Thursday, October 27

Yesterday was going to be my "rest day" but my friend Ron, came into the gym about an hour before my class started and said, "What are we doing today?"
My legs were completely smoked, but I quickly said "Row!" and challenged him to a 15 minute row (as many meters as possible)
What was I thinking? That man can row and he totally kicked my butt! First he did the Front Squat WOD from Tuesday, then we rowed. He even gave me a head start, making it very apparent that I need to work on my rowing skills!
But for the record, I can still smoke him when it comes to Overhead Squats! :)

Wednesday WOD
AMMAP 15 minutes (As many meters as possible)
Row
Total meters-3189

Thursday WOD
Rope climbs - skill work
2 rope ascents (one 15 foot and one 20 foot) and two, 10 foot rope climbs with arms only. This was a first for me with arms only and I was so happy that I could do it!

Team WOD! (I LOVE team WOD's)
AMRAP 12 minutes
Max calorie row
while one is rowing the other person is doing
2 rounds of
10 dumb bell squat cleans (we used 12lbs)
10 pushups
then switch
our total score was 149 calories and 4 rounds + 10 reps
I started with 20 lbs dumbbells and did 5 and just knew I couldn't keep that up for 12 minutes. 12 lbs was too light though. It was still very hard. MORE LEGS!!!
Tomorrow, I am giving my legs a break!

EATING:
Wednesday-
Breakfast- 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 apple with almond butter and dried blueberries
Snack: salmon and sweet potatoes
Lunch: chicken salad
Snack: Lemon Larabar
Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce

Thursday:
Breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Grilled Chicken salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and olives and blue cheese dressing
Dinner: pot roast with turnips, carrots and zucchini

CrossFit...even on the bad days.

Great day at the gym, although I will admit, I wasn't "feeling" the 2-a-day workout today. I am glad I did it though. Part of my problem is that I have just been emotionally exhausted and sad. My husband has been working out of state for almost 6 weeks and I just miss him terribly.
CrossFit has been my therapy in the past and it is now, as well.
One of the beautiful things that sucked me into CrossFit is that when I walk into the gym, my problems, stress or worries are left at the door. During the time that I am in the gym, when I am in the WOD, my thoughts are focused only on what I am doing.
So when I have a bad day, I still make myself do that WOD because I know that when I leave the gym, I will feel like I have done something to be proud of and that I will be able to take on the day.
Even if it's the worst performance, the fact remains that I still got off the couch. I pushed myself. I tried harder. I sweated. I overcame.

Morning-8:30 am

WORKOUT OF THE DAY
STRENGTH
tempo front squats (down on count of 3 seconds, hold 3 seconds, 0 seconds up!) try these, they are a whole different kind of animal!
5-5-5 (45lbs,95lbs,135lbs)

then

For Time:
15-12-9-6-3
Front Squats (95lbs)
Toes to Bar


Afternoon -1:30
Strength WOD
Percentages are based on 1 rep max
Strict Shoulder Press-1 rep max New PR at 80lbs. I know. This is sad, but this my weakness which is why I worked on it today.
Squat Clean - 60%x3(80lbs), 70%x3(95lbs), 75%x3(105lbs), 80%x3x2(110lbs)
Snatch Balance - getting better at these! 60%x5(40lbs),70%x5(50lbs),85%x5x3(60lbs)
Bench Press - 60%x5(65lbs),70%x5(75lbs),85%x5x3(95lbs)

Eating:
Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Snack: Larabar
Snack: turkey slices with humus
Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken, sweet potato with cinnamon sugar (not alot!)

Sometimes a break is good!

I feel so much better after taking this past week off. My elbows are feeling normal again, and thanks to Mobility WODs, my shoulder feels great, too!
I did jump back on the rings this past Saturday, but only for one try. I got up there, but my wrist immediately flipped over into that dreaded wrist lock. I will not do another attempt anytime soon. I am changing my attack strategy. I will be working this month on chest to bar pulls, russian dips and strengthening my wrist since that seems to be my achilles heel.
Today, it felt great to be back working out. I did much better than I was expecting. Sometimes you just don't know what your first day will be like after a week off, but I was happy!

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3 (145-160-180-195-205)
then
AMRAP 12 minutes of
20 Overhead lunges (25lbs plate)
20 Double Unders
20 Situps

Score-6 rounds

then
Max overhead squats in 1 minute - 27 at 65lbs

EATING:
Breakfast-2 hard boiled eggs
Post WOD-Progenex
Lunch-baked chicken, cauliflower and broccoli
Snack-3 turkey slices with humus
Dinner- Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce
Dessert-3 fig newtons

Don't Forget to Enjoy the Journey

Wow! What a weekend! I turned 40 yesterday and my husband was just amazing at planning the perfect birthday event for me.
Early Saturday morning, my son Brendan and I headed out to run in the Race for the Cure with our friends Coach Mark and his wife Sharon and their baby granddaughter, Addie. We had a great time! This was Brendan's very first 5K and he ran the entire thing! I was so proud of him that I was almost in tears as we crossed the finish line. I stayed with him the whole time, cheering him on and he finished in 32:41:58. It was great!
Afterwards my husband had me meet him at our box where he had planned a surprise birthday party/WOD for me with my friends and family. See? a perfect day!

But yesterday was THE day. The day I turned 40. The day that I had said would be the day I would achieve that goal. The muscle-up.
Didn't happen.
Last night I was almost in tears. No. I was in tears, but I got control of myself quickly.
I had made this day so big in my head. Why? I think it's because I didn't want to focus on the fact that I was turning 40. My idea was to take this day and make it very positive. Make it a day that I did something that I have never been able to do before.
At one point yesterday I even asked myself, "Do I feel different?"
Yes.
OR did I just feel disappointed?
I have been thinking about this for the past 2 days.
Honestly, what the heck is my problem?
Why in the world am I letting this one thing bring me down?
I was having a pity party and I was the only guest!
Yes, I wanted yesterday to be a day that I did something that I have never done before, but wait! Don't I do this almost every day?
Let's talk about what I was doing 20 years ago.
I can tell you that when I was 20 years old, I was an art student who was constantly working on art projects, sometimes all hours of the night, and then going straight to class with no sleep. I actually went 3 days without sleep during finals one semester and had a professor tell me that if I showed up in his class that day, he would fail me. I was in bad shape that day.
I also drank often, (College, right?) ate bad food-Hardees everyday for lunch! Gross! And I smoked at least a pack a day. When did I work out? I didn't. If I wasn't in class, I was working (I had 2 jobs) or working on a project or hopefully sleeping some.
Yeah, I could totally kick my 20 year old butt now!
I can tell you that I couldn't deadlift much, couldn't run even a 15 minute mile (smoker!), didn't even know what an "Olympic Lift" was, and pullups? Well, that was just for boys, right?
But I was skinny and that was what counted, right? Never mind that I was always close to exhaustion and malnutrition.
So, let me re-evaluate this.
At the age 40, I am doing things I never would have thought I could do! I haven't smoked in almost 12 years. I eat real food and am in the best shape and best health of my life. I am a mother of 3 amazing boys and the wife to the love of my life! I love ALL of my jobs (mom, CrossFit Coach and Graphic Designer) Life is good! 40 is sounding better and better! :)

My message for the day? Don't get so focused on the things that, in the overall scheme of things, don't really matter.
Yes, it is important to set goals, but don't become so obsessed with the goal, that you forget to enjoy the journey.


Saturday Workout of the Day
Run 5 K, then

Birthday WOD

4 Rounds of
10 Overhead Squats, 65lbs
16 pullups
25 Double Unders (or 71 singles)
Score: 10:47

I will be taking this week off and then I will be back next week to start a new strength cycle.

October 12, 2011

Today I went ahead and did my Strength WOD since I have decided I will be taking next week off.

Percentages are based on my 1 rep max
Back Squat-60%-5 reps(110lbs), 70%-4 reps(130lbs), 80%-4 reps x 4(150lbs)
Snatch Balance- Still working on the skill on these. 45lbs-5 reps, 65lbs-4 reps x 3
Squat Snatch- 60%-5 reps(53lbs), 70%-5 reps(63lbs), 85%-5reps x 3 (73lbs) attempted 83lbs 3 times but failed the lift. Lost it in the bottom.

max hang clean in 1 minute at 65lbs-26 reps

37 Days with no sweets!!!!! Yay me!

Eating:
Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: left-over boston butt, asparagus and butternut squash
Snack: apple with almond butter and dried blueberries
Dinner: Left-over chicken, kale and green beans

Short and Sweet

Another short and sweet blog. I know this may not be an interesting one, but this is as much for me (maybe more so) as it is for those of you who are following.
Shoulder seems a bit better today, but I decided today that I will be taking next week off. My coach usually has to make me take a week off because I just don't know how to rest, but this time I think my body is saying "back off". I really can't remember the last time I took longer than two days off. So after this weekend (I still have to reach my goal first!) I will be taking it easy for a week.
This is not to say that I won't be doing ANYTHING, just no heavy days, or WODs. I will probably use that time to work on handstands and walking on hands and those kind of skills. (See? I REALLY don't know how to take time off)

Okay, so today I did 9 muscle-up attempts. No more than that because I don't want to be so sore by this weekend that I can't achieve that muscle-up (see? still thinking positive!). Once again, I got through the rings. AND once again, my wrist flip over, causing a "wrist lock" and no way to dip out of it. So frustrating!!! I don't know how to correct this other than to get both of my elbows up at the same time. What I am doing now is a deadhang and then, basically, wiggling my way into the rings, like the video I posted the other day.
I know this isn't the best way to do, but I am so damn close! When I swing, it's almost like I hit a wall. Today I tried both ways and the dead hang-wiggle got me much closer than swinging up into the rings, but I will continue to try both ways.
Someone told me to just keep trying and one day I will just pop up there and I will be like "Oh! THAT'S how you do it!" I am looking forward to that day...this Sunday, right? :)

Today's WOD
AMRAP 10 minutes of
300 meter run
4 hang power cleans (78lbs)
5 Toes to Bar
Score: 4 rounds + run (10:33)
Kipped all the toes to bar. This was a first for me! :))

Eating:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
POST WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Left over chicken, kale with stewed tomatoes and green beans
Snack: larabar
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Oh my word! I ache all over! I feel like I have just been beaten up! I have been going to a chiropractor for the past month and he has been trying to get my hip back in line (something that has been out of wack apparently for a very long time). Anyway, I am very sore from that. This seems to be normal from what most people have told me, but I am not enjoying this. I had originally gone to him for my shoulder and my elbow. My elbow has a tendon that pops anytime I do anything with dumbbells overhead (rotation in my wrist affects this). My shoulder has a tendency to seize up on me whenever I do back squats. I actually have to come out from under the bar in slow motion because it will cramp up so badly. Did I injure it in CrossFit? No. I felt it pull after I fluffed sheets out while making the bed. Yeah! Go figure.
In addition to this, I am cramping, I have a crick in my neck and last night, while rolling out my shoulder, I actually created another catch in it! Geez!
My husband said to me, "who is turning 40?"
Yeah, well 40 can kiss it! I will NOT age gracefully!
I have a few more visits to the chiropractor and if I am not better by then, then I will move on to something else. Probably go back to my trigger therapy. But that won't fix my clicking elbow. I really hope he can fix that.

Okay, today's WOD was inspired by the Miranda Oldroyd link I posted yesterday. I scaled the muscle ups, but this counted as my MU work yesterday.

Monday WOD
40 Wall Balls (14lbs)
10 Muscle-ups (scaled them to jumping muscle ups)
30 Wall Balls
8 Muscle Ups
20 Wall Balls
6 Muscle Ups
10 Wall Balls
4 Muscle Ups
Time: 10:51

Eating:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Snack: 2 turkey slices with hummus
Lunch: Burboun chicken, boiled cabbage, egg roll (not paleo I know, but not terrible)
Snack: LaraBar
Dinner: Boston Butt, Butternut Squash, Asparagus

October 9,2011

I hope everyone has had a great weekend. My weekend would have been a little bit better if Auburn had won, but overall it has been good. I decided to take 2 rest days and not do anything this weekend WOD-wise. I only have 1 week left before I reach my deadline for the muscle-up and I want to be able to give it my best. So, this next week will be dedicated to achieving that muscle-up. No excuses. I will do best and whatever the results, I know that will be enough.
I have discovered that spending this much time on the rings taxes out my elbows and shoulders so much that it has affected my lifting. (My Split Jerk was horrible yesterday!) This is why I have backed off a bit from my heavy days. This is a great example of how one way of training can affect another.
Regardless of what happens with my goal on the 16th (I refuse to be negative and can not bring myself to say anything contrary to me achieving my goal), I will be going back to my 2-a-days twice a week and my 2 on, 1 off, 3 on, 1 off training weeks again. Hopefully I can do this as a new member of the muscle-up club.
Honestly, I am ready to put this thing to bed and move on!
As for eating, I guess last night I offically came off the Whole30, yet I have still eaten pretty clean. Still haven't had any sweets and I will maintain that until my birthday next weekend.
I ran into a friend of mine today and she commented on how much trimmer/leaner I looked. :) I didn't lose any weight (2lbs does not count I will gain that back after dinner, LOL!), but I know I didn't have any to lose. I also didn't lose any inches, BUT here is the thing. I can see 4 of my abs now. I have never seen this definition in my stomach before. THIS is now my motivation to continue to eat clean. I have wanted "abs" since I can remember and I finally have some! Woohoo!!!
Now, don't get wrong. I am no Miranda Oldroyd, ha! not even close! But I am still thrilled with my accomplishments.
And the best part is that I seem to have kicked this Sugar Demons BUTT!!! Oh yeah! I can now walk into Walgreens and look at the candy corn and tell it to kiss my ass. I am good!
I do know from past experience that it won't take much to "fall off the wagon", so I will have to stay strong. And THAT'S part of what this blog is for. Keeping me accountable.

Yesterday, I did my strength day. My split jerk was horrible, (not the form, the weight), my arms are just so fatigued. My 1 Rep max is 133lbs and yesterday I couldn't do 95lbs with great form. Granted, it was at the end of the Strength WOD, but it was very evident how fatigued my arms were. Not good.

Front Squat: Go to a heavy single (150lbs), then 90%, 2reps (135lbs), 85%, 3 reps x 3(125lbs)
Snatch Balance: (Still trying to get the feel of this, but MUCH better than last week!!) 33lbs, 45lbs, 65lbs, 75lbs(F), 75lbs(F)
Back Squat: 60%, 5reps(105lbs), 70%,4reps (130lbs), 80%, 4reps x 3 (150lbs)
Split Jerk: should've been 70%,5 reps, 85%,4reps x 3. I had to reduce the weight so my form didn't suffer and did this with 75lbs, 5 reps, 80lbs, 4 reps x 3
Deadlift: 60%, 5 reps (135lbs), 70%, 4 reps (160lbs), 80%, 4 reps x 4 (185lbs)

Eating:
Friday
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Protein Power Plate from Zoe's Kitchen...yum!!!
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: left over pork chop, spinach and butternut squash

Saturday:
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, oranges and pineapples slices
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad (I know, I LOVE chicken!!!)
Snack: 2 turkey slices and some grapes
Dinner: left over Baked chicken with Feta cheese, broccoli and sweet potato
Game Snack: I had about 15 tortilla chips with 1/4 cup of rotel cheese dip (maybe not even that much)

Sunday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, 1 apple with almond butter, 2 pieces of bacon and 2 wheat/gluten free biscuits with homemade muscadine jelly. (WOW! So good!)
Lunch: left over Baked chicken with Feta cheese, broccoli and butternut squash
Snack: Grapes, nuts and seeds
Dinner: You guessed it! Chicken! Rotisserie chicken, kale with stewed tomatoes and green beans.
Snack: (girls night!!) 3 glasses of peach wine (almost like a dessert)
(okay, you may be wondering why I have sooo many left overs, I am used to cooking for 5 and when my husband is out town, I keep cooking the same amount. Even though it is boring, it actually makes my life easier because I don't have to cook near as much.)

October 6, 2011

Very short blog tonight. Yesterday was my rest day. I really am wanting to take it easy this week so today I only did regular workout. Today is also day 31 of the Whole 30. So I am officially done, but I think I will stay away from the sugar as long as I can.
Today's Workout.
Tried a muscle-up again today and again, my wrist flipped over (like a wrist lock). This time I didn't try to fight it. I knew I couldn't dip out with with my wrist in that position. Even so, I still have a bruise from where it was pressed up against the rings. :(

Max power snatches in 1 minute at 73lbs-16 reps

WOD
3 Rounds for time
400 meter run
15 SDLHP (63lbs)
20 hand release pushups
time-9:47

Eating:
Wednesday, Day 30 of Whole30
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, pineapple, oranges and strawberry slices, 2 pieces of canadian bacon
Snack: Larabar
Lunch: Left over Cabbage Stir fry
Snack: 2 slices of turkey and some nuts, seeds and raisins
Dinner: Chicken (fried, but I took the skin off), butternut squash, greens

Thursday:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Left over Pork chops, butternut squash and spinache
Snack: Nuts, seeds and raisins
Dinner: Baked chicken (with feta cheese), baked sweet potato, broccoli

October 4, 2011

So, I have decided that I will be taking it easy for the rest of the week. As much as I don't want to, I know that I really over did it last week. The cleans I did yesterday (and they were not heavy) just fired up the ache in my arms again. This is very frustrating to me because I have accomplished sooo much this past month. But, it's not going to do me any good to have an injury because I am too stubborn to know when to back off.
I will still be working out this week, but I won't be doing the 2-a-days this week and no ring work. This is the hardest of all because of how close I came to that muscle-up the other night. What I didn't mention in that blog, is that after that attempt, I was laying down on the floor trying to straighten out my arms because they had cramped up so bad, while my husband rolled them out. (I did mention him rolling them out, but not how bad they were cramped up.)
I just KNEW they would be better by today. And they are a little better, but not 100%.. I will be going to the chiropractor tomorrow. Hopefully, he can fix them up. October 16th is getting closer!

Strength
3 Rounds of
8 OHS (95lbs, 105lbs, 110lbs)
Rest 2 minutes
3 Weighted Pullups (20lbs, 20lbs,20lbs)
Rest 2 minutes
Go up in weight each round

WORKOUT OF THE DAY
AMRAP 12 minutes
10 Dead Hang Pullups
20 Wall Balls (14lbs)
30 Double Unders
Score-4 rounds +2 pullups
Dead hang pull ups kicked my butt!!!!

Eating:
Day 29 of Whole30
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
POST WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad, Unsweet tea
Snack: Lara bar
Snack: nuts, seeds and raisins
Dinner: pork chop, cauliflower, butternut squash

I'm terrible at gym math!!

It has been a very restful weekend and I am about ready to jump back into the strength and the ring work. All I did today was my WOD and worked on my back squat, still wanting to take it a bit easy. We did cleans today and my arms began to ache again, but not as bad as they did Friday night. A whole lot of cleans and muscle-up work are the culprits for my aching arms.
I didn't do as well on my WOD this morning as I wanted to, but I think that's partly because I have a cold and am not 100%. Another reason is because I can't count! Geez!

I think I miss added my weight on the back squat on Friday. I think I may have back squatted 185 instead of 175. I am pretty sure, but not 100%. I am terrible at gym math! What happened is that I think I put 2 35lb plates on my 45lb bar and wrote it down as 105 instead of 115 and then adding from there.
Today, when we worked on our Back Squats, we were working off % of our 1RM. 5 Reps at 65%, 5 reps at 75% and then 85% as many reps as possible (150lbs). I did this last set 9 times. When my coach saw me do this 9 times, he said "I think your 1 REP MAX is a bit higher than you think." Hmmm, I think so too!
I think I will try again next week for my 1 Rep Max and make sure I have it right. Either way, the strength training I have been doing this past month has been tremendous in building my strength!

Today's WOD
7 Rounds
7 Power Cleans, 65% 1Rep Max (85lbs)
7 KBS
7 Burpees

Score-10:35

On round 2 and halfway through round 3 I was doing 8 reps instead of 7! See, I can't even keep my rep count right!

Eating:
Saturday, Day 26 Whole30
Breakfast: 2 scrambles eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, apple with almond butter and blueberries
Snack: Larabar
Lunch: Chicken and Fruit
Snack: Almonds, raisins
Dinner: Steak and Baked Sweet Potato

Sunday, Day 27 Whole30
Breakfast: 2 scrambles eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, apple with almond butter and blueberries
Snack: Turkey slices
Lunch: Spaghetti Squash
Snack: apple with almond butter and blueberries
Dinner: Meatloaf, cauliflower and zucchini

Monday: Day 28 Whole30
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 piece of canadian bacon
Post WOD: Progenex
Lunch: Left over meatloaf, cauliflower and spinach
Snack: apple with almond butter and blueberries, 2 turkey slices
Dinner: Cabbage stir fry with mushrooms, chicken and bacon