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.

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!

one on one: day thirty-eight

Today's session with Joon is with my having three days off from any sort of CrossFit or training, not ideal. This morning I really wasn't feeling like working out and it took a lot of my energy to get up, eat, and get ready to go. But once there at the gym, I started to perk up a bit. Jumping on the rower help me as well. Now that I am following a starter program for Olympic Weightlifting, Joon has restructured our sessions to compliment that and help me in other areas that really need some help and are on my goals list. This is what we worked on today:

Warm-up: 1500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
   KB Ladder 25# Swing/Goblet Squat 5/10/5 Reps
                      35# Swing/Goblet Squat 5/10/5 Reps
                      53# Swing 30 Reps x2

Ring Work- played with just hanging off of the ring in a hollow position and with my knees up.

The Jefferson Curl 10x

Than,
V-ups 20x
Banded Pull-ups (no kip) 5x
V-ups 20x
Banded Pull-ups (no kip) 5x
V-ups 20x

Cool-down on AirFit for 5 minutes

The KB work felt more like a workout than a warm-up and I am amazed that I swung a 53# KB. All of the KB work was to be done without putting it down. On my last 30 of the 53# swing I broke it up into 3 random splits as my hands and lower back had enough. I need to chalk up as the KB threaten to fly out of my hands and my back wanted a time-out. The ring work was fun, other than ring rows I have never actually played with the rings before. Doing a hang from the rings was far easier than doing it from a pull-up bar, I will keep practicing these on my own. I am not sure how to explain what the Jefferson Curl is, but let me just say it is absolutely amazing and completely feels great on the spine! The v-ups just plain suck, I'm not good at them. I think it is mainly because for a very long time I couldn't do them because it would be too painful on my tailbone. But today it didn't bother my tailbone at all. It was still hard though, my form was awful. Practicing a strict pull-up is hard, even with a band. I have gotten so use to using a kip to help me that I haven't really helped the necessary muscles that will get me to do a pull-up. Another thing I will be working on.

Overall it was a good session and I feel great. My hands are killing me, especially after going back to CFST tonight to work on my program and practice the ring hangs again. I want to say that my hands are getting use to the abuse but they aren't yet. I do have some calluses building up but the pain hasn't lessened one bit. I am looking forward to a day when it becomes tolerable... cause it will happen, right?!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

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.

one on one: day thirty-seven

I'm back!!!! Today was my first session with Joon since November 18th! It has really been that long, between his schedule, my schedule, life, holidays, etc etc. we just couldn't make anything work. But today, we got back on it and you know what? I HURT! I'm still sore from Friday, Saturday, and Monday's WODs, than I add his session into the mix and every muscle in my body hates me and him. Oh and I have lovely bruises forming, it's been a while since that happened. Thanks Joon! Alright, so this is what he had in store for me today:

Warm-up-ish:
800m SkiErg
200m Row
600m SkiErg
400m Row
400m SkiErg
600m Row
200m SkiErg
800m Row

KB Complex 2 minutes:
1 Swing + 1 Clean + 1 High Pull + 1 Snatch
2x

Mission Test 5 minutes:
2 Cleans + 1 Press + 3 Front Squats

Ok, that warm up part was sheer torture as I hadn't done anything with the SkiErg in a long time. During the 800 and 600m sessions, I must've stopped a time or two trying to catch my breathe and shake my already sore body out. What a rude awakening that was for me. The KB work was fun and challenging. My hands have been bothering me lately, I have been trying to work on my grip work on the bar and trying to get my kipping movement down. So holding the KB today was a real pain, I had to chalk the hell out of the KB and my hands just to get through it. After a while the hands became the last thing on my mind as I could feel my muscles scream at me. A few times I hit myself with the KB and knew I'd be feeling that later, well I am. Bruises are forming and I am sensitive to the touch.

This evening I had Coach Tony check my body fat, that is the other thing I am getting back into. I am really disappointed that I gained all that I lost the last time plus some. I could blame the holidays all I want but no one forced the crappy shit down my throat. Thankfully I am back on track and will fix this situation, fast!

All in all, it feels good to be back. I will also be posting more often again and keeping everyone up to date with what is happening. Thank you again for all the positive feedback! <3

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.

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 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.

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-three

I walked into the gym today still feeling pretty beat up from Tuesday's session. The primary area of soreness are my triceps, good lord did (still do) hurt! And let me add that I went back to the gym Tuesday night to join the class in the days WOD and ended up not finishing it. After the first round my shins decided to cramp up, both of them. Have you ever had shin cramps? Holy moly, I think those are worse than calf cramps. Anyway, here is what I did today:

Warm-up: 5 Min Easy Row
Squat Therapy
Then...

Work up to a heavy Sumo Deadlift (1RM 185#)
5 x 2 @ 80% of 1RM
Then...

Three Rounds:
250m Row + 2:00 Min Lateral Step-overs
1- 54.9 / 26
2- 54.1 / 30
3- 52.1 / 33
Then...

100 "Z" Presses (5 Atomic Sit-ups at each stop)

The squat therapy pretty much told me that my hips are still not open, that my ankle mobility sucks, and my knees are not tracking right. Boo! I thought I was getting better, I guess I need to get back to work on those. As for the Sumo Deadlifts, it was fun trying to find my one rep max. I didn't think I'd be able to get that heavy but was happily surprised when I got 185#. I have to admit that I am pretty impressed with myself in the Rowing and Step-overs segment of my session today. Each round I only got better, which still amazes me that it's possible to do when you are feeling out of breathe and tired. The final segment was the "Z" Presses and this was just plain mean of Joon! These are the reason my triceps are a million times more sore now. Thanks Joon!

Overall I felt good in todays session even though I showed up 5 minutes late and frazzled from traffic, as well as tired from not sleeping very well this whole week. I think taking Wednesday off also helped me recover and ready for today. Biggest thing I need to remember is to listen to my body and take time off when needed.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-one

This will be a short and sweet posting. I am feeling a little unmotivated to come up with much detail to share this evening on my session with Joon today. Not that the session wasn't any good, it was fantastic actually. I'm just not feeling it tonight. Today was actually a recovery session, after Tuesday's brutal hour. We worked on teaching me how to rebound, which is something I don't think I have ever practiced before or am good at. It was a slow warm up to it but eventually I got the hang of the movement. I still need a lot of practice and my shins are a little sore. Joon had me rolling the bottom of my feet and my IT Band out often. Essentially there was a lot of jumping. My adductors and hamstrings are still feeling a bit sore but I am managing just fine. Thank you Joon for fun sessions like today, where I learned something new and giggled!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty

Woo hoo I reached TWENTY sessions!! Maybe this is why Joon set up an ass kicker of a workout today- to celebrate. Of all the sessions I have had, todays was by far the worse one yet. Yes yes, I know I always say something similar to that in almost every post but this time, I truly mean it. Today was the first time I have ever, and I mean EVER, felt like crying during a workout/WOD. The coaches always joke about it from time to time saying it's ok if you want to cry, just don't give up. Sometimes these WODs are a mental game and you just have to push through the suck, it makes you mentally tougher or so they say. But today I was breaking, mentally I was struggling and breathing was so erratic. With every movement something in my body was yelling at me and my mind couldn't deal with it, a few times I expressed to Joon I want to cry and he simply said, "don't let it break you." So I fought against the tears, and I promise you I was literally on the verge of shedding tears as I squat yet another squat, but instead I just grunted, moaned, and exhaled loudly. So here is what sent me over the edge:

Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-up:
     Tabata Russian KB Swings 25#

10 Rounds of:
20 Sec Max Effort on AirFit
3 Min Rest- Perform 10 Back Squats
(5 Rounds @ 105# / 5 Rounds @ 85#)

Results of AirFit (in Calories)
1- 11.3
2- 15.5
3- 9.5
4- 11.8
5- 11.8
6- 10.5
7- 12.3
8- 11.3
9- 11.2
10- 13.4

This is pretty much all I did and it was utterly horrible. My legs, primarily my quads, hated not only Joon but myself. If you have never gone max effort on the AirFit (Airdyne), you've been warned. To do that than have a 3 minute rest period where I had to perform 10 back squats within that time frame was so brutally hard, not just physically but mentally. The end result is that I did do it, I never gave up and I did my best giving my all. Even on a day I walked into the gym and told Joon beforehand that I was feeling quite tired and that I didn't know if I COULD give me best. Under those circumstances I still performed well. Could have I done better? Probably. My body can, but it's the beast of the mind that holds me (us) back. Besides my second round where I got 15.5 calories, I managed to get a big number on my very last round. We can dig deep when we try.

When it was all done I laid there on the floor for a bit and caught my breathe and whined in discomfort. My first attempt in getting up failed with me just falling right back down, I was experiencing spaghetti legs. After a few more minutes I managed to get myself up and moving around, with a couple of close calls. Once I got to my car though I have to admit that I did get all watery-eyed. This was a very tough workout for me but I am happy I did it and didn't let my mind stop me. Happy Twentieth Session Joon! :)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.