My Traps, My Lats and My Achy Shoulders

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We’ve done a lot of work at the Boom Box lately that is really hitting my upper body pretty hard. Toes To Bar, Pull Ups, Push Ups, Snatch, more Push Ups, more Toes To Bar, Shoulder to Overhead. I need new EVERYTHING but my Shoulders are first in line!

2/11/14
CrossFit Cindy or Mary
If you can’t do Mary RX then you were doing Cindy. A 20 minute AMRAP of 5 Pull Ups, 10 Push Ups and 15 Air Squats. I wasn’t really FEELING this workout but I could not have stayed at home doing nothing. In October I got around 13 rounds. I came close this time around but didn’t meet it or beat it.

2/11/14 WOD

2/11/14 WOD

I know I was pretty slow in the Push Ups. My wrist is still wonky. I could do some normal push up but had to keep reverting back to the fists. I’m much slower on my fists. I felt like I kept a good pace with my Banded Pull Ups and for most of my rounds of Air Squats, I didn’t really stop. Not until the end at least. Final: 12 rounds + 5 Pull Ups. I’m ok with this. Not sure I’ll ever be “better” until I actually have Pull Ups. But I’ll keep trying.

2/12/14
Strength: 3 sets max ring dips (w/ 5 sec hold at extension)
I worked on max sets of Bench Press. I don’t remember how many reps I got, but not a lot.

Skill: Snatch
Worked on this for a little bit but I was unable to work a full Snatch. The OHS part is still killer on my wrist. So I worked on Power Snatch.

2/12/14 WOD

2/12/14 WOD

MetCon: EMOM go as long as possible of 2 Snatches 115/75, 2 MU/3 C2B, 4 T2R/4 T2B
When I read this, I laughed. Every MINUTE on the MINUTE! The time doesn’t stop for me to crawl in and out of bands. Then continuous T2B. Hahahhhahaha. I managed to get in 2 full rounds! So I just chugged along while Coach T stayed strong for 14 minutes. I’m sure he could have gone longer. I was on the verge of tears as my hands started getting “crunchy”. That means a rip is nearby. I stopped before any of that nonsense kicked in. So I still did work for 14 minutes. Just not as much as everyone else will do :/ Part of it. Still did work!

That’s a Wrap!
I’m addicted to Shrimp! I’ve been buying cooked shrimp (cause it’s fast and easy) at the Whole Foods. I sautee some shrimpies in ghee, toss in some spices and bam I have easy protein. Pair it with a salad or quick stir fry type veggies and I’m done. All simple and easy but right now I’d be content with eating that for every meal. Probably not the best idea but it’s so simple!

What’s your GO TO meal?

Happy Happy Wednesday!

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My Bootay was Kicked

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Oh man, Curtis Ps and running. Thanks Coach for trying to kill us! And the soreness is taking it’s toll on my glutes, oh my! You know when you walk in to your box and the WOD takes 20-30 minutes that you’re in for it. And although it was a beating, I actually walked away feeling great. Maybe that Tiger Blood is kicking in?!? Maybe I’m just so happy to Clean a Bar (even if it is only lightweight) that I overlooked the misery. And even though I woke up to some achy legs and a really bruised knee, I was ready to take on the morning workout as well. I think it may be Tiger Blood!

1/21/14 WOD
Sled Pull 100ft x 3 Backwards
I think I like pulling the Sled backwards more than forwards but it’s not a far distance so maybe only during short pulls. 😀

1/21/14 WOD

1/21/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 Rounds of 20 Curtis P’s 75/45lbs, 400m run
Ahhhh, Curtis P’s should get your butt in shape. These are no joke! You first must clean the bar, then lunge forward with right leg, then lunge forward with left leg, then press overhead. That’s 1. So we had to 20, then run X FOUR! I started off with the 25lb bar which I could clean with only a little tightness in the wrist. As I warmed up the wrist was much better. So we put 10lbs on the bar. This I could still do and Coach had me stay there just to be safe. I’m glad because I think 45lbs would have been too much for now. Soon, I will be back to normal! My first round was alright, my 2nd round was slow and I tried to push harder in the 3rd and 4th rounds. It’s the running that gets me! Time: 25:13

1/22/14 WOD
Skill: EMOM for 12 minutes of 15 ring dips odd, 20 DU even
The progress on my wrist is good. I can now hold my body weight in a plank position. I can not however push up my self without pain. So Rng Dips were not happening. Instead of Ring Dips, I did Bench Press with the Multi-Grip bar. It’s been forever since I did any sort of Bench work. So 65lbs caught up to me fast, especially the way the Multi-Grip bar is set up. I started of with sets of 10 but I was struggling so Coach T had me knock a rep off as the minutes went on. As for Double Unders, well I started off really weaksauce. It took me a while to get going. But by the end I was doing them unbroken. My legs were not cooperating. Maybe all that work from last night!

01/22/14 WOD

01/22/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 8 Shoulder TOH 115/75, 8 C2B, 4 Forward Rolls. DU Practice if time remains.
Coach T had us move DU practice to before the AMRAP which was nice. I don’t think I would have had it in my shoulders to do any DU work.
I continued to use the Multi-Grip bar for my STOH. It’s only 65lbs but that’s all I could handle with my upper body still getting back on track. For once I could string almost all 8 C2B (banded of course) without crying or dying! That’s Tiger Blood, ladies and gents. And then Forward Rolls came. Now I’m not gymnast but I can do some rolls. I have not however done them in quite some time and I learned that they made me really really dizzy. Holy Crap. That sucked. I took too much time between rolls and really slowed my pace on the STOH. Thus leaving me with only 4 rounds + 8 STOH + 1 C2B.

Day SEVENTEEN!

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Yaaaaaa! I’m here and killing it. I feel better during my workouts, I’m recovering faster and I’m totally not bloated on a daily basis. I still have some weight to lose but I am feeling great and seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting me. I still haven’t found my happy place with preparing my meals. I dread getting started but once I start I do find peace in prepping and cooking. So now if I could just look forward to the process! Overall I would say that the Tiger Blood is slowly creeping in. I feel good. I sleep good. And I am not feeling miserable watching other people stuff crap into their bodies. Woooo!

1/21/14 Lunch

1/21/14 Lunch

I also, finally made some handy dandy Cauli Fried Faux Rice. Yummo! Sliced up a steak really thin, cooked with an Asian flair and DINNER was served. So good. I could eat this every day I think. Now I’m not going to tell you it’s just like RICE cause I love rice and rice it is not. But, it’s seriously tasty. And really does a good job in getting that Asian food craving I get. Plus veggies as my base instead of filler rice! Score.

I took the following recipe from Paleo Cupboard and slightly modified it for me. I used Avocado Oil instead of lard or tallow. As I have none. I almost used Ghee but realized my Ghee had expired and I wasn’t going to test the waters on if it could be good still. I also used green beans instead of peas. I used to eat at this one Hibachi place that put green beans in their fried rice. LOVED it. So ya. And for the cauliflower. I have a shredder disc on my Food Processor, so it makes a nice rice consistency. But a hand grater or just pulse on your food processor is just as good!

1/21/14 Dinner

1/21/14 Dinner

Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Servings: 6

Ingredients:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 2 Tbsp. + 2 more Tbsp. lard/bacon fat or tallow
– 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
– 1 cup green peas
– 4 eggs, whisked
– 6 Tbsp. coconut aminos
– 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
– 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
– Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Equipment:
– Kitchen knife
– Cutting board
– Vegetable peeler
– Cheese grater or food processor
– Paper towels (optional)
– Large skillet or large Wok
– Large bowl
– Measuring spoons
– Stirring spoon

Directions:
1. Prepare your vegetables and whisk eggs. Grate the cauliflower on the larger side of a cheese grater, or pulse pieces in a food processor until they are rice sized. I like to wrap the riced cauliflower in a couple paper towels and squeeze it to remove any excess moisture, which helps make sure you get the crispier texture you are looking for.
2. Heat your skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to melt. Add your onions, garlic and carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes. If using peas, add them and cook 1 additional minute. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Next add your whisked eggs to the pan and scramble them until they are lightly browned. Add a little sea salt and pepper, remove from pan and add them to the large bowl with the vegetables.
4. Next add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to get very hot. Add the riced cauliflower to the pan and toss it in the oil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, only stirring every couple minutes so that it allows some pieces on the bottom to fry and get brown and crispy.
5. Add the vegetable and rice mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce and some additional sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Scarf this down and smile.

That’s a WRAP!
Whew. HUMP DAY! You know how people say they get a Runner’s High? Well me personally, I’ve never experienced such things. I DESPISE running. But I feel like I could truly say I’m on a Whole30 High. LOL. I know, I see the eye rolls and hear the “ya whatevers” but it’s true. The Tiger Blood. But not in that Charlie Sheen, Winning, kind of Tiger Blood. Just the kind that makes you feel AWESOME!

So go ahead, go make a change. Do something new and healthy for you!

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Showing Up

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is half the battle. Finishing Strong is the other half. As I proclaimed, I have reduced the act of stuffing my face with useless foods and am getting closer to that Clean Eating train I was on for so long. It’s still not perfect (note the keyword REDUCED) but tons better. I already feel the everyday bloat diminishing. Cause you know if you’ve ever taken on clean eating for a while then stop, that gradually, if not instantly, you build that bloated, heavy feeling.

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Although I didn’t shout it out, I also have tried to reduce my negativity towards myself in the box. I think mostly because I’m mad at myself for returning to a chunky state, that I know I have to come in with a better mind set and get work done. I’m not going to let the extra pounds bring me down. Although they do slow me down. So I must fight through a little harder and I can not do that if I’m Negative Nelly!

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5/7/13 WOD
My legs were in some crazy soreness after Mondays insanity. Oh Jumping Air Squats how you hurt me. And to greet my sore jello-y legs were Sled Pulls! These are right under Wall Balls in my dislike column.

Skill/Strength: Sled Pull 5 x 50ft 90lbs/45lbs
The sled I was pulling had 60lbs on it, plus the weight of the sled = not a shit ton of weight but you know it’s still the sled. I can say that the parking lot is a lot nicer at the new box than the old box and I can say it was definitely easier to pull. I still don’t like them!

5/7/13 WOD

5/7/13 WOD

MetCon: 8 minute AMRAP 8 Ring Dips, 12 Burpees
The 8 minutes went super fast for this one. I WANTED to use the Green Band but opted for the Blue Band after some nudging. I know I NEED to use the Blue one but it’s hard to get multiple reps. I started off round 1 strong and fell apart after that. For the second round it was hard to get consecutive ring dips. By the time I did knock them out I was so beat down I didn’t even want to do burpees. My added chunkiness does not make burpees fun at all. Not that they were fun before but a couple of months ago I could fly through them! I was trying to just get 4 rounds completed but missed it by 4 reps. Final: 3 rounds 8 dips, 8 burpees.

5/8/13
Still sore from Monday, are you kidding me? But it’s Deadlift Day and I like Deadlifts. Once upon a time I dreaded them. I was stuck at 185lbs forever. My hamstrings didn’t like me very much and I was a mess. Now I enjoy them, everything but my hands. Cause they sure do still hurt a lot after that last set.

Skill/Strength: Deadlift 5, 5, Max Effort @ 65%, 75% and 85% of 1RM
I normally struggle with the math early at 5 a.m. but when I have all day to calculate my percentages it’s not so bad. But I am supposed to remember them properly. In my head I had 120, 140, 160. In reality I was supposed to be doing 140, 160, 180! doh! I realized that halfway through. So I got some extra warm up! I was thinking 120 was feeling pretty light 😀 Worked my way up to 180 and busted out 10 reps. Wooo! I felt good with that since it’s been a while since I Deadlifted!

5/8/13 WOD

5/8/13 WOD

MetCon: 4 rounds of 15DU/1TU, 15 C2B Pull Ups, 15 DU/1TU, 15 PushPress @ 115lbs/75lbs, 15 DU/1TU, Rest 2 minutes … 25 minute cap
All day I thought I won’t make it but I gotta try. Then I talked myself into knowing I will survive and it will be alright. I have only ever completed one Triple Under and after a few minutes of working on it, Coach said just do Double Unders. Fair enough. I can do 15 quicker than attempting one TU. As for the Chest To Bar Pull Ups, I used a Green Band just hoping for 15 Pull Ups. I started off strong getting my Chest to the Bar but as the rounds went along, they turned into pull ups. As far as the Push Press went, the decision was made to go at 65lbs instead of 75lbs. Good call cause I think that extra 10lbs would have really smoked me and not in a good way. I was doing big sets but not UNBROKEN, until round 4. I had to finish strong and I did. Every bit of me wanted to drop the bar but I didn’t. It was nice to finish STRONG! Time: 22:29!

the mind

Food Front: So like I said I’m slowing getting back into the Clean Eating. I have definitely tightened it up but still working on it. Back to eating breakfast and the FAST FOOD has been eliminated. Healthier foods are in place. Kudos to Ernie even for cooking me up some yummy Drumsticks last night. Paired with a spinach salad and I was set for dinner.

Tonight is running and I really don’t want to go. But running is my weakness so I probably should show up! Send positive vibes my way so I don’t punk out! Other than that… have a great Thursday. It’s my Friday! Wooooo. Go out and be AWESOME!

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Hi

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In case you haven’t noticed, I was MIA for the past week. For those of you who did notice, my apologies! For you new followers, HI. I’m a hot mess and you probably want to unfollow, turn around and run! Hehe. Jokes. Well it’s true I’m a hot mess but I’m just your average 30 something trying to figure out how to live healthy, stay healthy and enjoy life. I’m up, I’m down. I’m BEAST and then I suck. It’s a roller coaster around here but I keep on keepin on. Hopefully those who have stuck with me “get” me and hopefully you new folks will as well!

So back to my M.I.A. I’m pretty sure my brain/body was telling me to shut it down last week and that my friends is what I did. I seriously could not wake up on time and I was extra sleepy all week. It doesn’t help that I was eating like crap either. So I’m pretty sure I just got a 1 -2 punch to my GUT (literally), my Head and my Soul.

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In my funk, I did get much needed rest and hopefully sorted through some my insane mental maze. And it’s insane indeed. I was doubting CrossFit, Paleo and pretty much everything else. As I don’t get super personal outside of workouts and eating, I’ll keep it at that but overall I was just feeling blah. Everyday that I skipped out on my Boom Box check-ins, I thought I should try to make it to an evening class. Or maybe I should just run around the neighborhood. None of those “plans” ever panned out though. And as for food, my only CLEAN meals were lunch. I guess it’s better than ZERO clean meals but bad eating is something that I can feel mentally and physically and it sucks you in like quicksand! You know it’s bad, you know you aren’t feeling at your best but there you are eating the crap like it’s the best thing ever!

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3/28/2013 SKILLS SESSION
Although I was still feeling bleh and wasn’t too keen on going to the Skills Class at the Boom Box on Thursday evening, I still showed up. The much anticipated CrossFit Games Open WOD 13.4 was announced on Wednesday and it had Toes to Bar. UGH. My enemy. I figured I need to absorb all I could so that I could become a TTB master. Once upon a time back in my “lighter” days and not so beat down days, I could string a few together. Lately I’ve barely been able to do 1 rep much less MULTIPLES. And I missed a whole week of WODs where TTB were integrated, Coach must see into the future. I didn’t leave the skills session with TTB as my superpower but I was feeling ok that I would survive 13.4 in the morning.

3/29/13 WOD

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:
95 pound Clean and jerk, 3 reps
3 Toes-to-bar
95 pound Clean and jerk, 6 reps
6 Toes-to-bar
95 pound Clean and jerk, 9 reps
9 Toes-to-bar
95 pound Clean and jerk, 12 reps
12 Toes-to-bar
95 pound Clean and jerk, 15 reps
15 Toes-to-bar
95 pound Clean and jerk, 18 reps
18 Toes-to-bar…

A week off, little practice on TTB and there I stood at 5 a.m. ready NOT ready to go. HOLY COW was I going to survive the 7 minutes? HELL NO is all I could think!

We warmed up and got to setting up our bars. 95lbs wasn’t feeling heavy for my Clean & Jerks and I got a couple of Toes to Bar even though my hands were HURTING so bad. I was starting to feel a little bit better and it was just about GO time.

3/29/13 WOD

3/29/13 WOD

3-2-1 GO. My brain stopped working. I had the 3 worst Clean and Jerks EVER. Even failed on my 2nd clean. I was pissed. I had just done several and felt good and now I am doing everything WRONG. I still made it through the first 3 and was ready to tackle TTB no matter how slow I went. And only ONE TTB ever showed up. Oh I’d get one foot to touch, but not my stupid left foot. I’d be an inch away from touching the bar but not ever get to the bar. Oh I was mad. I kept on trying till that dumb clock buzzed. I felt so defeated. So sad. That’s what you get, I scolded myself. That’s what you get for being lazy and eating junk. Way to GO with your 4 reps. Are you serious??!!?? UGH I was not happy. But there wasn’t much more I could do.

I stuck around and watched everyone kill it for the 6 a.m. class and boy was that fun. After all my self hate, it was nice to turn it around and cheer on everyone else. Still not happy with myself but I had to get over that. Later in the day, we went to watch the evening classes and witnessed more awesomeness come out of folks. And then the bug of wanting a do-over started creeping in my head. It was just a thought as it was for 13.3 and I left it at that.

3/30/13 WOD
I have missed a couple of Saturday WODs already and was determined to not miss another one. Plus I couldn’t just show up on Friday for one workout for the week. I was glad when I showed up and then I was convinced that Coach was trying to kill us when it came down to the MetCon.

Skill/Strength: Front Squats: 1X5 @ 80%, 2X3 @ 85%, 3X1 @ 90% – rest 1:00-2:00 between setsIt’s been a while since I have worked on Front Squats so I wasn’t feeling confident with my weights going in. Even though my front squat isn’t super heavy, I was feeling pretty weak (1RM 135lbs). My workload ended up being 110lbs, 115lbs and 120lbs. Turns out I felt pretty good after I knocked each set down.

3/30/13 WOD

3/30/13 WOD

MetCon: 100′ Over Head lunges 45/35#, 10 Strict Press @ 60%BW, 30 Burpees, 100′ Over Head lunges 45/35#, 8 Strict Press @ 60%BW, 20 Burpees, 100′ Over Head lunges 45/35#, 6 Strict Press @ 60%BW, 10 Burpees

I pretty much laughed when I read strict press at 60% of my bodyweight! I definitely need to lose weight because my 1RM is way less than that! And I need to get stronger! But weight loss would be a better goal for now, haha. So Coach determined that I would use my 1RM – 75lbs for my strict press and somehow that sounded alright.

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Little did I know that the Overhead Lunges were going to kill me and strict press was going to be damn near impossible. Keeping a 35lb plate locked out over head for 100 ft is nuts, 100 ft isn’t even that far but it was HARD. The pizza I had for dinner the night before was bogging me down. I was struggling. I got to the bar for my strict press and it was a FAIL x 5. So I took off 10lbs and finally got the bar overhead. My shoulders were SMOKED! It took me a while but I knocked out those 10 reps. And what was waiting in the wings… BURPEES. My wrists are dead, my shoulders are fried and now burpees. 30 of them! And back to lunges I went. The distance was a measured 50 ft turn around and come back for the 100 ft. I made it about 25 ft and threw the plate down. I wanted to cry it sucked so bad. Got back to the bar eventually and picked up the bar. FAIL! Holy shit are you kidding me? Picked it back up and managed to get 4. Took a break. Then got 4 more! Wooooo. But I did the 20 burpees probably the slowest ever in the world. My muscles were quitting and I still had one more round to go! I was slow on the first 50 ft of the lunges but really powered through (which was probably still slow) the last 50 ft. Back on the BAR and FAIL again. This FAIL nonsense has got to stop! Finally got 2 reps, then 2 more, then 1 more. THEN FAIL! It took me 3 attempts to get the last rep in. By then everyone else had finished so I’m the one they are staring at/cheering on. Those last 10 burpees were probably my best set just cause everyone was in my face. It sucked. Time: 20:20.

3/30/13 Part 2 – the Afternoon
Ernie was half ass debating redoing 13.4 and I had the idea that maybe I would. 3pm rolls around and Ernie is OUT, he has decided he won’t do it but he wanted to go up to the Box to watch anyone who needs to get it in at 5pm. So we go up there. I half ass hang on the bar and work on TTB but I don’t have much. I kinda sorta want to redo it but not really. But while I’m there, I might as well work on the TTB. Eventually I get a whopping 2 in a row and Coach told me to get a bar and start warming up. Nah! I’m good. Get a bar! OK I guess. So I start warming up Clean and Jerks and feel good at least with that. I probably won’t do worse than 4. So I should be fine.

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It’s only 7 minutes and who cares that my body is dying from the morning! It appears that little food and extra work are the key to me being more successful (jokes) because I ended up getting through a total of 9 TTB, hahaha. That’s not amazing by any means to an AWESOME athlete but it was amazing for my chunky butt self to get those toes up there. I struggled. They didn’t come easy and I did one at a time. I had a few NO REPS in there but I got the first 3 down and thought I’m good with that. At least I got one round in. Once I finished my 6 C&J, I thought “even better”. My score is a little higher. But those 6 TTB were a big struggle for me. But I had enough time for C&J. I got through the 9 Clean and Jerks and time was up. WHEW, that was NOT easy! I can no longer say I “CAN’T” do TTB. This was a REDO that I’m proud of. Score: 27 reps.

4/1/13

I’m still a little LOT sore from the weekend. I wasn’t even sure I would be able to roll out of bed. Slowly but surely I did even though I was feeling the pain in all of my body.

Coach tried to be a little April Fool’s sneaky on us and put SURPRISE WOD on the board and then try to tell us it was 60 minutes of Burpees. I half heartedly believed it. I was still sleeping! Thank goodness it was a joke.

Skill/Strength: Squat 5,5,5+ @65,75,85%. The + is for max reps over 5.
I don’t think I’ve worked on Back Squat since I PR’d so my percentages are a little different than I’m used to seeing. And it felt heavy! Even 65% felt heavy. I was reminded how missing a week can do that to you, sigh! I’m back. I’m back! No more missing days at a time! Worked up to the 85% and got 6 reps in. Went for the 7th but bottomed out. My legs are dead from Saturday. I felt ok with my 6 reps.

4/1/13 WOD

4/1/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 rounds – 20 kbs 1.5/1 (American), 15 C2B, 10 Thrusters 115/85
Doesn’t sound like much, but I know better. That’s a lot! Especially those Chest to Bar Pull Ups.

I started off with KB Swings and those weren’t to bad to get through 20. Since I don’t have a pull up yet, I clearly don’t have a Chest to Bar, I double banded up and got to work. Being able to kip and use bands was good for my first round. I still struggled but got through the 15 faster than I thought. It was the Thrusters that would get in my head. I didn’t do the RX weight of 85lbs because warming up I felt a twinge in my lats on my right side. I didn’t want to hurt myself doing a heavier weight. So I stuck with 65lbs. Weak I know but this was supposed to be a quick workout. I broke my first round up too much: 3, 3, 2, 2. Got back to the KB and did 12 unbroken. I had to put it down before finishing. My forearms were fading fast. Got back on the bar for C2B and I could only do 2 at a time, then 1 at a time. This took forever. I knew I had to step it up for Thrusters. I managed 5 and 5. And only managed 10 and 10 for the KB swings. By the 3rd round of C2B I could only do 1 at a time. My forearms were on FIRE! When I got through that 15, I wasn’t sure how I would survive the last set of Thrusters and something in me clicked. I did those UNBROKEN!  Time: 16:42. I was spent. That workout was brutal….for me!

Well if you made it this far I applaud you. That’s a lot of recap and probably not all that exciting. But I had a lot to report on from the weekend! Hopefully I’m back and back with a vengeance, in the box and in my kitchen. Today I started off with showing up to the Boom Box, clean cooking and eating.

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Got one foot in, now lets see if the other will follow and stay! It’s a mental battle I know. I just gotta suck it up and go forward. I hope all of y’all are making the steps to a healthier life. If you fallen off the radar, now’s a good time to find your way back! Have a Happy Monday! And you know the drill…BE AWESOME!!

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No Words

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There are no words to describe what showing up to workout does for my mindset. Even if it’s not at my very best. On Sunday I self-sabotaged and dived into the MSG cesspool of what we all know and love (ok maybe it’s just me) as the Chinese Buffet. A new one popped up near us and it was shiny and new. Why not? Right. There are so many reasons as to why not – mystery meats, mystery sauces, etc.

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My stomach grumbled the whole evening, the whole night and straight into the morning. I was not up to par for some Monday morning running at the BOOM Box, SOOOOO I slept in. And I felt it all day. Granted the junk in my body had to filter it’s way through but I just was blah all day. It was noticeable.

This morning however, although I was hurting, I still showed up to CrossFit Boom. I ate my egg whites post workout, I ate my breakfast and I feel so much better. Mentally and physically the fog is lifting and I move forward. When you make working out part of your everyday it’s a big hole in your world when you skip out. Especially after some good rest and recovery.

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Now I know some of you dive in, kill yourselves, you can’t move for days and by the time you get back in the gym it’s like starting over. And then you quit! Well it’s a vicious cycle I know. Just the same as eating JUNK. But you have to mentally plow through. Stick with it. Forge on. Don’t get stuck in the excuses people. I for one like to get stuck in them and KNOW this about myself already. It’s really all about self awareness and rising above what brings you down. I have learned personally since my completion of the Whole30 that I can’t be a one foot in, one foot out kind of person. I sway to much to the one foot that is on the outside. So last night, I said enough is enough and I got back on the cooking train. I made plenty of veggies to help me through the week. I have my proteins defrosting. Now I just need to get some bone broth back in my arsenal and all will be well in the world!

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2/23/13 WOD
OoooEeeee, this was going to be work. And it was one of those crawl back in bed mornings. Coach could read it in all our bodies and faces. It was a drag ass start. But we finally got into it.

Skill/Strength: 15 minutes to establish a 1RM of the barbell complex:
1 Clean
3 Front Squats
1 Jerk
3 Back Squats
1 Behind the Neck Jerk

It’s been a while since I’ve done any sort of complex. You don’t realize how much it takes out of you. I wasn’t in any hurry to jump up to big weight and I wanted to really focus. I worked my way up to 95lbs. I really should have got 105lbs but I was having that whole drop under the bar issue in Cleaning the bar. And 105 is a weight I know I can do. It’s yet to be pretty, but I can Clean it. But I feel I did alright. Nothing amazeballs but I felt good.

MetCon: 3 rounds 14 CTB, 7 Snatches (full squat) 135/85#
I don’t have Pull Ups so we all know I’m not doing Chest To Bar. I choose banded Pull Ups… as if i have a choice! And Snatches. Over time I’ve learned not to dread this movement but I still have a ways to go in technique. I stuck with 55lbs for this WOD. It was a good weight for me to move quickly and still have good form. I knocked out the Pull Ups easier than I have in the past… is this Progress knocking at my door? Yes I think so! My first round of Snatches were a little sloppy. I was not keeping the bar close enough to my body. Once I corrected that I was on a roll. My 2nd and 3rd round of Pull Ups didn’t go as easily as the first round. But my Snatch got better. My forearms were spent but overall I felt good. Time: 11:01

2/26/13 WOD
Like I mentioned previously, It was nice to just show up even though I didn’t have the best performance. It was extra cold and windy this morning and everything was achy!

Skill/Strength: Pull Ups
I can’t complain. I need to get better. You can’t get better without working on it and so many of the BOOM ladies are knocking these out like they are easy or something! Pull Up land is waiting for me. I feel like I’m getting there. Still slow as a snail but I’m getting there.

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MetCon: CrossFit Games Open WOD 12.5 – 7 minute AMRAP of 3 Thrusters, 3 CTB, 6 Thrusters, 6 CTB, 9 Thrusters, 9 CTB, etc.
The RX for Thrusters was 65lbs. Shouldn’t be a problem. But into my 2nd round, I had a pinch in my shoulder that hurt like bloody hell. I couldn’t push past it so I dropped the weight to 55lbs. The pain didn’t go away but I stuck with it. Hoping it’s just inflammation from the Buffet Indulgence. Again, with the Pull Ups I felt I had a little more in me than I have in the past. My shoulder however really was hindering me. Total Reps: 48 :/ I did better last year but I wasn’t in pain last year. I took a lot of time standing around. I feel confident I could have done much better had I not taken the time to switch weight, stand around in pain, etc. I made sure to do some hurts so good mobility afterwards. Hoping that helps in the long run.

That’s it for this Beautiful Tuesday. I’m hoping this week stays strong and positive! Stay focused. Drop the Excuses and as always be AWESOME!

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Work, Rest, More Work, Breathe

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Last week was hectic and as I told you all, I was worn out. I couldn’t manage to roll out of bed Friday morning so I skipped out on the Boom Box. I was feeling better by the middle of the day and decided I would hit up an evening class. So glad I did. I needed it. Working out is mostly a LOVE relationship, but sometimes it’s a Love/Hate kind of thing because when you are so worn out and you don’t show up then you feel like crap for not getting that work out in! It’s not very fun. But in the end you know you need the rest. After my workout on Saturday, I declared a do nothing kind of day. That is do nothing after the boys had baseball practice! They would be gone the rest of the day. Ernie would be gone the rest of the day. So I caught up on my DVR and slept… ALOT! It was good I needed it. On the downside, I let the cakeballs get the best of me! DAMN YOU CAKEBALLS! I made sure I cleared them out by inhaling them though. There are no more living in our house. All is back to normal. May the clean eating resume. The open is near, and although I won’t be even close to the top ladies in our region I don’t want to feel like POO when doing the open WODS. Cakeballs! Grrr 😀

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2/15/13 WOD
Skill/Strength: Deadlift 3 x 3 @ 85%
I’ve never felt so good doing Deadlifts. So I’m happy to say that I feel progress in this movement. Besides my hands feeling like they are on fire, I’m not having many issues with getting the weight off the ground. Working up to 170lbs was good and doing my 3 sets of 3 were feeling really good. Hopefully a nice PR is coming up!

2/15/13 WOD

2/15/13 WOD

MetCon: 15, 12, 9 of Wall Balls and Chest To Bar
So I’m a little more flexible at the end of the day than I am at 5 am. So Wall Balls although brutal aren’t as bad on the hips in the P.M. My shoulders were not too happy with me in general but I got the job done better than I have been in the past. It’s the damn Pull Ups that still get me! Time 7:02

2/6/13 WOD
Oh holy crap, you want me to run when it’s in the 30s and you want me to run a mile coach! I really really didn’t want to show up to the BOOM Box on a Saturday morning to run but of course I couldn’t punk out. I’ve been progressing it is true in most things but running is not one of them. And everyone else’s progression is on FAST TRACK or something so I have to catch up with the group! I know, I know, it’s me vs. me but still. You see so many folks getting PRs and it’s great and awesome for them. But here I am not getting PRs or fast tracking it. So ya, I reluctantly showed up!

2/16/13 WOD

2/16/13 WOD

Skill/Strength: Front Squats EMOM for 7 minutes. 2 reps with a 3 second pause at the bottom @ 75% of our 1 RM
I haven’t tested for Front Squat in a very long time, so 75% for me was 100lbs. Coach was sure I could do more so we upped it a whopping 5lbs. By the end of the 7 minutes I could feel those 5lbs! It kind of feels good to hold the squat at the bottom for a couple of seconds. I’m not sure exactly what pauses do for you mechanically or in terms of getting stronger, but I trust they are good for you.

MetCon: Run 1 mile, 50 Power Cleans (75lbs), 30 HSPU
Running! Booooo! I started off on a slow but steady pace. My right shin is still pretty beat up so I felt that for a while with every step I took. but 2/3 of the way back my left calf and shin decided to speak up and well they were LOUD. My jog became a slow trot. It was horrible. Again another poor run performance. Something in the 11 minute mark. Everyone had been back and busting through those Cleans! I didn’t do the 75lbs, because I’m a wuss and thought I wouldn’t be able to do 50. Turns out I probably should have/could have. I caught up pretty quickly after being so behind on the run. I still don’t execute HSPU very well without being modified so I did them off the box. And that turned out to be surprisingly easy. I’m somewhere in the middle, I suppose. Which is great! HSPUs here I come! Time: 16:34

02/18/13 WOD
Whew, finally made it to this morning! It was a humid one for us, thankfully NO MetCon today! Wooooo! Eh, I do like MetCons but working on strength is fun too.

Skill/Strength: Overhead Mobility, Pull-Up Mechanics
We did some bar torture and some PVC work with Overhead Squat Mechanics. We then worked on kipping. I am tight. My upper back, shoulders and whatever else that can be tight is TIGHT! It is no fun. On the bright side of everything hurting I forget my hands hurt so I felt a little stronger when it comes to kipping. I feel a little more coordinated and hopefully I’ll get some form of a pull up SOON.

2/18/13 WOD

2/18/13 WOD

OHS 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
It’s been a long while since I’ve worked on my Overhead Squats. A long while. So I wasn’t sure what weight to start at and what weight I should end with. I decided to warm up to 65lbs. I was feeling good. I jumped from 65lbs to 75lbs because I was trying to get to 90lbs for my final set. 90lbs is my current 1RM. So I figured if I got that then I would be set for a nice PR in the future. 75lbs is where it got heavy though! Not really heavy but painful on the wrists. EVEN with my strength wraps :/ But I still went on and knocked out 80 and 85lbs. Instead of going for 90lbs, I went for 95lbs. Got the Bar overhead and panicked. I hesitated just thinking about squatting and it was an immediate MENTAL fail! Ah well. Maybe next time!

As far as food goes, it hasn’t been AWESOME but I’ve had some good moments. Like I said earlier, the CrossFit Games Open is coming up fast and I need to dial it back in with my eating. I don’t want to suck at everything more so than I already do because my eating is out of whack. So I’m reeling all the slip ups in and putting my Whole30 discipline back into action. Crossing my fingers I stick with it 😀

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Leave me a comment if you are interested in the Whole30 or have questions. Nutrition is key when trying to find good health and fitness. Not only does eating clean make you feel better in general it completely makes working out that much easier. As I routinely say, you NEED to make a CHANGE. Whether it’s jumping in the deep end of the pool or taking BABY steps like cutting out crazy beverages and just taking in Water. Make a CHANGE in your life. Without it you will always be stuck in your rut.

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Other than that, let’s hope this Monday doesn’t end up crazy. Have a great day and of course MAKE IT AWESOME!

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Ooo Weeee Sprinting

Sometimes I read crossfitboom.com before I go to bed to see what the workout is for the morning. Sometimes that is a mistake because it makes me dread going in and my will to sleep in gets stronger. Clearly I truly don’t let it bring me down because up and at ’em is what I’m all about. I show up day in and day out. But it drains me of energy knowing something I am not good at is coming SOON.

This morning was a double whammy of things I’m not good at: Chest to Bar Pull Ups and SPRINTING. We also had 100 butterfly sit ups in there but I got those. Sit ups are my friend. I just wish I had the stomach to show for it. 3 kids, non stretchy skin, years later unhealthy eating habits leaves this chica with not the ideal abs of awesomeness. Chest to Bar however was no fun. Since I use bands still my goal today was to get up on the bar and hold as long as I could. Also known as negative Pull Ups. I suck at those too. I could barely hold myself in the position for more than a few seconds. A little work is better than no work I suppose.

6/19/12 WOD

MetCon: 8 rounds of 100 yd sprints. 2 min rest in between.
100yd sprints. I’m better at sprinting than straight up running but I’m still not very good. We went out into the parking lot and Coach had 50 yds marked out, so our sprint was 50 yds to a cone then 50 yds back. I tend to slow down too much before I have to turn so I’m sure I wasted a valuable second or two. My first 2 or 3 sprints were 19 seconds, then I dropped to 20 seconds. Somewhere inside of me I found a little extra umph and dropped to an 18 second sprint. My last one was back at 20 seconds. Coach took our lowest and highest sprints for the whiteboard. I was the slowest in the group which is never fun. Some of these guys were getting 14 second times. Poor Poor Petri. Ah well.

In other news
Sadly baseball is over in my little world for a couple of months at least. It’s bittersweet because it kept us so busy the days flew by and now we resume to a slow pace which gets boring after a while. I don’t mind being on the GO but at least now I can hopefully get back to cooking better meals in the evenings. Eating Paleo is pretty simple, I can bust out a few quick dishes but it gets old, FAST! Now I won’t be rushing around trying to get to games or practices and I can get a little creative in the cooking dept. Of course I could get accustomed to being a lazy ass and just lounge on the couch every night but I doubt that will really happen.

Have a ROCKIN Tuesday. Don’t forget to be AWESOME. Get to moving today if you aren’t already. Do some sprints. It takes very little time and you get more work in than you could possibly imagine in that little amount of time. You engage every part of your body for short bursts. Nothing better than that! Yes I know you’re thinking there’s a lot of stuff better than sprinting but really, if you want good health and results, SPRINTING is an integral part. I promise you!

Check these sites out for more info:
http://crossfitgeneration.typepad.com/cfgen/why-you-should-sprint-tra.html
http://crossfitamped.com/articles/sprinting/

 

Sigh of Relief – CrossFit Games Open is OVER!

I know I’ve said it plenty but I get anxiety ridden over these Open WODs! Seriously! I know I shouldn’t, I’m not anywhere near the ELITE status of the really competitive athletes. I’m just doing it to do it. Ya know? But week after week I let it get to me. The anticipation weasels it’s way into me and I turn into a loonball! Even when I know I can’t do the movements I’m a crazy person! But NOW it’s over for 2012 for me at least. Still praying and crossing fingers and toes for Sherry to make it in the top 20 of the Master’s Group!

12.5 came as a repeat form 2011. I really don’t care but it seemed to cause a stir amongst the mob. Why complain? Just beat what you did last year! Easy right? Heheh, I don’t know. I just know I can’t do a pull up so HOW IN THE WORLD am I going to get my chest to the bar? I’m not.

3/22/12 CrossFit Games Open 12.5

The WOD is a 7 minute AMRAP/Ladder of Thrusters and Chest to Bar. So first round is 3 thrusters, 3 chest to bars. 2nd round is 6 thrusters, 6 chest to bars…keep adding by 3s and do as many rounds as possible. Like good little soldier I knocked out my 3 reps of 65lb thrusters to get counted for the official score and went to band assisted chest to bar. I made it through to the 12 thrusters and only completed 5 of the chest to bar in that round. Final total of 53! Heheheh. Ah well. 7 minutes and WAM BAM thank you MA’AM! I was beat. Thrusters take a toll on you fast 🙂 It was fun. And I’ll be there on Saturday to cheer on the remaining BOOM Beasts. Good riddance 2012 Open!!

On to getting that pull up mastered!

Have a great Thursday y’all. I may see y’all tomorrow and I may not. Going to the midnight showing of the Hunger Games and well I’m not a spring chicken anymore and not sure if I can hang and be productive tomorrow with little sleep 🙂 Which reminds me I got these cute Hunger Games knee socks to workout in and they are too small 😦 It made me sad. Ah well.

Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!