burpees

Gettin Stronger….Finally Feeling It!

4/17/12 WOD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel a PR coming on! Even though my legs are dead from yesterday (argh Karen!), when we worked on DeadLifts today for a 5, 3, 1+ with our crazy math I felt really good with the weights. 145lbs, 165lbs and 185lbs – My 1+ ended up to be my 1RM (one rep max). I busted out a whopping 6 reps! Holy Snikes I’ve gotten stronger! You read me complain day in and day out about me having the weaksauce but today there was no complaining (well not at the beginning). I was feeling strong FINALLY. Don’t get me wrong I do feel stronger than I ever have before in my life but I always feel like I’m not making progress like I should or that I sucked at a WOD and could have done better. Today was sheer happiness! Can’t wait to see what my new 1RM will be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the MetCon involved pistols and although they are not near as dreadful as wall balls, I still suck at them. I do feel like I did a little better on my right leg. My left IT band still gives me grief so I wasn’t as strong on that side. So we had a 2 part MetCon. First part was a 3 min AMRAP of 6 pushups and 3 burpees. Two movements I don’t mind doing but golly gee whiz, I’m so sick of burpees! Three minutes isn’t very long so you really gotta push yourself. I managed to almost get 6 full rounds in but I failed short by 1 burpee! I think I was just too sleepy to really kill those 3 minutes. We got a 3 minute rest and then it was 3 minutes of 6 pistols (3 per leg) and 3 burpees. I was much slower at this because I am no good at the pistols. I managed to get 3 rounds + 2 pistols 😦 wah wah!

My legs are really dead now. I know I’ll survive and I just gotta keep up on the mobility.

I finally made more brownies. Well brownies and supposed Blondie type brownies. The Blondies weren’t as “blonde” as I imagined but they were still good. Although myself and the kiddos prefer the actual chocolatey brownie goodness! You can’t tell they are gluten free, dairy free, grain free, etc.! LOVE IT!

Hope your Tuesday is great. I need a nap but I won’t get one. So just pray I make it through today! 🙂

Food Friday – Paleo-liscious Brownies!

GLUTEN FREE EASY TO BAKE GOODNESS!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve tried a new recipe but I finally made some brownies that I found on Elana’s Pantry and I HEART THEM! As do the kids and some co-workers. Well I don’t know if the co-workers LOVE them but I’ve heard they do like them. The kids were like oooh you can definitely send these for school treats 🙂

I don’t have preparation pics because I was doing a gazillion other things and forgot! But it’s not a lot of steps and it takes very few ingredients. http://www.elanaspantry.com/brownies/

  1. In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender
  2. Blend in eggs, then blend in agave and vanilla
  3. Blend in cacao, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips
  4. Grease a 9×13 inch Pyrex baking dish
  5. Pour batter into dish
  6. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes

Makes about 24 brownies

It was a good treat for sure and I’m thinking I’ll make more this weekend and maybe share with the BOOM Box Beasts. Everyone loves treats 🙂 I have two WOD wrap-ups for y’all and they were not fun at all!

Yesterdays WOD didn’t seem to intimidating. I didn’t doubt it would be HARD but I surely didn’t expect it to nearly KILL ME! The skill/strength was 3 rounds of MAX REP KETTLEBELL PRESS! I’m a wuss I know this so bare with me. The KB’s bruise my forearms, bruise my deltoids and are awkward to hold! I managed to get 17 reps my first round on each arm at 25lbs and then 15 reps for a second round. I moved up to the 1 POOD KB for the last round and got 13 reps each arm. I should have moved up on the 2nd round but I was slightly SCARED of the 1 POOD (Russian for about 35lbs).

4/12/12 WOD OF DEATH!

Next was KB swings and Wall Walks. 10-1, so 10 KB swings, 10 Wall Walks, 9 KB Swings, 9 Wall Walks, etc. I did fairly well with the KB swings being 1 POOD swings. And the wall walks, although they look easy, they quickly tax your shoulders and for me personally brought on DIZZINESS fast! Not to mention my core is about as sore as ever. It hurts to take deep breaths. :/ Coach set a standard of getting your nose to the wall and to come down with restraint and not flailing around. I managed to get my nose to the wall each time and keep control but it was not easy. There was a 20 minute cap and I only managed to work my way down to 4 KB swings. With 20 seconds left there was no way I was getting 4 wall walks. It was disappointing and I was dying but I never thought it would hurt so bad! Hahaha. I lived and when I meet those beasts again, I’ll cry! Jokes, sorta. Hopefully I’ll be better at them!

Not our Box but as you can see you gotta get vertical on the wall AND touch your nose to the wall! WoOOOWEeeEEE! It's not easy!

Today’s happy day o’ fun was Skill/Strength: Dead Lifts, 3, 3, 3+1. Coach has been making us do math in the mornings. I don’t know if for punishment or his own amusement but I had to take 95% of my Max add 20lbs then take 80%, 85% and 90% of that. This results in what weight I should do each round of lifts. This equaled to 155lbs, 165lbs and 175lbs. I managed to bust out 8 reps on my last go. Not bad! At least to me not bad 🙂

4/13/12 WOD

The MetCon was a joy all in itself: RUN 800m, do 40 burpees (don’t die), RUN 400m, do 20 burpees (don’t puke) and RUN 200m, do 10 burpees (pray for survival). I totally killed this 800m RUN compared to Tuesdays run by a whole 3 seconds! LOL. It’s true. Then the 40 burpees came. I did 20 fairly well. I just paced them out nicely but the last 20 sucked. I didn’t stop, just didn’t go fast enough I suppose. Who knows. I couldn’t get a good deep breath to save my life! The 400 had to of been slow. I stopped looking at the clock. The set of 20 burpees was much better than the 40 but I was spent from the running. Fortunately by the time you get to the 200m run you know it’s almost done. I couldn’t breathe very well at all this morning but I was real happy to finish the last round of 10 burpees! Time: 13:42. I’m dead for the weekend. My body hates me!So hopefully I’ll get some nice recovery. Another weekend full of baseball for us with a forecast of rain 😦 Lets hope it waits till Sunday!

Have a FABULOUS FRIDAY the 13th! Make some brownies, they are good!

 

Burpees Coach? Really?

I still have nightmares from 12.1 and here we are with a MetCon that involves burpees! Hehe, they were fine I guess, just being a baby as usual 🙂

Whining aside, the MetCon was a quick doozie of a workout. 5 rounds of 5 Deadlifts @ 125lbs and 10 burpees. By the 3rd round of burpees I could feel my wind and energy zap right out of me. But I tried to keep up on pace and finished with 4:28. WOOO! Not so bad I suppose. I did rest a little too much on rounds 3, 4 and 5 of burpees. I thought to myself after the fact – shoot I just did 50 burpees in less than 5 minutes with DL in between…. why didn’t i DO BETTER on 12.1!!!??!!! Dang Burpees and the misery they bring!

3/13/12 WOD

Before our little beatdown we worked on Snatch Push Press. Anything snatch related brings me down. I suck at the Snatch as I have previously mentioned. Not only do I suck, it takes a toll on my wrists BAD! I managed to get 65lb reps but they were weak. My wrists were burning badly and I had a new issue arise…. Popping Shoulder or Popping something in my right should area. I’ve never had this rear it’s ugly head, but it’s not nice and it surely didn’t help me in the Snatch Push Press. Why you ask? Well getting the weight up is fine, it’s getting the weight back down that it hurts like a mofo. I have gotten my leg mobility down, now I need to focus on shoulders. It’s never ending isn’t it? Coach did show me how to better tape up my sad pathetic wrists. Hopefully next time around it will help me.

I also worked on some DUs. We are having a contest at the BOOM Box. Get 100 consecutive DUs, get a month FREE 🙂 If more than 1 person gets 100 then it’s a DU off for the most in a row! Should be fun but the most I have put together is 49. But mostly I only get 14-20 strung together on average. I need to practice!

Thanks for tuning in on this short, random and whatever else you want to call it Tuesday blog! The time change has me all messed up. It’s only an hour I know but it’s affected me big time this year! Have a crazy fun day!

CrossFit Games Open – BURPEES!

Hello Hello and welcome to my discussion of the 2012 CrossFit Games Open WOD 1. The WOD was released yesterday at 7pm CST and it was a little surprising that it was a 7 minute AMRAP of burpees. BURPEES! I don’t know anyone that likes em but I know anyone can definitely do one or two.

There appeared to be an online slew of sarcastic remarks in regards to the WOD but I really didn’t have a problem with it. They set a standard as with anything else and you just gotta kill it. For those of you that think it’s easy then YAY you. Finish first! Be the best. Don’t trash what’s put before ya. It’s not going to get easier. Although burpees are no FUN I think it’s a fine opener to the GAMES. It’s 7 MINUTES OF HELL! At least I feel I can compete and not come in last!

The BOOM Box is going to have a set aside time this Saturday to do the WOD but we were fortunate enough to get it first thing this a.m. WOOOO! I didn’t have a plan at all. I just knew I had to go. The standard is extend your arm over your head, measure 6 inches above that and set a bar, rings, tape, etc. at that point. You have to hit the target every time. EASY BREEZY? RIGHT? NO!

CrossFit Games WOD 1 2/23/12

Last night I watched a video of Katie Hogan and she got 91. In my head the whole time was a broken record playing “Katie Hogan made it to 91”. “Katie Hogan made it to 91.” Nevermind the fact that Kristen Clever did 124 or something like that! Ha. I just thought 91 is achievable. But I burned out pretty quickly even though I felt I was at a good pace. 7 minutes feels like forever. FOREVER!

I managed to knock out 74. I was up for 75 but the time was up before I hit the target so it was a NO REP!

That’s it! WOD 1 DONE! Yay, I’m glad the anxiety is over on what it would be, how I would do, etc. I know I’m not a firebreather and mentally I just wanted to do more than 50. Mission accomplished. We’ll see how the rest of the world does 🙂

Now onto other things such as shopping for new clothes. I don’t mind getting new stuff… I LOVE new stuff but I really don’t like shopping for new sizes. I should be ecstatic because I’m smaller (Sizes 8-10 to NOW 4) than I was the last time I went shopping (YEARS AGO, literally). But I had a hard time finding the right “fit” 😦 I finally had enough of looking like a bum everyday with baggy pants and then I get to the stores and all I leave with is two pairs of pants and frustration. And forget tops. I guess I’m just not trendy enough or willing to “show” my imperfections with all these tight fitting styles. I feel like a HOT MESS … super OLD ladylike and it sucks.

I definitely took a few steps backwards in the confidence department after staring in dressing room mirrors and trying on a slew of cute but not for me clothes. Ah well, so is life. I just gotta keep at it, work hard, eat clean and not look in full length mirrors! I joke, kind of. Sorry, it’s just the old me starts to chime in and I let her get the best of me.

It’s Thursday! Although I keep thinking it’s FRIDAY, which is the worst thing you could ever do to yourself! Enjoy your day. It’s gonna be like 82° here so it’s going to be BEAU-TI-FUL!

Everyone Needs a LIL Sunshine


Thank Goodness the SUN has broken through the rainy muck. Yes we need it but I welcome the sunshine anyday as I am a delicate flower that flourishes in the sunshine! Hahahah. You believe that? I didn’t think so, but it sounded really good!

So even though traffic was drizzly and icky, I made it to work without going crazy or ramming into any moron drivers. The sun also decided to peek it’s little head out. And even though my drive in to work was crapola, I was in a very good mood. Got me some rest yesterday and got a great WOD in this morning!

1/26/12

Sumo Dead Lift 5 RM was on the menu for Skill/Strength. I’ve never attempted this lift although it’s not entirely different than a normal Dead Lift it is awkward at first. I was feeling pretty strong at first and quickly faded away. My hip didn’t give me problems today but my hamstring sure did get a little testy. I managed to lift 175lbs but only once 😦 SO my 5 RM for Sumo DLs is 165. I really wanted to get 175 but a big ol’ fail. My 1 RM for DL is 185 so I don’t think I should feel so bad for myself but I that’s how I’m wired.

The MetCon was just one of those that you gotta knock out. No stopping, just GO. And I went. I slowed down a lot on Burpees during the 6 reps but I tried to pick it back up for the 4’s and 2s. I was pressing 20lbs which was light at first but it most assuredly felt much heavier by the end. Time: 6:32.

My favorite phrases 3.2.1. GO and TIME! LOL I think I like TIME more than 321 because TIME means I’m done!

As usual I practiced kipping and my joke of a pullup post WOD and I’m a fraction closer to getting it done! I know I’ll get it but it’s so darn irritating that I don’t have it yet!

NO yummy dinner creation last night and most likely not tonight either. Last night we went out for my NOW 9 year old son’s birthday! My baby of 3 boys and no longer a baby. He chose Outback for his dinner and we happily obliged!

Another short and sweet post for today. I rambled on a bit much yesterday so I felt a less wordy Thursday was more ideal.

Have a great Thursday, I hope y’all are feeling as great as I feel now which is pretty darn GOOD! Drink some Kool-Aid – it’s good stuff!

Fake IT till YOU MAKE IT

I know we all have those days where you just want to stay in bed all day but you know you can’t. You gotta hit the pavement running regardless. Today is one of those days. My plate is full, there’s a LOT of stuff going on and mentally I’m just checked out.

Yesterday I skipped out on my post because my Dad had a heart procedure being done and I was out all day hanging in the hospital. Dad is good. All is well. I thought about blogging from my phone because I had a lot of down time but it just isn’t the same as banging away at the keyboard. A whole day off and I’m back! Aren’t y’all excited? NO? That’s what I thought.

So I’m already blah for the day but I gotta get up and get going to DO WORK at the BOOM BOX and I just am not feeling it. I slept fine, my body isn’t falling apart so I just had to FAKE it till I made it. And that’s what I did. And it worked out alright. Now if I can just get through the work day!

1/19/12

As you see the Skill/Strength wasn’t too bad. Ring Rows aren’t so much my enemy as other movements are but they do wear you out. I managed to do 16 of the 30 ring rows with my legs straight out. But I did break down and have to bend my knees to maintain full extension and what not. At least I’ve made some progress 🙂

The MetCon was a tiny but killer doozy of a workout. Burpees with Ground to Over Head using a 35lb plate. I thought it would take me longer and in reality it should have taken me less. I paused a couple of times as I wanted to just quit halfway through. Once I was committed I was hoping for sub 3 in time…. BARELY over 3 minutes. I should have never paused!!! There’s a lot of shoulda, coulda, woulda’s in my life lately. I gotta get that under control.

I almost forgot about holding a squat for time POST WOD and I sucked at it 😦 Although all day pain is gone my hip flexibility is still not super duper and it started burning about 30 seconds in but I managed to pull out over 2 minutes. I should be able to hold it forever but I can not. I am sorely disappointed in my lack of flexibility/tolerance, etc. I really do hope it’s just my hip that hinders me and not “my head” in general.

As far as foods go, I’ve been sticking to my standard meals. I had family in town to check in on my dad and I invited them over to my house for dinner. They all are unaware of Paleo and the whole lifestyle that we are throwing ourselves into but they are aware they need to step it up nutrition wise. I thought it’d be a perfect time to share with them how YUMMY the food can be and still be super good for you. I made them Paleo Meatloaf, Cauliflower Mash and Asparagus which I posted about the other day. They seemed and acted as if it were quite pleasant and I’m hoping they truly felt that way as well. Score 1 for spreading the good health to family members. Now I just have to get them the recipes so they can get to work 🙂

The night before I attempted to cook my first WHOLE chicken. I know I’m behind in the “cooking” game. Whole chickens… that’s nothing to most, but to me that’s WORK. I thought it would be so time consuming and complicated and I have no idea why. We always buy chicken breasts… organic, cage free, etc…. spendy! So this time we bought a whole chicken even ranked better than the chicken breasts in quality and it came out BEAUTIFUL in appearance and TASTE! I only took a before picture because I was so excited at how pretty it was when it was done that I forgot to take an AFTER pic. Plus the kids were ready to test it out as well! It was EXCELLENT and juicy and overall great 🙂

A little over 4lbs

Of course I had to google on how to cook it and Everyday Paleo was there to save me 🙂

I preheated the oven to 450°, Rinsed off chicken, patted it dry. Doused it with salt inside and out (could have scaled down on the dousing though) and then added a little white pepper. I only added pepper because I didn’t believe only salt would be sufficient. NOTHING ELSE! THAT’s IT! Throw it in a roasting pan, dish, whatever and bake it for an hour. Perfection! HOMERUN!

Chicken isn't so "pretty" but it tasted GREAT. Served up with some Sweet Potato Latkes and Steamed Brocolli

So that’s all she wrote today folks. I forgot to defrost meat AGAIN, so I don’t know what dinner will be but I’ll figure it out. Have a Happy Thursday. And I’ll be seein’ y’all tomorrow 🙂

All by Myself Wednesday

Found this on the interwebs - LOVE IT!

Oh how lonely it is to show up to the box and I’m the only one there to do work! It surprised me because when I first started out I was the only one at 5 am for a couple of weeks and it was nice. Maybe it was ok then because I was new to it all and I was learning a lot at once. But today it was so quiet. I still put in all my effort just no high fives or unison groans of exhaustion at the end. On the upside I had some extra time to work on kipping and pretending in my head I could do pullups. But geez, the bar hurts my ‘delicate’ hands so much! Yes I need some sort of protection and I need to shop for some gloves or something but I just don’t ever make time for it. My hands have developed some nice calluses but it still hurts! I’m a big ol’ baby, I know. That’s what you’re thinking too, I can feel it!

Even though I’m a big baby I still work hard. Just some things I don’t get along with right now. So onto the WOD for the day:

Skill
Ring Dips
3,3,3,3,3

METCON:

3 Rounds
3×3 Power Clean@75%
3×3 BFB
Add (10-5lbs) after each round

I’m getting better at ring dips that’s for certain but on the last round I tried to go without the band and HOLY SHITAKES it’s hard. I was feeling so strong busting out my measley 3 reps with the smallest band there is but when it came down to no “safety net, crutch, etc..” I failed! Argh, I even suggested they make another colored band just the tiniest bit smaller than the blue one! Hahaha. I wish! I’m getting there… I guess. I just want to get there faster.

This was me in Oct. I'd say my form is a little better now and 65lbs isn't near as heavy 🙂

As far as the MetCon went, I was sailing along smoothly. The 3×3 was confusing in writing but once explained I was good to go…. (3 cleans, 3 burpees) x 3, rest 1 minute, (3 cleans, 3 burpees) x 3, rest 1 minute, (3 cleans, 3 burpees) x 3… THE END. Make sense? I hope so, if not too bad! I finished in 6:17 and I need to start remembering to take pics of the board! GRRRR!

This was an ALL about my workout post today! Hahahah, No FOODs yet. Although we are having a pre-NYE WOD feast at my house, so I will be testing out some new recipes from Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield. It was a Christmas present and I think it will come to good use!

Yummy Goodness Coming Soon!

One last thing – Happy Birthday to my momma who would have been 64 today. A hole is still bigger than ever in my heart from losing her almost a year ago. Wow, time passes fast! I posted on Facebook earlier today: If birthdays exist in Heaven, I pray my Mom is having the best birthday ever! I miss you mom, you left us too soon … still so lost without you.

See y’all tomorrow!