Catch-up: 12.3, C&Js, 12.2

Now that I'm getting back in the habit of doing WODs, I also need to get back in the habit of posting about them. :)

--
3/8
Have to work on Friday and Saturday AM, so today was my chance to get WOD 12.3 counted and validated at CFR. My goal was 4 rounds, and I met that and exceeded it so I'm happy with how I did.

WOD 12.3
AMRAP in 18 minutes
15 box jumps
12 push press (75#)
9 toes to bar

Results: 4 rounds + 15 bj + 12 pp + 2 ttb

Prior to deciding to do the WOD today, I did strength, which was push press. For my final work set I got 120x1. I also got 115x3. So yeah, probably not a good idea to smoke my arms like that just prior to a WOD with high-rep, somewhat heavy PPs. Oh well! hehe

--
3/7

Did a WOD on my own at the HITT Center (functional fitness gym on base).

Every 90 seconds, do 2 C&Js. Increase weight each round.
55-65-75-85-95-105-110

Jerks were decent, a couple sucked, the last one at 110 felt the best -- fast and deep and stable. Once I get back into "practice", I'm going to take some videos and post to YouTube for my weightlifting coach Facebook friends to look at.

WOD: 1/2 Barbara
5 rounds
10 pullups
15 pushups
20 situps
25 squats

Result: 29:33
Sad. The pushups took me FOREVER. I suck so bad at those. Time to start doing them nearly every day again, just like pullups. I think even sets of 5 would help immensely.

--
3/3

WOD 12.2
AMRAP in 10 minutes:
45# snatch, 30 reps
75# snatch, 30 reps
100# snatch, 30 reps

Results: 60

I definitely went into the zone on this WOD, and it felt awesome. All of my weightlifting practice definitely showed here, the only reason I made it to 60 was by sticking with keeping my reps pretty. A lot of people I watched did NOT drop low under 75, but weren't able to power snatch it either. Which resulted in lots of weird press-out reps where I was afraid people were going to hit themselves in the face with the bar.

I love workouts with only 1 or 2 movements (unless one of those movements is pullups or pushups) because then it allows you to tunnel vision and really focus on technique. I think if I had been switching between snatches and another exercise, it would've been harder for me to drop under and squat snatch, and force myself to give up on power snatching.

I did get my bar loaded for 1 successful attempt and 1 unsuccessful attempt at 100# -- but afterwards I realized that I only put 25s and 2.5s on the bar. That's 90#. Oh well! It was still motivating to be able to put up that kind of weight, and do so with what I felt was "white light" technique. After a bit of rest, I did a single rep at 95# and then one at 100#. That felt good. :)

Front squats, pushups, swings and situps

Got together with my girls at the base gym this morning, and we all just wanted something simple. R had this one in her notebook from CrossFit Saratoga.

3 rounds:
15 front squats
25 pushups
35 kettlebell swings
45 situps

Results: untimed; did f.s. at 45, 65, 65 and 35# kb for all swings

I was super-slow on my pushups again today. They were all good form, but just 1s and 2s and 3s which took forever.

Note on my gymnastics skills... there seems to be quite a bit of practice required between just being able to do a skill correctly, and being able to do it correctly for many reps in a row. The same things has been the case with pullups in the past. Maybe it's a matter of developing a rhythm or technique for stringing them together? Who knows...

--
Speaking of pullups, I hit a new PR in those yesterday as well. Prior to coaching at 6pm, I did 10 kipping pullups in a row. Woot! The first 4 were chest-to-bar to boot. I'm back to doing those daily, even if it's just a few, and it's really paying off.

Cindy

Had a rematch with Cindy this morning.She and I have a history.

May 2010 - A pitiful 7 rounds + 5 pullups
June 2010 - During first 20 minutes of a Murph attempt (after completing the starting mile), I did ~12 rounds
February 10, 2010 - 9 rounds + 3 pushups

Here's the secret to a good Cindy, at least for me -- spend time practicing both pushups and pullups prior to attempting. I have focused a lot on pullups lately, but haven't done many pushups in the last few months. Need to work those back into warmups as much as possible.

Back at the base gym

Did Thursday and Friday morning at the base gym with my buddies.

Thursday
5x5 back squats
95-105-115-120-125

4 rounds:
5 1-arm DB power snatch, right
5 1-arm DB OHS, right
5 1-arm DB power snatch, left
5 1-arm DB OHS, left
10 lateral jumps over dumbbell

Results: ~8 minutes, with a 25# dumbbell

If you've never tried a 1-arm DB overhead squat, try it. It is really weird, and definitely exposes weakness in your core.

Friday
Everybody was sleepy and sore, so we skipped the weight room and did two "tabata pairs".

First pair: squats (lowest count 14) and pushups (lowest count 6; games-style w/ hand release)

We alternated between squats and pushups for 16 total rounds of tabata. I like this better for pushups, because I felt like I did more pushups than when I do "straight" tabata pushups.

Second pair: DB push press (20# db's, lowest count 8) and AbMat situps (butterfly; lowest count 10)

I kinda sandbagged the situps -- I have gotten a score of 11 on regular tabata situps.

But the good thing is I got up and got to the gym! Definitely wasn't feeling it this morning...

Friday AM AMRAP

Saw this WOD last week sometime, and knew I wanted to put it into our morning rotation at the base gym.

We had to substitute hang squat cleans for squat cleans, due to lack of bumpers. We scaled down the weight of the cleans and push press. We did AbMat situps instead of toes to bar, because there just aren't enough appropriate pullup bars to do pullups and T2B with 4 people. And we each started at a different point in the rotation to help with crowd control.

"Christina"
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
9 pullups
9 hang squat cleans (65#)
9 kettlebell swings (35# / 16kg)
9 AbMat situps (I added a 12# med ball)
9 push press (65#)
9 burpees

Results: Started at KB swings; finished 3 full rounds plus KB swings and AbMats of round 4

The weight on the hang squat cleans felt heavy to me at first, but I think I was using too much arm. Once I got more tired and started "popping and dropping" things felt a lot better.

Got 5 pullups in a row on each of my 3 sets of kipping pullups. Booyeah! It's all mental for me, not physical -- I'm getting myself back on the "no less than 5 to start" train, and it feels good.

Again today it wasn't strength, but just cardio/endurance that really held me back. 

--
Had originally planned on doing another "A" day for my pullup program today, but I'm hurting. I will get it in after weightlifting practice tomorrow morning.

Begrudging workout

Did you ever just sit there for a good 20 minutes alternating between talking yourself into working out, and talking yourself out of it?

That was so me yesterday. I coached at an odd hour -- 11am -- and with the rest of the day to schedule as I wanted, I realized I should just do the WOD. Yeah, I was wearing pants not shorts, blah blah blah. I am always good at coming up with clothing-related excuses.

Anyway, I made myself do it. So that was good. :)

--
WOD:
"Karen" PLUS
150 wall ball shots
150 AbMat situps
Partition reps as desired.

Results: 16:24, 14# med ball -- 3 sets of 50 each

My original thought was that since I haven't ever done "Karen", I should do all 150 wall balls, then move on to situps. Obviously I abandoned that plan. :)

The biggest hurdle to overcome on this WOD -- and it's been a theme lately -- is just my lack of conditioning. I got to the point where I did 10 wall balls, and I was sucking wind like I just sprinted 400 meters. I had to actually slow down the pace of the wall balls so I could string more together. I was strong enough to do them super-fast, but my cardiovascular system couldn't keep up.

So, mission accomplished -- I've gotten A LOT stronger. But now I am having a "come to Jesus" moment about how I also need to stay on top of my conditioning.

Going to failure

Wanted to find a good upper body strength component for today's workout at the gym on base, so I Googled "press push press jerk".

This lovely popped up, and 4 of us tried it out this morning. 8 thumbs up!

3 rounds of shoulder press – push press – push jerk
With a weight you can shoulder press for 6-8 reps and without racking or dropping the bar do shoulder presses until failure,  then push presses to failure, and then push jerks to failure.
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.

Results:
Used the 45# barbell.
Round 1: 14 - 12 - 3
Round 2: 7 - 10 - 4
Round 3: 9 - 7 - 6

Tried to push (power) jerk, but it just feels so awkward to me now. By round 3 I just did a regular (split) jerk, and felt a lot better.

To finish up, we did a quick untimed metcon.

10-20-30-20-10
walking lunges
situps

We were all grunting on the lunges by the end, so I think it was good. :-D

Garage workout

Warm-up

3 rounds:
3 pullups
6 pushups
9 squats

WOD

5 rounds:
10 KB deadlifts (40#)
10 DB front squat (12# dbs)
10 DB push press (12# dbs)
5 band-assisted muscle ups
20 Abmat situps

Results: 21:43

Main site chipper

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

Finally Friday

I can't remember the last time I did CrossFit for five days in a row -- fulfilling my promise to complete all of my WODs during my week of programming was tough! Most folks at our box get a rest day on Wednesday, as there's no evening class, but I think my bud Melissa joined me for the 5 day WOD fest. :-D

Would any bodyweight-focused week of programming be complete without some kind of tabata? I think not!

"Tabata Something Else"
Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Score is total reps from all 32 intervals.

Results: 270

Pullups - Started out with the goal of doing 5 per round. Did 5 on the first round, dropped down, and sadly waited until time ran out and didn't do anymore. I felt bad that I didn't jump up for another couple. So I did my 5 and then 1 or 2 the next round. :) I started crapping out after 4, then 3, then 2. My lowest score was 3 or 4 on the last round -- mostly because my right hand ripped open on round 7. I'm happy to report my kip was pretty good -- in terms of using hip power, and not just shoulder power. Yay! :) I think my total for pullups was in the high 30's.

Pushups -- Dropped down to 5 pretty quickly, but hung in there for the duration. I'm happy with that, because I know 95% of the pushups I did were full ROM.

Situps -- Stuck with 10 or 11 the whole way through, which is pretty standard for me on tabata ab mat butterfly situps. Like I said after my last crack at "Annie", I think I just need to find a way to do situps fasters. But that is pretty much at the very bottom of any CrossFit priority list I have. :-D hehe

Squats -- Holy shit were my legs beat down from the rest of the week! I was barely cranking out 10 or 11 by the last round. Crap! Usually I'm good to stick at 14 towards the end of tabata squats, but not on this day. My legs were cramping up and really hurting badly by the end, but I was trying to push through the pain as much as possible. I think I did manage to get over 100 on squats, though, so that was good. :)

--
Later Friday night I did a "make up" WOD with a friend who'd had to miss class on Wednesday and Friday. Here's what we made up for ourselves.

21-15-9
burpees
situps
double unders (x3 singles)

Finished up with a sprint down and back on her cul-de-sac. During which we were followed by her husband driving the neighborhood kids around on a golf cart. Good times. :-D

Getting comfy upside down & interval training

Tuesday was a fun day at the gym. I showed up at 0830 to workout, but ended up coaching, which was cool, because it meant our head coach was busy taking a new person through the on ramp. Yay! :-D

The skill for Tuesday was handstand progressions and handstand pushups progressions.

The reason I broke them down into two areas was in light of my own athletic development in that area. My subtitle for the handstand progressions was "get comfy upside down".

I don't remember if I posted about this, but the first time I tried to kick up into a handstand, I basically just collapsed into a heap on the mat. After the same thing happened on my second attempt, I was gently banned from handstands, and introduced to the headstand and frog stand. I practiced these religiously for weeks, then kind of sporadically for a few more weeks. I think I got more interested in pullup practice at that point.

I didn't really know much else to do to prep myself for kicking up, until one day at CF KoP I was introduced to the concept of facing away from the wall, and walking my feet up the wall to get myself upside down. So then I had a new trick that I practiced to try to convince myself I could support my own weight upside down.

Then I learned about the HSPU harness, and started messing around with that, using it to practice handstand holds and also HSPU.

Finally one day I had the confidence in myself to try to kick up again -- and I could do it! I was so freaking excited by this, you have no idea. It wasn't as much excitement as getting pullups, but it was in my top 5 CrossFit moments.

The moral of the story is to meet your athletes where they're at, and give them a clearly delineated path to success. Learning the progressions for doing handstand pushups isn't necessarily going to translate into being able to kick up into a handstand. Putting your body in pike position off a bench or box, or even hanging your feet over a bar in the rack -- they just don't instill the same skills as other types of handstand practice. So while you're working your progressions for HSPU, don't forget about getting comfy upside down. :)

Hopefully what we taught yesterday will get more of our athletes on the road to confident handstands and eventually handstand pushups. :)

--
The WOD for Tuesday wasn't really a CrossFit WOD, because there wasn't any scoring. It was just a straight-up interval and conditioning session, and it was hard!

4 rounds
1 min at each station, 1 minute rest between rounds
Ring rows
Jumping lunges
Ab mat situps -- butterfly
Handstand hold -- if 5 full ROM HSPU, scale up to HSPU

Results: Really fucking tired! hehe

Seriously, I forgot how brutalizing jumping lunges are. If you want your legs to feel like they're going to fall off, or for them to just straight up go numb while you're trying to move them, try jumping lunges. It's a truly explosive movement, very good for developing strength, power, agility and balance.

And ring rows aren't just that exercise for people who can't do pullups yet. Try some, they are really challenging! If you have trouble finishing out your pullups at the top, add some ring rows to develop the shoulder -- make sure to bring the rings into the armpit. This is also a great movement to work the  stabilizing muscles of the core, since you hold a plank position the whole time.

OMG the handstand holds were brutal. I had done some Oly lift practice prior to doing this WOD, and I hope that's the reason why I could barely stay in a handstand hold for 45 seconds. I had to drop at least once every time. Geez. Time to work holds back into my cool downs again.

Squat clinic deets, "10"

Well, this morning was my first shot at the squat clinic, and I think it went well!

It was a nice manageable group of 5 at the 0830 class, and several of them really seemed to enjoy working on the basics. Got some feedback, and will tweak a tiny bit in the 2 evening classes, but overall I like what I came up with. Should be interesting to see how everybody progresses through the week, and beyond.

At some point I will try to make a short video of what am doing in our clinic. I'll have to find a volunteer to do the "ass lowering" drill, though. :-D

Honestly, just watch this Dan John video. You will be glad you did. Stick around for about 30 minutes, or at least make it to 20. He does go off on a few little tangents, but they're little nuggets of good info, not rambling, so it's all good. I am pretty much copying all of his techniques and cues.

Here's the sequence that the athletes will repeat each day after their warmup:

• Samson Stretch/Lunge -- 30 seconds total for each leg; open hips fully
• Bottom of the squat stretch -- 30 seconds total; elbows pressing knees out; make sure everybody has feet wide enough, and angled enough; make first assessment on depth
• The "Amazing Ass Dropping Drill" OR "Mr. Universe & Buddha Belly" -- this one is where the Dan John video comes in, very hard to explain written out*
• Potato sack squats -- extend arms down, with fingers interlaced like you're holding a sack of potatoes; squat down and touch backs of fingers to the floor; provides a tactile cue when you've reached the bottom postion
• Potato sack squat to OHS -- lay PVC on floor in front of athlete; perform P.S. squat, then grab PVC with wide grip and lock out overhead; stand up; viola, an overhead squat!
• Wall squat -- you can't beat the classics; great for reinforcing sending the butt back, tall posture as you drop, weight in heels, and knees tracking out over toes

* So here's a written explanation of the Amazing Ass Dropping Drill, as I have now named it. :)

1. Athlete squats in goblet squat position -- elbows pressing at knees
2. Trainer stands behind athlete and provides support by bracing the outside of the athlete's butt with the inside of their calf/shin
3. Providing support allows the athlete to drop lower than their normal "comfort zone"
4.  Trainer cues athlete -- "Big chest" or "Mr. Universe" or "Break the finger"; these are all aimed at improving the lumbar curve and spreading the chest out and up and moving the torso into a more upright position
5. Trainer cues athlete -- "Buddha belly"; athlete relaxes lower belly, or actually pushes lower belly outward; this will cause the butt to drop, so trainer must be ready to provide support with their legs
6. Continue to give alternating cues -- "Mr. Universe" and "Buddha belly" until athlete is at the bottom position, or is becoming unstable
7. Lift athlete up and out of bottom position -- they will not be able to stand up from here on their own, as the stress response to push upward has been basically "switched off" by the drill

 So now go watch the damn video! :-D

--
In addition to squat therapy, we're also doing pushup therapy this week. Now that it's my chance to run the show for a week, I've instituted a "no knees" policy for pushups. I'm so excited to see if the ladies (and gentlemen) at our gym take to this new progression, and if they do, how much improvement it will lead to. Squeee!

If you don't know what I'm talking about here, see "Get Off Your Knees" by Lisbeth Darsh.

--
The WOD today was very simple, and gave everybody a chance to reinforce what we talked about during the skill session. Despite it's simplicity, if you execute it at a high enough intensity, it will feel like hell!

"10"
10 rounds:
10 pushups
10 situps
10 squats

Results: 15:58

I finished last out of all the 830 peeps, which I thought was kinda hilarious! Though I did stop a bit here and there to check out form, and give some feedback. But still this was slow. My metcon/cardio has gone down the freaking toilet since I haven't really worked on it lately. I'm much more concerned with strength right now, and I think I probably always will be biased toward strength.

Which is where another Lis article comes into play -- "Lighten Up While You Still Can". That article is all about having a focus for each WOD -- either go heavy, or go fast. Commit to one and stick with it and don't fuck around. So true.

I think very soon it will be time for to unload the bar, stop trying to be the strongest at everything, and work at what I *really* suck at -- intensity.

Blackjack

Nope, didn't hit up a casino -- just a 2nd attempt at an interesting WOD I did for the first time last fall.

"Blackjack" or "21"
For time.
Start with 20 push ups and 1 sit up.
Each round reduce 1 push up and add 1 sit up until you reach 1 push up and 20 sit ups.

Results: 32:50

While this was about 6 minutes slower than last time, it was a triumph in my eyes because I did every single pushup with full ROM.

Last time I said:

"This will be a good workout to use as a benchmark as I improve my pushups. I wonder if one day I will be able to do the whole thing with "real" pushups, instead of on my knees. That would kick so much ass. :)"

How fucking cool is that? About 11 months later, and I am kicking ass on pushups. Cause CrossFit works. :)

Annie

Woke up early so I could drive north from North Carolina (spent the night there) and still have time to hit a WOD at CrossFit KoP. My ass is super-sore from those weighted lunges yesterday morning, but I knew I could handle the scheduled WOD -- "Annie" -- even with a little soreness. Plus it's a great opportunity to test my new double under success.

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
double unders
situps

Results:  9:20

That's a little under a 6 minute PR on this WOD. Woot!

In the first round I did 30-something double unders. Woot! I was thinking about making a goal of 40 consecutive, since I had pretty much checked off the 25 in a row goal I had previously, but I think I'll switch that goal to 50.

I did situps unanchored with an Ab Mat.

I'm happy with my effort on this one. I really minimized rest, only rested while getting reset to do DU's. I knew I was doing well with pushing myself when I started getting that crappy feeling in my stomach that comes from moving "too fast". Which on a WOD like this is just the right speed. :)

However, I think I can still go faster. Round 2 of the DU's didn't start out so well -- the first 20 were very choppy, in 3's, 4's, 5's. If I can go nearly unbroken on each set, or at least do only 2-3 small sets, that will speed things up. I also think I can do my situps faster, which I think will take some practice.

--
Vacation rocks so far! Last night I got to stay up late talking to my sister, and then I got a great early start this morning. I got a shower and chowed down on some chicken and kalamata olives, and very soon I'm off to pickup husband at the airport and drive down to the Jersey shore! I'd wave to Snooki for you guys, but she's in Miami this summer. :-p

Last day at CFC before VACAY!

Was gonna leave for vacation yesterday, but had a ton of errands to do. So I hit the gym this AM, and I'm gonna leave right after a shower.

Complete for time:
1000m row
30 overhead lunge steps right hand (40lb DB/25)
20 GHD hip extentions
30 OH lunge steps left
20 GHD sit ups
20 OH lunge steps right
20 knees to elbows
20 OH lunge steps left
20 AB mat sit ups
10 OH lunge steps right
20 knees to elbows
10 OH lunge steps left

Results: 26:26 Rx

I used a 12kg kettlebell instead of a dumbbell -- that's about 26 pounds, so still Rx.

This took me about 5 minutes longer than everybody else, and it's cause I was dawdling. Guess I started my vacation early? :-p

My reaction to this workout on the board, and my experience with performing it, tells me that I still have a lot to learn about programming. Just like yesterday, it "sounded" a lot harder to me than it actually was to perform. I thought the load on the lunges would be super-heavy, but it was totally do-able. Always learning, learning, learning...

--
Speaking of learning, I've got a private session scheduled with Aimee at CrossFit KoP next Monday, and I'm super excited! We're going to go over, snatch (+ snatch balance, muscle snatch, etc), clean (as in, why is my PR stuck at 125?), kettlebell snatch (haven't ever had instruction on these), and HSPU.

Woot woot!

--
Also on tap for my trip up north, I'll be participating in Metro Dash Philadelphia! I am so pumped about spending the day with my CF KoP peeps, plus I even got my husband to sign up. Will definitely take the iPod -- maybe Steph and I will collaborate on some awesome video. :-D

Be back soon with some vacation WODs, which will include some hiking! :-D

It feels good to "win"

My back was tight from deadlifts, but I knew the best remedy would be a workout. Today's WOD wasn't going to be hard on my back at all, so it was perfect for getting a good sweat and loosening everything up.

Strength: press
7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Results: 55-60-65-70-75-85-95

 I *really* wanted that 95 at the end, but it got stuck at my forehead. I was basically staring at it, willing it to go up, for about 3 or 4 seconds before I gave up. With 95 being my current 1RM, I'm not surprised at the result. Would've been nice to match that 1RM, but I'm still happy with the work I did today.

metcon:
50 abmat situps
40 double unders
30 box jumps (20'')
20 wall ball shots (20#/14)
10 knees to elbows

Results: 6:26

When I saw today's metcon on the website last night, I thought to myself, "I can smack that bitch down." And when I was starting out the class with some strict press sets, I starting thinking again: "I can WIN."

Every once in a while when I know I'm good at everything in the WOD, my competitive spirit breaks out and I become absolutely determined to finish first.

There were only 4 people in my class this morning, and I finished first by a minute, and I was damn proud!

Best moment of the morning -- I did 23 double unders!!!! It was fucking amazing! I just keep doing them, and doing them, and doing them -- what a great feeling! And then I finished out the rest of the 40 unbroken, so that's 17 unbroken.

Those are basically my #1 and #2 longest sets of double unders I've ever done. Just goes to show what happens when I put on my game face. I need to go to that place more often!

Situps I did unbroken.

Box jumps I took a slow and steady approach. Started not paying close attention and missed one attempt, but focused back in after that and kept the knees high.

Wall balls were also amazing, considering my history with sucking at those- banged them out in 2 solid sets of 10. I used a 14# ball and threw it to the 10 foot line.

Side note on wall balls: I can't accept that women should scale both weight and height on wall balls. Height of the throw should be scaled based on the person's height, not their gender. Like, if you're 5'4'' or shorter, use the 8 foot line. Taller, use the 10 foot line. And those giant people over 6 feet should have an even higher line!

OK, end wall ball rant and ramblings about the metcon. Suffice it to say it was a fun day in the gym, and I enjoyed my little moment of victory. :) (Though I'm thinking somebody probably beat my time in the evening classes)

Later gators. :)

Long-ass WOD

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1:
pull ups
push ups
sit ups
squats
400m run

Results: 50:38

Can you say "c wiss needs to work on her running"? :)

However, c wiss rocked her pullups in comparison to where they were at 2-3 months ago, so she was happy. :)

There were only a few instances where I was doing one at a time, I tried to string at least 2 together most of the time. And I think I got them unbroken starting from 4 or 5 and down to 1. Woot!

The rest of the movements were simple, didn't rest of break sets or anything. Just struggled through the pullups and runs.

--
This WOD is modified from one called "Dyer", which includes burpees, but only prescribes a 200m run... That sounds a tiny bit easier, but I don't know. I would have to try it out to compare. :)

100 burpees

Well, I finally did this one! Last time I went on an extended trip I kept telling myself the next workout would be 100 burpees. Today was finally the day!

Results: 10:43

That's basically a 10 burpee/minute pace, right? I'm OK with that. :-p

Immediately after finished the burpees, I did a set of 50 situps, rested a bit and did 50 more. Then 50 squats, and 10 walkout pushups. I need to incorporate those into my warmups more, they really get the shoulders going.

And now I am very late for showering to have lunch with my parents and their friend, so I'm off. But hopefully I'll report back tomorrow about a WOD at CF Pittsburgh. :)

Threesome

Tom's roommate Chels joined us in the basement today for a CrossFit threesome (teehee!). We did a modified version of this vacation WOD (originally from CF KoP).

30-20-10-5
squats
situps
pushups
lunges

Results: 12:10

This was a good mix of a quickie workout, and one where you were *really* hurting in the middle of it. I forgot how brutal it is to do squats after all of those lunges. OW.

I did a few 30 second handstand holds to finish it off. :)

Also, I should add that Chelsea is pretty convinced that CrossFit rocks! :-D

Words from Stephanie, WOD by Christine

A reminder:

"Even though I have set these goals, they are not why I Crossfit. I Crossfit because I love my body. I Crossfit because it helps me to experience the present moment (my meditation). I have goals, but in every workout I am committed to loving and accepting my body's current abilities. I believe with every part of me, that the only way to truly attain "what we want" is by accepting and taking joy in what we already have."
- Stephanie

--
Something that I've read about 3 times, but don't have a coherent response to yet. But very thought-provoking...

What's Eating You?

--
Yesterday we did a WOD that was created by one of our members. She has been CrossFitting for several months, and back in March participated in our Paleo challenge. She saw *amazing* results from changing her diet -- she's lost over 20 pounds and 2 clothing sizes, and her performance in the gym is absolutely taking off. Way to go Christine! The thought of the smile on her face as she told me about her new summer sundresses is what pushed me through this WOD. She worked hard and she so deserves her success, health and happiness. :)

"Our Christine"
For time:
1000m row
then
10 rounds:
10 pullups
10 situps
10 pushups

Results: ~38 minutes; only finished 8 rounds

4:14 again on the 1k row. I'm satisfied with that.

I've had some pesky palm issues with my hands, so I decided to hang from my fingers for the pullups. Well, that worked until round 7 when I started tearing the skin off the middle of my fingers. So I switched to palm grip, and by the end of the 10 pullups in round 8 I had ripped off a huge chunk of my right hand, and reopened two other hot spots. So, I was done.

I love you Christine, and I wanted to finish your WOD! My arms had 20 more pullups left in them, but my hands did not.

The good news is that I was kipping up to and over the bar just about every time. There were a few ugly pullups, but they were absolutely in the minority. That was my main goal for the WOD and I'm glad I achieved it.

In relaying the events of my workout to my husband, I realized that my pushups have really been getting awesome. I know I have been down on myself about pullups, and I think that's because they are so symbolic to me. If I can do pullups, I am *absolutely* strong and I can conquer anything. Losing them made me feel vulnerable, I think? Anyway, pushups are badass too, so I embrace them as my new strength until I get fully back on my feet with the pullups. :)

--
Leaving in a few minutes to take a trip north and spend some time with my family. MUCH NEEDED time with my family. I also get to see one of my best friends graduate from Penn State with his doctorate. I am so freakin' proud of him. :)