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!
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
week one: completed
It has been an incredible week, and yesterday I made some amazing advances with my lifts! I completed my first week of the starter program via Catalyst Athletics, with much to be happy about and a better understanding of where I am weak. I have been moving non-stop since Sunday and I am not as sore as I was expecting to be. I know it is not from a lack of pushing myself, as I did weights that I didn't think I could do and supplementing my program with other "work in progress" stuff. My shoulders and lats are probably the most sore, but even than I could go lift more without any hesitation. I feel that becoming strict with myself with stretching and mobility work everyday is a huge reason why I am feeling better than just ok.
Yesterday, the last set for week one was finding my single heavy (1RM) of the Snatch, the Clean & Jerk, and the Front Squat. Firstly, the Snatch is where I am weakest, actually any movement where I have the bar over my head and having to squat is a weak movement for me. I know that the very last time I did a Snatch was on September 16, 2013 and I could only do 55#. Now for those of you reading this that do not know what these movements are, a Snatch is where I lift a barbell from the ground to overhead as fast as I can while receiving it in a squatting position. This takes a lot of control and balance, and as you can imagine the heavier the weight the harder it becomes. Because we do more Power Snatches and Muscles Snatches in the WODs (no squatting), I never get enough practice with the movement. This is by far the most challenging and the hardest of movements but I know if I keep at it I will get better at it. Anyway, I managed to PR my Snatch exactly 16 months after doing it last time and got 65# and if felt really good. I didn't struggle to get the bar up or hold it in the bottom of a squat. I did try to do 70# and just couldn't get the squat to stick without dropping the bar.
My next movement was the Clean & Jerk. I have never done the Clean & Jerk until I started this program. In our WODs we only ever do the Power Clean & Jerk, and even this is a rarity. I didn't even know there was a difference between the two until I went through the videos on Catalyst Athletics. I had no idea how much I could Clean in general and I knew that the heaviest Split Jerk I have done in the past was 105#. Combining the two together was going to be interesting. Earlier in the week I did the program with 85# and last night I established my 1RM being 105#. I feel that the Split Jerk can definitely go heavier but given that my Power Clean 1RM is only 115# and I couldn't even Clean that amount, I think it will take some time before I can get past this weight.
The last movement was the Front Squat. My last PR was in September of last year when I did 115#. And because I know I let the weight mess with my head, I worked up to 105# and than began adding weight without calculating how much was on the barbell. I kept adding the weight in increments of 10# so that I didn't waste time or tire myself out before reaching my true 1RM. In the end I ended up having a 35# PR at 150#. I honestly think I could have gone further but by this point my wrists and elbows were done and I didn't want to risk hurting myself. I am beside myself and incredibly proud of my accomplishments.
I am taking today and tomorrow off, giving my body a much needed break but still focusing on stretching and mobility work. I want to be prepared for next weeks program where the reps will go up and possibly some of the weight will too.
Yesterday, the last set for week one was finding my single heavy (1RM) of the Snatch, the Clean & Jerk, and the Front Squat. Firstly, the Snatch is where I am weakest, actually any movement where I have the bar over my head and having to squat is a weak movement for me. I know that the very last time I did a Snatch was on September 16, 2013 and I could only do 55#. Now for those of you reading this that do not know what these movements are, a Snatch is where I lift a barbell from the ground to overhead as fast as I can while receiving it in a squatting position. This takes a lot of control and balance, and as you can imagine the heavier the weight the harder it becomes. Because we do more Power Snatches and Muscles Snatches in the WODs (no squatting), I never get enough practice with the movement. This is by far the most challenging and the hardest of movements but I know if I keep at it I will get better at it. Anyway, I managed to PR my Snatch exactly 16 months after doing it last time and got 65# and if felt really good. I didn't struggle to get the bar up or hold it in the bottom of a squat. I did try to do 70# and just couldn't get the squat to stick without dropping the bar.
My next movement was the Clean & Jerk. I have never done the Clean & Jerk until I started this program. In our WODs we only ever do the Power Clean & Jerk, and even this is a rarity. I didn't even know there was a difference between the two until I went through the videos on Catalyst Athletics. I had no idea how much I could Clean in general and I knew that the heaviest Split Jerk I have done in the past was 105#. Combining the two together was going to be interesting. Earlier in the week I did the program with 85# and last night I established my 1RM being 105#. I feel that the Split Jerk can definitely go heavier but given that my Power Clean 1RM is only 115# and I couldn't even Clean that amount, I think it will take some time before I can get past this weight.
The last movement was the Front Squat. My last PR was in September of last year when I did 115#. And because I know I let the weight mess with my head, I worked up to 105# and than began adding weight without calculating how much was on the barbell. I kept adding the weight in increments of 10# so that I didn't waste time or tire myself out before reaching my true 1RM. In the end I ended up having a 35# PR at 150#. I honestly think I could have gone further but by this point my wrists and elbows were done and I didn't want to risk hurting myself. I am beside myself and incredibly proud of my accomplishments.
I am taking today and tomorrow off, giving my body a much needed break but still focusing on stretching and mobility work. I want to be prepared for next weeks program where the reps will go up and possibly some of the weight will too.
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| This photo was taken from Pinterest. |
Sunday, December 28, 2014
fran & updates
Today I went to CFST, probably for the first time ever on a Sunday. I am not sure why I never went before, especially since it is a Benchmark class. We worked on Fran today, and I have to be honest, I hate Fran. Anything with thrusters will always make me cringe. But I will be honest, I was relieved to learn we had no running in todays WOD. I really did not want to run again after yesterdays WOD. Anyway, the last time I did Fran I only did 55# and the ring rows. Because I don't like thrusters I don't work on them very often, which translates to my not being very efficient with them. Today though I decided to do the RX weight of 65# to challenge myself a little more. Especially since I KNOW I can do that weight. My pull-ups are banded ones and I typically do those when pull-ups are in the WOD but because we were trying to get the best time possible with Fran, I stuck with ring rows and focused on beating my time from August. Well ladies and gents, I am pleased to say I beat my time by 36 seconds. It was a great feeling!! I suppose it is time to really work on becoming more efficient with my thrusters and continue working on my pull-ups.
In other news, I have done some updates to my blog. Because I really want to keep track of my progress in some areas, I want a better way to know if the time I post under "Personal Records" is a modified WOD or RX. So from now on when I post a time, I will place a "M" to signify that it was a modified WOD. I also created a new tab, personal records notes, where I can keep notes on the WODs that I do modify. This way I can keep track of exactly what it was I modified within that WOD. This is more for me but since I know quite a few of you do read what I post, I figured I'd let you in on the changes you may notice.
I continue to thank everyone who has, who does, and who will support me. It is much appreciated.
In other news, I have done some updates to my blog. Because I really want to keep track of my progress in some areas, I want a better way to know if the time I post under "Personal Records" is a modified WOD or RX. So from now on when I post a time, I will place a "M" to signify that it was a modified WOD. I also created a new tab, personal records notes, where I can keep notes on the WODs that I do modify. This way I can keep track of exactly what it was I modified within that WOD. This is more for me but since I know quite a few of you do read what I post, I figured I'd let you in on the changes you may notice.
I continue to thank everyone who has, who does, and who will support me. It is much appreciated.
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| This photo was taken from Pinterest |
Thursday, August 28, 2014
one on one: day seventeen
I went to bed last night feeling pretty sore and thinking that todays session would just plain suck. Then I woke up and logged in and saw that the WOD for the day was "Fight Gone Bad" which I did once before back in July 2013. I was a little bummed because I would miss this WOD since I have other plans for this evening and figured my session with Joon would entail something else. Will it did not, in fact, as soon as Joon learned I would not be back this evening he said that todays session would be "Fight Gone Bad" and I was both excited and scared. The last time I did this WOD my rep count was 137, mind you I had only been doing CrossFit for about a month and half and it was heavily modified. Today I did the WOD, and not only did I RX it but I PR'd it by 41% and got 193 reps. I can not express how unbelievably surprised and happy I am. Joon gave me a goal of 200 reps and though I was like "sure" in my heart I didn't think I'd get that high. I just wanted to beat my old record. So here is what "Fight Gone Bad" is:
Three Rounds of (1 Minute @ Each Station):
Wall Ball 14#
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) 45#
Box Jumps 20"
Push Presses 45#
Row (for calories)
Rest 1 Minute
(These weights are for women)
I surprised myself with getting 21 wall balls in the first round, I moved without stopping and even got low on my squats (yay!). Joon and I believed the SDHP and push presses would be where I would excel but I found them the hardest part of this WOD. I couldn't do more than 3-5 reps at a time, and I can easily blame it on being sore or tired but I am not exactly sure why it was so hard. This whole thing sucked! I was consistent with my rowing and have definitely gotten more efficient at that. And I didn't do one step-up on the box jumps, I jumped the entire time. I'd say overall I am pretty impressed with myself and glad that Joon had me do this WOD. I know next time I will do more than 200 reps!
Three Rounds of (1 Minute @ Each Station):
Wall Ball 14#
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) 45#
Box Jumps 20"
Push Presses 45#
Row (for calories)
Rest 1 Minute
(These weights are for women)
I surprised myself with getting 21 wall balls in the first round, I moved without stopping and even got low on my squats (yay!). Joon and I believed the SDHP and push presses would be where I would excel but I found them the hardest part of this WOD. I couldn't do more than 3-5 reps at a time, and I can easily blame it on being sore or tired but I am not exactly sure why it was so hard. This whole thing sucked! I was consistent with my rowing and have definitely gotten more efficient at that. And I didn't do one step-up on the box jumps, I jumped the entire time. I'd say overall I am pretty impressed with myself and glad that Joon had me do this WOD. I know next time I will do more than 200 reps!
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| This photo was taken from Pinterest. |
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
summer smash crossfit competition reflection
If you've been keeping up with this blog than you already know that I competed this past Sunday, if not, well now you know. Being my first CrossFit competition you can imagine I went through an array of thoughts and emotions during the process. Naturally I was quite nervous leading up to the day, in fact it didn't really hit me until the day before. The morning of was hard to eat breakfast without feeling nauseous. What I was so nervous about I'm not entirely sure but knowing myself, I was probably more afraid of falling or doing something wrong in front of all the people that would be there watching and cheering us on. Because if you know me, you know that it is quite possible that I would accomplish something like that. And no, nothing of the sort happened. My nerves completely diminished the minute Megan, the gracious lady who put this competition together, went over the standards of the first WOD. Suddenly it was like I was back at CrossFit Stumptown and we were just going over the WOD that we would be embarking on. Oh, and allow me to add that the entire competition took place outside. They had the road closed off for the day and set everything up outside where there would be more room and the people walking by for the Hawthorne Street Fair could stop and watch. I didn't prepare for it being outdoors and working out under the hot sun all day, but it was a new challenge that I was forced to deal with. I competed in the Women's Scaled Division with only five other women. Here is my breakdown of thoughts on each WOD that day.
WOD #1:
AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
1 Power Clean 65#
2 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run (which actually turned out to be 2 back and forth sprints)
2 Power Clean 65#
4 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run
4 Power Clean 65#
8 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run
ETC ETC.
This WOD was awful. It was awful before I had even started, awful even days prior to the competition. I already knew that this WOD would be the one that I would do the worse in. First of all, running is just not something that comes to me naturally. Sure I can run, but I am not efficient at it. I don't stride well and I don't breathe correctly. This is something Joon and Tony have been working with me on. I'm still a work in progress. Anyhow, adding running AND burpees in the same WOD is like a death sentence for my lungs. I prepared in advanced and made sure to use my inhaler beforehand, and planned on just pacing myself during the run. What I didn't factor in was the HOT weather. The power cleans were of no issue, the weight is light for me and so breezing through those were a piece of cake. The burpees got hard fast with the sun beating down on my and trying to breathe over the hot black mats. In the very first sprint I took off way too fast and burned myself out almost immediately! Rookie mistake #1! Needless to say, I came in last in this event.
WOD #2 & #3:
Establish 1RM of Overhead Squat in 8 minutes, then rest 2 minutes and in 20 minutes complete:
500m Row
10 HRPU (hand release push-ups)
20 Step-ups on 20" box
30 KB Swings 25#
40 Sit-ups
100 Double Unders OR 300 Singles
40 Sit-ups
30 KB Swings 25#
20 Step-ups
10 HRPU
Ok let me begin with the overhead squat, my weakest of bar movements. I only established a new 1RM on this four days prior to the competition, from 65# to 95#. My goal was to get 90# on competition day, and maybe shoot for 95#. But as I was warned by Joon, the adrenaline will push you to go all out. And so after nailing 70#, 85#, and 90# I decided to get a little crazy and go for 100#. I failed the first two tries and even called good after that. But when 90 seconds was announced as all that was left, I decided to give it one more go and NAILED it! In a matter of one week I PR'd the OHS by 35#. How does this still surprise me? I have no clue. I placed 4th in WOD #2. The 500m row was a part of the 20 minute time cap but was scored separately. I came in 2nd place with the row at 2:06. For the rest of WOD #3 I came in 5th place and I believe a part of me died out there on the asphalt that day. As much as I dreaded WOD #1, this one pretty much killed me. Rookie mistake #2 is not knowing how to do double unders yet, so I ended up wasting time doing 300 singles. You know what that means? I means I am learning how to do double unders ASAP. The rest of the WOD was hard mostly out of being tired. I'm not accustomed to pushing myself to continuously move without stopping for water or breathing breaks. I came close to not finishing it under the time cap, but I did. Thank goodness!
Final WOD:
AMRAP in 3 minutes of:
Shoulder to Overhead 65#
I chose to do push presses as I felt those were more efficient for me at such a light weight. Before beginning this WOD I felt that my shoulders felt pretty good, especially since everyone seemed to be complaining that their shoulders felt tired. But after about a minute of doing push presses I began feeling my shoulders burn like crazy. I pumped out as many push presses as quickly as I could go. I ended up getting 37 reps in 3 minutes. I placed 5th in this event.
Individually I did alright in most events, especially for it being my first time. I went into this competition wanting not to place last but after WOD #1 I came to terms that I would more than likely place last overall. And you know, I was surprisingly ok with this. I mean at least I signed up and knew I was giving my (almost) all. The end result was I placed 5th overall. This was a pleasant ending to my first competition. Now the bigger question is, what did I learn from this experience?
Well, I absolutely learned that I really need to learn to be a more efficient runner. So much so that I will begin taking Tony's running clinic Saturday mornings in September. I learned that I need to learn to do double unders. And the biggest lesson learned is to give myself enough credit. I am strong. I am capable.
WOD #1:
AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
1 Power Clean 65#
2 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run (which actually turned out to be 2 back and forth sprints)
2 Power Clean 65#
4 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run
4 Power Clean 65#
8 Over the Bar Burpee
200m Run
ETC ETC.
This WOD was awful. It was awful before I had even started, awful even days prior to the competition. I already knew that this WOD would be the one that I would do the worse in. First of all, running is just not something that comes to me naturally. Sure I can run, but I am not efficient at it. I don't stride well and I don't breathe correctly. This is something Joon and Tony have been working with me on. I'm still a work in progress. Anyhow, adding running AND burpees in the same WOD is like a death sentence for my lungs. I prepared in advanced and made sure to use my inhaler beforehand, and planned on just pacing myself during the run. What I didn't factor in was the HOT weather. The power cleans were of no issue, the weight is light for me and so breezing through those were a piece of cake. The burpees got hard fast with the sun beating down on my and trying to breathe over the hot black mats. In the very first sprint I took off way too fast and burned myself out almost immediately! Rookie mistake #1! Needless to say, I came in last in this event.
WOD #2 & #3:
Establish 1RM of Overhead Squat in 8 minutes, then rest 2 minutes and in 20 minutes complete:
500m Row
10 HRPU (hand release push-ups)
20 Step-ups on 20" box
30 KB Swings 25#
40 Sit-ups
100 Double Unders OR 300 Singles
40 Sit-ups
30 KB Swings 25#
20 Step-ups
10 HRPU
Ok let me begin with the overhead squat, my weakest of bar movements. I only established a new 1RM on this four days prior to the competition, from 65# to 95#. My goal was to get 90# on competition day, and maybe shoot for 95#. But as I was warned by Joon, the adrenaline will push you to go all out. And so after nailing 70#, 85#, and 90# I decided to get a little crazy and go for 100#. I failed the first two tries and even called good after that. But when 90 seconds was announced as all that was left, I decided to give it one more go and NAILED it! In a matter of one week I PR'd the OHS by 35#. How does this still surprise me? I have no clue. I placed 4th in WOD #2. The 500m row was a part of the 20 minute time cap but was scored separately. I came in 2nd place with the row at 2:06. For the rest of WOD #3 I came in 5th place and I believe a part of me died out there on the asphalt that day. As much as I dreaded WOD #1, this one pretty much killed me. Rookie mistake #2 is not knowing how to do double unders yet, so I ended up wasting time doing 300 singles. You know what that means? I means I am learning how to do double unders ASAP. The rest of the WOD was hard mostly out of being tired. I'm not accustomed to pushing myself to continuously move without stopping for water or breathing breaks. I came close to not finishing it under the time cap, but I did. Thank goodness!
Final WOD:
AMRAP in 3 minutes of:
Shoulder to Overhead 65#
I chose to do push presses as I felt those were more efficient for me at such a light weight. Before beginning this WOD I felt that my shoulders felt pretty good, especially since everyone seemed to be complaining that their shoulders felt tired. But after about a minute of doing push presses I began feeling my shoulders burn like crazy. I pumped out as many push presses as quickly as I could go. I ended up getting 37 reps in 3 minutes. I placed 5th in this event.
Individually I did alright in most events, especially for it being my first time. I went into this competition wanting not to place last but after WOD #1 I came to terms that I would more than likely place last overall. And you know, I was surprisingly ok with this. I mean at least I signed up and knew I was giving my (almost) all. The end result was I placed 5th overall. This was a pleasant ending to my first competition. Now the bigger question is, what did I learn from this experience?
Well, I absolutely learned that I really need to learn to be a more efficient runner. So much so that I will begin taking Tony's running clinic Saturday mornings in September. I learned that I need to learn to do double unders. And the biggest lesson learned is to give myself enough credit. I am strong. I am capable.
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| This photo was taken from Pinterest. |
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
one on one: day thirteen
Today was the first day I worked out since last Friday, we can thank my left sacroiliac joint for that. I have this issue with that area where it likes to get all out of shape and flare up on me. So after doing a lot of KB movements and Deadlifts, and being an idiot and not stretching out afterwards I woke up Saturday morning in awful pain. I couldn't sit or lay comfortable and forget bending or squatting in any way, shape, or form. By Monday I started to feel better and got adjusted, by Tuesday I was functioning better but waited to get back to the gym until today. On the way to CrossFit Stumptown for my session with Joon I found out that the second WOD in the Summer Smash Competition I am participating in this Sunday will be establishing your one rep max in Overhead Squats. UGH! I hate OHS!! Needless to say, this is what we worked on today and guess what? I PR'd!
Warm-up: 2000m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
3 x 5 Goblet Squat
3 x 20/10 Isometric Hold Back Extension
Max Effort Isometric Hold: 27 seconds
Skill + Strength:
Rack OHS Press Up 7 x 5 (65, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 110#)
OHS #45 7 x 5
5 Attempts 1RM OHS (65, 75, 85,95, 95#)
So I went from having a 1RM of 65# from March to a 1RM of 95# today. I owe Joon so much for all his support and help. Between him and Aaron constantly telling me I am stronger than I think I am, I still don't grasp that concept. I am still quite surprised every time I accomplish something so heavy.
I can't wait for Sunday's competition and see how I perform. I am definitely nervous, but super excited about it.
Warm-up: 2000m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
3 x 5 Goblet Squat
3 x 20/10 Isometric Hold Back Extension
Max Effort Isometric Hold: 27 seconds
Skill + Strength:
Rack OHS Press Up 7 x 5 (65, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 110#)
OHS #45 7 x 5
5 Attempts 1RM OHS (65, 75, 85,
So I went from having a 1RM of 65# from March to a 1RM of 95# today. I owe Joon so much for all his support and help. Between him and Aaron constantly telling me I am stronger than I think I am, I still don't grasp that concept. I am still quite surprised every time I accomplish something so heavy.
I can't wait for Sunday's competition and see how I perform. I am definitely nervous, but super excited about it.
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| This photo was taken from the competitions Facebook page. |
Friday, August 8, 2014
one on one: day twelve
Typically my one on one sessions with Joon are Tuesday and Thursday every week, but this week we moved our Thursday session to Friday (today). This was probably a blessing in disguise actually because I woke up Thursday morning with an awful pain in my right knee. The night before I did a WOD that had lunges and pistol squats in them. Naturally my pistol squats were modified as it was my very first attempt at them, ever. Anyway, I don't know if it was the WOD itself or just a combination of things leading up to Thursday morning that was causing the knee pain. As soon as I made it to work I had to change my shoes as I began to limp slightly. When my boss, a chiropractor, got there I had him take a look at my knee. Now if I have never said this before, I'll say it now, he's an amazing chiropractor and I am so forever grateful not to only work for him but to be his patient. Ok ok, back to my knee, he checked it out and adjusted it. Apparently I managed to get my tibia to rotate medially at the proximal end and the fibula to set back and rotate laterally at the proximal end. Essentially this was a bad thing and most probably the cause of all of my discomfort. Thankfully though the adjustment was enough to help and I was walking like new. I intentionally decided to avoid all lunges and squats for the rest of the day.
So then today arrived and my knee felt great this morning. I felt pretty good, slept well finally and was curious to see what Joon would have me doing. And so this is what I did:
Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
Row 6 x 100m (Sprint)
-30 Seconds Active Rest-
KB Complex (25# for 5 Sets):
5 Single Arm Swing- Left
5 Double Arm Swing
5 Single Arm Swing- Right
5 KB Snatch- Right
5 KB Snatch- Left
Work Up to a Heavy Deadlift: PR'd at 235#
Then,
5 x 2 @ 80% of 1RM
AMRAP in 5 Minutes:
5 Jump Squats
10 KB Push Press
15 Calories Airdyne
Let me just say that getting a PR on my Deadlift was freaking awesome! My last 1RM was 225# that I got last January and when I attempted to lift that again a few weeks ago, I couldn't get passed 195#. The rowing is getting easier too, I think whatever Joon has me doing is actually working. Imagine that! I hate KB but I can do them, I just hate that I always end up with sores and bruises on my wrists and/or shoulders. The airdyne though? I detest and there is absolutely NOTHING Joon can do to change my mind on that. I know it will help with my training but it's an awful piece of machinery!
I end this post with some exciting news, which many of you will already know. Today I officially signed up for my very first official CrossFit competition. I will compete next to many of my CrossFit Stumptown gym mates on the 17th of this month. I am both nervous and excited and am eager to see how I do. Naturally I want to win, but I will be happy not coming in last! :) I will keep you posted on how I do at the competition!
So then today arrived and my knee felt great this morning. I felt pretty good, slept well finally and was curious to see what Joon would have me doing. And so this is what I did:
Warm-up: 500m Row
Extended Warm-Up:
Row 6 x 100m (Sprint)
-30 Seconds Active Rest-
KB Complex (25# for 5 Sets):
5 Single Arm Swing- Left
5 Double Arm Swing
5 Single Arm Swing- Right
5 KB Snatch- Right
5 KB Snatch- Left
Work Up to a Heavy Deadlift: PR'd at 235#
Then,
5 x 2 @ 80% of 1RM
AMRAP in 5 Minutes:
5 Jump Squats
10 KB Push Press
15 Calories Airdyne
Let me just say that getting a PR on my Deadlift was freaking awesome! My last 1RM was 225# that I got last January and when I attempted to lift that again a few weeks ago, I couldn't get passed 195#. The rowing is getting easier too, I think whatever Joon has me doing is actually working. Imagine that! I hate KB but I can do them, I just hate that I always end up with sores and bruises on my wrists and/or shoulders. The airdyne though? I detest and there is absolutely NOTHING Joon can do to change my mind on that. I know it will help with my training but it's an awful piece of machinery!
I end this post with some exciting news, which many of you will already know. Today I officially signed up for my very first official CrossFit competition. I will compete next to many of my CrossFit Stumptown gym mates on the 17th of this month. I am both nervous and excited and am eager to see how I do. Naturally I want to win, but I will be happy not coming in last! :) I will keep you posted on how I do at the competition!
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| Photo taken from Pinterest. |
Sunday, March 9, 2014
day 6 & 7/30: resting squat challenge & pr's
Last night my knees were pretty sore from all the pounding it's taken this past week. While at a sports bar checking out the Portland Timbers game, I finally had to stand up from my stool and just stand. I didn't get a lot of resting squat in yesterday but working on more of it today. The knees aren't as sore today either.
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| Yesterday while at the CF Open 14.2 |
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| At home after an Olympic Weightlifting class & Tabata Sit-ups |
Every Sunday I attend an Olympic Weightlifting class at my box to fine tune the movements. We work on Snatches, Cleans, and Jerks. Today I managed to PR on my Clean & Jerk. My snatches are getting better too! And on Friday, while doing the CF Open 14.2, I PR on the OHS. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it!
Monday, January 27, 2014
personal record: push press
Tonight we had to work on our 1 rep max of shoulder to overhead, which can be a push press, or military (strict) press, or push jerk. I decided to work on my push press as my last PR was 80# and I knew I could do heavier. I used the rack tonight as I know my max clean is 95# and I wanted to work on a heavier push press. I ended up doing a 105# with more to spare. Ran out of time and didn't want to tire myself out before the WOD. I think I could've done 10# heavier. Next time!
The video captures me doing a 100# push press.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
personal record: power clean
It's not a big PR but nonetheless it's a new personal best. I went from a 90# clean to a 95# this evening. I did attempt to move up to 100# but I just wasn't feeling it this evening. I know I have it in me but after Monday and Tuesday's WOD's my back is feeling pretty sore. Safety first. :)
Monday, January 20, 2014
personal record: deadlift
This evening I set a new personal record on my Deadlift. In October I did a 200# DL and this evening I did a 225#. I did attempt three times to do a 245# but I couldn't do it. That is ok, I will do it next time. Thankfully, this time I thought to have my PR recorded. Enjoy! :)
P.S. I am such a giddy girl sometimes.
Monday, November 18, 2013
breaking personal bests x2
Tonight was an incredible night for me, and well for many of my fellow CrossFitters too. The WOD for today was as follows:
1 RM (rep max) Deadlift
Then for time:
30 HSPU
40 Pull-ups
50 KB Swings, 53/35
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees
So first let me begin with the deadlift, which happens to be one of my favorite lifts. The last time we had to find our one rep max, which was about 3 or so months ago, I lifted 175#. I was pretty proud of myself and super excited. As we worked on all of our lifts, during the last month I noticed I began to struggle with the deadlift. I couldn't repeat my one rep max or even lift close to it. When a WOD asked for 155# deadlifts, it was a constant struggle. So when I heard we would be working on deadlifts today, I wasn't feeling very confident. I started out with a lighter weight- 85#. I slowly increased the weight until I made it to my previous one rep max, which felt surprisingly good. I bumped up to 185#, then 190#. I was feeling pretty pumped over this, but then my coach Joon said to me "you're still standing, it wasn't heavy enough." I momentarily thought he was crazy, especially when he suggested I try once more at 200#. I just smiled and stood there shocked. But then I figured what the hell, I can attempt it and what's the worse that can happen? I don't get it up. So as I loaded my barbell up with some more weight, I began to think about the things I read in the "Becoming a Supple Leopard" book by Dr. Kelly Starrett. He stated to torque your feet externally without actually turning your feet. As well as being reminded by Joon to drive with my heal. So I walked up to the barbell, got comfortable with my stance, lowered by butt down and grabbed a hold of the bar, and breathed. With much focus, I drove my body upward while many eyes were on me, and before grasping what I had just done I was already lowering the bar down. I just about lost my shit and jumped up and down with excitement! I went from my max being 175# only 3 or so months ago to and increase of 25#!! This definitely was the most amazing feeling. Many of my CrossFitters this evening got incredible one rep maxes, there was definitely something in the air tonight!
As for my other personal best, I managed for the first time to finish a WOD in it's entirety before everyone else in class. It's not necessarily a big thing, but for a chipper WOD like tonight, it's kind of a big deal. I tend to puss out and take many breaks when our workouts are body weight sorts. I don't know if it was the high off of having a rad PR or having flushed refined sugar out of my system, but I was feeling like superwoman. I busted through the workout with speed and a finish time of 14:14. It was certainly a good night...
1 RM (rep max) Deadlift
Then for time:
30 HSPU
40 Pull-ups
50 KB Swings, 53/35
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees
 |
| This photo was found on Pinterest. |
So first let me begin with the deadlift, which happens to be one of my favorite lifts. The last time we had to find our one rep max, which was about 3 or so months ago, I lifted 175#. I was pretty proud of myself and super excited. As we worked on all of our lifts, during the last month I noticed I began to struggle with the deadlift. I couldn't repeat my one rep max or even lift close to it. When a WOD asked for 155# deadlifts, it was a constant struggle. So when I heard we would be working on deadlifts today, I wasn't feeling very confident. I started out with a lighter weight- 85#. I slowly increased the weight until I made it to my previous one rep max, which felt surprisingly good. I bumped up to 185#, then 190#. I was feeling pretty pumped over this, but then my coach Joon said to me "you're still standing, it wasn't heavy enough." I momentarily thought he was crazy, especially when he suggested I try once more at 200#. I just smiled and stood there shocked. But then I figured what the hell, I can attempt it and what's the worse that can happen? I don't get it up. So as I loaded my barbell up with some more weight, I began to think about the things I read in the "Becoming a Supple Leopard" book by Dr. Kelly Starrett. He stated to torque your feet externally without actually turning your feet. As well as being reminded by Joon to drive with my heal. So I walked up to the barbell, got comfortable with my stance, lowered by butt down and grabbed a hold of the bar, and breathed. With much focus, I drove my body upward while many eyes were on me, and before grasping what I had just done I was already lowering the bar down. I just about lost my shit and jumped up and down with excitement! I went from my max being 175# only 3 or so months ago to and increase of 25#!! This definitely was the most amazing feeling. Many of my CrossFitters this evening got incredible one rep maxes, there was definitely something in the air tonight!
As for my other personal best, I managed for the first time to finish a WOD in it's entirety before everyone else in class. It's not necessarily a big thing, but for a chipper WOD like tonight, it's kind of a big deal. I tend to puss out and take many breaks when our workouts are body weight sorts. I don't know if it was the high off of having a rad PR or having flushed refined sugar out of my system, but I was feeling like superwoman. I busted through the workout with speed and a finish time of 14:14. It was certainly a good night...
Monday, October 28, 2013
q & a: "why do you talk about CrossFit so much?"
From time to time I've had friends, acquaintance, and strangers ask me questions related to my CrossFit experience. I give my answer, but more often than not I wish I would have had more time to think about the question before answering. So I decided to start adding the questions I get related to my CrossFit experience, everything from the fitness to the diet and everything else in between, and my answers here on my blog. So if you ever have a question, please ask by using the "contact me" form to the right of this posting. So on to the most popular question I get...
Q: "Why do you talk about CrossFit so much?" -various people
A: Simple. I drank the Kool-aid. Ok no, seriously there was no drinking of Kool-aid- that would be bad, too much sugar! But why do I talk about it so much? Well, for one, I'm extremely excited about it. When something good, positive, rewarding, exciting, (you fill in the possible word) happens to you, you want to share it with the people you love. Right? You got that dream job. You met an incredible new person. You won the lottery. You get the picture here. This situation isn't any different. I found something that makes me happy, that makes me feel good, and in a short time has proven results with all the hard work I put into it. And yes, usually with all new things that happy feeling tends to fade and you don't really care to talk about it anymore. Unfortunately for those of you who are tired of hearing me talk about it, it has not faded. And it won't. Why? Well, its an ever evolving thing. There will always be something that I am getting better at. There will always be something I finally did that I couldn't before. There will always be a PR. There will always be new results. Why wouldn't I want to share this with you? Granted, any of you who are reading this right now must enjoy it or you wouldn't keep coming back. I can only hope that some of you will be interested in a tasting the Kool-aid. Ready for a change?
Q: "Why do you talk about CrossFit so much?" -various people
This photo was found on Pinterest.
A: Simple. I drank the Kool-aid. Ok no, seriously there was no drinking of Kool-aid- that would be bad, too much sugar! But why do I talk about it so much? Well, for one, I'm extremely excited about it. When something good, positive, rewarding, exciting, (you fill in the possible word) happens to you, you want to share it with the people you love. Right? You got that dream job. You met an incredible new person. You won the lottery. You get the picture here. This situation isn't any different. I found something that makes me happy, that makes me feel good, and in a short time has proven results with all the hard work I put into it. And yes, usually with all new things that happy feeling tends to fade and you don't really care to talk about it anymore. Unfortunately for those of you who are tired of hearing me talk about it, it has not faded. And it won't. Why? Well, its an ever evolving thing. There will always be something that I am getting better at. There will always be something I finally did that I couldn't before. There will always be a PR. There will always be new results. Why wouldn't I want to share this with you? Granted, any of you who are reading this right now must enjoy it or you wouldn't keep coming back. I can only hope that some of you will be interested in a tasting the Kool-aid. Ready for a change?
Thursday, September 19, 2013
breaking PR's & rest days
Twice this week I broke a personal record, Deadlift and Push Press. I couldn't be more pumped over this! With the Deadlift I lifted 20# more than I had 3 weeks ago. That's a pretty large progress in such short time, I think anyway. But it makes me wonder if I was capable then to lift the extra 20#. Could I have progressed THAT much in 3 weeks? I'm not sure. This is a question to ask the coaches (I'll come back with an answer). As for the Push Press, I lifted 5# more than I had 10 days ago. Now that is progress I can comprehend. I'm amazed by how much weight I can move around in forms I had no idea I could do.
This photo was found on Pinterest.
So today I decided to take a rest day. Lately I have been hitting the box 5 times a week, typically Monday thru Friday. Yesterday, even though I managed to do 5# more in my Push Press, I noticed that I was not performing well. I don't know if it was because I was tired or sore, which my low back was from doing the Deadlifts the previous night. I gave the WOD last night my all, but I didn't feel like it was my all. Today I've been struggling with more soreness in my low back, possible shin splints, and heavy eyes. I'd say those are strong indicators that I take the night off and give my body the necessary break it needs. Remember, regardless of the activity you do, give your body a chance to recover and nourish it well.
"Continuous effort- not strength or intelligence- is the key to unlocking our potential"- Winston Churchill
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