4.30.2010

04.30.10 - Press and Dip

3-3-1-1-1 Front Squat

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (95/65#)
Push Press
Ring Dips

Front Squat 1 Rep Max: 110# (PR!)
Time: 13:14

Comments: Personal record on the front squat. Did the prescribed weight on the push press! Ohmyshoulders. Used a green band on the dips. I might even go to blue on these next time. Green almost felt too easy? (I got a solid green band this time, not like the one I used for those silly pull-ups earlier this week). I'm friggin' beat actually. I could barely push myself off the floor when I was done stretching after, my arms were so spent. Payback I guess from Wednesday and I may or may have not been a little hungover from last night. But I thought this workout was pretty solid and I quite liked it. Tim was watching my lifts and he didn't tell me I was doing anything wrong so I thought that was good.

Oh yeah, and did 4 days this week again. Niiice.

4.28.2010

04.28.10 - Tabata plus Tabata

8 intervals of the following for a total of 32 intervals.
20 seconds all out, 10 seconds rest, totaling 16 minutes.

Pull-ups
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Air Squats

Then: Another 8 intervals, same way, on the rower.

Record LOWEST number of reps: 2/6/7/10
Comments: I made a pact with myself that whenever we did a workout where we didn't have to do a full number of reps, I'd use the green band. This was my second time using it. Not to make excuses or anything, but my particular green band had seen some action. I think it was one from the original band supply. My first round was 7 and it was all downhill from there. Holy humiliation. I feel tight all over again after the three in a row and my calves finally kicked into the mix today after the jump rope on Monday. We wrapped it up with some stretching on the rollers, which I'm sure will cover my legs in some really attractive bruises. Thank god I get to go to happy hour tomorrow to "rest".

4.27.2010

04.27.10 - Essentials

21-18-15-12-9

95/65#
Deadlift
Hang Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Jerk

Time: 28:40
Comments: Wow. When I saw this workout this morning I knew I had to do it. Scaled to 55# and for once I'm not going to say I should have done 10 more. I thought the weight was perfect. Pretty sure my form took a nose dive as I got closer to the end – I just wanted it Over. Our class was only 3-strong and Mike is very vocal so I felt a bit of more intense "pressure" than I'm used to, but I got thru it. A new girl was in front of me and she was rockin' it Rx'd, so that really helped me to keep picking up the bar when I didn't want to so I didn't fall too far behind. Brett behind me kept me going too. These lifting workouts are truly my favorite. It's 8:20 (my class was at 5:30), my face is still hot to the touch, and I'm beat.

I'm adding Get Some Rx'd Workouts Recorded to my list of goals...

4.26.2010

04.26.10 - The Triplet

3 Rounds for Time

500m Row
12 Overhead Squats (115/75#)
50 Double Unders (200 singles)

Checkout: 150 Sit-ups, 75 Push-ups

Time: 22:50
Comments: Row started real strong and then fell apart by round three. Used 50# on the OHS. 55? Maybe. I did singles for the entire jump rope. I can DO a double under, but they wear me out! This should go on my stink-at-it list because it's for sure something I can improve on. Wasn't gonna do the Checkout but then decided to do the sit-ups. Then Vance tried to make me do the push-ups. I called it a night after 30. I'd like to be able to use my arms this week, thanks.

In other news: IT'S MY 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY! I've been not-so-secretly wanting the "I am Crossfit" t-shirt at the gym for a few months now, but I haven't felt like I've earned it. Am I Crossfit? A more appropriate t-shirt for me might read, "I do Crossfit" or "I try to Crossfit". After six months can I call myself Crossfit? I can't decide.

4.23.2010

04.23.10 - CFit at SC (Alt)

ACF WOD: Hundo's
(100 Burpees, 100 Wall Balls, 100 Box Jumps)

100 Burpees hurt my feelings when I saw it. I went over possible scales and racked my brain for a way to wrap my head around how I'd get through it. I remember doing 40 straight burpees in a workout so vividly the idea of 100 broke me. But I REALLY wanted to get 4 workouts in this week. So tonight I got back in the pool for the first time since I started Crossfit, and thanks to an article I found months ago written by Tim, completed my 4th WOD this week!

Swimming WOD:

200m Kick
200m Pull
200m Pull with Paddles
200m Paddles
200m Paddles and Fins
200m Fins
200m Swim

Time: 23:15
Comments: Flanked the workout with a 200 warm-up and cool down. That was a lot of swimming with paddles. Holy triceps/shoulders. Averaged about 3:15 per 200 with the only rest in between being transitioning "equipment". I really wanted to keep the intensity up to match a true workout at the gym. I think I did a pretty decent job? My last recorded time for a 200 in a legitimate race was 2:28, so I figure swimming basically a straight 1400 at a 3:15 average/200 isn't bad, especially since I hadn't been in the water for 6 months. I actually felt pretty strong and good overall, and I loved approaching a swim set with same mentality I've adapted for our regular workouts. Keep going. Swim as fast as you can. I can't wait to do this again and I loved this set!

Disclaimer: I actually swam yards, not meters, but in an attempt to keep things relative have used the meter as my unit of measure. Close enough.

4.21.2010

04.21.10 - Isabel

3-3-3-3-3 Overhead Squat

Isabel (135/95#)
30 Snatches

Time: 3:59
Comments: Even though I can barely move – I have to push myself out of chairs/which hurts my arms/and makes me laugh/then kills my stomach – today was a really nice class. There were only four of us and the gym felt kind of mellow. My 3-rep max on the OH squat was 60# (1RM is 70). Supposedly I wasn't getting low enough? That just made me laugh because it was a miracle my legs were even functioning. And I guess I wasn't using enough weight because I "finished too soon". I mean, can't I just have one day where I'm not the last person done with a WOD? Please? It's true though. I used 55# and should have done 65.

In other news: The pictures on the site today made my other blog. Who took those shots of Emily?

4.20.2010

04.20.10 - Loving the new Box

1000m Row

Then 5 Rounds:
20 Pull-ups
7 Push Jerks (135/95#)

Time: 20:28
Row Time: 4:01 (Dang!)
Comments: I REALLY wanted to break 4 minutes on the row. This was my first attempt at a 1000 meters for time. I was utterly shocked I got off the rower with most of the boys in my class. I'm pissed I didn't break 4, but it was still my personal record. Yippee.

Pull-ups were brutal even with the grey band by about the second round. I used 55# on the push jerks and should have used 65# for sure.

In other news: Sarah E. interviewed me after class (on video! NIGHTMARE!) with the following questions –

1. What's your favorite thing about Crossfit? Forgetting about everything else while doing a WOD.
2. What's the hardest thing about Crossfit? Keeping track/count of reps.
3. What makes it worth it? It's FUN?
4. Describe Crossfit in one word: TOUGH.

Honestly you could ask me these questions 20 times and I'd have a different answer. These answers seem so limited when I think about the big picture. For instance: The people I've met/ Getting there/ A sense of real accomplishment when I finish something I didn't think was possible/ TORTURE. Or: Every day is different/ Man Makers/ The challenge of everything/ SUBCULTURE. Really I could go on and on...

04.19.10 - Thruster Mania

3 Rounds for Time:

50 Thrusters (45/35#)
40 Sit-ups
30 Push-ups

Time: I'm guessing around 24 min? The clock got shut off before I finished! Rude.
Comments: Four days off and back at it for another three in a row, I felt recovered from the body torture last week. I say body torture in a good way. It felt good to be all-over sore again and I actually LIKED doing the three in a row.

This one was rough even though I went down to a measly 15# to do the thrusters. It's the down/squat part that kills me, with or without weight. 50 squats alone are rough for me. Pushing the bar overhead wasn't so bad until toward the end of each set of 50 when I started feeling it in my shoulders. My legs took the brunt of the beating. I loved hearing someone yell, Keep going! You can rest during the sit-ups! I believe only in Crossfit could you consider doing sit-ups "resting" – but it's true – that was the time to "rest". Push-ups almost broke me at the end. I could barely keep my body off the floor with each one.

We sorta checked out with some Turkish Get-ups. I was so weak I just kind of tried lamely to do two on each side with a 15# kettlebell.

4.14.2010

04.14.10 - The Deadlift

For total time:

1 x 20 @ 1.5x Body Weight
Rest 3 minutes
1 x 20 @ Body Weight
Rest 3 minutes
1 x 20 @ 3/4 Body Weight

Checkout: 30 Partner Bar-Ups

Time: 10:25
Comments: Since there's no way in hell I could lift 1.5x my body weight at this point, I was allowed to scale to 80% of my 1 rep max (185#). Not so good at math, I went for 145/125/95# for the three sets. I thought that was close. I really should have spent some time stretching after this one. Why do I forget to do that? I can already feel it on top of the all-over soreness/fatigue I'm feeling being back in the gym 3 days in a row* after that time off. Yikes.

Vance and I partnered for the bar-ups and used the 15# bar for the first 10, then scaled it to a PVC pipe with a 5# plate between our hands for the rest. Pretty sure I wasn't doing this right because my abs felt way less engaged than my arms(!) and my legs, feet weighted down. Oh well. I wanted to skip this entirely so at least I tried it!

*Not sure I've done 3 in a row before? But I'd really like to step it up to 4 days/week. Glad I went tonight.

4.13.2010

04.13.10 - 7s

7 Rounds for Time:

(95/65#)
7 Push Press
7 Push-ups
7 Kettlebell Swings
7 Pull-ups
7 Power Cleans
7 Burpees
7 Overhead Squats

Time: 29:40
Comments: I only got through 6 rounds and I majorly scaled this. Used 35# for the bar, 20# on the KB, gray band on the pull-ups. I would have used a heavier bar if not for the OHS. My push-ups and pull-ups felt good. I liked this workout a lot. I wish I didn't let myself get cut off at the 30-minute mark because I could have finished even though I was completely dying.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to keep going with what round I was on AT the 30 or if I was supposed to stop with what round I was on? Because I could have started it? But the other class was starting and I thought they needed our spots... I mean, don't get me wrong. I GLADLY quit after 6. (I should have done all 7).

D.Y.I.N.G. I should have done all 7.

Oh and we did this crazy handstand exercise in warm-up where you face the wall and walk your legs up, and your arms to the wall, to form a vertical handstand. THEN, you lift an arm off the ground and touch the corresponding armpit. Alternate that. As quick as you can. HA!

4.12.2010

04.12.10 - Do you Crossfit?

5 Rounds for Time:

500m Row
400m Run
Rest 90 Seconds

Checkout: 100 Wall Balls (20/14#)

Time: 30:44 (4:50/6:25/6:25/6:20/6:24)
Comments: Back at the box after a 12-day hiatus. No bueno. This actually was a pretty good one to go back with. Running/Rowing. Don't tell anyone, but we ditched out on the checkout...

What kept sticking in my head was the message that accompanied the workout on the website this morning. Things like "Step out of your comfort zone" and "push yourself to 110%". I really tried to go as fast as I could, but that wasn't very fast I'm afraid. I tried to keep my rows under 2:00 average, not going over 2:10. The running killed me, especially hearing Katy's footsteps getting closer and closer and catching me each round.

There was also a quote from the (I think) inventor of Crossfit, Coach Glassman:

"Performance is directly correlated with intensity. Intensity is directly correlated with discomfort."

I was definitely 100% uncomfortable, so I must have been doing something right. Solid, 30-min. workout. Nice to be working with Tim again. Held some decent 10-sec+ headstands in Warm-up #2.