feeling good

I officially have two days down in my first week of programming for Olympic Weightlifting. I'm not as sore as I suspected I would be but we'll wait to see how I feel after Friday. Today I worked on the Snatch, it's been a very long time since I've done a regular Snatch. I went sort of light since I am not sure how much I am capable of doing. I will find out this Friday, but I am sure I will PR the Snatch and I am hoping the Front Squat too. I am feeling quite strong today.

I have also been working on my planks, and I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly I have gone up on my times. Today I accomplished a 1 min 20 sec plank, and this with something being placed on my back for about 20 of those seconds.

I am learning a lot already just from the Catalyst Athletics site alone, than you add the info I have been getting from others and it is incredible how much there is out there. My session today with Joon ended up being an hour long talk about my new objectives and goals. It was a very productive talk and it most certainly inspired me and gave me focus. I am looking forward to what is to come and to see progress!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day fourteen (bonus day)

This week of one on one training with Joon is slightly off. Instead of the normal Tuesday/Thursday sessions, we are doing Wednesday/Friday to accommodate my time off to allow my back to get better from my sacroiliac joint issue. But since work was a tad bit slow today, I got off early and had an impromptu session with Joon to help prepare me for my competition this coming Sunday. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by people who want to see me succeed. I don't think I would feel confident enough to even consider competing if I didn't have the support that I at home and CrossFit Stumptown. So this is what we did:

Warm-up: 3 min Row
5 Sets (2 min rest in between each set) of:
     2 Power Cleans (75#)
     4 Athletic Burpees
     10 Cal Airdyne

Sculpting:
     3 x 5-7 Dumbbell Presses
     3 x 5-7 Tricep Extension
     5 x 5 Five Sec Elevated Plank Hold, 1 Push-up

It was a short and sweet session but it sure has me feeling my arms more than I have in a long time. Feels good actually. I surprised myself with the Airdyne today and pushed myself harder towards the end, even when my quads were burning like crazy and I felt tired as hell. I worked really hard on focusing on breathing properly to limit my panic breathing. Give me something heavy to lift and I will probably do it, but ask me to breathe normally and I just can't quite get it done right. Baby steps.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

plank challenge ended

Today was the last day of the 30 day Plank Challenge, which I unfortunately was not successful in. A combination of the challenge calendar being far more advanced than I had anticipated and my right knee being a bit of an issue. But that is ok, I will be better prepared next time the plank comes back around. I will now go off and enjoy the rest of my holiday season and join in another challenge in January… the push-up! Interested in joining myself and some of my friends? Check out Challenge Me Fit and let me know if you are interested. The more, the merrier!

knee pain & the plank

Ok, so I'm 13 days into the plank challenge and we've made it to the 1.5 min hold. This is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. Not so much the plank itself, I knew it would be a challenge… that's the whole point of a challenge. But I didn't factor in that my knees would potentially be a problem, and they are. For a while now my knees have been a source of some discomfort, so much so that I have had to modify or avoid some workouts at my box. This is utterly frustrating to me. I just want to be able to do or try to do what everyone else is doing in class. I'll admit, it makes me feel like a pansy. I have been working on an array of mobility work to help my knees and the surrounding areas, as well as strengthening other muscles, and practicing proper form in other movements. Some days my knees will not cooperate with me and other days I feel like I can climb a mountain with no issues. I'm trying to remain positive and continue to work on what needs to be worked on. But I'm not going to lie, the time it's taking for things to change is frustrating me and mentally draining me. I have little to no patience.

As for the plank, I am not able to hold it for a minute without going into a modify hold. Even if I try to ignore the pain, which I know I shouldn't, I can't. So in lieu of giving up, I will modify the challenge so that I am still able to participate. I will begin to hold the plank for as long as I can until the pain sets in, then I will rest for 30 seconds before continuing on. The time is only counted when I am in a plank position. I encourage anyone else who is participating in the plank challenge to modify the same way if needed. I will not allow my knees to defeat me. This is all just temporary and it will pass… plank on!

day 4 of 30: plank challenge

Today was day 4 of the plank challenge and the last of the 30 seconds. Tonights plank was a bit of challenge due to having just had an intense workout only an hour before. I had to be reminded to breathe. And what you will not see in the video is how much my arms are shaking. However, my form has gotten better (butt is staying down). Whenever you see me arch my butt up and shake my leg, it's due to having some knee problems… bare with me, I do add a couple of seconds to the plank to make up for it.

day 1 of 30: plank challenge

Today a few of my wonderful friends and I began our journey in a plank challenge. The last time I worked on doing the plank, which was about two or so years ago, I was able to hold it for a little over a minute. And now, well not so much. I've asked all the friends that have decided to join me in this challenge to record their first and last day, and if possible a few in between. At the end of the challenge I will collect all the video's and create a video montage, but for now, I will just post my weekly attempts. Today's attempt was to hold it for 20 seconds. I learned pretty quickly that I wasn't as flat as I felt I was… as you will witness.

I held the plank for 21 seconds, unintentionally. My way of dealing with discomfort or uncomfortable situations is to laugh, clearly this will be a very long 30 day challenge for me. 

Others doing the challenge with me:

Darci

Denisa

Robin

Christopher

Tonya

Todd

Ashley

Proud of you guys… get those video's to me!

only 2 days away from the plank challenge

So in two days I will be participating in a 30 day plank challenge with some friends. If you missed the posting with what the Plank Challenge entails, go here. This evening I had a breakthrough during my class that made me realize I have gotten pretty strong in the last few months and I think I may be successful during this challenge. We shall see. I want to thank the following people for joining me: Denisa, Tonya, Robin, Darci, and Christopher! It's not too late for anyone who wants to jump on board.

This photo was found on Pinterest.

plank challenge

I know you might think I'm crazy, but yes I want to do another challenge while in a challenge. As you may already know, I am currently on a sugar challenge (5 days in, come back for updates) and I'm doing well. But this new challenge is a physical one that anyone of any fitness level can try, the Plank Challenge. I intend on starting this 30 day challenge on November 15th and will be recording myself doing it and sharing it from time to time. I encourage all of you to join me in this, record yourself, and share with me! Let's strengthen our core together! So here's the run down of how this works…

This photo was found on Pinterest.

Are you up for the challenge? Let me know…