 21
Wall ball: 34
Row: 29

Insert Catchy Title Here

Meh...can't think of a title. Go figure.

WOD:
Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:

7 Deadlifts (Men 1.5 x bodyweight, Women 1 x bodyweight)
7 Handstand push-ups (substitute 21 push-ups if you can’t do a handstand push-up)
Post rounds and deadlift load to responses.

My total: 12 rounds + 12 deadlifts,
I used 150 lbs (BW 146 at last weigh)
HSPU MOD: touched head to ab mat on 10 lb plate


The WOD today was tougher than I thought it would be. For some reason 150lbs felt horribly heavy on the first lift. However, once I got a couple rounds in, it didn't seem too bad at all.

I am excited by my progress on HSPU!! I am touching my head to the abmat and able to push back up with no problem and believe I can go to a lower target, although, not to the floor just yet. Still this is major progress for me!

I think this is one of the things that keeps me motivated in CrossFit. Little areas of progress make me want to do more and more. Logically, as I get older, I think I will have to back off in some areas, but right now I'm feeling stronger, so I'm not going to allow age to be a factor until...well, until it becomes a factor. Sounds like a plan to me. ;)

In the warm up today, we repeated the running warm up we did last week, and I improved my time by 15 seconds overall. See!? Progress!

Warm Up:
400m run: 1:49
200m run: 0:49
400m run: 1:54
200m run: 0:51
400m run: 1:59

Total run time 7:22