Sunday, May 31, 2009

WOD 5-30-09

"Kelly"

5 rounds of:

Run 400 meters
30 Box Jumps (19 inch box)
30 Wall Balls (12 lb. ball)

Time: 31:15

Whoa this one was tough. AND a few of us messed up and did run/wall ball/box jump, so I think we made it even tougher on ourselves. But then again, it would have been tough in any order so I am not that bothered about it. Did this workout at 10am and it was a hot and sunny morning, so those runs got pretty brutal. Loved it though!

WOD 5-28-09

21-15-9

21:
Alternating DB Presses (20 lb. dbs)
Burpee Pull Ups
200 meter run

15:
Alternating DB Presses (20 lb. dbs)
Burpee Pull Ups
400 meter run

9:
Alternating DB Presses (20 lb. dbs)
Burpee Pull Ups
800 meter run

Time: 20:24

Was shooting for under 20 minutes, but I'll take it! Was a great workout and I really enjoyed this one. DB work REALLY emphasizes strength imbalances and I could definitely tell that my left side was lagging.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

WOD 5-27-09

How Many Rounds In 20 Minutes of:

3 muscle-ups (starting on the ground with bent knees, assistance from toes)
6 Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls (67 lbs.)
12 Box Jumps (19 inch)

Rounds: 9 + 3 MUs + 6 SDHP + 8 Box Jumps

Was only 4 box jumps away from getting that 10th round..damn!

This was a great workout and it was HOT in that gym. We had a pretty full house which is always good. Those muscle-ups are a killer and we only did the assisted version! My back is definitely sore today. I can't wait to do real ones, and doing a ton of them from the ground is the way to get there. I also did a few pull-ups after the workout which was great. Will continue to do more and more every day. In today at 4:30, will take Friday off and then in on Saturday.

WOD 5-26-09

"Barbell Tuesday"

We worked on the snatch today. It was my first time to do this with a barbell, before we had only used the dowels or dumbbells for 1-arm muscle snatches. I like this lift, and have discovered that whenever I do an overhead squat I need to snatch it to get it into position over my head, because for some reason it is easier for me to lock out overhead this way. All mental, probably, but I'll take what I can get! We worked on snatches for about 40 minutes then went onto the workout:

3 rounds (never dropping the barbell):

5 Hang Power Snatches
5 Snatch Press (basically a wide grip, behind the neck shoulder press)
5 Overhead Squats
At end: 200 jump ropes

Time: 5:28

I used about 44 lbs. for this workout: 15 kilo bar + (2) 2.5 kilo bumper plates. The snatch presses were by far the toughest part. But I was able to do it without putting the bar down, so I was proud of that. Another great "barbell Tuesday"!

WOD 5-23-09: Extreme Challenge

From nasacrossfit.com:

EXTREME CHALLENGE -
The event was 5 exercises: burpees, box jumps (20” men, 18” women), push press (70# men, 45# women), SDHP (sumo-deadlift high pulls) (60# men, 40# women), and wall balls (15# men, 12# women). With a continuous running clock, each exercise was 1 minute and after each round of 5 exercises there was 1 minute of rest for a total of 3 rounds. The person with a most reps total for all three rounds won. This was very much like Fight Gone Bad, but with burpees instead of rowing.

I took second place in my age group with a score of 253. 3rd place for overall women, 5th place overall men and women.

I definitely have mixed emotions about this event.

It was good to be able to see what it was like to be in a competition, and I learned that focusing on my breathing is VERY important. And I went as hard as I thought I could, but I wished I would have pushed myself just a little bit harder. 1 more rep per round would have made a huge difference, and in the future I need to have that thought constantly running through my head: "one more rep".

It was bad because it was not judged fairly at all. The girl who beat me (by 4 reps) did not do one correct burpee according the rules - there was never even a bend in the elbow! The guy who won 36 and under (and overall) did not lock his arms out once on his push-presses. The guy who won 36 and over did not catch or throw one of the wall balls from his chest, he did everything from his waist. Would I have one first place in my age group had everyone been judged correctly? Absolutely.

I am of the opinion that if you are going to associate the name Crossfit with your event, you better damn well run the event according to Crossfit standards.

Do I sound like a sore loser? Probably, but trust me that is not the case. 2nd place is first loser in my opinion, and it was a kick in the ass that I needed to ramp up my training. So, I can only keep training harder and getting better, faster, stronger so I can win without question in my next event!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

WOD 5-21-09

2 Rounds of Each Couplet:

750 meter row
20 Hand Stand Push-Ups (subbed bench push-ups, toes on the bench, head down, basically an L shaped HSPU with some assisstance from the bench)

20 Thrusters (45 lbs.)
20 L Pull-Ups (subbed kipping pull-ups)

Time: 25:10


Well - drumroll please - today marks my FIRST official workout of doing pull-ups in a workout with NO bands!!! Wahooo! It was so awesome to not have to use any assisstance, and thank you Coach Laura for pushing me to keep working on the pull-ups. Now, they are by no means the prettiest pull-ups you will see, nor can I do no more than 1 or 2 before resetting, but it is leaps and bounds from where I started. So I still have a ways to go before I can do them well, but I can see the strength really developing and I love it! As we all know, hand stand push-ups are my Achilles heel right now. But, just about a month ago that spot was reserved for burpees, and dare I say that I almost even like burpees now. So, I know the hand stand push-ups will come.

I think working on them at home will be the quickest way to get them. I don't like being able to not do them at the gym, beacause I get so frustrated with myself. I'd rather fail miserably in the privacy of my home! Ha! Just kidding, sort of. But I worked constantly on pull-ups at home (and will continue to do so), so I will just do the same with the HSPU and see where that gets me!

Getting ready for Saturday morning's competition by taking a rest day tomorrow. Ah! So nervous, but confident as well. We shall see. I just want to be a good representative for Taylor Sport and show everyone what they are missing out on!

WOD 5-20-09

4 Rounds for time:

50 Air Squats
25 Sit-Ups
15 DB Swings (30 lbs.)
1 200 meter sprint

Time: 19:57

Goal was under 20:00, so I just barely squeaked in. The squats were tough for sure, but it was the sit-ups that took me forever. I didn't take any rests or anything, was just difficult to do them really quick. Other than that everything felt pretty good. Was a little tight and I think that affected my squats, but they got easier as I went on and I think as my muscles got warmer I loosened up in the hips/quads/glutes/hams.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

WOD 5-19-09

"Barbell Tuesday"

WOD
Jump rope 100
Bench 30 reps (75 lbs.)
Jump rope 150
Bench 20 reps (75 lbs.)
Jump rope 200
Bench 10 reps (75 lbs.)

Time: 17:13 (I stand corrected!)

Was good - that was pretty heavy for me on the bench so I was proud of that! Learned some good technique from Dr. Taylor, definitely would not have been able to go that heavy without that lesson.

WOD 5-18-09

"Catch 22"

22 Deadlifts - 135 lbs.
Farmers Walk to end of building and back - 15 lb. dbs
22 Thrusters - 15 lb. dbs
Farmers Walk to end of building and back - 15 lb. dbs
22 Pull-Ups - blue band
200 Meter Run
22 Overhead Squats
200 Meter Run

Time: 17:32 (approximate)

Whoa this one was tough, the deadlifts and the overhead squats killed me!

WOD 5-16-09

How Many Rounds In 20 Minutes?

5 Burpees
10 Box Jumps (25")
15 Ball Slams

I was able to do 10 rounds (possibly 11..don't know if the last one got recorded as I finished a round as the time went off).

This was a great workout! One of my favorites so far, which was suprising because it included burpees. I am definitely getting better at those though, so that is good.

Friday, May 15, 2009

WOD 5-15-09

"Fran"

21-15-9

Thrusters (65 lbs.)
Pull-Ups (blue band for assistance)

Time: 11:23

Well it is a pretty dismal time to be honest! But I was able to do 4-5 of the thrusters at a time, rather than 1 or 2 the first time I did Fran (4-11-09). My time was about 2 minutes slower, but in April I used two assistance bands, and this time I only had one, making the pull-ups much tougher. So it is nice to see that I am gaining some strength...just need some more!
Boot camp in the morning then into Taylor afterwards. I love Saturday workouts!

WOD 5-13-09

"Fight Gone Taylor Sport"

4 rounds
90 seconds of each, with 90 seconds rest between each round

Wall Ball (for reps)
Sit-Ups (for reps)
Row (for calories)
Jumping Slam-Ball (for reps)
Knees to Elbows (for reps)

I'm not sure what my total was, because we did not have time to add everyone up. But I stayed pretty consistent with the following numbers:

Wall Ball: ~48
Sit-Ups: ~50
Row: ~17
Jumping Slam Ball: ~48
Knees to Elbows: ~21

Once again the dang knees to elbows were a killer. Although I am getting better and can actually get my knees to my elbows every once in a while! The hardest part for me is hanging, as my forearms/grip usually give out before my abs. This was supposed to be 5 rounds, but it was just taking too long so Laura pared it down to 4. Fine with me! I really got a great workout with the 4 rounds. CF's "FGB" is 5 rounds of 60 seconds, so we ended up going for roughly the same amount of time even with the 4 rounds.

Thursday off was great, went for a 30 minute run. Not running this morning as hamstrings have been feeling really tight, and I have run every morning so I figure it is time for a break. Into Taylor a little early for a quick "Fran" then it is back home for some stuff for work.

Next Saturday I am competing in the Nasa Crossfit "Extreme Challenge" which will just basically be a Crossfit competition, a workout for the best time. I don't think the workout will be announced until the morning of (hopefully the day before so I can mentally prepare!) so Lord knows what it will be. So, for this next week I will be working double time on my pull-ups, not missing any runs, and eating clean. I want to be able to represent well for Taylor Sport!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

WOD 5-12-09

Press to failure
Push press to failure
Push jerk to failure
(45 lbs.)

Press: 15 reps
Push Press: 11 reps
Push Jerk: 10 reps

Total reps: 36

Whoa this was a tough one! Wish I could have done 15 on each, but my hands were just too slippery and my shoulders were shot. Another good Barbell Tuesday!

20 minute run in the a.m.

Another run tomorrow morning and into Taylor again at 10, then Thursday off.

WOD 5-11-09

3 rounds for time:

20 thrusters (45 lbs.)
800m run
sledgehammer 15/15

Time: 22:53

Well, this one was a good one. I pushed as hard as I could go and was happy with my time. I would have like to have been a minute or two quicker, but there is always next time. We started off with some progression work on kipping pull-ups and I am SO close. I will have it soon. Handstand push-ups are another story, but I am getting better at locking out my arms.

2 miles this a.m. after mowing the lawn.

Monday, May 11, 2009

WOD 5-7-09

5 Rounds for time of:

5 Overhead Squats (35 lbs.)
10 Knees to Elbows
15 Jumping Slam Balls
Sprint to end of building and back (about 150 yards?)

Time: 16:01


This was a good one! VERY hot and humid but it was good. Wish I could have gone a little faster but was struggling with tape and band-aids on my palms while doing the knees to elbows, I just could not get a good enough grip to do more than 1 or 2 at a time. Took Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Went for a good 30 minute run this morning after mowing the lawn, and into Taylor tonight at 6! Looking forward to getting back into the regular routine of 5 days in at Taylor.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

WOD 5-5-09

"Barbell Tuesday" and "How Many Power Cleans in 10 Minutes?"

Answer: 63

So we started off with a lesson in lingo from Dr. Taylor regarding the terms: clean, snatch, power, hang. So, I will try my best to recap, more for my own good really to see if I can remember!

Clean: barbell comes from floor to shoulders, "ride it down" to floor and back up to standing
Snatch: barbell comes from floor to overhead, "ride it down" to floor and back up to standing
Power: you stay up and do not "ride it down"
Hang: barbell starts off the ground, could be at the knees, mid thigh, etc.

So, you could have a clean, a power clean, or a hang power clean. The clean and the snatch are the two main movements, the power and hang are just variations. Got it? Ha!

So then we got onto the movements and focused on the power cleans. I feel like I am getting it a little more and more each week, so that is great. I'll never miss a Tuesday as I think the Olympic lifts will help a ton with CF workouts, as long as I am doing the lifts correctly!

So I was pretty happy with 63 reps, will shoot for 75-80 next time, or a heavier weight.

WOD 5-4-09

30-25-20-15-10-5 reps of
Virtual Shoveling (45 lb. bar with 10 lb. plate)
Pull-Ups (assisted with blue band for first set and then had to go with green for rest)

Time: 14:01

Well, my hands definitely paid the price for this one! There were several palm casualties last night and I was one of them. I basically ripped off the calluses beneath my middle fingers, about dime size rips. Not the best feeling in the world! I should have probably used more chalk or taped from the get-go. I didn't want to stop to chalk and waste time. But it was definitely a great workout and I was spent afterwards. I really felt the pull-ups and tried to use my hips for the kip. Virtual shoveling was MUCH better this time around - almost easy! I think I can go a little heavier next time, and I have no pain whatsoever in my lower back so I know I was using much better form.

Monday, May 4, 2009

WOD 5-2-09

"Let's Play Ball"

10 rounds for reps of:

30 seconds Wall-Ball (12 lb. ball, 8 foot target)
30 seconds Slam Ball (8 lb. ball)
1 minute rest

Total Reps: 354

This one was tough! I was the only one there on Saturday which was kind of good because it could have been pretty confusing with everyone calling out their reps. I could barely speak my reps as it was. Quads absolutely killed on Saturday evening/Sunday so I got some foam rolling in.

Didn't get much of a workout in on Sunday as it was a busy day, but I was able to do 3 sets of 25 shoulders presses with 40 lbs. (light weight with high reps, trying to build up some stamina) and did the same with upright rows. Then I went inside and did some "kettlebell" swings using an 8 lb. medicine ball with handles (VERY light weight, I know!) and I really worked on using my hips for momentum. Then I did some 1 arm db snatches with 10 lb. dbs (again, light, but all I had) and really focused on the shrug and bringing the elbow up and out. Then finished up with planks and some jumping pull-ups.

Then the real workout was mowing the yard - it was HOT. I mowed the front and the back, and it was the very back that got me. Our house backs up to a creek/bayou area and my dad likes to keep the grass in between our yard and creek mowed to cut down on snakes. It is on an incline and the grass was super high and thick because of all of the rain, so it took me just about all I had to mow that thing. I'm just guessing but I would say it is about 60 yards by 60 yards.

Into Taylor Monday night!