Everyone has to take them at some point... so here we go...
Not exactly 100% Primal because I was working with leftovers marinated before I read the book today, but pretty good.
Lunch
1/2 green pepper sliced
1 small-medium onion sliced (I heart onions... it's up there with garlic!)
Approx 4 oz. leftover filet sliced thin (this was marinated the other night in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, Italian dressing, and a small amount of Vanilla... don't knock it... it's tasty, but not Primal)
2 slices Provolone cheese
Approx 1TBSP EVOO
I say these are all approximate because Mark Sisson doesn't measure. But after all this time Zoning, I've learned to eyeball things pretty well.
Saute onions and peppers in EVOO in skillet. When you are just about ready to pull them from the pan, throw the leftover steak in. The idea is just to heat the steak through. When the steak is ready (roughly 1-2 min) throw the cheese on and stir together. It's a much nicer cheesesteak... minus the bun and all the bad processed carbs. :) I win!
I was a little worried about the whole not measuring thing, but this was really self-telling. I was full. No need for more food. The cut was a filet so it was pretty lean but the EVOO threw in the good fat that Sisson is very fond of. If I were still hungry, I would say a side salad would be some great extra veggies. Sisson says that dairy is an ok thing in moderation. I will not be having cheese with every meal, but in this case, it certainly was like the icing on the cake. It really made this quite dee-licious! :)
Dinner
Dinner tonight was done at work, so this was a great time to test out my first steps on restaurant eating with the Primal plan in mind. This was actually way easier than trying to Zone a meal out. Check it out, here's what I ordered.
Grilled chicken breast with sauted onions SANS bun(see... I kinda have this thing for onions, green peppers, and garlic. I look at them the way some look at ketchup. They go on/with EVERYTHING!)
2 orders of chef's vegetables (this was super conveinant because in our restaurant they steam the veggies, then throw them in a pan with, you guessed it, garlic and Mark's good friend butter)
There was only one problem with this meal. I have trained the kitchen too well. LOL. Lately I've been ordering chicken with onions and cheese, and even though today I intentionally left it off, they put it on for me anyway. How sweet. But cheese should be moderate... so crap. But, it was a good faith effort, and not too bad of a meal if I do say so. After eating I was stuffed but suffered my first, and I'm sure not my last, sugar craving. After going from having sugar everyday to literally none, it hit me while I was standing within arms length of the soda gun and the sweet tea. Had we been busy at the time, I would not have noticed as much, but being slow, I had plenty of time to salivate over the thought of sugar.
I am proud to say that I resisted but later in the night after getting slammed (really super busy) I grabbed a handful of chips from the bin. :( Ruh roh... bad habits die hard, but aside from that snafu, it was a good eating day! Primal seems to be much easier for me to follow, but it's only been a day. We'll see how it all pans out!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Katie: On Eating
Every now and again there are posts that I feel like I just need to write. Not because I want people to sympathize with me, not because I want someone to necessarily give me an answer, but because I'm willing to share. Over the last year and a half or so, I've sort of made a name for myself by talking very candidly about the facets of my life. I've had mixed reviews from things I've written, and on some ocassions things I've written have even gotten me in trouble. But regardless, through it all, I've been myself and shared my life experiences. Often with the hope not that someone will somehow find an answer to an issue, or tell me how to fix something, but that something I've written will resonate with someone else and let them know they're not alone in how they're feeling in this crazy mixed up world.
If you've noticed that food seems to have become a hot topic for me lately, then clearly you're paying attention. I would like to openly in front of God and everyone who reads this, admit that I have had a lifetime of food issues. When I was younger I found that my mother had been keeping food journals. Today, it's a commonplace thing. It's a way to keep track and make oneself accountable. But what was happening with my mom wasn't just about keeping track. She was skipping meals to make up for eating "bad" foods, and being really harsh on herself for the things she did eat. She even kept notes detailing what she should and shouldn't do. Later, that same sort of behavior caught up with me, and in high school I started to become very restrictive with my foods. Constantly skipping meals and eating minimal amounts of things, despite being a 2 sport athlete and very active in my concert choir (which kept me at school late at nights when we began working on our musical productions). Regardless though, my restrictive measures brought results and no one ever pointed out that they were actually counterproductive. At some point though I felt I had gotten skinny enough and began to eat again.
In college there were times where some of that same behavior came back because, well, it had proven affective in the past. Nevermind the fact that I was a college athlete and now also older. I was hoping for weight loss and wasn't really thinking too much about my performance. The funny thing was, this time, the results didn't come as quickly. I was baffled, but regardless, continued again until I felt I had hit a weight that was acceptable for me.
Fast forwarding to a few years down the road, I got into CrossFit through someone who I cared very much for at the time. This person has since left my life, unfortunately, but regardless, I still credit him with showing me the way. When I started CrossFit, I wasn't thinking that hey, this sounds like fun. I was thinking, I was unhappy, out of shape, and really needed to do something about it.
As the movements and weights began to get easier for me, I finally began to shift my attention to my diet. The Zone is plugged so fervantly by the CF community, that by about March (7 months into my CF journey) I was starting to wonder what all the hype was about. Not only that but by March, I had also realized that, while I may be able to lift more and move better, I was still seriously unhappy with my body. So began my Zone journey. After about 2-3 weeks on the Zone I began to see progress. I noticed weight coming off, the scale was lower, and this nudged me to keep going with the Zone. At first, I couldn't give up my soda. I was a hardcore addict, but by April, with my numbers already dropping, I decided to try a little experiment and see how much the number would drop if I dropped soda out of my diet. Wow. All of a sudden things dropped even more drastically and I could calculate by the THOUSANDS the calories I was saving myself.
My Zone was strong. Cheating was a big no no for me, and I really felt empowered by staying within these strict structured guidelines of eating snacks and blocks, and I really felt good. I was leaning out, weighed less than I had in YEARS (and I mean like, sophomore year of high school kind of years)and I felt great. I could almost say that I took the Zone to an almost extreme level.
But then somewhere around October, something switched. Those guidelines began to rub. I hated the weighing, the measuring, the rigidity, the same meals everyday, and I fell off the Zone wagon hardcore. I had lasted roughly 6 months on the Zone before I began my downward slide. At my very lowest, which may have been a fluke because I only saw it one time, I weighed 153 lbs. Now, fast forward to this spring when I realized just how much weight I'd gained back.
All those old feelings were returning and I was vowing to get back on the Zone. But with a packed scheduled, a stressful job, and lacking the same motivation I had last year, it became virtually impossible. My soda and coffee intake, not to mention all the sweets in the teachers' lounge, were sabotaging any good food choices I was making and the scale continued to climb. I think between May and the end of June I gained four pounds. I tried to step slowly into the Zone, eliminating things and bringing things back. It didn't work. As the summer started, I tried to go cold turkey, I derailed. And each time with this sense of guilt, like I was failing everyone. The girl who a year ago was a poster child for the success of CrossFit couldn't stick with it. God did that just smack me with irony.
So now, here I sit again at another unhealthy weight for someone my size. 168 lbs. One could argue that I've gained muscle since October, but let's be realistic. Only approximately 3-5 lbs of that gain may be muscle. I feel very frustrated because I hate the fact that I have so many friends who can eat as they please and remain a twig. I hate that for me, this has always been a lifelong struggle and will continue to be. I hate that for me this has again been a yo-yo, and that I gained so much so quickly, and that I didn't really even notice. But the worst of all is that nagging feeling of guilt, and the way that I look at food. This isn't just about losing weight anymore. This has got to be about finding an inner peace with food. We're focused on performance at CF but as Jerry says, you can't outtrain a poor diet. He's absolutely right. So how do you take a client, like myself, and circumvent all the old lingering stuff? I don't do well with failure, so I will admit that in lieu of that, a little of that old adage has snuck in. If you don't try, you can never fail. I'm tired of failing on the Zone. It's frustrating me.
But, I am going to continue to look for something that will work for me. A fellow Cf'er gave me a book that seems to possibly have a solution for me. Something sensible, but manageable. Perhaps this will help me get my focus back on track. But going back to my original point at the beginning of this post, I'm not sharing all of this because I want sympathy. I'm not sharing because I want someone to find me a magic pill and make it all go away. I'm sharing because I'd be willing to bet some money that somewhere out there, is someone else going through something similar. And I'd be willing to bet even more money that they're just as frustrated as me. And I'd be willing to bet even more money than that, that it feels good to read that they're not alone. Weight control is never easy for people who have battled it constantly. And sometimes just knowing that others are fighting the same fight you are, makes it a little easier.
I know how great weight loss success feels, and now I know just how awful return gain feels. I've felt it, and God it blows, but you know what. Eating the ice cream isn't going to make it any better. Having the fries, the pizza, the Chinese, whatever your comfort food is, is not going to help. Looking from the bottom of the barrel, really I can say is that it's time to go up. I'm more than willing to share my story. I need to stop being so damned afraid of failing, because as Byers says, sometimes you have to fail to learn. So, here I go...
If you've noticed that food seems to have become a hot topic for me lately, then clearly you're paying attention. I would like to openly in front of God and everyone who reads this, admit that I have had a lifetime of food issues. When I was younger I found that my mother had been keeping food journals. Today, it's a commonplace thing. It's a way to keep track and make oneself accountable. But what was happening with my mom wasn't just about keeping track. She was skipping meals to make up for eating "bad" foods, and being really harsh on herself for the things she did eat. She even kept notes detailing what she should and shouldn't do. Later, that same sort of behavior caught up with me, and in high school I started to become very restrictive with my foods. Constantly skipping meals and eating minimal amounts of things, despite being a 2 sport athlete and very active in my concert choir (which kept me at school late at nights when we began working on our musical productions). Regardless though, my restrictive measures brought results and no one ever pointed out that they were actually counterproductive. At some point though I felt I had gotten skinny enough and began to eat again.
In college there were times where some of that same behavior came back because, well, it had proven affective in the past. Nevermind the fact that I was a college athlete and now also older. I was hoping for weight loss and wasn't really thinking too much about my performance. The funny thing was, this time, the results didn't come as quickly. I was baffled, but regardless, continued again until I felt I had hit a weight that was acceptable for me.
Fast forwarding to a few years down the road, I got into CrossFit through someone who I cared very much for at the time. This person has since left my life, unfortunately, but regardless, I still credit him with showing me the way. When I started CrossFit, I wasn't thinking that hey, this sounds like fun. I was thinking, I was unhappy, out of shape, and really needed to do something about it.
As the movements and weights began to get easier for me, I finally began to shift my attention to my diet. The Zone is plugged so fervantly by the CF community, that by about March (7 months into my CF journey) I was starting to wonder what all the hype was about. Not only that but by March, I had also realized that, while I may be able to lift more and move better, I was still seriously unhappy with my body. So began my Zone journey. After about 2-3 weeks on the Zone I began to see progress. I noticed weight coming off, the scale was lower, and this nudged me to keep going with the Zone. At first, I couldn't give up my soda. I was a hardcore addict, but by April, with my numbers already dropping, I decided to try a little experiment and see how much the number would drop if I dropped soda out of my diet. Wow. All of a sudden things dropped even more drastically and I could calculate by the THOUSANDS the calories I was saving myself.
My Zone was strong. Cheating was a big no no for me, and I really felt empowered by staying within these strict structured guidelines of eating snacks and blocks, and I really felt good. I was leaning out, weighed less than I had in YEARS (and I mean like, sophomore year of high school kind of years)and I felt great. I could almost say that I took the Zone to an almost extreme level.
But then somewhere around October, something switched. Those guidelines began to rub. I hated the weighing, the measuring, the rigidity, the same meals everyday, and I fell off the Zone wagon hardcore. I had lasted roughly 6 months on the Zone before I began my downward slide. At my very lowest, which may have been a fluke because I only saw it one time, I weighed 153 lbs. Now, fast forward to this spring when I realized just how much weight I'd gained back.
All those old feelings were returning and I was vowing to get back on the Zone. But with a packed scheduled, a stressful job, and lacking the same motivation I had last year, it became virtually impossible. My soda and coffee intake, not to mention all the sweets in the teachers' lounge, were sabotaging any good food choices I was making and the scale continued to climb. I think between May and the end of June I gained four pounds. I tried to step slowly into the Zone, eliminating things and bringing things back. It didn't work. As the summer started, I tried to go cold turkey, I derailed. And each time with this sense of guilt, like I was failing everyone. The girl who a year ago was a poster child for the success of CrossFit couldn't stick with it. God did that just smack me with irony.
So now, here I sit again at another unhealthy weight for someone my size. 168 lbs. One could argue that I've gained muscle since October, but let's be realistic. Only approximately 3-5 lbs of that gain may be muscle. I feel very frustrated because I hate the fact that I have so many friends who can eat as they please and remain a twig. I hate that for me, this has always been a lifelong struggle and will continue to be. I hate that for me this has again been a yo-yo, and that I gained so much so quickly, and that I didn't really even notice. But the worst of all is that nagging feeling of guilt, and the way that I look at food. This isn't just about losing weight anymore. This has got to be about finding an inner peace with food. We're focused on performance at CF but as Jerry says, you can't outtrain a poor diet. He's absolutely right. So how do you take a client, like myself, and circumvent all the old lingering stuff? I don't do well with failure, so I will admit that in lieu of that, a little of that old adage has snuck in. If you don't try, you can never fail. I'm tired of failing on the Zone. It's frustrating me.
But, I am going to continue to look for something that will work for me. A fellow Cf'er gave me a book that seems to possibly have a solution for me. Something sensible, but manageable. Perhaps this will help me get my focus back on track. But going back to my original point at the beginning of this post, I'm not sharing all of this because I want sympathy. I'm not sharing because I want someone to find me a magic pill and make it all go away. I'm sharing because I'd be willing to bet some money that somewhere out there, is someone else going through something similar. And I'd be willing to bet even more money that they're just as frustrated as me. And I'd be willing to bet even more money than that, that it feels good to read that they're not alone. Weight control is never easy for people who have battled it constantly. And sometimes just knowing that others are fighting the same fight you are, makes it a little easier.
I know how great weight loss success feels, and now I know just how awful return gain feels. I've felt it, and God it blows, but you know what. Eating the ice cream isn't going to make it any better. Having the fries, the pizza, the Chinese, whatever your comfort food is, is not going to help. Looking from the bottom of the barrel, really I can say is that it's time to go up. I'm more than willing to share my story. I need to stop being so damned afraid of failing, because as Byers says, sometimes you have to fail to learn. So, here I go...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
3-3-3 Deadlifts...
After a running day yesterday it was hard to feel excited about deadlifts today. I was a little sore, but also, I just don't really like deadlifts. I'm not sure if anyone else in the CF (or really the lifting world) feels the same way about deadlifts as I do, but deadlifts are not a great exercise for me, largely because I am terrified of them. I know that may sound stupid, but think about it. If something feels off, you can drop a jerk, a snatch, a clean, just about anything. But, almost similar to a backsquat, with a deadlift, you really don't know that something is wrong until the damage is already done, you've already rounded or lost your tension. Not to mention, one wrong move and you could seriously injure yourself by pulling out your back. This thought scares me like no other. Having 155 lbs over my head does NOT scare me in the slightest. Completing a bad deadlift does.
But, like Jerry always tells me, I have to work my weaknesses, and these are a weakness for me, so I did. I felt pretty good until I got to some pretty serious weight. Then I started to round out and lose a little bit of core tension. Once I felt that it was game off. I'd rather play it safe than risk it. The weights today looked like this.
85X3
105x3
125X3
145X3
165X3
185X3
205X3
185 felt a little bit iffy, but 205 def did. So I decided to stop there. I could probably have pulled more, but I prefer to stay out of the injury area. So, 205 it was today. Not the best, but not the worst. For an exercise I consider a weakness, I'll take it. :)
But, like Jerry always tells me, I have to work my weaknesses, and these are a weakness for me, so I did. I felt pretty good until I got to some pretty serious weight. Then I started to round out and lose a little bit of core tension. Once I felt that it was game off. I'd rather play it safe than risk it. The weights today looked like this.
85X3
105x3
125X3
145X3
165X3
185X3
205X3
185 felt a little bit iffy, but 205 def did. So I decided to stop there. I could probably have pulled more, but I prefer to stay out of the injury area. So, 205 it was today. Not the best, but not the worst. For an exercise I consider a weakness, I'll take it. :)
This is what we call a BAD idea...
You know how some mornings you just can't help but feel like maybe those extra hours of sleep would just be too good to pass up? Yeah, I was totally feeling that way yesterday, and I decided that, eh, why not? I'm still on summer vaca for about a month or so... let's have at it. Off went the alarm and back to bed went I. I figured since there are later classes at CFOT now, I'd just go to one of them.
I got all my stuff together and drove down for the 1230 class, kmowing full well what was in store. Jerry has taken to posting the WOD's first thing in the morning on our CFOT Facebook page so I knew ahead of time what to expect. Well, what I didn't factor into all of this was the fact that it's the middle of the day, and it's JULY, which in VA only means one thing... well, two rather; heat and humidity. Normally that's not such a big deal. But it is when you're doing a WOD that involves running. Oops. Maybe I should have rethought those few extra hours? :P
I decided to get a warm-up in and ran the mile loop that we use around CFOT for Murph and also for the 5K we run. This seemed like a good idea at the time, and away I went. I ran into an old friend and stopped to talk for a few minutes before actually getting into the mile but as soon as I ran along the river, I couldn't help but notice the heat and the smell rolling off the Potomac. But I kept going, thinking that the run was good for me.
I arrived back at CFOT dripping with sweat and rather disgusting. I felt dehydrated and drank some water not really giving too much thought to the fact that in just a few short minutes I'd be running again. We zipped through some L-sit holds and jumping slamballs as a warm-up before we got to the WOD. As we were warming up I couldn't help but notice the sloshing of the water inside my stomach. Oops. Bad idea number 2 of the day. After that we got the 3-2-1 on the wod and away we went. The WOD looked like this:
5RFT
300 M run
20 jumping lunges (foot on 45lb weight)
10 pullups
Time: 11:54
The first round of this I had done in less than 2 minutes. At the second round I was just over and headed out for round 3 around 4:08. After that, game off. I was wheezing and really had trouble breathing in the heat and humidity. It was GOD awful. I stopped to walk a few paces, which should tell you something. I couldn't even run 300 meters! Eesh!
I was able to do pretty well with the jumping lunges and on the 1st, 4th, and 5th rounds I was also able to do my pull-ups unbroken, which was pretty awesome, my labored breathing considering. Chad and I both agreed after this WOD that all running WOD's need to be done in the morning hours during the summer months. I feel like 10 minutes would have been a lot more feasible for me had that been the case. The heat and humidity just sucked too much out of me. A good WOD though.
I got all my stuff together and drove down for the 1230 class, kmowing full well what was in store. Jerry has taken to posting the WOD's first thing in the morning on our CFOT Facebook page so I knew ahead of time what to expect. Well, what I didn't factor into all of this was the fact that it's the middle of the day, and it's JULY, which in VA only means one thing... well, two rather; heat and humidity. Normally that's not such a big deal. But it is when you're doing a WOD that involves running. Oops. Maybe I should have rethought those few extra hours? :P
I decided to get a warm-up in and ran the mile loop that we use around CFOT for Murph and also for the 5K we run. This seemed like a good idea at the time, and away I went. I ran into an old friend and stopped to talk for a few minutes before actually getting into the mile but as soon as I ran along the river, I couldn't help but notice the heat and the smell rolling off the Potomac. But I kept going, thinking that the run was good for me.
I arrived back at CFOT dripping with sweat and rather disgusting. I felt dehydrated and drank some water not really giving too much thought to the fact that in just a few short minutes I'd be running again. We zipped through some L-sit holds and jumping slamballs as a warm-up before we got to the WOD. As we were warming up I couldn't help but notice the sloshing of the water inside my stomach. Oops. Bad idea number 2 of the day. After that we got the 3-2-1 on the wod and away we went. The WOD looked like this:
5RFT
300 M run
20 jumping lunges (foot on 45lb weight)
10 pullups
Time: 11:54
The first round of this I had done in less than 2 minutes. At the second round I was just over and headed out for round 3 around 4:08. After that, game off. I was wheezing and really had trouble breathing in the heat and humidity. It was GOD awful. I stopped to walk a few paces, which should tell you something. I couldn't even run 300 meters! Eesh!
I was able to do pretty well with the jumping lunges and on the 1st, 4th, and 5th rounds I was also able to do my pull-ups unbroken, which was pretty awesome, my labored breathing considering. Chad and I both agreed after this WOD that all running WOD's need to be done in the morning hours during the summer months. I feel like 10 minutes would have been a lot more feasible for me had that been the case. The heat and humidity just sucked too much out of me. A good WOD though.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I STRICTLY told you not to PUSH my buttons... you JERK!
Ha... do you like how I so CLEVERLY told you in my title what the workout was for yesterday? I'm so totally sneaky like that. So anyhoo... in the world of Katie (which is really, really, super awesome btw) there are few things better than barbell work. Things that are deep fried and smothered in chocolate may rank above barbell work, but that may be about it. I love barbell work, even moreso when it's overhead. Yesterday was a combination of two of my pretty favorite things and one of my "eh, it's ok" things.
Monday's wod looked like this.
Strict press 1-1-1
Push press 1-1-1
Push jerk 1-1-1
Strict press and I are not necessarily the best of friends. I mean, I love going overhead, but when it comes down to it, strict press isn't my best movement. I've gotten so used to using my hips that to take that away feels very foreign and I'm not necessarily a fan. But I like doing push presses and push jerks. So, I was totally ok with sort of getting through the strict to get to everything else. ;)
I started off with an 800 M run because I haven't been doing much running lately and I want to get back to that and I think that was a good move. It got my heart rate up and it also just got the blood flowing in my legs, which is really important even though it's technically overhead work. You can't push press or push jerk without strong legs, so definitely a good idea to get them moving.
I felt strong on the strict press this time, and made some different jumps this time too. Two weeks ago when we did a max strict press, I was too slow in the ramp up and it cost me. I was burnt out by the time I got to my max loads. So, this time I ramped up faster and then made one final jump to go for a PR. There was no tying then going above the PR. I just went straight for it. Strict press gains are so minimal that I figured that I could always drop down if I needed to. I really wish Jerry would have caught this one on tape because it was memorable. I got stuck, but pushed through with my left arm first, then my right. I definitely am stronger in my left arm than my right which is sort of funny since I'm right handed. Regardless, I started the lifting day off pretty well with a new PR in the strict press at 95 lbs. That's no small feat for me.
After the strict I moved on to the push press and felt pretty solid the whole way up. I was trying to figure out how high I should be able to go, and just kept adding weight. On all three movements I did way more than 3 attempts, but it's ok. It all makes me stronger. :) So on the push presses I worked up to 125 which was another PR for me. And then it was on to my favorite, the push jerk. I don't know quite why, but I love throwing heavy things over my head, and of all the movements I can jerk the most. So, the jerk is therefore my favorite. :)
I started jerking around 115 and then jumped to 125, 135, and then hit a solid 145. My PR before today was 147. When I hit 145 and it felt that good, I knew that 147 was going to go bye bye as the PR. I stacked 150 and Jerry hit record. I hit 150 from a behind the head jerk position before when I did my overhead squat a few months ago, but that is a different movement so that doesn't count as a PR. So I was getting really stoked as my weights got heavier. Especially considering that this lift was done AFTER all the other ones. Sooooo, I put 150 on the bar, Jerry hit the record button and 150 flew over my head. I mean, it felt good, and it almost felt easy. I looked at Jerry, he looked at me and asked what I was thinking, and I said I was trying to decide if I was done. He said, you might as well throw 155 on the bar. And so I did. This was the end result. :)
Push Jerk at CrossFit Old Town
Monday's wod looked like this.
Strict press 1-1-1
Push press 1-1-1
Push jerk 1-1-1
Strict press and I are not necessarily the best of friends. I mean, I love going overhead, but when it comes down to it, strict press isn't my best movement. I've gotten so used to using my hips that to take that away feels very foreign and I'm not necessarily a fan. But I like doing push presses and push jerks. So, I was totally ok with sort of getting through the strict to get to everything else. ;)
I started off with an 800 M run because I haven't been doing much running lately and I want to get back to that and I think that was a good move. It got my heart rate up and it also just got the blood flowing in my legs, which is really important even though it's technically overhead work. You can't push press or push jerk without strong legs, so definitely a good idea to get them moving.
I felt strong on the strict press this time, and made some different jumps this time too. Two weeks ago when we did a max strict press, I was too slow in the ramp up and it cost me. I was burnt out by the time I got to my max loads. So, this time I ramped up faster and then made one final jump to go for a PR. There was no tying then going above the PR. I just went straight for it. Strict press gains are so minimal that I figured that I could always drop down if I needed to. I really wish Jerry would have caught this one on tape because it was memorable. I got stuck, but pushed through with my left arm first, then my right. I definitely am stronger in my left arm than my right which is sort of funny since I'm right handed. Regardless, I started the lifting day off pretty well with a new PR in the strict press at 95 lbs. That's no small feat for me.
After the strict I moved on to the push press and felt pretty solid the whole way up. I was trying to figure out how high I should be able to go, and just kept adding weight. On all three movements I did way more than 3 attempts, but it's ok. It all makes me stronger. :) So on the push presses I worked up to 125 which was another PR for me. And then it was on to my favorite, the push jerk. I don't know quite why, but I love throwing heavy things over my head, and of all the movements I can jerk the most. So, the jerk is therefore my favorite. :)
I started jerking around 115 and then jumped to 125, 135, and then hit a solid 145. My PR before today was 147. When I hit 145 and it felt that good, I knew that 147 was going to go bye bye as the PR. I stacked 150 and Jerry hit record. I hit 150 from a behind the head jerk position before when I did my overhead squat a few months ago, but that is a different movement so that doesn't count as a PR. So I was getting really stoked as my weights got heavier. Especially considering that this lift was done AFTER all the other ones. Sooooo, I put 150 on the bar, Jerry hit the record button and 150 flew over my head. I mean, it felt good, and it almost felt easy. I looked at Jerry, he looked at me and asked what I was thinking, and I said I was trying to decide if I was done. He said, you might as well throw 155 on the bar. And so I did. This was the end result. :)
Push Jerk at CrossFit Old Town
Friday, July 24, 2009
Who DOESN'T love WOD's at the globo gym?
I know that I'm way behind on the posting curve, but bear with me. I was out of town this weekend for a wedding and I'm amazed that I even got this WOD in. There was a lot of running and craziness and me not having as much time to myself as I thought I was going to have. But regardless, it all worked out well in the end and the wedding, despite the weather, went off pretty well. There were a few technical difficulties, but what can you do?
Before too much of the mayhem got started I managed to get a wod in at the YMCA which is not really close to my house, but eh, again, living in central PA, there aren't gyms right around the corner. So I had to travel about 15 minutes, but all for the love of CrossFit! :P
We've been working a lot of cleans and some snatches lately at CFOT so I wanted to do some work on both those things. I've been focused so much on going heavier lately that I've been losing a lot of speed for whatever reason, so I was working a lot on elbow whips, and getting myself into that nice full extension at the top of the pull, where my hips are totally open and I'm just about to duck under the bar. I'm not entirely sure where that went exactly but it seems to have disappeared.
This definitely got me some strange looks as I was standing in the middle of the room with a bar, and people seemed to have a hard time understanding why I wasn't laying on a bench pressing it out or curling it up. I got some wicked funny looks when I started full on snatching it over my head too. :P It was what we would deem a "men's bar" or a 45lb oly bar, so I'm sure those people probably thought I was way off my rocker to be throwing 45 lbs over my head. LOL.... if only they knew how much I USUALLY throw over my head. Ha.... so anyhoo... after that nice long warm-up of cleans and snatches, I decided to do a metcon circuit since heavy lifting on your own is never as much fun, not to mention, Jerry's not around to keep an eye on my form.
So, my Friday fun looked like this.
5RFT
5 strict pull-ups
10 snatch (20 lbs)
15 air squats
Time: 10:34
This actually would have been a nice little circuit, but... there's always a but. I had a really hard time with the pull-ups. The machine was way to high for me, so doing pull-ups on it was really super challenging. I did 2 rounds all strict, part of the 3rd strict, and then had to switch to kipping. Not that I wasn't still getting a great workout, I was, but the strict would have been better for me.
I had to laugh because while I was doing this, some guy came in and started doing all sorts of atypical globo gym moves in the corner and I could tell he was totally watching me out of the corner of his eye wondering what on earth I was doing. I really do forget sometimes how some people just have traditional fitness ingrained in them... it's too weird.
Oh, but the best was when later I went back to working more snatches and cleans, and this same guy came up beside me and started doing... dun dun dun! You guessed it... bicep curls. Right next to me in the mirror. I looked at my bar, looked at his bicep curls, and started to giggle. I don't think he really thought that his bicep curls were funny, but I sure did. :) Oh globo gyms... and the way they make me laugh. :)
Before too much of the mayhem got started I managed to get a wod in at the YMCA which is not really close to my house, but eh, again, living in central PA, there aren't gyms right around the corner. So I had to travel about 15 minutes, but all for the love of CrossFit! :P
We've been working a lot of cleans and some snatches lately at CFOT so I wanted to do some work on both those things. I've been focused so much on going heavier lately that I've been losing a lot of speed for whatever reason, so I was working a lot on elbow whips, and getting myself into that nice full extension at the top of the pull, where my hips are totally open and I'm just about to duck under the bar. I'm not entirely sure where that went exactly but it seems to have disappeared.
This definitely got me some strange looks as I was standing in the middle of the room with a bar, and people seemed to have a hard time understanding why I wasn't laying on a bench pressing it out or curling it up. I got some wicked funny looks when I started full on snatching it over my head too. :P It was what we would deem a "men's bar" or a 45lb oly bar, so I'm sure those people probably thought I was way off my rocker to be throwing 45 lbs over my head. LOL.... if only they knew how much I USUALLY throw over my head. Ha.... so anyhoo... after that nice long warm-up of cleans and snatches, I decided to do a metcon circuit since heavy lifting on your own is never as much fun, not to mention, Jerry's not around to keep an eye on my form.
So, my Friday fun looked like this.
5RFT
5 strict pull-ups
10 snatch (20 lbs)
15 air squats
Time: 10:34
This actually would have been a nice little circuit, but... there's always a but. I had a really hard time with the pull-ups. The machine was way to high for me, so doing pull-ups on it was really super challenging. I did 2 rounds all strict, part of the 3rd strict, and then had to switch to kipping. Not that I wasn't still getting a great workout, I was, but the strict would have been better for me.
I had to laugh because while I was doing this, some guy came in and started doing all sorts of atypical globo gym moves in the corner and I could tell he was totally watching me out of the corner of his eye wondering what on earth I was doing. I really do forget sometimes how some people just have traditional fitness ingrained in them... it's too weird.
Oh, but the best was when later I went back to working more snatches and cleans, and this same guy came up beside me and started doing... dun dun dun! You guessed it... bicep curls. Right next to me in the mirror. I looked at my bar, looked at his bicep curls, and started to giggle. I don't think he really thought that his bicep curls were funny, but I sure did. :) Oh globo gyms... and the way they make me laugh. :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
If you're a regular reader... you should have added me to your friends on Facebook... do it now... or else... besides your mom already friended me! :) Oh, and also, you should also become a fan of CrossFit Old Town. You wanna see the box that rocks my socks all the time? Check out the good banter between our members and some internet friends as well as all of our wods, vids, and some great resources Jerry posts up. Do it now... or taste my squirrely wrath! (Thank you Foamy... :P )
Snatch it like you mean it...
There were lots of great snatch moments today. I had some of the best snatch quotes ever today!
Jerry- *smiling*
Me- What?
Jerry- It's the snatch. It's not perfect.
Me- No, but it sure is fun to play around with.
After a minor coffee break...
Me- Gar will you put this away (referring to a barbell)? My hands hurt too much from the snatch.
Oh, *giggles* I love childish snatch humor!
Now if only my lifting would have been as good as my quotes! Flat out, today was stinky poo. No speed again, a lot like my cleans last week. As Jerry says, I wasn't opening my hips and getting to full extension. Drag nabit! This sucks! I hit 105 today solid, but the second I went to 110 I lost it all. No speed, no umpf! I actually got scared of a barbell today. That never happens! Have you ever had a moment like that? Where something that never bothers you suddenly does?
It was a total freak out for me. I was staring at 110 and all of a sudden I got Fran tummy! WTF? Who does that? why did that happen? No clues yo, no clues. All I know is that the danged bar got the better of me today. I mean, yes, I tied my PR but last time I had 110 up. I just couldn't lock out. So today I really, really wanted to hit 110. But I just couldn't. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I should have slept in, and gotten more rest, but you know, again, performance on demand. CF says it. I should be able to produce, but for whatever reason today, that bar just got the better of me. Grrrr.... I will get you... oh yes... you may not know where, or where... but I will get you 110... watch your back. Sleep with one eye open....
Jerry- *smiling*
Me- What?
Jerry- It's the snatch. It's not perfect.
Me- No, but it sure is fun to play around with.
After a minor coffee break...
Me- Gar will you put this away (referring to a barbell)? My hands hurt too much from the snatch.
Oh, *giggles* I love childish snatch humor!
Now if only my lifting would have been as good as my quotes! Flat out, today was stinky poo. No speed again, a lot like my cleans last week. As Jerry says, I wasn't opening my hips and getting to full extension. Drag nabit! This sucks! I hit 105 today solid, but the second I went to 110 I lost it all. No speed, no umpf! I actually got scared of a barbell today. That never happens! Have you ever had a moment like that? Where something that never bothers you suddenly does?
It was a total freak out for me. I was staring at 110 and all of a sudden I got Fran tummy! WTF? Who does that? why did that happen? No clues yo, no clues. All I know is that the danged bar got the better of me today. I mean, yes, I tied my PR but last time I had 110 up. I just couldn't lock out. So today I really, really wanted to hit 110. But I just couldn't. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I should have slept in, and gotten more rest, but you know, again, performance on demand. CF says it. I should be able to produce, but for whatever reason today, that bar just got the better of me. Grrrr.... I will get you... oh yes... you may not know where, or where... but I will get you 110... watch your back. Sleep with one eye open....
Helen
Of Troy!? No silly pants! It's the CF WOD Helen. Although this particular Helen has not been the cause of the destruction of an entire civilization, she has destroyed, uh well... moi! Helen is straight up one of my LEAST favorite girls. She probably falls right behind Fran who is my least favorite of all. Sorry girls, you're wicked badass and all, but I just don't like you. Now Grace on the other hand, she and I will get along just fine... :)
For those of you not up to date on your ladies, Helen looks a little sumptin' like 'dis...
3 RFT
400 M run
21 KB swings
12 Pull-ups
Time 12:22
This was actually a PR for me. I did the Helen challenge back in the spring and my improvement over the course of the 6 weeks was only a mere 5 seconds. My improvement since then was :21 seconds. I really felt good on this this time, but just like last time I did Fran, my first part was great, but I ran smack into a wall. I did all sets of KB swings unbroken (yay me) but just couldn't keep my running up to speed. My forearms were jacked from the wod on Monday and I just couldn't keep a grip on the bar. But CF says that it's performance on demand, and I tried, but couldn't perform as well as I would have liked. I got on the bar for my 12 chins at 11:30. Normally 12 chins would take about :20. That would have been a SOLID pr for me. But not today. I couldn't even eek out sets of 2/3 at the end. It was brutal. This is why I don't like Helen. Grrrrr... maybe I'll see her again soon...... You know first Friday is just around the corner folks. :)
For those of you not up to date on your ladies, Helen looks a little sumptin' like 'dis...
3 RFT
400 M run
21 KB swings
12 Pull-ups
Time 12:22
This was actually a PR for me. I did the Helen challenge back in the spring and my improvement over the course of the 6 weeks was only a mere 5 seconds. My improvement since then was :21 seconds. I really felt good on this this time, but just like last time I did Fran, my first part was great, but I ran smack into a wall. I did all sets of KB swings unbroken (yay me) but just couldn't keep my running up to speed. My forearms were jacked from the wod on Monday and I just couldn't keep a grip on the bar. But CF says that it's performance on demand, and I tried, but couldn't perform as well as I would have liked. I got on the bar for my 12 chins at 11:30. Normally 12 chins would take about :20. That would have been a SOLID pr for me. But not today. I couldn't even eek out sets of 2/3 at the end. It was brutal. This is why I don't like Helen. Grrrrr... maybe I'll see her again soon...... You know first Friday is just around the corner folks. :)
Monday, July 20, 2009
I do what I want! I'm grown!
I tried to find a YouTube clip of Cartman saying that, but sadly due to copyright infringment I could only find a really crappy one that was about 15 seconds long. But I just thought it fitting since today's workout was "Cindy Grows Up", uh... oops that wasn't it. "Cindy Got Strong!"
Ok, so Cindy pretty much is a gasser of a WOD on a normal basis, so Jerry just thought for fun he'd make it a little worse.... uh... CRAP!
The new strong Cindy looks like this
AMRAP in 20 min
3 weighted chins (15lbs)
5 front squats (100 lbs)
7 clapping push-ups (I did regular ones)
It seemed that the average today for everyone was between 9-10 rounds. I did 11.33. But I couldn't do clapping push-ups, so I should have been able to do 12/13 maybe even 14. I liked this workout because I liked adding the weight to it, but I was sort of disappointed that I didn't do more rounds.
I'm sure that you've noticed that the food stuff has been missing from my blog this week. I know. I'm having a hard time getting it under control. Going away last weekend really shot me in the foot. I need to regroup and get things back under control. I'm still using the general Zone concept but I'm nowhere near the right blocks. I'm hungry sometimes at weird hours now and I'm not hungry when I should or can eat dinner. It's been bizarre.
All I know is that food for me has been a lifelong struggle and I am trying to take the necessary steps to retrain my brain but it's difficult to undo 27 years worth of work overnight. Still struggling with it but I'm doing ok. I'm not perfect but doing ok. I haven't been eating pizza and fried food everynight, in fact haven't had it at all but I still need to get my carbs (largely sugar) under control. I'm still hoping to lose some weight by the end of the summer.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Strict press and metcon thrashings...
For our warm-up today Jerry had us working sets of 5 rep strict presses. I worked up to 80X5. I had 85 but only got that for 4. After that we had another metcon burner. That makes my 3rd metcon this week. Our metcon thrashing looked like this.
200 M run
10 Wallball
5 Ring dips
400 M run
20 Wallball
10 Ring dips
600 M run
30 Wallball
15 Ring dips
400 M run
20 Wallball
10 Ring dips
200 M run
10 Wallball
5 Ring dips
I'm not 100% sure about the time. I think it was 23:22. I really felt like I gave this workout a good go, but I had to use floss for the dips. I can only do 1 dip, maybe 2, so I didn't want to try to do the wod without the band. I know that I need to work my dip strength, but I didn't think I would be able to do this many in one workout without the band. When I did Elizabeth last summer without the band it took me 22 minutes just because of the dips. So, I guess it's just one more thing to work on... blech! Oh well... Monday will be here soon enough and it's a whole new week of wods.
200 M run
10 Wallball
5 Ring dips
400 M run
20 Wallball
10 Ring dips
600 M run
30 Wallball
15 Ring dips
400 M run
20 Wallball
10 Ring dips
200 M run
10 Wallball
5 Ring dips
I'm not 100% sure about the time. I think it was 23:22. I really felt like I gave this workout a good go, but I had to use floss for the dips. I can only do 1 dip, maybe 2, so I didn't want to try to do the wod without the band. I know that I need to work my dip strength, but I didn't think I would be able to do this many in one workout without the band. When I did Elizabeth last summer without the band it took me 22 minutes just because of the dips. So, I guess it's just one more thing to work on... blech! Oh well... Monday will be here soon enough and it's a whole new week of wods.
Snatch this!
5RFT
12 snatches (55lbs)
12 pull-ups
12 burpees
Time 18:32
This was just a burner. Straight up. By round 3 I was having trouble breathing and really was totally cursing the burpees on this. I also happened to break one of my weights on my bar, so my bar didn't quite sit up right. Imagine trying to snatch when your bar is crooked. That was weird. I also know for a fact that I had really crappy form on a few of the snatches because I was touching and going and so tired that I rounded out and didn't have a good starting position but I still kept going and got it done.
12 snatches (55lbs)
12 pull-ups
12 burpees
Time 18:32
This was just a burner. Straight up. By round 3 I was having trouble breathing and really was totally cursing the burpees on this. I also happened to break one of my weights on my bar, so my bar didn't quite sit up right. Imagine trying to snatch when your bar is crooked. That was weird. I also know for a fact that I had really crappy form on a few of the snatches because I was touching and going and so tired that I rounded out and didn't have a good starting position but I still kept going and got it done.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Max clean and jerk...
Ok, so I'm going to reiterate my previous statement. Whose brilliant idea was it to do so many freakin' push-ups? My LORD! Every part of my body hurt today when I was trying to do clean and jerks. My abs, my sides, my biceps, my lats, my shoulders. You name it and it hurt. I had a really hard time getting into this WOD and Jerry and I both agreed that I was really lacking in speed. My max today was only 125. I tried 130 but just lacked speed all around. So today was still a good lifting day, but not the best I've done.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Whose brilliant idea was it to do so many pushups?
So remember me saying that I was really going to regret taking time off and eating like crap? I really regret taking time off and eating like crap. It was fun at the time, but not so fun during the wod. Although it was a bodyweight circuit, it kicked my arse entirely... why? Well because it looked like this.
5RFT
15 pull-ups
30 pushups
45 abmats
Time 36:52
Nope, I didn't write that wrong. I didn't stutter. It really took me that long today. Why? Not because my pullups were slow, not because I was resting on the abmats, but because I am that darned slow at push-ups. I could have modified... extra emphasis on the could have, but I didn't. Why? I don't know, because I'm retarded I suppose and not to mention insanely stubborn to boot.
I was experimenting today and tried taping my pullup bar to help with the grip issues that I've been having, and actually found that I had some success with it. I was able to do sets of 12 during the 2nd and 3rd round, and then straight 15 on the last round. Normally my grip starts to slip after 6 or so, and although my strength is still there I just can't hold the bar. The tape helped to give me a little extra grip. I know some people will probably say that I'm cheating, but the only thing I'm really cheating is my workout by not being able to push myself on the bar just because my hands are slipping... so to that, I'm going to point you to Byers' F' Off Scale. Granted hers is more food oriented, but eh... whatevs. :P The point is still there. I'll tape my bar and take my 20 kipping pull-ups thank you.
Starting weight today: 164.4
Breakamafast
Cereal (yes I know)
Lunch
Cereal (again, I know)
Dinner
KSB Voodoo salad
3-4 blocks protein from grilled chicken
1-2 blocks carbs from lettuce and vegetable mixture (carrots, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, celery, and corn)
1-2 blocks carbs from 1/2 piece of cornbread
3 blocks fat from salad dressing
Jerry and I were talking about my diet the other day, and so I'm going to try to play around with my fat/protein ratio before straight up increasing the blocks on my meals. I'm going to try eating more protein first, and keep the carbs the same. I need to get back on my routine though and more importantly go grocery shopping. Being out of town for four days, I didn't want to grocery shop last week, so now I also don't have any food in my house. I really need to get a handle on this! I feel very spastic with my work/travel schedule! I'm out of town again next week for 5 days for a wedding and again two weeks after that for NYC. FRUSTRATING!
5RFT
15 pull-ups
30 pushups
45 abmats
Time 36:52
Nope, I didn't write that wrong. I didn't stutter. It really took me that long today. Why? Not because my pullups were slow, not because I was resting on the abmats, but because I am that darned slow at push-ups. I could have modified... extra emphasis on the could have, but I didn't. Why? I don't know, because I'm retarded I suppose and not to mention insanely stubborn to boot.
I was experimenting today and tried taping my pullup bar to help with the grip issues that I've been having, and actually found that I had some success with it. I was able to do sets of 12 during the 2nd and 3rd round, and then straight 15 on the last round. Normally my grip starts to slip after 6 or so, and although my strength is still there I just can't hold the bar. The tape helped to give me a little extra grip. I know some people will probably say that I'm cheating, but the only thing I'm really cheating is my workout by not being able to push myself on the bar just because my hands are slipping... so to that, I'm going to point you to Byers' F' Off Scale. Granted hers is more food oriented, but eh... whatevs. :P The point is still there. I'll tape my bar and take my 20 kipping pull-ups thank you.
Starting weight today: 164.4
Breakamafast
Cereal (yes I know)
Lunch
Cereal (again, I know)
Dinner
KSB Voodoo salad
3-4 blocks protein from grilled chicken
1-2 blocks carbs from lettuce and vegetable mixture (carrots, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, celery, and corn)
1-2 blocks carbs from 1/2 piece of cornbread
3 blocks fat from salad dressing
Jerry and I were talking about my diet the other day, and so I'm going to try to play around with my fat/protein ratio before straight up increasing the blocks on my meals. I'm going to try eating more protein first, and keep the carbs the same. I need to get back on my routine though and more importantly go grocery shopping. Being out of town for four days, I didn't want to grocery shop last week, so now I also don't have any food in my house. I really need to get a handle on this! I feel very spastic with my work/travel schedule! I'm out of town again next week for 5 days for a wedding and again two weeks after that for NYC. FRUSTRATING!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Welcome to the good life.... the life I live...
Where four day vacas are possible yo! :) I've been maxin' and relaxin' (even chillin' like a villain) for a few days so I've been away from the box. Yup, ate like crap, and am going to regret that as soon as I hit the box tomorrow. I'll be back bright and early in the AM. Well, def in the AM but can't promise bright and early. Game on!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Arlington
My sister sent this to me awhile ago and I finally got around to watching this... hysterical and ooooohhhh so true... why are so many dudes wearing brown flip flops?!?!?
Friday, July 10, 2009
Strict press and pull-up ladder...
Today was a nice arm day. After all the leg work lately I was all in favor. So, my strict presses today looked like this.
35X5
55X5
65X3
70X1
75X1
80X1
85X1
88X1
90X1
92X1(F)
92X1(F)
My max for the strict press is 93 lbs, but I'll be honest, it wasn't pretty when I did it. I have a very bad habit of arching my back and pushing away from my face on the strict press. Today I really was working on tightening my core and getting set and trying not to arch. As my weights got higher, I felt myself arch and push away, and so I called it quits. I don't think this was a bad lifting day for me, because strict press pr's are very hard to come by, especially for me.
After the strict press, I took a shot at the extra work that Jerry had posted which was a simply pull-up ladder. Start at 1 and for every minute, add 1 pull-up. So, 1 minute is 1, then 2, then 3 and so on and so on until you can no longer complete the number of pull-ups in a minute. My pull-ups have gotten weaker, I think largely due to my weight gain, so it was a necessary evil to work them. I need to keep working on my diet. I need to make better choices. My diet needs to become as automatic as my clean or my jerk, or my squat. It needs to become something I do without thinking or wavering.
35X5
55X5
65X3
70X1
75X1
80X1
85X1
88X1
90X1
92X1(F)
92X1(F)
My max for the strict press is 93 lbs, but I'll be honest, it wasn't pretty when I did it. I have a very bad habit of arching my back and pushing away from my face on the strict press. Today I really was working on tightening my core and getting set and trying not to arch. As my weights got higher, I felt myself arch and push away, and so I called it quits. I don't think this was a bad lifting day for me, because strict press pr's are very hard to come by, especially for me.
After the strict press, I took a shot at the extra work that Jerry had posted which was a simply pull-up ladder. Start at 1 and for every minute, add 1 pull-up. So, 1 minute is 1, then 2, then 3 and so on and so on until you can no longer complete the number of pull-ups in a minute. My pull-ups have gotten weaker, I think largely due to my weight gain, so it was a necessary evil to work them. I need to keep working on my diet. I need to make better choices. My diet needs to become as automatic as my clean or my jerk, or my squat. It needs to become something I do without thinking or wavering.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Let me see if I can run it, run it... I believe I can run it, run it!
What? You don't like Chris Brown? Ah come on... he only has that one character flaw... :P
4 rft
400 m run
50 air squats
Time: 16:08
For a really bad runner with even worse sore legs from deads and thrusters, I'll take this one. Not a bad time. Book it son! :)
Starting weight: 166.0
Breakfast:
2 blocks protein from eggs
1 block protein from bacon
2 blocks from potatoes
2 blocks from toast
3 blocks fat from butter, bacon, and cooking oils
Lunch:
KSB Pig Salad
4 blocks protein from chicken
1 block carbs from lettuce and veggies
3 blocks carbs from cornbread
3 blocks fat from salad dressing
Note: After thinking, this truly isn't a good choice. While yes it's all the basics, the chicken has BBQ sauch on it. I forget to factor that in. I also had soda today... wah wah wah... :(
Dinner:
Bowl KSB Chicken Vegetable soup
3 blocks protein from chicken
2/3 blocks carbs from veggies in soup, side cooked veggies
1/2 blocks carbs from cornbread
DAMNIT! I love cornbread... :(
4 rft
400 m run
50 air squats
Time: 16:08
For a really bad runner with even worse sore legs from deads and thrusters, I'll take this one. Not a bad time. Book it son! :)
Starting weight: 166.0
Breakfast:
2 blocks protein from eggs
1 block protein from bacon
2 blocks from potatoes
2 blocks from toast
3 blocks fat from butter, bacon, and cooking oils
Lunch:
KSB Pig Salad
4 blocks protein from chicken
1 block carbs from lettuce and veggies
3 blocks carbs from cornbread
3 blocks fat from salad dressing
Note: After thinking, this truly isn't a good choice. While yes it's all the basics, the chicken has BBQ sauch on it. I forget to factor that in. I also had soda today... wah wah wah... :(
Dinner:
Bowl KSB Chicken Vegetable soup
3 blocks protein from chicken
2/3 blocks carbs from veggies in soup, side cooked veggies
1/2 blocks carbs from cornbread
DAMNIT! I love cornbread... :(
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Throw some stinking weight on the bar! Or heavy deadlifts...
I had this whole blog written and ready to post about the deadlifts, and wouldn't you know it, Internet Explorer stopped working and had to close.... my isn't technology GREAT! Freakin' computer!
Anyway, thanks to Sean and Christine, I knew on Monday night that deads were coming up today. It wasn't really TERRIBLY big secret as Jerry had told us last week that deads were coming up this week, he just hadn't told us EXACTLY when. So, when they came up today, I was sort of nervous. Jerry had sort of thrown me a gauntlet last week when he told me he thought I should hit at least 225.
I won't lie folks, I am a deadlift wuss. I'm a lot of things. Overly chipper, somewhat hyperactive, a sufferer of verbal diarhea, a wineocerous, disgustlingly forgiving, kind hearted with lots of good intentions that somehow manage to go badly awry, but on top of all that, I am a deadlift wuss. When it comes to heavy deads, I get uber sorts of nervous. As a deadlifter, I tend to round my back which is a common form fault. If you ask Jerry he can tell you that my deadlifts have come a long way. They still need work, but are far better than they used to be. But here's the thing. Deadlifts are a scary mother because you can really f' yourself up with a bad deadlift. No joke. I really don't want to go to the hospital with a slipped disc or pulled back because I was too stubborn to know when to quit and pulled a dead off the floor with a rounded back. No sir.
So, I tend to back off perhaps sooner than I should. At 215 and 225 there was a minor round. Not something that caused a red flag and Jerry giving me the axe, which he has done before. But enough to make him say if you're going to go heavier you need to tighten up your core even more. Well, to be honest, 225 was already a 15 lb pr and I was feeling pretty good about it, so I took a cue from Maverick and called the ball. I really feel my true max is closer to 240/250 but I need some more work on my set up before I get there. So, 225 it is. Book it son.
Breakamafast
Grande Vanilla Latte
*** I know I know I know... shouldn't skip meals, but I was having such a fun time at CFOT working on MU's that I got home late.
Lunch
3 blocks protein from 3 oz chicken
2 blocks carbs from 1/2 baked potato
1 block carbs from 1/3 c. steamed peas
3 blocks fat from butter sub on peas/potato
Dinner
4 blocks protein from chicken breast with approx. 1/2 oz cheddar cheese
2 blocks carb from 1/2 sandwich bun
1/2 block carbs from small side salad
1 block carbs from cooked carrots and broccoli
2 blocks carbs from cornbread
4 blocks fat from salad dressing and 50/50 butter on veggies
*** This would have been much better had I not eaten the bread.
*** Side note- This starts week 3 of healthier (but not perfect) eating for me. As you can see from my posts, gone are much of the sugars and sweets that I was chowing down on repeatedly during my last month+ of school. My eating could still use some tweaking, I'm thinking I may now be 4 blocks and not 3, but we'll continue and see how things progress.
Rome was not built in a day, and I cannot retrain my brain in just a few short days. For those of you are are ranting about my coffee intake, consider this for a minute. A white chocolate mocha which I was downing a venti of every morning before school has 580 calories with 190 coming from fat. 22 grams of fat with 15 of them being saturated. While yes, there are 19 grams of protein in the drink, there are 79, no I didn't stutter, 79 grams of carbs, 75 of them SUGAR! So compare that to my new grande vanilla latte. Boasting 250 calories with only 60 from fat. There are only 6 grams of fat with 4 saturated versus that 22/15 ratio from before, and the sugar content, while still not good is significantly less at 34. So, you see, it's still not ideal in the sugar world, but it's much better.
I give myself points for much better! It's the small victories that will eventually lead to the largest victory of all. My ideal weight, and me being much healthier.
Anyway, thanks to Sean and Christine, I knew on Monday night that deads were coming up today. It wasn't really TERRIBLY big secret as Jerry had told us last week that deads were coming up this week, he just hadn't told us EXACTLY when. So, when they came up today, I was sort of nervous. Jerry had sort of thrown me a gauntlet last week when he told me he thought I should hit at least 225.
I won't lie folks, I am a deadlift wuss. I'm a lot of things. Overly chipper, somewhat hyperactive, a sufferer of verbal diarhea, a wineocerous, disgustlingly forgiving, kind hearted with lots of good intentions that somehow manage to go badly awry, but on top of all that, I am a deadlift wuss. When it comes to heavy deads, I get uber sorts of nervous. As a deadlifter, I tend to round my back which is a common form fault. If you ask Jerry he can tell you that my deadlifts have come a long way. They still need work, but are far better than they used to be. But here's the thing. Deadlifts are a scary mother because you can really f' yourself up with a bad deadlift. No joke. I really don't want to go to the hospital with a slipped disc or pulled back because I was too stubborn to know when to quit and pulled a dead off the floor with a rounded back. No sir.
So, I tend to back off perhaps sooner than I should. At 215 and 225 there was a minor round. Not something that caused a red flag and Jerry giving me the axe, which he has done before. But enough to make him say if you're going to go heavier you need to tighten up your core even more. Well, to be honest, 225 was already a 15 lb pr and I was feeling pretty good about it, so I took a cue from Maverick and called the ball. I really feel my true max is closer to 240/250 but I need some more work on my set up before I get there. So, 225 it is. Book it son.
Breakamafast
Grande Vanilla Latte
*** I know I know I know... shouldn't skip meals, but I was having such a fun time at CFOT working on MU's that I got home late.
Lunch
3 blocks protein from 3 oz chicken
2 blocks carbs from 1/2 baked potato
1 block carbs from 1/3 c. steamed peas
3 blocks fat from butter sub on peas/potato
Dinner
4 blocks protein from chicken breast with approx. 1/2 oz cheddar cheese
2 blocks carb from 1/2 sandwich bun
1/2 block carbs from small side salad
1 block carbs from cooked carrots and broccoli
2 blocks carbs from cornbread
4 blocks fat from salad dressing and 50/50 butter on veggies
*** This would have been much better had I not eaten the bread.
*** Side note- This starts week 3 of healthier (but not perfect) eating for me. As you can see from my posts, gone are much of the sugars and sweets that I was chowing down on repeatedly during my last month+ of school. My eating could still use some tweaking, I'm thinking I may now be 4 blocks and not 3, but we'll continue and see how things progress.
Rome was not built in a day, and I cannot retrain my brain in just a few short days. For those of you are are ranting about my coffee intake, consider this for a minute. A white chocolate mocha which I was downing a venti of every morning before school has 580 calories with 190 coming from fat. 22 grams of fat with 15 of them being saturated. While yes, there are 19 grams of protein in the drink, there are 79, no I didn't stutter, 79 grams of carbs, 75 of them SUGAR! So compare that to my new grande vanilla latte. Boasting 250 calories with only 60 from fat. There are only 6 grams of fat with 4 saturated versus that 22/15 ratio from before, and the sugar content, while still not good is significantly less at 34. So, you see, it's still not ideal in the sugar world, but it's much better.
I give myself points for much better! It's the small victories that will eventually lead to the largest victory of all. My ideal weight, and me being much healthier.
What the FRAN?!
Jerry seems to be stuck on Fran lately. This is 3 Mondays in a row where something very Franesque how come up. First it was Fran, then it was interval Fran, and then it was thrusters and MU's, but since I can't do MU's, guess what the sub was... uh huh... pull-ups, well, and ring dips. :P
The WOD was
For time
15,12,9
Thrusters
MU's
Men 115
Women 78
Now, I'm not sure how Jerry came up with those numbers but whatevs. I did the thrusters with 78. But I did them on the alternate WOD.
The Alternate looked like this
15,12,9
Thrusters
Pull-ups
Ring dips
Time:11:32
I felt pretty speedy but had to use the floss for the dips and even with the floss my arms were hittin' fatigue pretty fast. I'm sure there were a few in there that maybe I shouldn't have counted just because I'm not sure I locked them out 100%. I really wish I didn't have to use a band for dips, but that's something to work on over the summer, just like I did last summer. I got dips by the end of the summer, but lost them during the school year because I stopped hanging out and playing around for all that extra time.
I'm working on the MU's now too after a little poking and prodding from Jerry yesterday. It's funny. A lot of people post an MU as one of their big goals. For me it just never came up. I'm not great with bodyweight movements and so I was sort of content just to lift and hold heavy things. I don't think an MU is COMPLETELY out of the question, but I think it's going to take me a good while. Probably 3-4 months of transition and kip work. I can do a jumping MU. I don't actually have a problem with the transition and locking out, but it's the getting TO the transition where I have a problem. I cannot kip with the false grip in. So, we'll see what happens.... hopefully a muscle up... and at this rate with all the Fran stuff, hopefully a sub 5:30 Fran too! EEsh!
The WOD was
For time
15,12,9
Thrusters
MU's
Men 115
Women 78
Now, I'm not sure how Jerry came up with those numbers but whatevs. I did the thrusters with 78. But I did them on the alternate WOD.
The Alternate looked like this
15,12,9
Thrusters
Pull-ups
Ring dips
Time:11:32
I felt pretty speedy but had to use the floss for the dips and even with the floss my arms were hittin' fatigue pretty fast. I'm sure there were a few in there that maybe I shouldn't have counted just because I'm not sure I locked them out 100%. I really wish I didn't have to use a band for dips, but that's something to work on over the summer, just like I did last summer. I got dips by the end of the summer, but lost them during the school year because I stopped hanging out and playing around for all that extra time.
I'm working on the MU's now too after a little poking and prodding from Jerry yesterday. It's funny. A lot of people post an MU as one of their big goals. For me it just never came up. I'm not great with bodyweight movements and so I was sort of content just to lift and hold heavy things. I don't think an MU is COMPLETELY out of the question, but I think it's going to take me a good while. Probably 3-4 months of transition and kip work. I can do a jumping MU. I don't actually have a problem with the transition and locking out, but it's the getting TO the transition where I have a problem. I cannot kip with the false grip in. So, we'll see what happens.... hopefully a muscle up... and at this rate with all the Fran stuff, hopefully a sub 5:30 Fran too! EEsh!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Katie on the 4th: What does July 4th mean to you?
Every year at about this time life grinds to a hault for many of us as we stop to celebrate the birth of our country. Businesses close down, beach trips are made, BBQ's are lit, adult beverages are enjoyed, and we take a moment to thank our armed servicemen and women. Without the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women, life in this country just wouldn't be the same, let alone even be possible. If the minutemen had never fired over 200 years ago, the lives of the people in this country would most certainly not have been the same. Had the United States not struck back after the devastating bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, who knows how different our lives would have been. And had brave men and women not gone to the Middle East after the destruction of the twin towers, who knows how many more of our citizens, and even citizens of other countries, would have been killed had they not had the courage to step to the plate and take out some of the world's most fearsome terrorist leaders.
This is most certainly a time to stop and honor these men and women and think about how lucky we all are to live where we do. For some, they are thankful for material possessions and the wealth they're able to accumulate from the thriving economy we have. While still in a downturn, our economy is still far and above that of several other countries. For others, they are happy for the freedoms that they are granted through their constitution. The freedom to attend a church or a mosque if they so choose. The freedom to print an article arguing against the government without fear of imprisonment. The freedom to exist in a country without absolute rule. For me though, it's quite different, and actually it's quite simple. I'm happy to have the freedom to CrossFit, and therefore maintain my health. I'm sure to many, that seems unusual, something silly to be thankful for, but it goes so much further than what meets the eye as a rather simple statement.
Consider this for a moment. A friend who is a member of the FBI recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia. Despite the fact that in our country she is an armed and very respected federal agent, she was required to be accompanied by men, she had to be very cautious of her interactions with the men, and of all things, she was not to work out. In their country, a woman working out was frowned upon because she would have had to share the gym with men, which was frowned upon. As a guest of the country she of course had to abide by their rules, but can you imagine something as ordinary and everyday like working out being forbidden? What would you do if you couldn't CrossFit? What would you do if suddenly part of your daily routine was taken away and deemed forbidden? You may do what she did and do push-ups, air squats, and sit-ups in your room, but really. How would you deal?
Saudi Arabia is not alone in it's treatment of women. Countries like Afghanistan require women to leave their homes with a man, and require them to wear a burka to cover their faces. Could you even begin to imagine doing pull-ups or burpees or ANYTHING while your face is covered? In a country where punishments are dolled out for the smallest offenses, could you imagine the punishment for a woman who wanted to be fit and take care of her body? In a country where women's education has been surpressed for many years, can you imagine the reaction a woman would receive when she wants to workout and begin to show her STRENGTH? Although Afghanistan is changing, I have a very difficult time imagining that that would be received well.
There are so many things that we do on a daily basis that we take for granted. In many ways as a society we are very lucky. Our military protects us and ensures us all the opportunity to persue life, liberty, and happiness, but the Constitution never really explicitly says what happiness is because it's different for every person. For some, it's freedom of speech, others freedom from religious persecution, and for others the freedom to work and thrive in a free economy. However, to some of us, it's even much more simple. We are happy to have the opportunity to lift some heavy weights and get strong. We are happy to be able to push ourselves and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
I'm not sure if everyone has picked up on the fact that I am a woman. I know it's hard to remember that sometimes when I talk about using men's weights and blah blah blah, but I am. Were I not living in the United States, there is a chance that I may not be the same person I am now because I wouldn't be able to do something as simple as CrossFit. Now, I don't mean CrossFit is simple, it kicks my butt everyday, but I just mean the idea, the concept of working out, of being physically fit. Women exhibiting strength and women being strong and beautiful is not something that is universally accepted. Some countries prefer to have women who are uneducated and meek, unable to "cause problems" or fight back against the rules against them.
At a time like this, I am appreciative of all of the larger freedoms that are granted to me by our country's constitution and are preserved by the members of our armed forces. But I am even more thankful of the smaller freedoms that we take for granted everyday. I'm proud to be a strong woman, and I'm extremely thankful that my armed servicemen and women stand between me and the people of this world who would quickly change that. So this fourth of July I say, let freedom, and CrossFit, ring.
First Friday
Randy with men's rx'd
Randy
For time
75 power snatches
75 lbs for men
55 lbs for ladies
Time: 11:55
Book it
Randy
For time
75 power snatches
75 lbs for men
55 lbs for ladies
Time: 11:55
Book it
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
What is the front squat 3-3-3-3-3?
I've noticed recently that everytime a front squat WOD comes up on the main site, I get all sorts of hits for people looking for info on front squats. I'm not sure if they are unfamiliar with the movement, looking to find what the 3-3-3-3-3 is, or if they're just looking for weights to shoot for. So, I thought that since I am off from school, and I have the time until I have to work, that I would run through a quick little bit about front squats so that way next time people come looking for it, they'll find better info then the post that they've been taken too.
So, I'll break it down a little bit as best I can without a barbell or a white board. One quick note though. Before working on the front squats, be sure to loosen up your wrists well. The rack puts a lot of stress on your wrist flexibility, so don't skimp on this. For those of you with wrist flexibility issues (guys I'm looking at a lot of you), this may be something you're going to have to work on. Try putting palms on floor and then turning 180 degrees so your wrist is away from you. Then apply pressure. Also try putting the top of your hands flat on the floor and putting pressure down. Wrist circles never hurt either.
Form:
The front squat is a version of the squat. Prophetic I know, but hang with me here. The bar is held in the rack position on your shoulders NOT your chest. See the above picture for a decent example. Note that the bar is in my throat and note my elbow position. My elbows are up and my hands are open (not in a death grip on the bar), thus allowing me to keep the bar back in the rack.
A poor rack position (elbows towards the floor and not out) can cause you to tip forward and drop the weight, and you certainly don't want to do that on a max lift day. So really think about almost choking yourself out with the bar. (No really, not kidding on this one.) The better the rack, the better the front squat (IMHO), so get that puppy up and in there without actually cutting off your air supply. Again, see above photo for a decent example.
If you are not used to doing front squats and are having trouble understanding the rack position, try this drill. Take your regular squat stance, and then take your arms and hold them out straight in front of you. Now, without dropping your arms, touch your hands to your shoulders. THAT is how your elbows should be when you front squat. If you have wrist flexibility issues, actually touching your fingers to your shoulders could be hard, but I think you get the idea. The main idea is elbows up, and opening those hands so you can get that bar back on your shoulders and not on your chest.
Try a few air squats trying to keep that rack position, thinking about keeping your elbows up. Then, if available, throw in a PVC to try to get the feel for keeping a bar in the rack. After a few more, then try just the bar and see how things feel. Remember, now that you've got the rack, the rest is just an air squat. Get your butt back and bow those knees out. But remember, it is also designed to be a heavy lift as well. You need to make sure to get tension in your abs to help stabilize you during your heavy lifts. Practice in your warm-up/practice sets what you want to do in your big lifts. Automaticity is what you're aiming for. Before each rep, practice taking in a big breath and holding it to stabilize your core. Voila! We have front squat.
The 3-3-3-3-3:
The 3-3-3-3-3 is simply another way of lifting heavy. Most of us are familiar with one rep maxes. You work up to your highest weight for one rep. 3-3-3-3-3 is the same except with three reps. You are working up to your highest weight that you can do for three reps consecutively. This would mean no putting the bar down. The bar must stay in the rack position for you to count your three rep max.
Front squat weights:
Just like anything else we CFers do with a barbell, your weight on a front squat will depend on a few things. Your comfort level with the movement, your leg strength because, well this is after all a leg exercise, your core strength because well, the core must also be engaged, your rack position, and your ramp ups. Warm up smart but don't burn out. Remember, this is a three rep max, not a one rep. Don't expect that you will post the same amount of weight as with your one rep. It's a great goal to shoot for, but usually not the case. I like to do a few sets of low weights, make one relatively big jump to a weight I know I can handle, and then make smaller jumps (5-10lbs) after that.
I hope that this information is helpful to those who have been searching. Below are a few Youtubes I've pulled in, so hopefully these help too. You'll hear the cue to drive with the elbows a lot. That is the key to getting you out of the hole on a deep squat. Once that weight gets heavy, it's imperitive to use speed and your elbows to drive out of that bottom squat position.
Gonna make you sweat...
Ok so in looking for the actual music video to this song, I found this, which actually just made me laugh even more.
So today's wod on the white board was a couplet. But unfortunately since I can't do double unders (something about lack of coordination or something... :P) I had to do the alternate. Crap.
The couplet looked like this:
50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Push-ups
The alternate looked like this:
40-30-20-10
Box jumps
KB swings
Push-ups
Time: 21:41
I actually felt really good on the box jumps today and the kb swings and took minimal rest on those two, and I really thought even for me I was moving pretty steadily through the push-ups. I thought this was a pretty good time until I saw the classes after me demolish it. :( No bueno...
This wod made me good and sweaty though. There was a pile under my nose when all was said and done. Afterwards I went out for a 1 mile run but had a really hard time. My calves kept cramping. More potasium?
Starting weight today: 167.0
Yesterday's lunch:
4 blocks protein from leftover chicken
2 blocks carbs from 1/2 baked potato
2 blocks carbs from steamed veggies
4 blocks fat from marinade on chicken and butter on veggies/potato
** This was a larger than normal meal for me, but for some reason, I was starving.
Yesterday's dinner:
KSB voodo salad
3 blocks protein grilled chicken
1 block carbs from veggie mixtures (carrots, corn, green peppers, cucumber, red onion)
1/2 block carbs from Romaine lettuce
2 blocks carbs from cornbread
3 blocks fat from salad dressing
Today's breakamafast
Coffee (only drank half again... I think my taste really is going)
3 blocks carbs from Muesli (yogurt, rolled oats, oranges, pears, apples, strawberries et al.)
2 blocks protein from 2 eggs
1 block protein from bacon
1 block carbs from piece of bread
3 blocks fat from bacon and oils used in cooking
Again, I was starving today. Hence the bread. I really need to remember snacks. I keep forgetting!
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