new year, perhaps new me?

Well it's been a while, like 5 months since I've posted anything. And I wish I could say it's because I've been so busy breaking records and becoming a CF beast, but no, that is nowhere near the reason. If you read the last few postings than you will remember that I was dealing with a bunch of minor injuries, the biggest being my wrist. I am glad to report that my wrist is doing much better, not 100%, but definitely better. Though I can't front squat the same weight as I did this time last year, I am only about 70# away. Soon enough though...

Last night we did a WOD that had true push-ups as a substitute for another movement. I have been at this consistent working out business now for over 2 years and I found myself so frustrated last night that I just laughed at myself to hold back the tears that wanted to jet out of me. I can't still do a freaking push-up, not even a proper one on my knees. What the hell?! I know I know, I will never get one if I don't put time into it but you think by now I would have made some sort of progress. Sigh. Well I have decided this will be the year of the push-up. I will dedicate time in and outside of the gym to not only work on my technique but all the necessary mobility to keep my body functioning at it's best.

All of last year was just a shit year for my diet and fitness. I fell off every wagon I was on and basically sabotaged everything I worked hard for. How I lost track I am unsure, or I don't care to remember, but that's unimportant. What is important is that I get back on track, find my focus, and put the necessary time and work into my goals. I suppose it is time for me to sit down and work on my SWOG (Strengths, Weaknesses, Objectives, & Goals) list again.

So here's to a great year in health, fitness, and most importantly, happiness!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

week of improvements

After a failed attempt in participating in Murph this past Memorial Day, I wasn't looking forward to doing any WODs this week. Tuesday called for a Snatch Complex of sorts and I was dreading it all day. My wrist was not so pleased with me Monday, how would it be a day later. Well, I have learned to always try at the very least, so I did. I managed to do an entire complex with just the 35# bar, but next could I add more weight? I threw on some 10# plates and went for it. My first attempt was a failure. My hand grip felt weak and I didn't feel like I had much control of the movement, BUT my wrist wasn't what stopped me. So I took a moment and rested before attempting again. Well guess what? I did it, not once, or twice, three times, but four times. Holy shit guys!! Do you know what this means?!?! Shit is getting better, that's what! Now granted it was only 55# but still, only a week or so prior I couldn't even do just the bar. Any sort of Cleans is still a bit iffy, I can't fully extend my wrist in a front rack position so I have to keep with the light weights.

I woke up this morning expecting my wrist to be sore or inflamed but it was not. So there was no way that I'd miss todays WOD either, which was going to push me to my limits I was sure. And it did. I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the WOD in its entirety or even without modifying the movement. It called for 5 rounds of 27 Double Unders, 20 Hang Cleans, and 15 Shoulder to Overhead. First of all, this sort of WOD taxes your grip, so going all out is a no-no. Secondly, Cleans are still an issue for me and to do that many, could I? I didn't ask Joon for any modifications because I didn't want something to bail to. I wanted to give me all and if I couldn't complete it, well than at least I tried. My grip definitely felt it, I had to break the Hang Cleans in sets of 4, and I did Push Presses and those were no easy feat. Again, I kept the weight light at 55# (prescribed was 65#) and paid close attention to my form. Being ever so careful on my wrist movements. About 3 rounds in I realized I was doing just fine and that I can FINISH this WOD as is. I looked at the time and decided to hustle it and get a time under 16 minutes. And I did!

Tonight I am feeling slightly sore in my upper body, but I feel great. I am delighted to know that after so many months of pain and setbacks, I am improving! It is such a great feeling!!!! I will keep you posted with future successes, hopefully a LOT more will come. Goodnight.

yes, yes, i am back

I know I know, it's been almost two months since I've posted anything. There were plenty of times I had something to share but than I never got around to actually sitting down and typing it all down. I let stuff get in the way of my making time to blog. I now have missed thoughts that I will never be able to fall back on. It is what it is and all I can do is move forward.

I am still not in 100% full CrossFit routine again, the right wrist is still rehabbing from my injury back in February. It is better and continues to get better but I am still unable to hold just a 35# bar in the front rack position. It is a very frustrating situation. I am however able to push press again and snatch, but find it hard to do an overhead squat. So I will continue working towards strengthening my wrist.

In tonights class I experienced a boost in my confidence that was much needed. My working out hasn't been as consistent as it use to be. This week was the first week in months I believe that I went in four days straight. I am sore but not enough to not function. I didn't want to miss tonights class, it was Randy. (Randy is a Hero WOD that is 75 Power Snatches for time) The last time I did Randy was a little over a year ago. I RX it back than and got a time of 8:03. I had a goal to beat that time given that my wrist could handle doing 75 Power Cleans. The weight for women is 55#, which is not a very heavy weight to begin with, but with this sort of rep load, it can get heavy pretty quickly. I knew I had something to prove to myself. So when the clock counted down 3-2-1-GO, I Snatched my little heart out, took no breaks other than to tighten the bumper plates to the bar. I managed to shave off :56 seconds from my time. Almost a full minute. This may not seem like a lot of time after a year, but when you factor in that I have lost a lot of workout time to minor setbacks here and there, it is a huge improvement! I am very proud of myself and look forward to smashing my new time later down the road.

I promise to make a better effort in posting more consistently. I hope you all are doing well!

crossfit open 2015 & injury

Last year I competed in my very first CrossFit Open, and in the very first WOD (14.1) I scored a big fat zero. It was 7 minutes of doubleunders and even though I managed to get three of them the night before, I could not get at least one when it was go time. I continued to compete the next four weeks even though I could no longer log in my scores. I had no illusions of going to Regionals but I gave my very best. Well CrossFit Open 2015 is here and the very first WOD (15.1) is this Saturday and I will not be able to fully participate even though I am registered. I will fight to get one rep in so that I can log something in, but I unfortunately hurt my right wrist last Tuesday. It has gradually been getting better but my grip is nowhere near what it was and there is so much swelling that any deep bending causes so much pain.

My boss/doc says I have a sprain/strain and that I just need to give it some time to heal. For once in my life, I am going to listen to him and not push myself into a potentially serious injury. I am frustrated that I got myself into a situation that affects my level of participation in the CrossFit Open. I am however certified to be a judge now and look forward to helping my great gym out.

I wish everyone at Stumptown the very best luck!

was down with the sickness

So I have been absent here, in CrossFit, and in parts of my social life with a nasty cold. Last night was my first day back in the gym in 13 days, yea 13! Thankfully the training program I am on is having a light week, great way to ease myself back into it. Though I am feeling a million times better, I am not 100% yet and that was evident last night when I felt like I ran a marathon after only an hour of light lifts. Over the weekend I purchased my very first pair of Oly shoes and so I had a chance to try them out last night. At first they were a bit awkward to walk around in, but after a while I forgot about it and noticed a difference in some of my lifts. These things actually make a difference, who knew! I am looking forward to feeling 100% again and I hope that is by the end of the week. I did sign up for the CrossFit Open which starts at the end of this month. Hopefully I don't die, ok well that won't happen but I really don't feel prepared for it. I'm just gonna go and do my best and have fun with it.

That is it for now, I will keep you updated with my sessions with Joon (they will start up again next week) and updates on my progresses- wall walks are almost complete! Take care everyone and stay healthy!

starter program: d1 of w1

Last Wednesday in class we were looking for our 1RM in Power Cleans. When I first started CrossFit both Deadlifts and Power Cleans were my favorite movements. But now the Power Cleans have become a source of frustration for me. I know I'm not the only person whose experienced this with either this movement or another. And I know this is only a temporary scenario. None of that though makes it less frustrating. I have been stuck on the same weight for some time now and can't seem to get past it. I know most of it is mental, but I believe I also lack enough hands on experience.

I had a conversation with a fellow box mate who has been doing a weightlifting program on the side. I wanted to know why and how she started the program. Watching her has been inspiring and motivating for me. The weightlifting portion of CrossFit is what made me fall in love with it to begin with. And though I love going in and doing WODs with everyone, I really want to begin focusing on the areas that I feel I am weak in. So I have decided to begin a Starter Program from Catalyst Athletics that will hopefully prepare me for another weightlifting training program. The starter program is for 4 weeks and I started it today.

Day 1 of Week 1:
Clean & Jerk 5 x 2 +1
Clean Pull 3 x 3
Back Squat 3 x 5

Day one has already been an educational day for me, as I learned that a Clean is different from a Power Clean (we only ever do Power Cleans in WODs), and I did Clean Pulls for the first time. I'm suppose to use the same weight for all three movements, it has to be challenging but below my max effort. I warmed up with 65#, not knowing how much I could do my Cleans at. I bumped it up to 85# and decided to stay there for the Clean & Jerks, especially since I haven't done Split Jerks in about a year and wasn't sure if I could do anything heavier. The drawback to this was that I know the Clean Pulls should be heavy and 85# isn't a very heavy Back Squat for me. I think my day two of this program I will have to adjust the weight so that it is challenging across the board.

After I was done with todays program, I rested a bit and then worked on my Plank. If I want to get better in other movements I need to strengthen my core. Time to get my Plank time up, I gave it a go three times:

1- 45 sec
2- 30 sec
3- 35 sec

I wasn't feeling my strongest today, but I am pleased that I got this started! Here's to a learning experience and progression!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

thankfulness

Thanksgiving is a holiday where we think about and express the many things we are grateful for. Granted we should always express our gratitude throughout the year for all that we have, experience, and the people who help make our lives that much better. But this is a great time for me to express my gratitude to a few experiences and people that may not hear it from me very often. So please take the time to read this and understand where I am coming from.

The parental units- as I should always be thankful for everything you do, and I am, this year has been an exceptionally rough one in many ways and your unlimited love and support has helped carry me through with my head held high. My love for you can never be fully expressed.

Tony & Joon- you both are two of the most influential people in my life. I look up to you guys and do my very best to sponge up as much as I can from everything you teach me. And there are not enough "thank you's" I can say to show you the gratitude I have for your kindness to me when things have gotten hard. Thank you, thank you, thank you... really there aren't enough.

To my boss- you are pretty much the best boss I have EVER had. Thank you for being flexible in allowing me to go to school and for keeping work fun.

Britt- when you approached me in class last Spring and brought up CrossFit, that sealed the deal to our friendship! Even though we don't get to hang out as much as we both would like, I am so absolutely thankful that you have been brought into my life. You're a beautiful person with such a gentle soul but I wouldn't dare get in a ring with you! ;) I promise to make a better effort to plan time for us because you are definitely someone I want to keep in my life.

Candace- you may be my newest friend but I feel like we are old buddies! I am beyond proud of you and all of your successes in such a short period of time. I love connecting with you and look forward to being challenged by you on continual basis- si?

CFST Family- there are so many of you that have in one way or another impacted my life in and outside of the gym. Whether it's helping me get a movement down, cheering me on for a PR, or taking the time to get to know me and what makes me tick. The friendships I have built in the past year and half will forever be treasured.

Experiences that I am thankful for:

- As many of you may remember my Mojo became ill this past summer and we had to make the hard decision to give him up so he could get the care he needed. But as the universe works in mysterious ways, he was given back to us and I still thank my blessings on that every single day. 

- Being accepted into Concordia University rather recently to begin working on my Bachelor's in Exercise Science is a million blessings.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

knocking down limits

This week has been one of mini triumphs for me, both in and out of the gym. I am one more step closer to finding out if I will be attending Concordia this coming January, I should receive news in the first week of December. This is an enormous step for me, as it is the beginning of a future that can hold many opportunities for me and I am so excited about this!

As for my successes in the gym this week, I have goals that I am trying to meet and have begun working on them when I have time to spare. I have been stuck on the wall walks, only able to walk my legs up but not my hands back. One evening I decided to start working on trying to walk my hands back, at first it was just a shimmy. The next evening I tried I actually moved my hands back a step or two. The third night I gave it a go I got even closer, but that is as far as I got. Fear of falling backwards has been plaguing my mind. I also need to work on walking back out, I've been panicking and just falling to the side. This may not sound like a big deal but after almost two years of CrossFitting and only now making this sort of progress is a big deal to me.

The second thing that I accomplished was, somewhat, kipping. We had a WOD this week that had pull-ups, and instead of doing ring rows like I have the last several months, I did banded kipping pull-ups. In all honesty I had no idea if I was doing it right or not, I just moved however I felt my body would move to get my chin above the bar. I no rep'd myself a few times but still hustled through the WOD. Afterwards I asked Coach Joon how to kip and he told me that I was already doing it. Then it all made sense!

Lastly, I accomplished something that I never thought I'd do, like ever! I did my very first handstand!!! There are a lot of things I was able to do as a child and somewhere along the way I lost it all, as many of us do. After seeing my first WOD with HSPU, I thought to myself that I will always be modifying that movement. This is partly my not having any faith in myself but also thinking I am not strong enough to hold myself up. Well it took a few tries but with Coach Tony's help I did it and it was amazing and scary all at the same time. I wanted to practice them again tonight but after the FYF WOD, I felt far too beat up to even attempt it. I'll get back to it on Monday.

Tonight was also a triumphant night for me. I fought really hard, mentally, to keep moving through the suck. My quads were constantly on fire and my low back was flat out tired. And this wasn't even the hard part, the AirFit just about killed everyone. Naturally I am exaggerating here but when you do something that leaves you completely uncomfortable no matter what position you lay, sit, stand, or walk, you know it was a bad one! For this portion of the WOD we had to do 3 rounds for time, as fast as you can on the AirFit, 20 calories for the ladies and 30 calories for gents. I am impressed myself tonight by getting incredible times, times that blows all of my past times out of the water (23/32/39). All of my hard work with Joon is most certainly paying off. My biggest lesson this week and evening? That no matter what age or fitness level I am, I can knock down the limits I have set up for myself. I am able and I am willing.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty-six

I walked into the gym already feeling sore around my lats and triceps from last nights WOD. This made me nervous for what Joon had in store for me and it turned out he was planning to add to my soreness. With that classic Joon smile, he warned me that tomorrow I will be feeling this. So this is what he had me do:

Warm-up: Easy 5 min Row
Then,
8 x 1:00 min of:
     OHS 15#
     Mountain Climbers
     Farmers Carry 2 x 95#
     Dumbbell Snatches 35#
1- 14
2- 15
3- 16
4- 12
5- 15
6- 12
7- 15
8- 16
Time: 54:32

For this session the only reps that were counted were the snatches, otherwise the rest I just focused on moving the entire minute. There wasn't really a scheduled rest period but I would sometimes take my time going from one movement to the next, especially after the farmers carry where my hands began to burn pretty badly. It took me a good while to get it done, but I did it and finished it. The one movement that I struggled on and complained a lot about was the mountain climbers. Between struggling with my breathing on this movement and my legs giving out on me a lot, I hated every minute I spent on those!  I am sure I will be plenty sore tomorrow as I am already beginning to feel it now. Oh joy!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty-four

Given that today was a holiday and the gym was only having short hours, we still managed to have a session. I had to keep it short and sweet today to tend to other things before I headed into work (I did not get a day off like many of you did). Here's what Joon had me do:

Warm-up: Easy 5 min Row

Then,
3 Rounds, 1 min Rest after each round
     5 Front Squats @ 75#
     5 Power Snatches @ 75#

Then,
For Time- Grace:
     30 Clean & Jerks @ 65#
Final time- 2:47

It was a good day, though I did struggle with my power snatches a few times. The weight I did is only 10# less then my 1RM, which leads me to believe if I did 15 of them at 75# that 85# isn't my 1RM anymore. Then during my warm-up for Grace I managed to hit my chin with the bar, and well that sucked. Thankfully I didn't bite my lip this time, or break any kind of skin- yay- but I am still quite sore and will probably see a small bruise tomorrow. I did drop the bar about 3 times during Grace, but did my best to pick it right up. The last couple of days I've been surprising myself with pushing through the pain of breathing and yelling muscles and just continuing to move. I am most certainly making progress.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

filthy fifty

Last year December I did the Filthy Fifty at CrossFit Stumptown for the first time- it sucked. But I managed to get it done in 33:26, modified of course. It's been almost an entire year and the WOD resurfaced today. I battled with the thoughts if I should do or not since I already worked out this morning with Joon. But I really wanted to do it again and beat my time. I know the last time I did it I did step-ups instead of box jumps, did single unders instead of double, and I am not sure how I modified the knees to elbow. If I hadn't fucked up my shin a week ago I think I could've done the box jumps but jumping on a box isn't something I really wanted to do yet... not prepared for it. Tony added a twist to this WOD by adding a time cap of 35 minutes and for those doing singles, instead of 3x it was 4x. Well ladies and gents, I mustered through the workout with the intent of beating my time and I am happy to say I DID! My new time is now 33:06 (modified).

Filthy Fifty: 50 reps each
Box Jumps 20/24 (I did jumps on 3 stacked 45# plates)
Jumping Pull-ups
Kettlebell Swing 25/35#
Walking Lunges
Knees to Elbow
Push Press 35/45#
Back Extensions
Wall Balls 14/20#
Burpees
Double Unders (I did 200 singles)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty

So I am 30 sessions in and today was definitely an ass kicker! After being off for a week in sessions and gym time (due to my little shin accident), my body is feeling quite tired and sore. Made it back last night and learned to kip a little which was exciting but killed my hands. This morning I was practicing my hand grip on a little hand held device and that was a big mistake. Joon had me doing stuff on the barbell and my arms were basically done. So here is what I accomplished today:

Warm-up: Row 800m
Then,
15x OHS @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 125m
15x Hang Clean @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 124
15x Push Presses @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 121
15x Front Squat @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 120

Then,
Increased the weight to 75# and the reps down to 10x
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 121
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 122
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 116 <-- that was a tough one
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 123

My hands, arms, and shoulders were pretty much toast. But I still managed to go back this evening and that will be a different posting. I felt fairly good and I hope to only keep improving!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

update on shin, school, and diet... oh my!

So if you haven't already read, heard, or seen it, a box jumped out and bit me a week ago while I was doing box jumps. The right shin faired it pretty well, it's pretty much healed now and the only evidence is discoloration and slight soreness to the surrounding tissue and bone. But my left shin isn't so well. Thankfully no infection has set in, I am diligent on keeping it clean and letting it breathe. But wearing clothing over it is irritating the fuck out of it. During breaks or when there are no patients in the office, I tend to hike up my pants to me knees to let the wound breathe and relax. I walk around looking all gangster at work now, it's pretty funny. Unfortunately this side got the brunt of the bite and the tenderness reaches as high as my knee (which also sustained some bruising). When putting on ointment I can tell that I still have nerve damage as I can only feel pressure but no sensation. I assume this is normal and once I'm done healing then feeling will come back... I hope. Because I'm on my feet most of everyday at work or sitting at the dining table working on schoolwork, my left ankle is now swollen and has some slight bruising going on. I am irritated to no end because all I want to do is feel normal and not have to be careful with my every movement to avoid hitting my left shin against anything or anyone. I can't jump or run which makes working out hard, doable but hard. I want the healing to be done with already and I want things to be as they were. Ahhhhh!

As for school, all is going well. I'm utterly fascinated with Geology now and learning more about what makes our planet tick. Besides volcanos, my favorite part is learning how all the continents were once one large one and how it broke apart. My Human Geography class is eh, the coursework is easy enough and some things are interesting but I'm not as impressed by it as I thought I would be. And lastly, my History of Religion in the US class is blowing my mind away. Learning how religion reached the America's and how it changed, branched off, and grew is quite interesting. Learning so much and confirming to myself that I have made the right decision on my own faith.

And the dreaded diet. This is probably the hardest part of living healthy. Trying to find something that works for you and figuring out how to balance it all. After my little ER trips this past July and learning that I had become allergic to soy protein really put a dent to my diet. Having to give up my protein bars that helped me so much in times where I couldn't sit down to eat something, or to fit in as a snack was great. But now I am having to find something else to fit in it's place and I am struggling. I know that I do not eat enough and that I don't always eat the best. More like I tend to have too much of one thing during a 24 hour period. I don't balance my diet well and when I try to plan my meals, everything and anything sets me back or off track. Thankfully there is this wonderful coach at CFST, Emily, who is helping. She had me track my diet for one week so that she can analyze it. I have finished my one week and am getting ready to send that off to her here shortly. I am hoping she can steer me in the right direction.

So other than my shins and diet, all is going well in my life. I look forward to CrossFitting again with all my gym mates and getting my diet back on track. And I hope all of you are doing well!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-nine (day of boo boo)

Well todays been a painful day, and not painful in a sore from a WOD sense. But painful in a box tried to eat me for lunch sense. After CrossFitting for almost a year and a half, today I had my very first run in with a box. Not with one leg, but both legs. I was literally only two jumps away from being finished and BAM! Not a pleasant experience. My left leg took the brunt of the damage but both hit the box. Thankfully it didn't go deep to the bone but enough to expose the fascia (white meat). At first, besides the pain, there were no visual indicators that I hit. After a few minutes of trying to walk around and hold back in yelling from the pain, Tony had me lift my tights again and blood began to show up. The pain only escalated from there and it only took a minute or two for both spots to get bright purple. By this point Joon said I was done for the day and that we needed to clean my legs up. Walking for the first few hours after was rough, any jarring movement sucked. It's beginning to feel better to walk but touching the skin around the areas is exceptionally sensitive and hurts like hell, regardless of how light I touch. I hope that by Monday I will be back to WODing with no issues. Here is what I did manage to do today before my boo boo:

Warm-up:
10 min Row

5 x 10 Back Squats 100#
5 x 5 Box Jumps

This little incident will NOT stop me from doing box jumps in the future, but I am seriously considering on getting some sleeves for my lower legs. This way next time I have a mishap, besides bruised sore shins, there will be no breaking of the skin!

The photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-eight

I walked into the gym this morning witnessing a class struggling through the WOD of the day, a FYF WOD. Immediately dread came over me because a part of me wondered if Joon was going to make me do this WOD. I didn't feel ready for that sort of work, it was far too early for me. But thankfully he didn't make do it. Here is what I did do:

Warm-up:

     5 min AirFit (easy)

     2 x 5 Wall Squat

     2 x 5 KB Windmill

     2 x 5 Samson Stretch

     50 Single-Unders

5 x 10 Sumo Deadlift @ 100#

6 x 10 sec "All Out" Row (48/49/50/51/51/51)

Rest 30 sec between

Rest 3 min

Row 250m "All Out" (0:51.4)

Rest 3 min

Row 500m @ 70% of 250m pace (1:56)

The warm-up was great and much needed! The deadlifts felt good and I felt strong. The rowing was going great until the end of the 500m. My gas tank was basically empty and it felt awful! Maybe I need to keep working on my rowing skills. ;)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-seven

Today was the day for PR's! I woke up this morning to learn that the CFST WOD for the day was the CrossFit Football Total. Because I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back tonight for a regular WOD after my session with Joon, I was hoping that was what he would have me do. And it was! The last time I did this was back in July in a session with Joon. My total was 580, and I PR'd in two movements that day, and totally failed miserably in my Deadlifts even though that is typically my strong movement. Today I am happy to say I did much better and even increased my total by 85 points. Here's what I did:

Old CrossFit Football Total:
Power Clean- 110#
Back Squat- 175#
Bench Press- 100#
Deadlift- 195#
Total= 580

Today's CrossFit Football Total:
Power Clean- 115#
Back Squat- 200# (25# PR)
Bench Press- 105# (5# PR)
Deadlift- 245# (10# PR)
Total= 665

So needless to say I am quite happy with my numbers. I have improved them since the last time and even surprised myself in a couple of my movements. The disappointing one is the Power Clean. I know I can lift heavier but I keep doubting myself. It's quite frustrating but Joon has given me great pep talks and is a great encourager, I will get passed this.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

joon, "f" you!

What?! I know what some of you may be thinking, but it's ok, Joon and I are in good terms. Today at Stumptown it is Fuck You Friday (FYF). It's a WOD that is on crack, and we push ourselves more than we normally would. After my session with Joon earlier today, he commented that if I came back in the evening to join my gym mates for the FYF WOD, I wouldn't be doing it. He had something different for me. Oh but what could that be?! So naturally, I went back and he introduced me to FYJ...

SkiErg, 100m Sprints, 10x (with 90 sec rest):
1) 23.3
2) 24.5
3) 23.4
4) 23.4
5) 23.7
6) 24.1
7) 24.7
8) 25.1
9) 24.9
10) 24.3

Not bad, I stayed fairly consistent but it absolutely sucked. By the end of the 10th round my arms were already feeling sore. At this Joon laughed and said, "wait until tomorrow." So again Joon, "F" you!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-six

This has been a very busy week and besides Monday and my session on Tuesday with Joon, I hadn't been back to the gym until today. I can't remember the last time I missed so much CrossFit, other than being sick. Thankfully Joon took it somewhat easy on me and we spent our session outside at Buckman Field. If I decide to go back to the gym tonight to do the WOD, Joon has already explained to me that I wouldn't be. He's got something in store for me and given that it's FYF (Fuck You Friday), I'm sure it'll be something quite F'd up! This is what I did this afternoon:

2 x Jog
2 x Skips
2 x Lateral Skips/Carioca

Then,
4x
10 Front Squats (25# DB)
Run (there and back- I think it was 30 yards)

Then,
For time:
     30 DB Snatches
Finished: 1:03

A fairly easy session today and I felt good minus the fact that I forgot my water bottle and felt quite thirsty when it was done. My legs felt good, the jogging was not bad, and my squats felt really good. It was a good session.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-five

So for the past week I have been having issues squatting fully without putting most of my weight onto my left leg. My right ankle hasn't been flexing without discomfort. This became quite apparent today when Joon had me do squat therapy and overhead squats. Not good. So with some mobility work and soon an adjustment, I am hoping we can nip this problem in the butt asap! So what did we do today? Structural work:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     Squat Therapy
     4 x 30/30 OHS + Hold
     4 x 30/30 Back Extension (GHD) + FLR (Bosu Ball)

Then,
     200m Row (Sprint) R1- 42.5, R2- 41.9, R3- 41.2
     10 KB Bottoms Up  Clean + Press (26#)
     Rest 2:00 Min
     x3
Overall Time: 10:00

Then,
     10 Cal AirFit (Sprint) R1- 16, R2- 14, R3- 15, R4- 16, R5- 15
     20m Farmer Carry (70#)
     Rest 1:00 Min
     x5
Overall Time: 9:12

Even with my ankle causing some issues, I am pretty happy with myself today. The back extensions were hard but felt good and I felt strong, and the FLR on the Bosu Ball went on without complaints. With the row Joon changed the damper each round, I started at 6, then 7, and then 8. I was expecting the 7 and 8 to feel hard but they didn't, I am definitely becoming more efficient with my rowing- YAY! As for the AirFit, I worked hard to make that devil of a machine my bitch, and I came close a couple of times. I am actually surprised at how well I did on it. Could I have done better? Of course but I'll take what I did and smile. Todays session overall felt good, my lungs are feeling better, and I think I kicked that cold in butt! :)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-four

Fall term began last Monday and my body decided to take on a cold as well. Thankfully all of my classes are on-line this term, with only being required to attend a lab for Geology on Fridays. The majority of the symptoms didn't last very long and I am now just dealing with a cough, that is slowly going away. Unfortunately though I was too ill to have my session with Joon on Tuesday, so I rested. With this new term and having to have a lab on Friday, my work schedule had to shift which meant my sessions had to shift a bit as well. Instead of Tuesday/Thursday sessions, I will now have Tuesday/Friday sessions. I went back to CrossFit on Wednesday night, took Thursday night off, and had my session with Joon on today. He's a gifted one, knows the right amount of push without wiping me out completely. Breathing and energy level aren't 100% but I still feel like I got something done. Here is what was done:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     4 x 20m Skip
     4 x 20m Butt Kicks
     4 x 20m Jog

Then 2x,
     4 x 30/30 Goblet Squats (35#)
     *During rest period do 4 Lunges

Then,
"Tail Pipe" Ski 3x
     250m SkiErg (Sprint) R1- 1:08, R2- 1:08, R3- 1:03
     1:00 min KB Rack Hold

Ok first of all Joon sent me a text on what to do as he was going to be there at the start of our time together. He informed me to do the warm-up, extended warm-up, and the Goblet Squat. He obviously saved the best part for when he would be there. In the fog of my mind I somehow misread the Goblet Squat being 30/30 and ended up doing a whole round of 30 Goblet Squats when it became clear in my head that he meant 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Oops. On top of which I didn't catch that I was to do this twice. So pretty much screwed that all up- see Joon, you HAVE to be there! Anyway, the "Tail Pipe" is usually done with a partner and a rower. While one rows the 250m sprint, the other partner is holding the KB Rack Hold. But since I train alone and because we have a new toy in the gym, he modified it so that we did it on the SkiErg and I would hold the KB for a minute afterwards. It was awful, but most certainly not worse than the Triathlon. I think my times are good but given that I am still sick and put out decent times and even rocked out a better time on my third round, means I can do much better. I hope I don't start hating the SkiErg, cause I kind of was during this session. I think I should be back to normal by next week and hope to kill my WODs!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.