whoa! these muscles are getting stronger...

Last night's WOD wasn't anything spectacular. We've certainly done harder and more intense WOD's before. But it was one of those nights where we'd get through it quickly and capable of doing the majority of it with minimal modifications. What was unexpected was how much I'd be able to notice how much I have improved. I would have never imagined the simplicity of this WOD would help me gauge where I am after 3+ months of grinding it out. So you understand what I mean, we had to do this: Strength first, Tuesday nights are dedicated to the Press. I am happy to announce that I was able to Press more #'s than last week! And then the WOD was AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 12 minutes of 12 T2B (toes to bar), 12 HRPU (hand release push-ups), and 12 Air Squats. That is all. It's something just about anyone can do.

I haven't got the core strength quite yet to do a true T2B, my modification is facing a wall and raising my feet as high as I can. I typically pick a spot (or hole) on the wall and aim my feet at that. I try to do this particular exercise at the same bar each time so that I can gauge how much higher I am getting than the previous time. Last night I was feeling a tad bit under the weather, and as I arrived to class I contemplated turning around and heading home instead. But I decided to grind it out, and my coach, Tony, said to just take it easy- so I intended to. The problem with CF WOD's are, no matter how much you try to just focus on yourself and do what you can do, you always look to your neighbor or someone else near by and want to stay pace or go faster then them. I don't know if this is necessarily true with everyone, but it is for me. Maybe it's my competitive nature. Anyway, I tried to keep pace with the girl next to me (which so happens she and I have a mutual friend outside of CF). When doing the T2B I found that the spot I kept hitting on the wall was about an inch higher than the last spot I hit the previous time we'd done T2B. You don't understand what a big deal this is for me. My feet are literally reaching above my waist, no longer parallel. I almost jumped off and did a victory lap over this! And to add to my excitement, I was able to do 6 or more at a time before stopping for a rest. Another feat!

Moving on to the HRPU, I found myself being one of the first people moving on to this move. Don't be fooled, I'm in no way stronger and faster then my CF companions. Having done a MOD for my T2B allowed me to move forward quicker. The rest soon caught up and either stayed paced or passed me. I am unable to do a proper push-up. It's something I have been working on for some time now and it's slow going. I do what they call "girl" push-ups, where instead of being on my toes, I am on my knees. Doing HRPU this way is still fairly hard though. To do a proper push-up you keep your back straight, not allowing any sway in your back or you butt to lift higher. I can do this without going all the way down to the floor, as I am still not strong enough to lift myself completely back up. But with HRPU, you are required to go all the way down to the floor, release your hands off the floor, and then lift yourself back up. Eek! Unfortunately for me, there is some slight sway back in my movement. I'm working on it.

And then on to the last movement, the lovely Air Squats. When I first started CF, my squats were extremely weak. A true squat would have your thighs going below parallel with the floor, I was doing above parallel. In CF you'll quickly learn that in many of the exercises you do, there is some form of squatting almost always. Seriously. In the beginning I hated this, my Quads were always sore and my knees constantly hurt. (Later I learned I need to stretch more afterwards, and now the Foam Roller and I have become best friends.) Anyway, I noticed my squats were improving when we worked on our Back Squats. And most recently when I did a 140# Back Squat and found that I went below parallel I was shocked (and wanted to do backflips... and if I knew how to, I would've). So last night, when it was time to grind out the Air Squats, I found that I busted out all 12 squats without stopping for a rest (like I had in previous WOD's) and I was doing them pretty quickly. When I was back to my T2B, I again was one of the first ones to be up there.

I find that I am beginning to keep pace with some of the stronger CrossFitters, even the ones that do the WOD's RX (prescription, opposed to MOD, which is modified). My movements are becoming more fluid and stronger. I feel stronger. And all this in a little over 3 months. :) So for those who are curious, I finished my WOD in 6 rounds + 5 T2B in 12 minutes. I had one round more than the average round! Now just to master the PU and T2B...

a body & mind of change

You know in any new activity we do, whether it be a new hobby, job, sport, etc etc, we go through a phase of change. Good or bad, something within us changes. We begin to learn about said activity, we strategize, we ponder, we try and practice. We are in the process of expanding our minds, opening new doors, even when you don't see it that way. We are forever evolving beings, we never remain the same. We all know this, it's not a new scientific find, but how often do you actually contemplate the fact that you are not the same person from yesterday? Sure, we can sit and think about the person we were 10 years ago, even 5 years ago with the person today and see how different you've become, however subtle or great. But have you ever noticed the changes from day to day?

I've been consciously paying attention to that lately, with myself. I was curious to see how I differ from the previous day or two. I'm in a great position to observe this as a lot around me has been changing in way of job, sport, relationship/lifestyle. I find with my new job, even though the actual position I hold is exactly the same, my frame of mind is different. I am happier. Because I feel this sense of happiness and calm, I find that I am even more engaged in my job than I was at my previous place. I found a hunger to want to learn more, understand more, study more. This thought process changed in a matter of 3 days! THREE DAYS! Recently one of the coaches, Joon, at my box was correcting a lift I was doing. I was struggling with getting the bar up on my shoulders. After giving me a few key points and then watching me get it wrong a couple of more times before figuring it out, he commented that I am stronger than I think I am. And I think he is right. After I got the lift right, the amount of weight on the bar didn't feel as heavy. Shortly after, Aaron stated to me that I am lacking confidence in my lifting. He may be right. I know I can lift, and I have been making progress with breaking my own records, but I definitely hold some fear. Because of Joon and Aaron's comments, my thought process has changed. Why am I afraid? What am I afraid of? I've turned my internal conversation around.

My body is different from the one that walked into my box 4 months ago. I haven't lost a ton of weight, or gained massive biceps. These changes are more subtle but to those who are paying attention, are noticeable. I don't recognize my legs in the mirror anymore. These legs still have a ways to go before I'd say they are in prime fitness condition, but they aren't the blubbery mass they once were. It's a strange phase I am in. I use to daydream of having the legs of some of Hollywoods hottest leading ladies, slender yet fit. And now, I look at ladies like Katie Hogan and those are the legs (and butt) I aspire to have. Witnessing the change in my Quads and Calves (as these are the most noticeable) has been awe-inspiring. My legs are beautiful.

Change can be good. Living the change, being aware of the change is even better. Be a part of your ever growing body & mind. Love yourself enough to aware of all of it's possibilities...

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

so, what is CrossFit?

Good question. I get asked that a lot from those who hear I am a CrossFitter but have never actually seen someone do it. I've never been able to completely explain it right, there is so much involved in what we do. The exercises are so varied and we never do the same routine twice. I typically say, "it's elements of weightlifting, gymnastics, and functional movements." But here is a more detailed definition:

CrossFit advocates a mix of aerobic exercise, gymnastics (body weight exercises), and Olympic weightlifting. CrossFit describes its strength and conditioning program as "constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement," with the stated goal of improving fitness, which it defines as "work capacity across broad time and modal domains." Workouts are typically short -30 minutes or less- and intense, demanding all-out physical exertion. They combine movements such as sprinting, rowing, jumping rope, climbing rope, flipping tires, weightlifting, carrying heavy objects, and many bodyweight exercises; equipment used includes barbells, dumbbells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars, kettlebells, medicine balls, and boxes for box jumps. These elements are mixed in numerous combinations to form prescribe "Workouts of the Day" or "WOD". Hour-long classes at affiliated gyms, or "boxes", typically include a warm-up, a skill development segment, the high-intensity WOD, and a period of individual or group stretching. Performance on each WOD is often scored and/or ranked to encourage competition and to track individual progress. Some affiliates offer additional classes, such as Olympic weightlifting, which are not centered around a WOD. The aim of CrossFit is to physically prepare people for whatever life might throw at them. -Wikipedia

Now that you have a better understanding of all that is involved, you think we're crazy don't you? I don't blame you. But remember, don't judge until you try it. Up for the challenge?

and so it begins again... hello there

It has been a long while since I last posted anything. I never had intentions of abandoning my blog. I didn't fall ill, or have a tragic life occurrence that kept me from blogging. Simply, I got lazy. It's the truth and I know most of you, if not all, have fallen trap to this dilemma. Life gets busy with this or that, we find ourselves in new relationships, or jobs, or hobbies. We say to ourselves, "Once everything settles down, I'll get back into it." Then a week goes by, a month, a few more months, and two years later here I am. I didn't completely stop being active, I just simply didn't give it my all anymore. Running was still an issue for me because of the ankle (which by the way is all better now), and the gym became a stale environment for me. I tried taking various classes like Zumba and Cycling, did what weight machines I knew how to. Quite frankly, I had no motivation. Aaron was always, and still is, a great supporter (and fabulous boyfriend). He would always suggest things like playing tennis, or going for more hikes to get me out there. But I needed more, I knew this.

In May of this year Aaron brought up CrossFit, for the billionth time, in conversation of things he would love to try out. I was aware of CrossFit, honestly who hasn't heard about it by now, but I never had a desire to look into it. I had never gave myself a moment to really think about what CrossFit really is. Well on Aaron's billion and one mention of it, I secretly googled CrossFit and learned more about it. By the video's I saw, I was intimidated right away. I actually thought that maybe I should go work out at my local gym and get into shape for CrossFit. How absurd, right? Don't laugh, the sad thing is many people think that way. I searched for some local CrossFit gyms, read up on them, and decided to pay a visit to one. Aaron was beyond excited to hear my interest, and it didn't take much to get him to go with me.

We arrived at CrossFit Stumptown and were immediately greeted by Ashley. She began to tell us about the box (that is gym for you non-crossfitters) and some of its history, and stated that we could stay and watch a class that was about to begin. She introduced us to Joon, one of the coaches there and he was awesome from the get-go. As the class was in session, being taught by the other coach and owner of this box, Tony, he explained to us what was going on. We asked questions, he answered honestly without hype. I surveyed the men and women that were clearly working their butts off and sweating almost immediately. I was amazed at the variety of people. There were all shapes and sizes, genders, colors, etc... I knew that I would feel quite welcomed here if I decided to join. Joon explained that by looking at any individual working out at that moment you could not gather who was stronger than the next. Simply put, we all have strengths and weaknesses, and working out there you will quickly learn what yours are and begin to work on them.

At home Aaron and I talked about what we learned and if this is something we wanted to try. And if we could afford to do it as well, it's not a secret that CrossFit can be a little pricey. We were given some time to try out some classes to see if this was the "thing" and the "place" for us. It took me a week after my first class to attend my second, my legs were pretty worthless. My second and third classes made me so nauseous, I was miserable, yet I went back for a fourth, fifth, and so on. I was hooked, so much so I became a member right away and get annoyed when I can't attend a class. I guess you can say I drank the kool-aid.

So now I'm on a new journey, one I am sharing with Aaron... and with you. I don't where this road will lead me, but I know that what has been revealed already only makes me want to keep going. I've changed, mentally and physically already, in ways I can never explain. I hope you will stay tuned...