Back from the Bahamas

Spent a few days with the family down in the Bahamas.  We had a great time; ate too much, drank too much, and spent a day at Atlantis enjoying all the water slides.  I skipped the workout today because I was super tired.  Just got in a 20 minute row before work. 

Anyway, just a few pics from the trip.  I'll have a slideshow up over on my other blog soon.

Me and my son, Austin

Allan and me at the hotel

Atlantis Marina

Allan's girls and grandkids.

Spencer and me on shopping day.

Jessica and Austin

Dumbbell Hell

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 weights - 20's, finished all 20 rounds!


Oh, the love/hate relationship with this one continues.  I love dumbbell workouts in general.  This one forces you to step back and do a gut check. Rather than be creative and come up with a whole new blog, I'm going to reprise my blog from last time this one came around.  And without further ado....


Rounds 1-5:  I feel like a total bad ass, raring to go, finishing the rounds in about 21-25 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.

“Jackie”

For time:

1000 meter row
50 Thrusters (Men 45 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
30 pull-ups

My time:  12:06, Rx

Some day I'd like to get this one back around 11 minutes.  But today wasn't that day.  I split up the thrusters way too much like always, and my pull ups...bleh.  I started with a set of 5 I think, and then it was 3's and 2's all the way to the end.  Not sure why I cannot mentally just hang onto that bar for 5 reps.  Anyway, it's a good workout.

Strength was 5 sets of 3 push press - 2 push jerk - 1 split jerk

My loads:  55-65-75-85-95

Fun Friday!

“T.S.”

For time:

5 Rope Climbs
23 Hang power cleans (Men 135#, Women 95#)
85 Calorie row
23 Shoulder to overhead
5-50’ Sled pushes (Men sled + 45#, Women sled + 25#)

My time:  18:04

I modified this one.  I did three rope climbs instead of 5, and I didn't touch the beam, although I was probably close enough to reach out and do it at least once...I just didn't.     Then on to the cleans - I used 75# for this.  95 just seemed way too heavy today.  That 85 calorie row just sucks the life out of this workout.  Serious time killer.  The shoulder to overhead went quickly and then I had to force myself to do all the sled pushes.  I was tempted to do just three, to match the rope climbs, but I love sled pushes (really I do) so I gutted it out and got it over with.  This was a fun one, in all honesty, and I kind of wished afterward that I had done all the rope climbs.  Maybe next time.  :)

TGIF!!

Open WOD 11.4

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

60 Bar-facing burpees
30 Overhead squats (Men 120 lbs, Women 90 lbs)
10 Muscle-ups

My score at 10 min:  67 reps
My score at 15 min:  76 reps

Breck very generously *sarcasm* gave us an extra 5 minutes on this one, so we could get in more reps.  Ha ha.  I still didn't do very well.  The original time I did this during the open I got 70 points, but I was a lot younger then.  Is that an excuse?  Ha ha!

Oh well, it was fun.  As fun as burpees can be anyway.

Strength was snatch balance to two overhead squats

My loads:  45-55-65-75-80

Hump Day

Whatever is going on with my leg (pretty sure it's another stress fracture) it was really hurting this morning, and double-unders would not have been any help at all.  So I re-set the alarm, got an extra hour of sleep and then got on the rower for a 5k.

My time:  24:51.1

Not exactly a record, but still a damn good workout  this morning! 

“The Lumber Jack”

1 Minute of Squat Cleans (95lbs/55lbs) =1pt for each rep
3 Min rest
1 Minute of Squat Cleans (135lbs/85lbs) = 3pts for each rep
3 Min rest
1 Minute of Squat Cleans (155lbs/95lbs) = 5pts for each rep
3 Min rest
1 Minute of Squat Cleans (185lbs/115lbs) = 8pts for each rep
3 Min rest
1 Minute of squat cleans (205lbs/125lbs) = 12pts for each rep
3 Min rest
1 Minute of squat cleans (225lbs/135lbs) = 17pts for each rep

55# – 15 x 1 = 15
85# – 9 x 3 = 27
95# – 7 x 5 = 35
115# – 6 x 8 = 48
125# – 5 x 12 = 60
135# – 3 x 17 = 51
Total = 236 – PR (and 1st time as Rx’d)

Not even a slight hangover could keep me from showing up for this WOD.  I love squat cleans, and I've been dying to do this workout for a while, but I've been out of town every time it's been posted for the last few years.  Last time I did it was in 2011!!  Anyway, I improved my score considerably today, and it was totally worth getting out of bed for.

In the warm up I worked strict pull ups and actually got a couple of sets of two. Progress!!

Memorial Day

I typically don't show up on holidays or weekends, but I needed to work out, so I showed up.  The posted workout was Murph, but I am off running any distance for a while, and 100 pull ups just sounded like pure misery to me.  I know, it's a Hero WOD and it's supposed to represent sacrifice, and I suck for not doing it, but whatever.  I did choose another Hero WOD, however, and modified it with rowing.


“Rowing Michael”

3 rds for time of:

Row 1000m
50 back extensions
50 sit ups

My Time 33:17

The last 25 sit ups were GHD sit ups.  This is probably my slowest Michael time ever, but rowing adds some time.  The humidity was super high today, but it felt good to sweat!   Great workout.

TGIF!

In front of a clock set for 16 minutes:

4 Minutes of clean & jerks (Men 135#, Women 95#)
4 Minutes of rowing for calories
4 Minutes of GHD sit-ups
4 Minutes of triple unders
Athletes choice of order.


Clean & Jerks (95#) = 14
Row = 40 cal
GHD Sit ups = 50
Double Unders = 50

Total reps: 154

OKay, so triple unders.  Not happening.  I know "never say never" but I just don't see these in my future.  I made a sincere effort and got whip marks on my ass in return.  I'll pass on that!


Warm up:
Row 30 sec on/30 sec off 10 min = 1025 m
100m “sprints” = slowest about 28 sec, fastest 20 sec

TGIF!

Migraine...Day 3, but you can't stop me!

I actually PR'd today, despite being on day three of a brutal migraine, and being groggy from drugs.  I didn't even hesitate to get up and go this morning, because yesterday while I was working out was the only time my head wasn't just killing me.  (Endorphins kicked in I guess.)  And the same was true for today.  Once I got warmed up and started lifting, my head felt fine.  Maybe I should just hang out at the gym all day. 

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)
If bar is dropped, there will be a 10 lateral jumps over barbell penalty before continuing.

My time:  10:50, Rx - PR by 3:04

Last time I did this workout was in August 2013 with a time of 13:54.  I would've been happy with that today, but I have just been feeling way stronger lately (mostly mentally) so I went for it as best I could.  There were a lot of really fast times this morning at 5 am!  Pretty good motivation.

Strength today was Push Jerk.  We were doing sets of 2, and so I ended up setting sort of a PR - I don't have any PR's recorded on sets of two, so I'm calling it a PR!

My loads:  55-65-85-95-105-120-130 (pr for 2 reps)

Now, if I could just get rid of this migraine!

A New PR!

I almost skipped today. I almost re-set the alarm and slept another hour. I have a headache, and took some drugs that make me super sleep, and when I saw 50 wall ball shots my mind almost melted. But less than 20 seconds of consideration and I was up and out of bed, getting ready to go.

And I'm so glad I did, because I set a PR today! Not on wall ball shots, but on Front Squat.

Strength: Front Squat Rep Scheme: 3-2-2-1-1-1-1
My loads: 65-85-105-115-125-135-165 (10# PR!)

I almost accidentally went for 175, but thankfully Jennifer is smarter than me and noticed I had way too much on there. Ha! The 165# felt pretty good.

Little bit of rest and then on to the WOD:

For time: 20 Front squats (Men 205#, Women 135#)
30 Box jumps (Men 30” box, Women 24” box)
40 Kettlebell swings (Men 55#, Women 35#)
50 Wall ball shots (Men 20# ball, Women 14# ball)

My time: 10:15, modified 

I modified as follows: 85# front squats, 20" box steps, and 10# wall ball. Kept the kettle bell as rx...not much but whatev.

Great day at CFJ!

Whew!

This morning was just brutal.  I thought it was just me, but seems everyone else thought it was pretty tough too.  Kelby and I both thought we were going to puke on the main WOD.  It was just ridiculously exhausting.  But I feel fine now....almost 4 hours later.

The "Strength" consisted of warming up with some dead lifts and then...

12 min amrap:

Run 1 mile
50 dead lifts at 155# (women) in the remaining time

My reps:  42 deadlifts, scaled run to 1200m

Then we had 8 dearly needed minutes of rest before the WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

5 Burpees
10 Pull-ups
15 Jumping squats (touch an 8’ bar with both hands)

My rounds:  3 + 1 pull up

I was jumping to a set of rings on the jumping squats.  Not sure of their height, but doubt it was 8 feet.  Still, this one kicked my ass.   Feeling like I still don't know what's going on with this right leg of mine.  Whether it's just muscle/tendon issues or if I have another stress fracture.  I tend more toward muscle, as I'm just not getting that deep ache you get with a stress fracture. I'll keep going and see what happens.  Hopefully my leg won't just snap in two.  ha ha!!

I'm up! I'm up!

Oh, this morning 4:30 was a rude awakening.  I really wanted to sleep another couple of hours. It was all I could do to try and comprehend the WOD as I read it from my phone.  I forced myself to get up and go, and figured it all out when I got there.


For time:

15 Hang squat snatch (Men 115#, Women 75#)
30 Hand release push-ups
60 Lateral barbell jumps
12 Hang squat snatch
24 Hand release push-ups
48 Lateral barbell jumps
9 Hang squat snatch
18 Hand release push-ups
36 Lateral barbell jumps

My time:  18:24 - scaled to 55#

So, I've been having this pain in my leg since last week, and I've been thinking it might be another damn stress fracture.  Really don't need a setback like that, at all.  Today when I started the lateral jumps, it kinda hurt, but only if I landed at an angle.  So I slowed down and did my jumps as "square on" as I could.  Super slow, but no pain.  After going home and foam rolling and massaging it for a while, I'm inclined to think it's just a sore, knotted up muscle. We shall see.  I'll go for a short run this week and see how it holds up.  And, I think I'll book myself a massage. 

Anyway, this WOD was actually kind of fun, even though I was well into the 6:00 class finishing up. 

Strength today was Hang Squat Snatch
rep scheme:  3-2-2-1-1-1-1
My loads:  45-50-55-60-65-75-80

TGIF!

Well, I decided to sleep in a bit this morning.  I debated long and hard last night about what to do, and I honestly just needed an "active rest" day.  So, I got an extra hour + of sleep and then got up on the rower for a quick 20 minute row.  Oddly enough I hit exactly 4100 meters - the very same distance I hit on the last 20 minute distance row I did.  Weird. 

Anyhoo...TGIF y'all!

“Power Elizabeth”

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:

Power clean (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)
Ring dips

My time:  9:48, Rx weight, bar dips

This was a tough morning, but fun, actually.  I debated with myself about even getting out of bed, but I needed some power cleans in my life.   Damn near every single one of them felt solid and the few that didn't just made me try harder on the next lift.  Been stressing over a few things, and lifting heavy stuff always makes me feel better.  At least while I'm lifting, anyway.

The warm-up was a WOD in itself. 

90 seconds max reps shoulder to overhead (55#) = 25
30 seconds rest
Tabata bottom to bottom squats = lowest set = 5
30 seconds rest
90 seconds max reps shoulder to overhead (55#) = 25

Then the strength (I'm exhausted just typing this!!)...Death by Back Squat
from the floor.  (I created the Masters Version and went from the rack)

Made it all 10 rounds with 105#

I might show up tomorrow for Angie.  If I can tape up these blisters on my fingers...we shall see.

It's a PR kinda day.

“Randy”
75 reps for time of:

Power snatch (Men 75 lbs, Women 55 lbs)
If barbell is dropped from above the knee there is a 10 lateral jumps over barbell penalty.

My time:  7:40 Rx - PR by 2:06

Love this workout.  I'd love to get it down around 5 minutes some day.   However, I'm super proud of my time today, as is a PR by over 2 minutes.  I kinda thought I was heading for a PR but wasn't exactly sure, so I just kept going.  Got a blister on my pinky finger but it's a small sacrifice.  :)

The warm up today was two mini-wods, including double unders.  I managed to set a PR for a set of 30 unbnroken double unders today too! 

Strength was shoulder press, which I totally suck at.  Blah. 

5-3-2-2-1-1-1 @ 55-65-70-75-80-85(f)-80
need serious help on form.  Breck gave me some pointers. 

Overhead Fran

This is just Fran in disguise, honestly.  Okay, I will admit I much prefer overhead squats to thrusters.  I mean, who wouldn't.  It's a lot easier move.  But the killer for me in this WOD (and Fran) is the pull-ups.  I just get extremely out of breath.  Anyway, I didn't totally hate this one, just wish I were faster.

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:
Overhead squat (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
Pull-ups

My time:  9:23, Rx

I didn't break the squats up too much - 15/6, 10/5, then 9.   The pull ups were a mess.  I had one set of 5 in the first round and then it was 3's and 2's.  If I could do consistent sets of 5, my time would greatly improve.  Some day...

Strength was OHS 5 sets of 10 reps

My loads:  45-50-55-65-70 

We haven't worked OHS in a while, and these killed my wrists today.  Just need more practice. 

Yay! Deadlifts!

So, I'm kinda sore from yesterday's run.  I wore some shoes I haven't run much of any distance in and found, about 2 miles in, the toe box has a bit too much room and I started feeling blisters.  Ugh.  Anyway, I wore some more appropriate shoes today when I saw running posted in the WOD.


4 Rounds for time of:

400 Meter run
12 Deadlifts

My time:  14:41, Unbroken @ 155#

My running was abysmally slow today - my legs were lodging a formal complaint about being sore from yesterday.  I should've foam rolled yesterday, but for some reason, laying around butt-naked by the pool sounded far more appealing.   So I did that instead, and let my legs get sore.  However, I did go home this morning and roll out all the knots.  I need to be more dedicated about doing that on a regular basis.  It sure helps when I take the time to do it.

Strength today was deadlifts

Rep Scheme:  5 sets of 3
My loads:  125-145-165-185-215

Early morning run.

Got out this morning for a run before church.  The wind was awful, but the temp was perfect.  As I started out, I gave myself the option of just doing two miles, but when I hit the 1 mile mark, I kept going, and decided to do a 5k.  I was running a pretty slow pace most of the time, and decided I was just going to keep that pace and finish it out.  The last half mile on the way back was the best pace, just because the wind was at my back.  Really need to chop about 5 minutes off my 5k time. 

Time:  35:14

TGIF!

 I woke up this morning about 3 am and realized, "Holy Shit, it's my birthday!  Woo hoo!"

For time:

40 Overhead walking lunge steps (Men 45# plate, Women 25# plate)
21 Sumo Deadlift High pulls (Men 95#, Women 65#)
30 Overhead walking lunge steps
18 Sumo Deadlift High pulls
20 Overhead walking lunge steps
15 Sumo Deadlift High pulls
10 Overhead walking lunge steps
12 Sumo Deadlift High pulls

My time:  13:58 Rx

Wow, is it ever humid today.  This is always fun during a workout - makes you feel like you're working twice as hard when sweat is just pouring off you.  The first round was ridiculous and I broke it up way too much on the lunges.  This week has been Hell on my quads with all the squats.  This was just icing on the cake.   Mmm....cake.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh yeah, the SDHP - didn't feel completely awful today, and had some decent sets but nothing was unbroken.  Fun workout.

Warm up was death by 10m.  I made 11 rounds, then went to sets of 8 sprints through minute 20.  Enough of that.

Strength was emom for 20 min 5 pull ups and max dumbbell thrusters.  I did 5 rounds of 2 strict and 5 thrusters (15#)  and then went to one minute pull ups, next minute thrusters.  I was fine with that.  I actually got in 16 strict pull ups today.  Not consecutive, of course, but that's gotta be some sort of record for me.

TGIF!!

Decisions, Decisions

Okay, I've been thinking for a while now, I need to decide to commit to blogging on a regular basis again, or just ditch this blog.

I'm starting a new year tomorrow.  Yep, I'll be 51.  So I guess today is as good a time as any to start blogging again; the last day of my 50th year.  Letting that soak in a minute.  Wow.  I don't feel old, quite honestly, so I'm just going with the old cliché "age is just a number".   

I guess if I get more enthused about my workouts, I'll be more enthused about blogging. So starting today, I'm getting more enthused.  Check back in a week and see if this lasts.  Ha!

This morning I skipped the WOD and did a quick 20 minute row for distance.  I managed 4100m exactly.   That last pull was the hardest!  ;)


Hoping for a good workout tomorrow, though I didn't request a birthday WOD.  Depending on the prescribed strength, I might just do squat cleans instead, since they are my favorite. 

TGIF!

Man, I'm exhausted.

I only did the warm up and the strength today.  I didn't have the energy for the WOD.  I know...really?  Well, I've got a medical issue going on that has just kicked my ass the past two days.  It'll pass, but it really has just zapped my energy.  Oh well, onward and upward!

Strength:  Squat Clean & Jerk

Rep scheme:  3-2-2-1-1-1

My loads:  
65
75
85
95
105
115
125 (I threw in an extra single here...I should've gone heavier). 

Holy Cardio, Batman!

1000 Meter row
100 Double unders
750 Meter row
75 Double unders
500 Meter row
50 Double unders
250 Meter row
25 Double unders

My time: 21:47, Rx

My lungs were screaming for mercy today! The Oak pollen is thick as mud this week and my lungs are feeling it.  Not to mention my double unders didn't really start feeling decent until somewhere in the set of 50.  The set of 100 took me about 5 minutes - I kid you not!  Yes, dismal, I know.  But after that they got somewhat better.  If only my lungs would just stop being so demanding. 

After this, we had a bench press/pull up WOD, which I kind of half-asssed, quite honestly.  I mean, I did the actual work, but my bench press skills are weak, weak, weak.  And I'm back to being able to do ONE strict pull up.  So, in five rounds, max reps bench and max reps strict pull ups, i managed something like 5/5/4/4/4 bench and 1/1/1/1/1 pull ups.  I threw in some kipping pull ups and some "almost" strict pull ups, just for grins. 

PR! Yeah!

Ok, so I set a new PR on Dealift today.  It's been YEARS since I tried to max out on deadlift.  I mean, honestly, I think I could've thrown on another 10 lbs but I didn't want to fail, so I decided to "save it for another day". 

rep scheme: 
5-3-2-1-1-1

My loads:
145-175-205-225-245(PR)-250 (PR!!)

Notice I only did two singles.  I was so happy with getting a 15 lb PR I didn't think another lift was necessary.  Ha ha!  Happy all day.

OH, and there was a WOD too!  

With a 4 minute time limit:
400 Meter run
Max rep wall climbs with remaining time
rest 1 minute
With a 4 minute time limit:
400 Meter run
Max rep deadlifts with remaining time (Men 315 lbs, Women 205 lbs)
rest 1 minute
With a 4 minute time limit:
400 Meter run
Max rep Muscle ups or pull-ups with remaining time
rest 1 minute
With a 4 minute time limit:
400 Meter run
Max rep burpee box jump overs (Men 24” box, Women 20”box)

My results:

400m 2:09, 4 wall climbs
400m 2:10, 10 burpee box step over
400m 2:18, 10 deadlift 205#
400m 2:18, 14 kipping pull ups

Anybody here?

I'm so far behind on blogging.  I've been busy.  I've had issues.  I've just not really had time to sit down and blog.  I know, it's not that tough, but...anyway.  If anyone's still around reading this, I'm still here.  Just preoccupied.

So, today, when the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m., I was dreaming of my Dad.  It was an awesome dream.  I wanted to keep dreaming and hang out with him a little while longer.  He's been gone for 20 years.  So I re-set the alarm and tried to dream some more, but he was gone.  Ah, well, I got an extra hour of rest anyway.

Instead of going to the gym, I got my butt up and rowed a 5k for time.  Haven't done one in quite a while.  I got within reach of my PR (15 seconds), but couldn't quite set a new one.

5k Row:  23:47.8

Tomorrow, I'll be back at CFJ!

Diane

21-15-9
Deadlift - 155#
Handstand Push-ups

My time:  7:28, 2 abmats for HSPU

Last time I did this with the deadlifts unbroken.  Today, not so much.  But I enjoyed the process of the deadlifts, taking out my aggressions (and I certainly have some today) with every single lift.  CrossFit is great therapy, and I'm always thankful for a heavy barbell session.

Strength today was 10 x 3 touch & go clean and jerk.

I chose 75# and didn't have any missed lifts. 

~peace

PR!!

Man, did I ever need to hit a PR - on something - anything.  Today we did squat snatch and I hit a PR of 90 lbs.  I was pretty sure it was a PR but had to go double check all my records.  Sure enough!  This made my day...my week...heck...even the month!  I've been in a slump and needed something positive.  So glad I got out of bed today!!

Squat snatch:  1 ea @  45-50-55-60-65-70-75-80-85-90 (PR)

WOD:
5 Squat snatch (Men 135#, Women 95#)
50 Double unders

Modified - 75# squat snatch & 30 double unders per round

My rounds:  3 + 2 squat snatch

I started out on the snatches doing touch & go on the first round.  That quickly fell apart and I had several misses in the next couple of rounds.  Coupled with bad double unders and plent of slash marks on my arms as a result, this workout beat me up pretty good. 

THIS!

This is the kind of workout that made me fall in love with CrossFit!  I need more of this.  I need to push myself this hard, and gasp for air, and sweat my ass off for 25 whole minutes without stopping!! 

“Wittman“

7 rounds for time of:
15 Kettlebell swings (Men 55#, Women35#)
15 Power clean (Men 95#, Women 65#)
15 Box jumps (Men 24″ box, Women 20” box)

My time:  25:05, Rx weights, box steps

I did all the KBS unbroken, stepped the box jumps, and the cleans were a hot mess at first.  I started out trying to do them unbroken, and quickly learned that wasn't going to happen.  So then I maintained sets of 5 until the last round, when I decided dropping between each rep was faster, and I was trying to finish under 25 minutes.  At the 25 minute mark I had 3 box steps left, and even though there was a "cut off" I finished it!  Felt awesome to get through the whole thing.  I haven't sweated like this in a long time.  I'm sure the humidity this morning had a lot to do with that, though.

Strength today was 1 power clean + 2 jerks, every minute on the minute for 10 minutes.  I used 85lbs as my load and had no misses.

Good morning!!

Frustrated

I won't go into all my whiney-ass reasons, but I'm super frustrated today.  Sadly, my strict pull-ups have gone away.  I'm at square one, starting all over.  I'll get back where I was, but man, it's frustrating after 6 years of CrossFit to be using a band for a strict pull-up.  Humiliating, actually.

Anyway...I have to maintain positive thoughts or I'll just give up.  SO...*positive thoughts*

Today's strength was more of a workout for me than the WOD, so I'll list it first:

Dumbbell Bear

5 DB deadlifts
5 DB hang power clean
5 DB push press
5 DB squats

My loads:  15-20--25-30-35

I always enjoy dumbbell workouts.  Had to push myself to do the 35, but I got through it and felt pretty good that I finished.

WOD:

15-12-9-6 & 3 rep rounds for time of:
Handstand push-ups
L-Pull-ups

I didn't time myself on this one, and I certainly didn't do L pull-ups.  I practiced kipping pull-ups and strict pull-ups with a small (white) band.  The combination of being slightly over weight and having not worked strict pull-ups religiously for about a year, I'm astounded at how difficult they have become.  Likewise, HSPU have gotten pretty far off track.  I think my head touched the two abmats like maybe 5 times in all my reps.  Just need to push myself more...that's all.

Deceiving

Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

4 Shoulder press (Men 75#, Women 55#)
8 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
12 Front squats

My rounds:  5 + 4 squats

This one was deceiving!  Looked fairly simple on paper, but the squats kicked my ass.  Yes, 55# front squats.  It was a cardio killer.  They were pretty well broken up, and I rested just enough to cheat myself out of a full 6th round - I was 8 reps short.    However, I will say, I enjoyed a day of nothing but barbell work. 

Strength today was Overhead Squats

My loads:  5 ea @ 55-65-75-80-85 – failed on 3rd rep at 85

My left shoulder kind of rolled a bit on that third rep and I didn't like the way it felt so I bailed.  Not worth tearing something up.  Other than that my squats all felt pretty decent, good depth, tight core. 

Yay burpees!

Should have known after rowing yesterday, a rowing WOD would be posted this morning.  Ha!  Oh well, it's all exercise, right?

With a 15 minute time limit:

Row 2000 meters
As many reps as possible of burpees

Start with the 2000 meter row and with the remaining time of the 15 minutes perform as many burpees as possible.


My row time:  9:27.5
My burpees:  40

I was ONE burpee away from my PR on this one. Dang it!! I was pushing pretty hard so I'm not disappointed.  I had a good workout. And I didn't even complain about burpees today. Much.

Strength was back squats:
5-3-2-1-1-1-1 @ 85-105-105-135-135-135-135

Fran Insurance

Last November, I bought a Fran Insurance policy.  It's called a rower.  Any time I see Fran posted as the WOD, I re-set my alarm, sleep another hour, and do a rowing workout at home.  I know this amounts to cherry picking.  I fully know that.  But I would rather feel positive about a workout than feel completely 100% defeated.  And that, my friends, is all Fran has ever done for me - make me feel defeated.  So, my Fran Insurance has paid off nicely. 

My WOD today:

Five Rounds
Row 500 meters
Rest 1 minute

My times:  
2:19.2
2:18.6
2:12.7
2:11.0
2:10.0

Decisions, Decisions

Okay, I've returned to extremely low-carb (20 g/day) to try and drop a few more lbs.  But, you know what?  It's killing me!!  Seriously, the lack of energy is astounding!  I know last time I did this, it took about a week for my energy to return.   But this time, (two days in) it's ridiculous how weak I feel.  I bet I couldn't hit any of my PR's on lifting this week if I tried. 

I'm just damn near at the end of my rope, at a loss for how to address nutrition these days.  Obviously cutting out beer is a no-brainer.  Got that.  Grains?  No grains?  So many conflicting theories out there.  I'm of the mind that I could add some brown rice, and a few sweet potatoes, with the obvious lean meats and lots of colorful veggies and come out feeling better.  But will I lose fat?  Will I gain the energy I need to increase my performance?  I have no idea.  I feel like a bad science fair experiment. 

WOD:

For time:
500 Meter row
40 Kettlebell swings (Men 55#, Women 35#)
40 Overhead walking lunge steps (Men 45#, Women 25#)
30 Kettlebell swings
30 Overhead walking lunge steps
20 Kettlebell swings
20 Overhead walking lunge steps
10 Kettlebell swings
10 Overhead walking lunge steps
500 Meter row

My time:  20:10 Rx

See, my time here should've been more like 17 minutes.  I should easily be able to do the kettle bell swings unbroken on this one.  That's one of my best elements.  But no, they were broken up like none other.  And the walking lunges...holy crap, what a mess! 

Strength today was 3 rep hang squat snatch, every minute on the minute for 10.  I tried 55# and it was too heavy (yeah, I know!!), so I went with 45#. 

“Mini Cindy”

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

My rounds: 5 + 2 push ups, Rx

For a monday this wasn't bad.  My pull ups felt pretty decent, but the push ups slowed me down a lot.  That couple of weeks I took off really have slowed me down.  I'll get back in the swing of it, but man, it's a rude awakening to see how quickly you can lose strength and endurance. 

Strength was back squats
10 x 2 @ 160#

Michael - an old favorite!

I have always loved this workout.  I haven't done it in almost 5 years.  It used to be my "go to" workout when I was on my own at the Health Zone for whatever reason (sick coach, shoulder injury, etc.).  Anyway, I love it and I was glad to see it posted.  I almost talked myself into modifying it, but I'm so glad I didn't!

“Michael”
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups

My time:  29:58, Rx

This was my slowest time ever, but what the heck - I'm five years older than last time I did it!  Ha ha!

History:
10/30/09:  28:40
9/21/09: 26:33
3/4/09:  26:17
11/12/08:  27:08
11/4/08:  29:46
9/11/08:  28:33
7/23/08:  26:11

TGIF!!

So sore!

I'm ridiculously sore from the past two days.  When I attempted my first toes to bar in the warm up, I thought I had ripped an ab muscle or something.  They were on fire from the GHD sit ups on Tuesday.  And squats - Ouch!!  I knew to expect this, though.  Any time I miss more than a couple days of CrossFit, it's like starting all over again with the soreness. 

Hoping to get out for a nice run this weekend if the weather cooperates.  That always helps with soreness.

As many rounds as possible in 6 minutes of:
5 Chest to bar pull-ups
15 Double unders
then
As many rounds as possible in 6 minutes of:
7 Toes to bar
7 Ring dips
Athletes choice on which WOD to start with.

WOD 1, with Kipping pull-ups = 5 rounds even
WOD 2, with jumping ring dips/negatives = 3 rds + 1ttb

Strength today was Front Squats.  I've skipped almost the entire front squat program because Thursday was my rest day for several weeks, and then the surgeries, blah blah blah.  Anyway,  I went kinda light today.

My loads:
5 @ 65
3 @ 75
2 @ 85
10 x 3 @ 85

Filthy Fifty

Okay, it's been about 5 years since I've done this one.  FIVE YEARS!  Holy crap where does time go?

50 Box jump, (Men 24”, Women 20”)
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings (Men 35#, Women 25#)
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press (Men 45#, Women 35#)
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots (Men 20#, Women 14#)
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

My time:  33:23

Modified this one a bit  because I've been off for so long and I'm incredibly sore from yesterday.  I did hanging leg raises instead of knees to elbows.  I reduced the wall ball to 8 lbs, and then dropped the reps to 25 on wall ball and burpees. In hindsight, I should've just done the whole thing as rx, because I was within reach of my PR on this one.  Oh well, live and learn.

Strength was bench press, and I just opted not to do it. 

Back at it!

“Tabata Something Else”

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.
Post total reps from all 32 intervals to comments.

My results:
PLU – 28
P/U – 42
S/U – 56 (2 rds reg sit ups, 6 rds GHD sit ups)
SQ – 74
Total = 200

Immediately after last round of Tabata, rest 10 seconds and then:

5 min ground to overhead with 65#

My score:  21 reps (10 c&J, 11 snatches)

A pretty decent morning to come back to CrossFit.  Although I went rather light, I know I'm going to be hurting by noon today.  17 days with no exercise at all (well there was ONE day I exercised) is not a good thing.  But doctor's orders are doctor's orders. 

Let the soreness begin!

I miss CrossFit

My second surgery went well and my distance vision is 20/20 in both eyes now.  I still need reading glasses for up close (computer, books, anything within 2 feet).  I'm dying to get back to the gym, but my official release date is 3/18.  I need to work out...I feel like a total slug. 

One down, one to go...

So, I had eye surgery on Tuesday.  My left eye, at my one day check-up is now 20/20.  This is like a miracle to me.  I've been wearing glasses/contacts since I was about 9 years old, aka forever.   I'm super excited about being able to wake up and see!!  The down side (for now) is, my right eye is still virtually useless at this point.  And wearing glasses only complicates it - its like seeing through a fun-house mirror, mixing the good eye and the bad eye.  Anyway, they've moved my second surgery up to next Tuesday, March 11, so I don't have to endure two weeks of this.

And since they forbid exercise/lifting for a full week after surgery, I'll be back at CrossFit on the 18th.   I'll have to ease back into the weight lifting and gradually build up to heavier weights all over again. I'll just use it as an opportunity work on my form.  And handstand push ups (or hand stand "pumps" in my case) will be a while in coming too.  I have to avoid pressure on the eyes for a while until they are completely healed, so I won't be going upside down for a while.

See you all in a couple weeks!

Happy Hump Day.

Today we did "death by 10 meters" for the warm-up.  I made it through round 11 or 12, but I opted out of the 5 burpee penalty, and just jogged back and forth while the others finished up through round 14. 

Strength was power cleans.  I much prefer squat cleans, but I obviously need some practice on power cleans.  We haven't spent much time working this lift (or the jerk) lately, and I can certainly tell I need more work.  I missed a load (twice) today that would've been no problem for me several months ago.  After the first attempt, I let it get in my head an there was no way I was making that lift.  So I squat cleaned it just to avoid feeling completely defeated.

My reps/loads:  5-3-2-2-1-1-1 @ 65-85-105-115-125-130(f)-130(f)   130 squat clean
In between sets we did HSPU, same rep scheme.  I used two abmats

Then the WOD

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

3 Power cleans (Men 205#, Women 135# or 75% of 1 RM)
6 Handstand push-ups
9 Box jump on and over (Men 24” box, Women 20” box)

My rounds:  5 + 5 hspu

I went with 105# - my 1RM is 135.  Used 2 abmats for HSPU and stepped up/over box instead of jumping.  The cleans felt better and lighter each round.  How does that work?  Ha!  I think I was just concentrating more on finishing and being fast toward the end.  Makes a huge difference.

Fun morning!

Awesome - Double Unders!

For time:

30 Toes to bar
100 Double unders
25 Toes to bar
75 Double unders
20 Toes to bar
50 Double unders
15 Toes to bar
25 Double unders
10 Toes to bar

My time:  13:39, modified

I scaled this one just like I did in November 2012 so I could compare.  I did 15/13/10/8/5 toes to bar, and all of the double unders.  My double unders felt AWESOME today.  I started off with an unbroken set of 31. This is a PR!  Woooo hoooo!!  Then I had several sets of 25 throughout the workout, including the last set.   Anyway, I beat my previous time by almost two minutes (see here), so PR on that too!

Strength today was Squat Snatch - 10 singles

My loads:  45-50-55-60-65-70-75-80-80-80

What's going on here?

From time to time on the CFJ website, I see people post their times and scores and then immediately degrade themselves.  Yes, I'm guilty too.  I'll post a time and say "I'm so slow".  Today I noticed a very strong, young, extremely fit young man posted his time and added to it "terribly out of shape".  No, he's really not out of shape at all, he's just working through an injury and not at the top of his game right now.  But I guarantee you, he's stronger, and in better shape than 95% of people his age.  Guarantee it.   And with all my criticizing of my times and my weight, I know I'm in fairly decent shape, and I'm certain I'm doing things the vast majority of women my age will not even attempt.

So what is going on here? We're really a pretty positive bunch of people, generally speaking of CrossFitters.  I think it's just that we tend to hold ourselves to a higher standard, both individually and as a peer group.  I think this is part of the competitive nature of CrossFit, and part of the phenomenon of why we all get so addicted to it and keep coming back day after day.  We want to be better and faster, and stronger, and when we don't perform what we perceive to be our best, we acknowledge it in a public forum.  By doing so, we not only challenge ourselves to do better, but our peers can see clearly that we know our shortcomings and they can hold us accountable, either directly or indirectly.

WOD

For time:

500 Meter row
then
12-9-6
Thrusters (Men 135#, Women 95#)
Chest to bar pull-ups
finish with
500 Meter row

Score at 10 min mark:  95m into the 2nd row

My final time:  11:57, scaled to 65#, kipping PLU

We had a 10 min time limit on this, but I wanted to finish so I hopped on another rower and finished out the last 405 meters.  Thrusters felt somewhat decent today, but they are never "fun".  Pull ups felt pretty decent too.  If Fran were 12-9-6, I could probably have a decent score on it one day.  Ha ha!


Back Squats
10 x 3 @ 145

"Nancy"

5 Rounds for time of:

400 Meter run
15 Overhead squats (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My time:  19:29, Rx, Unbroken

As I type this, my left wrist is killing me.  Those OHS get me every time!  I totally love this workout, and always have.  Again, like yesterday, just a good old fashioned CF workout.  You have to resist the temptation to break up the OHS and you've got it made.  The weight isn't so heavy that you need to drop it...it's just a mental game with this one.  Would be nice if  I could run a little faster.  But, I'm still proud of my score, even though it's more than a minute slower than my PR.  Just shows me I need to do more running. 

Strength was OHS
3-2-2-1-1-1 @ 65-75-80-85-85-85

This morning I faced some ridiculous temptation.  I had to stop and get "goodies" for a birthday at work.  I stopped at Harvest Bakery and got sausage rolls and a "fresh out of the oven" monkey bread.   Let me tell you - having gone so long with only 20 grams of carbs a day, and being enclosed in a car with those smells...after driving only a few blocks, I wanted to wreck my car into the ditch and eat every bite of that junk!  But I managed to resist, somehow.  I think here in about two weeks I'm going to bump my carbs up to about 30 a day.  But I still won't be eating monkey bread.  Dammit!!

Happy Tuesday!

5 Rounds for time of:

15 Power snatch (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
400 Meter run

My time:  25:09, Rx

Yeah, don't be jealous of my super speedy time.   Ha ha!  This one took me a whle, but I have to say, I loved every minute of it.   This is just a good old fashioned CrossFit workout, the kind that made me love CF in the first place; the kind that you just have to gut it out and keep pushing and the last round feels like such a victory.  Yep -  I need more workouts like this!

Strength today was 1 power snatch + 1 squat snatch, every minute for 10 min

I used 65# for my load.  No missed reps.

As of yesterday, I'm still going strong on my low-carb efforts.  I'm down a total of 9 lbs at the three week mark and hope to hit the 10 lb mark soon.  That's my "mini-goal".  I'd love to lose 11 more, maybe even 16 more, but we shall see how this plays out.  I'll be taking two weeks off from the gym for eye surgery (one week, then, back at the gym for a week, then another week off).  Not looking forward to the time off, but it is what it is. 

Back Squat Day

Still doing this back squat program, although, I haven't exactly been following the prescribed loads.  I've been more along the line of doing what my body feels like doing.  We were supposed to be at 90% today (I think) but I was more like 85%.

Warm up sets:
5 @ 105
2 @ 155
2 @  185
Work sets:
10 x 3 @ 185

A couple of these were a struggle on the second rep, but only because I didn't stay tight.  I've got plenty of strength.  Pushed through them and was more conscious of my core on the rest of the sets. 

****
WOD

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

30 Pull-ups
15 Handstand push-ups
25 Pull-ups
12 Handstand push-ups
20 Pull-ups
9 Handstand push-ups
15 Pull-ups
6 Handstand push-ups
10 Pull-ups
3 Handstand push-ups

My time:  9:35  - modified

I scaled this one like so:
15/15, 12/12, 9/9/, 6/6, 3/3, to cut down on the pull ups, and of course we all know my HSPU are not full range.  More like about 3" depth, maybe 4".  But a far cry from full depth. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 I'm so glad it's Friday!!   I've had a long week, full of running around to various appointments, and dealing with two audits at work, and stacks of paperwork and fine print, enough to make a person drink.  But...I haven't had a drop.  That shall change tonight, however, as I'm going to indulge in some wine.  I'm sure my husband will be thrilled when I get drunk off one glass of wine.  Ha ha!!  Should be fun.

WOD

As many reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

3 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
3 Toes to bar
6 Wall ball shots
6 Toes to bar
9 Wall ball shots
9 Toes to bar
12 Wall ball shots
12 Toes to bar

Continue adding 3 reps per round until time expires.

My reps:  = 119 - 11 toes to bar into the 18's.

I went with the 14# ball as Rx'd today, but I was over on the wall rather than the pull up cage, so as I understand it, this is not "as Rx'd".  Whatevs...that ball is freaking heavy.  I've been scaling wallball for several months, and it sure makes a difference using an 8 or 10 lb ball.  I tried to keep moving as much as possible, but I did a bit of resting between wallball shots here and there. 

Strength today was "Death by Snatch.  I chose 55# and made it through 10 rounds.  Fun.

TGIF!!

Snow...More Snow!

Seriously annoyed with Old Man Winter.  I'm tired of this crap.  Fortunately this morning's snow was just a very light dusting and didn't impede my efforts to get to the gym.  I'm ready for some warmer weather.  This weekend is looking nice - probably warm enough for a run!  That'll cheer me up!

Meanwhile, here's why I braved the frozen tundra this morning:

WOD

30-25-20-15 and 10 rep rounds of:

Burpees
Box jumps (Men 24” box, Women 20” box)
Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)

My time:  22:30 - modified

Scaling option was given to skip the round of 30.  I had all good intentions of doing every rep, honestly.  I got through the round of 30 in what seemed like forever, and decided at that point I was going 30-20-10.  Well, when finished the 20 I had way plenty time to do the 10 and regretted not doing the 25.  I could've finished the entire thing.  What I ended up doing was 30-20-15-10-5, and still had 2.5 minutes to spare.  I should stop underestimating myself.   Seriously.

Strength today was not one of my favorites:  shoulder press

 5 sets of 5 @ 45-50-55-60-65.  The last rep of 65 I failed to lock out. 


And, I didn't weigh today.  I'll weigh tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll be down half a pound or something. Anything to keep me encouraged.

Cranky!

Winter is making me cranky.  So far, this winter has been unreasonably cold, and for way too long.  We were in the deep freeze before it was officially winter.  I'm sick of it.  I'm tired of putting on a coat every day.  I despise coats.  They're bulky and never fit me right. (I'm betting I didn't like being swaddled as a baby either.)  I don't like being stuck inside the house all day on my day off.  I'm not good at just sitting around (unless there's a beach lounger involved).

And, of course, I'm trying to lose weight in the dead of winter during the coldest part of it, no less, when the biological response to winter is to hold onto fat.  Yeah...ask me how that's going. Haven't lost an ounce since last Wednesday.  I know, I know.  Patience.  Well, I'm trying to hang in there.  I'm noticing a difference in inches, actually, but the scale hasn't budged for 5 days now.  *sigh*

WOD

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

6 Dumbbell squat cleans (Men 45 lb dumbbells, Women 30 lb dumbbells)
12 Pull-ups
24 Double unders

My score:  2 rds + 4 PLU, Rx

This was a fun one and my pullups, although ridiculously slow, felt pretty good today.  I knew I'd get around 2 rounds on this one, simply because of the pull ups.  After laying around all weekend, it felt good just to be moving.  My legs did not like double unders after the heavy back squats and those squat cleans though!  Took me a minute to get a rhythm going.

Strength today was back squats at 80% of 1RM

warm up sets:
5 @ 105
3 @ 155
work sets:
10 x 3 @ 165

Annie

TGIF y'all!

Who else is tired of this freezing ass cold weather?  Winter be damned.  I should move to the islands...really I should.

“Annie”
50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

My time:  11:12, Rx - PR by 14 seconds.

So, I unknowingly set a PR on Annie today.  I know my time is not super fast, but it's a damn PR so I'm gonna brag a little.  Ha ha!  I'd still like to get this one in about half the time, but I'll take my victories where I can get them these days. 

Our strength today was Squat Snatch.  We had 25 minutes to find a one rep max.  I focused more on technique than load today.  I had about two or three that felt shaky or weren't to depth, but otherwise they felt pretty decent.

3 ea @ 40, 45, 50, 55
5 @ 60
3 @ 65, 70
1 @ 75

And. tomorrow I get to sleep in!!  Yay!!

Behind

And once again, I've fallen behind on my blogging.  In my defense, I've been busy at work.  But yesterday I took a "snow" day, so that excuse doesn't really work.  How about I'm lazy?  Does that work? 

Anyway, I'm a week and a half into this low carb thing and proud to report the following:

• I have not cheated at all - I'm totally committed to losing this weight
• I haven't had a drop of alcohol since Jan 25 (yes I'd kill for a beer right now)
• My energy level is not 100% but not nearly as bad as I expected..I'd say 85%
• I have lost a total of 7 lbs as of today! 

I plan on going a full 30 days on 20g of carbs/day, with the exception of allowing myself a glass of wine on Valentine's day.  I'm sure I'll be wasted after that.  Ha ha!  Then after the 30 days I'll increase the carbs and add a few items back in, such as berries and nuts, and a sweet potato here and there.  That should keep me on track.

Also, I've decided I'll probably sign up for The Open again. Donate anther $20 to HQ.  What the heck.

Today's WOD was from the Fittest in OK competition.

With a 16 minute time limit try to complete for time:

50 Single unders
50 Double unders
40 Push-ups
40 Pull-ups
30 Alternating one arm dumbbell snatches (Men 65 lb dumbbell, Women 40 lb dumbbell)
30 Overhead squats (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
20 One arm dumbbell push press (Men 65 lb dumbbell, Women 40 lb dumbbell)
20 Toes to bar
10 Burpees to a plate
10 Meters of burpee broad jumps
1000 Meter row

I did this as a 20 min AMRAP and scaled the push ups and pull ups to 20 each.  I used 25# Dumbbell for those moves and 55# for the OHS.  Basically I slaughtered the whole thing.  Ha!  Anyway, I got through 12 Toes to Bar in the 20 min cap. 

So my score:  232 reps

Now off to work!

Whew!

I've embarked on a super low-carb eating plan to try and drop a few pounds.  I expected to lack energy because of it, but oddly, I feel fine.  In fact, I had plenty of energy this morning! 

For time:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rep rounds for time of:
Right arm dumbbell snatch
Left arm dumbbell snatch
Toes to bar
Double unders (reps x 5)(50-45-40-35-30-25-20-15-10-5)

My time:  25:23, w/25# DB

This WOD was super tough, but I loved every minute of it.  Once we got started my Double Unders were surprisingly decent.  Had a few sets of 20 today, which is awesome for me.  I do love that new rope - it makes a difference once I relax. Of course, I had my share of misses and whipping myself with the rope in random places (face, hands...yeah...ouch).  The rounds of 10 through 6 were a complete beat down, but I just had to focus on the short rounds and push myself to keep going.  Most of my rest was between sets of double unders.  Just my usual gasping for air.

Strength today was a dumbbell snatch ladder for points.   30 seconds at each station for max reps. 
 Stations were worth increasing points:

20: 1 point x 12 reps = 12
25: 2 points x 10 reps = 20
30: 3 points x 10 reps = 30
35: 4 points x 8 reps = 32
40: 5 points x 5 reps = 25
45: 6 points x 4 reps = 24
50: 7 points x 3 reps = 21

My total points:  164

Fun!!

TGIF!

I had ONE glass of wine last night with dinner and woke up at midnight feeling like I had a hangover.  WTF?  And the rest of that bottle will be disposed of...

So glad it's Friday.  I'm looking forward to a nice get-together with some friends tomorrow night for a beer tasting.  Should be a fun time. 

Come Sunday, it's time for strict clean eating for a good long while.  I have got to lose some of this "vacation" weight!

So there were two WODs posted today, and I actually modified one of them to suit me a little better.  Here's what I did:

5 rounds for time of:

10 pull ups
25′ OH DB walking lunges 15# DB’s
10 push ups
25′ OH DB walking lunges 15# DB’s

My time:  18:44

Even modified, that's still a shitload of pull ups, in my opinion.  Kept the intensity high and finished in a decent enough time.  I had actually been tempted to stay home and row a 5k, but I'm glad I got up and went in.  Lots of people there this morning.  It's always fun to see my CF buddies.

TGIF!

Late!

I have been late getting to work every day this week.  Well, late for me anyway.  I like to get to work about 7:15.  Lately I've been leaving the house about then.  Today it was 7:20 when I left.  No one is here but me and one other person anyway, but I need to snap out of it and get back in my routine.

I also need to get back to being able to jerk way more than I can now.  I used to be able to put up some pretty decent weight, but today those 110# jerks were a total bitch!  I had to fight for every single one of them.  I just haven't practiced them lately.

Open WOD 11.3
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
Squat clean and jerk 135/110

My score: 9 rounds + 1 squat clean = 19 points

Got the same score as last time we did this one, but nowhere near my PR.  Ah well, it was fun to do some squat cleans.  The jerks, however, were a different story altogether.  The first one I barely made it.  The second one I went to split jerk, the third one I actually failed to lock out, so had to re-clean it and then it was all split jerks from there on out.  Now, I know I can do better than that, and my issue was largely one of technique, not strength.  I just wasn't fast enough under the bar.  I think I'm going to start working clean & jerks on front squat day.  I'll do squat clean & jerks.  That way I can work my front squat and my jerk all in one day.  Maybe.  We'll see...

Front squats
5-3-2 @ 85-105-115
10 x 3 @ 125

Grumpy

The first words out of my mouth this morning were "Stop kicking me around".  This was in response to my husband ever so gently nudging me to let me know the alarm was going off.  He does this every single day, in the most loving way possible, because I wear earplugs and cannot actually hear the alarm, and because he's incredibly nice.  Today was no different, but for some reason I lashed out at him. Maybe because every muscle in my body is sore, and I'm completely exhausted, despite three nights of decent sleep.  Maybe because I've gone 3 full days without a drop of alcohol, following a full three weeks of extreme liver abuse.  I know I sound like an alcoholic  - don't judge!  Just promise you'll smuggle me some vodka if I end up at The Betty some day.

Anyway...after my little outburst, I rolled over and looked at my phone to check the WOD.  And the next words out of my mouth were, "I don't want to do that - it's stupid!"  And what did I do?  I got up and went to CrossFit anyway!

I'm sure I was a real joy to be around this morning.  But, by the end of an hour at CFJ, I had adjusted my attitude and I'm happy to report that I am now having a great day!  It's the end result that matters, right?

WOD

“Bergeron Beep Test”
Every minute on the minute for as long as possible:
7 Thrusters (Men 75 lbs, Women 55 lbs)
7 Pull-ups
7 Burpees
If you don’t have unassisted pull-ups, sub sumo deadlift high pulls.
If you don’t make all the reps within the minute then continue to do as many rounds as possible for 15 minutes.

My score:  6 rounds even

Okay.  I did this as an AMRAP.  And I modified by doing jumping pull ups because my lats are so incredibly sore, I couldn't even dream of doing a legit pull up today.   Surprisingly, the thrusters were the easy part of this one. I tried hard not to rest, but again, that pesky love of oxygen got in the way and I found myself resting, mostly between burpees. 

Strength today was front squats
5-3-2 @ 85-105-135
10 sets of 3 @ 135 - I only did six sets...these were torture today.

CrossFit Games Open 12.2

Super sore this morning!!  

Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

75 pound Snatch (women 45#), 30 reps
135 pound Snatch (women 75#), 30 reps
165 pound Snatch (women 100#), 30 reps
210 pound Snatch (women 120#), as many reps as possible

My total:  60 reps, Rx

Tied my previous score exactly.  Not even tempted to try 100# today.  My max is like 95, and I've been goofing off for a while, obviously, so not strong enough to even consider an attempt.  Still, this is a fun workout, and I enjoyed it.  Need serious work on heavier snatching though.

Strength today was the following complex:

3 snatch grip deadlift + 2 hang power snatch + 1 squat snatch

My loads:  45-50-55-60-65-75

Tuesday WOD & Trip Pix

Started off this morning with "Rowling".  Thankfully there were no burpee penalties this time, because I only hit 100 twice.  Also we did ten rds of 10 TTB and 20 DU.  I scaled that down to 5 TTB and 10-15 DU.  Just because. 

Strength was a complex of 3 push press, 2 push jerk and one split jerk.  In keeping with my theme of not overdoing it this week I stayed light.

My loads:   55-65-70-80-85

Then, "Jackie:

“Jackie”
1000 meter row
50 Thrusters (Men 45 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
30 pull-ups

My time:  13:26 Rx

Wow - I was slow, but I did it all.  I rested wayyyyy too much on the thrusters.  Ridiculous amounts of rest.  I have a need for oxygen and for some reason I just love breathing, so I couldn't resist the temptation to put the bar down and gasp for air.   Actually felt good to complete something Rx without feeling like I would die.

And now, without further ado, I present you with a few of my favorite pix from vacation. If you're my FB friend, you've probably seen them. If not - enjoy!

View of White Bay, JVD

Foxy's Taboo

The Bubbly Pool - JVD

Thinking how hard CrossFit is gonna be next week.  I was right.

 

Allan, relaxing at Gertrude's

Good times with my awesome husband.  :)

View from our villa

Some of our Island Friends at dinner one night.

Clarke & Jay being goofy

Another refreshing dip in the Caribbean.

Me and DuWayne, one of my island friends.

Dinner with more friends.

Yummy Lobster

White Bay, JVD

New Year's Eve day on the beach - craziness!!

More New Year's Eve

Some of the island gang on NYE day.

The only decent snorkeling picture before the camera died.

Home Again

Back from another magnificent vacation, during which very little exercise occurred on my part. I was lazy and spoiled the entire time.  I ate whatever sounded good and drank like I had the keys to the liquor store. 

And now I must atone for the damage.  I'm not going anywhere near a scale.  My clothes tell me I over did it, so I'll just buckle down and work hard, because there's another trip in 5 months. 

WOD

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:

Box jumps (Men 24” box, Women 20” box)
Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (Men 95 lbs, Women 65 lbs)

My time:  6:29, scaled

Modified to box steps, and 35# bar on the SDHP.  Gotta break back into this kinda slowly so I'm not too sore to continue tomorrow!

Stength:  Back Squats
10 sets of 3 @ 145
 

It's almost vacation time!!

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

6 Ring dips
12 Deadlifts (Men 135 lbs, Women 95 lbs)
18 Lateral jumps over barbell

My rounds:  7 even

I subbed out ring dips and did push ups instead.  My push ups are improving, thanks to lots of plank holds.  I'm still trying to heal up some tendonitis in my right arm, so dips are out for a while. 

These lateral jumps always scare me.  I had a couple of "trips" today and scared the heck out of me.  Funny, however, I did the last 18 jumps quickly, unbroken in an attempt to beat the clock and finish out the 7th round.  And I DID IT without tripping!  Woo hoo!!

Crazytown

My job has just been pure insanity lately.

Hopefully, after today, things will change.  Hopefully.

Not sure if its the stress, or it's just my time to get sick, but I'm coming down with something.  Probably my annual sinus infection.  Just in time for the holidays and vacation.

Made it in to CFJ today for the WOD:

3 Rounds for time of:
15 Deadlifts (Men 225 lbs, Women 155 lbs)
25 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
35 Sit-ups
45 Squats

My time:  20:42, scaled

I scaled the DL to 135 and the wall ball to 8 lbs.  I know, I know.  Weak.  But whatever.  Everything felt ridiculously heavy and difficult today.

Okay.  Back to Crazytown for a little while.  Wish me luck!!

TGIF!

This morning I didn't do the WOD.  I just went in and goofed around with my jump rope and some front and back squats with the weights we'll be using tomorrow at the "Downtown Duel".  I keep alternating between, "Why the Hell did I let Rayus talk me into this?" and "I'm just going to have a good time."  Ultimately I need to stick with "just going to have a good time" because my partner, Marcy and I are both a good 5-8 years older than most of our competition (as far as I can tell).  Anyway...I'm ready for it.

In more important news:  I'm just eaten up with vacation-itis. Thirteen days from now I'll be lounging on the beach at White Bay with a cold beer in my hand.   Here's a screen shot from the webcam there this morning:

I almost cannot stand the anticipation!  I've got a stack of work about two feet tall, tons of stress to go along with it, and I can barely focus on my work for thinking about the islands.  Oh, how I love that place!

Now, if I could figure out a way to just go live there...

TGIF!!

Crazy days

I've been super super busy at work.  And frustrated.  But that's not important.

What is important?

What's important is, I got my bootie out from between those flannel sheets today  (and yesterday) and went to CFJ for a little fun with a barbell.  Deadlifts are always certain to convince me it's worth getting out of bed.

5 Rounds for time of:
7 Deadlifts (Men 275 lbs, Women 185 lbs)
15 Bar dips

My time:  5:08

I subbed out the bar dips (tendonitis...still) and did 7 GHD sit ups instead.  It was a fun, fast workout.

I also EXACTLY TIED my PR for 500m row this morning!  1:56.5
There is not a date showing on my PR list, but I know it had to be early 2010!!  Not sure I want to do that again for another three years.  ;)

Back from the mountain...

I've been sort of "snowed in" at home.  There is this awful hill in front of my driveway, and it's littered with vehicles that didn't make it, either up or down. The city finally sent out a sand truck on Sunday and sanded the other road out of the neighborhood.  This hill, however still impassable.  There were three more cars on it today.  Not sure why they though they could make it after seeing this:

Anyway, it felt good to be back at the gym this morning.

For time:
30 Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lbs, Women 35 lbs)
30 Toes to bar
25 Kettlebell swings
25 Toes to bar
20 Kettlebell swings
20 Toes to bar
15 Kettlebell swings
15 Toes to bar
10 Kettlebell swings
10 Toes to bar
5 Kettlebell swings
5 Toes to bar

My time:  8:17 - unbroken

I subbed sit ups for TTB  in the interest of not tearing up my hands since I know we have pull-ups in this weekend's competition.  Felt awesome to bust through this completely unbroken!

The strength today was front squats:
Rep Scheme: 5-3-2-2-1-1-1
My loads:  55-85-95-100-105-115-125

If it's not one thing...

...it's another!

So, last night, Rayus goaded me into signing up for the Downtown Duel.  I came up with a partner and signed up.

And then, I went in this morning and jammed my big toe doing a split jerk.  It hurts like hell!  Any jumping in that competition is going to slow me down.  But, I'm just in it for fun, honestly.

The absolute worst part of it is that I have a Christmas Party this Friday and I NEED to be wearing a pair of heels.  I tried heels this morning before work and OUCH!  However, I simply refuse to wear flats with a dress.  Just ain't gonna happen.  I mean, how sexy is that - flats with a nice cocktail dress?  No way, no how.   I'll wear some damn heels on Friday if it kills me.  It's open bar. Alcohol will be a great pain killer.

WOD:

3 Rounds for time:

400 Meter run
21 Toes to bar
9 Push jerk (Men 155 lbs, Women 105 lbs)

My time:  17:02, scaled to 65#

This was after said toe injury, so my running was even slower than normal.  S-l-o-w!  I figured out about the 100m mark, it kind of stopped hurting until the next round, so I just kept going.   My toes to bar kip is off in la-la land somewhere.  This was a fun little workout.

Strength today was5 sets of power clean-push press-push jerk-split jerk.  It was here, on the second split jerk, where things went bad for my toe.

first set at 65#, sets 2-5 at 75#

My new friend: the speed rope

Recently I received, as a "prize" in the Battle Over Redlands competition, a new Axel-Design speed rope. It looks like this one, only mine is pink with green handles.  I adore it in an  "oh, it's so cute" sort of way.  I mean...it's neon pink.  Adorable.   I had almost decided to give it away, because it didn't work for me like my old Buddy Lee rope. 

Well, this morning, my old Buddy Lee snapped right in half as we were starting our warm-up. Yikes!!  I have a replacement cord for it, but I didn't have time to mess with it.  So I grabbed up my new rope and decided I'd tough it out.  And guess what?  I loved it, once I got a feel for it.  I had several good sets of double unders this morning and I'm going to donate my old Buddy Lee to the community rope area once the cord is replaced.  I'm moving on.  So long, Buddy Lee...I have a new friend now!

For time:

50 Double unders
40 Wall ball shots (Men 20 lb ball, Women 14 lb ball)
30 Kettlebell swings (Men 55 lb kettlebell, Women 35 lb kettlebell)
20 Burpees
10 Strict handstand push-ups

My time:  9:44

I scaled the wall ball to 8 lbs, and instead of HSPU I did 10 dumbbell push press with my left arm.  I'm avoid anything that hurts the tendonitis in my right arm.  I've got to get it healed up.  It's killing me!!  Anyway, if it hurts I'm not doing it...whatever "it" is.

Strength today was back squats

Rep Scheme:  5-3-2-2-1-1-1
My loads:   85-115-145-155-175-180-195

Late!

Busy day.  Just now getting around to blogging.  And it's gonna be short...just super busy.


5 Rounds for time of:
7 Muscle ups  15 Kettlebell swings  35#
21 Burpees

My time:   20:10

I modified this one today...most people subbed pull ups and dips for the muscle up but I'm having some odd pain issues and pull ups hurt in the specific spot where I'm having pain.  So, I did KBS instead.  Giving this pain a couple more weeks and then I might consider going to a doctor.  I'm sure it's just old age and wear and tear.

Strength today was front squats:

rep scheme:  5-3-2-2-1-1-1
my loads: 65-85-95-105-115-125-135