08.25.10 - Congrats IACs

5-5-5-5-5 Handstand Push-ups

Tabata (8 reps, 20 sec on/10 sec rest)

Kettlebell Swings (45/35#)
Dumbbell Push Press (25/15#)
Box Jumps (24/20")
Bench Press (95/45#)

Checkout: 150 Double Unders

Lowest # of Reps per Set: 7-7-7-7
Comments: Warm-ups included front and back somersaults and cartwheels and I am proud to say I could do them. HSPs on the box. A couple attempts on the wall. Jennifer told me to do some negatives (lower all the way even if you can't get back up) to work on full-range. Thanks Jen. We had to rotate the start, so I went box jumps (18"), bench (45#), KBs (20#), press (10#s). I think I recorded it wrong on the board because my brain sort of malfunctioned. I think I may have really done all 7s instead of 7-7-6-8 because I thought to myself if I did all 7s why didn't I remember that? Let's just say that I for sure averaged 7s because that was my goal and I really wanted to be consistent with my reps on all 8 sets. Had some 8s, 9s, but got 7s mostly. For the checkout I decided I'd try and do 5 sets of 50 unbroken. Got that. My first attempt I lost it at 47. Thought my scales were pretty good today. I felt "even" as I worked through each set at least.

In other news: Sarah W.'s lowest number of push-presses was 23! Holy crap!

08.24.10 - Hook It

5-5-5-5-5 Deadlift Reps for Max using Hook Grip

AMRAP in 15 minutes:

100m Shuttle Run
20 Wall Balls (20/14#)
20 Sit-ups

Deadlift: 55-85-105-125-135#
Rounds: 4 2/3
Comments: This WOD did not kill me but I did not kill myself to beat it either. Used an 8# ball! We did this coaches warm-up thing where we had to hold a 10# plate arms straight ahead at parallel, in not-quite parallel squat 1 min, 45 sec, 30 sec while our partner offered resistance pressing on the weight. That plus 100 wall balls and I'm not sure I'll be walking normally again this week. It's the squatting that really kills me which is why I scaled my ball weight so much. 93 sit-ups total. SLOW transitions – put my abmat on the other side of the gym.

08.16.10 - CFE Success

3-3-3-3-3 Push Jerk

7 Rounds:
7 Dumbbell Squat Cleans (40 M/25#)
7 Burpees

Checkout: 3 50 Sit-ups

3R Push Jerk Max:95
Time: 10:32
Comments: Finally got the use of my legs back to "normal" Sunday. Could have gone higher on the push jerk but didn't want to. Only used 15# DBs and I STILL thought about doing only 6 rounds/5 burpees/6 squat cleans with just about every rep – but I did complete the whole thing. Until the checkout. I did not do all 150 sit-ups. I called that one at 100. After last week I'm scared for tomorrow. Slowest one in class but under 15 minutes!

08.11.10 - Coaches Choice

Warm-up Coaches Choice:
Drills, 3 pull Max effort on Row for Watt average

For Time:
95/75/55#

10 Squat Cleans
50 Sit-ups
8 Squat Cleans
40 Sit-ups
6 Squat Cleans
30 Sit-ups
4 Squat Cleans
20 Sit-ups
2 Squat Cleans
10 Sit-ups

Check Out Coaches Choice: Nothing! YAY.

Watt Row: 317
Time: 11:04 @ 45#

Comments: Our coaches choice warm-up was a pleasure compared to the continuous relays of suicides, push-ups, and air squats Jen was running. Thanks Terry! That watt max was fun too. Only did 45# on the squat cleans (thank god). This movement clicked for me today after I applied Mark W.'s little lesson from the last time we did them. Thanks Mark! But holy sh*t. I can barely move my legs now. Was thankful for the handicap bar in the bathroom at work today and it took me twice as long as normal to climb the ramp to my car in the garage after the WOD tonight. Literally had to use my hands/arms to move my legs into position in the car. Still... glad I went. I really really need to remember this feeling next time I consider taking so much time off. Wow.

PS Might have accidentally-on-purpose miscounted on the set of 40 sit-ups. Don't care.

PS2 John G you were a great cheerleader. I needed it tonight!

08.10.10 - Heavy Overhead

3-3-3-1-1-1 Overhead Squat

6 Rounds for Time:
105/85/65# Shoulder to overhead any way*
200m Row

Max OHS: 75#*
MetCon: 10:37 @ 55#

Comments: First day back in about 6-7 weeks! Legs were loose and wobbly after the lunges in warm-up. Uh-oh. Decided early on today that I wasn't going to knock myself out but rather ease back in. It wasn't that bad! I know I totally wimped out on the WOD weight, but I feel like as long as I'm there, and trying, it's way better than what I have been doing lately (nothing!). I'm really happy I went and feel ready to rededicate myself to 2-3 days a week up until my trip at the end of September. Also have liked the look of the CrossFit Endurance WODs that happen on Thursdays. I'd like to do T/W/Th this week. We'll see.

*Current PR. No way! I thought it was 90 - kinda shocked!
**Just going to list the girls Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced weights from now on.

07.11.10 - Handstands

I've been out about two+ weeks due (in part) to this pulled spot in my abdomen that makes it impossible to do just about everything (especially burpees and push-ups) without reigniting discomfort. I don't know if I'm being lazy or smart in holding back, but even doing a bunch of silly handstands in the pool made it faintly reappear, so I guess you could say perhaps I am erring on the side of caution?

Katy and I were kind of cracking up at how ridiculous it is to pretend doing handstands in the pool compares to the handstand shots on the beach and such that people tend to send in to the gym. We got a good laugh about how it might be funny to submit this photo to the box, but this really is meant to be a joke. I will say, that while I have done a zillion handstands in the pool in my life time, I had never done them while thinking about my body positioning, and trying to do them in good form before. It's harder than it looks, and I might even say, maybe it's a good way to practice? Best of all it's fun.

So far over the past two weeks I've regretted missing most WODs. I did not, however lament over having to skip today's: completing 100 Thrusters while breaking them up by doing 4 burpees on every minute. That would have been brutal to say the least and I applaud all who accomplished it! I seriously wonder if I would have showed up to this one.

John Welbourn's Blog

From CrossFit One World, I was led to the blog of John Welbourn. This guy was great in the movie "Every Second Counts" if you haven't seen it. In the first post I read, there were several quotes, but this one made me laugh out loud. It could make a pretty great t-shirt or something... From his post "Be Smart":

"And since I am throwing out quotes to live by…'Show me someone that is fine with losing and I will show you a loser' – Steve Yurosek. I love that one."

Take a look at his blog, Talk to Me Johnnie if you have any interest.

06.29.10 - Filthy 50s

Practice Turkish Get-ups

Then for time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions (sub: good mornings)
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Time: Just under 30 min. DNF (no burpees).
Comments: I. Am. So. Bummed. I remember learning about Filthy 50s way back when the box was still upstairs and thinking it was the craziest thing I'd ever heard of. Like, No-Whey. Then back in January I either had to miss or was too scared to go that day. This time when they came up, I was actually excited to see what I could do! I've been out for about a week. So I go to just do one burpee beforehand and whammo – that sharp, sudden, mother-effing pain in abdomen my is STILL THERE??? WTH??? I hadn't felt it all week and thought it was surely behind me. But nope. Then everything I tried sorta hurt, but burpees the worst. I hemmed and hawed on it thru-out my super-scaled 15# get-ups. I did some stretching and wandered around trying all the different exercises. I decided to attempt everything but the burpee, but super-scaled. Jennifer talked me into step-ups (12" box). I could do the rest of it mostly, w/a 20# KB, 35# press, a 15# good morning, and an 8# medicine ball. My knees to elbows were more like knees to chest/armpits, cause that kinda killed. I skipped the burpees entirely, and did 200 singles on the jump rope.

I think this was okay. I was dying to do something after being "off" the past 8 days. So it was super-scaled, and a DNF, but I feel good that I went and great that I got a sweat on. I really couldn't deal with having to leave without at least attempting to make something on my body feel sore tomorrow (Hello, arms! There you are!) – I miss it!? Hopefully I'll be in good shape next time this one rolls around so I can get a legit time recorded.

06.20.10 - Warrior Dash.

5k Run with:

Climbing over junk yard cars,
Hopping over huge wooden spools,
Walking a plank over ravine,
Crawling thru tunnels,
Hopping over wooden walls,
Running thru a swamp,
Up a muddy hill,
Over a 15 ft. hay bale hill,
Over a 12 ft cargo net wall,
Trail mounds in a field of hills,
Jumping lines of fire,
and into the muddy pool under strings of barbed wire.

Time: 40:45
Comments: I don't know what to say. Supposedly this thing had 17,000 people over the two days, and 500 participants in each heat. It was crazy. I went very slowly, fearing injury on the route, but I made it.

06.18.10 - Freddy's Revenge

1-1-1-1-1 Squat Clean for Max

Freddy's Revenge

5 Rounds for Time:
5 Overhead Anyhow*
10 Burpees

*Get weight from shoulders to overhead anyhow – shoulder press, push press, push jerk, split jerk, front or back. Use rack.

Rx: 185#/105#
Int: 155#/85#
Beg: 115#/55#

1RM: 105#
Time: 9:03
Comments: Went down to do my push-ups during warm up and realized I pulled something very specifically in my stomach. It hurt! Tried a burpee. It hurt! Shit. So I didn't push myself too hard today. I was going to go for the 85# but was scared I'd hurt myself more (when I raised the bar, it hurt!). I did find that the more burpees I did, the less painful it was, but that could have just been overall pain distribution masking it's intensity.

The squat clean was kind of a disaster as the whole time I was confusing it with a power clean. Rather than barely lifting the bar and shooting under it, I was pulling the bar way up and then catching it in a squat I think? I don't know if this number should count in my list, but I'm writing it down anyway. The more I think about it, this was one we learned in Basic that I never quite got the gist of. Mark explained after that I should be lazier with the initial lift, and throw myself under it. His demonstration helped me see the error of my ways. I need to try this again before too much time goes by and I forget everything. Thanks Mark!

Warrior Dash on Sunday!

06.15.10 - Penalties

Deadlift
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

For time:

Advanced: 95#/65#
Intermediate: 75#/45#
Beginner: 65#/35#

250m Row
20 Thrusters
250m Row
20 SDLHP
250m Row
20 OH Squats
250m Row
20 Push Jerks
250m Row
20 Power Cleans
250m Row
20 Front Squats

** Each time you set the bar down in the middle of an exercise, your penatly is 4 burpees to be done immediately before picking up the bar again.

Deadlift: 215 (PR! By 30#s!)
Time: 18:32 (No burpees!)
Comments: I can't believe the deadlift. I remember one of my first days at ACF learning how to do it and lifting 105#, which at the time was hard. Did the intermediate 45# and maybe feel like I should have pushed it to 55#. It was SO HOT and HUMID down there I was forming drip puddles on my row. I loved this work out, and knew I would when I saw it this morning. Felt pretty good overall but a little scared for how I'll feel when I wake up tomorrow.

06.14.10 - 300 Results

3-3-3-3-3 Weighted* Pull-ups

3 Rounds of:

500m Row
21 Burpees
400m Run

Time: 23:33
Comments: All day long I didn't want to go to this one. I didn't even sign-up until 4:30. I guess I'm glad I went? But I'm not going to lie, this was a tough one. I think I could legitimately count 3 blue band pull-ups. I don't think I've ever used a blue band before, so that's a plus. I "took it easy" on the row because the burpees were next, and then "took it easy" on the run, because I was DYING from the burpees. Burpees. Man they suck. You really do just have to keep going because stopping and starting is so awful, but keeping on going is just brutal. I really think I may have actually seen sweat flying off me and hitting the floor. Also as I was running, two girls walking a dog were passing on the sidewalk. They stopped to look in the windows. As I passed by them again on the way back they turned around and said to me, You guys are hard core! You just jump right back on the rower!? My response (gasping): Yes. It's horrible!

*Weighted. Haha. I did see one guy in my class put a 75# dumbbell between his legs and complete 3 pull-ups. Also quite enjoyed the guy who had kettlebells hanging off his feet. Nice!

06.09.10 - Partner It Up

5-5-3-3-1-1-1 Press for Max

Partner AMRAP (As many reps as possible)
(55/35#)

3 Cycles Each of:

Kettlebell burpee
KB Sumo Dead Lift High Pull (SDHP)
KB Swing

5 Air Squats while "resting" as partner takes a turn.

Press Max: 85# (PR!)
AMRAP: 38
Comments: Personal Record on the Press! By 10#! Sweet. I had 90# in my head, but that was my (old) Push Press (now 95). One of my favorite things about CrossFit is the ability to see your improvement along the way, and today was a nice surprise with that press.

On to the AMRAP – Holy Hell. That KB burpee sucked! I could not do it right or well and maybe had two total that were even "countable", but who's counting. Lots of fresh bruises on the knees as I attempted to scale the push-up. Found out the A/C is out at the gym, which is a relief because I have been a sweaty disgusting mess the past couple weeks in there. Katy and I partnered up and I did only 30# on the KB. I tried some 35# swings and it was a struggle to raise that thing to full extension so scaled it down.

Oh, and don't tell anyone but I didn't do ALL the air squats. I'm a slacker but sometimes breathing wins.

06.08.10 - Morning Routines

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Power Snatch (95/65#)

250m Row between each.

Time: 21:55
Comments: Used 55#. Was tempted to use the 65 to get an Rx recorded and I can't decide if I'm glad I didn't push it or mad. I think the Snatch has officially replaced the Clean & Jerk as my favorite. I was completely drenched during just warm-ups so this was a hot one! The rows at the end got kinda tough but overall I really liked this workout quite a lot.

In other news: My morning routine is unique in that after my shower, I take the first cup of coffee back to bed with me where I sip it and read for about a half hour. I've been doing this for many, many years. I absolutely hate rushing and scrambling out the door in the morning. So I "wake up" for about 2 hours before I have to leave.

06.02.10 - Time Trial

Run 1 Mile for time.

Then 10 Rounds of:

10 Deadlifts (185/135#)
10 Burpees

Mile Time: 8:32
MetCon Time: 23:30
Comments: First timed mile since high school. 8:32 is 17 seconds over the Presidential Fitness qualifying time for a 17-year old high school girl. My pipe dream was to make it under that, but I was surprised I wasn't TOO far off? Did only 85# on the dead lift because I knew the burpees would kick my ass. Yep. They did. It was SO HOT down there too. I have to thank my class though, for cheering for me at the end while I died finishing. Bummed tonight is the only night I can make it in this week. But that was a good one.

10.29.10 - WS Tower Trot

10K (6.2 miles)

Time: 1:12.59
Comments: Katy and I both ran a 10k this weekend. I would have Never. Ever. In a million years. Even considered signing up for one. Ever. Before. In My Life. But after last week's 5k, and after agreeing to do another one yesterday, (only to find out the 5k started an hour later than the 10K at the on-site registration), I thought, What the hell? Let's do the 10k at 8:30 instead. I CAN NOT believe I have zero repercussions from this event. I am SLIGHTLY sore in the hips and ankles. This is nothing compared to the way I feel after any given Monday at the gym. I am also 100% confident that without my previous 6-7 months of CrossFit work outs, this accomplishment would have been an impossible reality. It is the furthest I have ever ran in my life! I SUCK at running! I told people afterward that it didn't really compare to a CrossFit workout in discomfort level. Not even close. It took a lot longer, but was just easy-breezy in comparison.

I averaged under 11:45-min miles. This seriously blows me away. PR in that it's the longest I've ever run. By far.

05.25.10 - T-shirt Winner!

1-1-1-1-1 Snatch for Max

Run 200m
20 Kettlebell Swings (55/35#)

4x on a 3:30 Interval

Snatch Max: 80#
Comments: I would have bet money I'd done a Snatch for Max at this point, but was surprised to see I didn't have one recorded. So 80? That's 25# over a weight I used in a WOD a couple weeks ago, and now I have a baseline. Had about 2 min rest between intervals and used 25# KB. Sprinting the run hurt my left thigh and my calves also hurt after, so did some stretching before we left. Katy suggested maybe we're too "old" to really sprint a run. I gave her the hairy eyeball (our birthdays are both within a week) but I also think she might be right!

In other news: I "won" the t-shirt competition, but question whether I really "competed" with anyone!

05.24.10 - AMRAP

3-3-3-3-3 Push Press

AMRAP
As many reps as possible in 12 minutes.

10 Squat Cleans
20 Sit-ups

3RM: 95#
Reps: 4.75
Comments: I tortured myself with too much "fun" this weekend and payed for it today. Sweating my ass off felt kinda good, actually. And for some reason I was able to match my 1RM on the push press, which tells me I need to try for a new PR. Dang it was hot down there! The gym was crowded today – lots of new faces.

05.22.10 - ABTA 5K

Time: 32:56

Comments: What a pleasure to run this morning and not totally die doing so! Under an 11 min pace no less. I shocked myself mostly in that I was barely even winded and recovered almost immediately upon finishing. Super fun, and awesome to see some old friends from Junior High I haven't seen in over a decade. Makes me want to sign up for the Tower Trot next weekend.

Not so CrossFit, but a result of...

05.19.10 - Hump Day

3 Rounds of:

800m Run
1000m Row

Time: 31:10
Comments: This was exactly what it looks like. Lots of running and rowing. I really stink at running. Especially on my toes as my calves are STILL killing me from Monday. Boo Hoo.