Friday, June 20, 2008

So much for the rest day... and rest day? : Part Deux...


So, you know how sometimes I get these really great ideas that aren't really all that great? Yeah, so that kinda happened yesterday. I took a nap yesterday afternoon, or well for the whole afternoon, and then decided that going to the globo gym for a bit sounded like a good idea. I've been hearing all week about this "Tiger" workout, but hadn't actually seen it. Well, Darcy posted it up yesterday and I got that itch. You know how I am. When I decide I really want to do something...then I go and do it regardless of whether or not it's actually a good idea... yeah that one. So I decided that I was going to go to the globo gym and hit Tiger. So I headed off to my old globo gym around 8pm. When I got there, nothing. Nada. It was dead. So basically I had all the toys to myself. It was great because the gym is so old that their bars are worn and smooth and I didn't even have to worry about taping the bar or anything. They also had a big bucket of chalk, and I nearly did a little happy dance and clicked my heels. YEAH, that would have been interesting. :P

Anyhoo, I warmed up with a few lighter sets of each of the exercises in Tiger, and felt a little tweaky but ready to go. So I readied the watch on my arm and said a little 3-2-1, which is nowhere near as good as when Jerry says it, and off I went. If you haven't seen Tiger, let me let you in on what it looks like.

- 5 Deadlifts
- 5 Cleans
- 5 Front Squats
- 5 Push Presses
- 5 Back Squats

Looks simple right? Well, not quite. In order for this to count as a round, you must do all 25 reps without putting the bar down. That counts as a round. This is a workout designed to run for 40 minutes. Yes I said, AMRAP in 40 minutes. Balls. Just balls. Now, when I saw this workout, it said prescribed weight was 75 lbs. So, guess what? I did 75 lbs. Now, after the fact, I went and looked at CrossFit Regina's page, and guess what. Women were supposed to use 55 lbs. BALLS! Sooooo... here's how the whole Tiger thing broke down.

Rounds 1 and 2 were ok. But, my feet began to cramp. I'm not used to wearing shoes when I workout, and wearing them while trying to do all the moves made my feet cramp. It was wierd. Small changes can affect you in a big way. I think I said that after the Windy City workout in Chicago and I used some different toys than we do in the Blue Room and it really mixed me up. Swinging bars as opposed to fixed = big difference. Anyhoo, halfway through round 3 I had to drop the bar. I know technically the rounds weren't supposed to count if you dropped the bar, but I was having a hard time. In the globo gym you can't drop weights, and I was really afraid to push it, and then not be able to dump the weight. So I had to break rounds 3, 4, and 5. I also subbed more front squats for the back squats because I wasn't comfortable with my form, and because I know I couldn't dump the weight if I got in trouble. But I did this with 75 lbs, and on day 5 in a row, so I was pretty happy with 5 rounds. Oh yeah, and I backed it off to 20 minutes because the gym was closing. That's why I only did 5 rounds. I know..... you all think I'm psycho, and maybe I am. Really I should stop drinking the flipping Kool-Aid.... but now that I've given up soda.... I have to drink the Kool-Aid... :p Anyhoo... Tiger was an experiment... I hear that there is also a "Bear" and according to Robin, we're not supposed to tell, but "Lion" is coming soon. BALLS!

************Part DEUX (and yes you have to say it with the really bad French accent like they do in Hot Shots: Part Deux)***************

After hitting Tiger yesterday, I was thinking to myself that today would be a rest day. I had a good Zone breakfast, a good Zone lunch, and then, as we sat and chatted after lunch and chatted some more, and continued to sit and chat for two more hours, the dessert menu sitting in front of me wore me down and I ordered a cookie sundae!!! BALLS! And sweaty ones at that two! I was doing so well today! Freakin' ice cream! GACK! So, after I got home (we lunched for a solid 4 hours today..it's been awhile since we've seen each other) I checked my blog (which of course had lots of fun stuff to read!) and then I got to pondering. WWJHD? What would Jerry Hill do? (Second only to my other thoughts, which sometimes go like... WWCND? *What would Chuck Norris do?*) If Jerry Hill had been hit over the head and tied up and then forced to eat ice cream, cause you know he wouldn't do that on his own, what would he do when he was finally released? Or rather, not released but after he had beaten off his attackers using only his pinky toe, and then managed to release himself. What would Jerry Hill do? Well, I figured that Jerry Hill would hit one nasty little metcon circuit to burn off the ice cream.

So I made the plan to hit globo gym tonight and picked a nasty little circuit to do just that. I warmed up on the chin up bar because it was fixed and I knew it would take a little getting used to. I also did a few sets of squats, and made sure to get a good stretch in. Tiger sored me up a bit. So... then I set my sights on.... Cindy. Ahhhh... yes. Cindy. She and I had never been formally introduced... so I figured in an empty globo gym, now was as good a time as any. So I walked over, we shook hands, and gave a kurt little nod, and then the referee rang the bell and gave us a 3-2-1 and it was on. I have to say, I was giving Cindy a run for her money until round 7. Then I hit a wall with the pushups. The squats, and even the fixed bar chins felt pretty decent, but the pushups slowed me down. I'm really really starting to hate those darned things, and it's not nice to hate things. Really. So, all in all, only 10 2/3 rounds. I was hoping for more like 15. I was bummed. The good news is that in the sneaks today, my feet did not cramp. The bad news is, the fixed bar was rough on my hands and I have a few tears coming... I was uber glad to have that chalk bucket today. So... a disappointing set, but nontheless, glad I made it to the gym tonight to get rid of some of the ice cream. I feel a bit better. I've also eaten a nice Zone dinner with some local strawberries to boot. Yum! Nothing like fresh farm produce! Ahhh... central PA. But, no worries folks. I'll be back in VA tomorrow AM. :) Gots to work tomorrow night. Come love me and tip me! :)

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.
~Patricia Neal

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Mama! No wonder you are worn out. That looks like a killer workout. I've done the Bear Complex before, but that's a max load workout and not timed. This looks much worse :-)

Great job, and with 75 pounds too!

Darcy 'D2' said...

Maybe I should post the women's rx'd weight to huh :). You did awesome with 75lb! Someday I'm going to try this one in 40 minutes instead of 20.

Cara said...

Wow - I want to do that workout!!!

Brendan said...

That's pretty impressive katie. And there is most definatley a "bear" workout. Its brutal but a lot of fun. Similar to the tiger.

I have to give that one a try once my wrist feels up to it =)

Katie said...

Brendan! Glad to see you back brother. You've been MIA this week. How did the castoff (get it cast off? :P) go? Have you hit a couple WOD's? What's the skinny? Are you cleared to play? ;)

Hope you're doing well! :)

Tami, I actually liked the workout, but I just felt like I was a little out of sorts. I really wanted to ditch the shoes and drop the weight and it was really driving me nuts that I couldn't. But I love the concept of this one. It hurt, but in a good way.

Darcy, you need to make sure in the future you have the foresight to post women's weights, so I don't screw something up again... ;)

Cara, go for it! What's stopping you? It's only 9:15. Plenty of time to get it in tonight before globo gym closes at 10... ;) 3-2-1...

Lars said...

Katie, you're crazy...

...and an inspiration :)

Robin said...

Katie, I found your site through Darcy's blog. I love how you explain your workouts, so much detail, it's like I'm right there with you.

Let us know if you try the Tiger again with 55lbs. The most done by a female at our gym was 14 rounds in 20 minutes.

Robin said...

p.s. it's not 2:39 am where I live!

Katie said...

Lars, all the sane ones think they're crazy, and it's really the crazy ones who think they're sane... ;) LOL.

Robin thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you get a kick out of reading my ramblings. Did you mean 40 minutes in your comment? Cause if she did 14 rounds in 20 minutes, that girl was smoking! Dang! I'm not sure I could touch that one. 5 in 20 was pretty brutal for me. 14 rounds in 40 minutes might be a nice benchmark for me to shoot for though if that's what you meant... ;)

And even if it were 2:39 Robin, I'd just think you liked CrossFit as much as I do... ;)

Jerry Hill said...

Geez,need a wire brush to finish off the job?

fyi...
I Love Ice Cream!
(but it doesnt like me...)
Plus I'd rather spend those Carbs on adult beverages.

Katie said...

Jerry, I don't really know what the wire brush comment means, but I'll lie and say I do...

I too am a fan of adult beverages... just yesterday the ice cream got to me first... you'll all be happy to know that the tub of ice cream remained in PA... where my father will be forced to eat it... MUHAHAHAHAHA.... ;)

Splint Chesthair said...

That Tiger sounds sweet, I might have to try that some day. I've been to Carlisle, PA for business a few times. Is that Central PA or more South Central?

Katie said...

Splint, Carlisle is actually on my way home, but it is more south central. Home for me is about another hour and a half due north. :)

AngieDSimplyMe said...

Katie...

Aren't you supposed to be on vacation??? Great job with the work outs... but be sure you won't need a vacation from your vacation when you get back.

It's funny you did Tiger yesterday.. I was intending to do Bear last night... yes intending.. but didn't happen.

Robin said...

Katie, no I meant 14 rounds in 20 minutes! 2 girls got that score. I got 11, that's why I'm curious how you'd do with 55lbs. This was our first time trying the (half) Tiger, next time 40 minutes.

Katie said...

Angela, I wasn't really on vacation... I was home mainly to see my grandfather. It was nice to get out of the city for a few days though and spend some time on the farm. One of my favorite sayings though goes something like this...

"The best laid plans of mice and men, oft times go awry."

Sometimes we all mean well, and we set plans for ourselves that just don't happen. Don't sweat it. Hit Bear when you feel ready.

Robin, holy balls. 12 in 20 minutes? Guaranteed I will probably not hit that. I'm not a speedy person. If you've read any of my past blogs, you can see that I joke a lot about my ability to be a draft horse or an Indy Pace car. I'm steady. I just keep working. I can go through those really loooooong workouts and come out the other side. But ask me to sprint through something and it won't be very pretty. I'm guessing for me that 9 would probably be somewhere around my number. (Just a guess) :P

Katie said...

Ooops... Robin I just reread my comment from the other day. I meant 14. That girl must have been smokin'. I hope you kept a fire extinguisher nearby... :P