one on one: day thirty-two & changes

The first thing you may notice is that I skipped posting about my day thirty-one of my one on one with Joon. There was a session, of sorts. There will be some changes happening as Joon and I have had to adjust our sessions for various reasons. We will still meet one on one once a week and then he will program something for me to do on my own on another day of the week. This will help me save  some time by posting about two sessions into one posting. On that note I will begin with last Fridays session:

Day 31:
Warm-up (2 rounds):
     200m Row
     10 Hollow Rocks
     10 Hip Extensions
     10 Banded Pull-ups
     10 Push-ups
     10 Pass Throughs
     10 OHS (pvc pipe)

Then,
BB Complex (20 rounds):
     3 Hang Snatches
     3 Push Press (Snatch Grip)
     3 OHS
*no shoes*

Joon wasn't there during this session but I felt pretty confident doing it all on my own. The BB Complex was with a 35# barbell and I felt good just working on my technique and feeling the movement through. After 20 rounds I was amazed by the amount of sweat I built up. I have gone from hating snatches to not minding them much at all. It's amazing how that happens. Though I promise you I will NEVER change how I feel when it comes to the AirFit... NEVER!

Day 32:
Warm-up:
     Easy 500m Row

Then,
A) For time (21-15-9):
     DB Snatches (20#)
     Jumping Squats
Completed time: 4:57

B) 10 x 5 Cal AirFit (20/10)

So for part A Joon stated that he wanted me to be in the 6 to 7 minute range. It was an endurance day and we've been working on my thresholds. He wanted me to work through the burn and keep moving. In my head I was thinking he was crazy that I would not finish it that fast, but as I promised him I would push as much as I could. The dumbbell snatches were doable without having to stop but because I am alternating arms from the ground, I am already squatting a bit. Moving onto the jumping squats was not a pleasant experience. At first I could only string two squats and half way through I managed to begin to string three squats. Every time I tried to do more I would come close to falling or I'd land straight legged. It was as if my legs were in complete control and dictated what was happening. With that said, I did push to not take such long breaks. I would pump out my three then shake my legs out and push out another three. I was breathing hard but focusing on controlling my breathes. When I finished my last set of nine, I was happily surprised with my time. I did much better then Joon had anticipated me to (though I am sure he knew I had it in me... as always). Part B of course sucked major ass! After a long break from part A, I had 10 rounds where I had 20 seconds to reach 5 calories then a 10 second rest period. But if I managed to get my 5 calories in less then 20 seconds, the longer the break would be. The first 3 or 4 rounds wasn't so bad, I was feeling pretty good. Then round 5 hit and I thought I was going to die. But I fought hard, probably the hardest I have ever on that stupid machine. My prize for completing it? An ass cramp, literally.

All in all I'm feeling pretty good and slowly getting back on a groove. Making small changes to the diet, planning some things ahead, and trying to soak as much as I can from Tony, Joon, and Emily!

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 fifteen

Today was my first one on one session since the competition and as promised, Joon took it up a notch. After working with me for several sessions we had the ability to see where I stand when faced with the clock of a competition. We discovered that I am fully capable of pushing myself, that I am strong, and what needs to be worked on. So before todays session went into full swing we redid my Strength/Weakness/Objective list.

My list with Coach Joon's add ons.

The truth is I really loved competing, even if I came in second to last. I know what I really suck at, what needs work, and what I am proficient at. I do have the bug to compete again, when? Well that all depends on someone else (Beth). So my focus is now to work as if everything I do will help me get stronger and better for a future competition. And so this is what we did today:

Warm-up: 800m Row

Extended Warm-up:

     3 x 5 Squat Therapy

     3 x 5/10/15 Russian KB Swing & Goblet Squat (25#)

Jerk Dip 10 x 3 (Heavy)

     Attempted 135#

     Did 95#

3 Rounds:

     100m Row Sprint (All Out)

     Rest 30 Seconds

     10 Front Squats (Unbroken) 55#

     Rest 1 Minute

3 Rounds:

     For 2 minutes do:

     10 DB Snatches (20#, 25#, 25#)

     Then for the remainder of the time do Explosive Step-ups

     Rest 3 Minutes

The jerk dip was hard. I really wanted to go heavy as Joon wanted me too but my wrists weren't having any of it. I have a lot of work to do with my upper body mobility. I focus so much on my hips and legs that I have neglected my shoulders and wrists. It was far too painful with the weight on my wrist. So I cut the weight back and tightened my wrist straps. Though uncomfortable, it became much more bearable. Jerk dips are a strange movement, but they certainly got easier. The row sprints and front squats weren't so bad. I went light with the front squat because the focus was going unbroken. I wanted to give my right knee a chance to really warm-up and my wrists were feeling tired. As for the explosive step-ups, the first round was ok but the next two rounds really sucked. Even with a 3 minute rest period in between each set my quads were hating life. I really tried my best to get "comfortable with uncomfortable."

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

*There is no update on the case of my friends murder so far. After learning of her death yesterday morning, I decided to stay at work to keep myself calm. After work I choose to continue with my normal routine and go workout. It was one of those WODs that you knew you'd be hating it the minute the clock says 3, 2, 1 Go! But I am glad I did it, the entire time I kept Nicole in my thoughts and kept telling her this WOD was for her. I pushed myself to keep moving and to embrace the suck, because she embraced the suck to achieve her body building goals. Once the WOD was over a release of emotions came over me and it felt good to shed some tears. I took all of the pain and sadness I was feeling and channeled it into my movements. A part of me feels that maybe she was there helping me through it. RIP Nicole Laube.