Audie Murphy gym

They opened a new gym on base where we're at, and I wanted to share some pics with friends, and this seemed like as good a place to do that as any. :) Spare my Facebook friends more CrossFit overload. :-p

--
I really should've taken a picture right as I walked in the door, but I was immediately drawn to the right side of the gym to take a picture of the rowing machines. Sorinex pullup / rack rig and a couple lifting platforms in the background.

View of the same stuff from the opposite end of the room. You can see a tiny piece of a GHD on the right side. I think there are 3 or 4?

Sleds! Along the back wall. Crash mat for ropes in the background.

Badass ropes. I might actually jump from the top on purpose just to land on that awesome mat! Let's make rope climbs like deadlifts -- back to the ground under control strictly optional. :-p

Boxes along the left wall. Tons of other agility stuff too, and also a bunch of weighted vests. I need to check those out and see if you can unload them to something less than 20#.

Weightlifting area and power cages in adjacent room. Don't know if there's any free-standing squat racks, if not, I may not be able to do much front squat or overhead focus in this gym. There doesn't seem to be enough room to back out of the power cage without tripping over the platform.

However, there is something totally amazingly awesome about this weight room -- THERE ARE TONS OF 15kg BARS!!!!! I have died and gone to weightlifting heaven. Seriously, half the bar seems to be ladies bars. Hallelujah! My current CrossFit gym only has 45# and 15# bars, so I will definitely be doing some of my weightlifting practice at this gym. I can't hook on the 45's, and I can't stand NOT to hook now that I've been doing it for so long.

More rowers in another adjacent room. Holy shit! Too bad I won't be living here during the 100,000m Christmas challenge this year. (Just looked back through my archives, and I didn't post at all about doing the challenge last year. That's probably good because I wouldn't do it again with a written reminder of how much it sucked!! :-p)

Weigh-Ins, for posterity

I got tired of these weigh-ins being listed on my side bar, but wanted to save them for posterity. So, a post. :)

This was my weight loss while following a relatively "clean" or Paleo diet, and CrossFitting on pretty regular schedule of 3 on, 1 off, 2 on, 1 off. And if you care about that kind of stuff, I'm 5'6''.

Unlike others, I didn't have 20 pounds fall off the moment I started eating Paleo. I lost a couple pounds a month, gradually. After reaching 143 in January, I actually started to gain weight back from putting on muscle. Which is just fine with me, I wasn't trying to achieve a certain number on the scale -- I just wanted to look and feel better than I did when I started. Goal achieved. :)

 

161.8 -- 08/05/2009

159.2 -- 08/12/2009

157.0 -- 08/19/2009

158.0 -- 08/26/2009

157.8 -- 09/09/2009

158.6 -- 09/16/2009

156.4 -- 10/07/2009

153.4 -- 10/27/2009 -8.4

154.0 -- 11/11/2009 -7.8

152.8 -- 12/11/2009 -9
148.0 -- 01/10/2010 -13.8
146.8 -- 01/20/2010 -15
145.0 -- 01/27/2010 -16.8
143.2 -- 01/31/2010 -18.6

--
This isn't necessarily a case of a dramatic visual change. I went from looking pretty average to looking fit. And more importantly, I felt awesome, had tons of energy, and gained tons of confidence by physically achieving things I didn't think I could do. Go CrossFit. :)

July 2009

Spring 2010

Later w/ more muscle - October 2010

Learn and play new sports: Highland Games edition

Well, my dear blog readers, I am excited to report that I've added another new sport to my "repertoire", in addition to weightlifting.

THROWING HEAVY SHIT!

On February 19th I had my first exposure to the throwing events that make up the Highland Games.

The local community of throwers always organizes an athlete clinic the Saturday prior to the yearly games held in the area -- Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games and Festival. It was a pretty good time, and I really learned a lot!

Then this past Saturday, the 26th, it was time for the real deal. I was excited, but nervous, because several events had not gone very well in practice. In particular, caber toss and sheaf toss.

In the end I was able to complete a successful attempt in each of the 7 events, which is awesome for my first games. Woohoo!

Here are some pictures. :)

Practice session -- Weight for height event

Stone - setup

Stone - release

Hammer - going...

Hammer - going...

Hammer - GONE!

Sheaf toss

Weight for height

Caber Toss

Caber Toss

--
For my "memory" here's a score sheet I put together for myself.

As for the "approximations" of my scores, that's a lesson learned -- next time I will pay more attention to what the judges call out, now that I know you don't get a personal scoresheet at the end. :)

• 28# heavy weight for distance: ~21'
• 14# light weight for distance: ~23' (need lots of work here)
• Stone throw for distance: ~21'
• 12# hammer throw: ~44'
• 28# weight over bar: made 8', 9' and 10' throws; hit bar twice at 11'
• Sheaf toss: made 8', 10', missed big time on all 3 attempts at 12'
• Caber toss: got one good pick and got a 15 degree toss/turn/not sure what the right word is. So excited about that because I didn't think I'd even be able to pick it up at all!

Death by C&J, Amanda, new gear

Thursday July 29
I've been reading about the "death by" WODs for a while, but haven't tried one, so I was curious to see how the experience would turn out.

It was interesting.

"Death by Clean & Jerk"
Perform 1 C&J the 1st minute.
Perform 2 C&J the 2nd minute.
Continue until you can no longer complete the require reps within 1 minute.
Load: 135/95

Results:  7 full rounds, plus 4 C&J's in minute 8 -- @ 95#.

This WOD turned out exactly as I was expecting, honestly. My goal was to make it to 7, which I did. And if you do the math, that is 28 reps. Just 2 less than "Grace". In total I did 32 reps before I was too wrecked to do more.

I think this proves the concept that our body gets conditioned to the stimuli that we expose it to.  I've exposed my body to 30 reps of 95# clean & jerks, and that's what I was able to do. I think it would be a struggle to get 8 rounds in this WOD -- it would probably take one of two things. Training C&J with a heavier load, or training C&J at a lighter load with a crap-ton of intensity. I think I shall do both as much as I can. :)

--
Saturday, July 31
It was an open gym Saturday, so I decided I needed to make up for skipping "Amanda" on Monday morning.

"Amanda"
9-7-5
muscle ups
squat snatch (135/95)

Result: around 15 minutes

I wasn't really ready for the 3-2-1-go on this, so some of my time was spent screwing around with barbells and plates. But I didn't want to be difficult and have a separate timer from the rest of the group. Plus this WOD was more experimental for me. I wasn't doing it for time, I was just doing it to experience it and try to learn something about how to approach it in the future.

Muscle ups were performed by sitting in the green band. This provides a heck of a lot of assistance, and it also impedes the movement of the shoulders to a position over the rings for the dip. Also, I learned that if you do muscle up this way while wearing a tank top, you will get weird skin abrasions on the front of your shoulders where they contact the band during the dip. In a word, EWWW.

I really wanted to do my muscle ups by sitting in a band that was pulled across a squat rack, but I couldn't figure out a setup that gave me enough assistance to get through transition. Boo. I need to work on this while I'm in the gym coaching this week, because I do *not* want to re-open these weird shoulder gouges that I got yesterday. Ew. Maybe if I look at the differences between my home setup (which works) and the gym setup (which I can't get to work) I can figure out what's going wrong.

Yes, video and/or pics of this stuff to come so you guys actually know what the hell I'm describing when I talk about these progressions. :)

I did some warmup squat snatches at 35#, then 45#. I had planned on doing the WOD at 45#, but started rethinking that during my fist set of muscle ups. So I grabbed a regular bar and loaded it with 2 5# training plates to make 55# and got started on my first 9 reps. After completing about 6 reps, I started thinking to myself, "Why am I scaling this to 55# when I can do 15 continuous 65# OHS?". So I stopped and reloaded with 2 10# plates and used 65# for the rest of the workout. I did have a few ugly reps, and one attempt where I went over onto my ass, but I think that's a good thing.

I would like to take the load up to 70# or 75# next time I attempt this WOD, since it is meant to be heavy, and I'll only succeed on reps with near perfect form at that load. Snatch is something I should work on more often -- when I do it, I realize I love it almost as much as cleans, though cleans are my first Oly love. :)

--
My birthday present from my husband arrived on Friday -- it's a 24-inch plyo box! Woohoo! It's painted an awesome shade of blue, and has a great "grippy" surface on top so I'll still be able to use it if it's wet outside. Squeee!

I'm a bit afraid for myself because it's square on the sides, and not tapered, but oh well! A little shin gash never hurt anybody -- hopefully I'll just re-injure myself on the same spot where I have a scar on my left shin. :-p

I have so many plans for vacation WODs now, OMG. And they definitely involve tabata box jumps and kettle bell swings.

Yep, he's a keeper. :)

--
I leave you with a fun picture from the end of the summer party we had at the pool on Friday. That's me with my pullup buddy M. He has tolerated some constructive input from me on his pullup form, and he's rocking like 10-15 in a row these days, and looking hot. I've also got him doing L-pullups, which I think accounts for the 6 pack he's now sporting. He wants to be a Navy Seal, and I hope to see him achieve that goal one day. Maybe I'll even talk him into coming and training with me at our gym. :)

CrossFit arts & crafts project

As of Tuesday I officially completed my first CrossFit "arts & crafts" project -- a benchmark WOD whiteboard for my "home" box, CrossFit Camden.

I have to admit that since it's been so long since I had a little project to do, I kinda went overboard. But I had a ton of fun, and I'm pumped to go through the benchmarks with our athletes over the next couple months and see who comes out on top!

My main inspiration was from Ultimate CrossFit, though while I was there taking pictures I didn't get one of their benchmark WOD whiteboard. Later I found a good picture of the CF Park City setup, which is what I was going for, except horizontal.

Materials:

• 1 - 4 x 8 x 1/8 sheet of tile board / panel board
• 1 - roll electrical tape
• 2 packs - 1'' Peel & Stick Vinyl Letters (like these, got mine from Staples)
• 1 - label maker (borrowed from husband's office -- shhhhhh!)
• 2 - plywood trim channel (something like this, in 4' length, and I'm not sure that width is right)
• 2 - wood shim, 4' x 4'' x 3/8'' (I might be off on the thickness)
  
• 1 - tube construction adhesive
  

You might be wondering, why those last three?

Well our box is in an industrial building that has 3 walls of metal, and only 1 wall of drywall. So we can't just screw things to the walls. Due to that, this whiteboard might be permanently set up leaning against a metal wall. If you've ever dealt with panel board, you know that if you lean it against the wall, it starts to bow in the middle. Yuck.

So we (yay for help from husband!) basically reinforced the two 4' edges with a metal channel by sticking a 4' long skinny piece of wood into the channel with the panel board to keep everything tight. We glued it all together with some construction adhesive -- husband and I figured that would be impervious to the 3000% humidity and 100 degree temperatures in the summertime. :)

In addition to being functional, I think the trim channel is pretty aesthetically pleasing - a nice shiny metal/chrome border on two sides. :)

Here are some pics!


Artsy shot in the morning sun. :)


Sitting under our cubbies temporarily. Check out my John Wooden quote above - LOVE that one!


--
Next project - an individual PR whiteboard. That project was inspired by CrossFit KoP. I'm hoping I can get somebody over there to take a picture of their whiteboard to send to me. :)

CrossFit Total @ Ultimate CrossFit

My first CrossFit Total!

When I saw the WOD on the Ultimate CrossFit blog, I was so stoked! Now that I've had a few months to work on my back squat, press and deadlift, I was ready to see how I could perform in this benchmark.

"CrossFit Total"
Squat - 1, 1, 1
Press - 1, 1, 1
Deadlift - 1, 1, 1

There is no time limit for each lift. You can warm up all you like, but you must choose a rep to be your first attempt. You only get three attempts at each lift, so if you fail at any attempt it still counts as one of your reps. Scoring: Take your top completed reps from each category and add them together for your total.

Results:

• Back squat - 155, 160m, 155
• Press - 70, 75, 80
• Deadlift - 175, 180, 185
• Total: 420

According to the CFT ranking charts in the mainsite FAQ, I'm "Intermediate" for my bodyweight. I think that's good considering I just started using barbells in mid-August.

For back squat, I'm happy because my goal was to add 10 pounds to my last PR (145) to make my PR the same as my body weight. Hopefully when I do my weigh-in once I get home from vacation I've lost some more weight, and then I will happily announce I can back squat more than my body weight. :-D

For press, I think I should've started at 75, which was my 3RM at CrossFit KoP the other day. But when I warmed up with 75, I couldn't get it up, and that's why I dropped back to 70. I dunno. But will be aiming for 85-90 next time I go for a 1RM on press. Utilized some great advice from Swine -- keep elbows wide to keep your shoulders engaged in the upward movement; my elbows want to drift forward, which makes it harder to apply force upward on the barbell.

For deadlift, I'm satisfied. My goal was to surpass my current PR of 175, if I could do it while maintaining good form. I accomplished that by 10#, and Brian was kind enough to watch my form, which he said looked good. Hollah! This makes me feel very confident about my 1Q10 goal of a 200# deadlift -- I think it's absolutely achievable.

--
The noon class at Ultimate CrossFit is such a fun group of people, and it fits perfectly into my schedule when I'm helping out my sister. AM classes don't work because of getting the kids on the bus, and PM classes don't work because the kids are already home from school. I really wanted to try to visit CrossFit Charlotte this week, but I don't think it's gonna fit since they don't have a noon class... Bummer...

I'm glad I brought my giant bag of stuff with me, because there was a need for an iPod and I had my new one with me. I chose to play them my "cheri's getting sh** done" playlist, which seemed to please the crowd. I should put it on for my CF Camden peeps soon. :)

Also, I finally got a picture of my favorite CF wall art that I've seen so far:


Yes, that is Kool-Aid man busting through the wall while swinging a kettle bell over his head. LOVE IT. Cheesy, yet motivating. The same description I hope I have as a coach. :-p

There's also another cool piece of art on the other side of the box:


I'll probably be back over there 3-4 times this week. I might do 5 days on (Mon-Fri) since I took a day off yesterday after only 2 (pretty easy) days on.

--
Random note: I rowed my warm-up 500 in less than 2 minutes. Booyeah! :) Also, I love the skinny pull-up bars a UCF. Did 3 kips in a row without dropping off the bar. I think I need to bump that goal up to 10.

Filthy Fifty - DNF

*wham*

That was the sound of me hitting the floor during my workout yesterday, in the midst of a set of 50 walking lunges.

The coach took one look at me, and made me lay down on the ground with a cold bottle of water behind my neck. It seems my crappy diet (and resulting digestive mayhem) had come back to bite me in the butt -- I was definitely dehydrated. Instead of being bright pink, my face was pale. And I could feel my heart beating way too hard. Yuck.

I started back up at a slower pace after my rest, but unfortunately I had quite a bit of the WOD left to complete, and I ended up not finishing. But it's all good. I'm still glad that I made the effort to go to the gym on my way out of town. It's going to be a challenge to get any workouts in while I'm visiting my parents this weekend.

--

WOD: Filthy Fifty

• 50 Box jump, 25/21 inch box
• 50 Jumping pull-ups
• 50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood/1/2pood
• Walking Lunge, 50 steps
• 50 Knees to elbows
• 50 Push press, 45/35 pounds
• 50 Back extensions
• 50 Wall ball shots, 20/14 pound ball
• 50 Burpees
• 50 Double unders

Results: DNF

In other words -- Did Not Finish. Specifically, I stopped at about 35 wall balls, and the clock was pretty close to 40 minutes. Still a good workout, my legs (and especially calves) are sore today.

My setup: 21 inch box, 35lb KB, 35lb for push press, 14lb med ball

--

They posted a pic of me on the CFKoP site, and it's totally unflattering. But I have so few CF pics of myself that I'm posting it any way. :)

No crying

No crying in CrossFit when you are just pissed off at yourself for not being able to do something. That's just fucking defeatist crap, get over it, don't do it.

This is the pep talk I have to give myself every few weeks.

It's almost always related to a workout where I lack strength, when I simply cannot perform the movement properly because I don't have the power to do it.

Don't yet have the power to do it.

--

CrossFit is more than just challenging yourself physically, building muscle, getting in good shape, getting skinny, losing your cellulite.

CrossFit is meant to challenge your mind and heart.

It kind of sounds like bullshit when you are looking at the main site, reading the quotes, reading the comments. But when you find yourself laying on the floor after you dumped an overhead squat, or leaning over with that ominous feeling in your mouth like "something's coming up!!!", then you understand the need for that focus on mental challenge, and change.

Looking at a task that is hugely difficult, and attacking it as if it is something that can be achieved is such a warrior ethos. It's what my husband has, that I don't have, and that he tries to instill in me.

But his words can't instill that optimistic belief of "I CAN FUCKING DO THIS!" in the face of anything. My mind still just registers that an impossible task has been presented, and it will be impossible.

Until I shut off the voice of reason and logic, the warrior voice is locked out.

There's only room for optimism in CrossFit, only room for believing in yourself and cheering for yourself.

--

I think sometimes women are hesitant to start CrossFit because they see it as something outside their comfort zone entirely.

But once they start, I think they become adherents to the program because it unlocks their warrior side. The woman warrior side -- or as we say in my family, "don't mess with the mama bear".

Women have their own deep wells of mental strength, but those energies are most often deployed to help others. Many of us are raised to placate others, to be polite and perfect, to please, to not make others uncomfortable. We can turn our "mama bear" spirit towards the defense and care of others, like our children and husbands and families, but it's harder to turn our energies towards ourselves, to power our own defense and growth.

--

Cultivate your woman warrior spirit -- turn those "mama bear" energies toward yourself. Believe in the power of YOU.

No crying in CrossFit until the workout is done.