07/30/2012 – New Cycle at CFPA

YAY, we start a new cycle today at CFPA and guess what we did as strength. Power Cleans! I was practicing them a bit on Saturday after my workout. Just a couple sets. So, I felt good getting into the groove of things. Of course, Tim pointed out that the bar is flying way ahead of me, and I need to keep it close. Another thing I’m trying to focus on is keeping my arms straight. No bend in the elbows as I’m pulling the weight up.

Power Cleans: 63#(5)-63#(5)-73#(5)-83#(5)-93#(3)-98#(3)-103#(3)

All the sets felt really good. Maybe I could of gone heavier, but I wanted to focus on form. Next time I will warm up with 75 pounds. Once I get warm up sets up in weight, I know I can reach PRs. My PR is 118#.

Here’s our WOD:

For Time:

400m Run

15 Burpees

30 Kettlebell Swings(24kg/16kg)

45 Wall Balls(20#/14#)

30 Kettlebell Swings

15 Burpees

400m Run

I started with the 14# medicine ball, but after a couple reps in Tim gave me a 12# ball. Goal was to string them together and hit the 10 ft target. Ya, still couldn’t string them together as fast as I could. I was doing 3 at a time. I need to find a good rhythm and be in control of the ball. I can’t let the ball dominate me. LOL. Funny that we did Kettlebell Swings today considering I did 30 on the minute on Saturday. I had to break the last 30 kettlebell swings into two sets.

Result: 12:41 using 12# medicine ball.

At work, I did some quick bench press sets. 95#(6)-90#(8)-85#(10). Pretty much to failure with 2-3 minutes in between each set.

Day 39 of 100 Day Push Up Challenge done!

07/27/2012 – Another Barbell Complex

We worked on pull ups today but my shoulder was still feeling a bit weird. I was able to do 5 strict pull ups without a band. The next sets I used a blue band and did 2 sets of 10 strict pull ups. I did one round of kipping pull ups.

I’m sort of disappointed that I couldn’t go heavier with the WOD today. It’s one of those barbell complexes that I love!! The RX’d weight was 95# but I stuck to 68#. I was mainly afraid of the push jerks and not being able to get full extension with the push. With all the lifting I’ve been doing, I’d hope to be able to do 85 or at least 78#.

For time:

21 Push Jerks(135/95#)

500m Row

21 Power Cleans

400m Run

21 Front Squats

Result: 9:00 at 68#

The power cleans were the ones that tripped me up. After rowing, my legs were tired and I rested too long before starting the power cleans. When resting too long, I just keep grasping for air and I can’t control my breathing. Nonetheless I love this workout and it was a great way to end the week.

06/11/2012 – Workout Recaps

I haven’t been blogging consistently because I’ve been busy with other stuff. Here’s a recap of what I did last Wednesday, Friday, and yesterday at CrossFit.

(06/06/2012)

Bear Complex – Finished at 73#

I love the bear complex workout, and I should of fought harder for the 83# weight. I finished the 83# at 6 reps. I had one more to go and couldn’t get it. The hardest part was the back squat to push press, then cleaning again. It’s that moment when I’m telling myself I could get one more, but my body is telling me NOOO! LOL. I tried again at 83# but could only get 4 reps. I decided to rest and finish the last last 3 reps even though I know it wouldn’t count.

(06/08/2012)

Press – 53#(3)-63#(3)-73#(3)-78#(3)-80#(1)-83#(1)

3 Rounds for Time:

400m Run

15 Box Jumps 24″

15 Pull Ups

Result: I forgot!!

I knew I had to go fast with the WOD. I didn’t do it RX’d because the box jumps were 24″. I felt sluggish and tired. Probably because of all the crap I was eating this past week.

(06/11/2012)

Snatches: 63#(5)-73#(3)-73#(3)-75#(3)

5 Rounds For Time:

5R/5L Kettlebell Snatches(24kg/16kg)

10 Goblet Squats

10 Burpees

Results: 8:53 RX’d

Bench Press: 80#(8)-75#(12)-70#(14), 40 GHD Situps

I was not feeling the snatches today. I’m going to stick at 73# until I know I can snatch with good form CONSISTENTLY. The WOD was fun. I love KB workouts, so this was right up my ally. I still need to use the hips more. I got to work and did a set of bench presses. I went lighter this week with slightly higher reps because I haven’t done bench in a couple of weeks. I did 40 GHD situps, 20 before the bench and 20 after. I wonder if I’ll feel anything tomorrow.

I hope everyone is still working out and eating healthy. I definitely haven’t been eating well, but I’m back at it now, and ready to stop abusing my body. It’s been through hell this past week and a half, and I can’t totally feel it and see it. I took pics yesterday and they were not pretty. It’s okay though, I’m not going to dwell on it. I made a conscious decision to eat whatever I want whenever I wanted, so I’m not going to feel guilty about it. Another journey begins to get stronger and leaner!!

04/16/2012 – Monday’s Workout

Our 5AM class was pretty full this morning. Everyone’s back from vacay and ready to kick some butt! We definitely had a fun time today crawling around the gym. Before we got all crazy, we worked on our Power Cleans.

Looking back at the logs, I had a high of 113# in 2011.

Power Cleans: 33#(5)-63#(5)-83#(3)-93#(93)-103#(3)-113#(1)-118#(1)

Ring a ding ding!! PR. Only 5 pounds, but it felt good! I think I’ll hit better PRs when my warm up weight is not 63#.

Onto our fun little metcon…

AMRAP 10 Minutes:

10 Chest to Bar Pullups

2 Honey Badger Laps

I haven’t done chest to bar pull ups since CrossFit Open Games WOD 12.5. I wasn’t even sure if I could still do them. Of course, I always doubt myself at first, but when I was able to get a few good ones in. Okay, I’m a happy camper. The first 2 rounds, I was able to hit 10 in a row. Lovely. The worst part was the honey badgers, because you think you can go really fast. My hamstrings started to burn, and standing up after doing the honey badger was getting more difficult. The pull ups started to give too, but I was happy that I was able to string more than 2 together at a time. Forwards progress!

Result: 6 rounds RX’d

04/09/2012 – Monday’s Workout

Another week ahead of us. Trying to make it a good one. It’s the last week of my Nutrition Program and I want to be able to go all out this week.

We worked on Power Cleans today. I warmed up with 5 sets at 33# and 63#.

Power Clean: 73#(5)-93#(3)-103#(3)-108#(1)-108#(1)-108#(1)

Last week, I wrote out the rep scheme that I wanted to do this week. I’m glad I did that, because I hate second guessing myself. I had to different rep schemes that I could go to, depending on how the 103# felt. 103# okay, but I wasn’t confident that I could go up 10 pounds, so I stuck to 5 pounds. I did 108# twice, and then Tim wanted me to do it again. He showed me that I was jumping away from the bar as if I was afraid of it, therefore making the turnover more difficult. My setup position was at the blue line, and as I did the clean, my toes were about an inch or two away from the line. Not good. Gotta work on that. Hopefully next week I can get up to 113# or 118#.

Here was our WOD:

For Time:

21 DB Burpee Snatches, Right Hand(45#/30#)

21 Ring Dips

21 DB Burpee Snatches, Left Hand(45#/30#)

21 Ring Dips

The burpee snatches felt good, but the ring dips are my nemesis. Even using the pink band, I still didn’t go low enough. It was definitely a fun WOD though. Must practice weaknesses.

Result: 9:31

04/02/2012 – Happy Monday Workout

I was a little sluggish getting into our Monday WOD, but once we warmed up and started working out, my energy levels shot right up. CrossFit can do that to you. Actually, any type of activity can, so get your body moving!!

Today was our first day into a new cycle. We are going to be working on Power Cleans.

Power Cleans: 53#(5)-73#(5)-83#(3)-93#(3)-93#(3)-98#(3)

Everything felt good. My first set at 93# wasn’t perfect, so I wanted to do them again. I’m especially concerned with opening the hips and sticking the landing. 98# felt great too.

Onto our WOD:

For Time:

50 Double Unders

24 Flag Push ups

50 Kettlebell Swings(24/16)

24 Flag Push ups

50 Double Unders

Double unders are definitely killing me in my time. Still doing a single under every double. Flag push ups were hard, especially during the second set. My elbows definitely spread out when it got tough, and Tim was yelling at me to keep them closer, but it was hard when you are tired. The last 50 double unders were slow too. I’m happy with the kettlebell swings because 1 pood is starting to feel light!!

Result: 7:14 RX’d. I think that is what I wrote on the board.

03/21/2012 – Zercher Squat PR and Elizabeth

Today was definitely a good day at CFPA. I got to ring dem bells for my PR! I worked by myself today because a lot of our five tribe members were out. Bronwyn and I were the only ones who represented for the girls. Where my girls at?!

It’s our second week for Zercher Squats, so after doing a warm up set and readjusting the height of the rack multiple times, I finally felt like I was in a good groove. Here were my loads:

Zercher Squats: 85#(5) – 105#(3) – 115#(3) – 135#(1) – 145#(1)

The squats already felt heavy at 105, maybe because I jumped too high too soon. That is why the jump between the second and third set wasn’t as high. I then made the jump to my single reps. 135 felt great, and then I loaded the bar with 140#. I checked and realized my previous PR back in December 2010 was 140. Why do my PR again, just try and add more weight. I got 145# and was happy!! Hopefully I can get to 150 or more. The PR wasn’t pretty, but when are your maxes ever pretty?

Elizabeth

21 Power Cleans(135#/95#)

21 Ring Dips

15 Power Cleans

15 Ring Dips

9 Power Cleans

9 Ring Dips

I used 83# today for the power cleans. They felt great and I tried to focus more with the hip explosion. Soon, I will conquer the 95# RX weight, SOON!!! For the ring dips, I used the red band. Another goal would be for me to do a WOD with RX’d ring dips. That would be INSANE!!!

Result: 9:53…I think I wrote 9:43 on the board, and that’s probably not right.

03/19/2012 – Monday’s Workout

Today we worked on our strength skill, the single legged deadlift. Here were my loads:

Single Legged Deadlift: 65#(5)-83#(3)-93#(3)-103#(1)

I’m still not reaching my goal with these. When my left foot is planted I feel strong, but when my right foot is planted, I feel as though I can’t hold my core tight or even keep a straight back. It just feels awkward. Hopefully I can get to 113 or 118 next week. That would be my goal.

Loved our WOD today.

2 Rounds For Time:

400m Run

20 Ground to Overhead(75#/55#)

15 Box Jumps

10 Toes To Bar

I went through the 1st round unbroken. I did the ground to overhead with cleans and jerks, similar to Grace. Box jumps were a little slow, but they felt familiar. Once I got to the second round of cleans, I broke them up into 10-6-4. I should of just tried my hardest to get through all of them, maybe up to 15. The weight was light enough. I broke the toes to bar up in 2 sets of 5. I’m glad I got barely under 10.

Result: 9:55 RX’d

12/15/2012 – It’s only Wednesday…

I’ve been thinking it’s Thursday and wondering why I haven’t gotten paid yet. SIGH…I’m a day ahead. Hate that feeling.

Today at CFPA we worked on Ring Dips. I didn’t feel as strong as last week, so I think I got to practice A LOT more! I’m still stuck at 3 bodyweight reps, and I did do 1 with a 5# dumbbell. Jackie, my partner, was kicking BUTT! So awesome to be working out beside her!

Ring Dips: Red Band(5)-Purple Band(5)- Bodyweight(2)- Bodyweight(3) – Bodyweight(3) – BW+5#(1)

Our WOD was really nice and very short!

4 Rounds

5 Chin Ups

10 Power Cleans(95#/65#)

30 Running Jumps

Now the chin ups were the hardest, and I really wish I could do this workout over again. I didn’t use a kip for the first 2 rounds. When I was on the second round of the chin ups, I was doing them one at a time and jumping onto the box to get set. Why didn’t I just freakin’ kip it!! For some reason, I didn’t think I was getting the same range of motion, but everyone else got it. So, I kipped the chin ups for the last two rounds, and it went by much much faster. Still happy with my results, just wished I had gone faster with the chin ups.

Result: 6:09 RX’d

01/09/2012 – Good Eats & Lifting Session

I missed my CrossFit class this morning because of my adorable little boys. Somehow in the middle of the night, both kids were up. Lil’ munchkin’ did not want me to leave, and every time I moved he would put his hand on my body and not let me go. I gave up and just decided to get one more hour of sleep in and workout at work.

I got to work and jumped on the stair master. I figured I should warm up with 53 flights if I want to do the Fight For Air Climb in March. Too bad I didn’t finish under 10. Plenty of time to train though.

After, I worked on my Power Cleans:

65#(5)-75#(5)-85#(5)-95#(5)-105#(2)

and Shoulder Press

45#(5)-55#(5)-65#(5)-70#(3)

I failed on my third attempt at the power cleans, so I just quit. I was getting tired, but wanted to get some shoulder work in.

For breakfast I had the protein box from Starbucks. I just ate the egg, cheese, and some grapes. Lunch rolled around and I had leftover roast but no veggies. So, I walked downstairs to the cafeteria and bough some broccoli. I felt so weird just walking around the building with a plate of broccoli, hoping no one would stop me and ask me if I was anorexic. Seriously people, I just wanted veggies with my protein. I also got me a bowl of fruit.

This morning before I left to work, I turned on my slow cooker to make Chicken & Gravey. I could of devoured the entire chicken, but I stopped myself. Here’s my dinner!

Leaving for Hawaii in 1 day!