Week of 8/22 - 8/28

Monday 8/22

Strength

Overhead Squat: Intermediate 5-5-5-5 @

I focused on the whole squat progression today. Squats in general are tough given my crap knees, hyper-mobility, and glute/ham/core weakness, so I’m going to work on moving well before moving heavy... plus, listening to my knees make that grinding sound is pretty gross.

Workout of the Day

1 min AMRAP on/1 min off for 20 minutes
2 Hang Power Snatch (70#)
3 Box Jumps (20”)
4 Burpees

HPS are definitely better - Matt and Rudy are spot on about my lack of confidence under the bar and full squat movements. Like expedition training, it’s all about getting myself inoculated to the uncomfortable until its familiar enough to be comfortable.

Box and burpees are ok - like many other things, this was more of a mental toughness thing for me. I am physically fit enough to work without break and control my breathing such that I don’t hyperventilate, but I have to work through the mental challenge of pushing through the discomfort and focusing on the plan.

Post-WOD

5 x 10 Strict Pull-ups ... I am slowly getting to my 10 unbroken goal ... I was able to tweak out 4’s and 5’s ... bar at home slips so I need to fix that but pullups are a work in progress

Tuesday 8/23

5k with K$sha, 50cent, David Guetta, and Rage ... they help me move, but nothing like chasing a pack of CFC'ers... :15 improvement from last year's "skinny pete 5k" of 26:36

Saturday 8/27

Workout of the Day

5 rounds @ 9:04

5 HSPU (small band)

10 KBS (1.5p)

30 doubleunders

HSPU were slow, but steady and unbroken. KBS went steady and unbroken too. I almost went totally unbroken, but the 3rd round of doubleunders got me twice. This was a great WOD

Post-WOD

no access to pullup bar in ohio woods, so i worked on my super-suck list of situps, airsquats, and wallballs … 50 each

Nothing like a chipper to check the ego (and test your patience!)

Did the masters' WOD today with Mischief Matt & The Barky Bunch ... when I saw Matt suffer through those burpees, I realised I was next and all the bravado immediately went to shaking scared ...

CF Games Master’s WOD @ 24:22

• 10 Handstand push-ups (baby bands)
• 20 Wall ball (14#)
• 30 Toes-to-bar
• 40 Power cleans (75#)
• 50 Burpees
• 60 SDHP (1.5p KB)

There's lots of work to be done in terms of consistency, mental toughness, and efficient ROM.

I had to stop somewhere in the burpees to use my inhaler ... it's been a long time since I've had such a bad bronchial spasm, but it's my own bloomin’ fault for working out in the heat like that.

Power cleans started off cruddy but got corrected early thanks to Matt's cues. KB helped me to use my posterior chain and hip flexors better (or so Matt says) and I can tell I will feel it tomorrow. Glute and hamstring chain, grow baby, grow!!

It’s all good, though. I have work to do and chipping away at it like this was a good way to see how patient I really am and how steady I can be during longer durations... it takes 16-19 days of really hard work before you can make your first summit attempt (in addition to absolutely no comforts whatsoever) ... then what’s a 20-30min workout then, right?!

Man, not doing a proper climb in a year has made me soft! (and small! hahaha!)

a lil sumin’ sumin’

ok, maybe working out while still recovering from my cold isn’t the smartest thing to do, but I am addicted to the adrenaline rush and the post-wod endorphin release ... so I drank lots of fluids (with my delicious watermelon BCAAs), ate a big breakfast, and walked into our CF garage out back with Cody and Matt ... now that Big Bunny agreed to take the “CF-Nazism” down a few notches, I’m beginning to really enjoy our “family workouts” more.

Also kinda torn because I really like CFC programming

3 rounds @12:48

• 10 box jumps (21”)
• 10 HPSU (thin band, no wall)
• 10 pullups
• 10 squats
• 10 pushups
• 10 TTB

ouch... didn’t look tough, but it was (180 reps?!). What a way to brush away the cobwebs by getting the blood moving.

.. so if there’s 1 thing I could improve overall, it would be speed and staying tough in ROM.

I went pretty unbroken on everything, I was just slow ... box jumps and TTB are perfect examples of things that I could improve. This WOD capitalised on many of my weakest movements, so this was good.

Another day, another WOD

Back Squat: 5×5 @ 115

Oops… I got confused and went 5×5 … I also went lower than 88% to maintain integrity in ROM (and an extra round for practise). It felt awkward, but improved… Kurt’s “puppet-string-pulling” and “turning-the-saucers” cues have helped A LOT and I was sincerely shocked to hear Coach say that they were the best looking squats he’s seen me do ... so either I’ve actually improved ... or I REALLY sucked awful before...

Metcon @ 8:17 (12min cap)

10-8-6-4-2

Deadhang Pullups

Strict HSPU

Suspended from purple bands for HSPU (in the hopes of weaning myself away from the wall). Since I was 3+ min under the cap, I think I scaled too much. I used the purple band for less than half of the deadhangs in rounds 1&2. I need to challenge myself more and stop overthinking it

Post-WOD: 1 min max cals, 1 min rest x 3 @ 16-16-15

I want more KINESTHETIC AWARENESS!

Pre-WOD @ 3 rounds of
A1 – 1 min AMRAP of Handstand Push-ups (rest 1 minute)
A2 – 1 min AMRAP of double-unders (rest 1 minute)
A3 – 1 Rope Climb (rest 1 minute)

WOD 3 Rounds @ 4:36 - 3:01 - 3:46
- 20 KB Swings (1 pood)
- 20 Wall Balls (14#, then 12#)
- 500M Row
- Rest 3 minutes

That's ok, though. Thanks to the infinite patience of Bryce and Glenn, I managed today's WOD of delight ... Josh kept me on my toes and moving! Woo! I love the young guns - they are badass!

I underestimated the WB @ 14# and moved to a 12# in round 1 when I noticed how poorly I was moving on the bottom ... it made a huge difference and I'm ok ditching the ego. I was able to keep my row between 1:55-2:10 throughout all rounds as well as go unbroken on KBS - it felt tough, but really good! I'm digging the kettlebells!

Post: POSE practise, rope climbs (great TTB cue, Bryce!), and then my "pick 2" of double-unders and deadhangs @ 4-3-2-2 ...

I want to broaden my kinesthetic awareness and build a quicker response ... working into yogic inversions like bakasana or Baddha Hasta Shirshasana? Check. Doing gymnastics handstand inversion tappy shoulder thingys on the spot? Um. Not so much... in fact, not even close.

WOD & Such

20 Min AMRAP WOD @ 10 rounds, 10 ses

• :30 handstand hold
• 5 Deadhang pull-ups
• 30 Double-unders

I loved chasing Kelly! We went back and forth between pullups and doubleunders and it was fun fun fun!

Around round 4 or 5, I got confused and did pullups after doubleunders and then had to go back and do the handstand to get myself back on track. Biceps also gave out and I had to use a band around round 4 … I really need to work on those more and this WOD was awesome! Handstands were a rest for me ... but I need to work on my balance so I can do walking and static handstands.

Post – 10 x 10 push-ups: not so much ... need to work on building up the strength to go unbroken with high-volume body weight movements. This was a good kick in the hiney.

Sunday 5/15: Paleo Challenge Day 0 ... Planning & Mentally Preparing

Ok, I gotta come clean. I kept oscillating between starting the Paleo challenge Saturday, Sunday, or Monday and messed myself up. Gotta come clean - I had feta cheese in my omelet, hashbrowns, and a bagel during brunch with the gang today. So I guess I have to start the challenge on Monday after all.

Ugh. I let peer pressure get to me and realise how impressionable I can be ... where once I was a leader now a follower be...

Also, one of the coaches busted me on FB ... sheesh. I deserved that too.

I was going to post a photo of said brunch, but I also promised Elisabeth that I wouldn’t post naughty foods until the end of regionals. BTW, not that it makes it ok, but she was at brunch too!

Anyway, I made up a workout from last week.

Pre-WOD:
3×10 GHD + little ab wheel thingy of pain
50 double-unders

WOD: Made up Wednesday’s @ 8:46

2 Rounds @ 8:46
15 Deadlift (75)
15 Push-ups
10 Power Clean (75)
10 Burpees
5 Power Snatch (75)
5 Handstand Push-ups

Post-WOD:
10 deadhangs (3-3-3-1)
(#?) double-unders and yappy hallow ring fun ... I just love the CFC gang because they tolerate my silliness

I really scaled down weight (75#) and HSPUs were reduced to 2-sec handstands, but I’m glad my snatches went unbroken, I maintained ROM integrity, and that I kept breaks really short when I took one. I can’t say how much I appreciate other CF’ers pushing me to stay consistent. I wonder if they’ll ever know what kind of pathetic slob I’d be if left to my own devices... seriously, if it weren’t for climbing and my love for the outdoors, I’d be well on my way to becoming morbidly obese with all kinds of health issues like the rest of my family.

... keep calm and carry on ...

---

ranking from 1-10 today...

sleep: 9  (a full 8+ hours!)
diet: 4 (I blew it with brunch)
health: 6 (allergies?!?!)
recovery: 7 (stiff, but not sore)
physical energy: 8 (really felt great after WOD and hanging with the CFC gang)
mental energy: 8 (see above)
stress: 6

BEST. CHIPPER. EVER.

As I get my head back into it, I reflect on the why’s and the how’s. Rudy, AKA “Jedi Mind Trick Coach”, asked me what my general analysis was of my time management. Without going into detail, I sent a few bullet points. Now, there is a reason why I call him “Jedi Mind Trick Coach”... instead of replying with a few suggestions as I expected, he asked me what my next steps were.

Best way to mess with someone who likes to analyse and study things is to ask them an open question... ‘nuff said.

I guess I’m talking about all this because the training plan process that I’m going through with Rudy coaching me along is like a chipper. It’s not like I’m doing anything really new, but more about how I can do things better. I’m learning to do things for myself... I’m learning to keep things simple... and I’m learning to plan more efficient training so that I can keep climbing while I’m in school and after menopause.

I guess my next steps will be to (1) deal with the bullet points, then (2) define the 2 measurements he suggested: Heavy and Long (more about this later)

What I like about Rudy and Bryce’s coaching is that that they force me to keep things simple, disciplined, and focused. Truth be told, I won’t struggle with movement integrity as much as I’ll struggle with the former ... and that is why I love crossfit and the coaches at CFC. Matt says I’m a bunny because I just hop-hop-hop along in life without a care in the world. He may be right, but perhaps not for long.

---

So yesterday ...

Skill: Front Squat 3×3

Jessica, AKA “The Blond Fury”, and I agreed to take it easier (1) because we wanted to save something for the chipper and (2) because we didn’t have time to change shoes.

Having blathered that, we checked our egos and focused on quality over quantity. I don’t remember how heavy we worked up to (65-75-85#?), but it was all nice and solid. Worked the elbows, good knee tracking, and stable heels.

Unlike the skill work, the WOD was a little ... messier ...

Chipper for time @ 32:48?
100 Air Squats
90 Box Jumps (16”)
80 Sit-ups
70 Wall Balls (10#)
60 Kettlebell Swings (1 pood)
50 Push-ups (on knees)
40 Pull-ups
30 Burpees
20 Toes-to-Bar
10 Handstand Push-ups (2 mats) 

I suffered a bit but this was GREAT because this is my kind of workout. Set a pace, stay on it, and chip away at it until it’s done. Broke the air squats into 30’s and was pleased I could keep hitting depth. Box jumps started out bad as my quads rebelled, but then I got into a groove and strung 5-10 at a time. My ego wanted me to go unbroken, but my brain said to leave something for the wall balls. Had to fight for unbroken situps and got annoyed when my body rebelled against the WBs on the last 10-15 reps. Checked my ego again and did steady pushups on knees (10’s and 5’s), but I got frustrated during the pullups because my grip and lats just fell apart. Burpees and TTB were slow, but steady. Good news is that I only fell on my head only once during the HSPUs. Overall, it was very fun, but it’s frustrating when your body just won’t do what you tell it to!

Observation. I can remember play-by-play during chippers like this, but I suddenly have alzheimers during those short, sprinty WODs! Oh well. It’s all good and I was happy to get my “GRRR!” on.

BEST. CHIPPER. EVER.

Seriously, it was inspired. Bryce is sadistic, but he’s a genius. This torture session MUST have been of his doing because it seemed rather tall-people oriented (just sayin’). But no name? Personally, I thought it was epic and deserves one. So here are a few that might come to mind:

"Bryce" ... obviously
"Ultimate Failure" ... does this really need explanation?! ... really?!
"Lava Ladder" ... steady flow that burns the heck out of everything in it’s path.
"Anxiety Attack" ... because this is how you feel until you call time.

---

yesterday ...

Sleep: 7-9hrs?! wow!

Strength: 80%-ish

Mental energy: 8

Physical energy: 8

Diet: 6 ... this is annoying. I'm going to start logging today.

Health: a bit of cloggy lung... poo

Stress: 8 ... my professor is sadistic ... more like bastard sadistic instead of make-you-better Bryce kinda sadistic.

3/28 - 4/2

Mon 3/28

21-15-9 reps @ 5:45 (yikes! v-close to time limit!!)
Hang Power Cleans (65#)
Wall Balls (14#)
Box Jumps (20″)

Would've liked to go a little lighter/lower to get speed up, but we don't have 5# bumpers or a lower box @ home. Need to work on metcon REGARDLESS - this was a struggle and I was really slow!!

Post – 3 x 10 Glute Ham Raises

oh, i'm gonna feel these in a couple of days...

http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/workout_sessions/1154041

Tue 3/29

Ashtanga yoga (full primary series) ... yeah. v-sore glutes... i wanna chalk it up to having an asian ass... but that'd be wimping out. my glut/hams are flexible because of yoga, but underdeveloped in terms of strength. i think my squat movements will really improve if i can improve that... work in progress

Wed 3/30

15 min AMRAP @ 7 rounds, 2 DL
9 Deadlifts (75#)
12 Push-ups
15 Box jumps (20")

coach said i wasn't working hard enough because i wasn't cursing... that's kinda sad ... and maybe true because i think there was 1 more round in me. my goal was to do 7 rounds, so i was trying too hard to time each round at 2:30 ... which felt way too slow. i also scaled down weight instead of just doing it RX'd... it was too light (even though my form went to crap in the last round when i finally decided to go faster)

oh well. when in doubt, challenge yourself. lesson learned..

http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/workout_sessions/1159112

Fri 4/1

Lack of access to equipment prevented me from hitting regular CFC WOD, but I managed to do ashtanga yoga (full primary series). Better than bananas for diminishing soreness and working out the kinks (really sore from glute/ham raises!)

Sat 4/2 (CFC Fri 4/1 Makeup)

WOD: 7 Rounds @ 13:42
3 Hang Power Snatch (75#)
5 Handstand Push-ups
7 Pull-ups

Yay! Was able to get a WOD in! V-slow, but HPS unbroken (maybe light?). Still working on full depth for HPU. CTB unbroken in first round, then 2-3's. Still working on getting my "GRRR!" back on.

Post-WOD
me laying on the floor ... and then 5 x :05 l-sits

http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/workout_sessions/1166777

Still need to do power cleans, though.

---

So out of 10 this week ...

stress: 2-3

health: 85%

mental energy: 8

physical energy: 8

sleep: 7 (kitties are insane)

diet: 7 (i ate a whole pack of maria cookies, 2 orders of fried shrimp, a whole box of orange milanos, and a cadbury's on thursday ... oooh, so naughty on cheat day and probably not enough calories spread out each day, but diet is improving. boy did i feel the junk food hangover later, though.)

CF-Mode and Feeling It

Strength

Hang Clean 1rm @ 83(2)-103-123-143(4)-133(f)-133

Stopped at 133# because movement was beginning to degrade and my elbows weren’t getting under the bar fast enough anymore. Even though I tend to over-think what I’m supposed to do, I know there’s still some work to be done to match or better my 155#PR. Years of climbing and yoga gave me a propensity towards strength work (“It’s just a big backpack, T!”), so I’ve decided to work on quality of movement over the next few months rather than quantity of weight. The big PRs will be there. There’s a 180#PR waiting there in me ... I guess I’m just not feeling it yet.

Metcon
7 rounds Light and fast @ 18:08

5 Handstand Push-ups (abmats, abmats, abmats ... ugh)

10 Deadlifts (85# ... I know, weak sauce, but I have bad movement habits I want to break first)

10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups (V-weak sauce! Purple band on a few rounds, barely pull-ups at that!)

20 Double-unders (This felt good. Only broke once for all rounds and it deserved a good “HA!” at the end.)

I admit that got angry with how weak I’ve become in the metcon department ... but tomorrow is another day and I know there’s plenty more where that came from :)

Notes:
Interesting thing today. Coach noted that I don’t seem to be in CF-mode yet ... Bryce jokes with me a lot so this one didn’t strike me right away. But I think he’s right (he usually is and I love/hate that).

I guess I’m just not feeling that intensity yet. S’ok, though. I’ll get there and I’ll work to gain the weight that will help me along. The coaches tease me a lot and get on my case, but I can’t argue with people who really know how to call me out my lazy BS in order to get me to improve. These guys are total gems to put up with some of our adolescent behavior ... and my god-awful eating habits lately (for another post).

So even though I’m mixing in the yoga and home CF’ing, I’ve been coming into the box only 2x a week. I paid for 3x and am only wasting my own money and time. The intensity needs to be worked all around, I suppose. Truth be told, I’m a little burned out. This year has been REALLY frickin busy.

I’m not trying to make excuses ... I’m just REALLY tired! This year, I got in 2 semesters of full-time, labs with every class, pre-med coursework ... then climbed Denali (Mt McKinley) ... then climbed the Tetons ... then did my WEMT ... then did 6 weeks of NPS and IHS rotations ... then moved twice, bought a new house, renovated it, and moved again ... built 3 websites for friends’ businesses ... then got engaged and am now planning a wedding and trying to get a job. All the while still training, getting sick once in a while, having accidents, doing some volunteering, running a few races, getting injuries, and trying to nurture a relationship. Dude, seriously?! I’m a bit pooped!

Stress: 6
Strength: 75%
Mental energy: 7
Physical energy: 6
Health: still cloggy lungs, but improving
Diet: pretty bad. i eat clean (i.e., paleo) all week, then i pull out the chocolate, cheese, and popeyes around 8pm because i’m feeling too lazy to cook ... then i tell myself that i need to gain weight anyways (yeah, i know, it’s the wrong kind of weight. seriously?! this is shameful. i was one of the paleo challenge winners earlier this year and look at me now! i didn’t just fall off the wagon, i jumped off with eyes wide open. man, i can see bryce showing me his tatoo and rolling his eyes at me. it’s the worst!)
Sleep: 7-8ish ... i’ve been so lazy lately, who knows!?

20100605 Training: Sore!

Strength: Back Squat 3-3-3
Bypassed these due to sore back... ugh

8 min AMRAP @ 5rds + 4DU's
3 Handstand push-ups
6 CTB pull-ups
12 Double-unders

Post WOD: 5 x 5 Toes-to-bar (30 seconds rest)

CFWL open gym - yay! shoe malfunction, jumprope broke, and kinda flipped
over on band during HSPU, but managed to finish.

TTB were fun fun fun. I love those too. Yoga helps me manage through CF core
stuff. Helped stretch out my oh so sore back. I don't what did it
specifically, but it's hurting.

20100125 WOD: chipping away

Still chipping away. I'm glad I stopped myself during yesterday's WOD, I was getting really faint and was given yet another reminder that I am not 100%. I was honestly bummed, but it's time to move on. It is, after all, just 1 workout and I have tomorrow.

With that said,

Today's WOD:
Strength: Press 3-3-3+ (use CF Total 1RM @ 63%-72%-81%)

Metcon, 3 rounds:
Work 1 minute at each station for total reps:
- Wall ball
- KBS (53/35)
- Double-unders
- Rest

Optional Post-WOD: 3x max HSPU (90 seconds rest)

---

Press: 53-63-73(4)
HSPU: 10-9-7 w/ bands

WB @ 12: 25-24-22
KB @ 25: 20-17-19
DU's that I bombed: 5-10-7
Total: 159

Went lighter than usual on metcon given recovery. I'm convinced that DU's are a perishable skill ... and that my jumprope had it out for me tonight. If Rudy hadn't been watching, I'd have burned the thing.

HSPU were tough, but it felt good to get full range of motion with band stability and being about 18lbs underweight ;) Presses felt heavy ... still weak and not quite back in my rythym, but getting there bit by bit. 104 days

20100117 Gymnastics Training w/ Jeff Tucker!

wow!

So this weekend, I got to work on parallelette handstands, free standing handstands, straddled inversions, every pullup variation ever, anything on a set of rings, L-body shaped stuff, and tumbling (oh yeah, I tumbled!) ... My upper body and core got one helluva workout but I got to to and learn things I never thought I could. It was awesome

I'm thankful for all yogic practice because it helped me work through stuff that a CrossFit/gymnastics newbie like me wouldn't normally be able to. There were only 3 non-CF trainer/affiliate owners there so you can imagine the coaching I got with 30 in the room. Everyone got called names in the silliest, endearing ways - from madman, doodle-bug, lil' shit, kiss-ass, and bendy yogi (me).

The class used words I've grown to love and become accustomed to: functional, efficient, full movement, purpose, and service to your community

What a service to the community Jeff Tucker is indeed.

I learned later that day from Coach @ home that Tucker's "service speech" isn't unique but sincere - totally ok since there wasn't a dry eye in the house as he spoke of his experience as firefighter, service to others, and his father sitting across the room

.... Now if that doesn't inspire you into a muscleup, I don't know what will!

(cue room full of raised lighters)

2009 12 19 Makeup WODs: slowly getting back!

I am not back @ 100% still, so I found myself working on skills and doing some of the strength work. I really wanted to do more metcon, but after blacking out a little on Wed's WOD and getting a reality check, I'm kicking my ego aside and trying to do something.

So...
* HSPU 7-7-8 (banded)
* Ring DH Pull-ups 2-1-2
* 75 Double-unders (strung 5-5-12-4-6-8-4-5-3-6-6, singles throughout)
* Pushups 10-8-10

Friday 18 Dec:
Jerk 3-3-3+ @ (135/1rm) 70%(94.5), 80%(108), 90%(121.5)
Felt weak after doing skills and moving earlier today, so I failed 1st rep @ 120. Need to really get more aggressive getting under the bar too.

Saturday 19 Dec:
Squat 3-3-3+ @ (165/1rm) 70%(115), 80%(130), 90%(150)
It felt much heavier than I thought it would and I need to work on my knee tracking. Its amazing what you can catch/learn when you video.

Overall, it wasn't easy, but I didn't feel woozy or like I'll be wiped out for tomorrow. I'll be back for another day. Hooray!

2009 11 17 Broad jumpage

max standing broad jump
3 attempts @ 6.5 to 7' somewhere
... like grade school ... fun!

MetCon 15-12-9 @ 9:11
- Clean and Jerk 83#
- Handstand push up w/ step

C&J more efficient as I got tired - got nice push from group

I can get into the handstand easily, i just can't get more than a few inches into the pushup without failing so i end up using the step. very frustrating...

2009 10 03 AMRAP

Wow! My first "real" AMRAP!

15 minutes as many rounds as possible:
- 5 Handstand Push ups (24" box)
- 10 Power cleans @ 63#
- 20 Lunges

I completed exactly 7 rounds with 3 seconds left ...

metcon wasn't impossible, but i really need to work on speed & strength - had to redo several reps to finish properly. coach put me on bands to do a more free, albeit assisted, handstand. it helped with stability and definitely allowed me to feel the weight of my HSPU. good stuff - loved it, but not sure how i'll feel tomorrow