Squirrel

I finally beginning to like where I’m at right now. The brain fog is clearing and energy levels are up. And I’m so excited for feeling great that I want to share everything with y’all but it’s not cohesive (cause I’m scatterbrained) and I don’t know where to start!

Reading other blogs, catching up on favorite sites, reading new articles about health and fitness are exciting again. When I’m poor poor petri, sometimes diving into all of that is more depressing and it’s easier to just ignore, ignore and ignore. Why? Because then I don’t have to feel bad about myself for being a loser. It does the opposite of motivating. But when I’m feeling good, I’m FEELING GOOD! Everything is exciting again. The light is ON! So I know that I’m probably annoying to those sitting on the couch. Those putting it off till tomorrow or MONDAY cause they messed up yesterday. And annoying I will be. Cause maybe one of you sitting on the sidelines will have that AHA moment. And if it’s just ONE then I’m okay with that. And maybe those of you already doing work but getting tired will find some new hope or outlook. And then maybe some of you just LOVE me so much you just read to read!

Where to start on all my randomness.. how about… Who watched Extreme Weight Loss last night? Mike was insanely awesome. One of the BEST participants ever. I wanna be like Mike. He got to 10% body fat! He did the work and didn’t complain or make excuses. Sure it’s not DRAMA made for TV but it was good to see someone go in focused like that and KILL it.

Also, on one of the morning shows here in DFW, a radio host proclaimed her goal of destroying CrossFit! Really? She says it ruins marriages and wanted people to call in to tell how it did ruin their marriage. Only two of the callers said it put a strain on the marriage and the other few could only proclaim it’s AWESOMENESS. If I were a caller-in kind of gal I would have probably chewed her butt out. I mean seriously? Someone having a passion for being healthy is ruining marriages. There is something much deeper than CrossFit ruining that marriage if it’s being destroyed in any sense. I know more married people and couples that do CrossFit together than anyone who is losing their relationship because of it. Totally crazy. I just have no other words.

This article is great: 3 Reasons to Get Upset About CrossFit

I also came across this Catalyst article encouraging women to lift. Some of it’s not me but I get where it could encourage women to start on it already: 10 Things New Women Weightlifters Should Know

Speaking of lifting. Since I started CrossFit, I learned I actually liked lifting. I had never really LIFTED weights other than dumbbells and whatever machines are staples in big, i barely went, walk past weights, drain my bank account gyms. But some days it was a chore and not fun. I had to do it because it was programmed but I wasn’t necessarily enjoying it. I have found the past couple of weeks I am really ENJOYING all of the strength work we do. I’m feeling super awesome about it each rep, set, etc… I ache less and when I do ache, I just mobilize more. But I’m feeling SOLID when I lift. Not weird or awkward. I’m even enjoying Overhead Squats which in the beginning were so miserable to work on. If only I could get some good feelings about Snatching! UGH that lift drives me BONKERS!

In other news, I’m even considering signing up for some competitions. My running endurance sucks but hopefully running isn’t a major thing in anything upcoming. One of my boxmates, Mel, suggested one but we found it had PULL UPs, so instead of just finally buckling down and working on PULL UPs we passed! LOL, such beasts we are! In all reality I need to make that a goal but for now I just wanna compete. So there are a few events in the near future and I’m hoping to throw myself out there. It’s been a year since the last time I competed. It should be fun, no, I know it will be fun. My blogging friend over at Wine to Weightlifting had a great post: 8 Reasons You Should Compete in a Crossfit Competition. Since I have already competed, I KNOW why I should do it again. But it reinspired me to actually want to do it!

And to finalize my random thoughts for today, My WOD yesterday, I KILLED IT! YAAAAA! It wasn’t like I was #1 on the board or anything but I was at least up there and with an RX!

8/13/13 WOD
TABATA Row (the goal is 1000m)
I’ve done TABATA a lot of things, but never a ROW! Should be fun. And I did find some fun in it. I’m not a good rower. But unlike running, I want to be a better rower. I do! I find some peace in it, maybe the same kind of peace that runners find in running. And I just want to be good at it. So I’m trying and I’m finding I am getting a lil better. Not leaps and bounds better, but I’m figuring out a rhythm for my OOMPA LOOMPA self. I didn’t get 1000m but I got 784. So I wasn’t horrible but I really wanted 1000m!

8/13/13 WOD

MetCon: 4 rounds of a 3 min AMRAP of 24 DU (mod is 12 Burpees) and 6 OHS (95,65) rest 1 min between rounds

Super Powers Activate! Double Unders. Yup, my super power. That’s the one thing I do at the box where a good chunk of folks are impressed. And I’m not SUPER GREAT at them. There are folks far more superior in our box and out of our box. But for where I stand in the world of CrossFit I’m at a good place. I want to share my super power but it’s definitely something you have to figure out on your own.

FOUR – 3 minute AMRAPS. I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out. 3 minutes isn’t a long time but it’s long enough to get work in. I just wasn’t sure where I would fall in. I was determined to go RX on Overhead Sqauts. The weight wasn’t super heavy but I figured between that and DUs my shoulders were going to fade fast. Plus Coach wanted us to do the OHS UNBROKEN so I had to will myself to stay strong. And it worked. After each set of DUs, I took a little bit of a pause so I could catch my breath, then I’d get right to it. I wasn’t popping up and down like an Elite athlete but I was getting the work done. Slow and steady. It felt like all of my first reps were wonky but once I got set, the rest of the reps were more stable. I had a mean face on. See pic below. I’m just in the background but it’s a look of determination and focus.

Stole this from Noah. Thanks!

I wasn’t going to FAIL. I’m pretty sure I’d be scared of me if I saw me! This wasn’t a walk in the park for me but for once I wasn’t doubting myself or wanting to quit. Final: 9round + 4 DUs

So there you have it! TWO days in a row of blogging. Is this my comeback back to back post? Eh, I don’t know about that. But like I said, I’m feeling better again and that’s always a good thing FOR EVERYONE around! I tried not to be too long winded in my randomness. And as I typed away I started losing some of the floating thoughts. Probably a good thing for today. I hope everyone is having a Happy Hump Day! Go out and share your AWESOMENESS!

Being Consistent

Consistency does pay off. I know it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that but I think all of us will try to make excuses for everything if we let ourselves. Just because 2 weeks of trying to eat better and exercise isn’t showing any results doesn’t mean that the 3rd week, the week you may have quit, wasn’t going to be your “golden” week. It may even be the second month. But you will NEVER know if you QUIT!

I’m pretty sure most of us always want those INSTANT results. In a time of growing technology, the faster the better! Quick food, quick apps, quick everything. Quick weight loss and body results are just fantasy! The stuff we see in magazines. The mid day shows that promise and guarantee weight loss without putting in the WORK that it really takes to achieve those goals. We all want the easy route. Who doesn’t want that route? Only thing is, it’s not easy. EVEN if one of those gimmicky plans worked, it would only be for the short term. Why even bother? I want results and I want the results to stay. I was on track, being the most awesome I have ever been and then I derailed. Big time. Gained some LBs and woke up and said WHOA where did those come from? Well they came from stuffing my face and showing up to the Boom Box like once a week. My consistency went down the drain and I was a HOT MESS and it was ugly.

Now I’ve cleaned up MOST of my eating, not all but most. I promise, FOOD, it’s a bad addiction sometimes. But I’m cleaning it up and I’m CONSISTENTLY showing up to the BOOM Box and whaddyaknow…. my progress is showing up in WODs and in my strength. Again, this doesn’t take an expert to know that putting in work will make you better, stronger and faster (well faster is questionable in my case :D). But it’s something that I know we all just put to the side. We make excuses. We justify our poor eating habits and lack of exercise through busy lives and schedules.

With my dedicated 4-6 workouts a week and at least 80% clean eating, heavy weight is becoming easier light weight. PRs are here. And I’m feeling that confidence come back that comes with killing WODs. Although I’m still a MAJOR work in progress, it’s coming along. Much slower than I was planning but it’s coming along none the less!

8/6/13 WOD and my 2nd ever DNF (womp womp)
If you look closely at the pic next to my name there is NOTHING. No time recorded. It was a sad day for me mentally and physically. I had just flown through Power Cleans at 95lbs and was feeling great and was actually looking forward to the Kettle Bell Swings and Toes To Bar.

8/6/13 WOD

I’m not great at TTB but I’ve made some progress and I’m getting them knocked out even if it’s only 1 at a time. It wasn’t till my last round of TTB that I just lost all my energy, juice, mojo, etc. My toes weren’t touching that bar. I struggled a lot in the round of 15 but managed to finish. I thought 9 more wasn’t out of the question. But for this day, it was completely not going to happen. Not in the class time anyways. I probably had 50 ALMOST TTB but only managed about 5 for that last round. The next class was already starting and I wasn’t going to be able to knock out the last 4. I knew I didn’t have it in me. And I realized that it was going to be OKAY if I didn’t finish. I wasn’t going to get kicked out of the BOOM Box. No one was going to tell me I was a loser, except for me of course and the world was going to keep on spinning. It did take the wind out of my sails for a few hours but I realized I did 41 TTB in about 20 minutes which in the end was pretty GREAT for me who sucks at the TTB. I felt much better the next day and I know that I made progress.

8/7/13 WOD
I wasn’t sure how I would feel walking back into the BOOM Box after sucking so bad the day before but I was fine. The WOD wasn’t for time. There was just work to be done.

MetCon: 3 rounds of Row 250m and 8 Box Jumps 40in/30in THEN 3 x 8 @ 90% of 5RM Press and 1 x ME @ 70% 4 sec negatives

We worked on Box Jumps and well I’m scared of the box and I don’t know why but I am. I jumped a few times on the 20in, then a few on the 24in, then just stared at the 30in. Went back to 24in and put a 25lb plate on top. Made it. Put another 25lb plate on top. Made it. Ok I’m good right there.

8/7/13 WOD

That was till we rowed. It was only a 250m row As Fast As I Could Go. But it was enough to take some JUMP out of my legs. So I took one of the 25lb plates away and jumped on the one. That probably made it a 27in jump. I didn’t measure. But I finished!

We moved onto strict Press afterwards and 65lbs was my 5RM from the week before so I went off that. Each set started off great but it was always at the 6th rep where I felt it hit me. Still got through the last 2 reps but the weight felt so HEAVY. My shoulders were dying by the end and I wasn’t sure how long I’d last with those negatives. I started off feeling like this will be easy but I only managed about 12 reps. My triceps were on FIRE!

8/9/13 WOD
Strength: Front Squats 4 @75%, 3×4 @80%
That puts me at 110lbs and 115lbs. Surprisingly this was feeling pretty good. I didn’t struggle. Woohoo, getting stronger.

8/9/13 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds of 9 Deadlift 85lbs, 6 Power Clean and 3 Power Snatches
I can DL 85lbs easy breezy. Power Clean 85lbs fairly well but it’s a NO WAY on the Power Snatch. Theoretically I should be able to do it. But that Brain of mine likes to get in the way. But I needed to settle on a weight I could do. So I warmed/worked my way up to 75lbs. My current best. And it felt good. So I stepped up to 80lbs. DONE! PR right there. I thought well hey I got this, so I added 5 more pounds and maybe just maybe I can do this RX. Got the weight to my eyeballs and failed. There was no dropping under that weight. Boldly I decided I would work with 80lbs. Good or bad idea. I wasn’t sure till the clock started. I failed on my first 2 attempts in the first round! I should drop weight is what I immediately told myself. But I gave it one more shot and although it was sloppy I got the weight up. Took some deep breaths and finished out the 3 reps. Still debated if I should drop in weight and talked myself into staying at the weight. It wasn’t a matter on if it was too heavy, it was just a matter of me doing it. Plus it was only 3 reps at a time. Again these weren’t the prettiest Snatches but I wasn’t HURTING or feeling like I was going to be hurt so I stuck with it. 5 rounds was not an easy task. That’s 45 Deadlifts, 30 Power Cleans and 15 Power Snatches, at a Personal BEST I might add! Time: 10:53

8/10/13 Community WOD
Finally a Community WOD that didn’t involve running! I was so excited! Of course until Coach explained what was going to go down. And then, and then and then. That’s all I heard. Teams of 4; 2 guys, 2 girls. 50 Thrusters each (my once favorite now least favorite movement). While the guys are going the girls will be holding Kettle Bells (35lb) overhead. Girls can’t drop the KB and if they do guys must stop doing Thrusters. Girls can transfer KB but only from overhead position. And no one can let the barbell touch the ground! DOH! That’s a lot of weight not being able to touch the ground. Who knows how long this will take. Our guys, Kyle and Micah, did great. Breaking up their sets nicely and not dropping the bar. Us ladies did fine managing how long we held onto the KB before switching. Once the guys were done we had to change the weight on the barbell before continuing. Almost moved too quickly removing weight but it all worked out fine. I went first on the Thrusters (55lbs). Annette and I decided to start of with sets of 10 and if we had to drop to sets of 5 then so be it. Just do the work. I was feeling great doing sets of 10 until I finished my 3rd set. I knew I wouldn’t survive that again. So I said I HAD to do sets of 5. This way I wouldn’t quit or be tempted to drop the bar. I moved as fast as I could. RUNNING wasn’t involved, I had no excuses! I think Annette and I had a good pace going and a good way of transferring the bar between us. I know our guys weredoing just fine holding the 53lb KB. Never let it down. Time: 12:05! FInally KILLED a Saturday WOD.

8/12/13 WOD SQUAT HEAVY DAY
Strength: Back Squats; 5 @70%, 5 @ 80%, 2 @85%, 3 @90% and 1 @100%
Everything was feeling AWESOME till I got to 2 @85%. IT felt so HEAVY. Manageable but HEAVY, so I wasn’t sure what 3 @90% would be. Guess what? It felt lighter than 85%. So weird but definitely good. So hitting the 1 rep at 165lbs was great! Really looking forward to a PR!

MetCon: 3 rounds of 400m run, 15 Ring Dips and 10 Burpee Handstand Get Ups
UGH! more running. If it weren’t for the running I would have beat this WOD up, no problem. But there was that run. Each round. And they were ugly slow runs. I went with the Green Band for the Ring Dips. My shoulders are sensitive creatures and I didn’t want to blow them out. My first round I did 10 and 5. My second round I did UNBROKEN! And my third round I went 8 and 7. As for Burpee Handstand Get Ups, they weren’t miserable but they weren’t fun. I’ve explained in the past I have a hard time breathing heavy and being UPSIDE DOWN. It’s just hard to breathe when you are out of breath. I knocked these out in sets of 5 each round. Just to regain some composure. I surely didn’t want to fall over out of dizziness or something worse. Time: 21:20. The runs did me in

8/12/13 WOD

How’s that a for a week of ups, downs and all arounds? I’m slowly getting back into everything and I’m struggling and succeeding. All part of it. Learning and growing. Being consistent! Hopefully I’ll get back to a more normal blogging schedule as well. This once a week posting is sad. So hopefully I’ll get back to more of daily thing. Who knows. Have a happy and joyful Tuesday. And until you see me again… next week?? hahah, Be AWESOME!

Diary of a Wimpy HIP

My Hips don’t LIE. They BURN! Well just my right side.

Back in 2011 when I started my journey of better health and fitness, my lame-o right HIP started giving me issues. I thought I had injured my hip flexor but never really checked it out as it wasn’t severe pain and it was intermittent. Then CrossFit came into my life and my sad BIG HIP was just always nagging at me. It hurt sitting, it hurt standing, it was always hurting. It didn’t hurt when I was working out though at first. Then I could feel it limiting me in my squats. Coach gave me some mobility exercises but it wasn’t going away. So I went to Airrosti which was heaven on earth. They worked my whole hip/glute area. It was painful but relief at the end of my sessions. They asked if my HIP popped randomly and I said YES my whole life. Aha, they said. They asked if it just started hurting now that I’ve become super active. Of course my answer was YES. I mean the popping sometimes hurts but I wasn’t doing much by way of regular beatdowns prior to 2011 for quite some years. They told me I had an impingement. And that all of this new activity was taking it’s toll. Yay ME! I guess YOUTH is golden because I was super active all through high school and never had any problems. They said I would probably always have HIP flexiblity issues. BUT with proper stretching, foam rolling, etc I should be fine and I should be able to manage any future issues.

Of course after focusing on the stretches they gave me I was feeling much better and I was such a go getter in general with my mobility. Then I got to feeling better more often, got bored sticking with the mobility and just became reliant on the necessary post WOD mobility at the box. And guess what? All that HIP pain is creeping it’s way back in. Why oh why am I such a glutton for punishment? Why can’t I just roll out and stretch when I’m watching TV? The past several WODs at the BOOM box have brought my HIP issues back to life and now I need to focus on being better at mobility. I just need to stop being lazy and get back to it! I sure as hell could eat a tub of ice cream while sitting in front of the TV so why won’t I just get on the ground and get to it!!??!!

8/1/13 WOD
Skill: Double Unders
Easy breezy! I got these. I’m learning to pace myself and have them under control whether it be fast and knock them out or go slower and take my time. I’m not great at doing more than 50 UNBROKEN but that comes with lots of practice. And lots of practice is something I don’t do! It’s my one superpower in CrossFit and I don’t focus on extra work with DUs because I have so much more to figure out!

8/1/13 WOD

MetCon: AMRAP 7 min, Up Ladder by 5 of Jumping Lunges and DU; Rest 3 minutes; Max Effort Unbroken Pull Ups
I’m feeling good about this WOD. My knee is less inflammed due to proper CLEAN eating so I even feel good about JUMPING LUNGES which when on a poor diet hurt like hell. The goal is to do 5 of each for Round 1 and increase 5 reps for each round after. So Round 2 will be 10 reps each, Round 3 will be 15 reps each and so on. It was round 3 when I was into the lunges that my HIP started to shut down on me. It was burning no matter what I did. I had to slow my roll. I had no explosion. I kept going just at a much slower pace. Fortunately I can knock DUs out so. And as long as I didn’t stop on the Jumping Lunges I felt like I would still do well.

When the 7 minutes was up we got a 3 minute rest and then it was onto max effort Pull Ups. I got my bands up there and waited for our rest to be over. My max effort was only 10 Pull Ups. I wasn’t feeling it and it showed. Final: 7 rounds + 6 Lunges + 10 Pull Ups

8/2/13
Strength: Front Squat 5@65% 4@75% 3@85% 3@90%
With my new PR weight that puts me at 95lbs, 110lbs, 125lbs and 130lbs. And amazingly I did pretty well through all the sets. The last few do get heavy but not impossible. It really does feel good to know I am getting stronger.

8/2/13 WOD

MetCon: 10 Rounds Team WOD 5 DL (275/185) 10 HR Burpees
Deadlifts YAY, Burpees BOOOO. This was a team WOD, so 1 person does a round, then your partner does a round. We had 3 folks on our team which had two of working at once. I opted for 155lbs because well my Hamstring is achy and my Hip is achy and there’s not a need for injury. I felt like the first 3 rounds of Deadlifts were smooth and quick, but my last two sets were pretty slow. As far as Burpees went, I only did OK on the first two rounds. The last three rounds I would get 5 reps easily then struggle with the last 5. Burpees are not my friend. Time: 9:50

8/5/13
Strength: Squats 6@70% 6@80% 3@90% 2@90%
I grouped up with some stronger ladies today which helps get me through all the reps mentally. As the saying goes “Iron sharpens Iron”, it helps to watch others move heavier weight. It helps me focus on my goals and that I too am capable. With time and work, I’ll get there.

8/5/13 WOD

MetCon: For time – Lunge 300ft, 400m Run and 50 Jumping Air Squats
Sigh! Lunging is not my strength. I can manage to get through them but I never enjoy them. This however, was going to kick my ass and that my friends, it did! So we go outside and Coach says we’re going to lunge around the parking lot and showed us the route we should take. THAT IS NOT 300ft Coach! And he responds, no probably more but that’s the route you’re taking. It may be 450ft. Who knows. GREAT! So lunge distance is UNDEFINED and all I know is that it’s a long ass distance. Talk about HIP being on FIRE. I wasn’t even halfway around and I was not happy. How could this suck sooo much?!? I don’t have an answer except that I need to work on that HIP mobility ASAP so lunges aren’t so brutal. Add a 400m CRAWL to that and I was just ready to call it quits. But wait, there’s more! 50 JUMPING Air Squats. Just that extra evil that I needed added to the workout. I busted out 10 and 10, then 5’s. I only took short rests in between but my overall time was so slow. Time: 14:18

That’s all for now ladies and gents. Eating clean is becoming more, eating junk is becoming LESS. Consistency at the BOOM Box is paying off! I just need to add MOBILITY back into the equation. Have a super duper TUESDAY and don’t forget to be Awesome!

Pushing My Limits

These past couple of days, CrossFit Boom has really been pushing me. We have been doing workouts that are destroying me (in a good way). In general I don’t feel like I’m just being more intense so it must be the WODs are just set up to kill us!

In regards to food, I’m eating way better overall, so I know it’s not JUNK bringing me down. But I still have some extra fluff to shed so maybe it’s just making it harder on the ol’ body to re-cooperate. OR maybe the WODs are just killer and I’m on the path to getting that much better!

7/30/13
Strength: 1RM axle snatch
I’ve said this in the past and I’ll say it again. I LOVE THE AXLE. It has a bigger diameter than a barbell and it’s awkward but I like it. What’s really AWKWARD though is doing SNATCH with this Axle. My Barbell Snatch is weaksauce as it is with my 1RM being 75lbs. I was just hoping to get close with the Axle. Turns out I could only go to 60lbs without that FEAR creeping in. I could pull 65lbs easy breezy but dropping under the bar was not happening. It’s so frustrating that I know the problem but mentally can’t bust through it!

7/30/13 WOD

MetCon: 5 Rounds 10 Clean & Jerks (135,95) 10 Burpee Pull Ups
When I initially saw the post the morning of I thought it was 10 Power Cleans. When I walked into the box and saw the 6pm class doing Clean & Jerks I was all “OH NO”. I can Clean and Jerk 105 maybe 110 for a 1RM. So 95lbs for 50 reps seemed insane. I opted to go for 85lbs, just so I wouldn’t be there for 3 days trying to finish the WOD. So pretty much this was GRACE on STEROIDS. And I haven’t even begun to think what the Burpee Pull Ups are gonna do to me!

3-2-1 GO. Uh this sucks and I’m only 2 reps in. And on top of that my crybaby self is using the 45lb bar. I started out using this bar on all lifts but as 35lb bars came in and they felt so much better on my small hands I’ve become accustomed to the 35lb bar. Now the 45lb bar seems ginormous and I have a head game going on and I’m only 30 seconds into the workout! I’m in trouble! I finally got through the 10 reps and moved onto the Burpee Pull Ups. We all know I can’t do Pull Ups so I had to stack some plates up and do Jumping Pull Ups. So drop to the ground, hop up and onto plates and get chin over bar X 10. NO FUN! Rinse and repeat the round 4 more times. It was a struggle and I was spent. I didn’t know how others had finished in such good times because the whole workout was TAXING on all body parts. Finally got to the last round and had to pick up that damn bar. I did two in a row, dropped bar, 1, 1, 2. We had a fill in Coach, Nick, and he said I could do the last 4 Unbroken. I was sure I could not but I held onto the bar and finished those reps STRONG. Thanks for pushing me on! Because I would have for sure dropped the bar otherwise. The last round of Burpees weren’t fast but I just kept going. Time: 22:46. I typically feel OK anywhere from 5-15 minutes later. This WOD had me feeling shakey a whole hour later! BRUTAL! Just BRUTAL!

7/31/13
Strength: Strict Press 5rm you have 12 minutes take 85% and do Max reps take 70% and do max reps take 50% and do max reps rest as little a possible between setsAfter Push Ups on Monday and Clean & Jerks and Burpees on Tuesday my shoulders are dead. They are sore, in pain, dead! I knew my Strict Press would be weak, I just wasn’t sure how weak! I almost had 65lbs for 5 reps but failed on the last rep. I was pushing the pain factor too much so I settled with that. The next step was to drop to 55lbs and do Max Reps. I managed 8 reps. Then dropped to 45lbs and managed 10 reps. I surprised myself and I feel like I should have got more reps but the pain in my right shoulder was kicking in. Dropped to 35lbs and managed 7 reps. Too much pain! So I ended on that.

7/31/13 WOD

MetCon: Test Row 5K
I’m not a rower. Let’s just get that out of the way. But I want to be! I feel being short is such a disadvantage but I know that’s just an excuse to hang my hat on, so I’m wanting to be somewhat good at this just to prove myself wrong. I wish I wanted to prove myself wrong in running as well but that’s not going to happen! So ROWING has been showing up in more of our programming. That’s a good thing. But it’s been short stuff. The longest being a 1K row. So now we’re testing for a 5K! Holy CRAP! This is all post Strict Press for me and my shoulders are weak!

I’m rowing my butt off! Far left in gray shirt.

I got on that rower and immediately felt everything fatigued. I was already thinking I can’t finish this row at all. I wasn’t even 1K in and I was ready to call it a day. I knew I couldn’t do that but my mind was telling me to quit. Half way in, I saw the pace I was holding, and it was putting me at a 26 minute finish. Everyone throughout the day was averaging 20-23 minutes. Not that I can judge myself compared to others but those were the numbers I was seeing. I had a hard time keeping up with a faster 500 split. It fluctuated for the the first 3K. And it wasn’t until I had 1500 to go that I got a decent and consistent pace. By then it was too late to beat my 26 minute guesstimate but I was going to try. I just wish I had felt this “comfort” zone prior to the last 1500. Time: 25:47; beat 26 minutes by seconds! Unstrapped my feet and rolled onto the ground. I was exhausted. At least I have a time to compete against for the future. Never having rowed like this I feel alright about it. Let’s hope the next test comes with a nice improvement!

So this week has proven to be a beating so far. Not sure what the BOOM Box will bring tonight but I’m ready to tackle it. My shoulders are feeling much better which is GREAT. I started taking Nighttime Recovery from Advocare. Two nights in a row now. It’s hard to tell if it’s HELPING or if it’s mental. But I figure extra Amino Acids can’t hurt me so if it’s really working or just there for my brain to believe it’s working, then it’s good either way!

Also, the Get Fit, Stay Fit Challenges are up and they look like a butt whoopin too so I’m gonna try and do them but I am not making any promises! It’s day 1 of this Challenge and there’s a lot to start off with! Let me know if you are participating. It may make it easier for me to commit!

As always don’t forget there is a COMMUNITY WOD at the BOOM Box this Saturday at 9am. It’s FREE. So get your butt out there! You know the drill, Eat Clean, Do Work and BE AWESOME! Happy Thursday!

The Games aka the OLYMPICS for CrossFit

If watching the CrossFit Games over the weekend just doesn’t want to make you start training and becoming a MONSTER right now I don’t know what will. (I promise I won’t bore you with my recap of the games.) And if you haven’t watched them you can log onto ESPN3 and watch recaps. Do it! NOW! But to me the CrossFit Games are a lot like when the Olympics come around and everyone is rallying for USA, wishing they had grown up their whole lives being a gymnast or track star. It’s that motivating. It’s that inspirational. Yet super defeating all at the same time! It’s all dreams for me at least. The I wish, I want, and the I could have been had I started 10 years ago!

Lindsey Valenzuela (photo: CrossFit)

I’ll be honest, I don’t know everyone’s story. I’m sure there might be someone like me out there that made it to the games, but on average, these ELITE athletes are young, fit phenoms or they were college athletes or heck even former professional athletes. I however am none of the above. Just a dreamer. But it still puts that little bit of excitement for me to want to push a little harder than just trying to be fit. To get that next PR or better finish.

Team Hack’s Pack UTE (photo: CrossFit)

Then I wake up and realize everything hurts. The muscles, tendons and ligaments aren’t youthful and immortal. I realize that I can’t even do any of the movements that these top CrossFit athletes are executing. So I drudge on, just hoping to be able to do a fraction of what they do, sometime, in the future, a long long time from now. It’s fun and I feel great but I’m not a spring chicken. I’m not a professional athlete! I joke that in 4 years I’ll be eligible for the Masters age group and maybe just maybe by then I’ll have it all down.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet (photo: CrossFit)

For now I’ll just stick with trying to be a stronger me, no matter how long it takes!

7/26/13
Strength: Front squats 3rm
PR in the house for 3RM! Woooo! So we warmed up for a few rounds then got to business. I was feeling pretty good the whole way and finally got to 135lbs. This is my 1RM. 3 reps and I would be happy, happy, happy! And BOOM I hit it. So why not jump to 145lbs? It would be icing on the cake. But then I got nervous! This shit is gonna be heavy. I got under the bar and went to work. One didn’t seem so bad. I got this! 2nd one felt a little heavy but manageable. Number 3 was a NO GO. I got stuck and had to bail on it. DANG IT! I was so close to 3RM at 145lbs! I am, however, happy that I hit a new PR of 145lbs. That’s at 2 reps too folks! I’m excited for a new 1RM!

7/26/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 rounds of 400m Run, 100ft Yoke push, 3 Power Cleans 225/135, Rest 90 seconds between rounds
The only thing I like about this MetCon is the Power Cleans and the RX weight is above and beyond my max so I’m not even happy about those now. RUNNING and YOKE PUSH… double ick! My runs were mostly a trot/walk. And I hadn’t even ever pushed the Yoke on my own for that kind of distance. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to do the workout. But I had a strategy. There’s a slight incline in the parking lot so I figured I’d make sure I’d come around so I would have to push the YOKE downhill. Hoping it would be easier. And my first time around it worked out. And although it sucked donkey balls, I survived. Got through my cleans (105lbs) and went back out for my run. Turns out my plan was ruined. With everyone else out running me the YOKE wasn’t in position for me to push it downhill so I had to push it up the incline! That’s what I get for trying to manipulate the situation. Total FAIL! I still got the YOKE going but my calves were on FIRE. I had to stop several times and thought I might die. It was a fight to the end on the 2nd and 3rd Yoke pushes. But the 105lbs weren’t so bad. Maybe this extra layer of fluff I’m carrying is helping. Time: 23:06

7/27/13 Community WOD
I don’t know why I keep showing up for these things! I get all excited because I do have fun in the end but I feel bad for my teammates, seriously! This WOD was no exception. We got into groups of 3 before we knew what was in store. As soon as it was broken down I wanted to sneak out and go back home. I apologized immediately for my suckiness and I’m pretty sure no one would want to pair up with me anymore!

3 rounds of Running around the complex (distance unknown, maybe 1000m), 75 Wall Balls, 75 strict Pull Ups

We all had to do the run, then we could split up the Wall Balls and Pull Ups. If only we could have split up the run. My team probably had to wait a good 3-4 minutes on me to just finish the Run. We tried splitting everything else up evenly. The problem with our team is that no one has a strict Pull Up. And we couldn’t use bands. So guess what? We pretty much had to lift each other up to get the movement completed. That’s a lot of lifting for all of us! We were smoked and I was feeling like a complete loser due to my running. Time: 43:00 something.

Maybe this Saturday I won’t be dragging the team down

7/28/13
Strength: Squats 8@65% 6@75% 4@85% 4@90%
Mondays I typically feel a little weak and the weight always feels a LOT heavy. But today I felt good under the bar. Maybe all of this consistency is finally paying off. Don’t get me wrong I KNOW it is paying off but I can see it and feel it now. So hitting those percentages and weights weren’t so bad and dreadful. Definitely a confidence booster, especially after that brutal Saturday showing.

7/29/13 WOD

MetCon: 75 HSPU Every time you drop you must run 400 m 20 minute cap. (the mod is 125 push-ups)
Well, well, well… Coach must be crazy or something. Or he just saw too many HSPU in the games. Handstand Push Ups are a reachable goal but I seriously need to drop some LBS off this body o’ mine. Once upon a time I could do a couple of Kipping HSPUs but now it’s just a laughable goal. I went with Push Ups. But guess what? I’m only good at Hand Release Push Ups. Where my whole body touches the ground. And this WOD had us doing regular Push Ups. Where my legs can’t touch the ground at all. That’s a whole new story and although once upon a time I could do a handful of regular Push Ups, it appears that I’ve lost it. I didn’t even manage to get 6 push ups before I failed and had to run 400m. UGH! All my squat confidence is now wittled down to nothing. The only upside is that I finally ran a 400 without stopping. But only that first one. All the rest were trot/walks. I struggled so bad with getting those push ups in. We had a 20 minute time cap to complete 150 and well I only completed 33. FAIL. I gotta work on those short range push ups now!

That’s all my recap for now. Can you believe it’s almost August? Holy crap! Where did this year go? It’s definitely been an off year for me. I’m trying to tighten everything up so I can finish 2013 strong but it’s flying by and my tightening is moving slower than I had hoped! I just gotta keep pushing and not look back! I encourage you to do the same. Today is as good as any day to start something new. Challenge yourself! Make a plan to come out to the BOOM Box this Saturday. I promise my feelings won’t get hurt if you don’t want to be part of my team. Just show up and have some fun! Eat Clean, Do Work and Be Awesome!

Get Fit Stay Fit Challenge

Several weeks ago I joined the AMRAP4Life Community. Now, I haven’t been super involved like I thought I would be but I still log in and check it out regularly. And I keep updated through Facebook. Yesterday I saw they had partnered with Reload Fitness for a “Get Fit Stay Fit Challenge”! Pretty much just what I needed to come across my path to help me stay motivated. I’m not sure what it’s going to involve over the course of the next 3 months, but hopefully I can hang and maybe win some cool stuff! Either way it should be fun. I invite all of you to join the AMPRAP4Life Community, here. And go ahead and join this challenge with me, here.

I also invite any of you in the DFW metroplex who are interested in CrossFit or just want to check out a new box to come out to CrossFit Boom tomorrow at 9am.

Most Saturdays are FREE Community WODs and we have a blast. Nothing intimidating. And the workouts are for everyone. This allows you to get a peek inside of what goes down at the BOOM Box. Plus you get a solid workout first thing to kick off your awesome weekend! Come out and play.

7/25/13
So I decided to take Wednesday as a rest day because Tuesday wiped me out. This way I was plenty rested for the craziness in store for Thursday.

Speed: ~~5 band sprints, 8 40yrd sprints~~ 10 – 100m Sprints on Rower
The skies opened up just in time for me to get to miss the outdoor sprints and although the rain was intermittent, I don’t think Coach wanted us to get stuck in a torrential downpour. Instead we hit the rowers. This is bittersweet. I am no bueno at rowing, but I prefer rowing over running. And 10 100m sprints sounded like NOT FUN! But I hit it hard, probably the best rowing I’ve done yet. I typically don’t have a strong enough pull and I get all wonky but this time around I was hitting on average 23 second sprints. This isn’t lightning fast by any means but for me it was progress and I will take it! My last two sprints were the most miserable. I slipped to about 26 seconds for each round. I was dying. Out of breath DYING!

MetCon: 12 min amrap of 150 Sit Ups, 90 Pistols, 30 Calorie Row
!!??@$**#@#$$@ 150 STRAIGHT LEG SIT UPS!

Ugh. 3-2-1 GO. I started off not trying to kill myself knowing this would make it much harder to finish. So I felt I had a good pace and worked my way to 75 reps. I was getting dizzy but I knew I had to just chip away. I think I finished around the 6 minute mark. It was on to pistols which I am not capable of doing so I had to hold on to pull up rack for assistance. My strategy in knocking these out were 5 at a time alternating legs.

Assisted Pistol

My left leg is weaker due to the IT Band pain but I fought my way through it! Coach yelled out 2:30 left … and I thought I WON’T finish my 90 but I NEED to finish those 90 reps. With 1 minute and change, I finished and slowly made it to the rower. Strapped in and began the rowing. My whole body felt like a wet noodle. I had nothing. The calories were not moving very quickly. With just under a minute left I was giving it my all. 11 calories. And then I unstrapped and rolled off the rower onto the ground. Whew. I was pretty pumped I made it through to the row. I know my pistols were ASSISTED but that’s still a lot of one legged squats! Final: 150 Sit Ups, 90 Pistols, 11 Calories on Rower

7/25/13 WOD

Happy Friday everybody. Have you been making changes for a healthier you? If you are already a healthier you, are you spicing up your fit world? Trying new things? Helping others to find their fitness path? I challenge you all to start something new. Get Moving! Eat Clean! Let’s do this. Make your weekend GREAT and as always BE AWESOME!!!

Let the Games Begin (and other stuff)

Can’t believe the CrossFit Games are here for 2013. Where did the year go? The best of the best are at it again and they get to start off with Swimming and Muscle Ups. I’m not a good swimmer and I sure as hell can’t do a MU. I can only look forward to maybe being able to compete in the MASTERS a few years from now. EVEN THEN, I would have to start seriously training now and eating like a champ. So far away from that idea though!

The athletes competing this week are AMAZEBALLS. I’m looking forward to the rest of the events to see how everyone pairs up. I’m especially interested in what women will rise to the top. It’s some tough competition out there. I’m rooting for Lindsey Valenzuela! She is insanely AWESOME!

As far as I go, I’m still struggling with Don’t STUFF your face with junk issue. When I eat a good meal, it’s good and full of all good things. And when I eat a bad meal, it’s not just bad, it’s the worst. I’m still showing up to BOOM and putting in work. Definitely not outtraining a bad diet. But still pushing myself. I just wish I was pushing myself in the right direction with food

7/18/13
Strength: Sled pull around the building
There was quite a few of us so instead of Sled Pulls, I got to push the YOKE for an unknown LONG distance with a partner. Nicole and I pushed our happy little hearts out. It sucked. My hamstrings and calves were dying!

7/18/13 WOD

MetCon: AMRAP 10 min 30 DU 15 Power Snatches 75/45
This totally whipped my butt. I had a hard time getting my Double Unders in a good rhythm so I had a lot of unnecessary rests. The Power Snatches weren’t difficult but after 15 then going into DU’s my shoulders were just fatigued. I had high hope for a better score but I didn’t pull through. Final: 4 Rounds + 30 DUs RX

7/20/13 Community WOD
Oh wonderful Community WOD day. I keep showing up for these beatdowns. I should just sleep in! JOKES! By the way, if you are nearby you should totally come and have some fun with us! It’s FREE!

So we worked on Max Box Jumps and well I have troubles with 30″ and higher. And for the day that wasn’t even going to happen. It’s not fun trying to get an extra 30lbs up on that box.

As for the WOD, we partnered up in teams of 2. Coach told us one person would hang from the bar while the other person did Thrusters FOR FIVE MINUTES. When the one person dropped from the bar you would switch out. Leah (my teammate) and I decided to save our hands and just do sets of 10 for Thrusters and switch out. This was probably a good idea cause I’m not sure I would have held on to the bar much longer than that. We probably lost reps but again, it sounded better for the good ol hands. WE didn’t know what the next challenge would be until about 30 seconds before the 5 minutes was up. YIKES. So it turns out to be Handstand Holds and Burpees! Oh Lordy! Breathing hard and being upside down sucks! And that’s what happens when you pair Burpees with Handstands. This was by far the weakest moment. Again we went 10 reps before switching out. Our transistion was much slower during those 5 minutes. For the final 5 minutes, we did Overhead Barbell Holds and Air Squats. This was probably the better of the 3 movements. Only cause I can bust Air Squats out. We started off strong then started breaking it up into smaller sets. The time seemed to fly on the last 5 minutes. Overall we had 277 reps. I think the burpees really slowed us down the most. Still a lot of work in 15 minutes!

7/22/13
Strength: Squats 8@65% 8@70% 6@80% 6@85%
Again with the high rep Squatting. It’s good for me I know. But for some reason it always feels heavier on Mondays!!!

7/22/13 WOD

MetCon: 20 min AMRAP 100 Push Up buy in; 10 Thruster 10 C2B
Say what???!!?? 20 min AMRAP and 100 Push Ups to kick it off! Yowsers! So I started off with 20, then 10s, then 5s, then 2’s and 3’s. I didn’t even look at the clock to see how long it took me. I just know it took forever. I really wasn’t sure how Thrusters would be now that my shoulders were wasted. I honestly was too tired to even care! I did 5 and 5 then moved on the banded pull ups. I moved through the first round fairly quickly then ran out of gas. I stayed with the 5 and 5 for the next two rounds. Then switched to 5, 3, 2 and added a band to my pull ups. It was a struggle at the end. Final 4 rounds + 7 Thrusters

7/23/13
ME yoke Zercher
I had no idea what this was and once I saw the demonstration, I was like NO WAY!

I probably had the same pain face!

So one of our smaller girls managed to pick the Yoke Up and carry it so I knew for sure I could as least get the job done. I had no idea how taxing it would on my forearms and well EVERYTHING! Now it was time to add weight and I thought for sure I couldn’t barely hold 175lbs of the YOKE on it’s own. Now add 50lbs? Geesh! I tried and I got it up. Walked about 2 feet then I was done. I couldn’t get it back up and moving. At least I tried and had some success.

MetCon: 4 rounds of 25 DU, 30 KB clean&jerk 53/35lb, 200m run
Double Unders easy. 30 Kettle Bell Clean & Jerks with 35lbs = NOT EASY! 200m RUN = WALK.

There are two 24lb KB and the rest are 35lb, 53lb or heavier. I got stuck with 35lbs. And boy did it suck/hurt. As soon as one of the other ladies was done with their 24lb KB I ran over and scaled down. So much better! Only problem is I already killed my arms from the heavier KB and I have bruises to prove it!

Just the beginning. OUCHY!

So painful. I stayed doing sets of 5 or 10. Only sets of 5 when I was using the heavier weight but sometimes sets of 10 with the lighter weight. I don’t think Coach was too happy about my back and forth but I feel like it all equalled out in the end. The runs were walks at best. My last run was a trot the whole way in. Thanks Andy for keeping me motivated! Time 24:21.

7/23/13 WOD

Whew, that’s a lot of work put in over the past few days. Looking forward to more. Remember to keep moving. Send me happy and positive thoughts in regards to eating CLEAN cause right now I suck at it! And dont’ forget to be AWESOME today!

Putting in the WORK

I know, I know. I had this super duper I HEART CrossFit moment then I’m not posting again for a whole week. I don’t know where time goes but I’m here, I’m still putting in the work. Still showing up at the BOOM Box. And I’m still crying like a little baby when RUNNING pops up on the whiteboard.

So have no fear. I haven’t fallen into a giant hole of depression. I’ve just been busy! And just like everyone else, I can make excuses or I can find solutions. I encourage you to find solutions. I encourage you to find good health. I encourage you to get active. When Biggest Loser was airing I would always get teary eyed and happy for the folks. Now I’m on the Extreme Weight Loss season kick and to me it’s more inspiring but maybe only because it’s focused on one person.

And you get to watch their individual success and struggles… each person is so GUNG HO the first 90 days. They are amped. Then like most folks, it gets old, it gets harder, it gets complicated. But they have to fight through and they still have to put in the work. Chris Powell, in my opinion, is a great motivator. He can’t go run the miles for them though. Sure he can send them on wonderful trips when they hit goals but he can’t put in the work. I wish I could be the person that could surprise you with cool gifts and prizes. But I can not. I can give you a virtual HIGH-FIVE and a lot of woohooos and way to go’s! And really that’s what most of us need. We need a support system, someone to hold us accountable. And you need to find a reward system that doesn’t involve “cheat meals” or food in general. So if no one is on board in your personal life to help you change then chat me up and I’ll cheer you on. Or find an online community for that extra inspiration or an online buddy with your same goals. You may even find someone in a bootcamp, fitness class or running club. But you have to put yourself out there. You have to make yourself vulnerable. In the end it will only make you stronger.

In my roller coaster world of fitness, I’ve had friends, co-workers, etc… to help kickstart goals and in the end a lot of them wandered off (me included). We’d all start of strong and just disappear into excuses. When I finally made that decision to start my journey and not look back, I realized it relied all on me. No one else but me. I told myself I wasn’t going to let some workout kick my ass then go eat like crap. I started bootcamp with NO ONE. I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t have any friends that wanted to show up at 5 am to workout. It was just me. I made friends and we shared in the same soreness and same results. It became fun. I started a food plan and all of our fast food habits and busy schedule didn’t mesh with it. So guess what I carried a cooler bag with me EVERYWHERE! It’s all possible. I found a support system in that group of bootcampers. My family realized the work I was doing and they jumped on my support team. So go DO WORK people! It will all fall into line once you make that decision to become a healthier you!

And now for what you all have been waiting for…. my Boom recaps! Hahah, ok so maybe you don’t care so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

7/11/13
TABATA Push Ups / Sit Ups
TABATA anything sucks. 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for 4 minutes of any movement. For us it was Push Ups and Sit Ups. I started off way too strong on Push Ups with 15. And I dropped from there on out. I believe I finished with 7 Push Ups in the last 20 seconds. UGH. As for Sit Ups I didn’t go all out for the first round and I can’t remember how many I did do but I know I ended up with 9. But I stayed pretty consistent in the 9-11 range.

MetCon: 12 Min AMRAP (get as far as you can) 40 Thrusters (115, 85) 6 Rope Climbs 20 Thrusters 3 Rope Climbs 10 Thrusters 1 Rope Climbs
I was thinking I would not survive. I went with 75lbs on the Thrusters, not know really how long it would take me to get through 40 and if I recall correctly I did them all in just under 5 minutes. Not stellar but I really suck at Thrusters so I was happy with my time. No such happiness for Rope Climbs. There is something in my brain that says if you loosen your feet to regrip the rope then my hands are automatically going to let go too. I know in reality this won’t happen but my hands stay on the rope in a death grip. So much that my hands were sore for days. So I only got 40 Thrusters in.

7/11/13

7/12/13

Strength: Front Squats 5@60% 5@65% 2×5@70%
Finally being in attendance on several front squat days has made life easier on me. I think I’m actually getting better now. Duh I know I’m getting better. Just have to show up consistently!

You can barely see the 75 but that’s my 1RM for Snatch!

Skill: Power snatch positional breakdown Metcon Power snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Same with Snatch. I’ve been present on days where we work on this movement and I’m getting a little more comfortable. I’ve always had this fear of dropping under the bar. I know, I have a lot of fears! I’m a headcase. I was stuck at 65lbs FOREVER because I’m scared. Finally for the CrossFit Open I was able to manage a handful of 75lb reps. But that was the last time in a long time I worked on that number. Today I worked up to 75lbs and made it official that I have a 75lb 1RM. I can get the bar up no problem. But dropping under the bar a whole other story. I need clear the fear and start getting that weight up!

7/13/13 Community WOD

We rarely know what rabbit Coach is going to pull out of the hat on Community WOD days and this was no different. He had has get in groups of 3 and handed out a chipper! Woo fun! NOT! Between the 3 of us we had to do 210 Wall Balls, 150 Over the Box Jumps and each Row a 1K. So if you know me at all, I suck at Wall Balls. I say it’s a short person issue but it’s just really a “ME” issue. Then I’m literally frightened to jump completely over the box so stepping over was acceptable. Then it was time for the row. Can I blame being short keeps me from being awesome at rowing too? I opted to Row the whole 1K without switching it up with my team. It was miserable. But I’m determined to get better at it. I can’t despise running and rowing. So I choose rowing! I know we finished under 35 minutes. I just don’t know the exact time. 33:34 or 34:33. Something like that. It was a beating 🙂

7/15/13

Strength: Squats 8@65% 8@70% 6@80% 6@85%

For real, we’ve been doing a shit ton of SQUATS. It’s good for me I know and I’m making it through but the reps and the percentages add up. And I’m surviving! PR I can’t see you yet but I know you’re there!

7/15/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 Rounds 12 DL 135/95 9 Power Cleans, 6 STOH, 3 MU (Scale is x3 dips)

It was a tough decision on if I wanted to RX or not. I’m still not 100% in regards to killing it. My wrists were a little sensitive and well I’m a baby. I went for 85lbs instead of the 95lbs. I always check with Coach first though. He’s pretty good at making sure we’re going to get work in and gauging our performance. So 85lb Deadlifts were so “light” and I thought Power Cleans would be too, but they felt a little heavy this time around and for 9 reps it wasn’t like it was 21 reps. Shoulder to Overhead was where I wasn’t sure how I would hold up. I know I didn’t want to drop the bar but I know the longer I hold it in a front rack position the more likely I am to fail. So pacing myself had to be key. I probably took too much rest in the cleans by dropping the bar too often but I really didn’t want to fail at STOH. I did scaled dips with a band and no matter what , your shoulders will fatigue! Time 11:30

7/16/13

3 rounds 800M sprint 150ft OH Lunge W/bar Rest 5 min 2×500 m row (rest as needed) aka HELL ON EARTH. Or at least that was my take on it.

1. I don’t like running. 2 My dislike for running has made me get worse. 3. I don’t like running.

Good runners probably run a 3 minute 800? Great runners probably run it in 2ish minutes? I’m not sure but sucky runners do it in about 5-7 minutes and mostly cause I was walking ! It was horrible and I’m not just saying that to say it. I KNOW I am horrible at it. And I do zero things to make it better. So I knew I had to do better at the LUNGES. And these were not going to be easy. I started off with a 45lb barbell. I made it almost halfway without stopping. My shoulders were dying. I then made several stops to the end. For the second round of Lunges I dropped to the 35lb barbell. With this weight I made it halfway without stopping! Great success! I then made it to the end with only one other stop. And for the 3rd round I again made it halfway without stopping and then finished without stopping! I knew I was dragging ass for the runs and had to make up for it somehow. After resting it was time for those rows. And it was too late to try to find a happy place. My upper body was smoked, my lower body was smoked. I was content with a 3 minute 500. I’m just glad I finished! Time for runs/lunges: 34:30.

7/16/13 WOD

7/17/13

Warm-up: 50 n 50 GHD, Yoke Push 50ft x 2

Booooo GHD. And didn’t have time Yoke Push… HOORAY!

Strength: DL 5RM

I was excited for Deadlift day. Way better than HELL ON EARTH day. That was until I got warmed up and started putting weight on the bar. I could feel my hamstring on my right leg. It wasn’t a horrible pain but it was enough to tell me to not push myself into injury. So I worked up to a 185lb 5RM. I know I could do more but I didn’t want a bum hammy. So I laid off and took it for what it was.

7/17/13 WOD

Skill/Metcon: If you are able to do the following movements you will go ME for the minute. If not you will work the skill of the move for 4 minutes straight. EMOM 20 Odd-PU/MU Even-Pistols

Yup it was all skill work for me. I am no bueno on the Pull Ups or the Pistols. WompWomp!

And there ya have it faithful readers. That’s my week! Go forth, get moving, eat clean(er), and BE AWESOME.

Why I (still) CrossFit

Slightly inspired by the video (below) I watched this morning, I decided to talk about WHY I CrossFit and why after 2 years it’s still something I want to do pretty much FOREVER. Not to mention that there are articles popping up left and right on steps to begin CrossFitting or the do’s and don’ts of CrossFit or why you SHOULDN’T CrossFit.

I watch this sport exploding yet there are still so many folks out there who don’t have a clue what it’s about. I’ve seen the positive reports and the negative reports. I’ve seen people show up for a workout and are never to be seen again. I won’t say I’ve seen it all because I’m just a busy mom living in her small part of the world. But I will say CrossFit can be for everyone.

What is CrossFit? It’s weighlifting. It’s cardio. It’s gymanstics. It’s body movement. It’s eating clean. It’s EVERYTHING!

I don’t remember all of the details of my first workout mostly because it was about 2 years ago, but I went to a free CrossFit Boom Community WOD with Ernie (who had been going for a couple of weeks already). We did Kettle Bell Swings and Thrusters for 21-15-9. I don’t recall if we had a time cap or what but I remember it kicking my butt! I had no idea what a Thruster was. I had no idea what going below parallel was. I just knew it was kicking my butt and here I thought I was in pretty good shape. I also knew from that moment on I wanted to swing kettle bells and lift barbells. I had no idea what was in store for me but I was ready to take it on.

The EARLY Days!

The following weeks were all about learning how to properly lift weights and properly do a whole bunch of other movements! Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics! I didn’t know then but I do know now that not all Boxes (term for the CrossFit Gym) are created equal but I felt fairly confident my Coach had his head on straight and was there for the love of CrossFit. He was educated, he was eager and he taught us well. He was there to make sure we did things properly to avoid unnecessary injuries. He was there to make sure we were having fun. As for me I was seeing improvements, I was seeing myself get stronger and yes I was having fun. I was ready to take on the world. So much that I eagerly signed up for a charity event called Barbells for Boobs and even more so that I signed up for a competition only 3 months into my CrossFit Journey.

It was at Barbells for Boobs that I first witnessed the awesomeness of the CrossFit COMMUNITY! All of these folks coming to workout to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer. The workout was “Grace” – 30 Ground to Overhead for time. I was so nervous. I had never worked out in a situation like this. And boy did it suck. But the whole time it was sucking, so many people were standing around cheering me on. But not just me, EVERYONE! It was so rewarding to finish and to watch all the other heats start and finish. I saw the fittest of fit, finishing in insane times, I saw the newbies such as myself just trying to push through. I saw young, old and everything in between. And that was just the beginning. From competitions to visiting other Boxes in different cities – CrossFit is a Community that can not truly be explained until it’s been experienced. It’s a supportive community that shares the same success and failures as you do. We all experience the same highs and lows. We all see that we have similar strengths and weaknesses. It doesn’t matter at what stage in life you start CrossFit, we all share the same insanity.

Struggling with 65lbs (2011 B4B)!

85lbs EASY! (2012 B4B)

And two years later I STILL love to live in the CrossFit world. There are ups and downs but I’ve never been bored or plateaued. I’ve been lazy and tired but that hasn’t stopped me. I’ve watched extremely fit people come in and just kill it and I’ve seen first timers have that look of defeat in their faces. No matter what level of fitness they are at they keep coming back. All for different reasons, of course, but they keep coming back. For me there was a small pipe dream that I would become some super athlete and be a 30-something CrossFit phenom but in reality I just want to be healthy and strong. And after two years I’m not some bulked up SHE HULK. I’m still an average mid-30s woman. I don’t dedicate my life to working out because I have too much other shit going on. I don’t live at the BOX but I’m pretty sure I would if I could. The Community at our Box has only grown. We moved into a new and bigger facility. We form bonds and friendships at the BOOM Box. We support each other through and through.

NEW BOX, BIGGER FAMILY

After last night’s workout which included fear, stress and lack of want to, I realized that no matter what I’m going to finish the workout. Sometimes my strategy is more relatable to a mouse up against a bear, but sometimes I’m the lion in the field of lions. I had to work on rope climbs… scares the crap out of me. Like seriously. Why do I want to climb a rope that’s not even that high although it seems like a mile up there? I don’t but it’s all part of conquering fears and becoming stronger physically and mentally. Then we went onto 10 rounds of Rowing for 250m and 5 Overhead Squats. It sounds eh. But it was HOLY CRAPOLA. I scaled to 65lbs for the OHS and it’s a good thing because after about round 3, my legs were not a great source of stability. Strangely though I felt better rounds 4-9. Then went back to wonky for the last round. OH WHY AM I NOT A GOOD ROWER?!? But I finished as I always do – sometimes first, sometimes last … but I’m not quitting! Time 19:52

7/9/13 WOD

And for those of you wanting to be pretty and cute, well there’s that as a bonus from the hard work and clean eating, but I’ve taken away so much more. I leaned out quite a bit but never to where I “thought” I wanted to be physically. The way magazines and TV idolize super skinny women. I realized really quickly that’s not so important anymore. While I don’t like my current state of fluff – I’m not as hateful to myself as I once was in the past. I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I know I can lift heavy shit and I know I will get back to a good place. I’m sure a lot of women can relate at the discomfort that comes with body image. The scale was OHHH so important to me for entirely too long. Weighing day in and day out. Counting calories. Stressing over foods and how many calories I’ve burned. With CrossFit I’ve learned to let go. Two years later I’m still a work in progress. But meeting goals and doing things I have never done trumps the extra jiggle or dimples I have. I’ve learned to love me, still learning as I have setbacks every now and then but I don’t cringe at my imperfections. It’s what makes me … well ME!

CrossFit is more than getting your daily exercise in. It’s learning to have a mental force to push you through anything. It’s pushing your body past it’s limits. It’s forging friendships with like minded people. It’s family.

So if you’re scared of giving it a go. DON’T BE! If you’re afraid you’ll become a sheMAN or the HULK if you’re a dude. Don’t be! If you’re afraid you’ll get injured. Don’t Be! If you want to be strong, empowered, fit and part of a great community then just TRY CrossFit out. There are boxes popping up everywhere. Most let you check them out for FREE to see if it’s something you want to do. Don’t feel obligated to go to just one and stick with that one. If there are several try them all out. And what you put in is what you get out. Hopefully you find a great Coach that will push you and not let you slip through the cracks.

Back Squats FOREVER!

First off, let me say HI to all the new followers! HI! I don’t know how you found me but I appreciate the likes and the follows ツ

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! It’s been a busy past couple of days and with the holiday weekend, I did not have time to get to any blogging in. But I did get some workouts in. I did get some good and not so good food in me and we FINALLY did a proper grocery shopping trip! Wooooo. High Five!

And Ernie is finally back to getting his ass in gear! Thank goodness for me because it’s so much easier when you have your support system back! For so long I’ve caved to his non Paleo, non CrossFitting ways! But now that we are both back on the same track I hope the failures will be less and less as time goes on! We’ll be back to our old selves in no time!

7/3/13 Boom Box
This was a “BEAR” of a work out and just an overall butt whoopin. It’s been a while since I’ve done bear crawls and lets just say my hips and shoulders were not happy!

7/3/13WOD

WarmUp: 400m Run, 30/30 GHD

Skill/Strength: Max Effort Ring Dips, Work Up to 50
My rotator cuffs are dead to me. They don’t support me in the bottom of a ring dip and it seems as if I will never master this movement. Does anyone have some fresh shoulders that I could borrow?

Not me in this pick but this is what I look like doing modified dips with bands.

MetCon: 2 minutes at each station of Max Distance Bear Crawl, Max KBS 1.5/1 POOD, Max Burpees, Max Bear Crawl. 30 seconds of rest between stations.

30 seconds is NOT enough time for rest! Holy geesh. On my first round of bear crawls I probably got 6 lengths of the box. Not great in my mind but battling hip failure, burnt out shoulders and a touch of dizzy was NO Fun. Moved onto Kettle Bell Swings and hot damn, my right hip was ready to explode. FIRE! I was pretty much done for by the time Burpees came along. I don’t even remember what I got but it was far less than what the healthier version of me would have completed! One more Bear Crawl to finish it off and I only got 4 lengths in. UGH! Total: 66 but I did it RX. Hahahah It counts!

7/4/13 Boom Box

It was Murph Day and I was going to show up but wasn’t sure if I was going to workout! In the end I was just a spectator. I had no want or drive to do the beast of a workout. But it was inspiring to watch everyone else. In the past on big hero WODs people tend to pair up and work together. This time around everyone went SOLO. It was amazing and I was super impressed by everyone’s determination!

Post Murph we had a little came of Wiffle Ball which turned out to be really fun. I wish more folks had stuck around to play. Maybe another time. So I did get a little sweat and fun in after all!

Food Note: I found some Kale Chips at Eatzi’s that turned out to be pretty tasty. The ingredients were clean and organic. The only downside to hardcore Paleo eaters was that there were Chickpeas in the ingredients. Other than that they were great. A little spendy but a great snack and beats junk food alternatives!

7/5/13 Boom Box
Friday was pretty much a day of lazy for us so I was suprised when Ernie was all let’s go up to Boom and workout! I was definitely ready to go but at the same time secretly wishing we’d just stay home!! Of course working out always feels great when it’s done so I’m glad we went.

7/5/13 – Had to steal this off instagram so it's not the best quality

7/5/13 WOD – Had to steal this off instagram so it’s not the best quality

Skill/Strength: Front squats; 5@60%; 3×5@70%
It seems that Front Squats don’t come around much and if they do I miss out on those days. They aren’t my favorite squat either but I felt good working. My last tested 1RM from who knows how long ago is 135lbs. So 80lbs and 95lbs didn’t sound heavy. By the last set, 95lbs felt heavy.

MetCon: 7 rounds of 2 minute AMRAP 30 situps, ME DU, Rest 1 min
Situps and Double Unders. Should be a win/win right here. I started off strong with the situps but the DU’s weren’t really working in my favor for the first round. I was tripping up a lot on the darn rope. After the 3rd round, I just was stuck at a slower pace for the situps. No matter how hard I tried to bust them out I was finishing around 50-58 seconds. Leaving me a minute to get max DUs! I stayed pretty consistent with the my DU count having only one really off round. All said and done I completed 333 DUs and was smoked! My calves were JELL-O on Saturday.

7/8/13
We took the weekend off so it was nice to have a little break but I definitely need to be putting in the work. Unfortunately my mindset for the Monday workout was not liking all the Back Squats that were about to go down!

7/8/13

Skill/Strength: Squat – 10@60%; 8@65%; 6@70%; 6@75%; 6@80%
WoooWeeeee. That’s a lot of squats on order. And everything just felt so HEAVY! Coach wants us to get STRONG!!!! Of course it’s what I need but just seeing it on the board makes me want to go home and sleep. I started at 100lbs and worked my way up to 130lbs. Even though all the reps can be intimidating it felt really great to finish strong.

MetCon: 10 minute AMRAP of 6 Deadlifts (225,155) and 6 HSPU or 3 Wall walks
Coach had us work up to a weight we were comfortable with for Deadlifts. My 1RM is 225 but multiple reps for time after all of those back squats was going to have to be less than 155lbs.I got to 135lbs and that seemed to suit me just fine. It was Wall Walks that I feared. I don’t have Handstand Push Ups down so I had to default to the Wall Walks. I have only ever had to do this movement one time before and it made me nauseous and dizzy. We only had to do 3 so I figured I’d survive but I wasn’t looking forward to it.

I moved the weight pretty nicely, and I thought I should have done RX but after a few rounds I was grateful I stuck with a slightly lower weight. The Wall Walks took the life out of me. My recovery time was slow. I couldn’t get to the bar fast and it took me forever to pick up the bar. Final: 6 rounds + 1 Deadlift.

Grocery Field Trip
It’s been so long since we’ve headed out to have a proper grocery trip so we decided to go big and drive to the ginormous WHOLE FOODS in Dallas. The one in Arlington is sufficient but it’s tiny and part of our regular routine. Going the Park Lane location was a fun little field trip. We didn’t spend hours strolling around but they seem to have a better selection of produce and meats. We stocked up for the week excited to be back on it.

So far so good. We’ve been cooking, eating our cooked food and feeling good. As I’ve mentioned before it’s amazing what a couple of days of all goodness will do to your body. My achy IT Band/Knee are no longer achy. My sore tight wrists are no longer sore and tight! It just feels good to feel good. Now I wish my muscles would just bounce back faster. With time I know they will. I’m just a big baby!

It’s Tuesday folks! What have you done to make a healthier you? Eat healthy fats? Drink more water? Get that body a movin? Let’s go.

Have a super day and don’t forget to be AWeSOMe!

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

crossfit

Squirrel

Being Consistent

Diary of a Wimpy HIP

Pushing My Limits

The Games aka the OLYMPICS for CrossFit

Get Fit Stay Fit Challenge

Let the Games Begin (and other stuff)

Putting in the WORK

Why I (still) CrossFit

Back Squats FOREVER!

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