We took on the crazy chipper from the main site at our box, and it was interesting to say the least!
25 Walking lunge steps 20 Pull-ups 50 Box jumps, 20 inch box 20 Double-unders 25 Ring dips 20 Knees to elbows 30 Kettlebell swings, 24k/16 30 Sit-ups 20 Hang squat cleans, 35/20 pound dumbells 25 Back extensions 30 Wall ball shots, 20/14 pound ball 3 Rope climb ascents
Results: 30:50
I completed the pullups without incident, definitely got 5 to kick things off. THANK GOD.
Banged out the box jumps at a good pace.
Thought my 20 DUs were in the bag, but missed #20 and had to do one single DU. Still pleased with that. :)
Skinny band for the ring dips -- need to rededicated myself to getting rid of that soon.
K2Es were fucking beautiful, not to brag. :-D
Swings, situps, hang cleans -- no problemo.
Back extensions -- this is where I wussed out big time. I've learned recently that my back is a very weak area in my body, comparatively. So I have a stronger back than some people, but overall I'm front-dominant to compensate for a weaker back. I knew these back extensions would lock me up, but did them anyway. And then got locked up. Probably wasted 2 minutes afterwards trying to un-fuck myself enough to do the wall balls. I had a Filthy Fifty flashback for sure.
Wall balls were badass, got 15 the first set, not sure if I broke the 2nd half or not. Soooooo glad these don't trip me up so much anymore.
ROPE CLIMBS. Went up with the rope wrapped around, came down with feet in the J-hook. Probably rested a little too long between attempts, but I'm still too freaked out to do these while I'm super-winded or feeling weak in the arms. Since we don't have a crash mat, I'm OK with this.
-- The only thing I'm pissed about is the WOD was posted with 24kg/16kg for the kettlebell swings, and Rx on the main site was 2 pood (32kg) -- which means ladies Rx was 24kg. Boooooo. I would've used my 45# kettlebell or maybe even the big one if I had known that.
Plus ladies Rx should really have been 25# dumbbells... Bummah.
But based on what was written on the whiteboard the day I did this, I am happy that I only scaled ring dips. Woot! I will take "nearly Rx" whenever I can get it. :-D
Another workout that changed things up a bit today -- doing lots of different movements is good for me, I like it.
3 rounds: 5 Legless Rope Climbs 25 Sledge Strikes Right 25 Sledge Strikes Left 14 Single Arm Power Snatch Right (40/20) 14 Single Arm Power Snatch Left
Results: 30:02 -- regular rope climbs
What took me so long was the resting I did between rope climbs. I just had no confidence in that today, and honestly just didn't feel like doing it anymore after the first few trips up the rope. I was just standing at the bottom of the rope thinking to myself, "wow, I so don't want to do that at all... can I just skip this part?"
Sometimes I crack myself up with my mental dialogue. heh
In any case, even though it took me a while, I still did all my climbs. But damn if my foot didn't hurt from wrapping the rope around it and stomping down with the other one. I need to rethink my footwear choices on my next rope climb WOD -- something a bit more substantial is probably a good idea.
I am the bomb diggity with dumbbell snatches. My first CrossFit gym didn't use barbells at all, we did everything with kettlebells and dumbbells, so I first learned to snatch with one arm and a dumbbell. It was fun to just power snatch because that's sooooooo much easier. And my legs are *hurting* from back squats yesterday, so that made me happy.
Speaking of hurting, holy shit, my chest and upper back are so tight from that handstand walk thing yesterday that I can barely take a deep breath! Seriously! Seems like I should keep doing those on a regular basis, because they definitely worked me out in a new and interesting way! :)
-- Looking for your input on improving squat technique. Do you have any personal experience about fixing your own squat? Have you been able to help others? Do you know of a great online resource that you could point me to?
At our box, there are tons of people with squat issues, myself included. I have the chance to program a week of workouts, and I want to use that time to focus on the squat and help people get started on improving it. Right now no one really wants to focus on that as a goal, despite the fact that it's so important. Achieving below parallel on the squat with good form is not the "sexiest" goal, but certainly one that will reap huge benefit once achieved.
This blog post really intrigued me, especially in light of my current Primal mindset. It was only after reading The Primal Blueprint and The Omnivore's Dilemna that I started thinking about pesticides and how it's important to know where our food comes from and how it's grown / raised. (plant & animal)
This article takes that next step and makes you think about all the health and beauty product you use, and how those might be manufactured in an unsafe way, the same way the food might be grown / raised in a manner than is less than optimal for health.
I don't think I'll give up my whitening toothpaste anytime soon, but I might try the soap and shampoo suggestions, just to give it a shot...
"We push societies limits on what is normal for women. We dont run and do pilates and eat air salads and aim to see our bones. We eat fats, and animal proteins, we celebrate our guns and love our strong legs. WE have calloused hands in which, when we are in normal groups of peoples, make them frown or look at us oddly."
"Happiness is important, but serenity is vital. And it can feel impossible to achieve when you’re busily judging yourself. Because even when the more immediate worries clear out, self-loathing is still there, whirring busily in the background and keeping you agitated. Make it stop, and serenity is within reach. Learn to love yourself, and happiness follows close behind."
"No offense to your doctor, but for anyone who’s even slightly weird about food or their body, weighing themselves daily is a prescription for Crazy! I know why he or she advised you to do it—the National Weight Loss Registry, this big survey of people who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off—showed that many of them weight themselves often, even daily. But as people with disordered eating issues, we can’t just directly apply info like that to ourselves." --> completely agree with everything in this article
I envisioned this WOD taking *forever*, but it really wasn't that bad. I could improve my time on this one, but I was pretty happy with the work I did.
WOD: 4 rope climbs 50 thrusters (45/25) 400m run 50 thrusters 1 mile run
Results: 22:39 Rx; time for 1 mile: 9:32
The 4 climbs went well! I used the "standard" rope around the leg technique to go up, and then experimented with different feet placements to come back down again.
For some explanation about the different stuff I was trying, check out this video on rope climbing tips from Beastskills.com.
-- Our gym is talking about having another Paleo challenge... And I'm not sure how I feel about it. At the start of our last challenge I had been eating Paleo on my own for several months, had seen excellent results in losing fat and improving performance, and was super gung-ho about getting others on board.
Then the challenge started, and all hell broke loose. Some kind of latent adolescent rebellion kicked in, and suddenly didn't want to eat Paleo because now I "had to".
And honestly, my Paleo mojo has been majorly fucked up ever since. To the point where I'm reading "The Primal Blueprint" and eating a bowl of ice cream.
[O]verall, I think this kind of competition is counterproductive. I’m not saying “don’t run a 5K” or don’t challenge yourself in a way that feels right to you. I am saying that the challenge or competition mentality, when it comes to our bodies and our health, is probably more of a distraction than a help. I think it pushes us into a more narrow definition of what’s acceptable for ourselves.
I can't find the link, but I also read a blog post once about a woman who started a challenge, and had it derail her from a good routine because she wasn't able to be a perfect competitor. So, if I can summarize, she had a good thing going, hitting the gym regularly, doing her thing, good results. Then the gym started a challenge -- you know the drill, start with a benchmark WOD, 6 weeks, repeat benchmark WOD. She had this grandiose plan about how she would "pump up" her current routine so that she would blow her old time away at the end of the challenge. But the pressure to be a perfect competitor completely stalled her ability to even continue what she had been doing. She stopped going to the gym completely because she wasn't able to do it perfectly, as the perfect competitor.
Hope that made sense to you guys -- I'm bummed I can't remember what blog that story came from.
I'm left wondering if they'll include a story that turned out badly for the athlete, like what happened with me. Where a person that had made a relaxed and gradual switch to Paleo found themself derailed by the challenge, because it created pressure to adhere to a perfect standard.
Thoughts from you all? Have you done a Paleo challenge? If you have, did you like or dislike it? Did it help or hurt your overall efforts?
-- For 2 weeks earlier this month I had the opportunity to assist with teaching swimming lessons at our pool on base, since I had just completed (and thankfully passed!) my Red Cross Water Safety Instructor course.
And you know what? I'm pretty good at helping little kids learn how to swim. Except the making them submerge when they don't want to part, I am not good at that yet. But other stuff, I'm pretty good at.
It was so fun to see the students in the 2 classes I helped with progress! They worked so hard, and learned a ton, and never gave up, and had so much fun and were so excited.
And so now I'm seriously thinking about signing up for the CrossFit Kids certification, especially because one is being held in Atlanta soon, and that's actually within driving distance for me...
Those of you who CrossFit and have kids -- let me know your thoughts on CF Kids. Are your children already too busy with other sports to participate? Or is it something they would enjoy making time for? Would you like your kids to have class at the same time as you? Or at a different time so you can watch them and maybe participate a little bit in their class?
I think metabolic conditioning is our “bait” – it’s the bright shiny object we use to reel them in.
Did CrossFit draw you in with the "great sweat" workouts, and then you found yourself becoming obsessed with barbell lifts or gymnastics? This was true for me, so I'm just curious if it was true for you guys too?
Saturday I was up bright and early to run across a big-ass bridge, and it was really fun! The weather finally did what it's supposed to at this southern latitude, and we had a really beautiful, sunny and warm morning. Unfortunately I was dressed for the weather we've been getting for the last 2 months, so I was way too hot. Oh well. I still had a *great* race.
Little known fact about me -- I love running up hill. Don't know why, but I do. Probably because I'm really good at it. Or because I'm from Pennsylvania, and hills are how we roll. But either way, this run was made for me. The part I didn't like? The downhill. Just put tons of stress on my ankles -- I have no idea how to POSE downhill. Time for some additional studying. Oh yeah, and I wore my flat shoes for the first time on a long run. :)
Official chip time: 27:10, which is a pace of 8:46, and placed me 8th out of 25 in my age group
Woot!
-- Sunday was a much-needed rest day. Oddly my legs had been sore all week, but on Sunday they felt awesome. Maybe they were just really anxious for the race. :-p
-- This morning's WOD made me very nervous when I read it last night... Which means you know it's gonna be a battle in the gym...
WOD 5 rounds for time: 9 hang squat cleans (155/95) 3 ascents, legless rope climb
Results: 41:10; 85# cleans, standard rope climbs
A leg-less ascent of the rope might be in my future, but it is not in the realm of possibility right now. While I may have the physical strength necessary, I'm too damn scared to even try it! Climbing the rope with hands and feet together literally makes my heart race. And it's not just from the exertion -- it's like this anxious fear thing and I get all shaky.
The great outcome of doing this WOD is that with each climb, that fear response lessened. After a climb in round 3 or 4 or 5, I would feel my heart beating fast, but it was from the exertion. I wasn't so afraid that I was completely jacked up. I guess the easiest explanation is that I overcame fear by doing the thing that I feared. How freaking powerful is that experience? For me, hugely powerful.
I allowed myself a lot of mental prep time and rest time in this WOD because of fear of falling off the rope - hence the 40 minute finish. But now I know for sure what I'm physically capable of, so I will push myself harder next time to just jump on there and GO, no stopping to think and prep.
I'm glad I downgraded the hang squat cleans because I barely had enough grip left in my forearms to do 85#, I'm not sure how 95# would've panned out. And also, heavy hang cleans wasn't where I was focused today. It was all about climbing the rope.
-- I found Leah VanHoose's "Why I CrossFit" through a random link on Twitter posted by crossfitnews, and then saw that she's a finalist for Survivor. If she makes it on the show, I might watch it for the first time! Ah, the power of the CrossFit community. :)
Tonight was my first time the whole way up the rope! Hollah!!!!
In hindsight, I wish I had asked someone to take a video with my iPod. :)
Also just before the WOD I got 6 kipping pullups in a row! Woot!
It was an exciting night. I love the first day back after a rest day. I feel all fresh and wonderful and excited.
-- WOD:
Complete the following for time: 3 rope legless ascents 400m run 25 ring dips 400m run 50 squats 400m run 60 push ups 400m run
Results: 27:32
-- Obviously I used my feet on the rope climb. They made me so nervous that my heart was racing super-fast, and I had to take a lot of rest time between them.
Ring dips I did with the skinny band. Turns out I'm going deeper than I need to, so I need to work on that.
For pushups, I did them all on my feet, though by the end I had to do them 2 at a time.
